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The PBoC announced a larger-then-expected required reserve rate (RRR) reduction late Wednesday. South Korea reported stronger-than-expected GDP numbers today.

 

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    Will Pandexit Support Gold?

    Will Pandexit Support Gold?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 25.10.2021 00:14
    Pandemic will cease to be a problem at some point. It will leave the world with other problems though, and they could be supportive of gold. Maybe it’s not the best timing, given the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, but let’s be optimistic and assume that we will soon leave the epidemic behind us. It goes without saying that the pandexit, or the exit of the Covid-19 pandemic from the world, is believed to be positive for the global economy. However, even if the pandemic ends, it will leave the world with many risks. As Agustín Carstens, Bank for International Settlements General Manager, has recently noted, “policymakers still face daunting challenges as we exit the pandemic”. The first threat is, of course, that the pandemic won’t end anytime soon, as new variants could emerge, entailing further lockdowns, as well as monetary and fiscal stimulus. I cannot exclude it, but my bet is that the economic impact of new strains will be smaller, as people will be better adapted to the epidemic, while sanitary restrictions will be softer because people will be vaccinated and fed up with lockdowns. The second risk is that inflation could rise further or turn out to be more persistent than expected. I analyzed this threat thoroughly earlier in the Gold Market Overview, so I don’t want to write too much about this issue here. However, I would like to point out that if high inflation persists, inflation expectations could become more “backward-looking” and increase more than anticipated. The central bank claims that inflation expectations remain well-anchored, as it enjoys anti-inflation credentials. But the longer high inflation persists, the higher the odds that the central bank will lose its reputation when inflation expectations de-anchor. At some point, people will question the “transitory” character of inflation and increase their expectations. Why wouldn’t they, given that the Fed is openly telling that it has changed its inflation targeting regime toward one more tolerant of inflation above the target? The August 2020 Survey of Consumer Expectations published by the New York Fed is illustrating my point. The report shows that one-year and three-year consumer inflation expectations rose to new highs of 5.2% and 4.0%, respectively (see the chart below). What’s important, both increases were broad-based across age and income groups. Well-anchored, huh? The third risk is the accumulation of debt. Private and public debts were very high already before the pandemic, but they surged even further since all this happened. In the second quarter of 2021, global debt rose to a new record high of $296 trillion, while the US total public debt increased to about $29 trillion, as the chart below shows. In relation to the GDP, the debt has moderated somewhat, but it remains much higher than before the pandemic. Such high indebtedness reduces the financial capacity to respond to new economic shocks in the future and raises the odds of debt distress, defaults, or even a full-blown debt crisis. Excessive indebtedness not only entails risks on its own but also complicates the normalization of monetary policy. Although there is a mammoth pile of public debt, the burden of the costs is manageable because the interest rates are at ultra-low level. However, if the central bank hikes them, the debt-servicing costs will increase, upsetting the government. Importantly, the median maturity of the US government debt has effectively shortened, so the changes in short-term interest rates may be even more challenging for Uncle Sam. Let’s do some math. Given that the public debt is around 125% of the GDP (see the chart below), every percentage-point rise in interest rates implies 1.25 percentage-point growth in the fiscal deficit as a share of the GDP. I bet that the government won’t be happy seeing that. What does it all imply for the gold market? Well, even if the pandemic ends (and we are still far from it), our economic problems won’t disappear. We won’t go back to the pre-pandemic normalcy, as the conditions are completely different. First of all, the debt and inflation are much higher. This creates a particularly unpleasant combination. You see, if inflation is not kept in check relatively early, the Fed most likely will have to jack up the federal funds rate to beat inflation later. The problem is that aggressive monetary policy tightening could boost the risk premiums and exacerbate debt problems, possibly even leading to a financial crisis. Given all these risks, it seems unlikely to me that gold could get out of favor. However, these risks don’t have to materialize, and even if they do – I believe that we haven’t seen the full economic repercussions of the pandemic yet – it won’t happen tomorrow. So, it might be the case that gold will suffer first due to a shy tapering of quantitative easing, only to rally later in response to inflation and/or debt crisis. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhD Sunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Intraday Market Analysis – EUR Builds Up Bullish Reveal

    Intraday Market Analysis – EUR Builds Up Bullish Reveal

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 29.10.2021 08:55
    EURUSD cuts through resistanceThe euro surges as the market prices in inflation pressure despite the ECB’s dovish message.Bullish candles have pushed the single currency above the triple top (1.1665) which sits on the 30-day moving average, paving the way for a reversal. Strong momentum is a sign of short-covering from those caught on the wrong side of the market.An overbought RSI could temporarily limit the range of the rally. However, renewed optimism may send the pair to the daily resistance at 1.1750. 1.1620 is the support in case of a pullback.USDJPY tests demand zoneThe Japanese yen recouped losses after the BOJ sees a weak yen as positive for Japan’s economy. And the US dollar has come under pressure near a four-year high.An overbought RSI on the daily chart points to an overextension. On the hourly level, the pair has found bids around 113.30 near a previous consolidation range.A bearish breakout would test the round number at 113.00, which lies on the 20-day moving average and is critical in safeguarding the uptrend. The bulls need to lift 114.30 before they may resume the rally.US 30 pulls backs for supportThe Dow Jones consolidates as investors digest earnings near the all-time high.A breakout above the August peak at 35600 and a bullish MA cross from the daily timeframe indicate an acceleration on the upside as the rally continues.Pullbacks could be an opportunity to buy low. An overbought RSI has triggered a minor sell-off below 35600, shaking out weaker hands in the process. A drop below 35450 would lead to the psychological level of 35000. 35830 is now a fresh resistance.
    Wild Choppy Moves

    Wild Choppy Moves

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 29.10.2021 15:27
    One-sided S&P 500 session, perhaps a bit too much – the bulls are likely to face issues extending gains when VIX is examined. The stock market sentiment remains mixed, and one could easily be pardoned for expecting larger gains on yesterday‘s magnitute of the dollar slump. And long-dated Treasuries barely moved – their daily candle approximates nicely the volatility one as both give the impression of wanting to move a bit higher while their Thursday‘s move was a countertrend one.Not even value was able to surge past its Wednesday‘s setback, which makes me think the bears can return easily. At the same time, tech stepped into the void, and had a positive day, balancing the dowwnside S&P 500 risks significantly. The very short-term outlook in stocks is unclear, and choppy trading between yesterday‘s highs and 4,550 shouldn‘t be surprising today.At the same time, precious metals could have had a much stronger day – but the sentiment was risk-off in spite of the tanking dollar and doubted yields as the rising tech and gold at the expense of silver illustrate. Miners recent outperformance was absent just as much as commodities vigor with the exception of copper. And it‘s more celebrations in the red metal following its steep and far reaching correction, that‘s the part of missing ingredients as much as fresh inflation fears (yes, adding to risk-off mood, inflation expectations declined yesterday).All in all, it looks like a case of abundance of caution prior to next week‘s Fed, compounded by sluggish incoming data, where just cryptos are ready to move first.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 decisively reversed upwards, but the daily indicators barely moved – the consolidation doesn‘t look to be over.Credit MarketsHYG entirely reversed Wednesday‘s plunge but the low volume flashes amber light at least – the bulls are likely to stop for a moment.Gold, Silver and MinersGold upper knot doesn‘t bode as well as it did the prior Friday, and the same goes for miners. The yellow metal‘s strength was sold into, making it short-term problematic for the bulls.Crude OilCrude oil held $81 on not too shabby volume but the bulls are still on the defensive until $84 is overcome. When XLE starts outperforming VTV again, the outlook for black oil would improve considerably. Natgas falling this steeply yesterday isn‘t inspiring confidence either.CopperCopper finally reversed, and the upswing is a promising sign even though I would like to have seen higher volume. Again, the red metal remains well positioned to join in the commodities upswing once the taper announcement is absorbed.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin bulls are pausing while Ethereum ones keep running – cryptos are providing an encouraging sign (to be taken up by real assets) going into the Fed next week.SummaryChoppy trading in stocks is likely to continue even though 4,610s are closer than a break below 4,550s at the moment. Much nervousness in the markets before the coming Wednesday – cash is being raised while the dollar suffered in spite of daily move up in yields. Risk-off hasn‘t clearly retreated as seen in sectoral performance and VIX – time to be cautious while waiting out this soft patch in commodities that are most likely to return to scoring gains, accompanied by the retreating dollar.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Grinds Key Resistance

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Grinds Key Resistance

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 01.11.2021 09:31
    USDCHF bounces off demand zoneThe US dollar inched higher after a solid core PCE reading in September. The pair is testing the major demand area from last August’s lows (0.9100).A bearish MA cross on the daily chart has dented buyers’ optimism. An oversold RSI may attract a ‘buying-the-dips’ crowd while short-term sellers take some chips off the table.However, 0.9190 could be a challenging hurdle to lift as the bears would be eager to fade the rebound. A new round of sell-off would send the greenback to the daily support at 0.9020.EURGBP attempts to reboundThe euro found support from better-than-expected growth and inflation data. A bullish RSI divergence suggests that the downtrend may have lost its momentum.A break above 0.8470 has prompted sellers to cover some of their bets. But the RSI’s overbought situation has so far tempered the optimism.The bulls will need to lift offers around 0.8485 which sits on the 30-day moving average before they could turn the tables. Failing that, a drop below the demand zone between 0.8400 and 0.8420 would deepen the correction.GER 40 finds supportThe Dax 40 bounces back thanks to upbeat European stock earnings.A bullish MA cross on the daily chart is a sign of recovery. Though the index has hit a speed bump at 15775 which is a major resistance from last September’s sell-off.The drop below 15630 has led intraday buyers to bail out, driving short-term price action downward. As the RSI ventured into the oversold zone, the pullback attracted dip-buying interest at the lower range of the previous consolidation (15400). This is a congestion area along the MA cross.
    Profit-Taking After Earnings May Send Stock Prices Lower

    Profit-Taking After Earnings May Send Stock Prices Lower

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 29.10.2021 15:30
      Stocks retraced their short-term decline yesterday, but today we may see a lower opening following the earnings releases. Is this a topping pattern? The S&P 500 index gained 0.98% on Thursday, Oct. 28, as it retraced its whole Tuesday’s-Wednesday’s decline to the support level of 4,550. It got back to the Tuesday’s record high of 4,598.53 yesterday. The daily close was just 2 points below that level. The stock market is still reacting to quarterly corporate earnings releases. Yesterday we got the releases from AAPL and AMZN, among others. But the first reaction to their numbers was negative. The market seems overbought in the short-term it is most likely fluctuating within a topping pattern. The nearest important support level is at 4,550, and the next support level is at 4,520-4,525, marked by the previous Wednesday’s daily gap up of 4,520.40-4,524.40. On the other hand, the resistance level is at around 4,600, marked by the new record high. Despite reaching new record highs, the S&P 500 remained below a very steep week-long upward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq Reached New Record! Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index was relatively weaker than the broad stock market recently, as it was still trading below the early September record high of around 15,700. But this week it rallied to the new record highs. The nearest important support level is now at 15,700, marked by the recent resistance level, as we can see on the daily chart: Dow Jones Is Relatively Weaker Again The Dow Jones Industrial Average reached the new record high of 35,892.92 on Tuesday and on Wednesday it sold off to around 35,500. Yesterday the blue-chip index didn’t retrace that decline. The support level remains at around 35,500-35,600, marked by the previous local highs, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple Rallied Before Earnings, and Microsoft Went Hyperbolic Let’s take a look at the two biggest stocks in the S&P 500 index, AAPL and MSFT. Apple released its earnings after yesterday’s close and the first reaction was negative. But the stock gained 2.50% at yesterday in regular trading hours. The resistance level remains at $154-156. It is still trading below the record highs, as we can see on the daily chart: Now let’s take a look at the MSFT. It rallied after Tuesday’s quarterly earnings release and on Wednesday it reached the record high price of $326.10. The market remained above its month-long upward trend line. Microsoft extends its long-term hyperbolic move higher. This week it got close to the $2.5 trillion dollar market cap! So the question is how much higher can it get? And it’s already not that cheap at all with its price to earnings ratio of around 40. Conclusion The S&P 500 index retraced its Tuesday’s-Wednesday’s decline yesterday and it got close to the Tuesday’s record high of 4,598.53. For now, it looks like a consolidation following an uptrend. However, the market is still overbought and we may see a bigger downward correction. There may be a profit-taking action following quarterly earnings releases. Today the main indices are expected to open 0.2-0.8% lower after yesterday’s earnings releases from AAPL and AMZN, and we will likely see an intraday correction. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 got close to the record high yesterday but today it may retrace some of the advance. A speculative short position is justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting a 3% or higher correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Hits Resistance - 02.11.2021

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Hits Resistance - 02.11.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 02.11.2021 08:42
    USDCAD consolidates at 4-month lowThe US dollar retreats ahead of this week’s FOMC as traders await further catalysts. Price action has stabilized above 1.2300, a major demand zone from last summer.1.2430 from the latest sell-off is a key resistance as it coincides with the 20-day moving average. The current consolidation suggests the market’s indecision, though overall sentiment remains bearish.A deeper correction would send the greenback to 1.2150. A bullish breakout on the other hand may challenge the supply area around 1.2550.EURJPY tests key supportThe euro struggles to bounce higher after Germany’s lackluster retail sales in September.The pair has come under pressure at 133.45 near June’s peak. The subsequent retracement has met some bids at 131.60 when the RSI dipped into the oversold territory.The triple test of the support level indicates solid buying interest. However, the bulls will need to push above 132.80 before the uptrend could resume.On the downside, a bearish breakout would extend the sideways action towards 130.80 which sits on the 30-day moving average.US 100 falls back for supportThe Nasdaq 100 surges to a new all-time high as investors expect the strong growth trend to continue. The break above the previous peak at 15700 has put the index back on an upward trajectory.A bullish MA cross on the daily chart is a confirmation of the market’s optimism. However, a brief pullback is necessary to let the bulls catch their breath.15620 is the immediate support. Further down, 15280 is key daily support on the 20-day moving average. The psychological level of 16000 would be the next target rebound.
    What Does November Hold for the Miners?

    What Does November Hold for the Miners?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 01.11.2021 16:20
      As a new month begins, the downtrend in the GDX and GDXJ should resume. When will a new buying opportunity finally present itself? Let’s compare the behavior of the GDX ETF and the GDXJ ETF. Regarding the former, the GDX ETF reversed sharply after reaching its 200-day moving average and a confluence of bearish indicators signaled a similar outcome. For context, I wrote on Oct. 25: Small breakout mirrors what we witnessed during the senior miners’ downtrend in late 2020/early 2021. Moreover, when the GDX ETF’s RSI (Relative Strength Index) approached 70 (overbought conditions) back then, the highs were in (or near) and sharp reversals followed. Furthermore, after a sharp intraday reversal materialized on Oct. 22, the about-face is similar to the major reversal that we witnessed in early August. On top of that, with the GDX ETF’s stochastic indicator also screaming overbought conditions, the senior miners are likely to move lower sooner rather than later. Also, please note that the GDX ETF reversed right after moving close to its 200-day moving average, which is exactly what stopped it in early August. Yes – that’s another link between now and early August. And after declining sharply on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, the senior miners further cemented their underperformance of gold. Moreover, with relative underperformance often a precursor to much larger declines, the outlook for the GDX ETF remains quite bearish. Please see below: As further evidence, the GDX ETF’s four-hour chart offers some important insights. To explain, the senior miners failed to hold their early September highs and last week’s plunge removed any and all doubt. Likewise, the GLD ETF suffered a sharp drawdown and its recent breakout was also invalidated. Furthermore, my three-day rule for confirming breakouts/breakdowns proved prescient once again. Conversely, investors that piled into mining stocks are likely regretting their decision to act on unconfirmed signals. And as we look ahead, the technicals imply that caution is warranted and more downside is likely for the GDX ETF. As for the GDXJ ETF, the gold junior miners suffered a similar swoon last week. For context, I warned of the prospective reversal on Oct. 25. I wrote: The junior miners’ RSI also signals overbought conditions and history has been unkind when similar developments have occurred. Moreover, the GDXJ ETF’s recent rally follows the bearish patterns that we witnessed in late May and in early 2021. Likewise, the intraday reversal on Oct. 22 mirrors the bearish reversal from early August and a confluence of indicators support a continuation of the downtrend over the coming weeks. And as we begin a new month, the GDXJ ETF’s downtrend should resume and a retracement to the ~35 level will likely materialize in the coming months. Please see below: Finally, while I’ve been warning for months that the GDXJ/GDX ratio was destined for devaluation, the ratio has fallen precipitously in 2021. And after the recent short-term rally, the ratio’s RSI has reached extremely elevated levels (nearly 73) and similar periods of euphoria have preceded major drawdowns (marked with the black vertical dashed lines below). To that point, the ratio showcased a similar overbought reading in early 2020 – right before the S&P 500 plunged. On top of that, the ratio is still below its mid-to-late 2020 lows and its mid-2021 lows. As a result, the GDXJ ETF will likely underperform the GDX ETF over the next few months. It’s likely to underperform silver in the near term as well. The bottom line? If the ratio is likely to continue its decline, then on a short-term basis we can expect it to trade at 1.27 or so. If the general stock market plunges, the ratio could move much lower, but let’s assume that stocks decline moderately or that they do nothing or rally slightly. They’ve done all the above recently, so it’s natural to expect that this will be the case. Consequently, the trend in the GDXJ to GDX ratio would also be likely to continue, and thus expecting a move to about 1.26 - 1.27 seems rational. If the GDX is about to decline to approximately $28 before correcting, then we might expect the GDXJ to decline to about $28 x 1.27 = $35.56 or $28 x 1.26 = $35.28. In other words, ~$28 in the GDX is likely to correspond to about $35 in the GDXJ. Is there any technical support around $35 that would be likely to stop the decline? Yes. It’s provided by the late-Feb. 2020 low ($34.70) and the late-March high ($34.84). There’s also the late-April low at $35.63. Consequently, it seems that expecting the GDXJ to decline to about $35 is justified from the technical point of view as well. In conclusion, mining stocks reprised their role as ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf.’ And after overzealous investors rushed to their defense last week, another false alarm led to another bout of disappointment. Moreover, with the technical and fundamental backdrops for gold, silver and mining stocks continuing to deteriorate, lower lows should materialize over the medium term. As a result, we may have to wait until 2022 before reliable buying opportunities emerge once again. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Bitcoin’s trading psychology - 02.11.2021

    Bitcoin’s trading psychology - 02.11.2021

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 02.11.2021 09:49
    BTC in US-Dollar, Daily Chart, leg analysis:Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Daily chart as of October 25th, 2021.From a pure price perception, it might seem that the consistency bitcoin holds in price bubbles might be of the same origin, but they are not. In 2009, the value of the coin was zero, and fans exchanged it more like reminding of a seedy Star Wars bar exchange of true fans for a new idea, technology, beliefs, and freedom. Even so, bubbles arose a year later, and the price was driven by extreme supply and demand imbalances due to ill-liquidity when news hit the media.Since these times, we have seen all sorts of traders, speculators, investors, banks, hedge funds, governments join the speculation in a profitable market. Each with their specific mindset, interests, and trading psychology. The latest shift is now the race of governments getting a hold on the worldwide dominance reign. They will be true hodlers. Before that last influx, the bitcoin market was dominated by pure speculators for the most part. In a sense, they were forced into this market to stay competitive. Wide swings were the result since there was little incentive to stay in this game for the long term or, in other words, taking the risk on the large downswings.One first step, identifying in which market and cycle one is competing, are comparing up-legs in size (percentage) and steepness (time).The daily chart above shows such measurements of the last two significant moves in bitcoin this year.It has taken bitcoin only three months to more than double in price.BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, Projections:Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of October 26th, 2021.With governments and the wider population now being the last to come to the party, we will see a shift in the trading behavior of bitcoin. This needs adjustment in one’s trading style to be part of this craze for the virtual, decentralized future.One such shift in the process may be a reduction of retracements depth within the second leg from a weekly perspective. We have drawn a projection of the second leg highly conservative in the chart above. Conservative, since second legs are typically longer, and we only assumed an identical extension to the first leg (1=2=3 in length and angle). BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, time accuracy:Bitcoin in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of October 26th, 2021.Bitcoins’ childhood days have long passed. Seedy bar purchases have changed for high liquidity and professional exchanges with advanced order execution functionality. The big guns sit on the table, and as such, trading has shaped up. The individual is now playing against the best in the world, like in any other asset class, and risk should be perceived as such.Nevertheless, a larger time frame play for wealth preservation and a hedge against inflation is controllable in risk. Market participation analysis allows for a better grip on what to expect and scales in on targets from a time perspective. The above monthly chart illustrates our view of a possible future. The logarithmic chart shows best what inherent strength bitcoin possesses.Bitcoin´s trading psychology:The largest group that is not invested in bitcoin yet is the more significant part of average citizens. Consequently, we will find ourselves in an extreme supply demand imbalance due to bitcoins fixed limit of 21 million coins. More importantly, we will discover new trading behavior with a new group participating, with new psychology. These purchases will be made by amateurs who are motivated by fear more than greed. This market participant will be a long-term speculator trying to hold on to his investment versus making a quick buck. We anticipate more moderate overall retracements percentagewise. As well, we expect steeper legs up. These will result in a different system needed to participate in a market with low-risk entry points.Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.By Korbinian Koller|October 26th, 2021|Tags: Bitcoin, bitcoin consolidation, Bitcoin mining, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, crypto mining, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 CommentsAbout the Author: Korbinian KollerOutstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    The US dollar retreats ahead of this week’s FOMC as traders await further catalysts

    The US dollar retreats ahead of this week’s FOMC as traders await further catalysts

    FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 02.11.2021 10:19
    EURJPY tests key support. USDCAD consolidates at 4-month low 1.2430 from the latest sell-off is a key resistance as it coincides with the 20-day moving average. The current consolidation suggests the market’s indecision, though overall sentiment remains bearish. A deeper correction would send the greenback to 1.2150. A bullish breakout on the other hand may challenge the supply area around 1.2550. EURJPY tests key support The euro struggles to bounce higher after Germany’s lackluster retail sales in September. The pair has come under pressure at 133.45 near June’s peak. The subsequent retracement has met some bids at 131.60 when the RSI dipped into the oversold territory. The triple test of the support level indicates solid buying interest. However, the bulls will need to push above 132.80 before the uptrend could resume. On the downside, a bearish breakout would extend the sideways action towards 130.80 which sits on the 30-day moving average. US 100 falls back for support The Nasdaq 100 surges to a new all-time high as investors expect the strong growth trend to continue. The break above the previous peak at 15700 has put the index back on an upward trajectory. A bullish MA cross on the daily chart is a confirmation of the market’s optimism. However, a brief pullback is necessary to let the bulls catch their breath. 15620 is the immediate support. Further down, 15280 is key daily support on the 20-day moving average. The psychological level of 16000 would be the next target rebound.
    Silver’s fuse is about to be lit

    Silver’s fuse is about to be lit

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 30.10.2021 16:45
    The average investor is news-driven. As much as the Federals Reserve  (the Fed) might be criticized, this large investor group is not commonly doubting news. In other words, it has generally believed the Fed’s narrative that inflation is transitory. The bad news is rarely released shortly before Christmas. However, it would not surprise if tapering started in early 2022. And maybe not just begin but be more aggressive throughout the year as expected. With this, the narrative will change from a “we are not worried, it is transitory” to a “we need to deal with” regarding inflation. Therefore, this could easily be the fire to the fuse of the Silver rocket. We now see early signs of such a lift-off in price in recent silver price movements. Silver’s fuse is about to be lit. Silver in US-Dollar, daily chart, low-risk entry points: Silver in US-Dollar, daily chart as of October 30th, 2021. It isn’t only that the overall narrative on transitory inflation is starting to get holes. We like the silver play, for instance because gold is somewhat in the limelight in battle with bitcoin. Consequently, allowing for silver to shine while it is typically in the shadow. On top of it all, we find clear evidence that commodities with industrial use are likely in a long term bull market. This is a play where everything is coming together. A multi stream both in fundamental and technical edges stack upon each other. As of right now, we have identified four low-risk entry points on the daily silver chart, which are marked in bright green horizontal lines. We would take off 50% of the position near the US$26 mark to mitigate risk (see our quad exit strategy). Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart, good risk reward ratio: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of October 30th, 2021. The weekly chart offers a low-risk opportunity as well. We illustrated above a play that assumes an entry point in the lower third quadrant of the yellow marked sideways zone. It would provide for a risk/reward-ratio between 1:1 and 1:2 towards the financing point. As well we assume an exit of half of the position at the top near US$28 of the yellow sideways channel (see our quad exit strategy). With two more exits of each 25% of total trade equity at targets US$34.83 and US$48.72, we find the weekly play to be conducive to our low-risk policy.  Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart, favorable probabilities: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of October 30th, 2021. With its most considerable weight, the monthly chart provides the necessary overview. It shows how likely a success rate to a long-term play outcome is. We find three dominant aspects supporting our aim for a bullish long-term play. Trend: The linear regression channel is marked in diagonal lines (red, blue, green). It shows a clearly bullish trend with a high likelihood of continuation. Support: The Ichimoku cloud analysis provides solid evidence of support to the recently established bullish tone in silver. Probabilities: Price highs from 1980 to 2011 built a double top price formation. As a result, it prevented prices from getting higher than the price zone marked with a white box. The third attempt of price reaching this price zone nevertheless has a much higher statistical probability of penetrating this distribution zone and allowing the price to go higher. Silver’s fuse is about to be lit: We find ourselves in challenging times. Certainly, not only in market play. One of the essential pillars to come out ahead is bending in the wind and staying flexible. Should the FED indeed raise interest rates to a degree non-reflected in the anticipated market price of speculators and come as a surprise, we might see a stock market decline next year of a substantial percentage. Consequently, this would temporarily drag silver prices down as well. We share methods in our free Telegram channel to build low-risk positions within the market that reduce risk through partial profit-taking. Our quad exit strategy allows us to hedge physical acquisitions by trading around these positions on smaller time frames in the silver paper market. Our approach provides a way to maneuver through a delicate environment to hedge against inflation and preserve wealth. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.
    Fed Game Plan

    Fed Game Plan

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 02.11.2021 14:54
    S&P 500 hesitation against weakening bonds – what gives? The yield curve keeps flattening, but long-dated Treasury yields seem again on the verge of another upswing, which hasn‘t propped up the dollar yesterday much. The only fly in the ointment of a risk-off atmosphere, was value outperforming tech. Overall, stocks haven‘t made much progress, and are vulnerable to a quick downswing attempt, which probably though wouldn‘t come today as the VIX doesn‘t look to favor it. Wednesday, that could be another matter entirely. Still, there is no imminent change to the stock bull run on the horizon – the focus remains on ongoing Fed accomodations, which s why: (…) The bears haven‘t thus far made any serious appearance, and 4,550s held with ease in spite of the dollar reversing Thursday‘s losses. All the more encouraging is the relative strength of both gold and silver when faced with one more daily decline in inflation expectations – as if balancing before the Fed act changes anything. I ask, how serious can they be about delivering on taper promises when prices increase relentlessly (look at Europe too), these are being blamed on supply chain bottlenecks without acknowledging their persistent and not transitory nature, and the real economy is markedly slowing down (not in a recession territory, but still)? Tomorrow‘s Fed taper announcement wouldn‘t change a lot – so much can (and will) happen in the meantime, allowing them to backpedal on the projections, making rate hikes even more of a pipe dream. The Fed isn‘t taking inflation seriously, hiding behind the transitory sophistry, and that‘s one of the key drivers of rates marching up, rising commodities, and surging cryptos. Look for more oil and natgas appreciation while copper goes up again too. Precious metals are still waiting for a catalyst (think dollar weakening when even rising rates won‘t provide much support, and inflation expectations trending up faster than yields) – a paradigm shift in broader recognition of Fed obfuscation and monetary policy being behind the curve. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is entering a brief consolidation, with 4,590s being first support, followed by the high 4,550s (if the bears can make it there). Given though yesterday‘s sectoral rotation, that‘s not likely happening today. Credit Markets HYG keeps acting really weak, volume is picking up, and buyers aren‘t able to force at least a lower knot. Rising yields aren‘t reflecting confidence in the economic recovery, but arrival of stagflation bets. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold indeed swung higher, but needs more follow through including volume, otherwise we‘re still waiting for the catalysts mentioned at the opening part of today‘s analysis, which would also help the silver to gold ratio move higher. Crude Oil Crude oil keeps going up again,and is likely to extend gains above $84 even as this level presents a short-term resistance. Copper Copper buying opportunity is still here, and the red metal is primed to play catch up to the CRB Index again. Probably not so vigorous as before, and taking more time to unfold, but still. Bitcoin and Ethereum The Bitcoin and Ethereum upswings can and do go on – as stated yesterday, it was a question of a relatively short time when cryptos are done with the sideways correction. Summary S&P 500 is likely to pause today, and the bond market performance would be illuminating. Ideally for the bulls, some semblance of stabilization would occur, tipping the (bullish) hand for tomorrow. That‘s the big picture view - the very initial reaction to taper announcement would likely be disappointing, and eventually reversed. Cryptos, commodities (first oil, then copper) would react best, with precious metals figuring it out only later. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Struggles To Bounce Back

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Struggles To Bounce Back

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 04.11.2021 08:38
    EURUSD claws back lossesThe US dollar fell after the Federal Reserve called for patience on raising interest rates.The pair has met strong resistance at 1.1690, a previous demand zone on the daily chart that has turned into a supply one. The latest sell-off has been contained by 1.1535, near the base of the recent rebound as an oversold RSI attracted some bargain hunters.A surge above the intermediate resistance of 1.1620 would bring in more momentum traders. Then a break above 1.1690 could kickstart a bullish reversal in favor of the euro.XAUUSD tests resistanceGold recovers as the US dollar softens across the board following a neutral FOMC.Price action had previously struggled to clear the supply area around 1810, the origin of the September correction. The subsequent fall below the support at 1785 has prompted buyers to take profit.However, the RSI’s repeated oversold situation has caught buyers’ attention at the daily support at 1760. 1785 is the hurdle ahead and a bullish breakout would resume the recovery. Failing that, the bears may push towards 1740.USOIL falls back for supportWTI crude slipped after the EIA reported a larger increase in US inventories. The psychological level of 85.00 has been an effective hurdle so far.The previous fall below 81.00 has put the bulls on the defensive, especially after their failure to achieve a new high above 84.70. This is a confirmation that sentiment has grown cautious after the price’s recent vertical ascent.The RSI’s overbought situation on the daily chart could call for a pullback. 79.50 is the closest support. Its breach may send the price to 76.50.
    S&P 500’s Advance Isn’t Broad-Based, a Topping Pattern?

    S&P 500’s Advance Isn’t Broad-Based, a Topping Pattern?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 01.11.2021 13:36
      The S&P 500 extended its bull market on Friday as it reached the new record high above the 4,600 level. Is this still a topping pattern? The S&P 500 index gained 0.19% on Friday, Oct. 29, as it extended its recent advance following a lower opening of the trading session. It reached yet another new record high of 4,608.08. The stock market was reacting to worse-than-expected quarterly corporate earnings releases from the AAPL and AMZN. However, the MSFT and TSLA stocks drove the index higher again on Friday. The market seems overbought in the short-term most likely it’s still trading within a topping pattern. The nearest important support level is at 4,550-4,570, and the next support level is at 4,520-4,525, marked by the previous daily gap up of 4,520.40-4,524.40. On the other hand, the resistance level is now at around 4,650. The S&P 500 trades along a short-term upward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Apple Is Volatile While Microsoft Keeps Rallying Let’s take a look at the two biggest stocks in the S&P 500 index, AAPL and MSFT. Apple released its earnings after the Thursday’s close and the first reaction was negative. But on Friday the stock retraced some of its intraday decline. Nevertheless it lost 1.8%. The resistance level remains at $154-156. It is still trading well below the record highs, as we can see on the daily chart: Now let’s take a look at MSFT. It keeps rallying and reaching new record highs after its last week’s Tuesday’s quarterly earnings release. The market remains above a month-long upward trend line. We can see that in the short-term it’s getting more and more technically overbought. The stock may enter a consolidation or a correction just like in the middle of August when it rallied above $300 level. Conclusion The S&P 500 index reached the news record high on Friday, however it closed with a gain of just 0.2%. It still looks like a topping pattern and we may see a consolidation or a downward correction at some point. There may be a profit-taking action following quarterly earnings releases. Today the main indices are expected to open 0.4% higher, but we will likely see an intraday correction later in the day. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 reached new record high on Friday, as it broke slightly above the 4,600 level. A speculative short position is still justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting a 3% or higher correction from the new record highs. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Crude Eyeing OPEC+ Meeting – Where is Oil Headed?

    Crude Eyeing OPEC+ Meeting – Where is Oil Headed?

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 03.11.2021 15:32
    With the OPEC+ meeting on Thursday, oil looks to be in a corrective phase, as pressure is on for more crude. Are we looking at bearish winds ahead? Crude oil prices have started their corrective wave, as we are approaching the monthly OPEC+ group meeting on Thursday, with some market participants now considering the eventuality of a larger-than-expected rise in production. U.S. API Weekly Crude Oil Stock: Inventory levels of US crude oil, gasoline and distillates stocks, American Petroleum Institute (API) via Investing.com Regarding the API figures published Tuesday, the increase in crude inventories (with 3.594 million barrels versus 1.567 million barrels expected) implies weaker demand and is normally bearish for crude prices. Meanwhile, in the United States, the average price of fuel stabilized on Tuesday after several weeks of increase, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), however, that’s 60% higher than a year ago. Chart – WTI Crude Oil (CLZ21) Futures (December contract, 4H chart) In summary, we are now getting some context on how the oil market might develop in the forthcoming days, with some crucial events to monitor as they could have a strong impact on the energy markets, and particularly on the supply side. My entry levels for Natural Gas were triggered on Monday (Nov.1), and I’m updating my WTI Crude Oil projections. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Leading the Taper Run

    Leading the Taper Run

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 05.11.2021 15:02
    No S&P 500 pause to speak of – bonds support the buying pressure. The broad turn to risk-on has value holding up relatively well while tech remains in the driver‘s seat. The daily weakness in financials looks misleading, and as a function of retreat in yields – I‘m looking for stabilization followed by higher prices. Real estate though is starting to smell a rat – I mean rates, rising rates. Slowly as the Fed didn‘t give the green light, but they would acommodate the unyielding inflation.There was something in the taper announcement for everyone – the hawks are grasping at the possibility to increase taper pace should the Fed start to deem inflation as unpleasantly hot. I wrote about the dovish side I take already on Wednesday when recapping my expectations into the meeting.Coupled with non-farm payrolls coming in above expectations, the table is set to reassure the stock bulls that further gains are possible while the lagging commodities move up. Precious metals would continue recovering from the pre-taper anxiety, and miners with copper kicking back in, would be the confirmation. The dollar should welcome the figure corresponding to yields increase, buying a little more time.One more note on oil – its downswing is positive for the stock bulls as its retreat works to increase disposable income, and in the zero rates environment, kind of acts as a shadow Fed funds rate. Regardless, I‘m standing by the call for triple digit oil prices in 2022.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 fireworks are continuing with improving participation, and the path of least resistance remains higher.Credit MarketsUniversal risk-on move in the credit market still continues, and the long HYG knot isn‘t a sign of a reversal – the bulls merely got ahead of themselves, that‘s all.Gold, Silver and MinersGold easily reversed the pre-taper weakness, and so did silver. I‘m now looking for the miners to catch up, and a good signal thereof would be a fresh commodities upswing. No, CRB Index hasn‘t peaked.Crude OilCrude oil hasn‘t peaked either, and appears attracting buying interest already. While $80 were breached, the commodity is getting ahead of itself on the downside – the oil sector doesn‘t confirm such weakness.CopperCopper has stabilized in the low 4.30s, and an upswing attempt is readying – its underperformance of CRB Index would get reversed.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum consolidation goes on, and nothing has changed since yesterday – stabilization followed by slow grind higher is what‘s most likely next.SummaryS&P 500 stands to benefit from real economy revival, earnings projections and taper being conducted in the least disruptive way, apparently. Credit markets have made up their mind, and aren‘t protesting the risk-on sentiment, which has come from a temporary commodities retreat (hello, China). Inflation worries should though still return to the fore as the rising rates aren‘t as much a result of improving economy and yield spreads, which the precious metals are sensing already.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Gold FINALLY Breaks Free Amidst S&P INSANITY

    Gold FINALLY Breaks Free Amidst S&P INSANITY

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 08.11.2021 08:13
    Gold, after 18 weeks of being stuck in a maniacal Short trend without price really going anywhere, FINALLY broke the bonds of the M word crowd by flipping to Long -- but not without a mid-week scare: more later on that affair. But we begin by assessing the stark INSANITY besetting the parabolic performance of the S&P 500, +25% year-to-date. It settled yesterday (Friday) at 4698 (reaching 4718 intra-day), a record closing high for the seventh consecutive session. Such phenomenon has occurred but five other times in the past 41 years! So here's a multiple choice question for you: Ready? Across all those years (i.e. from 1980-to-date), what is the longest stretch of time between all-time highs for the S&P 500? â–  a) eight monthsâ–  b) just over three yearsâ–  c) slightly less than six yearsâ–  d) all of the above (for you WestPalmBeachers down there)â–  e) none of the above If having answered "e)", you are correct: the longest stint was almost seven-and-one-quarter years from 24 March 2000 through the DotComBomb up to 13 Jul 2007. 'Twas the complete antithesis of the current paradigm of an all-time high every single trading day. But wait, there's more: those of you who were with us way back in the days at AvidTrader may recall our technically having "mild", "moderate" and "extreme" readings of both oversold and overbought conditions for the S&P. Well, get a load of this: yesterday was the S&P's 12th consecutive day with an "extremely overbought" reading. During these 41 years, that has only happened once before, 36 years ago in 1985. And the price/earnings ratio then was a respectable 10.5x: today 'tis five times that much at 54.4x (!!!) easily more than double the S&P's lifetime median P/E (since 1957) of 20.4x. And still more: Every time the S&P moves from one 100-point milestone to the next, 'tis a FinMedia "big headline deal", albeit the percentage increase comparably narrows. Nonetheless, trading gains and losses are measured by the point, not the percentage. And from 1980-to-date, the S&P has gone from 100 to now 4700, (i.e. through 46 milestones. Upon having just achieved the 4600 level on 29 October, the average number of trading days over these past 41 years to reach each 100-point milestone is 236 (just about a year's worth). But now from 4600-4700 took just five days! Cue John McEnroe: "You canNOT be SERious!!" 'Course, every trend reaches a bend, if not its end. And whilst the market is never wrong, something will the S&P upend. You regular readers already know the "earnings are not there" to support even one-half the S&P's current level. Moreover, 'tis said when the Federal Open Market Committee does nudge up its Bank's Funds rate, 'twill be "Game Over" for the S&P, (something of which the Fed is very fearful). "But mmb, even a rise from just 0.25% to only 0.50% maintains a really low rate..." Nominally still low, yes Squire: but upon it occurring, the Fed shall have doubled the cost for every bank that comes to the borrowing window, from which one can then ask banking clientele: "How's that variable rate loan workin' out for ya?" And thus falleth the first domino. And the S&P. Have a great day. Gold had a great day yesterday in settling out the week at 1820. But as noted, 'twas not before a mid-week scare. With Gold wallowing on "The Taper of Paper" Wednesday -- down at 1758 (a three-week low) -- the tried-and-true, widely followed daily moving average convergence divergence (MACD) crossed to negative. Such previous 11 negative crossings had averaged downside follow-through of 86 points. Thus within that technical vacuum, another run sub-1700 was placed on Gold's table. What instead followed was a one-day whipsaw, Gold's MACD finishing the week with a positive cross, and even better, the weekly parabolic Short trend FINALLY being bust per the first Gold-encircled dot in our weekly bars graphic: FINALLY too Gold had its first Friday in five of not being flogged ostensibly by the M word crowd. Should they thus have left the building, in concert with both the daily MACD back on the positive side and the weekly parabolic again Long, the door is open for Gold to glide up into the 1900s toward concluding 2021. As for the five primary BEGOS Markets, here are their respective percentage tracks from one month ago (21 trading days)-to-date, the S&P having swiftly replaced Oil as the leader of the pack. Of more import, note the rightmost bounce for Gold and the Bond. Why are those two stalwart safe havens suddenly getting the bid? (See our opening commentary on S&P INSANITY): Meanwhile as we waltz into the waning two weeks of Q3 Earnings Season, of the S&P's 505 constituents, 426 have reported (450 is typically the total within the seasonal calendar), of which 340 (80%) have bettered their bottom lines from Q3 of a year ago when much of the world purportedly was "shut down". Thus such significant improvement was expected: "They better have bettered!" Yet as noted, our "live" P/E is at present 54.4x. Thus to bring earnings up to snuff such as to reduce the P/E to its lifetime median of 20.4x, bottom lines need increase by 167%: but the median year-over-year increase (for those 396 constituents with positive earnings from both a year ago and now) is only 19%. Thus for those of you scoring at home, a 19% increase is nowhere near the "requisite" 167%. "Look Ma! Still no earnings!" (Crash). Still earning to grasp good grace is the track of the Economic Barometer, which bopped up a bit on the week's headline numbers. To be sure, October's Payrolls improved with a decline in the Unemployment Rate and a jump in the Institute for Supply Management's Services Index. But with a return of folks to the workplace (excluding those who've post-COVID decided they don't need to work) came a plunge in Q3's Productivity combined with a spike in Unit Labor Costs. As well, October's growth in Hourly Earnings slowed and the Average Workweek shortened, such combination suggesting temporary jobs materially lifted the overall Payrolls number. Also less highlighted was September's slowing in Factory Orders, shrinkage in Construction Spending, and the largest Trade Deficit recorded in the Baro's 24-year history. Here's the whole picture from one year ago-to-date with the S&P standing up straight: To our proprietary Gold technicals we go, the two-panel graphic featuring price's daily bars from three months ago-to-date on the left with the 10-day Market Profile on the right. And note the "Baby Blues" of linear regression trend consistency being abruptly stopped in their downward path thanks to Friday's "super-bar" -- Gold's best intra-day low-to-high run in nearly four weeks -- and the highest closing price since 04 September. As well in the Profile, price sits atop the entire stack, which you'll recall for the prior two weeks was at best a congestive mess. But to quote Inspecteur Clouseau, "Not any moooure...": As for Silver, she's not as yet generating as much comparable excitement. At left, her "Baby Blues" continue to slip even as price gained ground into week's end. At right, the price of 24 clearly is her near-term "line in the sand". Still, our concern a week ago of her falling into the low 22s has somewhat abated, albeit the daily parabolic trend remains Short; however a quick move to 24.700 ought nix that condition. "C'mon, Sister Silver!": So there it all is. We see Gold as poised to FINALLY move higher toward year-end, (barring a resurgence of the M word crowd). And we see the S&P as poised for its off-the-edge-of-the-Bell-curve INSANITY to cease, (barring an economic erosion that instead furthers the flow of free dough). After all, bad is good, just as Gold is always good. In that spirit to conclude for this week, here are three good bits from a few of the smartest (so we're told) people in the world: Betsey "With an e" Stevenson says with respect to folks not returning to the workforce post-COVID that "...It’s like the whole country is in some kind of union renegotiation..." That is True Blue Michigan-speak right there. But think about it: when you've got a) the upper labor hand, and b) the aforementioned free dough that you popped into the stock market to thus gain some 38% since the economy first shutdown, why work, eh? Besides, the feeling of marked-to-market wealth is a beautiful thing. Elon "Spacey" Musk now notes that Tesla has not contracted with Hertz to sell 100,000 four-wheel batteries. Recall when that deal first was announced, the price of TSLA went up many times more than the additional incremental return of the transaction. But hardly has it since retracted. 'Course, the company's Q3 earnings were "fantastic", in turn nicely bringing down the stock's P/E to just now 345.8x. And comparably as you already know, the only other two S&P 500 constituents classified as being in the sub-industry category of "Automobile Manufacturers" are Ford (P/E now 26.1x) and General Motors (P/E now 7.7x). But a shiny object that rolls, too, is a beautiful thing. Peter "Techie" Thiel has just opined that the soaring price of bits**t is indicative of inflation being at a "crisis moment" for the economy. 'Tis not ours to question this notion; rather 'tis beyond our pay grade to understand it. What we do understand is that THE time-tested (understatement) indicator and mitigator of inflation -- i.e. Gold -- is priced at such an attractively low level versus where it "ought" be (i.e. 3981 per our opening graphic's decree), that never again such a beautiful opportunity shall we see! Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com www.TheGoldUpdate.com
    Target Hit! Another Successful Call on Natural Gas

    Target Hit! Another Successful Call on Natural Gas

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 05.11.2021 15:10
      Have you ever tracked your progress during your oil and gas trading journey and seen such trades? Read on… and come aboard! In the previous edition published last week and updated on Monday, I projected the likelihood of a sturdy support level on the gas market – Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGZ21) Futures – for going long around the $5.268-5.361 zone (yellow band), with a relatively tight stop just below $5.070 and targets at $5.750 and $5.890. So, the market indeed sank just below that band to trigger an entry on Monday, and then it was suddenly pushed back up by the bulls waiting to take over the price to the upward direction. This long trade was also supported by the fundamentals, as the heating needs for the month of November were gradually increasing. The weather forecasts appeared to orientate the demand upwards backed by an uninterrupted demand for Liquefied Natural gas (LNG) US exports. Then, Nat-Gas hit the first target at $5.750 on Wednesday, and stopped at the $5.876 mark – located just $0.014 below the second projected target at $5.890 – on Thursday! Regarding Crude Oil, a new entry, provided to our premium subscribers on Wednesday has just being triggered. The black gold is now attempting to rebound onto that support, which acts as a new floor. Trading Charts Chart – Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGZ21) Futures (December contract, daily chart) Now, let’s zoom into the 4H chart to observe the recent price action all around the abovementioned levels of our trade plan: Chart – Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGZ21) Futures (December contract, 4H chart) In conclusion, my trading approach has led me to suggest some long trades around potential key supports - natural gas recently offered multiple opportunities to take advantage of dips onto those projected levels. If you don’t want to miss any future trading alerts, make sure to look at our Premium Section. Have a nice weekend! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Silver, patience pays

    Silver, patience pays

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 08.11.2021 08:13
    Here is what you should consider when asking why it isn’t trading even higher. First, after an initial up-leg like this, a trend is set in motion, but it is just the beginning of a trend. It needs time to develop. Most of the reasons debated this year when silver stepped into the limelight were the reasons the traders anticipated fueling the first leg. A big part is that it takes time until the public digests the market, which is ahead of reality, a speculative prognosis on how the future might look. There is a trickle-down effect until silver can build up its second leg. From an active market speculator perspective, inflation is real, but years can pass until the crowd realizes what is going on. Then gold needs to move, which in turn awakens silver with a delay. Gold in US-Dollar, monthly chart, bull as bull can be: Gold in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 5th, 2021. The monthly gold chart above shows the strong bullish trend in gold over the last twenty years. Telltales are a higher high in 2020 versus 2011, and the price strength since. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart, getting ready: Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 5th, 2021. The weekly chart has just come alive to an exciting inflection point. A closer look reveals that price has successfully built a second leg from the US$1,680 double bottom price zone (yellow lines). The upcoming weeks should show if a double triangle formation (red lines) was severed now that the price is trading above POC support of a fractal volume study (white line). Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart, looking good: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 5th, 2021. The weekly silver chart is bullish as well. Bulls have successfully defended the yearly range lows zone (slim white box). They mutually are attacking an overhead resistance with quite some might, and upcoming weeks might find price successful in that attempt. Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart, history as a guide: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 5th, 2021. The above monthly chart shows an excellent example of how much patience is needed to earn significant profits from a silver investment. In this case, silver initiated a range break in 1973, where prices tripled within a year. Much like silver’s recent move from March last year to the current top in February this year. It showed a similar percentage move. This first leg of a bullish trend required more than three years of investor’s patience before the second leg was initiated. Those patient enough to hold on were rewarded with a near thousand percent price increase.   Silver, patience pays: “It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting.”Nothing has changed in the last hundred years about the principle value of this quote by Edwin Lefèvre (Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, published in 1923). We are used to active participation in a process to earn one’s wages. In this aspect however, the market is counterintuitive. “The desire for constant action irrespective of underlying conditions is responsible for many losses in Wall Street even among the professionals, who feel that they must take home some money every day, as though they were working for regular wages.” Lefèvre again points towards patience and a state of inactivity being just right in market play. We find the last phase of silver in a sideways range if anything is encouraging to a substantial second leg up in the making, It will therefore reward the patient owner of his physical holdings. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.
    Let's talk about Dax...

    Let's talk about Dax...

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 02.11.2021 10:55
    Dax December hit our buying opportunity at 15580/530 with stops below 15500 but over ran to 15483. I am hoping you held on for the bounce to 15620 & 15670, with prices reaching 15715 EuroStoxx 50 December finally hit the next target of 4245/50 with a high for the year at 4254. FTSE 100 December unfortunately longs at first support at 7225/15 were stopped below 7200 & then we missed best support at 7160/40 by 8 ticks. Video analysis: Update daily at 07:00 GMT Today's Analysis. Dax longs at 15580/530 (if you managed to hold the position) hit the target of 15700/750. Further gains are expected at the start of the towards 15950/16000. Downside is likely to be limited with minor support at 15630/10. If we continue lower try longs at 15500/500 with stops below 15470. (Targets are 15620, 15670, 15750). EuroStoxx finally hit the next target of 4245/50 as we look for 4265/69. If we continue higher look for 4295/99. Try longs at 4225/15 with stops below 4200. FTSE crawls slowly higher in volatile conditions - certainly making it tough to hold a long on Friday. Still, downside is expected to be limited with minor support at 7200/7180. Best support at 7155/45. Longs need stops below 7130. Above 7240 targets 7260 then 7290/99.
    Intraday Market Analysis – GBP Struggles For Support - 05.11.2021

    Intraday Market Analysis – GBP Struggles For Support - 05.11.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 05.11.2021 08:51
    GBPUSD tests key floor The pound plummeted after the Bank of England held interest rates against expectations. The plunge below the daily support at 1.3570 has caught buyers off guard. Those who bet on a rebound around 1.3600 have rushed to the exit, raising volatility in the process. The September low at 1.3430 would be the next target. An oversold RSI may attract some buying interest, though buyers might be cautious to avoid catching a falling knife. The supply zone between 1.3640 and 1.3700 could keep the sterling under pressure. USDJPY consolidates gains The US dollar consolidates recent gains as traders digest the start of the Fed’s taper. The pair is seeking support around the 20-day moving average after a parabolic rise sent it to a four-year high. An overbought RSI from the daily chart is a sign of exhaustion and traders may be reluctant to push higher. The greenback has found bids along the demand zone over 113.30. The bulls need to clear the fresh hurdle at 114.45 before they could resume the uptrend. A bearish breakout would trigger a sell-off towards 112.50. US 500 grinds to new highs The S&P 500 continues to climb as the Fed deliberately leaves rate hikes off the table. The rally has gained momentum after the index cleared the previous peak at 4550. Sentiment remains bullish, but an overbought RSI in the daily timeframe may call for a pause. Overextension is also on the hourly chart as the RSI repeatedly ventures above 70. The bulls are pushing towards the psychological level of 4700. 4620 on the 30-hour moving averages may attract trend followers’ bids in case of a pullback.
    USDJPY best at support at 113.40/30 again today

    USDJPY best at support at 113.40/30 again today

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 02.11.2021 10:50
    USDJPY best at support at 113.40/30 again today. EURJPY up one day, down the next day in the sideways trend for over a week. Becoming more erratic & therefore difficult to trade. CADJPY also more random & more erratic last week, although shorts at first resistance at 9240/60 work again yesterday with a 70 pip profit offered this morning. Update daily at 06:30 GMT Today's Analysis. USDJPY first support again at 113.40/30. Longs need stops below 113.20 so the risk is very small. A break lower is a sell signal targeting 113.00/112.90 & 112.60/50 for profit taking on shorts. Longs at 113.40/30 target 113.80/90. We should pause here but further gains meet minor resistance at last week's high of 114.25/30. Strong resistance at the October high of 114.50/70. Shorts need stops above 114.80. A break higher is a medium term buy signal. EURJPY first support at 131.60/40, stop below 131.35. A break lower is a sell signal initially targeting 130.90 & we could hold here initially, maybe even bounce to 131.40/50. Further losses meet an important buying opportunity at 130.40/20 with stops below 130.00 First resistance at 132.20/30 . Above 132.40 can target 132.90, perhaps as far as strong resistance at October's high of 133.30/50. CADJPY shorts at first resistance at 9240/60 worth a try again targeting 9200 & 9175 (hit as I write). A buying opportunity at 9120/00 with stops below 9090. Gains are likely to be limited with first resistance at 9240/60. However a break higher retests October's high at 9295/9305. Emini S&P December on the way to the next target of 4625/35 this week. Longs at first support at 4590/85 starting to work. Nasdaq December closed at the new all time high at 159864 keeping the outlook positive for this week as we hit the next target of 15900/950. Emini Dow Jones December making a clear break above the all time high at 35540/550 for a buy signal as we hit the next target of 35800/850 & now look for 36000/100. Update daily at 07:00 GMT. Today's Analysis. Emini S&P longs at first support at 4590/85 are expected to target 4625/35 but a high for the day is likely if tested today. Shorts are very risky of course in the bull trend. A break above 4645 is the next buy signal. First support at 4590/85. Longs need stops below 4575. Strong support at 4545/35. Longs need stops below 4525. Nasdaq December now expected to target 15900/950 (hit yesterday) & now 16050/080. Downside is expected to be limited ion the bull trend with first support at 15780/750. Stop below 15720. A break lower targets 15670 with strong support at 15580/540. Longs need stops below 15500. Emini Dow Jones December now targeting 35800/850 & 36000/100, even as far as 36250/280. Downside is expected to be limited with minor support at 35670/650 & 35525/500. A buying opportunity at 35320/280 with stops below 35250. To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    Here We Go Again - Gold Simply Can’t Stand $1,800!

    Here We Go Again - Gold Simply Can’t Stand $1,800!

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 02.11.2021 15:05
      The yellow metal couldn’t face the downward pressure and declined abruptly on Friday. What happened, and why did it fail? Friday was a brutal time for gold. The price of the yellow metal dropped sharply from around $1,795 to $1,775 in the early morning hours in the US. Am I surprised? Not at all. In Thursday’s edition of the Fundamental Gold Report, I wrote that “gold may struggle until the Fed’s tightening cycle starts. You have been warned!”, and, as if on cue, gold wasn’t able to maintain its position around $1,800 and declined. Actually, gold prices have been testing and failing to hold this key psychological level for the last three weeks. What exactly happened on Friday? Well, the Bureau of Economic Analysis published the report on personal income and outlays in September 2021. The publication shows that U.S. nominal consumer spending increased 0.6%, while the disposable personal income declined 1.3%, reflecting a decrease in government social benefits. Additionally, the annual rate of change in personal consumption expenditures price index accelerated from 4.2% in August to 4.4% in September (see the chart below), the highest pace since January 1991. Wait. Inflation rose, but gold prices declined? Exactly. Inflation is fundamentally positive for gold in the long run, but so far – as I explained last week – “inflationary worries have been counterweighted by the expectations of the Fed’s tightening cycle”. The relationship is simple: higher inflation translates into higher expectations of a more hawkish Fed. The odds of an interest rate hike in June 2022 increased from 23.1% - recorded at the end of September - to 61.6% on October 22 and 65.7% on October 29, 2021. As a result, the bond yields increased, while the greenback strengthened. There is also another possible driver of rising interest rates and an appreciating US dollar. CPI inflation in the euro area accelerated to 4.1% in October from 3.4% in September, reaching the highest value since July 2008. However, the ECB kept its monetary policy unchanged last week despite quickly rising prices. Moreover, it’s not signaling any tightening of its stance, maintaining that high inflation is transitory even though Christine Lagarde acknowledged that the decline in inflation would take longer than the central bank had initially expected. The point here is that the ECB remains an outlier among central banks, which either have already tightened or signaled tightening of their monetary policy. This means that the US dollar is likely to appreciate against the euro, which should be another headwind for gold. Having said that, this scenario will occur if the markets believe in a dovish stance of the EBC. The rising yields on German bonds indicate that the markets don’t entirely trust Lagarde’s rhetoric and expect a more hawkish stance of the ECB, which would be fortunate for gold.   Implications for Gold What does higher US inflation imply for the gold market? Well, not so much in the short run. Even though I’ve seen some signs of a bullish revival in the gold market, the bulls remain too weak to challenge the $1,800 level. That’s too much, man! Luckily, better times are coming for gold. Have you seen the advance estimates of the durable goods orders (0.4% decline in September) or of the GDP in the third quarter of this year? According to the BEA, real GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.0% (annualized quarterly growth), much below the 6.7% reported in Q2 and much below the expectations of 2.8% growth. When it comes to the annual percentage growth year-over-year, real GDP rose 4.9% compared to 12.2% in Q2, as the chart below shows. So, the pace of growth remains historically fast, but it’s decelerating quickly. Given that the economy has already reopened and energy and transportation crises are hurting growth (not to mention inflation wreaking havoc), we should expect a further slowdown on the way. And this brings us closer to… yes, you guessed it, stagflation. To be clear: we are still far from stagnation, but the economic slowdown after a spectacular post-pandemic recovery is already unfolding. When we add it to high inflation, we should get an environment supportive of gold prices. However, supportive factors won’t be able to fully operate until the Fed starts hiking interest rates and gold prices bottom out. Sometimes one needs to hit rock bottom to succeed later; perhaps that’s also the case with gold. Time will tell. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    A New Profitable Call on Crude Oil: “The Yoyo-Trade”

    A New Profitable Call on Crude Oil: “The Yoyo-Trade”

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 08.11.2021 16:54
    Was the adage "buy the rumor, sell the news" also verified with that new trading position? It was Thursday (Nov. 4) that the following rumor had flourished: a possible coordinated action which was supposed to consist of drawing on the strategic reserves of several countries, including the United States, which were leading the dance. Meanwhile, our subscribers were just getting ready to go long around the $76.57-79.65 support zone (yellow band), with a stop placed on lower $76.48 level (red dotted line) and targets at $81.80 and $83.40 (green dotted lines). As a result, oil prices had contracted in stride (trading just into our entry area), just before the rumor effect faded shortly on Friday (Nov. 5), to push them back up. In fact, with oil prices picking up momentum on Friday, once again settling firmly above $80 per barrel, and with a market still showing doubts on the possible use of strategic crude reserves, the proposed trade entry on the black gold, triggered on Thursday – following my last post – was thus profitable since it already turned into a partial profit-taking at the end of the week. Then, on Saturday, Joe Biden said that his administration had the means to cope with the rise in energy prices, in particular after the OPEC+'s decision not to raise their production to more than 400,000 barrels per day. in a context of global imbalance between supply and demand. In addition, Joe Biden also insinuated that the organization (and its allies) might actually not do its best to pump enough volume of crude oil. Trading Charts Chart – WTI Crude Oil (CLZ21) Futures (December contract, daily chart) Now, let’s zoom into the 4H chart to observe the recent price action all around the above-mentioned levels of our trade plan: Chart – WTI Crude Oil (CLZ21) Futures (December contract, 4H chart) In summary, my trading approach has led me to suggest some long trades around potential key supports, as this dip on crude oil offered a great opportunity for the bulls to enter long whilst aiming towards specific projected targets. If you don’t want to miss any future trading alerts, make sure to look at here. . Moreover, for those interested in Forex trading, please note that I am currently preparing some new series about the co-existing links and relationships between commodities and currencies. Stay tuned – happy trading! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Getting Back To Risky Assets As A Result Of Russian Move?

    Calling the Precious Metals Bull

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 08.11.2021 16:54
    S&P 500 paused to a degree, but bonds didn‘t – we‘re far from a peak. That though doesn‘t mean a brief correction (having a proper look at the chart, sideways consolidation not reaching more than a precious couple of percentage points down) won‘t arrive still this month. It‘s a question of time, and I think it would be driven by tech weakness as the sector has reached lofty levels. It‘ll go higher still, but this is the time for value and smallcaps. And when the dollar starts rolling over to the downside (I‘m looking at the early Dec debt ceiling drama to trigger it off), emerging markets would love that. And commodities with precious metals too, of course – sensing the upcoming greenback weakness has been part and parcel of the gold and silver resilience of late. Precious metals are only getting started, but the greatest fireworks would come early spring 2022 when the Fed‘s failure to act on inflation becomes broadly acknowledged. For now, they‘re still getting away with the transitory talking points, and chalking it down to supply chain issues. As if these could solve the balance sheet expansion or fresh (most probably again short-dated) Treasuries issuance (come Dec) – the Fed is also way behind other central banks in raising rates. Canada, Mexico and many others have already moved while UK and Australia are signalling readiness – the U.S. central bank is joined by ECB in hesitating. Don‘t look for the oil breather to last too long – black gold is well bid above $78, and hasn‘t made its peak in 2021, let alone 2022. As I wrote on Friday, its downswing that works to increase disposable income (serving as a shadow Fed funds rate in the zero rates environment), would prove short-lived. The real economy would have to come to terms with stubbornly high oil prices – and it will manage. The yield curve is starting to steepen modestly again, and fresh spending initiatives would breathe some life into the stalling GDP growth. Next year though, don‘t be surprised by a particularly weak (even negative) quarterly reading, but we aren‘t there by a long shot, I‘m telling you. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 looks getting ripe for taking a pause – the rising volume isn‘t able to push it much higher intraday. Credit Markets HYG strength indeed continues, and it‘s a good sign that quality debt instruments are joining – the reprieve won‘t last long though (think a few brief weeks before rates start rising again). Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver continue reversing the pre-taper weakness, and miners are indeed joining in. I‘m looking for more gains with every dip being bought. Crude Oil Crude oil hasn‘t peaked, and looks getting ready to consolidate with a bullish bias again. $85 hasn‘t been the top, and the energy sector remains primed to do well. Copper Copper is deceptively weak, and actually internally strong when other base metals are examined. As more money flows into commodities, look for the red metal to start doing better – commodities haven‘t topped yet. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum consolidation has come to an end, and the pre-positioned bulls have a reason to celebrate as my prior scenario– stabilization followed by slow grind higher is what‘s most likely next – came to fruition. Summary S&P 500 breather is a question of time, but shouldn‘t reach far on the downside – the credit markets don‘t support it. Commodities are catching up in the (dovish as assessed by the markets too) taper aftermath, and precious metals are sniffing the dollar‘s weakness a few short weeks ahead. With fresh money not needed to repair commercial banks‘ balance sheets, it flows into the financial markets, and the taper effects would be negated by the repo operations – yes, I‘m not looking for a liquidity crunch. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    USD Index: Are New Milestones in the Cards?

    USD Index: Are New Milestones in the Cards?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 08.11.2021 16:54
    While the greenback's failed breakout on Nov. 4th may seem bearish, it faced a similar situation in August and October, only to recover and achieve new highs. After the USD Index’s negative response to the ECB’s monetary policy meeting on Oct. 28, I warned on Oct. 29 that dollar bears were unlikely to celebrate for much longer. I wrote: Based on the rather random comment during the conference, the traders panicked and bought the EUR/USD, which triggered declines in the USD Index (after all, the EUR/USD is the largest component of the USDX). Was the breakout to new 2021 lows invalidated? No. The true breakout was above the late-March highs (the August highs also served as a support level, but the March high is more important here) and it wasn’t invalidated. What was the follow-up action? At the moment of writing these words, the USDX is up and trading at about 93.52, which is just 0.07 below the August high in terms of the closing prices. Consequently, it could easily be the case that the USD Index ends today’s session (and the week) back above this level. You’ve probably heard the saying that time is more important than price. It’s the end of the month, so let’s check what happened in the case of previous turns of the month; that’s where we usually see major price turnarounds. I marked the short-term turnarounds close to the turns of the month with horizontal dashed blue lines, and it appears that, in the recent past, there was practically always some sort of a turnaround close to the end of the month. Consequently, seeing a turnaround (and a bottom) in the USD index now would be perfectly normal. And after the forecast turned into reality, the USD Index surged above 94 and remains poised to resume its uptrend over the medium term. To explain, if we zoom in on the four-hour chart, it highlights the importance of the price action on Nov. 5. During the session, the USD Index hit a new 2021 intraday high before a small reversal occurred. This might seem bearish at the first sight (it’s a failed breakout, after all)… However, similar developments were also present in August and October. After the dollar basket attempted to make new highs and failed, the greenback eventually regained its composure and achieved the milestones. As a result, another 2021 high should occur sooner rather than later. Please see below: The first failed attempt to break above the previous highs triggered sizable short-term declines. This happened in August (marked with red). The second – September – attempt triggered only a small correction (marked with green) that was then followed by a bigger rally. Similarly, the – marked with red – October invalidation was followed by a sizable decline, and the current one (marked with green), is relatively small. And it’s likely to be followed by a short-term rally, just like the September correction was. On top of that, as you can see on the below chart, the current setup for the USD Index and gold mirrors what we witnessed in early August. Following its sharp summertime rally, the USD Index moved close to its 50-day moving average without reaching it. And after buyers stepped in, the USD Index resumed its uptrend and made a new 2021 high. Moreover, with a similar pattern and a similar reading on the USD Index’s RSI (Relative Strength Index) present today, the greenback’s outlook remains robust. I marked both cases with red, vertical, dashed lines below. More importantly, though gold, silver, and mining stocks’ upswings concluded once the USD Index bottomed close to its 50-day moving average in August and sharp drawdowns followed. Moreover, while gold, silver, and mining stocks’ recent rallies were likely underwritten by expectations of a weaker USD Index (it did fail to move to new highs, right?) , technical (as described above and below) and fundamental realities contrast this thesis. As a result, the 2021 theme of ‘USD Index up, PMs down’ will likely resume over the medium term. Please see below: Equally bullish for the greenback, the Euro Index remains overvalued and should suffer a material drawdown over the medium term. For example, the index’s previous lows, its 50-day moving average, and its declining resistance line combined to create major resistance and the Euro Index is now retesting its 2021 lows. As a result, the next temporary stop could be ~1.1500 (the March 2020 highs, then likely lower). For context, the EUR/USD accounts for nearly 58% of the movement of the USD Index, and that’s why the euro’s behavior is so important. Please see below: Adding to our confidence (don’t get me wrong, there are no certainties in any market; it’s just that the bullish narrative for the USDX is even more bullish in my view), the USD Index often sizzles in the summer sun and major USDX rallies often start during the middle of the year. Summertime spikes have been mainstays on the USD Index’s historical record and in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2018 a retest of the lows (or close to them) occurred before the USD Index began its upward flights (which is exactly what’s happened this time around). Furthermore, profound rallies (marked by the red vertical dashed lines below) followed in 2008, 2011 and 2014. With the current situation mirroring the latter, a small consolidation on the long-term chart is exactly what occurred before the USD Index surged in 2014. Likewise, the USD Index recently bottomed near its 50-week moving average; an identical development occurred in 2014. More importantly, though, with bottoms in the precious metals market often occurring when gold trades in unison with the USD Index (after ceasing to respond to the USD’s rallies with declines), we’re still far away from that milestone in terms of both price and duration. Moreover, as the journey unfolds, the bullish signals from 2014 have resurfaced once again. For example, the USD Index’s RSI is hovering near a similar level (marked with red ellipses), and back then, a corrective downswing also occurred at the previous highs. More importantly, though, the short-term weakness was followed by a profound rally in 2014, and many technical and fundamental indicators signal that another reenactment could be forthcoming. Please see below: Just as the USD Index took a breather before its massive rally in 2014, it seems that we saw the same recently. This means that predicting higher gold prices (or the ones of silver) here is likely not a good idea. Continuing the theme, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie. And with the USDX’s long-term breakout clearly visible, the wind still remains at the dollar’s back. Please see below: The bottom line? With my initial 2021 target of 94.5 already hit, the ~98 target is likely to be reached over the medium term, and the USDX will likely exceed 100 at some point over the medium or long term. Keep in mind though: we’re not bullish on the greenback because of the U.S.’ absolute outperformance. It’s because the region is fundamentally outperforming the Eurozone, the EUR/USD accounts for nearly 58% of the movement of the USD Index, and the relative performance is what really matters. In conclusion, the USD Index remains in the driver’s seat and new highs should materialize over the medium term. And while gold, silver and mining stocks have rode the S&P 500 higher recently, history has been unkind when the precious metals ignore technical and fundamental realities. Moreover, with gold, silver, and mining stocks’ strong negative correlations with the U.S. dollar standing the test of time, it’s likely only a matter of time before investors realize this as well. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Bitcoin rockets from best support at 60500/60000

    Bitcoin rockets from best support at 60500/60000

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 09.11.2021 08:27
    Bitcoin rockets from best support at 60500/60000 & through he all time high at 66500/67000 as predicted, initially targeting 69500/70000 Ripple through 6 month trend line resistance at 12300/400 for a buy signal. Ethereum longs at best support at 4380/4340 work on the run to the next target of 4800.Today's Analysis Bitcoin longs from anywhere above 60000 this trade worked perfectly as we beat 66500/67000 as expected initially targeting 69500/70000. We should struggle so do not be surprised to see some profit taking. However a break above 70000 is a good buy signal & can take us as far as 70000/78000. Downside is expected to be limited with first support at 67000/66500. Longs need stops below 66000. Ripple break above 12400 is an important medium term buy signal initially targeting 12800/850 & 13050. Support at 12300/12200. Best support at 11800/11700. Longs need stops below 11600. Ethereum longs at best support at 4380/4340 worked on the bounce back above 4475/55 to the targets of 4600/50 & 4800 & hopefully as far as 4950/5000 this week. Downside is expected to be limited with minor support at 4650/40. Best support at 4520/4480. Longs need stops below 4430. Emini S&P December hitting the targets as far as 4696/99 before reversing from 4712 & we are closing in on first support at 4675/70 this morning. Nasdaq December seeing a little profit taking from our 16420/440 target but downside should be limited in the bull trend with no sell signal yet, despite overbought conditions. Emini Dow Jones December we wrote: hit the next target of 36000/100 & if we continue higher in the bull trend look for 36250/280. Target hit with a new all time high at 36375. Today's Analysis. Emini S&P meets first support at 4675/70. Longs need stops below 4665 but then expect strong support at 4650/45. Try longs with stops below 4635. Unlikely but further losses meet an excellent buying opportunity at 4615/05. Longs need stops below 4595. The only resistance is at 4710/15. You would have to brave or crazy to sell short in this endless bull market! A break above 4720 targets 4735/40 then 4760. Nasdaq December straight to the next target of 16420/440 with a new all time high only 8 ticks above!! Eventually we can reach 16700, perhaps this week. Then we look for 16850. First support at 16260/240 likely to be tested this morning, but below here meets second support at 16140/120. Unlikely but further losses meet a buying opportunity at 15970/920. Longs need stops below 15890. Emini Dow Jones December new all time high at 36375 but watch resistance at 36410/440. I certainly do not recommend a short but we could pause here. If we continue higher look for 36490/500 & 36750/800. First support at 36100/35950. Best support at 35700/650. Longs need stops below 35550. To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    The uncertain certainty of bitcoin

    The uncertain certainty of bitcoin

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 09.11.2021 10:24
    Some might argue that it is best to sit on one’s hands and wait for a time when bitcoin prices are suppressed, and they have a point with the possibility of a market crash. And then again, they might have said that already when bitcoin was still trading at US$3,000 (we do not find it likely that bitcoin will ever retrace to those levels again.). Where are the uncertainties in bitcoins certainty? When you dissect a complex mechanism, you will always find a problem. It is like going to the bakery. It would be foolish to expect to get anything else but bread. Maybe it is better to look at a glass half full, meaning why not look at why bitcoin could be a certainty? BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, every buyer is a winner if he didn’t sell: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 9th, 2021. The monthly chart above certainly shows that whoever bought in the past has made a profit by now. Yet, we know “hodling” isn’t an easy thing. Personal risk appetite determines the number of bitcoin that can be held throughout these boom and bust cycles. We solved this dilemma through our quad exit strategy. And we teach low-risk position size building in our free telegram channel. BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, new all-time highs: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Weekly chart as of November 9th, 2021. Now, moving forward to real-time, we can make out a similar bullish picture on the weekly chart after our glimpse in the past. Recent events provide data that substantiates bitcoin’s long-term certainty. A look at the last two weeks of October (marked in white) reveals a very brief battle with a minimal retracement level at the double top of all-time highs. Bears barely get a foot in the door, where typically bitcoin experiences significant retracements. To us, a clear sign that the rush is on. Big player money is now rushing to accumulate the necessary size they aim to hold on their books for the long term. Consequently, reducing volatility, one of the most feared aspects of bitcoin, which in times to come will attract more market players to this trading vehicle.   BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, six figures in 2022: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 9th, 2021. A look into the future from a monthly chart perspective is confidence building as well. With new all-time high prices printing at the time of publication of this chart book, our bet is still on bitcoin with a 63% over 47% chance that prices will advance from here rather than retracing to a substantially lower price level. So far, bitcoin has done nothing else but eradicate the uncertainties placed in its way. The most stubborn doubter would likely be happy if they had picked up a few coins when they traded at a dollar. What provides confidence for our forecast is the confirmation that bitcoin price retracements are now more modest. This lets us assume that the number of professional traders participating in this market has increased. In the monthly chart above, you can make out that closing prices of the month’s May, June, and July this year closed above the 50% Fibonacci retracement levels. A conservative retracement for bitcoins historical standards. We project for the near term that bitcoin will reach six-figure prices in mid-February next year. The uncertain certainty of bitcoin: From the anticipatory perspective, it seems evident that holding bitcoin is a prudent move with a look into the future. A hedge is needed once the risk is apparent to all, and the house of cards will tumble.  From a real-time perspective, we also find bitcoin to be a “must-own.” The charts above showed the strength with which bitcoin is aching to claim its turf, and it is never good to wait till “fear of missing out” kicks in, and low-risk entry opportunities become scarce.  And from a reactionary perspective, a look in the past, it is evident that anybody would like a piece of the action where bitcoin has nothing but a stunning history of unheard percentage moves and made it from eight cents to US$ 67,000 in just a dozen years.  There are always uncertainties in speculative ventures, but bitcoin itself is a certainty, not to be rationalized away for the years to come. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|November 9th, 2021|Tags: Bitcoin, bitcoin consolidation, Bitcoin mining, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, crypto mining, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Intraday Market Analysis – GBP Seeks Support

    Intraday Market Analysis – GBP Seeks Support

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 09.11.2021 09:01
    EURGBP sees a temporary pullback The sterling inched higher as traders took profit after the BOE’s dovish shift last week. The rally above the supply area of 0.8570 is a sign of commitment from the buy-side. Strong momentum has forced the bears to rush for the exit door. 0.8620 is now the next resistance. Its break would bring the euro to September’s high at 0.8660, where a breakout may lead to a bullish reversal in the medium-term. In the meantime, an overbought RSI is causing a pullback. The base of the latest surge at 0.8465 is an important support. NZDUSD tests key resistance The New Zealand dollar recoups losses as risk appetite recovers. The pair has met buying interest at 0.7070 along the 20-day moving average. A bullish RSI divergence is a sign that the bearish momentum has waned. When this happens in a demand zone, it makes a rebound of greater significance. 0.7180 is a major hurdle ahead following a previously botched bounce. Its breach may resume the kiwi’s uptrend above 0.7220. The RSI’s double top in the overbought area may briefly limit the bullish impetus. GER 40 consolidates gains The Dax 40 continues to rally in hopes of a prolonged low-rate environment. The bulls are pushing towards 16200 after the index reached the milestone at 16000. However, the RSI’s multiple ventures into the overbought area and a bearish divergence indicate that the rally may have overextended. A temporary pullback would be necessary to let the bulls catch their breath. 15920 is the immediate support. Further down, 15730 on the 20-day moving average would be an area of interest.
    Gold, Silver, and Miners Just Can’t Jump

    Gold, Silver, and Miners Just Can’t Jump

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 03.11.2021 15:17
    Let’s face it, the metals are not having an easy time breaking out. Short-term rallies end up going nowhere and bearish signs are still in abundance. Yesterday’s session was once again quite informative, and so is today’s pre-market trading. In yesterday’s analysis, I emphasized the importance of the relative weakness that we just saw in mining stocks, so let’s start with taking a look at what mining stocks did yesterday. At first glance, yesterday’s performance might look like a bullish reversal, but zooming in clarifies that something else was actually in the works. Let’s take a look at the GDXJ 1-hour candlestick chart for details. Yesterday’s “reversal” was actually a breakdown below the previous (mid-October) intraday lows along with the verification thereof. The GDXJ moved below the above-mentioned lows and – while it moved back up – it ended the session below them. This is a bearish type of session. Also, if you were wondering about the high volume in the final hour of trading – that’s relatively normal as that’s when bigger trades tend to take place. And while mining stocks were busy verifying the breakdown, gold tried to break above its declining, red resistance line, and verify that breakout. While yesterday’s session didn’t bring much lower gold prices (and the invalidation), today’s pre-market trading makes it clear that the attempt to break higher failed. Just like I had indicated yesterday. This time the rising short-term support line is not there to prevent further declines as the breakdown below it was also confirmed. What does it mean? It means that gold is likely to fall, and quite likely it’s going to fall hard. Besides, silver price is after a major short-term breakdown, too. After a powerful short-term rally, silver had reversed, and now it broke below its rising support line. That’s yet another bearish indication. Please note that at first silver was reluctant to decline while mining stocks moved decisively lower, which was normal during the early part of a given decline. Silver did some catching-up action yesterday, but since miners are not showing strength, I’d say that we’re getting to the regular part of a short-term move, not close to its end. And the move lower is likely to continue, just as the move higher is likely to continue in case of the USD Index. The USDX is after a verification of the breakout to new 2021 highs and after an about monthly consolidation above them. This is a perfect starting point for a major upswing, and we’re likely to see one soon. All in all, while the outlook for the precious metals sector is very bullish for the following years, it’s very bearish for the following weeks. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – Euro Attempts To Bounce

    Intraday Market Analysis – Euro Attempts To Bounce

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 10.11.2021 08:58
    EURUSD meets resistance The euro finds support from an upbeat economic sentiment from across the block. The pair has met buying interest in the demand zone around 1.1520. A bullish RSI divergence suggests that sellers may have taken their feet off the pedal. Subsequently, a break above 1.1560 prompted the short side to cover. 1.1615 is a key supply zone from last week’s sell-off, after which the bulls need to lift offers near 1.1690 before a reversal could gain traction. On the downside, a fall below 1.1550 may call the rebound into question. XAGUSD awaits breakout Bullions rise as the US dollar retreats ahead of the release of inflation data. A bullish MA cross on the daily chart is a sign that sentiment could be turning around. Silver is testing the September high of 24.80. A bullish breakout would trigger an extended rally towards 26.00. However, the RSI’s double top in the overbought area has held buyers back as the market awaits new catalysts. A combination of profit-taking and fresh selling could drive the price lower. The base of a previous breakout at 23.70 would be a support. US 500 seeks support The S&P 500 consolidates gains over strong corporate earnings and improved economic outlook. The divergence between the 20 and 30-day moving averages indicates an acceleration in the rally. Though there is a chance of a pullback after the RSI shot into the overbought area. The bullish bias means that buyers may be eager to jump in during a correction. The index is hovering above 4660. 4625 on the 20-day moving average would be the second line of defense. On the upside, a rebound would lead to 4750.
    How Strange! Gold Rises on Strong Payrolls!

    How Strange! Gold Rises on Strong Payrolls!

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 09.11.2021 15:20
    US economy added 531,000 jobs in October, surpassing expectations. Gold reacted… in a bullish way, and jumped above $1,800! The October nonfarm payrolls came surprisingly strong. As the chart below shows, the US labor market added 531,000 jobs last month, much above the expectations (MarketWatch’s analysts forecasted 450,000 added jobs). So, it’s a nice change from the last two disappointing reports. What’s more, the August and September numbers were significantly revised up – by 235,000 combined. Let’s keep in mind that we also have the additions of 1,091,000 in July and 366,000 in August (after an upward revision). Additionally, the unemployment rate declined from 4.8% to 4.6%, as the chart above shows. It’s a positive surprise, as economists expected a drop to 4.7%. In absolute terms, the number of unemployed people fell by 255,000 - to 7.4 million. It’s a much lower level compared to the recessionary peak (23.1 million), however, it’s still significantly higher than before the pandemic (5.7 million and the unemployment rate of 3.5%). Implications for Gold What does the recent employment report imply for the precious market? Well, gold surprised observers and rallied on Friday despite strong nonfarm payrolls. As the chart below shows, the London P.M. Fix surpassed the key level of $1,800. To show gold’s reaction more clearly, let’s take a look at the chart below, which shows that the price of gold futures initially declined after the October Employment Situation Report release. Only after a while, it rebounded and rallied to about $1,820. It’s a surprising behavior, as gold usually reacted negatively to strong economic data. Until now, gold liked weak employment reports as they increased the chances of a dovish Fed that would continue its easy monetary policy. Now, something has changed. But what? Well, some analysts would say that nothing has changed at all. Instead, they would tell us that the latest employment report is not as strong as it seems. In particular, the labor force participation rate was unmoved at 61.6% in October and has remained within a narrow range of 61.4% to 61.7% since June 2020, as the chart below shows. The lack of any improvement in the labor force participation rate could be interpreted as a lack of full employment and used by the Fed as an excuse to leave interest rates unchanged for a long time. I’m not convinced by this explanation. “Full employment” does not mean that all people are working, but all people who want to work are working. And, as the chart above shows, the fact that after the Great Recession the labor participation rate didn’t move back to the pre-crisis level didn’t prevent the Fed from hiking interest rates in 2015-2019. There is also another possibility. It might be the case that investors are now focusing on inflation. The employment report showed that the average hourly earnings have increased by 4.9% over the past twelve months, raising some concerns about wage inflation and general price pressure in the economy. Remember: context is crucial. If the new narrative is more about high inflation, good news may be positive for gold if they also indicate strong inflationary pressure. Although I like this explanation, it’s not free from shortcomings. You see, stronger inflation concerns should increase inflation premium and bond yields. However, the opposite is true: the real interest rates declined last week (see the chart below), enabling gold to catch its breath. After all, the markets are expecting a more dovish Fed than before the announcement of tapering. This is a fundamentally positive development for the gold market. Having said that, it’s too early to declare the start of the breakout. If inflation stays high, the US central bank could have no choice but to hike interest rates next year. Also, although the recent jump despite strong payrolls is encouraging, gold has yet to prove that it can stay above $1,800. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    EURUSD well established so we keep trading them until prices breakout of the range.

    EURUSD well established so we keep trading them until prices breakout of the range.

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 10.11.2021 14:24
    EURUSD levels are well established so we keep trading them until prices breakout of the range. We have shorts at first resistance at 1.1600/10 from yesterday USDCAD we have longs at 1.2440/20 targeting strong resistance at 1.2510/30. GBPCAD beat strong resistance at 1.6860/70 but meets a selling opportunity at 1.6930/50 with stops above 1.6970. Update daily at 06:30 GMT Today's Analysis. EURUSD strong resistance at 1.1600/10. Shorts need stops above 1.1630. A break higher can target strong resistance at 1.1695/1.1705. Exit longs & try shorts with stops above 1.1720. A break higher is a buy signal targeting 1.1765/70 & 1.1800/10. Shorts at 1.1600/10 target 1.1570/60 (hit), perhaps as far as first support at the October low at 1.1530/20. A break below 1.1510 is a sell signal initially targeting 1.1490 & although this could hold initially (a low for the day certainly possible but longs are risky) we eventually expected to target 1.1430/20. USDCAD longs at 1.2440/20 target strong resistance at 1.2510/30. Shorts need stops above 1.2550. First support at 1.2440/20 but longs need stops below 1.2410. A break below here targets 1.2370/65 perhaps as far as support at 1.2300/1.2280. Longs here need stops below 1.2270. A break lower is a sell signal. GBPCAD selling opportunity at 1.6930/50 with stops above 1.6970. A break higher however targets 1.7050/70. Shorts at 1.6930/50 target 1.6860, perhaps as far as 1.6810. A low for the day is possible here but further losses are likely to retest last week's low at 1.6735/25. GBPUSD beat 1.3510/30 to target 1.3570/80 & my selling opportunity at 1.3600/20. Shorts here worked perfectly with a high for the day at 1.3607 & a collapse to my target of 1.3525/15. In fact this was also the low for the day. EURGBP shorts at the 200 day moving average at 8585 work on the slide to second support at 8520/10 for profit taking on any remaining shorts. A low for the day exactly here so longs also worked on the bounce to 8550. GBPNZD shot higher to strong resistance at 1.9050/70 but shorts need stops above 1.9090 (which looks likely today's high as I write). Update daily at 07:00 GMT Today's Analysis. GBPUSD try shorts again at 1.3600/20 targeting 1.3560, perhaps as far as minor support at 1.3525/15. Below here look for 1.3470/60. A selling opportunity at 1.3600/20. Try shorts with stops above 1.3635. A break higher targets 1.3570/75. EURGBP holding below 8550 retests support at 8520/10. Try longs again with stops below 8500. A break lower targets 8475. Longs at 520/10 target 8550 before first resistance at the 200 day moving average at 8585/95. A break above 8600 is a buy signal for this week. GBPNZD shorts at strong resistance at 1.9050/70 target 1.9895, perhaps as far as 1.8950. A break above 1.9090 targets 1.9170/80. To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    Profiting on Hot Inflation

    Profiting on Hot Inflation

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 10.11.2021 16:08
    S&P 500 pause finally went from sideways to down, and might not be over yet. Credit markets aren‘t nearly totally weak – tech simply had to pause, so did semiconductors, and the Tesla downswing took its toll. Value though recovered the intraday downside, and VIX retreated from its daily highs – that may be all it can muster. I‘m looking primarily at bond markets for clues, and these reacted to the PPI figures with further decline in yields.At the same, inflation expectations are moving higher – the more you shorten the maturity, the higher they go, let alone RINF, their key ETF. Markets will be proven very wrong about the transitory inflation complacency – inflation rates aren‘t going to decline if you just leave them alone. And taper coupled with rate hikes hesitancy won‘t do the trick either.S&P 500 is still primed to go higher – the only question is the shape of the current consolidation. Liquidity is still ample, the banking sector is strong, and the Russell 2000 isn‘t really retreating. As stated yesterday:(…) The correct view of the stock market action is one of microrotations unfolding in a weakening environment – one increasingly fraught with downside risks. To be clear, I‘m not looking for a sizable correction, but a very modest one both in time and price. It‘s a question of time, and I think it would be driven by tech weakness as the sector has reached lofty levels. It‘ll go higher over time still, but this is the time for value and smallcaps in the medium term.Precious metals are consolidating – it‘s almost a pre-CPI ritual, but under the surface, the pressure to go higher keeps building. I‘m looking for a strong Dec in gold and silver, with unyielding oil and copper gradually waking up. Cryptos aren‘t taking prisoners either.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 finally declined, and the very short-term picture is unclear – is the dip about to continue, or more sideways trading before taking on prior highs? It‘s a coin toss.Credit MarketsHYG recouped some of the prior downside, but the LQD and TLT upswings give an impression of risk-off environment. Sharply declining yields aren‘t necessarily positive for stocks, and such is the case today.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver look like briefly pausing before the upswing continues – miners are pulling ahead, and the ever more negative real rates are powering it all.Crude OilCrude oil bulls continue having the upper hand, and oil sector is also pointing at higher black gold prices to come. Energy hasn‘t peaked by a long shot.CopperCopper went at odds with the CRB Index, but that‘s not a cause for concern. It‘ll take a while, but the red metal would swing upwards again.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum are briefly consolidating, and a fresh upswing is a question of shortening time. SummaryS&P 500 remains momentarily undecided, but the pullback shouldn‘t reach far on the downside – the bears are having an opportunity to strike on yet another hot inflation numbers. This isn‘t transitory really as I‘ve been telling you for almost 3 quarters already. Needless to say, the fire under real assets is being increasingly lit – more gains in commodities, precious metals and cryptos are ahead as inflations runs rampant on the Fed‘s watch.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Cuts Through Resistance

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Cuts Through Resistance

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 11.11.2021 09:26
    USDJPY attempts a bullish reversalThe US dollar broke higher after October’s CPI exceeded expectations.On the daily chart, the RSI has dropped back into the neutrality area. The greenback has secured bids around the 30-day moving average. An oversold RSI on the hourly chart attracted a ‘buying-the-dips’ crowd at 112.70.The latest surge above the psychological level of 114.00 has prompted sellers to cover their bets, paving the way for a bullish reversal above 114.25. Before that, an overbought RSI may lead to a pullback towards 113.05.XAUUSD breaks resistanceRising US CPI boosts the demand for gold as an inflation hedge.After being unable to clear the daily chart’s triple top at 1833 over the course of the summer, the precious metal has cut through the resistance like a hot knife through butter. High volatility suggests that sellers were quick to bail out.As momentum traders jump in, the bullish breakout would lead to an extended rally towards 1900. An overbought RSI may cause a limited pullback. In that case, 1823 at the base of the rally may see strong buying interest.USOIL retreats from resistanceWTI crude edged lower after the EIA reported a slight rise in US inventories. The price’s swift recovery above the sell-off point at 83.00 is an indication that sentiment remains overall optimistic.However, the previous peak and psychological level of 85.00 seems like a tough hurdle to overcome for now. An overbought RSI has triggered a temporary pullback with a break below 81.90. In turn, this is deepening the correction towards 79.30.Trend followers may see the limited retracement as an opportunity to stake in.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Seeks Support - 19.10.2021

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Keeps Bullish Momentum

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 12.11.2021 09:33
    GBPUSD buried in bearish territory The pound continues to retreat after Britain’s growth fell short of expectations in Q3. A break below September’s low at 1.3420 has invalidated the latest rebound, putting buyers on the defensive once again. The RSI’s double bottom in the oversold area may ease the bearish push momentarily. A bounce could be an opportunity to sell into strength. 1.3500 is the immediate resistance. On the downside, renewed momentum would drive price action towards last December’s lows around 1.3200. AUDUSD struggles for support The Australian dollar came under pressure after the unemployment rate returned above 5% last month. The sell-off continued after a brief pause over the 30-day moving average near 0.7390, turning the latter into a fresh resistance. The lack of support suggests increasingly downbeat sentiment. The base of October’s bullish breakout at 0.7240 is the next support. The RSI’s oversold situation may cause a limited rebound from the round number at 0.7300, though it is likely to turn out to be a dead cat bounce. US100 tests demand zone The Nasdaq 100 suffers losses as high inflation dents risk appetite. An RSI divergence showed a deceleration in the uptrend, a sign that the rally has overheated. Subsequently, a drop below 16200 has prompted leveraged buyers to exit for fear of a correction. As the RSI inched into the oversold territory, the index saw bids near the breakout zone (15900) from earlier this month. The support-turned-resistance at 16200 is the first hurdle. Then the bulls will need to clear 16400 before the rally can resume.
    Netflix Stock (NFLX) Ahead Of Important Data, XAUUSD Chart's Reduced Amplitudes - Swissquote's MarketTalk

    Inflation to the Moon - Gold Wears a Space Suit!

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 11.11.2021 16:06
      Inflation rears its ugly head, surging at the fastest pace since 1990. The yellow metal has finally reacted as befits an inflation hedge: went up. Do you know what ambivalence is? It is a state of having two opposing feelings at the same time –this is exactly how I feel now. Why? Well, the latest BLS report on inflation shows that consumer inflation surged in October, which is something I hate because it lowers the purchasing power of money, deteriorating the financial situation of most people, especially the poorest and the least educated who don’t know how to protect against rising prices. On the other hand, I feel satisfaction, as it turned out that I was right in claiming that high inflation would be more persistent than the pundits claimed. After the September report on inflation, I wrote: “I’m afraid that consumer inflation could increase even further in the near future”. Sieron vs. Powell: 1:0! Indeed, the CPI rose 0.9% last month after rising 0.4% in September. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, accelerated to 0.6% in October from 0.1% in the preceding month. And, as the chart below shows, the overall CPI annual rate accelerated from 5.4% in September to 6.2% in October, while the core CPI annual rate jumped from 4% to 4.6%. This surge (and a new peak) is a final blow to the Fed’s fairy tale about transitory inflation. As one can see in the chart above, the CPI rate has stayed above the Fed’s target since March 2021, and it won’t decline to 2% anytime soon. This contradicts all definitions of transitoriness I know. What’s more, the October surge in inflation was not only above the expectations – it was also the biggest jump since November 1990, as the chart below shows. Unfortunately for Americans, it might not be the last word of inflation. This is because over 80% of CPI subcomponents were above the Fed’s target of 2%, which clearly indicates that high inflation is not caused merely by the reopening of the economy but also by the broad-based factors such as the surge in the money supply.   Implications for Gold Ladies and gentlemen, gold finally reacted to surging inflation! As the chart below shows, the price of gold (Comex futures) spiked from below $1,830 to above $1,860 after the BLS report on CPI. Why did gold finally notice inflation and react as a true inflation hedge? Well, it seems that the narrative changed. Until recently, investors believed the Fed that inflation would be transitory. Reality, however, has disproved this story. Another factor I would like to mention is the FOMC’s recent announcement of tapering of its quantitative easing. That event removed some downward pressure from the gold market. By the way, this is something I also correctly predicted in the Fundamental Gold Report that commented on September inflation report: “it seems that until the Fed tapers its quantitative easing, gold will remain under downward pressure. Nonetheless, when it finally happens, better times may come for gold.” Indeed, yesterday’s rally suggests that gold recalled its function as a hedge against inflation. Until today, I was cautious in announcing the breakout in the gold market, as the yellow metal jumped above $1,800 only recently. However, the fact that gold managed not only to stay above $1,800 but also to continue its march upward (in tandem with the US dollar!) suggests that there is bullish momentum right now. Having said that, investors should remember about the threat of a more hawkish Fed. Higher inflation could support the monetary hawks within the FOMC and prompt the US central bank to raise interest rates sooner rather than later. The prospects of a tightening cycle could weigh on gold. However, as long as investors focus stronger on inflation than on tightening of monetary policy, and as long as the real interest rates decrease, or at do not increase, gold can go up. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    HK Rallies and PBOC Cuts, US Stocks Stabilize

    Focus on the Real Gains

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 11.11.2021 15:51
    S&P 500 declined, and not enough buyers arrived in my view. Still, we‘re likely to see a brief pause in selling, and that‘s giving the bulls a chance. Credit markets were a bit too beaten down by the troubled 30-year Treasury auction and Evergrande moving into the spotlight somewhat again. VIX managed another upswing, and doesn‘t point to the S&P 500 having gotten to an excessively bearish positioning just yet. I think some treading the water before stocks make up their mind, is most likely next. The downswing doesn‘t appear to be totally over, but we have arguably seen the greater part of it already. Tech isn‘t yet stabilized, but the increasing volume spells a pause in selling. I‘m still looking for clues to the bond markets. And it‘s clear that not even higher rates can sink the precious metals run – neither the late day rush to the dollar had that power. Miners continue behaving, and their daily black candle doesn‘t scare me – the realization of inflation not having peaked, and being as stubborn as I had been pounding the table since eternity, is working its magic: (…) inflation expectations are moving higher – the more you shorten the maturity, the higher they go, let alone RINF, their key ETF. Markets will be proven very wrong about the transitory inflation complacency – inflation rates aren‘t going to decline if you just leave them alone. And taper coupled with rate hikes hesitancy won‘t do the trick either. S&P 500 is still primed to go higher – the only question is the shape of the current consolidation. Liquidity is still ample, the banking sector is strong, and the Russell 2000 isn‘t really retreating. Precious metals are consolidating – it‘s almost a pre-CPI ritual, but under the surface, the pressure to go higher keeps building. I‘m looking for a strong Dec in gold and silver, with unyielding oil and copper gradually waking up. Cryptos aren‘t taking prisoners either. Crude oil is well bid in the $78 till $80 zone, and would overcome $85 – we aren‘t looking at a reversal, but at temporary upside rejection. Likewise copper would kick in with vengeance, and the shallow crypto consolidations are barely worth mentioning at all. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 decline continues, and the very short-term picture favors a little consolidation – the selling might not be over just yet. Credit Markets HYG, LQD and TLT – weakness anywhere you look, without tangible signs of stabilization, which makes any S&P 500 upswings a doubtful proposition. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver look to be just getting started – the growing money flows aren‘t sufficient to push prices lower. Miners are pulling ahead, and the ever more negative real rates coupled with surging inflation fears (and Fed policy mistake recognition) are powering it all. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls would have to step in around the $80 level again, and it seems they wouldn‘t find it too hard to do. Yesterday‘s downswing looks like a daily setback only. Copper Copper downswing was again bought, and I‘m not looking for the bears to make much further progress as commodities appear ready to turn up again regardless of temporary dollar strength. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are again briefly consolidating, and the bulls haven‘t really spoken their last word. It‘s a nice base building before another upleg. Summary S&P 500 is likely pausing for a moment here, and any further pullback isn‘t likely to reach far on the downside. The late day selloff in real assets was merely a brief, news-driven correction that would be reversed before too long, and precious metals are showing the way as inflation is moving back into the spotlight, and the talk about Fed‘s policy mistake is growing louder. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Red Hot and Running

    Red Hot and Running

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 12.11.2021 15:44
    S&P 500 really went through the brief pause in selling, but credit markets haven‘t stopped really. Their weakness continues, but is hitting value a tad harder than tech. Together with VIX turning south, that‘s one more sign why the bulls are slowly becoming the increasingly more favored side. Hold your horses though, I‘m talking about a very short-term outlook – this correction doesn‘t appear to be over just yet (the second half of Nov is usually weakner seasonally): (…) some treading the water before stocks make up their mind, is most likely next. The downswing doesn‘t appear to be totally over, but we have arguably seen the greater part of it already. … I‘m still looking for clues to the bond markets. There, it had been a one-way ride. TLT though is having trouble declining further, and that means a brief upswing carrying over into stocks, is likely. Primarily tech would benefit, and the ever more negative real rates would put a floor beneath the feverish precious metals run. Make no mistake though, the tide in gold and silver has turned, and inflation expectations aren‘t as tame anymore. In this light, there‘s no point in sweating the commodities retracement of late. True, the rising dollar is taking some steam out of the CRB superbull, but that‘s only temporary – I‘m looking for the greenback to reverse to the downside once the debt ceiling drama reappears in the beginning of Dec. Then, the Treasury would also have to start issuing more (short-term) debt, which would put a damper on any upswing attempts. Meanwhile, inflation would keep at least as hot as it‘sx been recently, and the Fed policy mistake in letting the fire burn unattended, would be more broadly acknowledged. What a profitable constellation for precious metals, real and crypto assets! Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is bidding its time – the shallow very short-term consolidation continues, with the bears slowly running out of time (for today). Credit Markets HYG, LQD and TLT – weakness anywhere you look continues, but LQD is hinting at a possible stabilization next. Unless that‘s more broadly followed in bonds, any S&P 500 upswing would remain a doubtful proposition. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver were indeed just getting started – a relatively brief pause shouldn‘t be surprising. Any dips though remain to be bought. All in all, PMs are firing on all cylinders currently. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls keep defending the $80 level, with $78 serving as the next stop if need be. The consolidation starting late Oct would though resolve to the upside in my view – it‘s just a question of shortening time. Copper Copper participated in the commodities upswing – not too enthusiastically, not too weakly. The volume seems just right for base building before another red metal‘s move higher. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are still consolidating, and the relatively tight price range keeps favoring the bulls. Summary S&P 500 is looking at a mildly positive day today, but the correction isn‘t probably over just yet. With most of the downside already in, I‘m looking for bullish spirits to very gradually return. Precious metals will be the star performers for the many days to come, followed by copper and then oil. Crypto better days are also lyiing ahead. All in all, inflation trades will keep doing better and better. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Will Evergrande Make Gold Grand?

    Will Evergrande Make Gold Grand?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 12.11.2021 18:57
      Evergrande’s debt issues are a symptom of China’s deep structural problems. If the crisis spills over wider, gold may benefit, but we are still far from such a scenario. Beijing, we have a problem! Evergrande, one of China’s largest real estate developers and biggest companies in the world, is struggling to meet the interest payments on its debts. As the company has more than $300 billion worth of liabilities, its recent liquidity problems have sparked fears in the financial markets. They also triggered a wave of questions: will Evergrande become a Chinese Lehman Brothers? Is the Chinese economy going to collapse or stagnate? Will Evergrande make gold grand? The answer to the first question is: no, the possible default of Evergrande likely won’t cause a global contagion in the same way as Lehman Brothers did. Why? First of all, Lehman Brothers collapsed because of the run in the repo market and the following liquidity crisis. As the company was exposed to subprime assets, investors lost confidence and the bank lost its access to cheap credit. Lehman Brothers tried to sell its assets, which plunged the prices of a wide range of financial assets, putting other institutions into trouble. Unlike Lehman Brothers, Evergrande is not an investment bank but a real estate developer. It doesn’t have so many financial assets, and it’s not a key player in the repo market. The exposure of important global financial institutions to Evergrande is much smaller. What’s more, we haven’t seen a credit freeze yet, nor an endless wave of selling across almost all asset classes, which took place during the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. Given that the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy was ultimately positive for gold (although the price of the yellow metal declined initially during the phase of wide sell-offs), the fact that Evergrande probably doesn’t pose similar risks to the global economy could be disappointing for gold bulls. However, gold bulls could warmly welcome my answer to the second question: the case of Evergrande reveals deep and structural problems of China’s economy, namely its heavy reliance on debt and the real estate sector. As the chart below shows, the debt of the private non-financial sector has increased from about 145% of GDP after the Great Recession to 220% in the first quarter of 2021. So, China has experienced a massive increase in debt since the global financial crisis, reaching levels much higher than in the case of other economies. The rise in indebtedness allowed China to continue its economic expansion, but questions arose about the quality and sustainability of that growth. As Daniel Lacalle points out, The problem with Evergrande is that it is not an anecdote, but a symptom of a model based on leveraged growth and seeking to inflate GDP at any cost with ghost cities, unused infrastructure, and wild construction. Indeed, the levels and rates of growth of China’s private debt are similar to the countries that have experienced spectacular financial crises, such as Japan, Thailand, or Spain. But the significance of China’s real estate sector is much higher. According to the paper by Rogoff and Yang, the real-estate sector accounts for nearly 30% of China’s GDP. On the other hand, China has a relatively high savings rate, while debt is mostly of domestic nature. China’s financial ties to the world are not very strong, which limits the contagion risks. What is more, the Chinese government has acknowledged the problem of excessive debts in the private sector and started a few years ago making some efforts to curb it. The problems of Evergrande can be actually seen as the results of these deleveraging attempts. Therefore, I’m not sure whether China’s economy will collapse anytime soon, but its pace of growth is likely to slow down further. The growth model based on debt and investments (mainly in real estate) has clearly reached its limit. In other words, the property boom must end. Rogoff and Yang estimate that “a 20% fall in real estate activity could lead to a 5-10% fall in GDP”. Such growth slowdown and inevitable adjustments in China’s economy will have significant repercussions on the global economy, as – according to some research – China’s construction sector is now the most important sector for the global economy in terms of its impact on global GDP. In particular, the prices of commodities used in the construction sector may decline and the countries that export to China may suffer. Given that China was the engine of global growth for years, it will also slow down, and, with lower production, it’s possible that inflation will be higher. Finally, what do the problems of China’s real estate sector imply for the gold market? Well, in the short term, not so much. Gold is likely to remain under downward pressure resulting from the prospects of the Fed’s tightening cycle. However, if Evergrande’s problems spill over, affecting China’s economy or (a bit later) even the global economy, the situation may change. Other Chinese developers (such as Fantasia or Sinic) also have problems with debt payments, as investors are not willing to finance new issues of bonds. In such a scenario, the demand for gold as a safe-haven asset might increase, although investors have to remember that the initial rush could be into cash (the US dollar) rather than gold. Unless China’s problems pose a serious threat to the American economy, the appreciation of the greenback will likely counterweigh the gains from safe-haven inflows into gold. So far, financial markets have remained relatively undisturbed by the Evergrande case. Nevertheless, I will closely monitor any upcoming developments in China’s economy and their possible effects on the gold market. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Gold: Don’t Fret the Small Stuff

    Gold: Don’t Fret the Small Stuff

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 10.11.2021 14:38
      Do small upswings really matter if one has medium-term goals in mind? Have the bulls come home?  The medium-term back and forth movement in gold continues. If I could make the markets move in a certain direction sooner, and end the prolonged consolidation, I would. However, I can’t, and the only thing that I can do is to report to you what I see on the markets and describe what my course of action will be. During yesterday’s session we saw more of what we’ve been seeing in the previous days. Gold moved higher, and gold stocks moved higher (but in a weak manner), and even though gold moved to new monthly highs, the HUI Index is not even back to its late-October highs. It’s boring, discouraging, and demotivating. But the only thing that we can do is to react to what the market is willing to provide us with. What do yesterday’s and today’s pre-market price moves tell us? First of all, the market tells us that the breakout to new highs in the USD Index is not being invalidated. I know that I’ve written this tens of times, but this factor remains intact and it continues to have very important implications going forward. These are bullish for the USD Index and bearish for the precious metals sector. Second, as I had already written earlier today, gold stocks are not showing strength relative to gold. The gold price just made new monthly highs and is now visibly above its October highs, but the silver price and – most importantly - gold stocks are not. In fact, they are just a little above their mid-October highs. Consequently, the thing that one tends to see in the final parts of a short-term rally remains in place. So, when will the decline in PMs finally continue? Based on what I wrote on Monday – in particular about gold’s reversal points, it’s likely to start soon – perhaps as early as this week. As a quick reminder, you can see gold’s triangle-vertex-based reversal on the chart below: And you can see gold’s long-term cyclical turning point on the chart below: The fact that gold moved to its recent medium-term highs is also a factor here. Resistance provided by those highs is quite likely to trigger a reversal in gold, and based on today’s pre-market action, it’s what we might already be seeing right now. The move lower is small so far, but all bigger moves have small beginnings, and given the reversal points and the resistance that gold just encountered, this could be “it”. Also, speaking of resistance levels, on today’s second chart I placed a red resistance line based on the previous highs. It might be tempting to view the price action below it as an inverse head and shoulders pattern, which could have bullish implications. However, let’s keep in mind that without a breakout above the neck level (approximately the previous highs), the formation is not yet complete, and as such it has NO bullish implications whatsoever, as it simply doesn’t exist yet. All in all, the outlook for the precious metals market is not bullish, even though the last several days / weeks might make one feel otherwise. Before viewing the recent move higher as something significant and/or bullish, please consider how tiny this upswing is compared to the decline in gold stocks between May and October. No market moves in a straight line, and periodic corrections are inevitable. It doesn’t make them a start of a new powerful upswing in each case, though. And if the part of the precious metals market that is supposed to rally the most at the start of a major upswing is so weak right now, then why should one expect the current upswing to be anything more than a corrective upswing within a bigger downtrend? Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Seeks Consolidation

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Seeks Consolidation

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 15.11.2021 08:53
    USDJPY hits temporary resistance The Japanese yen pulled back after a larger-than-expected GDP contraction in Q3. The US dollar is looking to hold onto its gains after a rally above 114.00. Sentiment has recovered and a surge above 114.45 around the October peak would resume the uptrend. However, the current rebound may lack the strength to clear the supply zone right away. An overbought RSI has held the bullish fever back. A breach below 113.70 would lead to a deeper correction towards 112.80, which is a key level to keep the rebound relevant. EURCHF struggles for support The euro bounced higher after the bloc’s industrial production beat expectations in September. The RSI’s oversold situation on the daily chart has attracted bargain hunters’ attention around 1.0530, a demand area from May 2020. Price action had three failed attempts to lift offers at 1.0600, a sign of strong selling pressure to keep the downtrend going. A bullish breakout may trigger a runaway rally as sellers seek to exit a crowded short bet. A bearish one would send the single currency to 1.0490. UK 100 tests support The FTSE 100 edged lower after active job postings in the UK hit a record high. The index came under pressure at the psychological level of 7400. A combination of an overbought RSI and its bearish divergence suggests that the rally was losing momentum. Sentiment remains upbeat and a pullback could be an opportunity to get filled at a better price. Trend followers may be waiting to buy the dip near the first support at 7315. A deeper correction would send the price to 7255 along the 30-day moving average.
    Silver, the waiting game

    Silver, the waiting game

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 13.11.2021 19:25
    Luckily, it is not necessary to time market entry and exit precisely. What is essential is calculating risk itself and that risk to expected returns. In addition, strict management of the trade itself is required. Gold versus Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart, risk versus reward: Gold versus Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 12th, 2021. That being said, instead of getting distracted by a narrative of policymakers who might prolong the inevitable even for years possibly, we focus on the technical aspects that cannot be “rationalized” away and will be unaffected by market influencers. One such fact is the market relationship between silver’s more giant brother gold. The chart above tries to illustrate that gold is trading 10% below its all-time high. On the other hand, silver is trading 50% below its all-time high. This discrepancy makes silver the more desirable play (better risk/reward-ratio). The difference will work like a loaded spring, and once released, silver will outperform gold by a multiple. Gold in US-Dollar, monthly chart, gold leading strongly: Gold in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 13th, 2021. Now that we have found the right vehicle for a wealth preservation insurance play, we are looking for additional factors. Physical acquisition is a clear prosperous choice. It protects against inflation and the risk possibilities inherent to fiat currency, with much historical evidence. That leaves us the question of entry timing. Especially since the physical purchase has a broader spread and a reactionary lag over spot price trading, which is pretty much instant. The chart above clarifies why we see there to be leeway regarding being “right.” It is less critical to pinpoint the absolute lows versus overall participation. Especially since a lack of physical silver availability, which is a possibility, would erase the whole play. The monthly gold chart above is a strong indication that precious metals might be breaking to the upside. With this month’s strength, price pushing against the upper resistance line (white line) of a bullish triangle, silver prices mutually trailing higher is likely. Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart, closely following gold: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 13th, 2021. With these necessary positive edges in play, we can now look at silver itself and look for possible low-risk entry points.The monthly chart shows mutual strength over the previous gold chart. Silver has pushed successfully through the problematic distribution zone around the US$24 price level. It still faces POC (point of control), the highest volume node of our fractal analysis, looming above US$26.03. With this many edges in our favor, we find this an excellent spot to add to physical silver holdings from a long-term holding perspective. Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart, spot price play: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 13th, 2021. For a spot price play in the midterm time horizon, we are instead waiting for a possible price bounce of POC. A low-risk entry would be granted once the price retraces back into the US$24 to US$24.50 zone. Reyna Silver encounters multiple high-grade sulphide zones within 54.9 metres of near-source style skarn at Guigui: Silver, the waiting game: In market movement, we see expansion and compression, much like an oscillator. At certain times though, may it be a natural or man-made disaster, we can find ourselves in a stretched or amplified move. These times of abnormality from a time perspective require being well-prepared. Swift, disciplined actions following a clear planned roadmap are advised. An anticipated roadmap strictly followed. It is first a waiting game followed by quick action, both psychologically challenging environments. With physical acquisitions of metals, perfectionism in timing is paralysis. Not necessary to come out ahead. We find silver accumulation at this time to be a prudent measure to protect your wealth. Like buying insurance against an anticipated market turn. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.
    XAUUSD (Gold) And XAGUSD (Silver) - A Technical Look

    Gold 'n Silver 'n CPI Oh My!

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 15.11.2021 09:26
    The Gold Update by Mark Mead Baillie --- 626th Edition --- Monte-Carlo --- 13 November 2021 (published each Saturday) --- www.deMeadville.com  Let's start with October's Consumer Price Index (CPI) as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: its excitedly-disseminated reading was +0.9% (which annualized is a whopping +10.8%). "Oh, 'tis the worst in 30 years!", they say. "Oh, 'tis the worst in 40 years!", some say. We say: "C'est très exagéré." Why? Because Labor has established this level -- or higher -- three times prior during the 24 years of our maintaining the Economic Barometer: for September 2005 'twas +1.2%; for June 2008 'twas +1.1%; and recently for this past June 'twas (as is now) a like +0.9%. Here's that history: Such exaggerative reporting of this October's +0.9% CPI growth arguably does have merit, for 'tis a very concerning rate of inflation. However as Grandpa Hugh would encourage today's news desks : "Get it first, but FIRST, get it RIGHT!" as opposed to the current-day media mantra of "Fake it FIRST, but fake it as FACT!" 'Course there are other sources that find far greater inflation; however in sticking with Labor's "official" measure, glaringly missing from the subsequent reportage is that -- following those three prior inflationary pops -- came cooling over at least the few ensuing months. 'Tis per the rightmost column of "next" three-month CPI average growth in the below table: Again, ours is not to belittle the seriousness of October's +0.9% CPI rise; rather 'tis to simply show it in the context of historical fact. Please notify a media outlet near you. Seriousness, indeed. For of further practical import (on the assumption that neither do you eat, nor use petroleum-based products), October's Core-CPI growth of +0.6% has already been realized four times just in the prior 15 months. Critical concern there, and justifiably so given the price of Oil has risen from 39.82 at mid-year 2020 to 83.22 at October 2021's settle (+109%). For from the "That's Scary Dept." the cumulative rise in the full CPI across that same 16-month-to-date stint is only +7.3% ... solely by that metric, folks have been gettin' off easy despite higher petrol prices! Fortunately, Gold and Silver may be FINALLY gettin' off their respective butts via their inflation mitigative role. Which obviously points to their having so much farther up to go. Per our opening Gold Scoreboard, price settled out the week yesterday (Friday) at 1868, its second-best single-week performance thus far this year on both a points (+47.7) and percentage (+2.6%) basis. Thus comparatively, 'tis a fine leap forward for Gold. However as you ad nausea already know, even in accounting for its supply increase, Gold by StateSide M2 currency debasement "ought" today be 3986. As well is the ever-annoying fact of Gold first hitting the present 1868 level a decade ago on 19 August 2011 when the money supply was just 44% of what 'tis today, ($9.457 trillion vs. $21.343 trillion). "Got Gold?" And as for Sweet Sister Silver, 'twas her third best weekly performance year-to-date, albeit settling yesterday at 25.41 is a price first achieved 11 years ago on 04 November 2010. "Got Silver?" (Oh and from the "Gold Plays No Currency Favourites Dept." the Dollar recorded its fifth best up week of the year. "Got Bucks?" We'd rather Swiss Francs). Moreover, from our always revered "The Trend is Your Friend Dept." as we saw a week ago, Gold's weekly parabolic trend -- after an intolerably lengthy stint as Short with little net price decline -- did flip to Long. And as is the rule rather than the exception, price this past week continued higher. Which begs your question: "How much does price rise when this happens, mmb?" Bang on cue there, Squire. And the answer is: across the 43 prior Long weekly parabolic trends since 2001, the median increase in the price of Gold is +8.3%. Thus by that number, from Gold's trend flip price back at 1820, an +8.3% increase this time 'round would bring us to 1971. Modest perhaps by valuation expectations, but a start. Too, some of you may recall this sentence from our 02 October missive wherein we nixed our year's forecast high of 2401: "...The more likely scenario shall well be Gold just sloshing around into year-end, trading during Q4 between 1668-1849..." Fab to already be wrong there! For here are the weekly bars and parabolic trends from this time a year ago-to-date: Now in the midst of all this inflation trepidation came Dow Jones Newswires this past week with "The Economic Rebound From Covid-19 Was Easy. Now Comes the Hard Part." Makes sense given everything having been shutdown last year. But: how bona fide actually is "Rebound"? Let's look at corporate earnings, (now yer not gonna get this anywhere else, so pay attention): with but a week to run in Q3 Earnings Season, most of the S&P 500 constituents that report within this calendar timeframe have so done, and with fairly admirable results: 80% bettered their bottom lines, (or as we said a week ago "better have bettered" given the economic shutdown of last year). Yet here's the dirty little secret: many mid-tier and smaller companies have also reported, by our count 1,368 of 'em. And of that bunch, we found just 56% of them did better. That is a Big Red Flag given mid-to-small businesses drive the American economy. We doubt your money manager knows that number. In addition to the past week's inflation reports, lost in the shuffle were the Econ Baro metrics showing September's Wholesale Inventories as backing up, whilst November's University of Michigan Sentiment Survey fell to a 10-year low, the 66.8 level not seen since November 2011. 'Course the S&P loving bad news, its Index roared upward to finish the week at 4683, a mere 36 points below its all-time high. Together with the Baro, here's the year-over year picture: Now to some impressive precious metals' technicals via our two-panel graphic of Gold's daily bars from three months ago-to-date on the left and those for Silver on the right. "Impressive" as when the falling baby blue dots of trend consistency reverse course back up without having dropped to mid-chart, the buyers are clearly in charge: As for the 10-day Market Profiles for Gold (below left) and Silver (below right), life is good at the top: Good as well is Gold's buoyant positioning within its stack: The Gold StackGold's Value per Dollar Debasement, (from our opening "Scoreboard"): 3986Gold’s All-Time Intra-Day High: 2089 (07 August 2020)Gold’s All-Time Closing High: 2075 (06 August 2020)2021's High: 1963 (06 January)The Gateway to 2000: 1900+10-Session directional range: up to 1871 (from 1759) = +112 points or +6.4%Trading Resistance: none per the ProfileGold Currently: 1868, (expected daily trading range ["EDTR"]: 25 points)Trading Support: Profile notables are 1864 / 1827 / 1793The 300-Day Moving Average: 1822 and falling10-Session “volume-weighted” average price magnet: 1816The Final Frontier: 1800-1900The Northern Front: 1800-1750On Maneuvers: 1750-1579The Weekly Parabolic Price to flip Short: 16862021's Low: 1673 (08 March) The Floor: 1579-1466Le Sous-sol: Sub-1466The Support Shelf: 1454-1434Base Camp: 1377The 1360s Double-Top: 1369 in Apr '18 preceded by 1362 in Sep '17Neverland: The Whiny 1290sThe Box: 1280-1240 Next week brings 14 metrics into the Econ Baro; consensus expectations look for it to turn higher. To be sure, turning higher have been Gold and Silver as inflation their prices stir; and yet their levels now 10 years on are the same as they were; thus their doubling from here can well be a blur! Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com www.TheGoldUpdate.com
    EURUSD shorts at first resistance at 1.1610/20 are working today

    EURUSD shorts at first resistance at 1.1610/20 are working today

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 03.11.2021 14:18
    EURUSD shorts at first resistance at 1.1610/20 are working today USDCAD remains in a sideways range, good for scalping opportunities only as we hold first resistance again at 1.2420/40. Shorts stop above 1.2450. GBPCAD did not break lower but is holding around the low. Today's Analysis. EURUSD first resistance again at 1.1610/20. Shorts need stops above 1.1630. A break higher can target strong resistance at 1.1695/1.1705. Exit longs & try shorts with stops above 1.1720. A break higher is a buy signal targeting 1.1765/70 & 1.1800/10. Shorts at 1.1610/20 target 1.1580/75 (hit) perhaps as far as first support at the October low at 1.1530/20 today for profit taking. A break below 1.1510 is a sell signal initially targeting 1.1490 & although this could hold initially (a low for the day certainly possible but longs are risky) we eventually expected to target 1.1430/20. USDCAD first resistance again at 1.2420/40. Shorts stop above 1.2450. Be ready to buy a break above 1.2450 targeting 1.2510/30. Shorts at 1.2420/40 target 1.2370/65 (likely to pause here) then support at 1.2300/1.2280. Longs here need stops below 1.2270. A break lower is a sell signal. GBPCAD hits targets of 1.6950/40 & 1.6910/1.6890 for profit taking on shorts as finally we head for the target of 1.6870/60, perhaps as far as support at 1.6800/1.6780. First resistance at 1.680/90. Shorts need stops above 1.7010. We can try shorts again at 1.7050/70 but must stop above 1.7090. To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    MSFT, Johnson&Johnson and More Companies With Reports to be Released shortly

    Weekly S&P500 ChartStorm - 14 November 2021

    Marc Chandler Marc Chandler 15.11.2021 11:20
    The S&P500 ChartStorm is a selection of 10 charts which I hand pick from around the web and post on Twitter. The purpose of this post is to add extra color and commentary around the charts. The charts focus on the S&P500 (US equities); and the various forces and factors that influence the outlook - with the aim of bringing insight and perspective. Hope you enjoy! p.s. if you haven’t already, subscribe (free) to receive the ChartStorm direct to your inbox, so you don’t miss out on any charts (you never know which one could change the whole perspective!) Subscribe Now 1. Vacciversary: Can you believe, an entire year has passed since the Pfizer vaccine announcement. Markets had a strong immediate reaction, and since then have chalked up some 34% in gains. Of course a bunch of other factors are also at play, and we also had delta along the way, but you have to think at some level if there were no vaccine that the ride in markets might have been a little rougher. Source: @LarryAdamRJ 2. Investor Movement Index: The IMX moved down slightly in October - this continues the pattern of movement downwards from the peak in optimism of a few months ago. This is typically not a healthy sign for sentiment indicators i.e. reaching an extreme and then leveling off. Source: TD Ameritrade 3. Investment Manager Index: On the other hand, the Markit IMI rebounded further in November with risk appetite surging to multi-month highs and expected returns reaching a new (albeit short history - newish survey) high. Source: @IHSMarkitPMI 4. Euphoriameter: Even my own Euphoriameter composite sentiment indicator has ticked higher so far in November as valuations and bullish surveyed sentiment remain high and volatility lulls back towards complacency. Source: @topdowncharts 5. Investor Sentiment vs Consumer Sentiment: But not all sentiment indicators are at the highs: consumer sentiment has been decidedly less optimistic. I mentioned in a recent video that the UoM consumer sentiment indicator was perhaps overstating the extent of the decline, but the other 2 consumer confidence indicators I track for the USA have also started to drop off recently. This has left quite the divergence between consumer sentiment and investor sentiment. A large part of this is probably down to the inflationary shock that is currently facing the global economy due to pandemic disruption to the global supply chain *and* unprecedented monetary + fiscal stimulus (remember: supply shortages/backlogs and the associated inflation surge don’t exist if there is no demand —> demand has been boosted by stimulus —> and stimulus helps stocks ——> gap explained). Source: @takis2910 6. Real Earnings Yield: Another effect of the surge in inflation has been a plunge in the real earnings yield: again this can be squared up by noting that stimulus has been a key driver of the inflation shock and a key driver of the surge in asset prices —> surging asset prices (stock prices) leads to a lower nominal earnings yield (again: gap explained). So is this a problem? Perhaps, but one way or the other it will probably be transitory (if you can read between the lines a little there!!). Source: @LizAnnSonders 7. Valuations: Valuations rising = risks rising... but then again it's a bull market, so POLR is higher (for now). n.b. “POLR” = path of least resistance: basic notion that in markets and life when a force is set in motion an object will not change its motion/trajectory unless another force acts on it... That means a bull market will carry on until something changes e.g. a crisis, monetary policy tightening, recession, regulations/politics, (or a combination of all of those!). Source: @mark_ungewitter 8. Household Financial Asset Allocations: We all know by now that equity allocations by households is at/near record highs. But one surprise: cash holdings have jumped and are apparently on par with debt (bonds etc) ...even as cash rates suck (and are even suckier when you consider the real interest rate). Probably an element of booking gains, stimulus payments, and precautionary savings. Recall though: the job of cash is preservation of capital (and optionality) vs generating returns, as such. Source: @MikeZaccardi 9. S&P500 Constituents Return Distribution: I thought this was interesting - especially the tails of the distribution - a lot of heavy lifting being done at the tails. But also that ”s” — tails (i.e. big dispersion between left and right tails). Source: @spglobal via @bernardiniv68 10. The Five Biggest Stocks: The bigness of the biggest stocks in the index is biggening more bigly. Serious though: the market is increasingly lop-sided, this means diversification may be diminishing as systematic risk will be increasingly driven by specific risk. Source: @biancoresearch Thanks for following, I appreciate your interest! !! BONUS CHART: Leveraged ETF trading indicator >> Click through to the ChartStorm Substack to see the bonus chart section https://chartstorm.substack.com/p/weekly-s-and-p500-chartstorm-14-november Follow us on: Substack https://topdowncharts.substack.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/topdown-charts Twitter http://www.twitter.com/topdowncharts
    The Long and Short of Commodities

    The Long and Short of Commodities

    Topdown Charts Topdown Charts 03.11.2021 09:45
    Commodities are up sharply this year, but several short-term indicators flash caution The medium-longer term bull case remains compelling The chart of commodities ex-gold versus gold offers clues to near-term price action Commodities are on pace for their best annual performance of the century. 2021 has not been a straight line higher, however. There was a period of consolidation during late Q2 through much of Q3. August through mid-October featured another explosive move higher, bringing the GSCI Light Energy index to its highest level in more than seven years. While we are long-term positive on the commodities space, there are mixed signals in the near-term. Breadth has deteriorated while the chart of commodities ex-gold versus gold has gotten extended after dropping to extremely cheap readings last year. It might be time for a pause. Featured Chart: Commodities Ex-Gold vs. Gold Comes Full Circle Sentiment & Positioning Have Soured Another feature that takes away from a positive near-term stance is a drop in bullish sentiment and traders’ positioning. The GSCI Light Energy Index’s consensus bulls reading was nearly two standard deviations above the long-term average at its Q2 peak. Today, the market is less frothy with consensus bulls sporting a Z-score under one. So, while prices have gone up, there is a negative sentiment divergence. Futures positioning shows a similar decoupling. There are fewer speculative net longs in commodities today versus the middle of the year. Excitement has dropped. Perhaps traders are losing interest in commodities as the supply disruption narrative (short-term spike) overshadows the supercycle narrative (longer term bull market). Long-term Upside Remains Likely So, while the near-term picture has turned less encouraging, we are still bullish long-term. Technically, the big breakout that took place a year ago remains alive. A similar breakout occurred in the early 2000s which led to a massive bull run, eventually taking the GSCI Light Energy Index from under 200 to 650. For perspective, the index finished October at 520 as it ventures back into the range from 2010 to mid-2014. Valuations remain compelling, too. Our Commodities Composite Valuation Indicator dropped nearly two standard deviations below its long-term average last year and has now recovered back to neutral. That suggests no barrier to higher prices based on a valuation argument despite the 46% year-on-year rally. The Supercycle May Be Just Beginning We assert the supercycle thesis is intact. The 10-year moving average of year-on-year returns (using the Refinitiv Equal-Weight Commodities Index) dipped negative in 2020—a dismal feat rarely seen in the EW commodities index’s 120-year history. While the 10-year moving average has crept higher in 2021, projections based on our Capital Market Assumptions dataset suggest further upside in the coming decade. Fundamental Factors Finally, a significant macro theme we’ve detailed this year is the dearth in commodities capex which endured a double-dip recession in 2020. While there are one-off supply disruptions in play, the bigger picture theme of extended underinvestment in commodity supply persists. A capex boom—driven by energy firms themselves, the green & EV movements, and increased public infrastructure investment—is likely, which is a source of demand for commodities. Bottom line: We took a bullish stance on commodities in March 2020 with a timeframe of 3-5 years. Our latest Weekly Macro Themes report reiterates the stance but reduces the conviction level based on some near-term mixed signals. The long-run bullish drivers are still there: underinvestment in supply, a robust capex outlook, and continued improvement in global demand for commodities. Follow us on: Substack https://topdowncharts.substack.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/topdown-charts Twitter http://www.twitter.com/topdowncharts
    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Approaches Supply Zone

    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Approaches Supply Zone

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 16.11.2021 09:28
    XAUUSD tests trendlineGold continues on its way up as investors seek to hedge against inflationary pressures. The rally picked up steam after a break above the triple top at 1833. Price action is grinding up along a rising trendline.The bulls are pushing towards 1884, a major resistance where last June’s sell-off started. Strong selling pressure is possible in that supply zone as short-term buyers may take profit and reassess the directional bias.1855 on the trendline is the first support. A bearish breakout may trigger a correction to 1823.AUDUSD breaks above bearish channelThe Australian dollar softened after the RBA minutes reiterated that there will be no rate hike until 2024.The pair has found buying interest at the base of October’s bullish breakout (0.7280). A break above the falling channel indicates that sentiment could be turning around.0.7390 is a key resistance and its breach could prompt sellers to bail out. In turn, this would raise volatility in the process. Traders may then switch sides in anticipation of a reversal. An overbought RSI has so far limited the upside impetus.GER 40 rally gains tractionThe Dax 40 climbed after upbeat retail sales and industrial production in China lifted market sentiment.The index is seeking to consolidate its recent gains after it cleared the previous peak at 15990 which has now turned into support. Sentiment remains optimistic and 16300 would be the next step.An overbought RSI on the daily chart may temporarily put the brakes on the bullish fever. But a pullback may once again attract a ‘buying-the-dips’ crowd above 15990. A deeper correction may send the price towards 15770.
    Stocks to Open Higher but Another Profit-taking Action is Likely

    Stocks to Open Higher but Another Profit-taking Action is Likely

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 15.11.2021 15:51
      Stocks retraced some of their recent declines on Friday and the S&P 500 index is expected to open higher this morning. So is the downward correction over? The S&P 500 index gained 0.72% on Friday, Nov. 12, as investor sentiment turned bullish and the market bounced from the support level of around 4,650. On Wednesday it fell to the local low of 4,630.86 and it was almost 88 points or 1.86% below the previous week’s Friday’s record high of 4,718.50. The recent rally was not broad-based and it was driven by a handful of tech stocks like MSFT, NVDA, TSLA. The market seemed overbought in the short-term and traded within a topping pattern. But today the index may get back to the 4,700 level. The nearest important support level remains at 4,630-4,650 and the next support level is at 4,600. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,700-4,720. The S&P 500 broke below its steep short-term upward trend line recently, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq Bounced From the 16,000 Level Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. In the previous week the technology index broke above the 16,000 level and it was trading at the new record high. The market accelerated higher above its short-term upward trend line. But since then it has been retracing the rally. On Friday the index retraced some of the recent declines, however it remained below its short-term local lows, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple Is Still Close to $150, Microsoft Remains Relatively Strong Let’s take a look at the two biggest stocks in the S&P 500 index, AAPL and MSFT. Apple continues to fluctuate along the $150 price level. It is still well below the early September record high. Microsoft stock was reaching new record highs recently but last week it broke below its upward trend line. So those two big cap tech stocks remain mixed, as we can see on their daily charts: Conclusion The S&P 500 index retraced some of its recent declines on Friday and today it is expected to open 0.4% higher. So it looks like a downward correction is over and the market may reach new highs or at least extend a short-term consolidation along the 4,700 level. Investors will wait for tomorrow’s Retail Sales number release and some Fed-talk later in the week. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 is expected to extend its Friday’s advance this morning and it may get to the 4,700 level. Still no positions are justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Biden Signs a Bill to Revive Infrastructure… and Gold!

    Biden Signs a Bill to Revive Infrastructure… and Gold!

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 16.11.2021 14:13
    Gold rallied thanks to the changed narrative on inflation, and Biden’s infrastructure plan can only add to the inflationary pressure. Huge price moves ahead? I have a short quiz for you! What the government should do to decrease inflation that reached the highest level in 30 years? A) Decrease its expenditure to make room for the Fed to hike the federal funds rate. B) Press the US central bank to tighten its monetary policy. C) Deregulate the markets and lower taxes to boost the supply side of the economy. D) Introduce a huge infrastructure plan that will multiply spending on energy, raw materials, and inputs in general. Please guess which option the US government chose. Yes, the worst possible. Exam failed! At the beginning of November, Congress passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill. And President Biden signed it on Monday (November 15, 2021). To be clear, I’m not claiming that America doesn’t need any investment in infrastructure. Perhaps it needs it, and perhaps it’s a better idea than social spending on unemployment benefits that discourage work. I don’t want to argue about the adequacy of large government infrastructure projects, although government spending generally fails to stimulate genuine economic growth and governments rarely outperform the private sector in effectiveness. My point is that $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending is coming at the worst possible moment. The US economy is facing supply shortages and high inflation caused by surging demand, which choked the ports and factories. In short, too much money is chasing too few goods, and policymakers decided to add additional money into the already blocked supply chains! I have no words of admiration for the intellectual abilities of the members of Congress and the White House! Indeed, the spending plan does not have to be inflationary if financed purely by taxes and borrowing. However, the Fed will likely monetize at least part of the newly issued federal debt, and you know, to build or repair infrastructure, workers are needed, and steel, and concrete, and energy. The infrastructure spending, thus, will add pressure to the ongoing energy crisis and high producer price inflation, not to mention the shortage of workers. Implications for Gold What does the passing of the infrastructure bill imply for the gold market? Well, it should be supportive of the yellow metal. First, it will increase the fiscal deficits by additional billions of dollars (the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will enlarge the deficits by $256 billion). Second, government spending will add to the inflationary pressure, which gold should also welcome. After all, gold recalled last week that it is a hedge against high and accelerating inflation. As the chart below shows, gold not only jumped above the key level of $1,800, but it even managed to cross $1,850 on renewed inflation worries. The infrastructure bill was probably discounted by the traders, so its impact on the precious metals market should be limited. However, generally, all news that could intensify inflationary fears should be supportive of the yellow metal. You see, the narrative has changed. So far, the thinking was that higher inflation implies faster tapering and interest rates hikes and, thus, lower gold prices. This is why gold was waiting on the sidelines for the past several months despite high inflation. Investors also believed that inflation would be transitory. However, the recent CPI report forced the markets to embrace the fact that inflation could be more persistent. What’s more, tapering of quantitative easing started, which erased some downward pressure on gold. Moreover, despite the slowdown in the pace of asset purchases, the Fed will maintain its accommodative stance and stay behind the curve. So, at the moment, the reasoning is that high inflation implies elevated fears, which is good for gold. I have always believed that gold’s more bullish reaction to accelerating inflation was a matter of time. It’s possible that this time has just come. Having said that, investors should remember that market narratives can change quickly. At some point, the Fed will probably step in and send some hawkish signals, which could calm investors and pull some of them out of the gold market. My second concern is that gold could have reacted not to accelerating inflation, but rather to the plunge in the real interest rates. As the chart below shows, the yields on 10-year TIPS have dropped to -1.17, a level very close to the August bottom. When something reaches the bottom, it should rebound later. And if real interest rates start to rally, then gold could struggle again. However, I’ll stop complaining now and allow the bulls to celebrate the long-awaited breakout. It’s an interesting development compared to the last months, that’s for sure! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    The Elephant in the Room

    The Elephant in the Room

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 16.11.2021 15:42
    S&P 500 is starting to run into a setback even if VIX doesn‘t reveal that fully. Credit markets going from weakness to weakness spells more short-term woes for stocks – a shallow downswing that feels (and is) a trading range before the surge to new ATHs continues, is likely to materialize in the second half of Nov. We may be in its opening stages – as written yesterday: (…) Can stocks still continue rallying? They look to be setting up for one more downleg of the immediately predecing magnitude, which means not a huge setback. The medium-term path of least resistance remains up – the Fed is still printing a huge amount of money on a monthly basis, and it remains questionable how far in tapering plans execution they would actually get – I see the risks to the real economy coupled with persistently high inflation as rising since the 2Q 2022 (if not since Mar already, but most pronounced in 2H 2022). Stocks are still set for a good Dec and beyond performance. The elephant in the room is (the absence of) fresh debt issuance lifting up the dollar, making it like rising yields more. Not only that these are failing to push value higher, but the tech resilience highlights the defensive nature of S&P 500 performance. Crucially though, precious metals are seeing through the (misleading dollar strength) fog, and are sharply rising regardless. Make no mistake, with the taper reaction, we have seen what I had been expecting (or even better given that I prefer reasonably conservative stance without drumming up expectations either way) – I had been telling you that the hardest times for the metals are before taper. And the magnitude and pace of their upswing casts a verdict on the Fed‘s (likely in)ability to follow through with the taper execution, let alone initiate the rate raising cycle without being laughed off the stage as markets force these regardless of the central planners. The galloping inflation expectations are sending a very clear message: (…) if you look at the great white metal‘s performance, it‘s the result of inflation coming back to the fore as the Fed itself is now admitting to high inflation rates through the mid-2022, putting blame on supply chain bottlenecks. Oh, sure. The real trouble is that inflation expectations are starting to get anchored – people are expecting these rates to be not going away any time soon. Precious metals are going to do great… Copper is awakening too, and commodities including oil would be doing marvels. TLT downswings would be less and less conducive to growth, so if you‘re still heavily in tech, I would start eyeing more value. Let me add the Russell 2000 and emerging markets to the well performing medium-term mix. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls didn‘t make it too far before running into another (mild, again I say) setback – so far, a sideways one. Credit Markets Credit markets renewed their march lower, and unless they turn, the S&P 500 upswings would remain on shaky ground (if and when they materialize). Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver remain on a tear, and even for the breather to unfold, it takes quite an effort. The bears clearly can‘t hope for a trend change. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls keep defending the $80 level, with $78 serving as the next stop if need be – these consecutive lower knots keep favoring the bulls, just when the right catalyst arrives. Whether that takes one or two days or more, is irrelevant – it will happen. Copper Copper ran into an unexpected setback, which however doesn‘t change the outlook thanks to its relatively low volume. I‘m still looking for much higher red metal‘s prices. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are seeing an emerging crack in the dam that doesn‘t tie too well to developments elsewhere. The bulls should step in, otherwise this yellow flag risks turning into a red one. Summary S&P 500 bulls are now holding only the medium-term upper hand as the rally is entering a consolidation phase. Anyway, this trading range would be followed by fresh ATHs, which would power stocks even higher in early 2022. Precious metals have quite some catching up to do, and the long post Aug 2020 consolidation is over. Copper, base metals, oil and agrifoods are likely to keep doing great as inflation expectations show that inflation truly hasn‘t been tamed in the least. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Bitcoin, a battle for freedom

    Bitcoin, a battle for freedom

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 17.11.2021 08:01
    We find ourselves ensued in various battles. Environmentally, economically, and from a human perspective. As much as it is questionable if coal and oil, centralized money, and wars (attacks on ourselves) hold a prosperous future, change is typically avoided. There have been moments in history where rapid change happened. Most often introduced by a charismatic human being with a compelling principle at a defining moment when a change was needed. S&P 500 Index versus BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, bitcoin an answer to crisis? S&P 500 Index versus Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 16th, 2021. The bitcoin idea was born as a response to the crash of 2008. In its principles, diametrical to fiat currencies. Bitcoin is decentralized, limited, deflationary and digital. There is no historical event where increased money printing has resolved economic turmoil. And yet, we have not come up with a better solution, or at least we have not implemented it yet. The chart above shows how shortly after the crash of 2008, the first transaction ever sent on the bitcoin blockchain was completed in January 2009.Coincidence? It took some time until the cryptocurrency’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto found traction with his idea reflected in bitcoin’s price rise. Still, it has not just caught up but outperformed the market by a stunning margin. BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, don’t underestimate powerful ideas: Bitcoin versus gold and silver in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 16th, 2021. Covid provided like a steroid a means to illustrate many shortcomings in a magnified way. The chart above shows that bitcoin speculation was an answer to where many find a more prosperous future compared to precious metals. In addition to fundamentals and technical, the underlying idea and hope for a transitory future got traction when people were most afraid.   BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, sitting through turmoil with ease: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 16th, 2021. Dissecting markets like this in all their shades and facets is necessary for discovering underlying currents, motivation, and sustainability of trends. In bitcoins case, the found strength of application, beliefs, and principles inherent in bitcoin itself and its traders allows for sitting more easily through its volatility swings. Once the mind grasps reason, it tolerates easier, otherwise hardships to trade a volatile vehicle like bitcoin. With a battle ensured on this magnitude and for an expected long duration, one can accept deep retracements in a more tranquil fashion. The monthly chart above shows that bitcoin might face one of those quick dips that hodlers accept, knowing that the battle isn’t over yet. Bitcoin, a battle for freedom: Mills are grinding slowly. Change typically takes time, and those holding the reign over financial power will certainly not surrender such summoned energies lightly. While this world certainly needs a more adaptive behavior of humanity both for its wellbeing and the planet itself, it is unlikely that a shift, if at all, will be swift. This means that bitcoin is a continued struggle to establish itself. And this will result in continued high volatility for the years to come. As such, it will remain an excellent opportunity for the individual investor. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Pushes Higher

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Pushes Higher

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 17.11.2021 09:08
    EURUSD lacks support The US dollar inched higher after October’s retail sales beat expectations. There has been a lack of interest in the single currency following its fall below the daily support at 1.1530. The divergence between the 20 and 30-hour moving averages indicates an acceleration in the sell-off. The bears are targeting the demand zone around 1.1200 from last July. The RSI’s oversold situation may prompt momentum traders to cover. Though a rebound is likely to be capped by 1.1370 and sellers would be eager to sell into strength. GBPJPY attempts to rebound The sterling recouped losses after Britain’s unemployment rate dropped to 4.3%. On the daily chart, the pair saw support near the 61.8% (152.60) Fibonacci retracement of the October rally. A bullish RSI divergence was a sign that the bearish pressure was fading. A break above 153.60 could be an attempt to turn the mood around. The initial surge may need more support after the RSI shot into the overbought area. Should the pound stay above 152.35-152.60, a rebound would lift it towards 155.20. NAS 100 tests peak The Nasdaq 100 bounces back supported by robust tech earnings. The index showed exhaustion after a four-week-long bull run. A combination of an overbought RSI and its bearish divergence made traders cautious in buying into high valuations. A break below the psychological level of 16000 has triggered a wave of profit-taking. A deeper retreat below 16020 would send the index to the previous peak at 15700 which coincides with the 30-day moving average. On the upside, A rally above 16400 would resume the uptrend.
    Gold Spot shorts at strong resistance at 1868/72 worked again as we held below 1877.

    Gold Spot shorts at strong resistance at 1868/72 worked again as we held below 1877.

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 17.11.2021 10:14
    Gold Spot shorts at strong resistance at 1868/72 worked again as we held below 1877. Yesterday's bearish engulfing candle is a sell signal. Silver shorts at resistance at the 200 day moving average at 2535/40 also worked perfectly offering up to 55 pips profit so far. Yesterday's bearish engulfing candle is a sell signal. WTI Crude December longs at first support at 7990/60 work on the bounce to first resistance at 8150/80 for some profit taking. A high for the day exactly here which worked for anyone trying shorts. Update daily at 06:30 GMT Today's Analysis. Gold holding strong resistance at 1868/72 re-targets 1857/55 before a retest of first support at 1842/39, which could be seen this morning. Try longs with stops below 1836. A break lower is a sell signal targeting 1832/30 & 1824/22 then a buying opportunity at 1819/16. Try longs with stops below 1812. Strong resistance at 1868/72. Shorts need stops above 1877. A break above here would be a buy signal for this week targeting 1885, 1895, 1900/03 & probably as far as 1914/16. Silver shorts at resistance at the 200 day moving average at 2535 hit minor support again at 2485/80 for profit taking. Be ready to sell a break below 2475 today targeting strong support at 2450/40, which could see a low for the day. Longs need stops below 2430. Sell again at resistance at the 200 day moving average at 2535/40. A break above 2540 however is a buy signal this week targeting 2570/80 then 2600, perhaps as far as 2640/50. WTI Crude December shorts at first resistance at 8150/80 work on the retest of first support at 7990/60. Longs need stops below 7930 for a retest of last week's low at 7835/25. A break lower targets 7760/50, perhaps as far as 7650/30. Shorts at first resistance at 8150/80 need stops above 8210 today. A break higher should target 8280/90, perhaps as far as 8340/50. Above here this week look for strong resistance at 8480/8500. https://youtu.be/wLHeL94ic3Y To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    2 Tools Every Trader Needs: FBS Trader app & MetaTrader

    2 Tools Every Trader Needs: FBS Trader app & MetaTrader

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 18.11.2021 10:37
    MetaTrader & FBS Trader app are two essential tools that every trader should use. Don’t rely only on one, use the power of both as they suit different trader needs. In short, MetaTrader is for trading on a laptop/PC, while the FBS Trader app is perfect for mobile trading. Let’s look at how you can use them! MetaTrader When you want to use a personal computer or laptop for trading, you can choose MetaTrader 4 or 5. They are the two versions of one software program that traders use for opening orders and making an advanced technical analysis. MetaTrader offers different technical tools and allows using trading robots (expert advisors). Besides, you can use the FBS Forex broker app to manage your MetaTrader accounts and control finances. FBS Trader app If you want to trade with your mobile phone or just don’t have an opportunity to trade with a PC at the moment, the FBS Trader app is the best choice. Indeed, we can’t sit in front of our personal computers and monitor trades all day long. What to do? The solution is to have the FBS Trader app on your mobile phone and be able to open/close a trade in just one click wherever you are. It’s handy that all your active orders are gathered in a separate section. Besides, imagine that some economic news comes out that can impact your opened trades but you are not nearby your PC. It wouldn’t be a problem if you have the FBS Trader app on your phone. In addition, this app has a built-in economic calendar that allows traders to follow impactful news and analyze the charts without leaving the app. For example, the Bank of England left the rates unchanged during its meeting on November 4, while it was expected to raise them. As a result, the British pound weakened, and GBP/USD dropped. As you may notice in the chart below, you can add technical indicators in the FBS Trader app. In that case, Bollinger Bands could help a trader to confirm the bearish momentum as bands were moving in a narrow range and the price broke through the lower band. Finally, the FBS Trader app allows you to manage your funds freely without leaving the app. You can deposit and withdraw them easily in a few clicks. All in all, MetaTrader and the FBS Trader app are the perfect combination for trading. Enjoy using them!
    Investors Expect High Inflation. Golden Inquisition Ahead?

    Investors Expect High Inflation. Golden Inquisition Ahead?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 18.11.2021 15:33
      Inflation expectations reached a record high. Is gold preparing a counterattack to punish gold bears? In a , nobody expects the Spanish inquisition. In the current marketplace, everyone expects high inflation. As the chart below shows, the inflation expectations embedded in US Treasury yields have recently risen to the highest level since the series began in 2003. Houston, we have a problem, an unidentified object is flying to the moon! The 5-year breakeven inflation rate, which is the difference between the yields on ordinary Treasury bonds and inflation-protected Treasuries with the same maturity, soared to 2.76% on Monday. Meanwhile, the 10-year breakeven inflation rate surged to 3.17%. The numbers show the Treasury market’s measure of average CPI annual inflation rates over five and ten years, respectively. The chart is devastating for the Fed’s reputation if there’s anything left. You probably remember how the US central bank calmed investors, saying that we shouldn’t worry about inflation because inflation expectations are well-anchored. No, they don’t! Of course, the current inflation expectations oscillate around 3%, so they indicate that the bond market is anticipating a pullback in the inflation rate from its current level. Nevertheless, the average of 3% over ten or even just five years would be much above the Fed’s target of 2% and would be detrimental for savers in particular, and the US economy in general. I’ve already shown you market-based inflation expectations, which are relatively relaxed, but please take a look at the chart below, which displays the consumer expectations measured by the New York Fed’s surveys. As one can see, the median inflation expectations at the one-year horizon jumped 0.4 percentage point in October, to 5.7%. So much for the inflation expectations remaining under control!   Implications for Gold Surging inflation expectations are positive for the gold market. They should lower real interest rates and strengthen inflationary worries. This is because the destabilized inflation expectations may erode the confidence in the US dollar and boost inflation in the future. So, gold could gain as both an inflation hedge and a safe haven. And, importantly, the enlightened Fed is likely to remain well behind the curve in setting its monetary policy. This is even more probable if President Biden appoints Lael Brainard as the new Fed Chair. She is considered a dove, even more dovish than Powell, so if Brainard replaces him, investors should expect to see interest rates staying lower for longer. So, inflation expectations and actual inflation could go even higher. Hence, the dovish Fed combined with high inflation (and a slowdown in GDP growth) creates an excellent environment for gold to continue its rally. After all, the yellow metal has broken out after several months of consolidation (as the chart below shows), so the near future seems to be brighter. There are, of course, some threats for gold, as risks are always present. If the US dollar continues to strengthen and the real interests rebound, gold may struggle. But, after the recent change, the sentiment seems to remain positive. Anyway, I would like to return to the market-based inflation expectations and the famous Monty Python sketch. With an inflation rate of 3%, which is the number indicated by the bond market, the capital will halve in value in just 24 years! So, maybe it would be a too-far-reaching analogy, but Monty Python inquisitors wanted to use a rack to torture heretics by slowly increasing the strain on their limbs and causing excruciating physical pain (luckily, they were not the most effective inquisitors!). Meanwhile, inflation hits savers by slowly decreasing the purchasing power of money and causing significant financial pain. With the inflation rate at about 6%, hedging against inflation is a no-brainer. It’s a matter of financial self-defense! You don’t have to use gold for this purpose – but you definitely can. After several disappointing months, and the lack of gold’s reaction to inflation, something changed, and gold has managed to break out above $1,800. We will see how it goes on. I will feel more confident about the strength of the recent rally when gold rises above $1,900. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Like Clockwork

    Like Clockwork

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 18.11.2021 15:44
    S&P 500 took a little breather, and sideways trading with a bullish slant goes on unchecked. Credit markets have partially turned, and I‘m looking for some risk appetite returning to HYG and VTV. Any modest improvement in market breadth would thus underpin stocks, and not even my narrow overnight downswing target of yesterday may be triggered. The banking sector is internally strong and resilient, which makes the bulls the more favored party than if judged by looking at the index price action only. Consumer discretionaries outperformance of staples confirms that too. When it comes to gold and silver: (…) Faced with the dog and pony debt ceiling show, precious metals dips are being bought – and relatively swiftly. What I‘m still looking for to kick in to a greater degree than resilience to selling attempts, is the commodities upswing that would help base metals and energy higher. These bull runs are far from over – it ain‘t frothy at the moment as the comparison of several oil stocks reveals. Precious metals dip has been swiftly reversed, and it‘s just oil and copper that can cause short-term wrinkles. Both downswings look as seriously overdone, and more of a reaction to resilient dollar than anything else. In this light, gold and silver surge is presaging renewed commodities run, which is waiting for the greenback to roll over (first). And that looks tied to fresh debt issuance and debt ceiling resolution – Dec is almost knocking on the door while inflation expectations are about to remain very elevated. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls continue holding the upper hand, and yesterday‘s rising volume isn‘t a problem in the least. Dips remain to be bought, and it‘s all a question of entry point and holding period. Credit Markets Credit markets stabilization is approaching, and yields don‘t look to be holding S&P 500, Russell 2000 or emerging markets down for too long. Especially the EEM performance highlights upcoming dollar woes. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver decline was promptly reversed, and the lower volume isn‘t an immediate problem – it merely warns of a little more, mostly sideways consolidation before another push higher. PMs bull run is on! Crude Oil Crude oil bulls could very well be capitulating here – yesterday‘s downswing was exaggerated any way examined. Better days in oil are closer than generally appreciated. Copper The copper setback got likewise extended, and the underperformance of both CRB Index and other base metals is a warning sign. One that I‘m not taking as seriously – the red metal is likely to reverse higher, and start performing along the lines of other commodities. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum bears may be slowing down here, but I wouldn‘t be surprised if the selling wasn‘t yet over. We‘re pausing at the moment, and in no way topping out. Summary S&P 500 bulls keep banishing the shallow correction risks, leveling the very short-term playing field. The credit markets non-confirmation is probably in its latter stages, and stock market internals favor the slow grind higher to continue. Precious metals remain my top pick over the coming weeks, and these would be followed by commodities once the dollar truly stalls. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Monthly Macro Outlook: The transitory narrative continues to fall apart

    Monthly Macro Outlook: The transitory narrative continues to fall apart

    Christopher Dembik Christopher Dembik 19.11.2021 09:25
    Summary:  The economist consensus anticipates inflation will start falling from early next year. We disagree. We consider the market to be too complacent regarding upside risks to the inflation outlook. The great awakening of workers and the steady rent increase (for the United States) are two of the factors which are likely to maintain inflation uncomfortably high into 2022, in our view. October CPI figures released earlier this week confirm that inflationary pressures may last longer than initially expected. Inflation reached levels which have not been seen for decades in the United Kingdom (+4.2% YoY), in the eurozone (+4.1% YoY) and in Canada (+4.7% YoY). In Canada, the jump in inflation is the strongest recorded in 18 years. For now, investors are confident. They believe the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank’s narrative that inflation will start to fall from early next year. This is far from certain, in our view. From supply chain bottlenecks to energy prices, everything suggests that inflationary pressures are far from over. Expect energy prices to continue increasing as temperatures will drop in Europe from next week onwards. This will weigh on November CPI data which will be released next month. The peak in inflation has not been reached. We fear investors are too complacent regarding upside risks to the inflation outlook. Every economic theory says inflation will be above 2% next year : ·         The Phillips curve is alive and well : workers are demanding higher salaries, amongst other advantages and their expectations are rising. ·         Monetarism : the global economy is characterized by large deposits, desire to spend and to convert cash into real assets. ·         Commitment approach : the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central bank (ECB) have a dovish bias. This is confirmed by their new inflation strategy (symmetric 2% inflation target over the medium term for the ECB and inflation of 2% over the longer run for the Fed). ·         Fiscal approach : high public debt and fiscal dominance (central banks need to remain dominant market players in the bond market to avoid a sharp increase in interest rates). ·         Supply-side approach : supply bottlenecks due to the zero Covid policy in China and central banks’ trade off higher inflation for a speedier economic recovery (the ECB especially). ·         Green transition : this is basically a tax on consumers. What has changed ? The wage-price spiral has started. In countries where the labor market is tight, workers are asking for higher salaries. In the United States, the manufacturer John Deere increased salaries significantly : +10% this year and +5% in 2023 and in 2025. It also agreed to a 3% bonus on even years to all employees, for instance. But this is happening in countries where the unemployment rate is high too. In France, the unemployment rate is falling. But it remains comparatively elevated at 7.6% in the third quarter. Earlier this week, the French Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, called for higher salaries in the hospitality industry. A survey by the public investment bank BPI and the pro-business institute Rexecode show that 26% of small and medium companies are forced to propose higher salaries to find employees. Those which are reluctant choose to reduce business activity. The pandemic has fueled a great awakening of workers, in our view. They are demanding more : better job conditions, higher wages, more flexibility and purpose from work. This is more noticeable in countries facing labor shortage. But it is also visible in all the other developed economies to a variable extent.   U.S. steady rent increase is a game-changer. Until now, supply bottlenecks were the main driver behind the jump in prices. Now, housing costs (which represent about a third of living cost) and prices in the service sector are accelerating too. The rental market is tight, with low vacancy rates and a limited stock of available rentals. Expect rents to move upward in the coming months. According to official figures, owner’s equivalent rent, a measure of what homeowners believe their properties would rent for, rose 3.1% YoY in October. This certainly underestimates the real evolution of rents. Based on data reported by real estate agents at national level, the increase is between 7% and 15% YoY. All in all, this reinforces the view that inflationary pressures are proving more persistent than expected. The moment of truth : Expect investors not to question much the official narrative that inflation is transitory, for now. But if inflation does not decrease from 2022 onwards, investors will have to adjust their portfolio to an environment of more persistent inflation than initially anticipated. This may lead to market turmoil. In the interim, enjoy the Santa Claus rally which has started very early this year. The new inflation regime in the United States
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD In Pullback Mode

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD In Pullback Mode

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 19.11.2021 09:15
    USDCHF seeks support The US dollar stalled after weekly jobless claims came in higher than expected. The pair’s attempt above the daily resistance at 0.9310 suggests that the bulls may have gained the upper hand. Intraday buyers’ profit-taking led by the RSI’s overbought situation has caused a limited pullback. Buyers may see dips as an opportunity to get in at a discount. Bids could be around the resistance-turned-support at 0.9235. 0.9330 is a fresh resistance. And its breach may trigger an extended rally towards last April’s peak at 0.9450. NZDUSD bounces off demand area The New Zealand dollar inches higher as traders are positioning for an RBNZ rate hike next week. From the daily chart’s perspective, the pair has bounced off the demand zone near the psychological level of 0.7000. A bullish RSI divergence indicates a slowdown in the bearish momentum, a sign that sentiment could be turning around. An oversold RSI has attracted buying interest. A rally above 0.7060 would prompt sellers to cover, paving the way for a recovery towards 0.7175. A break below 0.6980 may drive the kiwi to 0.6900. US30 struggles to rally back The Dow Jones is under pressure as investors fear that inflation could choke off economic recovery. The index has been struggling to reclaim the landmark 36000, which coincides with the 20-day moving average. The faded rebound suggests exhaustion after a month-long breakneck rally. The RSI’s double-dip into the oversold area has attracted buying interest. Though buyers may stay cautious unless the first resistance at 36180 is lifted. On the downside, the previous peak at 35500 has turned into the next support.
    The Wild Card Is Back

    The Wild Card Is Back

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 19.11.2021 15:58
    S&P 500 rose, once again driven by tech and not value. That‘s still defensive, mirroring the weak credit markets posture. While waiting for bonds to turn – not that there wouldn‘t be an optimistic HYG open yesterday – the Austria lockdown news sent markets into a tailspin, the fear being good part of Europe would follow suit rather sooner than later. Oil has taken the crown of panicked selling, stocks held up better, and precious metals weren‘t changed much. Sure, any crippling of European economic activity would take a toll at the most sensitive commodities, but in light of energy policies across much of the Western world, it‘s my view that oil prices would be affected only in the short-term. This isn‘t a repeat of the Apr 2020 liquidation sending black gold negative. Rest of the world would be happy to step in, U.S. included, as we‘re entering winter with comparatively very low stockpiles from oil to copper – and don‘t get me started on silver. If you want green economy, these metals are essential, and oil is still in huge demand in the interim. Fed money printing hasn‘t vanished, debt ceiling awaits, and dollar is so far still solidly underpinned. Banking sector and emerging markets performance isn‘t panicky, but some time for stocks to come back at ATHs, is needed. Precious metals resilience is encouraging for commodities, which need the most time to recover (eyes on energy). Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls have the upper hand, but short-term volatility and uncertainty is creeping in. Still, there is no sinking the bull right here, right now. Credit Markets Tentative signs of credit markets stabilization are here, and HYG turnaround to last, is the missing sign. I‘m though not looking for risk-off slant to disappear, which would slow down the coming rise in yields. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver are still consolidating, and the more time passes at current levels, the less opportunity the bears have. The chart remains very bullish as precious metals are anticipating inflation to come. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls are facing spanner in the works today, and it‘s my view the sellers wouldn‘t get too far. I‘m looking at oil sector to presage that. Copper The copper setback was soundly bought, and commodities hardly sold off, the same for other base metals. I still like the chart posture – favors the bulls. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum bears took the gauntlet, and another opportunity to pause might be here. I‘m not yet optimistic prices would hold out before the upleg resumes. Summary S&P 500 bulls keep hanging in there, as if waiting for bonds to come to their senses. The credit markets non-confirmation being probably in its latter stages, was my yesterday‘s point – but with corona panic returning, all short-term bets are off. Looking at the big picture, energy hasn‘t been fixed, precious metals are set to rise sharply, and inflation hasn‘t yet knocked off stocks or the real economy. Look for VIX to keep rising from the current 17.50 level. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Weekly S&P500 ChartStorm - 21 November 2021

    Weekly S&P500 ChartStorm - 21 November 2021

    Callum Thomas Callum Thomas 22.11.2021 09:40
    The S&P500 ChartStorm is a selection of 10 charts which I hand pick from around the web and post on Twitter. The purpose of this post is to add extra color and commentary around the charts. The charts focus on the S&P500 (US equities); and the various forces and factors that influence the outlook - with the aim of bringing insight and perspective. Hope you enjoy! p.s. if you haven’t already, subscribe (free) to receive the ChartStorm direct to your inbox, so you don’t miss out on any charts (you never know which one could change the whole perspective!) Subscribe Now 1. S&P 500 Seasonality Chart: It’s everyone’s favorite chart updated again (maybe for the last time this year?). The S&P500 has been sticking to the seasonality script through most of this year… makes me think about Murphy’s Law tho - maybe the market will start to improvise and go off-script? Either way, the next few weeks seasonally look like sideways action. Source: @topdowncharts 2. Volatility Seasonality: A twist on the previous chart — same concept, but this time with implied volatility. I find it interesting to note that the VIX has actually been a bit lower than usual for this time of the year (and trending up short-term…). One last VIX spike before year-end? Source: @topdowncharts 3. Stockmarket Statistics: What happens after the market goes up a “crazy overheated” 20%+ over the course of a year? More Gains. Historically most of the time if the market closed up 20%+ for the year, the next year was also positive (84% of the time). As of writing, the market is up some 27% YTD (albeit, this year ain't over yet!). Source: @RyanDetrick 4. Bad Breadth? Fully 1/3rd of stocks are in a downtrend. (defined as trading below their respective 200dma) Will this bearish divergence be a problem? Source: Index Indicators 5. GAARP vs GAAAP: On this metric, growth stocks are the most expensive ever vs value stocks. So it begs the question… Growth at a reasonable price? or Growth at *any* price? (but then again, who defines what "reasonable" is in a market like this!) Source: @TheOneDave 6. Low Energy: Energy stocks are attempting to turn the corner vs the rest of the market, but face high hurdles from the raging tech bull market, rise of ESG investing and regulatory/political hurdles, not to mention commodity market volatility. What comes down must go up? (or something else?) Source: @dissectmarkets 7. Buybacks Back: New all-time high for buybacks in Q3 (with 95% reported). Always makes me wonder these trends — you see the majority of buybacks occurring near market peaks… i.e. when valuations are extreme expensive. The opposite of value investing: buy more when its expensive, buy less when it’s cheap — seems like upside-down logic to me, but then again I am a simple man. Source: @hsilverb 8. Payout Ratio: As an interesting follow-on to the ATH in buybacks/dividends, it’s interesting to note that the dividend payout ratio is actually below average... Scope to return more cash to investors? Source: @ChrisDagnes 9. Buffett Indicator: Looks like this indicator has reached a permanently higher plateau! (kidding of course - echoing the famous last words of Irving Fisher back in 1929) Interesting stat to note: to make this indicator as cheap as where it got to during the financial crisis lows the market would need to fall over 70%. Definitely not a prediction, but interesting nonetheless. I would say I have multiple quibbles with this indicator, I think CAPE and ERP are better valuation metrics, but that’s a topic for another day. Source: @KailashConcepts 10. Buffett the Compounder: Speaking of Buffett, a lesson in compounding. Source: @DividendGrowth Thanks for following, I appreciate your interest! !! BONUS CHART: total stockmarket leverage >> Click through to the ChartStorm Substack to see the bonus chart section https://chartstorm.substack.com/p/weekly-s-and-p500-chartstorm-21-november                   Follow us on: Substack https://topdowncharts.substack.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/topdown-charts Twitter http://www.twitter.com/topdowncharts
    Global Markets In Times Of Affection Of Situation In Eastern Europe

    On the radar this week...

    Chris Weston Chris Weston 22.11.2021 08:18
    Powell vs Brainard Fed chair nomination  Covid trends and restrictions in Europe US core PCE inflation (Thursday at 2 am AEDT) RBNZ and Riksbank central bank meeting US cash markets shut Thursday for Thanksgiving (Pepperstone US equity indices still open)  Eurozone PMI (Tuesday 20:00aedt) – ECB speakers in play BoE speakers to drive the GBP – will they cast doubt on a December hike? With Covid risks on the rise in Europe and ultimately restrictions being implemented we’ve seen renewed selling interest in the EUR, and the oil-exporting currencies (NOK, CAD, MXN). Certainly, the NOK was the weakest G10 currency last week, and GBPNOK has been a great long position – a pair to trade this week, but consider it is up for 9 straight days and has appreciated 5.2% since late October.  I questioned last week if the divergence in EURCHF plays out, and the break of 1.05 negates that, suggesting staying short this cross for now as the CHF is still a preferred safe-haven.  EURUSD has been in free-fall EURUSD has been in free-fall and will likely get the lion’s share of attention from clients looking for a play on growing restrictions and tensions across Europe. The pair has lost 3.5% since rejecting the 50-day MA on 28 Oct and has consistently been printing lower lows since May – predominantly driven by central bank divergence and a growing premium of 2-year US Treasuries over German 2yr - with the spread blowing out from 78bp to 128bp, in favour of USD. For momentum, trend followers and tactical traders, short EUR remains attractive here.  It will be interesting to see if we see any pickup in shorting activity in EU equities – notably the GER40, with the German govt warning of lockdowns ahead. A market at all-time highs (like the GER40) is a tough one to short, but if this starts to roll over then I’d go along for a day trade. There is a raft of ECB speakers also to focus on, notably with President Lagarde due to speak on Friday.  Playing restrictions through crude While we can play crude moves in the FX, equity and ETF space, outright shorts in crude have been looking compelling. Although we see SpotCrude now sitting on huge horizontal support and a break here brings in the 50-day MA. Of course, as oil and gasoline fall, the prospect of a release of the SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserves) diminishes, however, the Biden administration could use this move lower move to their advantage and capitalize to keep the pressure on.  (SpotCrude daily) A rise in restrictions also means market neutral strategies (long/short) should continue to work, and long tech/short energy has been popular. We can express this in our ETF complex, with the XOP ETF (oil and gas explorers) -8.1% last week and that works as a high beta short leg. Long IUSG (growth) or the QQQ ETF against this would be a good proxy on the opposing leg. In fact, looking at the moves in Apple, Nvidia, Alphabet and Amazon, and we can see these ‘safe haven’ stocks are working well again, as is Tesla although for different reasons.  Stocks for the trend-followers For the ‘buy strong’ crowd, I have scanned our equity universe for names above both their 5- and 20-day MA AND at 52-week highs. Pull up a daily chart of any of these names - they should nearly always start at the bottom left, and end top right. Playing the RBNZ meeting tactically By way of event risks, the RBNZ meeting (Wed 12:00 AEDT) is one of the more interesting events to focus on. Will the RBNZ raise by 25bp or 50bp? That is the question, and of 19 calls from economists (surveyed by Bloomberg) we see 17 calling for a 25bp hike – yet the markets are fully pricing not just a 25bp hike but a 43% chance of 50bp – from a very simplistic perceptive if the RBNZ hike by ‘just’ 25bp, choosing a path of least regret, then we could see a quick 25- to 30-pip move lower in the NZD. The focus then turns to the outlook and whether the 8 further hikes priced over the coming 12 months seems to be one shared by the RBNZ.  Traders have been keen to play NZD strength via AUD, as it is more a relative play and doesn’t carry the risk on/off vibe, which you get with the USD and JPY. I’d be using strength in AUDNZD as an opportunity to initiate shorts, especially with views that RBNZ Gov Orr could talk up the possibility of inter-meeting rate hikes.  GBP to be guided by the BoE Chief The GBP is always a play clients gravitate to, with GBPUSD and EURGBP always two of the most actively traded instruments in our universe. A 15bp hike is priced for the 16 Dec BoE meeting after last week’s UK employment and inflation data, but consider we also get UK PMI data (Tuesday 20:30 AEDT), and arguably, more importantly, speeches from BoE Governor Bailey and chief economist Huw Pill – perhaps this time around expectations of hikes can be better guided – although, a bit of uncertainty into central bank meetings is very pre-2008 and makes things a little spicy/interesting.  (BoE speakers this week) GBPUSD 1-week implied volatility is hardly screaming movement, and at 6.5% sits at the 10th percentile of its 12-month range. The implied move is close to 130pips, so the range at this juncture (with a 68.2% level of confidence), although I multiple this by 0.8 to get closer to the options breakeven rate. So at this stage, 100 pips (higher or lower) is the sort of move the street is looking for over the coming five days, putting a range of 1.3557 to 1.3349 in play – one for the mean reversion players. Personally, I would let it run a bit as that volatility seems a little low, and a break of 1.3400 could see volatility pick up. I’d certainly be looking for downside if that gave way.  Happy trading.
    We Might Say Next FED Moves Are Not Obvious As Some Factors Differentiate Circumstances

    Silver, shrugging off attacks

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 20.11.2021 13:32
    Weekly chart, Silver in US-Dollar, strong along gold: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 20th, 2021. The weekly chart illustrates price behavior over the last 15 months. Silver prices are trading near the center of the sideways range. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart, rumors shrugged off: Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 20th, 2021. The weekly chart of gold isn’t much different from where prices stand. In short, there is no evidence that gold has lost its luster. Otherwise, we would see silver trading in a relationship much lower. Rumors are just that – rumors! Silver is shrugging them off. Silver in US-Dollar, quarterly chart, room to go: Silver in US-Dollar, quarterly chart as of November 20th, 2021. A historical review with a quarterly chart over the last eighteen years reveals that silver prices can sustain extreme extensions from the mean (yellow line) for extended periods. Using the extreme of the second quarter in 2011 as a projective measurement (orange vertical line) for an upcoming target would provide for a price target more than 10% above all-time highs at US$56. In addition, the chart shows that we find ourselves in a strong quarter so far, which is in alignment with cyclical probabilities. Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart, prepping the play: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 20th, 2021. Trade setup Let us return to the weekly time frame for a possible low-risk entry scenario with this target in mind.We find a supply zone based on fractal transactional volume analysis near the price of US$24.11 and US$22.65. Both attractive entry zones for excellent risk/reward-ratio plays.   Phase 1 drilling program at Guigui discovered not only the largest intrusive ever found in the district, but it’s the first mineralized skarn ever seen in Guigui! Silver, shrugging off attacks: It will not be rumors, doubts, and speculations that will be the catalyst for silvers’ success or failure. It isn’t a question of “if,” but just a question of “when” we will see the next massive price advance in this precious metal. The odds are stacked too much in favor of a continued price movement up that the long-term investor should let doubts allow for diverging from a splendid opportunity to partake in wealth preservation and a very profitable way to participate in a chance rarely presented this prominent. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|November 20th, 2021|Tags: Crack-Up-Boom, Gold, Gold bullish, Gold/Silver-Ratio, inflation, low risk, Silver, silver bull, Silver Chartbook, silversqueeze, technical analysis, time frame, trading principles|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    COT: Solid gold buying raising short term concerns

    COT: Solid gold buying raising short term concerns

    Ole Hansen Ole Hansen 22.11.2021 11:35
    Summary:  This summary highlights futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across commodities, forex and financials up until last Tuesday, November 16. The report shows the reaction to the US inflation shock on November 11 which among others drove strong demand for gold and more surprisingly a reduction in the dollar long. Also another strong week for most agriculture commodities with positions in coffee and KCB wheat hitting fresh multi-year highs Saxo Bank publishes weekly Commitment of Traders reports (COT) covering leveraged fund positions in commodities, bonds and stock index futures. For IMM currency futures and the VIX, we use the broader measure called non-commercial. Link to latest report This summary highlights futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across commodities, forex and financials up until last Tuesday, November 16. A week where the market responded to the US inflation shock on November 11 by sending  the dollar up by 2% to fresh high for the cycle while 10-year breakeven yields jumped 20 basis point a decade high. While bond market volatility jumped, stocks held steady with the VIX showing a small decline. The commodity sector was mixed with gains in precious metals and not least grains and soft commodities helping offset weakness across the energy sector.  Commodities Hedge funds raised their total commodity exposure, measured in lots, across 24 major futures contracts by the most since July. Driven by continued strong price action across the agriculture sector and more recently also precious metals in response to surging inflation. These sectors saw all but one market being bought while the energy sector were mixed with continued selling of crude oil only being partly offset by demand for gasoline and natural gas. Energy: Crude oil’s four week slide resulted in the biggest weekly reduction since July, and this time, as opposed to recent weeks, it was WTI that led the reduction with a 10% cut to 307k apart from a deteriorating short-term technical outlook also being driven the prospect of a US stockpile release to dampen domestic gasoline prices. Brent meanwhile saw its net long slump to a one-year low at 221.5k lots, and during the past six weeks the net length has now slumped by one-third, a reduction which gathered momentum after the late October failure to break the 2018 high at $86.75, now a double top. Crude oil comment from our daily Market Quick Take: Crude oil (OILUKJAN22 & OILUSDEC21) opened softer in Asia after Friday’s big drop but has so far managed to find support at $77.85, the previous top from July. The market focus has during the past few weeks shifted from the current tight supply to the risk of a coordinated reserve release, fears about a renewed Covid-driven slowdown in demand and recent oil market reports from the EIA and IEA pointing to a balanced market in early 2022. Having dropped by around 10% from the recent peak, the market may have started to conclude that a SPR release has mostly been price in by now. Metals: Another week of strong gold buying has now raised the alarm bells given the risk of long liquidation should the yellow metal fail to hold onto its US CPI price boost above $1830. Last week the net long in gold reached a 14-month high at 164k lots and the speed of the accumulation, especially the 70% jump during the past two weeks alone carries, will be raising a red flag for tactical trading strategies looking for pay day on short positions should support give way.  Gold extended Friday’s drop below $1850 overnight, before bouncing ahead of key support in the mentioned $1830-35 area. The risk of a quicker withdrawal of Fed stimulus supporting real yields and the dollar has for now reduced gold's ability to build on the technical breakout. However, the price softness on Friday helped attract ETF buying with Bloomberg reporting a 10 tons increase, the biggest one-day jump since January 15. A second week of silver buying lifted the net to a four-week high at 35.9k lots, but still below the May peak at 47.8k lots. Copper’s rangebound trading behavior kept the price and the net long unchanged. The latter due to an even size addition of both new long and short positions. Agriculture: Broad gains across the grains market lifted the combined long across the six most traded contracts to a six-month high at 560k lots. Buyers returned to soybeans after the net long recently hit a 17-month low, the corn long was the biggest since May while the KCB wheat long at 60.6k lots was the highest since August 2018. Supported by an increasingly worrying supply outlook, coffee speculators lifted their net long by 16% to a five-year high at 55k lots. Cotton and sugar longs also rose while short-covering helped halve the cocoa net short. More on the reasons behind the current strength in wheat and coffee, and agriculture in general can be found in may recent update: Agriculture rally resumes led by coffee, wheat and sugar ForexIn a surprise response to the US inflation shock on November 11 speculators ended up making a small reduction in their overall dollar long against ten IMM futures and the Dollar index. Selling of euro in response to the 2.4% drop and a 161% increase in the sterling short to a 17 month high ended up being more than off-set by the buying of all other major currencies, most notably JPY and CHF. The result being a fifth weekly reduction in the dollar long to $21.3 billion, now down by 17% reduction from the near 30-month high reached during October. What is the Commitments of Traders report? The COT reports are issued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the ICE Exchange Europe for Brent crude oil and gas oil. They are released every Friday after the U.S. close with data from the week ending the previous Tuesday. They break down the open interest in futures markets into different groups of users depending on the asset class. Commodities: Producer/Merchant/Processor/User, Swap dealers, Managed Money and otherFinancials: Dealer/Intermediary; Asset Manager/Institutional; Leveraged Funds and otherForex: A broad breakdown between commercial and non-commercial (speculators) The reasons why we focus primarily on the behavior of the highlighted groups are: They are likely to have tight stops and no underlying exposure that is being hedged This makes them most reactive to changes in fundamental or technical price developments It provides views about major trends but also helps to decipher when a reversal is looming
    COT Speculators drop British pound sterling bets to lowest level in 76-weeks

    COT Speculators drop British pound sterling bets to lowest level in 76-weeks

    Invest Macro Invest Macro 22.11.2021 11:46
    November 20, 2021 By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for the Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday November 16th 2021 and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. All currency positions are in direct relation to the US dollar where, for example, a bet for the euro is a bet that the euro will rise versus the dollar while a bet against the euro will be a bet that the euro will decline versus the dollar. Highlighting the COT Currency data this week is the second straight decline in British pound sterling speculative positions. The pound sterling speculator contracts dropped sharply for the second consecutive week this week and have now fallen by a total of -46,646 contracts over just this two-week time period. These declines have pushed the overall speculative position into a bearish sentiment level of -31,599 contracts which marks the lowest standing of the past seventy-six weeks, dating back to June 2nd of 2020. The GBPUSD currency pair has been under pressure since the middle of October and fallen from around 1.3800 exchange rate to just above the 1.3435 level currently, a drop of almost 400 pips. Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend Nov-16-2021 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index EUR 705,698 86 -3,826 34 -26,985 68 30,811 25 JPY 252,897 91 -93,126 10 115,758 94 -22,632 1 GBP 207,099 43 -31,599 51 41,182 54 -9,583 36 MXN 170,102 33 -47,655 2 46,127 99 1,528 50 AUD 166,688 57 -61,153 27 69,858 71 -8,705 31 CAD 148,955 30 8,709 62 -26,717 35 18,008 74 USD Index 59,387 88 34,908 86 -40,455 7 5,547 77 RUB 52,624 58 22,625 67 -23,936 31 1,311 70 CHF 49,320 27 -8,889 54 18,767 52 -9,878 34 NZD 42,945 30 13,965 95 -15,521 6 1,556 70 BRL 31,767 32 -15,698 48 15,743 54 -45 66 Bitcoin 13,648 78 -1,478 69 357 0 1,121 23   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week was a net position of 34,908 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -540 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 35,448 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 77.2 percent. Free Reports: Top 5 Companies Added to Our Stock Watch List this Quarter - Here are the Stock Symbols that stood out so far in the fourth quarter of 2021. Get our Weekly Commitment of Traders Reports - See where the biggest traders (Hedge Funds and Commercial Hedgers) are positioned in the futures markets on a weekly basis.   US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 80.8 3.4 12.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 22.0 71.5 3.5 – Net Position: 34,908 -40,455 5,547 – Gross Longs: 47,959 2,000 7,621 – Gross Shorts: 13,051 42,455 2,074 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.7 to 1 0.0 to 1 3.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 86.0 7.4 77.2 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.0 -2.7 -13.6   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week was a net position of -3,826 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -7,599 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 3,773 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 33.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 68.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 25.4 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.1 57.3 12.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.6 61.1 8.4 – Net Position: -3,826 -26,985 30,811 – Gross Longs: 198,181 404,266 90,261 – Gross Shorts: 202,007 431,251 59,450 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.8 68.1 25.4 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.7 -5.2 -0.0   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week was a net position of -31,599 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -19,506 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -12,093 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 51.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 54.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 35.8 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 24.4 61.4 11.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 39.6 41.5 15.9 – Net Position: -31,599 41,182 -9,583 – Gross Longs: 50,443 127,197 23,322 – Gross Shorts: 82,042 86,015 32,905 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 51.2 54.0 35.8 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.3 9.2 -8.1   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week was a net position of -93,126 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 12,225 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -105,351 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.8 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.7 80.5 8.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.6 34.7 17.6 – Net Position: -93,126 115,758 -22,632 – Gross Longs: 24,635 203,468 21,790 – Gross Shorts: 117,761 87,710 44,422 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 2.3 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 10.4 93.7 0.8 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.4 15.5 -4.1   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week was a net position of -8,889 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 8,154 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -17,043 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 54.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 52.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 34.3 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 11.2 64.2 24.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 29.2 26.1 44.5 – Net Position: -8,889 18,767 -9,878 – Gross Longs: 5,502 31,663 12,048 – Gross Shorts: 14,391 12,896 21,926 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.5 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 54.4 52.0 34.3 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 11.9 -12.2 11.8   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week was a net position of 8,709 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 3,605 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 5,104 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 62.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 34.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 74.0 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.6 42.1 27.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 23.8 60.0 15.0 – Net Position: 8,709 -26,717 18,008 – Gross Longs: 44,147 62,689 40,389 – Gross Shorts: 35,438 89,406 22,381 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 62.3 34.9 74.0 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 29.6 -26.4 10.0   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week was a net position of -61,153 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 2,271 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -63,424 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 27.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 71.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 31.2 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 18.5 67.2 11.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 55.1 25.3 17.1 – Net Position: -61,153 69,858 -8,705 – Gross Longs: 30,760 112,044 19,744 – Gross Shorts: 91,913 42,186 28,449 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 2.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 27.1 71.0 31.2 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 27.1 -29.0 24.4   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week was a net position of 13,965 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 1,083 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 12,882 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 69.7 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 61.4 24.1 11.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.9 60.2 7.8 – Net Position: 13,965 -15,521 1,556 – Gross Longs: 26,388 10,349 4,923 – Gross Shorts: 12,423 25,870 3,367 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 94.7 6.5 69.7 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 9.9 -11.8 19.8   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week was a net position of -47,655 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 752 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -48,407 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 1.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 98.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 49.5 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.1 55.3 3.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 69.2 28.2 2.2 – Net Position: -47,655 46,127 1,528 – Gross Longs: 69,984 94,074 5,245 – Gross Shorts: 117,639 47,947 3,717 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 2.0 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 1.5 98.8 49.5 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.5 5.6 -1.5   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week was a net position of -15,698 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -240 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -15,458 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 47.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 54.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 66.3 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.7 64.6 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 76.1 15.0 8.2 – Net Position: -15,698 15,743 -45 – Gross Longs: 8,468 20,507 2,545 – Gross Shorts: 24,166 4,764 2,590 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 4.3 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 47.6 54.4 66.3 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -17.9 19.3 -12.9   Russian Ruble Futures: The Russian Ruble large speculator standing this week was a net position of 22,625 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 1,922 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 20,703 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 66.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 30.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 70.2 percent. RUSSIAN RUBLE Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.7 37.7 4.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.7 83.2 2.1 – Net Position: 22,625 -23,936 1,311 – Gross Longs: 30,357 19,849 2,418 – Gross Shorts: 7,732 43,785 1,107 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.9 to 1 0.5 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 66.9 30.7 70.2 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.2 -3.3 -20.9   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week was a net position of -1,478 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -11 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,467 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish with a score of 68.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 71.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 22.9 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 63.4 5.0 14.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 74.2 2.4 6.5 – Net Position: -1,478 357 1,121 – Gross Longs: 8,649 678 2,008 – Gross Shorts: 10,127 321 887 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 2.1 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – COT Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 68.7 71.4 22.9 – COT Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.9 -20.8 4.5 Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.
    Special Podcast: Happy 30th Birthday To Saxo, An Overview Of The Market In Recent Decades And Reflection On Its Future

    ChiNext: The growth market that has defied Chinese equity trouble

    Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 22.11.2021 14:26
    Summary:  ChiNext is up 19% this year while the rest of the Chinese equity market is down highlighting that there is a high quality pocket in China that investors should have on the radar. The ChiNext Index comprises of leading technology companies within battery and medical technology including biotechnology. It is a closed market for most investors but luckily a Hong Kong based asset management is offering a Hong Kong listed ETF providing exposure to this interesting market in China. China has a growth pocket nobody talks about This year has been a rollercoaster ride for Chinese equities. It all started with blistering growth and strong momentum in Chinese equities before rising US interest rates and inflation talks temporarily ended the trade in technology stocks. While technology stocks came back in the developed equity market Chinese equities went from crisis to crisis, first in housing during the summer months and which is still ongoing, to that of an energy crunch like in Europe as energy prices have galloped higher. But there is one pocket in the Chinese equity market that has defied the negative forces of higher energy prices and housing woes, and that is the ChiNext board on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. ChiNext is up 19% this year highlighting a stunning comeback following a 29% drawdown during the technology correction during February and March. CSI 300, the leading benchmark index of Chinese mainland equities, is down 4% this year, and Hang Seng in Hong Kong is down 6% this year. While ChiNext is the crown jewel in terms of innovation and growth companies within key technology, it has struggled to deliver against Nasdaq 100 which is up 29% this year, and since June 2010, Nasdaq 100 is up 23.2% annualized compared to 13.1% annualized for ChiNext. ChiNext is closed market for foreign investors In recent years China has opened up its capital markets making it easier for foreign investors to invest directly in mainland China equities listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, but the ChiNext board is still closed land for most investors due to prohibitive rules. In effect it is only accessible for few foreign institutional investors. Luckily the ETF market is providing an opportunity for retail investors to get access to this market through the CSOP SZSE ChiNext ETF (Saxo ticker is 03147:xhkg) managed by CSOP Asset Management which is a Chinese regulated asset management firm based in Hong Kong with $10bn in asset under management as of December 2020. The ETF consists of 160 securities with $110mn in assets and tracking the ChiNext Index and a total expense ratio of 1.16%. The ETF uses a combination of a physical representative sampling and a synthetic representative sampling strategy (swaps), which means that the fund is not holding the underlying index 1:1, but tries minimize the tracking error through sampling. This enables the fund to minimize tracking error while getting better liquidity conditions for investors. The 10 largest positions in the fund constitute 49.3% of the funds market value with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) being the largest position with 19.1% weight and also the biggest company in our battery equity basket. CATL is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries and is becoming China’s crown jewel within the fast-growing and emerging battery industry which will be transformational and essential to the green transformation including electric vehicles. The ETF also provides exposure to China’s largest financial and stock information provider East Money Information with $1.8bn in revenue and growing 82% over the past year. The ETF also gives exposure to some of the most interesting medical technology and biotechnology companies in China. The 10 largest holdings in the CSOP SZSE ChiNext ETF The history of ChiNext and why it will play a major role ChiNext was first discussed in August 1999 in the CPC Central Committee and the State Council during the height of the dot-com bubble. China was looking at the technological change in the US and especially what was going on with the Nasdaq exchange. In August 2000, China decided that the Shenzhen Stock Exchange should prepare to create a second board which should include innovative companies with key technologies in order to support growth industries. The ChiNext board was inaugurated on 23 October 2009. In 2020, more than 800 companies were listed on the ChiNext Market with the combined market capitalization approaching $1trn.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Bounces Back

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Bounces Back

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 22.11.2021 08:40
    GBPUSD hits resistance The pound pulled back after Britain’s retail sales registered a steeper drop to -1.3% in October. The pair has met stiff selling pressure in the supply zone around 1.3510, a support that has turned into resistance after a failed rebound. An oversold RSI may cause a limited rebound. However, a bearish MA cross on the daily chart suggests that sentiment is still pessimistic. 1.3380 is a key support to keep the sterling afloat. A bearish breakout may trigger an extended sell-off to last December’s lows around 1.3200. USDCAD breaks higher The Canadian dollar struggles after a contraction in September’s retail numbers. The US dollar bounced off the resistance-turned-support at 1.2580. This is a sign that the bulls are still in control. A bullish MA cross on the daily timeframe confirms the directional bias for the next few days. The daily resistance at 1.2770 would be the next target. Its break would lead to a test of the double top at 1.2900. In the meantime, the RSI’s overextension has temporarily held the bulls back. We can also expect buying interest during dips. GER 40 struggles for support The Dax 40 tumbles as lockdowns across Europe hurt sentiment. The RSI’s overbought situation on the daily chart has made buyers cautious in pursuing high valuations. On the hourly chart, a bearish RSI divergence suggests a deceleration in the upward momentum. Then a dip below 16200 confirms weakness in the rally, prompting leverage positions to liquidate. The psychological level of 16000 is a congestion area as it coincides with last August’s peak and the 20-day moving average. 16300 is now a fresh hurdle.
    Ever Thought About Biofuels to Diversify Your Portfolio?

    Ever Thought About Biofuels to Diversify Your Portfolio?

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 19.11.2021 16:49
    How do you feel about adding a broader range of stocks to our energy investment portfolio watchlist? Let’s see what we can do! By the way, feel free to send us your questions or topics that you would like us to write about in the forthcoming editions, so we’ll try our best to answer them! Trading positions are available to our premium subscribers. First, let’s quickly define what biofuels are: A biofuel is a liquid or gaseous fuel derived from the transformation of non-fossil organic matter from biomass, for example, plant materials produced by agriculture (beets, wheat, corn, rapeseed, sunflowers, potatoes, etc.). So, it is considered a source of renewable energy. The combustion of biofuels produces only carbon dioxide (CO2) and steam (H2O) and little or no nitrogen and sulfur oxides. Therefore, biofuels – as being at the crossroads between energy and agricultural commodities – respond to economic drivers (crops/supply, demand, dollar strength, reserves, etc.) and geopolitics of both industrial sectors. Furthermore, they allow their producing countries to reduce their energy dependence on fossil fuels. Key reasons to invest in these alternative energy sources: Given the recent surge of oil and gas prices, biofuels have become somehow more attractive, and consequently one could witness a slight shift in demand from fossil to non-fossil fuels. This was also a central topic of talks during the recent United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26), which recently took place in Glasgow (Scotland), and where world leaders finally agreed to preliminary rules for trading carbon emissions credits. In addition, as we all know, the combustion of fossil fuels contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Regarding biofuels - the carbon emitted to the atmosphere during their combustion has been previously fixed by plants during photosynthesis. Thus, the carbon footprint seems to be a priori neutral. Stock Watchlist (Continued) In the first article, we started a watchlist with some major energy stocks. In the second article, we added some more spicy assets (MLPs). Today, let’s update it with some biofuel-based stocks! As usual, our stock picks will be shared through that link to our dynamic watchlist which will be updated from time to time, as we progress through this portfolio construction process... Below is an example of some indicative metrics: Daily Technical Charts Figure 1 – Green Plains, Inc. (GPRE) Stock (daily chart) Figure 2 – Aemetis, Inc. (AMTX) Stock (daily chart) Figure 3 – Tantech Holdings Ltd. (TANH) Stock (daily chart) In summary, those biofuel-related stocks may present some benefits to diversifying your energy portfolio while covering some alternative fuels as well. As always, we’ll keep you, our subscribers well informed. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading, and speculation in any financial markets may involve a high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Inflation Risk: Milton Friedman Would Buy Gold Right Now

    Inflation Risk: Milton Friedman Would Buy Gold Right Now

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 19.11.2021 16:50
    Powell maintains that inflation is transitory, but the monetary theory of inflation suggests otherwise. So, elevated inflation could stay with us!, Some economists downplay the risk stemming from elevated inflation, saying that comparisons to the 1970s style stagflation appear unfounded. They say that labor unions are weaker and economies are less dependent on energy than in the past, which makes inflationary risks less likely to materialize. Isabel Schnabel, Board Member of the European Central Bank, even compared the current inflationary spike to a sneeze, i.e., “the economy’s reaction to dust being kicked up in the wake of the pandemic and the ensuing recovery”. Are those analysts right? Well, in a sense, they are. The economy is not in stagnation with little or no growth and a rising unemployment rate. On the contrary, the US labor market is continuously improving. It’s also true that both the bargaining power of workers and energy’s share in overall expenditure have diminished over the last fifty years. However, general inflation is neither caused by wages nor energy prices. Higher wages simply mean lower profits, so although employees can consume more, employers can spend less. If wages are set above the potential market rates, then unemployment emerges - not inflation. Similarly, higher energy prices affect the composition of spending, but not the overall monetary demand spent on goods and services. It works as follows: when the price of oil increases, people have to spend more money on oil (assuming the amount of consumed oil remains unchanged), which leaves less money available for other goods and services. So, the overall money spent on goods won’t change. As a consequence, the structure of relative prices will change, but widespread prices increases won’t happen. In other words, Milton Friedman’s dictum remains valid: “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output”. It’s quite a simple mechanism, even central bankers should be able to understand it: if the stock of goods remains unaltered while the stock of money increases, this, as Frank Shostak put it, “must lead to more money being spent on the unchanged stock of goods – an increase in the average price of goods” Let’s look at the chart below, which displays the annual growth rates in the broad money supply (M2, red line) and in the CPI (green line). We can notice two important things. First, in the 1970s, the pace of broad money supply growth was relatively high, as it reached double-digit values at some point. As a consequence, inflation accelerated, jumping above 10% for a while. In other words, stagflation was born. Since then, the rate of growth in the money supply never reached double-digit numbers on a prolonged basis, including the Great Recession, so high inflation never materialized. And then the pandemic came. In March 2020, the money supply growth rate crossed the 10% threshold and never came back. In February 2021, it reached its record height of 27.1%. The pace of growth in the M2 money aggregate has slowed down since then, dropping to a still relatively high rate of 13%. This is a rate that is almost double the pre-pandemic level (6.8% in February 2020) and the long-term average (7.1% for the 1960-2021 period ). So, actually, given the surge in the broad money supply and the monetary theory of inflation, rapidly rising prices shouldn’t be surprising at all. Second, there is a lag between the money supply growth and the increase in inflation rates. That’s why some analysts don’t believe in the quantity theory of money – there is no clear positive correlation between the two variables. This is indeed true – but only when you take both variables from the same periods. The correlation coefficient becomes significant and positive when you take inflation rates with a lag of 18-24 months behind the money supply. As John Greenwood and Steve Hanke explain in opinion for Wall Street Journal, According to monetarism, asset-price inflation should have occurred with a lag of one to nine months. Then, with a lag of six to 18 months, economic activity should have started to pick up. Lastly, after a lag of 12 to 24 months, generalized inflation should have set in. If this relationship is true, then inflation won’t go away anytime soon. After all, the money supply accelerated in March 2020 and peaked in February 2021, growing at more than four times the “optimal” rate that would keep inflation at the 2-percent target, according to Greenwood and Hanke. In line with the monetarist description, the CPI rates accelerated in March 2021, exactly one year after the surge in the money supply. So, if this lag is stable, the peak in inflation rates should happen in Q1 2022, and inflation should remain elevated until mid-2022 at least. What does it mean for the gold market? Well, if the theory of inflation outlined above is correct, elevated inflation will stay with us for several more months. Therefore, it’s not transitory, as the central bank tells us. Instead, inflation should remain high for a while, i.e., as long as the money supply growth won’t slow down and go back below 10% on a sustained basis. What’s more, the velocity of money, which plunged when the epidemic started, is likely to rise in the coming months, additionally boosting inflation. So, I would say that Milton Friedman would probably forecast more persistent inflation than Jerome Powell, allocating some of his funds into the yellow metal. Gold is, after all, considered to be an inflation hedge, and it should appreciate during the period of high and rising inflation. Although so far gold hasn’t benefited from higher inflation, this may change at some point. Actually, investors’ worries about inflation intensified in October, and gold started to show some reaction to the inflationary pressure. My bet is that the next year will be better for gold than 2021: the Fed’s tightening cycle will already be inaugurated, and thus traders will be able to focus on inflation, possibly shifting the allocation of some of their funds into gold as a safe-haven asset. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    With Gold and the Buck, as Told, You're in Luck

    With Gold and the Buck, as Told, You're in Luck

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 22.11.2021 08:17
    The Gold Update by Mark Mead Baillie --- 627th Edition --- Monte-Carlo --- 20 November 2021 (published each Saturday) --- www.deMeadville.com As time is at a bit of a premium for penning this week's missive, (even as Gold is priced at a massive discount by valuation), let's jump right in. The macro question at large we oft receive is: â–  "How come Gold isn't much higher with all the money printing?" Macro indeed per the above Gold Scoreboard, price having settled yesterday (Friday) at $1847, just 46% of our valuation level of $3993. To be sure per the right-hand panel Gold is, on balance, in ascent toward chasing the unconscionable rise in the U.S. "M2" money supply; yet the gap from here to up there remains HUGE! The micro question of late we oft receive is: â–  "How come Gold is going up even if the Dollar is also going up?" Micro indeed as such phenomenon does on occasion occur given (for the ad nauseath time) Gold plays no currency favourites. To be sure, both Gold and the Buck have been on the rise per their percentage tracks for the 15 trading days thus far in November. Here as shown, Gold is +3.5% and the Dollar Index is +2.1%. Yes, Gomer, it really can happen: In fact "surprise, surprise, surprise" if measuring from mid-year 2014, (albeit their respective routes hardly are in linear harmony), Gold is +39.7% and yet the Dollar Index is +20.4%. So even more broadly there, no directional favoritism. And yet from that date some seven years ago, the supply of Gold is only +10.7% whereas the U.S. "M2" money supply is +88.4%. Further with specific respect (or lack thereof) to the Dollar, recall from Econ 101 class that more of something (in this case much more) makes it worth less, arguably in the Dollar's case worthless. And yet an inevitable -- some say forcibly imminent -- Federal Reserve interest rate increase (versus, for example, sovereign bank rates in Europe still seen as staying essentially negative for the foreseeable future), is therefore getting the Dollar a bid such as to push the Buck into the lead of the currencies' so-called Ugly Dog Contest. 'Course, attempting to explain irrationality is an exercise in same, in this case more Dollars nonetheless being worth more whatevers. And even irrespective of inflation, we read speculation this past week of the €uro ultimately collapsing ... and being replaced by the Dollar. "What?" But then, could such dual-continent currency still be deemed a "Federal Reserve Note"? Either way, we wouldn't recommend your losing sleep over this whimsy. For if you've Gold, you're fine. And looking .9999 fine is our chart of Gold's weekly bars with their parabolic long trend, now neatly in place these past three weeks. Yes, Gold put in an acceptable net loss for this recent week after having been up for five of the prior seven. However, the daily table therein of our BEGOS Markets "Breakout?" suggestions popped up last evening with "Sell" for both precious metals. So some further slipping may be seen into the ensuing week; yet on balance by the bars' structure in the chart, the 1800s not only appear safe, but the dashed regression trend line is now more perceptively rotating from negative toward positive. And that would tie in well (as historically noted last week) with Gold reaching 1971 during this new parabolic Long run: Thus having awakened the dip buyers, let's turn to the StateSide economy, by which our Economic Barometer had a sound week and sufficiently so as to put it on pace toward recording its second best month year-to-date. For the week's 14 incoming metrics, 12 were improvements over the prior period, the only two negatives being inflationary October Import Prices (even ex-Oil) and a slight slowing in that month's Housing Starts. But the latter was mitigated by growth in Building Permits, plus a firm increase in November's National Association of Home Builders Index. November also scored marked increases for both the New York State Empire and Philly Fed Indexes. Other positives included October's Retail Sales, Industrial Production, Capacity Utilization, and the Conference Board's lagging read of Leading Indicators. "'Tis all good, right?" Well, just bear in mind there, Bunky, that much of Q3's Gross Domestic Product "growth" was mitigated by a very high Chain Deflator, (i.e. inflationary rather than real growth): And as to Q3 Earnings Season, it just ended as follows: for the S&P 500, 80% of reporting constituents beat both estimates and prior period results. 'Tis rare when the latter keeps up with the former. However more broadly, 1,440 other mid-cap and smaller companies by our tabulation found just 56% having actually improved over 2020's Q3 shutdown period. That's an uh-oh... But in toto, great economics (arguably inflationarily but not really) + great earnings (by estimates but not always actual growth) = S&P 500 all-time highs. Moreover, money is pouring into the stock market per the website's S&P Moneyflow page: "Let's all buy high!" 'Tis quite extraordinary. "So then maybe this a blow-off top, mmb..." Squire, we long ago stopped counting the number of would-be S&P blow-off tops. Remember: as we've herein put forth for many-a-year, this is now the age of the stock market being the Great American Savings Account. "You have to be IN!" they say. "Gold's for the BIN!" they say. And then there's the ever-annoying individual blurter: "I bought X back at blah and am now making BLAH!" For whom we have this important reminder: the market capitalization of the S&P 500 as of Friday night is $41.4 trillion; yet the liquid M2 money supply of the U.S. is but half that at $21.4 trillion. So when it all goes wrong, good luck in getting out with something. Meanwhile amongst it all going good, we read that a record number of StateSide workers are quitting their jobs, the notion being they can do better doing something else. Watch for this great mania of "There's a better way!" and "My stocks are so up!" ultimately ending with "What was I thinking?" Then from the "We Knew This Was Coming Dept." it seems just mere weeks go by before yet again U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet "Old Yeller" Yellen has to chase down the Legislature 'cause she's run out of dough to make the country go. For sanity's sakes: "Got Gold?" Hopefully as the Fed Chair passes to Lael "The Brain" Brainard, she and the Treasury Secretary can sort it all out. (See too: "In Like Flint", 20th Century Fox, '67). From steely flint to a wee loss of glint describes at present our precious metals. Per the two-panel graphic below, we see on the left a bit of a topping pattern in the daily bars, but again with structural support still well within the 1800s. Then on the right in Gold's 10-day Market Profile, 1864 clearly is the dominant price traded across these past two weeks: Silver, too, shows similar toppiness per her daily bars (at left) with the low 24s/high 23s as supportive; then in her Profile (at right), 25.15 is where the bulk of Sister Silver's action has been: In sum, we see a bit of near-term pullback for Gold and Silver, but nothing really materially daunting, especially given the notion of 1971 during Gold's current parabolic up run; (you'll recall from a week ago, arriving at that level equates to the median gain of the 43 prior parabolic Long trends since the year 2001). And at some point -- you know, and we know, and everyone from Bangor, Maine to Honolulu and right 'round the word knows that -- the Buck ultimately shall run out of luck. Indeed to that end (and so much more), in having opened with a couple of questions, let's close with one that came in this past week from a highly-valued publisher of The Gold Update: "Do you think $1900 is nigh?" Our response in kind: "$4000 is nigh." Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com www.deMeadville.com
    Best Pick for Corona Woes

    Best Pick for Corona Woes

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 22.11.2021 15:49
    S&P 500 stumbled as value plunged – corona fears are back as Austria lockdown might very well be followed soon by Germany. The mood on the continent is souring, and coupled with accelerating German inflation data, helping to underpin the dollar. Overall, the reaction reminds me of the corona market playbook of Feb-Mar 2020 when I aggresively took short positions, riding them all the way down to the Mar 23 bottom. So, why am I not beating the bearish drum today as well? We have a lot of incoming stimulus (both monetary and fiscal), the economy is slow but the yield curve hasn‘t inverted the way it did in 2019 – make no mistake, we‘re in a rate raising cycle (even if the Fed didn‘t move, the markets would force it down the road). I know, pretty ridiculous notion with 10-year yield at 1.54% and Oct YoY CPI at 6.2% - but the rates being even more negative elsewhere, help to explain the dollar 2021 resilience. That‘s the bullish side to last week‘s bearish argument. What gold and silver are sniffing out, is that the Fed would have to reverse course once the tapering effects start biting some more – not now, with still more than $100bn monthly addition. Cyclicals and commodities that had massively appreciated vs. year ago (oil doubled), are feeling the pinch of fresh economic activity curbs speculation in spite of the polar shift of U.S. strength in energy of 2019 and before. Begging the OPEC+ to increase production might not do the trick, and with so much inflation already in (and still to come), the key investment theme is of real assets strength. Precious metals have broken out, are no longer an underdog, and the inflation data will not decelerate for quite a few months still. And even as they would, it would come at a palpable cost to the real economy, and the resolute fresh stimulus action wouldn‘t be then far off. As I wrote in Apr 2020, it‘s about the continuous stimulus that‘s the go-to response anytime the horizon darkens, for whatever reason. Wash, rinse, repeat. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls still have the upper hand, and value recovery accompanied by good tech defence of high ground gained, is the awaited mix. The market breadth is narrowing, and needs to be reversed to give the bulls more breathing room. Credit Markets Once corona returns to the spotlight, bets on „reversion to the mean“ in credit markets are off. Weakening data get more focus, and flight to safety is on, puncturing the trend of rising yields that would inevitably lead to yield curve control. Gold, Silver and Miners It‘s as if the gold and silver bulls don‘t trust the latest rally – I think that‘s a mistaken belief for we have turned the corner, and precious metals are about to shine – of course, invalidating the latest miners weakness in the process. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls didn‘t recover from Friday‘s spanner in the works, and while the dust hasn‘t settled, black gold is prone to an upside reversal at little notice. I‘m not overrating the oil index weakness. Copper Copper smartly recovered, moving at odds with the CRB Index, which I treat (especially given Friday‘s Austria news repercussions) as a vote of confidence that the economy isn‘t rolling over to a deflationarry hell (pun intended). Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are still going sideways in this correction, but today‘s lower knot is encouraging. The consolidation though still appears to have a bit further to go in time. Summary S&P 500 bulls keep hanging in there, and the waiting for bonds to come to their senses might take a while longer. Tech keeps cushioning the downside, and we haven‘t peaked in spite of the many warnings. Value and Russell 2000 upswings would be good confirmations of the stock bull market getting fresh fuel. Precious metals would have the easiest run in the weeks ahead – commodities in general not so much. Their breather is though of a temporary nature as all roads lead to real assets. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – Nasdaq Hits Resistance

    Intraday Market Analysis – Nasdaq Hits Resistance

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 23.11.2021 09:20
    NAS 100 pulls back Investors took profit after Jerome Powell’s renomination as US Federal Reserve Chairman. The tech index saw an acceleration in its rally after a break above the previous peak (16450). Strong momentum suggests that buyers are committed to keeping the uptrend intact after a brief pause. However, the RSI’s triple top in the overbought area indicates exhaustion, and a fall below 16550 has triggered a correction. 16300 is the next support from a previous supply zone. A rebound needs to clear 16750 before the rally could resume. AUDUSD struggles for support China’s property slowdown and lower commodity prices weigh on the Australian dollar. The pair has given up most of its gains from the October rally, a sign that support is hard to come by. Nonetheless, a series of lower lows has attracted trend followers’ interest in maintaining the status quo. 0.7220 is an intermediate support. An oversold RSI may prompt the short side to cover, raising bids in the process. However, the bulls will need to lift offers around the former support at 0.7300 before they could expect to turn the tables. NZDJPY seeks support The New Zealand dollar remains under pressure after disappointing retail sales in Q3. The kiwi is seeking support after a surge above last May’s peak at 81.20 led the daily RSI into an overbought situation. Short-term sentiment remains bearish as the pair struggles to achieve a new high. 80.55 is a major resistance after the bulls’ multiple failed attempts. A bullish breakout may pave the way for a reversal towards 82.00. Otherwise, a drop below 79.50 would send the pair towards September’s high at 78.50.
    All alone with bitcoin

    All alone with bitcoin

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 23.11.2021 11:06
    With this psychological burden, you want to stack your odds as good as possible to gain an edge for balance. Bitcoin provides such advantages. The inherent volatility allows for follow-through after an entry. In other words, one gets good risk/reward-ratios in midterm plays on bitcoin. Also, necessary for the long-term time frame player since hodling has another psychological hurdle that piled on top can be devastating. You won’t find many traders who bought a bundle of bitcoin when it traded at a dollar and are still holding it without ever having sold or rebought some. BTC in US-Dollar, Quarterly Chart, the Doji explosion: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Quarterly chart as of November 23rd, 2021. The quarterly chart of bitcoin shows how explosive moves to the upside can be. If you look at the yellow lines, you will see that a small Doji builds after a retracement, and then prices explode within the next quarter like rockets. This trading behavior provides for sensational risk/reward-ratios. The quarterly chart shows a bullish quarter. Even though all-time highs have been rejected, we see the year ending on a bullish note. The great thing about this self-directed profession, on the other hand, is that you get all the credit. Work directly translates into money, without the typical step in between, selling a product or a service. If you are good at what you are doing in the trading/investing arena, rewards can be more than plentiful. No gift baskets need to be sent to a boss or coworker. True rewards for arduous work to yourself. A very self-fulfilling profession indeed. BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, most often trending: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 23rd, 2021. The monthly chart illustrates the steepness of the trend, and yellow lines provide a possible long reload opportunity, which will take all-time highs out next year. Another benefit for individual traders choosing to trade bitcoin is its unique personality of trending much more than most trading instruments. This unique feature adds a massive edge to a trader’s trading arsenal. BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, freeing investment capital fast: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 23rd, 2021. But this isn’t all. From a trading perspective, bitcoin supports the unsupported individual in comparison to gold or silver as alternate wealth preservation tools due to its speed. Risk is the most defining aspect for a trader, and consequently, capital exposure time is the most crucial aspect. After all, the longer money is in the market, the more exposed it is, let’s say, to unexpected news and six sigma events. Market money parked cannot produce elsewhere and is also emotionally draining. No such thing in bitcoin.A look at the weekly time frame illustrates what we mean by this. It took less than eight weeks for bitcoin to gain staggering percentage moves within the first and second leg in this steep regression channel up. We also just entered a low-risk entry zone again for a third leg to mature. In short, you are all alone with bitcoin, but at least you picked the most ideal alliance with this trading vehicle to stack the odds in your favor. All alone with bitcoin: The business of market play is unique. You’re not learning this skill in school, mentors are hard to come by, and it isn’t a group sport. It is advisable to seek out a community of like-minded traders like our free telegram channel, since spouses rarely can comprehend the steepness of the learning curve and the challenges of constant self-reflection and pain until the consistency is mastered.  While one typically can team up and is supported within a group at the mastery level required, it’s a solo sport in trading.  Statistics support that the likeliest reason for failure in this business is underestimating the time required to acquire all the important skills necessary for success. New traders run either out of money or patience.  The press makes it look so easy, and the fact that all one needs to do is press a button doesn’t help towards a more respectful attitude. Yet, the mere truth is that it is one of the most demanding businesses to find oneself into. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|November 23rd, 2021|Tags: Bitcoin, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Betting on Hawkish Fed

    Betting on Hawkish Fed

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 23.11.2021 15:46
    S&P 500 reversed from fresh ATHs as spiking yields sent tech packing. Value didn‘t soar, but held up considerably better – still, stock bulls are getting on the defensive. Markets have interpreted the Powell nomination as a hawkish choice. I‘ve written the prior Monday:(…) the Fed is still printing a huge amount of money on a monthly basis, and it remains questionable how far in tapering plans execution they would actually get – I see the risks to the real economy coupled with persistently high inflation as rising since the 2Q 2022 (if not since Mar already, but most pronounced in 2H 2022.Inflation hasn‘t moved to the Fed‘s sights, and yesterday‘s rection in yields and precious metals is a bit too harsh. While rates are on a rising path as I‘ve written yesterday, precious metals overreacted. True, the bullish argument for the dollar stepped to the fore as yields differential between the U.S. and the rest of the world got more positive, and at the same time, various yield spreads keep compressing. That‘s a reflection of less favorable incoming economic data. Just as much as Friday‘s reaction was about corona economic impact projections, yesterday‘s one was about monetary policy anticipation.Inflation expectations though barely budged – the decline doesn‘t count as trend reversal. CPI isn‘t done rising, and the more forward looking incoming data (e.g. producer prices) would confirm there is more to come. All in all, it looks like precious metals (and to a smaller degree commodities), are giving Powell benefit of the doubt, which I view to be leading to disappointment over the coming months. Should Powell heed the markets‘ will, the real economy would weaken dramatically, forcing him to make a sharp dovish turn – and he would, faster than he flipped since getting challenged in Dec 2018.We‘re experiencing an overreaction in real assets – as stated yesterday:(…) the Fed would have to reverse course once the tapering effects start biting some more – not now, with still more than $100bn monthly addition. Cyclicals and commodities that had massively appreciated vs. year ago (oil doubled), are feeling the pinch of fresh economic activity curbs speculation in spite of the polar shift of U.S. strength in energy of 2019 and before. Begging the OPEC+ to increase production might not do the trick, and with so much inflation already in (and still to come), the key investment theme is of real assets strength.Precious metals have broken out, are no longer an underdog, and the inflation data will not decelerate for quite a few months still. And even as they would, it would come at a palpable cost to the real economy, and the resolute fresh stimulus action wouldn‘t be then far off. As I wrote in Apr 2020, it‘s about the continuous stimulus that‘s the go-to response anytime the horizon darkens, for whatever reason. Wash, rinse, repeat.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 bulls lost the momentary upper hand, and value recovery isn‘t yet strong enough to carry it forward. A less heavy move in bonds – temporary yields stabilization – would be needed to calm down stock market nerves.Credit MarketsTreasuries held up best, and that‘s characteristic of a very risk-off sentiment. The low volume in HYG isn‘t a promise of much strength soon returning.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals turned sharply lower, and haven‘t stabilized yet. Bond market pressures are keenly felt even though inflation expectations didn‘t follow with the same veracity. The next few days will be really telling.Crude OilCrude oil bulls have made a good move, and more strength needs to follow. The fact that it would be happening when the dollar is strengthening, and many countries are tapping their strategic reserves, bodes well for black gold‘s recovery.CopperCopper springboard bulding goes on, and the CRB Index isn‘t tellingly yielding – the hawkish Fed bets better be taken with a (at least short-term) pinch of salt.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum are still going sideways, and today‘s resilience is a good omen – across the board for risk assets.SummaryS&P 500 bulls need tech to come alive again, and odds are it would with a reprieve in spiking yields. While bond markets are getting it right, yesterday‘s fear in corporate bonds was a bit too much – the Fed isn‘t yet in a position to choke off the real economy through slamming on the breaks. Markets are prematurely speculating on that outcome, which would be a question of second or third quarter next year. Treasuries have though clearly topped, and stocks do top with quite a few months‘ lag – we aren‘t there yet. Enjoy the commodities ride, and confidence gradually returning to precious metals.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Interest rate sensitivity is back in town haunting technology stocks

    Interest rate sensitivity is back in town haunting technology stocks

    Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 23.11.2021 16:23
    Summary:  Interest rate sensitivity came back roaring yesterday pushing down all of our growth baskets. Yesterday's move shows the potential for a correction in US technology stocks should the US 10-year yield continue to rapidly advance towards the highs from March. We also show how the Nasdaq 100 and STOXX 600 move in opposite direction during large up or down days in the US 10-year yield. Growth baskets look awfully vulnerable Yesterday’s move in the US 10-year yield of 8 basis points made it the 10th biggest move higher in US yields this year. Back in March when technology stocks were under pressure we wrote a lot about interest rate sensitivity in growth stocks as their present value are derived from expected cash flows further into the future than the typical MSCI World company. If interest rates rise faster than future growth expectations then the net effect is negative on the present value and more so for growth stocks as they have a higher duration. We saw downside beta (higher sensitivity) in all of our growth equity baskets with the gaming basket down 2.3% and the worst performers being the E-commerce and Crypto & Blockchain baskets down 4.2% and 5.1% respectively. This tells you a lot about the sensitivity and given the drawdown in technology stocks back in March, we could easily experience a 15-20% drawdown in technology stocks. The local highs from March in the US 10-year yield is the key level to watch for a breakout and a new trading environment. With all the options activity in Tesla dwarfing the combined options activity in FTSE 100 constituents, we believe Tesla will be at the center of the next risk-off move in technology. Nasdaq 100 vs STOXX 600 are yin and yang of interest rates We have previously tried to calculate the interest rate sensitivity, but this time we are pursuing a different approach. We look at the past 231 trading days this year and group the 1-day difference in the US 10-year yield into deciles. In order to measure interest rate sensitivity we calculate daily excess log returns for Nasdaq 100, S&P 500 and STOXX 600 against the MSCI World Index and compute their average daily excess return for each decile. As the barplot shows, there is significant negative excess return in Nasdaq 100 in the 1st decile (the 10% days with the highest positive difference in US 10-year yield) and significant positive excess return in STOXX 600. This makes perfect sense because Nasdaq 100 is high duration growth stocks and STOXX 600 has a clear value tilt towards financials, energy and mining which exhibit much lower duration. The pattern is completely reversed in the 10th decline (days with large negative difference in US 10-year yield). The other eight deciles do not show the same clear spread between Nasdaq 100 and STOXX 600. In other words, if interest rates suddenly move aggressively higher then growth portfolio will take a serious hit and hence why we recommend investors to improve the balance between growth and value stocks, or said differently reduce the equity duration.
    S&P 500: Rallying Tech Stocks vs. Plummeting Oil Stocks

    S&P 500: Rallying Tech Stocks vs. Plummeting Oil Stocks

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 22.11.2021 16:46
    The S&P 500 index nearly topped its record high on Friday, but it closed lower following an intraday decline. Is this a topping pattern? For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch . The S&P 500 index lost 0.14% on Friday, Nov. 19, as it extended its short-term consolidation along the 4,700 level. The broad stock market went sideways despite record-breaking rallies in large tech stocks like AAPL, MSFT and NVDA. It still looks like a short-term topping pattern, as the S&P 500 index keeps bouncing from the Nov. 5 record high of 4,718.50. The nearest important support level remains at 4,630-4,650 and the next support level is at 4,600. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,700-4,720. The S&P 500 continues to trade along the 4,700 level, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq Reached the New Record High Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index reached the new record high of 16,625.86 on Friday, led by megacap tech stock rallies. It accelerated above its short-term upward trend line after breaking above the resistance level of 16,400 on Thursday. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. However, we can see some short-term overbought conditions. Apple and Microsoft at New Record Highs Let’s take a look at the two biggest stocks in the S&P 500 index, AAPL and MSFT. Apple accelerated its uptrend after breaking above the resistance level of around $152-154. It reached the new record high on Friday at $161.02. Microsoft slightly extended its recent advance, as it reached the new record high of $345.10. The two biggest megacap tech stocks reached new record highs, as we can see on their daily charts: Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.4% higher this morning. We will likely see some more short-term fluctuations along the record high level. For now, it looks like a short-term consolidation and a flat correction within an uptrend. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 is fluctuating along the 4,700 level. For now, it looks like a short-term consolidation following the October-November rally. Still no positions are justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak, Stock Trading Strategist Sunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Article by Decrypt Media

    More Public Debt Is Coming. Another Gold’s Rally Ahead?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 23.11.2021 15:13
      Democrats are not slowing down - the social spending bill follows the infrastructure package. Will gold benefit, or will it get into deep water? Will the American spending spree ever end? On Monday last week (November 15, 2021), President Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure package, and just a few days later, Biden’s social spending bill worth another $1.75 trillion passed the US House of Representatives. Apparently, $1 trillion was not enough! Apparently, we don’t already have too much money chasing too few goods. No, the economy needs even more money! Yes, I can almost hear the lament of American families: “we need more money, we already bought everything possible, we already own three cars and a lot of other useless crap, but we need more! Please, the almighty government, give us some bucks, let your funds revive our land”. Luckily, the gracious Uncle Sam listened to the prayers of its poor citizens. Given the above, one could think that the US economy is not already heavily indebted. Well, it’s the exact opposite. As the chart below shows, the American public debt is more than $27 trillion and 125% of GDP, but who cares except for a few boring economists? Of course, neither infrastructure nor spending bill will increase the fiscal deficits and overall indebtedness to a similar extent as the pandemic spending packages. These funds will be spread over years. Additionally, the fiscal deficit should narrow in FY 2022 as pandemic relief spending phases out (this is already happening, as the chart below shows), while the economic recovery combined with inflation tax bracket creep increases tax revenues. However, both of Biden’s bills will increase indebtedness, lowering the financial resilience of the US economy. What’s more, the overall debt is much larger than the public debt I focused on here. Other categories of debt are also rising. For instance, total household debt has jumped 6.2% in the third quarter of 2021 year-over-year, to a new record of $15.2 trillion.   Implications for Gold What does the fiscal offensive imply for the precious metal market? In the short run, not much. Fiscal hawks like me will complain, but gold is a tough metal that does not cry. Both of Biden’s pieces of legislation have been widely accepted, so their impact has already been incorporated into prices. Actually, the actual bills could be even seen as conservative – compared to Biden’s initial radical proposals. In the long run, fiscal exuberance should be supportive of gold prices. The ever-rising public debt should zombify the economy and erode the confidence in the US dollar, which could benefit the yellow metal. However, the empire collapses slowly, and there is still a long way before people cease to choose the greenback as their most beloved currency (there is simply no alternative!). So, it seems that, in the foreseeable future, gold’s path will still be dependent mainly on inflation worries and expectations of the Fed’s action. Most recently, gold prices have stabilized somewhat after the recent rally, as the chart below shows. Normal profit-taking took place, but gold found itself under pressure also because of the hawkish speech by Fed Governor Christopher Waller. He described inflation as a heavy snowfall that would stay on the ground for a while, rather than a one-inch dusting: Consider a snowfall, which we know will eventually melt. Snow is a transitory shock. If the snowfall is one inch and is expected to melt away the next day, it may be optimal to do nothing and wait for it to melt. But if the snowfall is 6 to 12 inches and expected to be on the ground for a week, you may want to act sooner and shovel the sidewalks and plow the streets. To me, the inflation data are starting to look a lot more like a big snowfall that will stay on the ground for a while, and that development is affecting my expectations of the level of monetary accommodation that is needed going forward. So, brace yourselves, a janitor is coming with a big shovel to clean the snow! Just imagine Powell with a long-eared cap, gloves, and galoshes giving a press conference! At least the central bankers would finally do something productive! Or… maybe shoveling is not coming! Although the Fed may turn a bit more hawkish if inflation stays with us for longer than expected previously, it should remain behind the curve, while the real interest rates should stay ultra-low. The December FOMC meeting will provide us with more clues, so stay tuned! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Dax 40 December hit the buying opportunity at 16080/060. Try longs with stops below 16040.

    Dax 40 December hit the buying opportunity at 16080/060. Try longs with stops below 16040.

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 23.11.2021 13:31
    EuroStoxx 50 December just completed a head & shoulders reversal pattern for a sell signal initially targeting minor support at 4310/00. FTSE 100 December a high for the day exactly at first resistance at 7240/60. Update daily at 07:00 GMT Today's Analysis. Dax holding minor resistance at 16140/160 to retest strong support at 16090/060. Try longs with stops below 16040. A break lower however is a sell signal with 16060/090 working as resistance targeting 16000 & a buying opportunity at 15960/930. Try longs with stops below 15900. A break above 16180 keeps bulls in control for today targeting 16260/280. A break above 16290 should target 16350/390. EuroStoxx holding the head & shoulders neckline resistance at 4330/40 targets 4310/00 then 4270/60, perhaps as far as strong support at 4240/30. Resistance at 4330/40 but above here allows a recovery to 4375/80 before a retest of 4400/10. Anyone want to bet on a double top sell signal here? A break above 4410 however targets 4418/20 but eventually we can reach as far as 4450/55. FTSE we have a buying opportunity at 7170/50 with stops below 7135. A break lower targets 7100/7090, perhaps as far as 7040/30. Longs at 7170/50 target 7200 then first resistance at 7240/60 for some profit taking. If we continue higher look for 7300/10 this week. Emini S&P December new all time high exactly at the 4735/40 target in the bull trend, but severely overbought conditions finally kicked in with a sudden collapse to the 4670/68 target. This leaves a bearish engulfing candle, which is a very short term negative signal. We do have severely negative divergence on the daily chart so there is a risk of a further correction but I think there are too many retail traders betting on a crash for it to happen just yet. Nasdaq December hit the next target of 16640/660 next target then a new all time high at 16767. However prices then crashed leaving a huge bearish engulfing candle, which is a very short term negative signal. Emini Dow Jones December shorts at first resistance at 35850/950 worked perfectly with a high for the day here, followed by a retest of last week's low at 35490. Update daily at 07:00 GMT. Today's Analysis. Emini S&P first support at 4670/68 but a break below 4660 targets 4640 then the best support at 4630/20. Try longs with stops below 4610. Very minor resistance at 4700/10 but above here retargets 4720/23 & 4735/40 then 4750. Nasdaq December collapsed through first support at 16450/400 to target 16300/270 then best support for today at 16230/200. Try longs with stops below 16150. A break lower however sees 16200/230 working as resistance to target 16100 & 16030/010 before a buying opportunity at 15900/850. Try longs with stops below 15800. First resistance at 16400/450. Shorts need stops above 16500. A break higher targets 16550/600 before a retest of the all time high at 16630/767. Emini Dow Jones December strong support at 35450/350. A break lower however targets 35100/35000. Watch for a bounce from here on the first test. However a break lower meets a buying opportunity at 34800/750, with stops below 34650. First resistance at 35850/950. A break above 36000 should be a buy signal targeting 36230/250. To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    Intraday Market Analysis – EUR Stays Under Pressure

    Intraday Market Analysis – EUR Stays Under Pressure

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 24.11.2021 09:15
    EURUSD struggles to rebound The euro bounced back after PMI readings in the eurozone exceeded expectations. The pair is testing July 2020’s lows around 1.1200. The RSI’s oversold situation on the daily chart may limit the downward pressure for now. We can expect a ‘buying-the-dips’ crowd as price action stabilizes. Sentiment remains fragile though and sellers may fade the next rebound. The bulls will need to lift 1.1360 before a reversal could take shape. Failing that, a bearish breakout would trigger a new round of sell-off towards 1.1100. NZDUSD lacks support The New Zealand dollar softened after the RBNZ met market expectations and raised its cash rate by 25bps. The downward pressure has increased after 0.6980 failed to contain the sell-off. The pair has given up all gains from the October rally, suggesting a lack of interest in bidding up the kiwi. An oversold RSI caused a rebound as short-term traders took profit and the bears were swift in selling into strength. The directional bias remains bearish unless 0.7010 is cleared. The September low at 0.6860 is the next support. UKOIL bounces back Brent crude recovers on speculation that OPEC+ may lower production to counter a release of strategic reserves. A break below 79.30 has shaken out the weak hands. The price has met buying interest over the daily demand zone around 77.70, which coincides with last July’s peak. A surge above 82.00 puts the bears on the defensive. Short-covering would exacerbate short-term volatility. An overbought RSI may cause a brief pullback. Then 85.50 is a key hurdle before the uptrend could resume.
    COT Speculator Extremes: Brent Oil, Coffee, Mexican Peso & Palladium lead Bullish & Bearish Positions

    COT Speculator Extremes: Brent Oil, Coffee, Mexican Peso & Palladium lead Bullish & Bearish Positions

    Invest Macro Invest Macro 24.11.2021 08:11
    November 23, 2021 By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter The latest update for the weekly Commitment of Traders (COT) report was released by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Friday for data ending on November 16th 2021. This weekly Extreme Positions report highlights the Top 5 Most Bullish and Top 5 Most Bearish Positions for the speculator category. Extreme positioning in these markets can foreshadow strong moves in the underlying market. To signify an extreme position, we use the Strength Index (also known as the COT Index) of each instrument, a common method of measuring COT data. The Strength Index is simply a comparison of current trader positions against the range of positions over the previous 3 years. We use over 80 percent as extremely bullish and under 20 percent as extremely bearish. (Compare Strength Index scores across all markets in the data table or cot leaders table) Speculators or Non-Commercials Notes: Speculators, classified as non-commercial traders by the CFTC, are made up of large commodity funds, hedge funds and other significant for-profit participants. The Specs are generally regarded as trend-followers in their behavior towards price action – net speculator bets and prices tend to go in the same directions. These traders often look to buy when prices are rising and sell when prices are falling. To illustrate this point, many times speculator contracts can be found at their most extremes (bullish or bearish) when prices are also close to their highest or lowest levels. These extreme levels can be dangerous for the large speculators as the trade is most crowded, there is less trading ammunition still sitting on the sidelines to push the trend further and prices have moved a significant distance. When the trend becomes exhausted, some speculators take profits while others look to also exit positions when prices fail to continue in the same direction. This process usually plays out over many months to years and can ultimately create a reverse effect where prices start to fall and speculators start a process of selling when prices are falling.   Here Are This Week’s Most Bullish Speculator Positions: Brent Oil The Brent Oil speculator trader’s futures position comes in as the most bullish extreme standing this week. The Brent speculator level is currently at a 98 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position totaled -12,900 net contracts this week which was a change by -1,049 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 45,201 contracts compared to the total spec short position of 58,101 contracts. Free Reports: Top 5 Companies Added to Our Stock Watch List this Quarter - Here are the Stock Symbols that stood out so far in the fourth quarter of 2021. Get our Weekly Commitment of Traders Reports - See where the biggest traders (Hedge Funds and Commercial Hedgers) are positioned in the futures markets on a weekly basis.   Coffee Futures The Coffee Futures speculator trader’s futures position comes next in the extreme standings this week. The Coffee speculator level is now at a 97 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was 66,081 net contracts this week, a change by 5,261 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 79,550 contracts versus the total speculator short position of 13,469 contracts. New Zealand Dollar The New Zealand Dollar speculator trader’s futures position comes in third this week in the extreme standings. The NZD speculator level resides at a 95 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was 13,965 net contracts this week which marked a change by 1,083 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 26,388 contracts versus the total speculator short position of 12,423 contracts. 2-Year Bond The 2-Year Bond speculator trader’s futures position comes up number four in the extreme standings this week. The 2-Year speculator level is at a 91 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -5,445 net contracts this week and changed by 11,292 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 345,245 contracts against the total spec short position of 350,690 contracts. US Treasury Bond The US Treasury Bond speculator trader’s futures position rounds out the top five in this week’s bullish extreme standings. The Long T-Bond speculator level sits at a 88 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -16,368 net contracts this week which was a move of 11,704 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 144,973 contracts in comparison to the total speculator short position of 161,341 contracts. This Week’s Most Bearish Speculator Positions: Mexican Peso The Mexican Peso speculator trader’s futures position comes in as the most bearish extreme standing this week. The MXN speculator level is at a 2 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -47,655 net contracts this week, a weekly change of 752 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 69,984 contracts versus the total spec short position of 117,639 contracts. Palladium The Palladium speculator trader’s futures position comes in next for the most bearish extreme standing on the week. The Palladium speculator level is at a 7 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -2,038 net contracts this week which was a change by 916 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 3,108 contracts compared to the total speculator short position of 5,146 contracts. Japanese Yen The Japanese Yen speculator trader’s futures position comes in as third most bearish extreme standing of the week. The JPY speculator level resides at a 10 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -93,126 net contracts this week saw movement by 12,225 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 24,635 contracts against the total spec short position of 117,761 contracts. Nikkei 225 Yen The Nikkei 225 Yen (Japanese stock market) speculator trader’s futures position comes in as this week’s fourth most bearish extreme standing. The Nikkei 225 Yen speculator level is at a 11 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -4,195 net contracts this week which was a change by -3,892 contracts on the week. The speculator long position was a total of 9,075 contracts versus the total speculator short position of 13,270 contracts. 5-Year Bond Finally, the 5-Year Bond speculator trader’s futures position comes in as the fifth most bearish extreme standing for this week. The 5-Year speculator level is at a 20 percent score of its 3-year range. The speculator position was -344,595 net contracts this week and changed by 62,890 contracts from last week. The speculator long position was a total of 300,750 contracts compared to the total spec short position of 645,345 contracts. Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.
    FX Update: USD remains firm, RBNZ taps brakes on expectations

    FX Update: USD remains firm, RBNZ taps brakes on expectations

    John Hardy John Hardy 24.11.2021 13:44
    Summary:  The US dollar remains firm after the news of Fed Chair Powell getting the nod for a second term on Monday, but a more aggressive extension of its recent strength is avoided as US yield rises were tempered yesterday. Elsewhere, a less hawkish than expected RBNZ saw the kiwi sharply weaker as the market removed a chunky bit of forward rate hike expectation on the latest guidance. FX Trading focus: USD follows US yields higher in the wake of Powell getting nod for 2nd term The US dollar strengthening in the wake of President Biden’s announcement that he would tap Jay Powell for a second term as Fed Chair extended modestly yesterday and into this morning, somewhat tempered by a strong US 7-year treasury auction taking the steam out rises in yields yesterday – with the 7-year benchmark actually notching new highs for the cycle before retreating in the wake of the auction. The more widely tracked 10-year US treasury yield benchmark is still rangebound below the October pivot high of 1.7% and the post-pandemic outbreak high of 1.75%  from the end of March. This has kept USDJPY from extending notably above the sticky 115.00 area of the moment. Elsewhere, the euro remains relatively weak despite ECB Vice President de Guindos out speaking and hinting some concern on inflation rises: “the ECB is continuously pointingout that the inflation rebound is of a transitory nature....However, we have also seen how in recent months these supply factors are becoming more structural, more permanent.” But just this morning we also have the ECB’s Holzmann out saying that inflation is likely to slow from next year. Later today we will get the expected German government coalition deal (SPD’s Scholz as Chancellor with Green’s Baerbock reportedly set for the foreign minister post and importantly, the liberal LDP’s Lindner set to lead the finance ministry), with a press conference set for 3 p.m. EURJPY and EURUSD are heavy this morning and note that  the 128.00 level in EURJPY is a well-defined range low, while EURUSD doesn’t have notable  support until well below 1.1200 and arguably not until psychological levels like 1.10. With covid spiking and a galloping energy crisis, I don’t envy the new German leadership. Overnight, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand waxed a bit more cautious than was expected by the market, and not only by raising the rates 25 basis points rather than the 50 basis points that a minority were expecting to see. In the central bank’s new statement, the bank strikes a more cautious tone: yes, clearly further rate hikes are set for coming meetings, but the bank is clearly in a wait and see mode, given the tightening of financial conditions already in the bag and that which the market has already priced in: “the Committee expressed uncertainty about the resilience of consumer spending and business investment....(and) also noted that increases in interest rates to householdsandbusinesses had already tightened monetary conditions. High levels of household debt, and a large share of fixed-rate mortgages re-pricing in coming months, could increase the sensitivity of consumer spending to these interest rate increases.” Later today, we have a stack of US data releases crammed into today because of the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow (and for most, Friday as well). The most important of these is the October PCE Infation data print. Not expecting much from the FOMC minutes later as all eyes are on whether we are set for an acceleration of the QE taper at the December FOMC meeting, with some arguing that Powell and company have more room to move and administer a bit more hawkish message, if they so desire, as the nomination news is out of the way and this reduces hyper-sensitivity to bringing any message that could risk cratering market sentiment. Chart: AUDNZDThe 2-year yield spread between Australia and New Zealand has risen sharply in recent days and especially overnight, where the more cautious than expected tones from the RBNZ inspired a 14 basis point drop in 2-year NZ yields. The price action in AUDNZD was sympathetic with the rally back toward local resistance near 1.0450, though the rally needs to find legs for a move up to 1.0600 at least to indicate we may have put a structural low in with a double bottom here. A brighter relative outlook for  Australia could be in the cards if China is set to stimulate and raise steel output, the anticipation of which has already sharply lifted iron ore prices this week, a key indicator for the Aussie. No notable expectations for the Riksbank tomorrow – as the central bank is expected to wind down its balance sheet expansion next year, while the policy forecast is thought to be in play (perhaps a late 2024 lift-off built into expectations, though the market is ahead of that as 2-year Swedish swap rates have risen close to 30 basis in recent weeks. This is the area where the Riksbank can surprise in either direction relative to expectations). The EURSEK rally has now reversed the entirety of the prior sell-off leg and double underlines the very weak sentiment on Europe, which remains “non-existential” in nature, i.e., so far the market is keeping this about policy divergence and dark clouds over the economic outlook, not about the longer term viability of the EMU, etc…, which in the past 2010-12 crisis inspired SEK upside as a safe haven. Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strengthA bit of a relative pick-up in petro-currencies in the wake of yesterday’s oil rally, as the market bought the fact of US President Biden announcing a release of barrels from strategic reserves. Elsewhere, the NZD is losing relative altitude and the USD and especially CNH reign supreme. Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.Here, note AUDNZD flipping back to positive - a move that would be “confirmed” by a close solidly above 1.0450. Also note NOKSEK trying to flip positive on the latest oil rally, although beware the Riksbank meeting up tomorrow there. .Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights (all times GMT) 1330 – US Weekly Initial and Continuing Jobless Claims 1330 – US Oct. Advance Goods Trade Balance 1330 – US Q3 GDP Revision 1330 – US Oct. Durable Goods Orders 1430 – UK BoE’s Tenreyro to speak 1500 – US Oct. PCE Inflation 1500 – US Final University of Michigan Sentiment Survey 1500 – US Oct. New Home Sales 1900 – US FOMC Meeting Minutes
    Waking Up the Giants

    Waking Up the Giants

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 24.11.2021 16:03
    S&P 500 recovered from session lows, and is likely to keep chopping around in a tight range today. Tech found solid footing in spite of sharply rising yields, which value (finally) embraced with open arms. The riskier end of credit markets doesn‘t yet reflect the stabilization in stocks, which is a first swallow. Make no mistake though, the fresh Fed hawkish talking games are a formidable headwind, and animal spirits aren‘t there no matter how well financials or energy perform. These are though clearly positive signs, which I would like to see confirmed by quite an upswing in smallcaps. All in all, this is still the time to be cautiously optimistic, and not yet heading for the bunker – that time would probably come after the winter Olympics (isn‘t it nice how that rhymes with the post 2008 summer ones‘ price action too?). Market reaction to today‘s preliminary GDP data will likely be a non-event, and we‘ll still probably make fresh ATHs before stocks enter more turbulent times. In spite of the cheap Fed talk still packing quite some punch, let‘s keep focused on the big picture and my doubts as to the Fed‘s ability to carry out the taper, let alone (proactive? No, very much behind the curve) rate raising plans – as said the prior Monday or yesterday: (…) the Fed is still printing a huge amount of money on a monthly basis, and it remains questionable how far in tapering plans execution they would actually get – I see the risks to the real economy coupled with persistently high inflation as rising since the 2Q 2022 (if not since Mar already, but most pronounced in 2H 2022. (…) True, the bullish argument for the dollar stepped to the fore as yields differential between the U.S. and the rest of the world got more positive, and at the same time, various yield spreads keep compressing. That‘s a reflection of less favorable incoming economic data. Just as much as Friday‘s reaction was about corona economic impact projections, yesterday‘s one was about monetary policy anticipation. Inflation expectations though barely budged – the decline doesn‘t count as trend reversal. CPI isn‘t done rising, and the more forward looking incoming data (e.g. producer prices) would confirm there is more to come. All in all, it looks like precious metals (and to a smaller degree commodities), are giving Powell benefit of the doubt, which I view to be leading to disappointment over the coming months. Should Powell heed the markets‘ will, the real economy would weaken dramatically, forcing him to make a sharp dovish turn – and he would, faster than he flipped since getting challenged in Dec 2018. Inflation expectation indeed held up during the day, marking modest, lingering doubts about Fed‘s ability to execute. Its credibility isn‘t lost, but would be put to a fresh test over the nearest weeks and months. The real economy can still take it, and not roll over – we are in the very early tapering stage so far still. Commodities are pointing the way ahead, and it‘s time for precious metals to shake off the inordinately high levels of fear, which mark capitulation more than anything else. Just when I was writing that it‘s as if the PMs bulls didn‘t trust the latest rally... Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls stepped in, the volume is semicredible. I like the lower knot, and would look for increasing market breadth to confirm the short-term reversal. It‘s my view we haven‘t made a major top on Monday. Credit Markets It‘s too early to call a budding reversal in credit markets – HYG needs to pull its weight better. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals haven‘t yet regained footing, but that moment is quickly approaching – in spite of the above bleak chart. Compare to the Jun period – Fed‘s talk was more powerful then. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls have made a good move, and more strength did indeed follow. The bottom is in, and many countries tapping their strategic reserves, proved an infallible signal. I look for consolidation followed by further strength next. Copper Copper springboard is getting almost complete, and I think the drying up volume would be resolved with an upswing. The daily indicators are positioned as favorably as the CRB Index is. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are still correcting, and the upcoming Bitcoin move would decide the direction over the next few weeks. The takeaway from cryptos hesitation is that real assets can‘t expect overly smooth sailing yet. Summary S&P 500 bulls would ideally look to value outperforming tech on the upside, confirmed by HYG at least stopping plunging. A brief yields reprieve would come once the Fed steps away from the spotlight, which is another part of the bullish sentiment returning precondition set. Overall, the very modest S&P 500 moves keep favoring the bulls within the larger topping process. Keep in mind that the Fed isn‘t yet in a position to choke off the real economy through slamming on the breaks, it‘s just the forward guidance mind games for now. We are waiting for the bit more seriously than last time meant, but still a bluff, getting questioned again, as inflation expectations haven‘t broken down, and are facilitating the coming PMs and commodities runs. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Crude Oil: Anticipating Dips in the Near-Term

    Crude Oil: Anticipating Dips in the Near-Term

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 24.11.2021 16:49
    The market is struggling with further downward pressure, triggered by a stronger US dollar, and threats that the US and others will start using their strategic oil reserves. Trade Plan Review Indeed, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday (Nov 20th) that his government was considering drawing on oil reserves in response to rising crude prices. Since Japan sources most of its oil from the Middle East, the recent surge in prices and the decline of the yen have pushed up import cost for the Japanese archipelago. As a reminder, last week I anticipated a lower dip that would take place onto the $75.25-76.22 yellow band. The recommended objective would be the $79.37 and 82.24 levels. My suggested stop would be located on the $74.42 level (below both the previous swing low from 7-October and the previous high-volume node and volume point of control (VPOC) from September). Alternatively, you could also eventually use an Average True Range (ATR) ratio to determine a different level that may suit you better. For now, that dip did happen Friday around that support area (likely to become a demand zone) where we might see some ongoing accumulation for the forthcoming hours. Now, we can observe a doji formation (candlestick figure), and more precisely a long-legged doji appearing on the daily chart, which is generally synonymous with indecision. WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart) To visualize how the price action is currently developing, let’s zoom into the 4H chart, which illustrates a much clearer downtrend: WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, 4H chart) So, as you can see, even on that lower timeframe we have a doji pattern, where the bulls are trying to take over the bears to push the market towards higher levels. Will the current 4H downtrend extend lower, or will the longer-term (daily) uptrend resume its rally? Let’s see where this is going to end up. Here is the latest chart from today (Nov 24th): Figure 1 - WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, monthly chart) By the way, my trade target for WTI Crude Oil positions has almost been reached. Please check out more details on my latest oil targets in Monday’s article. That’s all for today, folks. Happy trading! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Is the S&P 500 Topping or Just Consolidating?

    Is the S&P 500 Topping or Just Consolidating?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 24.11.2021 15:44
    The S&P 500 continues to fluctuate along the 4,700 level. So is this a topping pattern or just a flat correction before another leg up? The S&P 500 index extended its Monday’s decline yesterday, as it fell to the daily low of 4,652.66. But it closed 0.17% higher following an intraday rebound. The market rebounded to the 4,700 level again. The broad stock market keeps trading within an over two-week-long consolidation. For now, it looks like a flat correction within an uptrend. However, it may also be a topping pattern before some more meaningful downward reversal. The nearest important support level remains at 4,630-4,650 and the next support level is at 4,600. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,700-4,750. The S&P 500 continues to trade along the 4,700 level, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq Broke Below the Trend Line Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index reached the new record high on Monday, led by the megacap tech stock rallies, but it reversed its intraday course and yesterday it fell below the 16,200 level. The index broke below its short-term upward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple and Microsoft – a Potential Reversal Let’s take a look at the two biggest stocks in the S&P 500 index, AAPL and MSFT. Apple accelerated its uptrend on Monday and Microsoft slightly extended its recent advance. Both reached the record highs before reversing lower. Yesterday they were mixed, and today we may see some more short-term uncertainty. Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.4% lower this morning following a series of economic data releases. The market will wait for some more economic data releases - the Core PCE Price Index, Personal Income/ Personal Spending at 10:00 a.m., and the FOMC Meeting Minutes at 2:00 p.m. We may see a short-term consolidation ahead of tomorrow’s holiday break and the long holiday weekend. So overall, the broad stock market may be trading within a topping pattern. However there have been no confirmed negative signals so far. Nevertheless, we decided to open a speculative short position yesterday, and we are expecting a 5% correction from the current levels. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 backed from the new record high on Monday and it looked like a short-term or medium-term topping pattern. A speculative short position is justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting a 5% correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Dax 40 December longs at very strong support at 15750/700 worked perfectly

    Dax 40 December longs at very strong support at 15750/700 worked perfectly

    Jason Sen Jason Sen 25.11.2021 10:49
    Dax 40 December longs at very strong support at 15750/700 worked perfectly. EuroStoxx 50 December we wrote: just completed a head & shoulders reversal pattern for a sell signal initially targeting 4310/00 then 4270/60 (a low for the day here), perhaps as far as strong support at 4240/30. That call could not have been more accurate with a low for the day at 4240/30. A potential profit of up to 100 ticks. FTSE 100 December broke minor support at 7260/40 but held 18 ticks above the buying opportunity at 7170/50 Update daily at 07:00 GMT Today's Analysis. Dax longs at strong support at 15750/700 worked perfectly on the bounce with resistance at 15950/16000 for some profit taking. Strong resistance at 16050/100. Shorts need stops above 16150. A break higher keeps bulls in control for today targeting 16260/280. A break above 16290 should target 16350/390. Minor support at 15880/860. Very strong support at 15750/700. Longs need stops below 15650. A break lower meets the best support for this week at 15575/525. EuroStoxx shorts work on the slide to strong support at 4240/30 with a low for the day here so longs also worked perfectly on the bounce to 4300/10. This is the only resistance of the day. Shorts need stops above 4320. A break higher targets 4340/50. Holding resistance at 4300/10 targets 4280/70 before a retest of strong support at 4240/30. Longs need stops below 4220. A break lower is a sell signal. FTSE shot higher to the 7300/10 target as I write this morning, perhaps as far as 7335/40 later on today, before a retest of 7380/90. Minor support again at 7260/40 before a buying opportunity at 7170/50 with stops below 7135. A break lower targets 7100/7090, perhaps as far as 7040/30. Emini S&P December bearish engulfing candle is likely to signal sideways trend so ease severely overbought conditions, although my first support at 4670/68 was not accurate because we over ran again to 4656. Nasdaq December longs at best support for the day at 16230/180 worked as we held above 16100 for a bounce to first resistance again at 16400/450. Emini Dow Jones December shorts at first resistance at 35850/950 worked perfectly with a high for the day here, followed by buying in to longs at strong support at 35450/350 & a low for the day here. Perfect calls!! Update daily at 07:00 GMT. Today's Analysis. Emini S&P seeing a recovery as expected reaching very minor resistance at 4700/10 but above here retargets 4720/23 & 4735/40 then 4750. I am still expecting the downside to be limited with first support at 4670/60 . Longs need stops below 4650. Next target & better support at 4630/20. Try longs with stops below 4615. The best support at 4600/4395 this week - stop below 4385. Nasdaq December up to 200 ticks profit on our longs as we hit first resistance again at 16400/450. Shorts need stops above 16500. A break higher targets 16550/600 before a retest of the all time high at 16630/767. Best support for today at 16200/160. Try longs with stops below 16100! Hopefully that gives us enough room. A break lower however sees 16180/230 working as resistance to target 16030/010 before a buying opportunity at 15900/850. Try longs with stops below 15750. Emini Dow Jones December longs at at 35450/350 worked perfectly on the bounce to first resistance at 35850/950 for an easy 400 tick profit. A break above 36000 should be a buy signal targeting 36230/250. Minor support at 35750/700 but below here targets 35600. Strong support again at 35450/350. A break lower however targets 35100/35000. Watch for a bounce from here on the first test. However a break lower meets a buying opportunity at 34800/750, with stops below 34650. To subscribe to this report please visit daytradeideas.co.uk or email jason@daytradeideas.co.uk No representation or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and opinions expressed may be subject to change without notice. Estimates and projections set forth herein are based on assumptions that may not be correct or otherwise realised. All reports and information are designed for information purposes only and neither the information contained herein nor any opinion expressed is deemed to constitute an offer or invitation to make an offer, to buy or sell any security or any option, futures or other related derivatives.
    Santa preparing to take back the reins of the market! | MarketTalk: What’s up today? | Swissquote

    Silver on Christmas gift list

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 26.11.2021 11:06
    Monthly chart, Silver in US-Dollar, favorable timing: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 26th, 2021. Timing for a physical acquisition is in alignment as well. The monthly chart shows a high likelihood for November’s candle closing as an inverted hammer. Consequently, it provides for silver prices approaching the low end of the last 17-month sideways range near US$22. The white line assumes a potential price projection for 2022. Even if we are wrong with our assessment, a gift of silver for a long-term horizon is highly likely to appreciate from momentary levels to a much higher price target. Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart, silver on Christmas gift list: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 26th, 2021. The value of a gift like this doesn’t stop there. Numismatics provides for children and teenagers a way to study history. Beautiful coins and bars inspire us to hold on to value for future times and encourage saving. The weekly silver chart shows in a bit more detail possible price expansion from a time perspective. This would be our most conservative picture of the future. The green bordered box is an entry zone for a potential reversal to the upside. With a high likelihood of an interest rate change by the Federal Reserve Bank in the second quarter of 2022, the inner yellow curve supersedes in probability for the expected time frame for a price increase. Silver in US-Dollar, daily chart, physical only, spot to risky: Silver in US-Dollar, daily chart as of November 26th, 2021. If you look at the daily chart above, you will find that we have seen a swift downward move in the past. Under our beauty principle, there is a good likelihood that this might occur again. If so, reaction times are much longer with a physical purchase than with spot price trading. Meaning there is no need to precision trade (precision purchase) physical silver, but be not spooked if a swift, extended decline might happen. Consequently, we are pointing this purchase out for physical acquisition only but do not advise taking a spot price position based on the risk.   Phase 1 drilling program at Guigui discovered not only the largest intrusive ever found in the district, but it’s the first mineralized skarn ever seen in Guigui! Silver on Christmas gift list: In this bargain hunting season around Black Friday, we find it is especially sensible to refocus and ask different questions. The human psyche is prone to give in to instant gratification, especially after the hard time the last two years provided. But with this much at stake for 2022, possibly being a year that sets a mark in history, it might be more prudent to look for wealth preservation in a longer time horizon to invest one’s fiat currencies rather than short-lived pleasures. After all, a careful look for generations to come, your children, is a view most valuable in general. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|November 26th, 2021|Tags: Crack-Up-Boom, Gold, Gold/Silver-Ratio, inflation, low risk, Silver, silver bull, Silver Chartbook, silversqueeze, technical analysis, time frame, trading principles|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    New virus strain pulls back online vs offline bets in equities

    New virus strain pulls back online vs offline bets in equities

    Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 26.11.2021 11:52
    Equities 2021-11-26 11:20 7 minutes to read Summary:  Equities markets are selling off due to new virus strain due to this strain being much more infectious than the current dominant variants, but more importantly uncertainty over how effective the vaccines will be on this new strain. This uncertainty lifts the probability of more lockdowns and travel restrictions and as a result traders selling off physical companies in energy, mining, financials and consumer discretionary against health care, utilities, and technology stocks. While overshadowed of today's risk-off event there have been several key news out on Chinese equities related to Didi Global, Evergrande, and Meituan which we cover in today's equity update. Equities react to increased likelihood of new lockdowns Financials markets are in upheaval over a new Covid virus strain (called the Nu variant) has been identified in South Africa, which seems to be more infectious than the current dominant strains. With Europe and some northern parts of the US in a stretched situation to an already high number of new cases and hospitalizations, this new virus strain comes at the worst possible time. The good thing is that the more infectious the virus get the less likely it is to also get more virulent, but it can still put pressure on hospitals. Equities are reacting negatively because it is unknown at this point to what degree the vaccines will be effective against the new strain, and thus it increases risk of new lockdowns which leads to an economic hit. Another good thing is that South Africa has been open and transparent about the virus strain which means that countries can react faster and because societies are better prepared the impact overall on the economy such be less than initially during the pandemic. The online vs offline companies trade is expressed today Due to the rising probability of lockdowns, which was already in play before the news of the new virus strain, traders and investors are again pulling out the pandemic playbook on equities. The chart below shows Nasdaq 100 futures vs Stoxx 50 futures over the past 10 trading days which expresses the online/technology vs offline/physical companies. The idea is that online companies can better weather new lockdowns where as companies operating in the physical world obviously are more impacted by travel restrictions and potential lockdowns. Smaller companies are also more vulnerable which is why Russell 2000 futures and the global index on small cap companies are under pressure today. Liquidity is thin today going into the weekend and being on the backside of Thanksgiving in the US (trading in US equities ends today at 1300 EST) and thus the initial reaction in equities was aggressive, whereas a couple of hours into trading European equity futures have bounced back somewhat. Not surprisingly the worst performing sectors today in Europe are energy (lower demand for oil), financials (potential hit to loan books), industrials (more supply constraints and lower demand), consumer discretionary (lower demand for cars and other large consumer items), where as health care, utilities, and technology companies are less off as these sectors are necessities and can weather lockdowns better. China equities continue to weighed down by bad stories Besides the risk-off trade in equities several key stories have hit Chinese equities over the past 24 hours. The Chinese government has asked Didi Global to delist from NYSE emphasizing once again the hidden volatility in Chinese listed stocks in the US. Our view remains that investors that want exposure to China should do that through mainland and Hong Kong listings. Stocks related to the housing market was impacted negatively today from news that Evergrande’s founder Hui Ka Yan has sold shares worth $344mn which is seen as a negative for the company and the industry’s outlook, as the Chinese government is urging Hui to use his own wealth to bolster the company’s finances. Finally, Meituan has reported Q3 earnings showing revenue growth of 38% as expected but operating margins under pressure leading to widening losses as the technology crackdown and “Common Prosperity” are forcing Meituan to increase operating expenses on social security for its gig workers. Appendix: 5-year chart on Nasdaq 100 and Stoxx 50 futures
    Crude Oil Didn’t Like Thanksgiving Turkey This Year

    Crude Oil Didn’t Like Thanksgiving Turkey This Year

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 26.11.2021 15:46
      It appears that the US markets didn’t find the Thanksgiving turkey very tasty this year. CBOE Volatility S&P 500 Index (VIX) Futures (daily chart) With the “indicator of fear” (also known as the VIX or Volatility Index) spiking over 13.5 % in the European session, propelling some precious metals (gold and platinum) and natural gas to the roof, while sending the crude and petroleum products to the lower ground, the volatility has just clearly reached a higher level. (Source: FINVIZ) Most of our premium subscribers enjoyed a last ride on the long side for WTI crude oil this month while following our trade projections. For more details of the last oil trading position provided last week, I have just released that trade as it got very close to reach its projected target on Wednesday (Nov. 24). WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart) The main fears on the oil market come from the possibility of a demand slowdown starting from Q1 2022. Additionally, that timing happens when the United States, along with a larger group of countries (including China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the UK) have made the decision to release some of their strategic oil reserves on the market, aiming at artificially increasing the supply, and thus lowering oil prices. Well, this may represent one driver of prices indeed, although a more general economic slowdown associated with a non-sustained demand as we are getting into the winter, may be the main concern now. On the other hand, the winter – expected to be colder in certain regions – is also supporting the gas prices, hence the recent surge on the Henry Hub futures, along with sustained US exports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) that are also supporting natural gas prices. Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart) In conclusion, we could be entering a new volatile period on the global markets, associated with various fears maintained through headlines by media (Covid variants, restrictions, etc.). For now, I would suggest staying away from the noisy headlines and just relax and enjoy some new pieces of turkey leftovers, or whatever else if you don’t eat meat. Ignore the noise and trade what you see (not what you think). Stay tuned and enjoy your weekend! As always, we’ll keep you, our subscribers well informed. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading, and speculation in any financial markets may involve a high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Gold's Gains Get Marred as Biden Bonks Brainard

    Gold's Gains Get Marred as Biden Bonks Brainard

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 29.11.2021 08:32
    The Gold Update by Mark Mead Baillie --- 628th Edition --- Monte-Carlo --- 27 November 2021 (published each Saturday) --- www.deMeadville.com  Five key points right off the top: â–  Indeed literally at the top: the above Gold Scoreboard displays valuation having crossed above the $4,000/oz. threshold; and yet you can own Gold for a fraction of that at $1,792/oz given yesterday's (Friday's) settle; "Got Gold?" â–  Both wrong -- and moreover shocked -- we were over Biden's handlers writing "Jerome Powell" rather than "Lael Brainard" on the FedHead index card for the President to read aloud this past Monday; a selection 180° anti-correlative with the Administration's endless money 'n climate change modus operandi; â–  The emphasis of last week's piece was for a near-term technical pullback in Gold's price, wherein 'twas stated "...the 1800s ... appear safe..."; rather, this past week's low was 1777, the "Powell" selection being the fundamental impetus justifying that technical condition; â–  Prior to The WHO's (not the band, but the U.N. organization) effort to maintain its raison d'être with Friday's "Oh my! Omicron!" scare, we were prepared to state that "Powell" would push for a FedFunds rate hike in the 26 January Policy Statement; but if this instead is "The Beginning of the End, Part Deux", shall they ever raise again? â–  And "Oh my! Omicron!" in turn is credited as the catalytical scapegoat for the S&P 500's -2.3% loss on Friday, (recall the single-day COVID losses in 2020 were several times that amount); yet still not a FinMedia peep about the S&P's earnings levels simply not being supportive of the Index: our "live" P/E = 49.3x; its lifetime median = 20.4x; (ready for the next means reversion?) Now: but for two trading day's remaining in November's balance, let's go with the following usual month-end graphic, albeit both Monday and Tuesday can well blow us far from Kansas, Toto. Thus with that in mind and seat belts fastened, here are the BEGOS Markets Standings year-to-date. The economically-driven markets dominate the top three podium spots whilst the safe havens remain the also-rans. "Everything's great!" right? Specific to Gold, as above shown -5.7% to this point in 2021, here below we've the weekly bars and parabolic trends, the ongoing blue-dotted Long stance now four weeks in duration. As measured from a year ago, this past week was Gold's third worst performance on both a points and percentage loss basis. A bit of a heartbreaker, that. Even as "Oh my! Omicron!" is wild-card bullish for Gold; yet "Powell" is the more hawkish-to-be FedHead selection (bearish, but not really) for Gold: "You're saying that because rising rates have actually found Gold to rise too, right, mmb?" Spot on there, Squire. Lest we forget, from 2004-2006 the FedFunds rate rose from 1% to 5% and Gold from 380 to 710. Further, to reiterate, Gold by U.S. monetary debasement (wildly bullish) is today worth the Scoreboard-noted 4001. Either way, Gold's year-over-year percentage track has been, on balance, sideways. Which in turn really emphasizes the "Live by the miners, Die by the miners" nature of precious metals-based equities as is starkly made obvious here: For the record from this time a year ago, as positive we've only Franco-Nevada (FNV) +5%, followed in decline by Gold itself -1%, Newmont (NEM) -3%, the Global X Silver Miners exchange-traded fund (SIL) -5%, the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners exchange-traded fund (GDX) -6%, Pan American Silver (PAAS) -12%, and Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) -19%. (Note to those of you fortunate enough to be scoring at home: the U.S. Money Supply for the same period is +12% versus the supply of Gold just +1% ... Pssst: again, "Got Gold?"). As for our Economic Barometer, the past week's slate of incoming metrics found but one which was negative: October's Durable Orders (itself a volatile series). The balance of the bunch had improvements including Home Sales (both New and Existing), plus Personal Income and Spending. But the "turn a blind eye to it" Q3 Chain Deflator was revised upward: that's the party pooper, further highlighted by the Fed's favourite gauge of inflation -- Core Personal Consumption Expenditures -- doubling its October growth over that for September. "Hey Jay! Raise 'em 26 January anyway?" Here's the Baro along with the wee pullback in the S&P: Next as we go 'round the horn with the BEGOS Markets, their respective rightmost daily bars are indicative of Friday's "Oh my! Omicron!" effect. And note from the safe haven standpoint the net comparable under-performance of the precious metals vis-à-vis the leaps by the Bond, Euro and Swiss Franc. As well, the three year-to-late leaders in the aforeshown BEGOS Markets Standings turned tail toward butt ugly, namely Oil, Copper and the S&P 500. And with all those baby-blue dots of trend consistency on the skids, a Santa Claus rally doesn't at present appear in the bids: As for the 10-day Market Profiles for the precious metals, be it for Gold on the left or Silver on the right, from each one's height, they now hardly look right. Indeed, the pick of "Powell" thus far trumps any Gold-positive fear of "Oh my! Omicron!": And thus Gold for November has gone from stud to dud, the rightmost monthly bar below barely green by a nub. Gold's trying to re-secure The Northern Front remains a Battle Royale: So there it all is. Gold was on a November roll -- up some 95 points (+5.3%) -- just over a week ago, albeit with momentum already perceptively slowing, our last missive showing. Then Monday came Biden's shocking bonking of "Brainard" toward maintaining "Powell" as FedHead, and from the month's high of 1880, Gold post-bonk was swiftly down over 100 points. Even as a safe-haven following Friday's WHO surprise "Oh my! Omicron!" cry, Gold bounced a bit, but failed to hold grip, the question now being: "Does Gold further slip?" Regardless, we answer: "Just buy Gold's dip!" Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com www.deMeadville.com
    Gold is on the verge of capitulation

    Gold is on the verge of capitulation

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 23.11.2021 13:40
    The gold bulls capitulated on Monday, pushing the price back to the $1800 area. The daily charts clearly show how the momentum of gold’s rise was losing strength in the second half of the month. We saw roughly the exact reversal in May and June when gold’s attempts to break the downtrend collided with a change in Fed rhetoric. Again, as earlier in the year, the reason for the sell-off in gold was heightened expectations that the Fed would be more aggressive in raising interest rates. Markets are now laying a 77% chance of a key rate hike in June 2022, compared with 61% a month ago. For the short-term outlook for gold, the crucial area is near $1790, where the 50- and 200-day moving averages are concentrated. If touching these levels does not bring back demand for gold, we should prepare for a further sharp sell-off in the metals. A sharp decline in gold under these levels and a consolidation below them would risk reversing the bullish breakout of early November. Perhaps the best indicator of gold’s prospects now is once again the performance of the dollar and the government bond market. Further increases in yields and the US currency will undermine interest in precious metals. However, it is worth noting that the dollar looks locally overbought, and rate expectations are emotionally optimistic, forming the potential for at least a local rebound.
    Day That Changed the World?

    Day That Changed the World?

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 29.11.2021 15:48
    S&P 500 and pretty much everything apart from Treasuries and safe haven plays down precipitously, with panic hitting oil the hardest. The post Thanksgiving session turned out not so light volume one, but the fear wasn‘t sending every risk-on asset cratering by a comparable amount. What we have seen, is an overreaction to uncertainty (again, we‘re hearing contagion and fatality rate speculations – this time coupled with question mark over vaccine efficiency for this alleged variant), and the real question is the real world effect of this announcement, also as seen in the authorities‘ reactions. Lockdowns or semi-equivalent curbs to economic activity are clearly feared, and the focus remains on the demand side for now, but supply would inevitably suffer as well. Do you believe the Fed would sit idly as the economic data deteriorate? Only if they don‘t extend a helping hand, we are looking at a sharp selloff. Given the political realities, that‘s unlikely to happen – the inflation fighting effect of this fear-based contraction would be balanced out before it gets into a self-reinforcing loop. With the fresh stimulus checks lining up the pocket books, Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit etc., we‘re almost imperceptibly moving closer to some form of universal basic income. Again, unless the governments go the hard lockdown route over scary medical prognostications (doesn‘t seem to be the case now), such initiatives would cushion financial markets‘ selloffs. Looking at Friday‘s price action, PMs retreat shows that all won‘t be immediately well in commodities, where oil looks the most vulnerable to fresh bad news in the short run (while stocks would remain volatile, they would find footing earliest). Demand destruction fears are though overblown, but the dust looks to need more time to settle than it appeared on Friday above $72-$73: (…) New corona variant fears hit the airwaves, and markets are selling off hard. We can look forward for a light volume and volatile session today – S&P 500 downswing will likely be cushioned by the tech, but high beta plays will be very subdued. Commodities are suffering, and especially oil is spooked by looming (how far down the road and in what form, that’s anyone’s guess) economic activity curbs / reopening hits. Precious metals are acting as safe havens today (mainly gold) while the dollar is retreating – and so will yields, at least for the moment. Time for readjustment as the wide stop-loss in oil was hit overnight – it’s my view that the anticipated demand destruction taken against the supply outlook, is overrated. When the (rational / irrational) fears start getting ignored by the markets, we‘re on good track. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is still far out of the woods, and a good sign of better days approaching would be tech and healthcare sound performance joined by financials and energy clearly on the mend. Earliest though, HYG should turn. Credit Markets It‘s too early to call a budding reversal in credit markets – HYG needs to not merely retrace half of its daily trading decline. Money coming out of hiding in Treasuries, would be a precondition of prior trends returning. They will – they had been merely punctured. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals gave up opening gains, and with the hit to inflation expectations, lost the developing tailwind. It would though come back in an instant once calm minds prevail or fresh stimulus gets sniffed out. Crude Oil Crude oil had a catastrophic day – how far are we along capitulation, remains to be seen. The oil sector didn‘t decline by nearly as much, highlighting the overdone and panicky liquidation in black gold. Copper Copper decline didn‘t happen on nearly as high volume as in oil, making the red metal the likelier candidate for a rebound as the sky isn‘t falling. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum marching up on the weekend, were a positive omen for the above mentioned asset classes. In spite of cryptos still being subdued, the overall mood is one of catious optimism and risk very slowly returning. Summary Friday‘s rout isn‘t a one-off event probably, and S&P 500 would turn higher probably earlier than quite a few commodities. Cynically said, the variant fears let inflation to cool off temporarily, even as CPI clearly hasn‘t topped yet. As demand destruction was all the rage on Friday, supply curbs would get into focus next, helping the CRB Index higher – and that‘s the worst case scenario. Precious metals certainly don‘t look to be on the brink of a massive liquidation – the current selloff can‘t be compared to spring 2020. For now, the price recovery across the board remains the question of policy, of policy errors. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Feeling the Quickly Changing Pulse

    Feeling the Quickly Changing Pulse

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 30.11.2021 16:15
    S&P 500 rebound still ran into selling pressure before the close – the bulls lost momentum however well the government and Fed‘s words were received. Credit markets hold the key – specifically, how corporate bonds and Treasuries perform compared to each other. This would be also reflected in the yield spreads, dollar moves, or cylicals vs. stay-at-home stocks.Today‘s analysis will be shorter than usually, so let‘s dive into the charts to fulfill my title‘s objective (all charts courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is still far out of the woods, and the bulls have to decidedly repel any selling pressure - a good sign of which would be a close in the 4,670s.Credit MarketsAs encouraging as the HYG upswing is, it‘s too early to call a budding reversal a done deal. LQD to TLT performance is a good start, which however needs to continue. The worst for the bulls would be renewed rush into Treasuries, sending other parts of the bond market relatively down.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals retreated again, but the bullish case is very far from lost. As discussed in the caption, the upswing appears a question of time – gold and silver are ready to turn on soothing language of fresh accomodation.Crude OilCrude oil upswing left a lot to be desired and as I tweeted yesterday, remains the most vulnerable within commodities. The dust clearly hasn‘t settled yet within energy broadly speaking.CopperCopper held up considerably better than many other commodities, and gives the impression of sideways trading followed by a fresh upswing as having the highest probability to happen next.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum marching up today, is a positive omen for gradual and picky return of risk-on trades. The overall mood is still one of catious optimism.SummaryFriday‘s rout hasn‘t been reversed entirely, and markets remain vulnerable to fresh negative headlines. The degree to which current ones (relatively positive ones, it must be said) helped, is a testament of volatility being apt to return at a moment‘s notice. I‘m certainly not looking for the developments to break inflation‘s back – CPI clearly hasn‘t peaked. Precious metals are well positioned to appreciate when faced with any grim news necessitating fresh monetary or fiscal activism.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Apple Stock Price and Forecast: AAPL still could reach $200 by year end

    Apple Stock Price and Forecast: AAPL still could reach $200 by year end

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 30.11.2021 17:39
    Apple stock recovers ground on Monday as it rises 2%. AAPL shares close above $160 and just below all-time highs. Apple and equity indices see increased volatility as Omicron data awaited. After a freaky Friday, it was back to business as usual on Monday with equity markets putting in a solid start to the week. All those rookie traders who panicked on Friday were likely given a stern rebuke from returning senior traders who know that this market in 2021 is a one-way bet. That is thanks to the flow of money from the Fed juicing markets, a huge earnings potential from mega tech names and now a large buyback season as companies are past earnings blackouts. That is certainly what happened on Monday as volumes returned from Friday's reduced levels and markets got back to rallying. Goldman Sachs had said it does not see Omicron as a risk, and the South Africans appear to see this as an overreaction, with cases being reported as mild so far. Hopefully, this plays out to be true, but while it is hard to derail this 2021 bull, we could be in for some volatile weeks ahead. Apple (AAPL) stock news We await more concrete evidence on how sales look for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but initial reports were not positive with overall online sales down on previous years. Wedbush though sees Apple selling 10 million iPhones over the Thanksgiving weekend and predicts 40 million iPhone sales between now and Christmas. It should be noted Wedbush is strongly bullish on Apple. They have been largely correct with that stance. Apple did receive some good news yesterday in the form of a price target raise from HSBC. Apart from that, it was relatively calm on the news front. Apple (AAPL) stock forecast AAPL stock really needs to break above $162 to hold Monday's gains and push on. Above there, volume thins out, so a move to all-time highs should be achievable. Failure though will likely see a move lower to $150. Volume is light until then apart from a slight spike with support at $157. AAPL 30-minute chart The daily chart shows the strong trend intact and the $157 support. Large volume support sits at $148. AAPL 1-day chart
    Dogecoin price could see 400% gains if DOGE holders band together

    Dogecoin price could see 400% gains if DOGE holders band together

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 30.11.2021 17:39
    Dogecoin price is moving sideways after a breakout from a descending triangle pattern. A potential 400% move to $1.08 will face obstacles up to $0.35, beyond which, DOGE should rally swiftly. On-chain metrics are hinting at an increase in large transactions and a paradigm shift in the nature of holders. Dogecoin price is at a crucial tipping point in its evolution with the potential for it to trigger a massive volatile move. Hurdles exist, however, that will make it difficult to reach its intended target, of a new all-time high. Dogecoin price at make or break levels Dogecoin price has set up three lower highs and two higher lows, which when connected using trend lines reveals a descending triangle. This technical formation forecasts a 361% upswing to $1.09, obtained by adding the distance between the first swing high and low to the breakout point at $0.24. DOGE breached the triangle’s hypotenuse on October 18 at $0.24. Since this point, the meme coin has struggled to move higher but failed. Interestingly, Dogecoin price has been moving sideways and has retested the $0.193 support level thrice since August 3 with the latest revisit on November 26. This created a triple-tap setup, a bullish technical formation that forecasts a reversal in the trend. Since Shiba Inu has stolen DOGE’s spotlight, things have been calm and consolidative for the original meme coin. If the buying pressure increases, however, pushing Dogecoin price to pierce through the $0.29 level to $0.35, and it produces a daily close above it, it will trigger an uptrend. In this scenario, it will allow market makers to collect the sell-stop liquidity resting above $0.35. This development will allow DOGE to create a platform for the next leg-up at $0.44. Clearing this hurdle will open the path to retest the current all-time high for Dogecoin price at $0.74. According to this prediction, DOGE could extend its bull rally to tag $1.09, its intended target. Due to the recent downswing, this upswing will represent a 400% gain from the current position at $0.22. DOGE/USDT 1-day chart As mentioned earlier, Shiba Inu seems to have siphoned off the hype, investors, and capital from Dogecoin, affecting its price, but things seem to be reverting, with some on-chain metrics suggesting a flip of the narrative is possible. On-chain metrics predict a bright future Looking at the transaction data tells a story about the nature of investors. Large transactions track transfers that are $100,000 or more. An increase in this metric serves as a proxy for institutions and their investment thesis. Over the past six months, the number of such transactions has increased by 70.7% from 1,570 to 2,680. This uptick in the metric suggests that high networth investors are starting to take interest in DOGE at the current price levels. DOGE large transaction chart While the above metric provides an insight into the potential investments, IntoTheBlock’s Global In/Out of the Money (GIOM) model shows where significant blockades are present. This fundamental index reveals that the DOGE will face formidable challenges ranging from $0.30 to $0.34. Here roughly 500,000 addresses that purchased 47 billion DOGE are “Out of the Money” and are likely to sell to breakeven, increasing the selling pressure. If buyers overcome this uptick in sell-side momentum and produce a daily close above $0.35, however, it will clear the daily demand mentioned above. This move will also open the path up for market makers to collect liquidity. All in all, this on-chain metric also promotes a bullish idea for DOGE with a contingency that the bullish momentum pushes the meme coin above $0.35. DOGE GIOM chart While the on-chain metrics described above serve as a tailwind for the bullish thesis, the new addresses joining the network add a dent to it. This metric shows that new users joining the Dogecoin network over the past six months have declined by 34.7% from 34,320 to 22,380. This reduction indicates that despite the capital inflows observed in the large transaction metric, a majority of investors are not yet interested in DOGE. Hence, this divergence between the new addresses and the large transaction chart paints indecision. DOGE new addresses chart The discrepancy noticed above can be explained in the holders’ chart which shows a paradigm shift. In November 2020, the composition of DOGE investors was 74.2% holders (1+ years), 18.6% Cruisers (1 month to 1 year) and 7.2% traders (less than a month). As of November 2021, this composition has changed and shows that cruisers are currently dominating with a 50.7% stake, while holders have dropped to 42.1%. This drastic decrease in the long-term holders suggests that these investors have been distributing their holdings over the past year ie., indicating increased sell-side pressure, which adds credence to DOGE’s lackluster performance over the period. In summary, if long-term holders stop offloading their DOGE holdings, investors can expect Dogecoin price to start inflating. DOGE Ownership chart On the other hand, if the selling pressure increases, knocking Dogecoin price below the $0.193 support level, it will lead to a retest of the descending triangle’s base at $0.16. If the bears produce a daily candlestick below this crucial barrier, it will open up DOGE to a massive 45% crash to $0.09, with a potential pitstop at $0.12.  
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Seeks Support - 30.11.2021

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Seeks Support - 30.11.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 30.11.2021 09:27
    USDJPY tests daily support The yen consolidates gains after a drop in Japan’s unemployment rate. The pair has met stiff selling pressure at March 2017’s high (115.50). The drop below 114.80 then 114.00 has forced short-term positions to bail out, exacerbating the sell-off. The US dollar is hovering above the key daily support at 112.70. An oversold RSI has brought in some buying interest. 114.20 is a fresh resistance. On the downside, a breakout could dent the optimism in the medium-term and pave the way for a bearish reversal. NZDUSD breaks major support The New Zealand dollar remains under pressure as risk assets suffer from the omicron variant scare. A break below the daily support at 0.6860 has put the buy-side on the defense. Sentiment has become increasingly downbeat after the pair fell past last August’s low at 0.6805, which is a second line of defense on the daily chart. 0.6700 would be the next support. The RSI’s repeatedly oversold situation has caused a temporary rebound. But buyers will need to clear 0.6890 before they could turn the tables. US 30 sees limited rebound The Dow Jones 30 struggled to bounce as investors grew cautious. A break below the demand zone near 35500 has prompted the bulls to exit and reassess the short-term sentiment. An oversold RSI may cause a limited rebound as traders take profit. 35700 is now a resistance and the bears may see a rally as an opportunity to sell into strength. The demand zone between 34150 and 34400 from mid-October is a major floor to keep the uptrend intact. A deeper correction may send the index towards 33000.
    Bitcoin, overcoming adversity

    Bitcoin, overcoming adversity

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 30.11.2021 10:47
    Nevertheless, this might be over soon. Regulation might kill the majority of the expanded crypto world. Bitcoin might be banned, as it has been in the past in various countries. And yet, once fiat currency value implodes, bitcoin will be the last man standing. BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, last weeks call on the nose: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of November 23rd, 2021. We posted the above weekly chart of bitcoin in last week’s chart book release. We anticipated a low-risk entry. BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, as planned: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Weekly chart as of November 29th, 2021. Since then, prices have swiftly penetrated our entry zone. We caught two trades, a daily and a weekly time frame position. We posted these trades (entries and the partial exits), as usual, in real-time in our free Telegram channel.Furthermore, we employ a quad exit strategy that ensures instant risk elimination by quickly taking half of the position off. With entries of US$ 53,877 (daily timeframe trade) and US$ 54,000 (weekly timeframe trade), we were able, with first exits at US$ 54,591 and US$ 55,797, to not only eliminate risk but ensure profits on half of the positions of 1.33% and 3.33%. As well our next following targets have been reached! We took another 25% of position size out at US$ 55,811.6 and US$ 57,317.7, which booked us another 3.59% return on the daily position and 6.14% on the weekly position. The remaining 25% of position sizes on each trade we call runners. With stops set now at break-even entry levels, we can only produce additional winnings for each trade. Each trade had tight stops, assuring less than half a percent of risk per trade.   BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, modest odds for follow through: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, Monthly chart as of November 30th, 2021. The possible contrarian short signal on the monthly chart makes the weekly trades success probabilities for the runner smaller. Nevertheless, this quad exit approach allows for low-risk positioning versus endless mind chatter and debate since it is typical that different time frames show different long, short and sideways plays. Here, bitcoin again overcomes adversity. Typically, tight ranged instruments erase many trade opportunities for profit margins relating to commissions and risk to small. The earlier mentioned profit percent numbers are typical for bitcoins volatility and, as such, allow for risk reduction and short- to midterm profitability being more extensive than the average S&P500 annual return. Bitcoin, overcoming adversity: Bitcoin will be the cure to inflation damage for those you invested in it in a timely manner. Inflation is a creeping disease to money. Humans seem to have in history always procrastinated towards dangers of inflation, mostly since inflation treads slowly. Inflation also holds illusions supporting hope, hope that also fuels procrastination. While most who suffer under inflationary times think prices for goods went up, the reality is that monetary value went down. With this illusion, we hold on to stock portfolios seemingly rising, bonds, 401ks, and Roth IRAs trusting governments for the status quo to be protected or at least trouble to be temporary. Much more likely, most citizens are drained of their savings and cheated out of their retirements. At the end of such a monetary devaluation cycle, it will be the last time bitcoin will defend its place.  Doubt will finally vanish. Unfortunately, too late for those who did not educate themselves early enough to find a haven in this principled way to protect one’s wealth. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|November 29th, 2021|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Stocks Will Rebound After Friday’s Rout, but Is the Correction Over?

    Stocks Will Rebound After Friday’s Rout, but Is the Correction Over?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 29.11.2021 15:50
      The S&P 500 sold off on Friday after news about the new Covid variant. Today we will likely see a rebound but the short-term picture remains bearish. For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch   The S&P 500 index lost 2.27% on Friday, Nov. 26, as investors reacted to the news about new Covid variant detected in South Africa. The market broke below its recent local lows and it got away from the 4,700 level. The Friday’s trading action looked like a meaningful downward reversal. The nearest important support level is now at 4,550-4,580. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,650, marked by the recent local lows. The S&P 500 retraced most of its early November advance, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq 100 Fell Closer to 16,000 Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index remained relatively stronger than the broad stock market on Friday, as it didn’t break below the early November local low. However, it got close to the 16,000 level and it retraced almost 800 points from its last Monday’s new record high of 16,764.85. The index closed above the 16,000 mark on Friday, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple Is At the Previous High Let’s take a look at biggest stock in the S&P 500 index: AAPL. Apple accelerated its uptrend a week ago on Monday and it reached the new record high of $165.70. However, it retraced almost all of its intraday advance that day. On Friday it got back to a potential support level of around $157. For now, it looks like a downward correction. Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 1.0% higher this morning, as global markets are shrugging off the new Covid fears. We will likely see an intraday consolidation following higher opening. The broad stock market index may enter a flat correction within a short-term downtrend. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 traded within a short-term topping pattern last week and on Friday it suffered an over 2% sell-off. A speculative short position is still justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting a 5% correction. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Omicron-driven oil slump raises risk of OPEC+ action

    Omicron-driven oil slump raises risk of OPEC+ action

    Ole Hansen Ole Hansen 29.11.2021 13:35
    Commodities 2021-11-29 12:45 Summary:  Crude oil suffered its largest one-day crash since April 2020 on Friday in response to worries the new omicron virus variant could drive renewed demand weakness at a time where the US is about to release millions of barrels of crude oil from its strategic reserves. While many have already concluded Friday's slump was an overreaction caused by thin market liquidity, the focus is once again squarely on the response from OPEC+ who will meet on Thursday to set production levels for January and potentially beyond. Crude oil suffered its largest one-day crash since April 2020 on Black Friday in response to worries the new omicron virus variant could drive renewed demand weakness at a time where the US and other major oil importing nations are about to unleash millions of barrels of crude oil into the market from strategic reserves. Equally importantly was probably the very bad timing with the news hitting the markets on a low liquidity day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Long held bullish conviction trades got stopped out as the sudden elevated level of risk aversion drove major position adjustments across most asset classes. As volatility spiked, the options market also kicked into gear with hedging of short puts adding an additional layer of pressure with sell orders being executed at whatever price available. On Friday the 30-day historical volatility jumped from below 25% to 44% and it has ticked higher today, an indication of some unfinished business from Friday, but also a market which is struggling to settle down with Thursday’s OPEC+ decision adding an additional layer uncertainty. So far today, the market is trading higher, but already off their overnight highs, but the reduction in hedge selling has allowed buyers to take a fresh look with some concluding the move on Friday was most likely an overreaction. Not least considering the prospect for support being provided by OPEC+ who may attempt to prop up prices when they meet this Thursday. The group may decide to postpone the January production increase or if necessary, temporary cut production into a period that was already expected to see the return of a balanced market. Brent crude oil’s 11.6% top to bottom slump on Friday was only arrested when the price reached its 200-day moving average at $72.70 and after the price retraced 61.8% of the August to October surge. A key reason behind that run up in prices was driven by increased switching demand from record priced gas to cheaper oil-based fuels such as diesel, heating oil and propane. Following the drop in crude oil and continued strength in gas and power prices, the prospect for continued and rising switching activity will remain a key source of extra demand that did not exist during the 2020 slump. Source: Saxo Group Adding to crude oil’s current bid are forecasts from the world’s top commodity traders, all speaking at the FT’s Global Commodity Summit, that oil prices could return to $100 over the coming years as investment in new supplies slows down with oil majors diverting capex towards renewables instead of continued oil and gas production. It highlights a potential rising dilemma where politicians and investors want to move towards renewables at a much faster pace than actual changes can be made. Thereby creating the risk of a supply shortfall before demand eventually begins to slow towards the second half of this decade. Brent crude oil has set its sight on the 2019 peak at $75.6 ahead of the downtrend (red line) from the 2008 peak. Some focus on today’s FOMC meeting which may yield a change in the interest rate outlook while the market seeks further clues about the Fed’s view on inflation, and with that the need for inflation hedges through long commodity exposure.
    Intraday Market Analysis – Yen’s Rally Gains Traction

    Intraday Market Analysis – Yen’s Rally Gains Traction

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 29.11.2021 10:01
    EURJPY breaks double bottom The safe-haven Japanese yen soars on news of a vaccine-resistant covid variant. A bearish MA cross on the daily chart indicates weakness in the euro’s previous rebound. The pair has closed below last September’s low at 127.90, a major floor to keep price action afloat in the medium term. This is a bearish signal that the sell-off is yet to end with 127.00 as the next support. The RSI’s double bottom in the oversold area may attract some buying interest. However, the bulls will need to lift 129.50 before a reversal could take shape. GBPUSD struggles to bounce back The pound continues on its way down against the US dollar over divergent monetary policy. The pair is hovering near a 12-month low around 1.3280. Sentiment remains bearish after a failed rebound above 1.3420. A bullish RSI divergence suggests a deceleration in the downward momentum. 1.3390 is the first hurdle ahead. Its breach would prompt the short side to cover and open the door to the daily resistance at 1.3510. Otherwise, a bearish breakout would send the price to 1.3200. GER 40 to test major floor The Dax 40 plunged as investors fret that new lockdowns could wreck the recovery. The gap below 15760 has forced leveraged buyers to bail out, stirring up volatility in the process. The momentum is typical of a catalyst-driven sell-off. Below 15150 the index is testing the psychological level of 15000. The RSI’s oversold situation has attracted a ‘buying-the-dips’ crowd in the demand zone. Further down, 14820 is a key floor to maintain the uptrend. 15530 has become the closest resistance in case of a rebound.
    Stocks - More Volatility Following Hawkish Powell

    Stocks - More Volatility Following Hawkish Powell

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 01.12.2021 15:12
      Stock prices were volatile on Tuesday, as the S&P 500 fell to the new local low. But today it may rebound again. but will the downtrend continue? For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch   The S&P 500 index lost 1.90% on Tuesday, Nov. 30. The market went lower following testimonies from the Fed Chair Powell and the Treasury Secretary Yellen. On Monday the broad stock market retraced more than a half of its Friday’s sell-off, but yesterday it fell to the new local low of 4,560.00. Today it is expected to open 1.0% higher again, so we will see more short-term volatility. The nearest important support level is at 4,560-4,600. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,650, marked by the recent local lows. The S&P 500 retraced most of its early November advance, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq 100 Remains Relatively Stronger Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index remained relatively stronger than the broad stock market yesterday, as it didn’t extend a short-term downtrend. It remained above its Friday’s local low and above the 16,000 mark, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple Got Close to the Record High Again Let’s take a look at biggest stock in the S&P 500 index: AAPL. Apple accelerated its uptrend a week ago and it reached the new record high of $165.70. However, it retraced almost all of its intraday advance that day. On Friday it got back to a support level of around $157. And yesterday it got back to the all-time high, as it closed slightly above the $165 price level. Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 1.0% higher this morning following an overnight rebound from the yesterday’s new short-term low. We will likely see an intraday consolidation following a higher opening. And for now, it looks like a consolidation within a short-term downtrend. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 extended its short-term downtrend yesterday, but today it is expected to open higher again. A speculative short position is still justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting a 5% correction. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Copper upside remains despite months of inaction

    Copper upside remains despite months of inaction

    Ole Hansen Ole Hansen 01.12.2021 16:26
    Commodities 2021-12-01 15:00 Summary:  Industrial metals spent most of November trading sideways with concerns about demand being offset by tight market conditions, especially in aluminum and copper. In fact, the price has during these past few months, when worries about Chinese demand took centerstage, been trading relatively close to the average price seen since April. A behavior which in our view highlights a strong underlying demand for copper, not least considering the prospect for inelastic supply struggling to meet green transformation demand towards electrification. Industrial metals spent most of November trading sideways with concerns about demand being offset by tight market conditions, especially in aluminum and copper. Apart from two failed upside attempts in May and October, copper has since April stayed mostly rangebound not swaying too far away from its average price, at $9550 per tons in London and $4.35 per pound in New York. During the past few months copper has performed relatively well considering heightened worries about the economic outlook for China, and more specifically its property sector which has seen near defaults as well as a slump in home sales. Additional headwinds have been created by the stronger dollar and central banks beginning to focus more on inflation than stimulus. In order to counter Chinese economic growth concerns, Vice Premier Liu He has been out saying growth this year should exceed targets, and the government plans more support for business. High Grade Copper has been averaging $4.35 since April with the current action confined to a range between $4.2 and $4.5 while major support can be found in the $4 area. The lack of momentum in recent months has driven a sharp reduction in the speculative long held by hedge funds, a development that could trigger a significant amount of activity once the technical and/or fundamental picture becomes clearer. Against these mostly demand focused macroeconomic headwinds, we have at the same time been witnessing an unusual synchronised tightness in stock levels monitored by the major futures exchanges in London and Shanghai. Unusual in the sense that price arbitrage between the two exchanges often drive changes in stock levels from one exchange to the other. Recently however we have been witnessing levels fall at both exchanges, with aluminum and copper stockpiles at the LME falling to their lowest levels since 2007 and 2005 respectively. In fact, the six industrial metals traded on the LME are currently all trading in backwardation for the first time since 2007. A condition where spot prices trade higher than futures, and driven by the mentioned drop in inventories in response to a post-pandemic surge in demand as well as supply-chain disruptions. On the subject of supply, especially during the coming years when the green transformation will account for an increased proportion of global copper demand, planned mining taxes in Chile, the worlds biggest producers have raised the alarm bells. Politicians are looking for a bigger share of mining profits to help resolve inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic, and with a potential approval moving closer BHP Group has warned it could derail investments thereby making it harder to meet future demand, especially considering the mentioned need for copper towards electrification. Source: Bloomberg An example of increased copper demand driven by the green transformation are the number of finished and planned subsea interconnectors which are paramount for cutting emissions and boosting the effectiveness of renewable energy production. Increased volatility in the production of power from renewable sources such as wind and solar as opposed to traditional sources like coal and gas will continue to increase the need for large scale transmission capabilities of power between countries and regions. The cable below has been used in the now finished 720 kilometer North Sea Link between Norway and the UK, as well in the under-construction Viking link between Denmark and the UK. It carries as much as 1.45 Gigawatt (about the capacity of a nuclear reactor) with most of the 50 kg/meter weight coming from copper. Several other subsea links are planned over the coming years, and together with the need for increased capacity on the electrical grid to support the roll out of EV’s, demand for copper, the king of green metals, look set to increase over the coming years. Electrification and urbanisation will drive growth in copper wrote my colleague Peter Garnry in this update from November 19. In it he also offered a table of mining companies providing exposure to copper. The table below shows 16 mining companies with exposure to copper with Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, absent from the list as the Chilean miner is only listed in Chile and thus not investable for our clients. The copper mining industry has delivered a median total return in USD of 132.6% over the past five years beating the global equity up 105% in the same period. The rising copper prices the past year driven by investors positioning themselves in green metals (defined as metals that will play a key role in the green transformation) which in turn has pushed up revenue in the industry by almost 40%. Sell-side analysts are generally bullish on copper miners with a median upside of 16% from current levels. In our view investors should select one or two copper miners to get exposure and avoid the ETFs on the industry as they are too broad-based and lack the pure exposure profile needed to play the copper market. As the table also show, there is no such thing as pure exposure to copper except for futures, options and CFDs on the underlying copper. The miner with the highest revenue exposure to copper is Antofagasta with 84.8% revenue share from copper extraction and refining. Most copper miners also extract gold and silver as part of their copper operations, and out of the 16 copper miners in our list, only 6 of these miners have more than 50% of revenue coming from copper extraction and refining.
    FX Update: Powell is now an inflation fighter, not a punchbowl spiker

    FX Update: Powell is now an inflation fighter, not a punchbowl spiker

    John Hardy John Hardy 01.12.2021 16:30
    Forex 2021-12-01 15:25 4 minutes to read Summary:  Fed Chair Powell cemented recent evidence that the Fed has changed its stripes from a punch bowl refiller for the economy and the labor market to an inflation fighter at large. The market is finding it tough to absorb this message, given the recent market choppiness and virus distractions, but interesting that the US dollar has not found more strength on this momentous pivot. FX Trading focus: Hawkish broadside from Powell Fed Chair Powell cemented the impression that the Fed has shifted firmly into inflation fighting mode with an appearance yesterday before a Fed panel. The rhetoric was direct and of a make-no-mistake variety. Powell said that the end of balance sheet expansion would likely wind down a few  months sooner than originally foreseen, even with the current omicron variant of covid concerns. He also spelled out that it is probably time to retire the word “transitory” when discussing inflation, ad said that the risk of higher inflation has increased. Perhaps most interesting was a comment that persistent higher inflation brought a risk to getting the labor market back to where it was pre-covid. It is crystal clear at this point that the Fed has pivoted to inflation-fighting and tightening and will move in that direction as quickly as it can until the inflation numbers improve markedly. Of course, the market was already adjusting to clear signs that the Fed is moving into a far more hawkish stance early last week, only to be sidelined viciously by the omicron variant worries in recent days. Were it not for that interlude, Fed expectations would likely be at new cycle highs as yesterday’s signals from Powell make the Fed shift as clear as day. As it is, we have only clawed back a majority of the 2022 hikes priced in pricing of Fed rate hikes, still some 8 basis points to go for end of year Fed pricing (the “omicron discount” being perhaps 15 basis points or more?). The two curious things are that the US yield curve continues to viciously flatten and the market continues to price the terminal Fed rate for the coming hiking cycle at 2.00%. The inability for the longer yields to lift higher recently may be reining in the USD upside for. The other indicator besides yield-curve shifts that is making waves here on my radar screen of financial conditions is the measure of corporate credit, where spreads have blown wider, as discussed over the last couple of episodes of the Saxo Market Call podcast. The bluntness from the Fed yesterday may have driven the particularly bad day for junk bonds as the new style from the Fed could lead investors in the riskiest debt to conclude that they may be allowed to twist in the breeze down the road if inflation levels stay high, rather than receiving endless bailouts that keep zombie companies in business and able to forever roll forward their debts. We are set up for an interesting 2022 that will likely look very different from 2021. The shift in Fed rhetoric will make the market extra-sensitive to US data and developments that impact inflation, from energy prices, to the CPI/PCE data itself and the average hourly earnings data perhaps even more than the usual nonfarm payrolls change focus. Today’s Beige Book could be interesting for anecdotal evidence from interviews with companies on their impression of supply constraints, wage adjustments and issues finding qualified workers, etc. Today’s November ADP Payrolls was another strong 500k+ as expected. Chart: USDJPYUSDJPY was handcuffed by developments yesterday – on the one hand with the USD supported by a rise in Fed expectations, but on the other hand, JPY traders finding no fresh reason to bid up the JPY as the long end of the US yield curve remains pinned at quite low yields and there has been no shift in the Fed’s “terminal rate” – where the market sees the Fed rate hike cycle peeking out. So the price action bobbed well back above the 112.73 range pivot level that was broken yesterday, but has a steep wall to climb to threaten the 115.00+ cycle highs again, something that would likely require the entire Fed yield curve to lift, and more aggressively than expectations for policy normalization elsewhere. Source: Saxo Group Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strengthAgain, the market is finding the reaction function increasingly difficult to the recent jolts in inputs. Note the huge momentum shift in SEK, where the market overdid the recent squeeze, but the strength there will likely only improve once the euro bottoms and the outlook for EU yields and fiscal improves. Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.Well entrenched trends are few and far between, but the EURCNH and EURCHF downtrends stand out, with the latter’s lack of volatility after recent direction changes remarkable. The Swiss franc does well as a safe haven and does well because the SNB can’t be seen weakening the currency when inflation pressures are rising. Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights (all times GMT) 1500 – US Fed Chair Powell, Treasury Secretary Yellen to testify before House panel 1500 – US Nov. ISM Manufacturing 1530 – DOE’s Weekly Crude Oil and Fuel Inventories 1900 - Fed Beige Book 0030 – Australia Oct. Trade Balance
    Saxo Bank 2022 Outrageous Predictions: Here comes a revolution!

    Saxo Bank 2022 Outrageous Predictions: Here comes a revolution!

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 02.12.2021 14:35
    Saxo Bank has today released its 10 Outrageous Predictions for 2022. The predictions focus on a series of unlikely but underappreciated events which, if they were to occur, could send shockwaves across financial markets: The plan to end fossil fuels gets a rain check Facebook faceplants on youth exodus The US mid-term election brings constitutional crisis US inflation reaches above 15% on wage-price spiral EU Superfund for climate, energy and defence announced, to be funded by private pensions Women’s Reddit Army takes on the corporate patriarchy India joins the Gulf Cooperation Council as a non-voting member Spotify disrupted due to NFT-based digital rights platform New hypersonic tech drives space race and new cold war Medical breakthrough extends average life expectancy 25 years While these predictions do not constitute Saxo’s official market forecasts for 2022, they represent a warning against the potential misallocation of risk among investors who might typically assign just a one percent chance of these events materialising.  It’s an exercise in considering the full extent of what is possible, even if not necessarily probable, and particularly relevant in the context of this year’s unexpected Covid-19 crisis. Inevitably the outcomes that prove the most disruptive (and therefore outrageous) are those that are a surprise to consensus. Commenting on this year’s Outrageous Predictions, Chief Investment Officer at Saxo Bank, Steen Jakobsen said:   “The theme for 2022 Outrageous Predictions is Revolution. There is so much energy building up in our inequality-plagued society and economy. Add to that the inability of the current system to address the issue and we need to look into the future with a fundamental view that it’s not a question of whether we get a revolution but a more a question of when and how. With every revolution, some win and some lose, but that’s not the point—if the current system can’t change but must, a revolution is the only path forward. A culture war is raging across the globe and the divide is no longer simply between the rich and the poor. It’s also the young versus the old, the educated class versus the less educated working class, real markets with price discovery versus government intervention, stock market buy-backs versus R&D spending, inflation versus deflation, women versus men, the progressive left versus the centrist left, virtual signalling on social media versus real changes to society, the rentier class versus labour, fossil fuels versus green energy, ESG initiatives versus the need to supply the world with reliable energy—the list go on. We collaborated globally on Covid vaccines in 2020 and 2021. Now we need a new Manhattan Project–-type endeavour to set the marginal cost of energy, adjusted for productivity, on the path to much lower levels while eliminating the impact of our energy generation on the environment. Such a move would unleash the most significant productivity cycle in history: we could desalinate water, make vertical farms feasible almost anywhere, increase computer powers to quantum states, and continue to explore new boundaries in biology and physics.” Remember that the world is forever evolving if at varying speeds, while business and political cycles are always finite.” The Outrageous Predictions 2022 publication is available here with headline summaries below: 1. The plan to end fossil fuels gets a rain check Summary: Policymakers kick climate targets down the road and support fossil fuel investment to fight inflation and the risk of social unrest while rethinking the path to a low-carbon future. Realising the inflationary threat from surging commodities prices and the risk of an economic train wreck due to the unrealistic timeline for the green energy transition, policymakers kick climate targets down the road. They relax investment red tape for five years for oil production and ten years for natural gas production, to encourage producers to ensure adequate and reasonably priced supplies that bridge the gap from the energy present to the low-carbon energy future. This development has already jacked up prices and price volatility, not only for energy, but also for industrial metals, most of which are needed in greater quantities for the green transformation push. On top of this, surging energy prices have spiked prices for diesel and especially fertiliser, important farming costs that raise concerns about the production of key food crops. Market impact: The iShares Stoxx EU 600 Oil & Gas ETF (Ticker: EXH1:xetr) surges 50 percent as the whole energy sector gets a new lease on life 2. Facebook faceplants on youth exodus Summary: The young abandon Facebook’s platforms in protest at the mining of personal information for profit; the attempt by Facebook parent Meta to reel them back in with the Metaverse stumbles. Facebook has gone from being a vibrant hub of young people, to a platform for older “boomers” as young people would say. Young people are increasingly turned off by Facebook’s algorithms turning their social media experiences into that of homogenous feedback loops of identical content, or even worse, hateful and disinforming content. Facebook’s own research suggests that teens spend 2 to 3 times longer on TikTok than on Instagram (which is Facebook’s youngest social media asset), and that Snapchat is the preferred way to communicate with friends. A new company name (Facebook is now called Meta) and brand identity to separate and shield Instagram (its most valuable current asset), together with creating a new product tailored towards young people, is the exact same playbook tobacco companies have used for years. But in 2022, investors will realise that Meta is rapidly losing the young generation and thus the future potential and profitability of the company. In a desperate move, Meta tries to acquire Snapchat or TikTok while throwing billions of dollars into building the creepy Metaverse, which is aimed at surveilling users more directly than ever before and getting young people back into Meta’s universe of social media platforms, in the perceived wisdom that being a first mover is always best in technology. The plan struggles to take off as the young generation fails to sign up. Market impact: Facebook parent company Meta struggles, down 30 percent versus the broader market and is urged to spin off its components as separate entities, shattering Zuckerberg’s monopolistic dreams. 3. The US mid-term election brings constitutional crisis Summary: The US mid-term election sees a stand-off over the certification of close Senate and/or House election results, leading to a scenario where the 118th Congress is unable to sit on schedule in early 2023. The chaotic 2020 US Presidential Election was a scary moment for many US institutions. The sitting president Donald J. Trump initially refused to conceded defeat in the election and complained that the election was stolen, a claim that was never seriously challenged in a court of law but one which had widespread sympathy among the Trump base. A crowd of hard-core believers in the stolen election conspiracy was encouraged by the President’s rhetoric to a sufficient degree to storm Capitol Hill and “stop the steal”, i.e., to prevent the election result from being made official on January 6, 2021, in a scene unprecedented in US history. Prior to this, and then again later in the hotly contested Senate run-off elections in Georgia, dedicated election officials—many of them Republican—were doing their duty to tally the real results while risking their life amidst threats—even death threats—from extremists. In 2022, the Republicans ensure that no such traditional duty-bound officials are in the “wrong” place, with all election-related positions filled by toe-the-line partisans ready to do anything to tilt the results to suppressing voter turnout. In the wake of the 2022 election, a handful of key Senate and House races come down to the wire and one or both sides move against certifying the vote, making it impossible for the new Congress to form and sit on its scheduled first day of January 3, 2023. Joe Biden rules by decree and US democracy is suspended as even Democrats also dig in against the Supreme Court that was tilted heavily by Trump. A full-blown constitutional crisis stretches over the horizon over the stand-off as 2023 gets under way. Market impact: extreme volatility in US assets, as US treasury yields rise and the USD drops on hedging against the existential crisis in the world’s largest economy and issuer of the world’s reserve currency of choice. 4. US inflation reaches above 15% on wage-price spiral Summary: By the fourth quarter of 2022, the wages for the lower half of US incomes are rising at an annualised 15% clip as companies scramble to find willing and qualified workers who are increasingly selective due to a rising sense of entitlement as jobs are plentiful relative to the meagre availability of workers at all skill levels. The official US CPI reached a peak at 11.8% in February 1975. It wasn’t until the recession of 1980-82 and brutal policy rate increases to levels as high as 20% that inflation was finally killed. In 2022, the Federal Reserve and Fed chair Jerome Powell repeats the same mistake all over again as the post-Covid outbreak economy and especially the labour market are severely supply constrained, making a mockery of the Fed’s traditional models. Powell believes millions of Americans will return to work and fill some of the 10.4 million open job positions as Covid-19 fades. But this is plain wrong. Some have retired early due to the crisis and thus have permanently left the US workforce. The big difference between today and yesterday is that the pandemic has fuelled a great awakening of workers. Across sectors and income classes they realise they are now more empowered than ever. They demand a better experience: better job conditions, higher wages, more flexibility and a sense of purpose from work. Coupled with persistent inflationary pressures coming from the production side, the energy crisis and labour shortage, this results in unprecedented broad-based double-digit annualised wage increases by Q4. As a consequence, US inflation reaches an annualised pace above 15% before the start of 2023, for the first time since WWII. This prompts the Federal Reserve into a too-little, too-late move to tighten monetary policy faster in a desperate effort to tame inflation. But the central bank has lost credibility; it will take time to regain it. Market impact: extreme volatility in US equity and credit markets. The JNK high-yield ETF falls as much as 20% and the VIXM mid-curve volatility ETF soars as much as 70%. 5. EU Superfund for climate, energy and defence announced, to be funded by private pensions Summary: To defend against the rise of populism, deepen the commitment to slowing climate change, and defend its borders as the US security umbrella recedes, the EU launches a bold $3 trillion Superfund to be funded by pension allocations rather than new taxes. The security umbrella provided by the US during the Cold War and afterwards over much of Eastern Europe is rapidly fading and threatens to fail entirely in the years ahead as the US looks east at far more serious economic and military rivals. French President Macron, backed by a Draghi moving to stave off Italy’s own rise of the populists, rolls out a vision for an “EU Superfund” that will address the three-fold priorities of defence, climate and the related clean energy transition. Given the EU’s aging population and heavy tax burdens, policymakers know that it will be impossible to finance the Superfund with higher taxes on incomes or other traditional tax revenues. Instead, France has a light-bulb moment as it seeks to overhaul its pension system and looks at Europe’s enormous pensions. It decides that all pensions for all workers above the age of 40 must allocate a progressively larger portion of their pension assets into Superfund bonds as they age. This allows new levels of fiscal stimulus in the EU even with the sleight-of-hand trick of hiding the spending in inflation and negative real returns on low-yielding Superfund bonds that are actually EU bonds in disguise. At the same the younger generation enjoys a stronger job market and less unfair tax burdens as the system proves such a success that income taxes are lowered progressively. Market impact: Bond yields harmonise across Europe, leading to German Bunds underperforming. EU defence, construction and new energy companies are some of the best performers. 6. Women’s Reddit Army takes on the corporate patriarchy Summary: Mimicking the meme stock Reddit Army tactics of 2020-21, a group of women traders launch a coordinated assault on companies with weak records on gender equality, leading to huge swings in equity prices for targeted companies. Women are not willing to wait any longer. Tired of the lack of progress, 2022 sees a massive grass-roots effort based on social media platforms to force companies that break civil rights laws to address unfair and sexist, racist, ageist and ableist practices. Although women have been struggling with lower salaries, they have higher saving rates than men. Those savings will now come in handy as they decide to take the situation into their own hands and throw their considerable influence around in a #metoo movement in financial markets. In contrast to the often-nihilistic original Reddit Army, the Women’s Reddit Army will be more sophisticated, with women traders coordinating a long squeeze by shorting stocks of selected patriarch companies. At the same time, they will direct funds to companies with the best metrics on female representation in middle management and among executives. Instead of condemning the development, politicians worldwide welcome and support their cause, putting even more pressure on companies with outdated patriarchal attitudes, poor gender equality in pay, and under-representation of women on boards and in management to address the errors of their ways. Market impact: The movement gets real results as the broader market catches on to the theme and joins in, forcing targeted company prices sharply lower, which sees companies scrambling to change their ways. It marks the beginning of a gender parity renaissance in markets. 7. India joins the Gulf Cooperation Council as a non-voting member Summary: The world’s geopolitical alliances will lurch into a phase of drastic realignment as we have an ugly cocktail of new deglobalising geopolitics and much higher energy prices. Countries reliant on imports for the majority of their energy inputs in a rapidly deglobalising world will need to move fast to strategically reorientate strategic alliances and secure long-term energy supplies. One such alliance could involve India, with its mighty technology sector, joining the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as non-voting member, or in some sort of free trade zone. This alliance would see a reduction in India’s energy insecurity as it secures long-term import commitments. Interregional trading zones will secure “closer to home” production and investment, combined with the security of reliable supplies from India’s point of view, and a reliable destination market from the GCC’s point of view. The alliance helps lay the groundwork for the GCC countries to plan for their future beyond oil and gas and for India to accelerate its development via huge new investments in infrastructure and improvements in agricultural productivity together with fossil fuel imports, bridging the way to a post-carbon longer-term future. Market impact: The Indian rupee proves far more resilient than its EM peers in a volatile year for markets. The bubbly Indian stock market corrects with other equity markets in early 2022 but proves a strong relative performer from the intra-year lows. 8. Spotify disrupted due to NFT-based digital rights platform Summary: Musicians are ready for change as the current music streaming paradigm means that labels and streaming platforms capture 75-95 percent of revenue paid for listening to streamed music. In 2022, new blockchain-based technology will help them grab back their fair share of industry revenues. While the early days of NFTs have looked chaotic and dangerous for asset buyers, the outlook is bright for NFT technology. Not only does an NFT-based platform offer a new way to verify the ownership of rights, but also a way to distribute rights without intermediaries, i.e., a completely decentralised system obviating the need for a centralised platform. The use case for NFTs could prove particularly compelling in the next step for the technology for content generators in the music industry as musicians feel unfairly treated by the revenue sharing models of the current streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. These models don’t guide individual subscribers’ fees to the actual music an individual subscriber listens to. Rather, all subscription fee revenues are aggregated and distributed based on every artist’s share of total streams. In addition, the platforms take a substantial cut, which together with the cut paid to labels is some 75 percent or more of the total revenue. In 2022, an NFT-based service takes hold and begins offering music from notable stars – perhaps the likes of Katy Perry, The Chainsmokers and Jason Derulo, all of whom have recently backed an effort to create a new blockchain-powered streaming platform. Other well-known artists begin pulling their music from the now “traditional” streaming platforms, which suddenly find themselves terminally disrupted. Investors see the eventual writing on the wall for podcasts, movies and other forms of digitisable contents as well. Market impact: Investors recognise that Spotify’s future is bleak, sending its shares down 33 percent in 2022. 9. New hypersonic tech drives space race and new cold war Summary: The latest hypersonic missile tests are driving a widening sense of insecurity as this tech renders legacy conventional and even nuclear military hardware obsolete. In 2022 a massive hypersonic arms race develops among major militaries as no country wants to feel left behind. In 2022, it is clear from funding priorities that hypersonics and space are the heart of a new phase of the deepening rivalry between the US and China on all fronts—economic and military. Other major powers with advanced military tech join in as well, likely including Russia, India, Israel and the EU. Hypersonic capabilities represent a game-changing threat to the long-standing military strategic status quo, as the technology brings asymmetric new defensive and offensive capabilities that upset the two massive pillars of military strategy of recent decades. The first is the potential for devastating hypersonic tech defence against the conventional attack capabilities of long-range bombing aircraft, as well as the so-called “deep water” navy of ships that can bring the fight to any corner of the globe without refuelling. The second pillar of the old Cold War era was the principle of mutually assured destruction (MAD) in the event of nuclear war, under which it was pointless to launch a nuclear war as long as there was still time for the opponent to launch an equally destructive ICBM counterattack from land- and submarine-based ballistic missiles. But the speed and agility of hypersonic tech introduces the belief that superior defence could thwart an attack entirely and even allow for new first-strike capabilities. Market impact: massive funding for companies like Raytheon that build hypersonic tech with space delivery capabilities and underperformance of “expensive conventional hardware” companies in the aircraft and ship-building side of the military hardware equation. 10. Medical breakthrough extends average life expectancy 25 years Summary: Young forever, or for at least a lot longer. In 2022, a key breakthrough in biomedicine brings the prospect of extending productive adulthood and the average life expectancy by up to 25 years, prompting projected ethical, environmental and fiscal crises of epic proportions. The year 2022 sees a breakthrough from a multi-factor approach, as a cocktail of treatments is put together that tweaks cell-level processes in order to extend their life and thus the life of the organism composed of those cells. It’s not cheap, but it’s effective and has already been demonstrated on laboratory mice containing human DNA, extending their lives some 30% and more. The prospect of a massive leap in human quality of life and life expectancy are huge wins for mankind but bring an enormous ethical and financial quandary. Imagine that almost everyone can look forward to living to an average age of 115 and more healthily. What would this mean for private and government pensions, or even the ability or desire to retire? And what about the cost to the planet if it is set to support billions more people, not to mention whether or not there is enough food to go around? And then there is the ethical question of whether it is humane to not make the cocktail available to everyone. In short, how would our value systems, political systems and planet cope?
    Sundial Growers News and Forecast: SNDL back up in premarket after devastating 9% drop

    Sundial Growers News and Forecast: SNDL back up in premarket after devastating 9% drop

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 02.12.2021 17:11
    SNDL shares fell 9% on Wednesday as the entire sector becomes less attractive. Sundial is still up 19% YTD but down 41% since November 12 high. Indiana and Germany mull further legalization. Sundial Growers (SNDL) stock dropped another 9% to $0.5655 on Wednesday. This arrives after the 2.1% fall in Tuesday's session. SNDL stock has dropped 41% since mid-November's range high, which was a product of better than expected Q3 earnings. The cannabis grower and distributor saw its stock rebound 2.7% to $0.5810 in Thursday's premarket. Sundial Growers (SNDL) Stock News: Indiana, Germany next on the list for possible legalization The Indiana Democratic Party has announced its intent to push for the legalization of cannabis on both the medical and recreational front. As such, it is holding the first of several community meetings in the Midwest state next week to receive public input. Germany's new coalitional government has signalled in recent days that it intends to legalize cannabis for recreational use. The central European country is already the world's largest medical marijuana market. Kentucky State Rep. Nima Kulkarni (D) has filed bills that would work to legalize cannabis in her state. The first bill would decriminalize the growing and sale of small amounts of marijuana. The second bill would allow those over 21 years of age to possess, buy or sell up to one ounce of marijuana and grow as many as five plants for personal use. There is no word yet on whether or not the newfound takeover king of Canada's cannabis industry will announce yet another acquisition. Since the beginning of the year, Sundial has used its own shares to buy up multiple assets. It began the year by acquiring cannabis retailer Inner Spirit for C$131 million. It bought Canadian liquor distributor Alcanna for C$346 million. Alcanna owns two-thirds of Nova Cannabis, a retail operation that should drive future revenue growth. Nova Cannabis owns more than 60 cannabis retail shops in Canada. With more than C$500 million still on its balance sheet, many observers think the shopping spree is not yet over as Sundial seeks to grow itself via acquisition. If Sundial again issued new shares to pay for another acquisition instead of its cash, then-current investors would be even further diluted. This concern may be driving the current sell-off in the share price. SNDL key statistics Market Cap $1.2 billion Price/Earnings 5 Price/Sales 25 Price/Book 1 Enterprise Value $737 million Operating Margin -142% Profit Margin 0% 52-week high $3.96 52-week low $0.42 Short Interest 15% Average Wall Street Rating and Price Target Hold, $1.01   Sundial Growers (SNDL) Stock Forecast: Stock price headed to $0.50 On Wednesday, SNDL shares broke through long-term support from October 6 just above $0.61. This means the stock has little if any support until $0.50. From Wednesday's story: "If SNDL breaks this level to close below $0.60, then $0.50 is the next support. The stock danced around this level from December 2019 through January 2020. Tuesday saw a brief low below October 6, so expect the break lower to happen again." Though the stock is up about 2.7% in the premarket on Thursday, FXStreet expects it to keep tumbling. The 20-day moving average crossed over the 9-day moving average at $0.71 on Monday, meaning that level is the price to beat in order for bulls to ride to the rescue. Above here is only the mid-November swing high at $0.95 where the stock faced resistance two sessions in a row. XCAN, the S&P/TSX Cannabis Index, is down 34% year to date, while SNDL is up 17%. SNDL 1-day chart
    Huge News! The Fed’s Tapering Is Finally Here!

    Huge News! The Fed’s Tapering Is Finally Here!

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 04.11.2021 15:04
    The Fed has announced tapering of its quantitative easing! Preparing for the worst, gold declined even before the release - will it get to its feet? . Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage the one and only tapering of the Fed’s quantitative easing! Yesterday was that day – the day when the FOMC announced a slowdown in the pace of its asset purchases: In light of the substantial further progress the economy has made toward the Committee's goals since last December, the Committee decided to begin reducing the monthly pace of its net asset purchases by $10 billion for Treasury securities and $5 billion for agency mortgage-backed securities. Beginning later this month, the Committee will increase its holdings of Treasury securities by at least $70 billion per month and of agency mortgage‑backed securities by at least $35 billion per month. It’s all but a bombshell, as this move was widely expected by the markets. However, what can be seen as surprising is the Fed’s decision to scale back its asset purchases already in November instead of waiting with the actual start until December. Hawks might be pleased – contrary to doves and gold bulls. How is the tapering going to work? The Fed will reduce the monthly pace of its net asset purchases by $10 billion for Treasury securities and $5 billion for agency mortgage-backed securities each month: Beginning in December, the Committee will increase its holdings of Treasury securities by at least $60 billion per month and of agency mortgage-backed securities by at least $30 billion per month. The Committee judges that similar reductions in the pace of net asset purchases will likely be appropriate each month, but it is prepared to adjust the pace of purchases if warranted by changes in the economic outlook. So, instead of buying Treasuries worth $80 billion and agency mortgage‑backed securities worth $40 billion (at least), the Fed will purchase $70 billion of Treasuries later this month and $35 billion of MBS, respectively. Then, it will buy $60 billion of Treasuries and $30 billion of MBS in December, $50 billion of Treasuries and $25 billion of MBS in January, and so on until the last round of purchases in May 2022. This means that the quantitative easing will be completed by mid-year if nothing changes along the way. The announcement of the tapering was undoubtedly the biggest event; however, I would like to point out one more modification. The sentence “inflation is elevated, largely reflecting transitory factors” was replaced in the newest statement with “inflation is elevated, largely reflecting factors that are expected to be transitory”. It’s not a big alteration, but “expected to be” is weaker than simply “is”. This means that the Fed’s confidence in its own transitory narrative has diminished, which implies that inflation might be more persistent than initially thought, which could support gold prices more decisively at some point in the future. The Fed also explained why prices are rising: “Supply and demand imbalances related to the pandemic and the reopening of the economy have contributed to sizable price increases in some sectors”. Unsurprisingly, the Fed didn’t mention the surge in the money supply and the unconventional monetary and fiscal policies, just “imbalances”! Implications for Gold What does the Fed’s announcement of a slowdown in asset purchases imply for the gold market? Well, the yellow metal showed little reaction to the FOMC statement, as tapering was in line with market expectations. Actually, gold prices fell to three-week lows in the morning — right after the publication of positive economic data but before the statement. However, gold started to rebound after the FOMC announcement, as the chart below shows. Why? The likely reason is that both the statement and Powell’s press conference were less hawkish than expected. After all, the Fed did very little to signal interest rate hikes. What’s more, Powell expressed some dovish remarks. For instance, he said that it was a bad time to hike interest rates: “it will be premature to raise rates today” (…) We don’t think it is a good time to raise interest rates because we want to see the labor market heal more.” The bottom line is that gold’s reaction to the FOMC statement was muted, as tapering was apparently already priced in. The lack of bearish reaction is a positive sign. However, gold’s struggle could continue for a while, perhaps until the Fed starts its tightening cycle. For now, all eyes are on Friday’s non-farm payrolls. Stay tuned! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Awaits Breakout - 03.12.2021

    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Awaits Breakout - 03.12.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 03.12.2021 09:42
    XAUUSD tests key support Gold treads water as markets await US jobs data release. The metal remains under pressure after it failed to maintain bids above 1780. Sellers are testing the daily support at 1760. A bearish breakout would shatter hopes of a swift rebound and send the price to last September’s low at 1725. That move could then threaten the integrity of the uptrend on a longer timeframe. 1806 is a fresh resistance and sellers could be waiting to double down at a better price. On the upside, a bullish breakout may propel the metal to 1845. EURUSD attempts bullish reversal The euro recoups losses as traders reposition ahead of today’s nonfarm payrolls. A bullish RSI divergence indicates a slowdown in the bearish push. The pair has found support near June 2020’s lows around 1.1190. Then successive breaks above 1.1270 and 1.1370 have prompted short interests to bail, paving the way for a potential reversal. 1.1460 next to the 30-day moving average would be the target and its breach may turn sentiment around. 1.1240 is a key support to keep the rebound relevant. US 500 heads towards daily support The S&P 500 continues on its way down as investors jump ship amid the omicron scare. The latest rebound has been capped by 4650, a sign that the bears are in control of short-term price action. A combination of pessimism and lack of buying interest means that the index is stuck in a bearish spiral. An oversold RSI may cause a limited rebound as intraday sellers cover their positions. 4450 at the origin of a previous bullish breakout would be the next target. 4360 is a second line of defense that sits in a daily demand zone.
    FX Update: Omicron whiplash for USDJPY

    FX Update: Omicron whiplash for USDJPY

    John Hardy John Hardy 29.11.2021 13:42
    Forex 2021-11-29 13:00 4 minutes to read Summary:  The Friday meltdown in USDJPY and JPY crosses was all about position squaring as we had just come from a place of anticipating a more hawkish shift from central banks, particularly the US Fed. The sense of whiplash was most acute in USDJPY, which had just been up testing multi-year highs before the deleveraging across markets on the new omicron covid variant clouding the outlook. FX Trading focus: Narrative whiplash for JPY traders on omicron variant concerns The news of the new omicron variant of covid could not have come at a more difficult time for the market to absorb for at least two reasons. First, of course, was the poor liquidity when US markets were closed Thursday and only open part of Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Second was that we had just earlier the same week seen Fed Chair Powell and Brainard elevating the relative focus and position of grappling with inflation in their acceptance speeches, which had sent Fed rate hike expectations to new highs for the cycle early last week before the news hit. That ratcheting up of Fed rate anticipation had helped take USDJPY to new highs since early 2017 above 115.00 and EURUSD to new lows below 1.1200. But the positioning build-up in USDJPY has been far more extreme and the reaction in JPY crosses on Friday was fully in fitting with the JPY’s old status as a safe haven. Note that AUDJPY had its worst single-day drop since the heart of the pandemic outbreak panic in March of last year, while EURJPY has poked below the important 128.00 area that would suggest a break-down if the move holds. EURUSD rose sharply, as the sudden repricing of the Fed saw the EU-US yield spread tightening sharply, but the move would have to extend as far as 1.1500 to start having more profound technical implications. Has the market taken the news too far? That is not for me to judge, as it will take some time to assess the status of the reach of the current outbreak transmissibility, virulence and vaccine-evading characteristics of this new variant, all while real damage is being done as some countries are limiting travel, some merely from the areas where the new variant was discovered in southern Africa, while Japan has announced a full ban on inbound travel starting tomorrow. US President Biden will speak on the new variant later today. What does the best outcome look like? The omicron variant proves very transmissible, but is considerably milder and/or not particularly good at getting around the existing vaccines. Worst case involves some combination of significant vaccine evading characteristics and virulence that is anywhere similar to prior variants. I suspect that without immediate good news (real news surely requires at least a week from here?), the uncertainty could see risk-correlated trades dragged lower before things can improve, but a significant further deterioration in risk assets would likely require actual bad news emerging rather than merely an extension of the uncertainty. Regarding a timeline for learning more about the risks from the omicron variant, it’s best perhaps to admit that I have no clue, but a Reuters article suggests the major vaccine makers may be able to determine efficacy of existing vaccines in about two weeks. Chart: USDJPYWhile other JPY crosses were bigger movers on Friday, the technical development in USDJPY was the most remarkable, as it came off new cycle- and multi-year highs. The damage is significant locally, but would turn more severe if the 112.73 pivot low from October is broken and then goes on to challenge the more structurally significant 111.50-111.00 area. Source: Saxo Group Looking at the week ahead, we would normally be touting the importance of the next set of US survey numbers (November Consumer Confidence and November ISM Manufacturing on Wednesday and ISM Services on Friday) and November jobs and earnings numbers on Friday, but instead, we’ll have to juggle the ongoing news flow and headlines from the new virus variant and may have to file these data away for a later “pent-up” reaction if the omicron variant impact dissipates. Besides the US dollar and the JPY, I will watch all points on the US yield curve and risk sentiment measures closely for how the market is reading the situation. Powell is out today with opening remarks at some event - more interesting is testimony tomorrow, together with Treasury Secretary Yellen, on the policy response to the pandemic, which could see interesting exchanges on inflation, etc.  Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strengthThe JPY is in a very different place from where it was a week ago or even two trading sessions ago and looks to remain the high-beta currency to whether the virus news drags market sentiment. The SEK reading looks extreme, but difficult to fade in terms of picking levels – downside put spreads in EURSEK the cautious way to proceed for those interested in fading this move now rather than waiting for a reversal pattern to develop. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.Talking trends is treacherous business when the market goes into headline reactivity mode, but note that USDJPY and CNHJPY turning negative (if they close lower today) would make it a clean sweep for the JPY across the board. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights (all times GMT) 1300 – Germany Nov. Flash CPI 1330 – Canada Oct. Industrial Product Prices 1530 – US Nov. Dallas Fed Manufacturing Survey 1715 – ECB President Lagarde to speak 2000 – US Fed’s Williams (voter) to speak 2005 – US Fed Chair Powell gives opening remarks at conference 2350 – Japan Oct. Industrial Production US President Biden to speak about omicron variant 0030 – Australia Oct. Building Approvals 0100 – China Nov. Manufacturing and Non-manufacturing PMI 0200 – Australia RBA’s Debelle to speak
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Accumulates Support

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Accumulates Support

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 02.12.2021 08:58
    USDCHF to test key support The US dollar stabilized after Jerome Powell hinted at speeding up the taper pace. The break below 0.9270 has put the rally on hold. The support has turned into resistance with the latest rebound fading. But a bullish divergence suggests a loss of momentum in the retracement as the price approaches 0.9140. Buying could be expected in this demand zone around November’s low 0.9100. Sentiment remains upbeat as long as the greenback is above this level. A bounce above 0.9270 may resume the uptrend. XAGUSD remains under pressure Silver struggled after US Treasury yields jumped on Fed’s hawkish tilt. A bearish MA cross on the daily chart indicates a deterioration in the market mood after a drop below the floor at 23.00. An oversold RSI caused a limited rebound which was then capped by 23.30. This was a sign that the bears were still in control of the direction. The psychological level of 22.00 is the next support. Its breach would lead to September’s lows at 21.50, an important level to keep the metal afloat in the medium term. USOIL tests major demand zone WTI crude inches higher as OPEC+ discuss whether to let additional output flow as previously planned. The price is hovering above a major demand zone between 62.00 and 64.00. A bullish RSI divergence indicates that the selling pressure might have eased. A rally above 71.20 could force the short side to cover and bring in more buying momentum. Then 76.00 would be the next hurdle before a full-blown recovery. On the downside, a bearish breakout could trigger a broader sell-off and potentially derail a 19-month long rally.
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: ETH outperforming its peers, BTC struggles and XRP bearish

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: ETH outperforming its peers, BTC struggles and XRP bearish

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 02.12.2021 17:11
    Bitcoin refrains from making new highs as Tuesday’s gap-fill kills uptrend continuation. Ethereum outpaces its peers by barely hitting new all-time highs. XRP price again looking for direction as investors interest wanes. The Bitcoin bull rally got stopped in its tracks this week after BTC price came under more pressure from the Omicron story, and the resulting market turmoil. Ethereum price, however, came just $16 away from making a new record high, making gains in contrast to the other two majors. XRP saw investors buying the dip, but the uptrend hit a wall and got stopped in its tracks. Bitcoin price on the backfoot after a slowdown that made it lose bullish momentum Bitcoin (BTC) price popped higher at the beginning of the week, shrugging off investors' concerns about the new Covid variant. On Monday, BTC price opened up much higher than where it closed on Sunday, forming a gap in the chart. As a general rule, gaps get filled sooner rather than later, and this was the case on Monday, when bulls saw their early gains lost as BTC price retraced to fill the gap. Bears have seized the opportunity to defend the new monthly pivot for December at $59,586, which coincides with the start of a Fibonacci retracement.. Evidence of this weakening can be found in the Relative Strength Index (RSI), dipping back below 50, showing that bullish demand is starting to wane. BTC/USD daily chart As a result of current market uncertainty, expect potential investors to stay on the sidelines. Although the red descending trend line has been broken a little, it still holds importance and investors will probably only step in following a break back above it, helped, perhaps, by breaking news about vaccine effectiveness against the new strain. Either that or investors will sit on their hands and wait for another bounce off $53.350. Should that level fail to hold, however, and there is more bad news, expect a quick 6% drop towards the $50,000 psychological level and previous historical support. At that level bulls will likely mount a defence against a further downturn. Ethereum price outpaces its peers and could make new highs by the end of this week Ethereum (ETH) price, unlike Bitcoin and XRP, saw bulls run a tight and steep rally from $4,000 towards $4,936 in just five days. That was in a troubled market-facing considerable headwinds. That said, bulls now need to keep a tight stop on current ETH price action in order for a bull trap not to form, after the pull-back on profit-taking that occurred in the wake of price barely hitting an all-time high. ETH quickly reversed from its highs on Wednesday and tested the December pivot at $4,481. That is just $16 above the historical technical level marked up on the chart from November 12. This is a level of great importance and it will be very interesting to see if bulls can maintain price action above it, perhaps, helped by a possible bounce off the red top line that has so far been successfully capping price action to the upside. ETH/USD daily chart That red descending trend line, on the other hand, should support a break below $4,465, but if bulls flee the scene, expect a bull trap to form and price to run down lower. The first support tested in that decline is the historical double top at $4,060, with the monthly S1 support level at $4,000 just below there. The correction could already hold 18% of accrued losses from the highs of Wednesday, which would attract investors interested in the buying opportunity at those levels. Ethereum prices breaks all resistance barriers, with $5,000 within sight XRP price sees bulls rejected at $1.05, pushing price back towards $0.88 Ripple (XRP) price saw sparks fly in a nice uptrend on Wednesday, but then hit a bump in the road after the $1.05 level held firmly, following two failed tests to the upside. The rejection that squeezed prices to the downside on Tuesday, probably washed out quite a lot of investors and technical traders, and caused the lack of momentum and drive in XRP price action to tackle that $1.05 resistance. As the price fades further to the downside today, expect current market uncertainty to weigh further on XRP and see a possible retest of the short-term double bottom at $0.88. XRP/USD daily chart On a retest of that double bottom, a break looks more than likely, as the level holds no historical or other significance. That would hand bears the opportunity to push XRP price down towards either $0.84, for the third test of support at that level, or breakthrough and run down to $0.80, which is a prominent figure and the level of the monthly S1 pivot support level, combined with a historical significant support level at $0.78, originating from June 8. This would provide the perfect zone for a fade-in trade for XRP traders. XRP price appears to develop nasty bear trap
    Ready, set, silver, go

    Ready, set, silver, go

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 03.12.2021 12:56
    The most obvious first step is: “How much?” Depending on your time horizon and if your approach is purely diversification for your overall portfolio, a percentage of total investment capital needs to be set. This percentage should be higher on a more aggressive wealth preservation strategy and higher expected returns on beating inflation. Another aspect is if silver is traded as the only hedge or alongside other precious metals. Silver already has a leverage factor in relationship to gold. For example, gold’s response to covid was a 37% up move, while silver moved up 80%. This volatility leverage works both ways, increasing the risk for silver if not purchased on low-risk entry points and traded with appropriate money management. We have pointed out various reasons why we find silver an extremely attractive play long term in this year’s chart book releases. Monthly chart (a week ago), Silver in US-Dollar, ready: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of November 26th, 2021. The above chart was posted in our last week’s publication. We wrote:” The monthly chart shows a high likelihood for November’s candle closing as an inverted hammer. Consequently, it provides for silver prices approaching the low end of the last 17-month sideways range near US$22.” Monthly chart, Silver in US-Dollar, set: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of December 3rd, 2021. We were spot on. The anticipated entry zone has been reached. We added to our physical holdings and shared the trade live in our free Telegram channel. Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart, silver: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of December 3rd, 2021. We asked, “how much?” and in what diversification, which leaves us with the question of what denomination. The rule of thumb is that the smaller the weight amount is and the more recognizable the brand, the higher the cost. In addition, valuable numismatic collector’s coins have premiums as well. Generally, we find the added cost of brand items (Canadian maple leaf, American eagles, Austrian Philharmonic, and alike) to be of value since it adds to liquidity at a time of sale. While we would stay away from the added cost of numismatic collectible coins, we find there to be value to have a mix of coins and larger bars to arrive at a reasonably low-cost basis with a high degree of liquidity at the time of sale (larger bars are harder to sell than one-ounce coins). The weekly chart above illustrates that as much as we have entered the “shopping zone” for silver, there is a probability that we might see a quick spike down as we have seen at the end of September. As pointed out in the previous chart book, the goal of physical acquisition should not be the ultimate lowest price but availability and execution itself. We make a point of this, especially since we noticed that physical acquisition prices have in percentage retraced much less than the spot price right here, and once the turn is complete, could proportionally faster jolt up. Silver in US-Dollar, quarterly chart, go: Silver in US-Dollar, quarterly chart as of December 3rd, 2021. It is essential to have an exit strategy in place before entry. These exit projections are necessary to measure risk/reward-ratios. Moreover, with the entire plan clear, there will be no debate while in the trade. This part of exit psychology is often overlooked, but a low-risk entry point alone does not provide a good strategy. We expect a price advance on silver within the next six to eight quarters to a price target of US$74.40! Significant profits allowing for an outstanding risk/reward-ratio. Ready, set, silver, go: Last week, we anticipated the market’s direction correctly and find ourselves now at the desired low-risk entry zone. With possible additional questions about physical acquisition answered today, we might have reduced doubt. The devil is in the details, and due to the various countries, their taxation law, and the wide variety of official precious metal dealers, we did not dive into the details on where to take possession of your possibly desired purchase.  Nevertheless, our multinational membership in our free Telegram channel might provide helpful information to your specific situation. We hope we have provided enough knowledge to erase doubt. We encourage participation since we see procrastination towards a wealth preservation strategy as the poorest choice in this challenging time for your hard-earned money. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|December 3rd, 2021|Tags: Crack-Up-Boom, Gold, Gold/Silver-Ratio, inflation, low risk, Silver, silver bull, Silver Chartbook, silversqueeze, technical analysis, time frame, trading principles|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    FX Update: EURCHF lower has been the Teflon trade

    FX Update: EURCHF lower has been the Teflon trade

    John Hardy John Hardy 03.12.2021 13:50
    Forex 2021-12-03 13:28 4 minutes to read Summary:  A look across FX shows many of the usual suspects weakening with the recent bout of risk aversion, with commodity currencies near important levels versus the US dollar. While the JPY has traded erratically of late on conflicting themes and has not shown its safe haven status of yore, the Swiss franc has, managing to thrive when the focus is on inflation and when it is on weak risk sentiment as the SNB seems to have quietly stepped away from reining in franc strength. FX Trading focus: EURCHF lower has been the Teflon trade The most consistent trending pair in G10 FX of late has been the slide in EURCHF, which has even slipped below the prior six-plus-year low near 1.0500 over the last week. Remarkably, the pair has maintained its consistent ride lower through some remarkable jolts in the background, including the more hawkish shift from the Fed and the omicron news. This may suggest that the move is not being driven by strong speculative flows – which might have shown significant volatility in line with other currency pairs recently, but rather by consistent flows as the Swiss National Bank has apparently stepped away from the assumed stout defense of the 1.0500 level. The last two weeks of sight deposit data have shown no growth, i.e., no signs that the SNB is leaning against this move after doing so the prior four weeks. Also, when inflation fears dominate as they have at times recently, CHF strength is an easy way to avoid importing inflation without rocking the boat with monetary policy signals, while CHF strength is also a natural safe haven play when volatility spikes as it has in recent weeks. The consistent trend may be set to extend here, with parity in EURCHF a natural target. Elsewhere in FX, most of the smaller currencies are lining up on the usual risk-on, risk-off fault-lines, with commodities currencies and Scandies all weak as sentiment has softened again today, although it will be interesting to see if oil prices can make a stand after the reversal of the sharp sell-off yesterday despite nominally bearish news. Big next levels coming into view include 1.3000 in USDCAD and 0.7000 in AUDUSD. On the strong side, the EUR, USD and JPY are jockeying for the upper hand in addition to the strong CHF noted. The reaction function around today’s US jobs report (can a strong average hourly earnings add further energy to Fed upside expectations on top of an already momentous shift, and how much will residual omicron uncertainty hold back that pricing for now?). Chart: EURCHFEURCHF has weakened steadily since mid September in line with the weakening in EURUSD, but far more steadily than the latter, as this trend has managed to sustain through recent volatility elsewhere and shifting focus. The technical situation is without remarkable variation and there are no signs that the SNB is leaning against the move of late. Could the move extend all the way to within reach of parity? Source: Saxo Group Elsewhere, notable BoE hawk Michael Saunders was cautious sounding in comments today on the omicron variant uncertainty, prompting the sharp slide in sterling today. He said that the omicron development is a key consideration for whether to hike in December and sees some advantages in the BoE waiting for omicron data, which may sideline any hike potential at the December 16 meeting, with the market currently putting low odds on a move (difficult to measure – the idea has developed that the BoE will hike 15 bps to 0.25%, with about a 5-7 bps of hiking priced). Saunders still favors policy tightening soon and said today that the rate rise would be limited if the BoE gets going soon. Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strengthThe impressive CHF rising nearly all the way to the top of the table here, as the left/right split of the G10 currencies is nearly perfect, with all of the five “smalls” in the red, most of them deeply so. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.Plenty of bright orange readings in the daily ATR shadings – these indicate very significant volatility relative to the last 1000 trading days (top 10% ranking), , while it is interesting to note something like the EURUSD supermajor still trading with still quite low intraday volatility. AUDNZD is trying to flip back to negative, while USDCHF and USDJPY have yet to follow through lower after their recent flips to the negative in the “trend” reading. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights (all times GMT) 1300 – ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane to speak 1330 – US Nov. Change in Nonfarm Payrolls 1330 – US Nov. Average Hourly Earnings 1330 – US Nov. Unemployment Rate 1330 – Canada Nov. Net Change in Employment 1330 – Canada Nov. Unemployment Rate 1415 – US Fed’s Bullard (voter in 2022) to speak 1500 – US Nov. ISM Services  1500 – US Nov. Factory Orders
    Bonds Didn‘t Disappoint

    Bonds Didn‘t Disappoint

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 03.12.2021 15:57
    S&P 500 sharply rebounded, and signs are it has legs. My key risk-on indicator to watch yesterday, HYG, turned up really strongly. No problem that the dollar didn‘t decline, it‘s enough that financials and energy caught some breath. We‘re turning to risk-on as Omicron didn‘t cause the sky to fall. What a relief! Seriously, it doesn‘t look that hard lockdowns would be employed, which means the market bulls can probe to go higher again. What I told you on Wednesday already in the title It‘s the Fed, Not Omicron, today‘s non-farm payrolls illustrate. Such was the game plan before the data release, and this refrain of bad is the new good, is what followed. The Fed is desperately behind the curve in taming inflation, and its late acknowledgment thereof, doesn‘t change the bleak prospects of tapering (let alone accelerated one) into a sputtering economy. What we‘re experiencing currently in the stock market, is a mere preview of trouble to strike in 2022. We‘re in the topping process, and HYG holds the key as stated yesterday. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 returned above the 50-day moving average, the volume wasn‘t suspicious – the bulls have regained the benefit of the doubt, and need to extend gains convincingly and sectorally broadly next. Credit Markets HYG successfully defending gained ground, would be a key signal of strength returning to risk-on assets and lifting up S&P 500. There is still much to go – remember that the sharpest rallies happen in bear markets, so all eyes on HYG proving us either way. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals weakness looks deceptive and prone to reversal to me – the real fireworks though still have to wait till the Fed gets doubted with bets placed against its narratives. Crude Oil Crude oil plunge is getting slowly reversed, about to. Beaten down the most lately, black gold is readying an upside surprise. Copper Copper is turning higher, taking time, but turning up – it‘s positive, but still more of paring back recent setback than leading higher. I‘m reasonably optimistic, and acknowledge much time is needed to reach fresh highs. Bitcoin and Ethereum The bearish ambush of Bitcoin and Ethereum didn‘t get too far – crypto consolidation goes on, no need to panic or get excited yet. Summary S&P 500 is in a recovery mode, and the bulls look ready to prove themselves. The keenly watched HYG close presaged the odds broadly tipping the risk-on way, just as much as cyclicals did. It‘s a good omen that commodities are reacting – not too hot, not too cold – with precious metals in tow. In tow, as the Fed isn‘t yet being doubted – the NFPs are a first swallow of its inability to carry out tapering plans till the (accelerated or not) end. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    The Trade Entry Has Been Triggered – How to Secure Profits?

    The Trade Entry Has Been Triggered – How to Secure Profits?

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 03.12.2021 15:34
      Entry… triggered! The price rallies to the Moon, but you don’t want to cash out “just yet” - am I right? So, let’s see how to prevent hard landing. There are obviously several methods to assess risk and thus to manage it, depending on one’s risk appetite or what is also more commonly known as risk profile. One method I use on swing (longer-term) trades is to manually lift my stop once – at least – 50% of the first target has been reached on a swing trade. I provide such trades on Sunshine Profits based on the projections I draw. Let’s take a practical case: in my last trade position on WTI crude oil provided on Nov-30, the market found a floor around $66. Then after being pushed up by the bulls, it rebounded onto that support level ($65.70-66.21), and rallied up to $69.49. So, if we take our reference entry in the middle of the yellow band at $66, the market moved up exactly 70% of the total distance to the target 1. At this point, to avoid giving profits away, an option would be to lift the stop to net breakeven ($66 + commissions/fees) so that the risk for that trade could get offset once 50% of the distance to the target 1 is passed. Following that, if, for example, the market pursues its rally further – let’s say up to 60% – then the stop will be lifted to net breakeven + 10% of the distance to the target 1. In our case the market rallied up to 70% of the distance to the target 1, so the stop should be lifted to net breakeven + 20% of the distance to the target 1. From my experience, this may represent a good way to manually trail your stop. Of course, there are many different methods to do so, but I haven’t heard of many investors or traders mentioning that one, therefore I wanted to present it here. The following chart is the one I posted in my trade review published on Wednesday, the 1st of December: WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart from Dec-1) To better visualize the price action that occurred, we zoomed into the 4-hour chart: WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, 4H chart from Dec-1) As you can see, the level provided was optimum given its function to act as a floor for rebounding prices. Then, the market was up to 70% of the total distance to reach the target 1, and finally reverted back down to the stop level. Now, this is today’s chart: WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart) Again, a zoom into the 4H chart lets us see more details of the price action that occurred: WTI Crude Oil (CLF22) Futures (January contract, 4H chart) In summary, using such a method of risk management to keep intermediate profits before the trade reverts strongly to the downside might be a good idea, particularly during high volatility periods. Are you interested in seeing this strategy in action? Make sure to check my Oil Trading Alerts! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    S&P 500 – Is a 5% Correction Enough?

    S&P 500 – Is a 5% Correction Enough?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 03.12.2021 15:57
      The S&P 500 bounced from the 4,500 level on Thursday, as it retraced most of its Wednesday’s sell-off. Was it a reversal or just another upward correction? For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch   The broad stock market index gained 1.42% on Thursday after opening slightly lower and bouncing from the new local low of 4,504.73. The index fell the lowest since the October 19 and it went below its early September local high of around 4,546. Overall, it lost 5.04% from the Nov. 22 record high of 4,743.83. But Thursday’s trading session was bullish and stocks were gaining. Was it an upward reversal? This morning stocks are expected to open 0.3% higher after the mixed monthly jobs data release. For now, it looks like a correction within a downtrend. We may see a short-term consolidation following the recent declines. The nearest important support level is now at 4,500. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,580-4,600, marked by the recent local lows. The S&P 500 remains below its short-term downward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq 100 Remains Close to the 16,000 Level Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index remains relatively stronger than the broad stock market, as it is still trading above the early September local highs of around 15,700. However, the technology index gained just 0.7% yesterday, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple Remains Volatile After Reaching New Record High Let’s take a look at biggest stock in the S&P 500 index: AAPL. Apple accelerated its uptrend once again and on Wednesday it reached the new record high of $170.30. Apple’s market cap reached almost 2.8 trillion dollars! But on Thursday, the stock was 7.3% below its Wednesday’s high, before bouncing back above the $160 level. So the stock priceremains very volatile and we may see a medium-term topping pattern. Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.3% higher this morning after the mixed monthly jobs data release. We may see a consolidation and some more volatility following the recent declines. There have been no confirmed positive signals so far. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 slightly extended its short-term downtrend yesterday before bouncing from the 4,500 level. A speculative short position is still justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting an over 5% correction. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Weekly Close Out

    Weekly Close Out

    Luke Suddards Luke Suddards 04.12.2021 17:45
    Omicron: In today’s weekly I’ll be dedicating some digital ink for the latest information on the new variant omicron. Ok so what are the major points of importance. New admissions to hospitals in Gauteng increased by 144% last week (hospitalisations lag cases by around 1-3 weeks). So far the early data shows the majority of these hospitalisations are from the unvaccinated (if that trend remains that’s positive). However, a recent study released from South Africa indicates reinfection risk is 3 times higher than previous variants. In terms of the deadliness of this variant, the early data looks good with Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly stating that of the 300 cases recorded worldwide all were very mild or had no symptoms at all. However, the sample size is too small so we can’t draw solid conclusions at this stage. The major vaccine makers have offered timelines of two to six weeks for assessing the vaccine escape properties of omicron via in-vitro lab tests. Interestingly, Moderna is less optimistic than Pfizer about expecting current vaccines needing to be tweaked to fend off the omicron variant. Volatility will remain high as the market remains on tenterhooks as new information drips through. Dollar Index (DXY): The greenback is flat on the week, with many quite perplexed by the lack of gains (particularly against the euro) given the hawkish Fed pivot and risk sentiment remaining on edge. The dollar coming in flat is a combination of gains against high-beta cyclical companies offset by losses against traditional safe haven currencies. Just take a look at the charts of USDJPY and AUDUSD. In terms of the euro, I’ll chat more about that below in the EURUSD paragraph. The big domestic news for the dollar this week was Jerome Powell’s hawkish rhetoric. The word transitory is to be retired as he admits the threat of persistently higher inflation has grown. On the QE purchases side of things, he remains open to it being wrapped up earlier than originally expected with a discussion on a faster pace taking place in 2 weeks at their December meeting. He elucidated his thoughts on the employment side of their mandate, stating that a great labour market requires a protracted expansion and in order to achieve this price stability has to occur. I see this as inflation now taking primacy over employment goals, indicating a shift in the Fed’s thinking with regards to inflationary pressures. The hawkish commentary from FOMC members this week such as Daly, Quarles, Barkin and Bostic would certainly suggest this is the case. STIRs are showing rate lift-off for practically June 2022 (96%) and over 2.5 hikes through December 2022. All attention now falls to the Non-Farm Payrolls number out today. The preliminary indicator such as ISM manufacturing index, ADP and jobless claims all pointing towards decent numbers from the jobs report today disappointed as NFP numbers missed expectations by a significant amount. Price moves have been muted as traders may be reluctant to place any fresh positions on and chase with the risk of adverse news over the weekend regarding omicron. Bottom line - traders should expect cross-asset volatility to remain higher over December. Next week we’ll receive November US inflation data, which is expected to remain elevated. DXY has regained the upper trend line of its ascending channel, putting some distance between price and its moving averages. The 21-day EMA continues to provide some dynamic support to price dips. The RSI has held above the key 55 level of support. Targets wise keep an eye out on the 96.5 on the upside and to the downside the 21-day EMA and former support around 95.5. EURUSD: So why did EURUSD strengthen on the market sell-off due to omicron on Friday and has remained fairly defensive throughout this week? It’s certainly not because the euro is a safe-haven currency in times of risk aversion. This price action has more to do with its use as a funding currency. Traders borrow euros to search for higher yield globally which is a decent strategy when risk conditions are favourable, however, when that risk dial flips in other direction we see the typical carry trade unwind, leading to flows back into the euro. Additionally, because expectations for rate hikes with regards to the eurozone are already significantly low, it’s at much less risk of a dovish repricing working favourably in terms of spread differentials with the dollar. Political pressure is rising on the ECB to act, particularly from Germany. A Reuters article out mid-week pointed towards some members wanting to rather hold off declaring their asset purchase intentions at this December meeting due to uncertainty caused by omicron. However, the ECB's Muller stated that he doesn’t think omicron is a reason to shift the scheduled end date for PEPP. Following this line of thought just today Madame Lagarde expressed that she feels certain that PEPP will cease in March as planned, saying markets require clarity in December. On the data front we had better than expected inflation prints from Germany (5.2% YoY) and the eurozone (4.9% YoY). It’s quiet in terms of economic data next week with the ZEW survey out as we lead up to a crucial ECB meeting in two weeks. EURUSD is drifting lower from its 21-day EMA. The RSI has stalled around the 40 level. Looking at the technicals clearly EURUSD is in a downtrend. Rallies in my opinion should be short lived with sellers coming in. Key levels to monitor in both directions are 1.135 (21-day EMA) and on the downside 1.12. GBPUSD: With a vacuum of economic data for the UK, the words of central bankers took centre stage. Bailey didn’t provide much meat at his speech this Wednesday. However, Saunders (leans hawkish) who spoke today has caused a repricing lower in the probability of a 15bps rate hike come December (only an additional 4bps now from around 8bps pre-speech). He expressed the need for potentially taking a patient approach with the uncertainty from omicron. Cable is lower as a result. On the virus front, the UK regulator has given the green light for booster doses to be offered to all adults. Additionally, the government has signed a contract for 114 million vaccine doses from Pfizer and Moderna, including access to modified vaccines if they're needed to tackle omicron and other future variants of concern. On the political front, domestically the Tories held the seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup, however, with a reduced majority. On Brexit, it’s been quiet of late with some optimism around the granting of additional fish licences to French fisherman in Guernsey, Jersey is the more important zone though prone to flare ups in tension. However, temperatures remain high between France and the UK on issues related to immigration. Next week sees UK October GDP data released. EURGBP has been moving higher on the back of dovish commentary (given he’s a hawk) from Saunders as well as benefiting from any souring in risk-sentiment. The 200-day SMA isn’t far aware, which has previously capped price gains. Cable continues to -plumb fresh YTD lows and is now nearing 1.32. The RSI is near to oversold territory but with some room remaining to eke out further losses. Moving averages are all pointing downwards. Targets wise, on the upside the 1.335 and above there former support around 1.34 (21-day EMA too). USDJPY: This pair continues to trade on US 10-year yield moves and now it’s status as a safe-haven currency has kicked back in. Early Friday morning has seen a bid coming in, which could be some pre NFP positioning on expectations of a move higher in the back end of the US yield curve. Put EURJPY on your radar, price is at a key support level around 128. USDJPY is finding support around its 50-day SMA, 113 round number and the 38.2% Fibonacci level. Price is trying to overcome resistance from the 50-day SMA. The former range support is providing some resistance around 113.5. The RSI is trying to get back into its range support around 46. Targets wise on the upside, 114 will be important and on the downside 112.5 (this week's lows). Gold: Gold has slipped below the $1775 support level as the hawkish fed leads to higher short term rates, kryptonite for the shiny yellow metal. Fears over inflation have failed to help gold stay propped up as well as risk-off fears from omicron. Inflation data out from the US next week will be a risk event for gold traders as well as the Fed meeting the following week. Today’s NFP hasn’t ignited much excitement in gold markets. Gold is trying to reclaim the $1775 support level. The 50-day SMA has made a very minor cross above the 200-day SMA. The 21-day EMA has been capping further gains. The RSI is in no man's land around 38. Targets wise, if $1775 is cleared then $1800 opens up (moving averages just below there). On the downside, $1750 comes into view. Oil: Crude fell sharply into a bear market this week as risk-off, Fed tightening, fears over further lockdowns and travel bans from the new omicron variant led to a repricing on the demand side of the equation. OPEC+ the main event for crude traders this week, decided to stick to their scheduled 400k bpd for January, but caveated this with the meeting remaining in “session”, meaning changes to the supply side could be made before their 4 January meeting if omicron causes a further deterioration. This led to yo-yo style price behaviour. Until there is more clarity regarding omicron, I expect oil’s price to remain choppy without a solid price trend. Backwardation spreads have narrowed, indicating a more balanced supply and demand equation. Iranian Nuclear Negotiations began the week positively, but sentiment turned pessimistic towards the end of this week, providing further short-term bullish tailwinds to crude’s price. JPM has some very bullish forecasts with the bank expecting crude to hit $150 by 2023. Oil is having a run at its 200-day SMA. The RSI has moved out of overbought territory and is a fair distance below its 50-day SMA (some mean reversion). Right now price will remain choppy within a range as omicron news flow prevents a trend from forming. Targets wise, on the upside the 200-day SMA and $73.50 dollar mark will be key. On the downside $68 support is important.
    Gold's 1780s Are Driving Us Crazy!

    Gold's 1780s Are Driving Us Crazy!

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 06.12.2021 08:31
    The Gold Update by Mark Mead Baillie --- 629th Edition --- Monte-Carlo --- 04 December 2021 (published each Saturday) --- www.deMeadville.com In completing its 48th trading week of 2021, Gold settled yesterday (Friday) at 1784. 'Twas the eighth week this year that Gold has settled in the 1780s (the first occurrence being on 19 February). Indeed, Gold's median weekly settle price year-to-date is 1788. Yet as anybody engaged in the Gold Story knows, Gold first traded in the 1780s a decade ago on 09 August 2011, the U.S "M2" money supply that day at $9.5 trillion; (today 'tis $21.5 trillion). So to reprise that from the "You Cannot Be Wrong Dept.": should anyone ask you "off the cuff" what is the price of Gold, your instantaneous response of "1780" shall (so 'twould seem for the foreseeable future) not only be correct, but enhance your dazzling intellectual image. To reprise as well "The M Word" crowd, clearly their parking place of preference is Gold's 1780s. Of the 233 trading days year to date, 27 of Gold's closures exceeding 1800 have -- within the five ensuing trading days -- found price settle in the 1780s, or lower. "1800? SELL!" Sheesh... Gold's 1780s are driving us crazy! Regardless, Gold -- and moreover Silver -- are doing what markets do when their technicals turn negative: price goes down. Per our Market Magnets page, Gold from 1861 on 18 November found price then pierce down through its Magnet: "SELL!" From our Market Trends page, Gold from 1847 on 19 November found the "Baby Blues" of trend consistency begin to plummet: "SELL!" From our Market Values page, Gold from 1805 on 22 November crossed below its smooth valuation line: "SELL!" More mainstream technical signals have since followed to "SELL!" And recall -- just prior to it all in our anticipating near-term selling -- we nonetheless deemed the 1800s as "safe": "WRONG!" Having thus now driven you crazy, we obviously deem holding and buying Gold as "RIGHT!" especially as the stock market -- be this another false signal or otherwise -- finds the S&P 500 doing its dance of a snake in death throes. To be sure we've seen such before, only to see the Index magically survive, indeed thrive. You veteran readers of The Gold Update may recall some six years ago (on 23 January 2016) our characterizing the S&P as being in such "death throes", the ensuing three weeks then finding the Index fall 5% from a "live" price/earnings ratio of 43x; (today 'tis 47x). "But don't forget it's now time for the Santa Claus Rally, mmb..." Yet another conventional wisdom notion there, Squire, via your appreciated "leading comment". Irrespective of what "everybody says" and expects, Santa Claus doesn't always come to Wall Street. Since 1980, as measured yearly from 01-to-24 December, Santa has skipped gifting the stock market 11 times. "WHAT?" 'Tis true. For those of you scoring at home, the S&P recorded net losses across that festive stint in '80, '81, '83, '86, '96, '97, '00, '02, '08, '15 and '18, the latter being a 409-point (-14.8%) loss. (Advice to the stocking stuffer: buy coal ... nudge-nudge, wink-wink, elbow-elbow). Moreover, have you been monitoring the major market dislocations of late? Talk about the maligning of conventional wisdom! In yesterday's session, the €uro, Swiss Franc, ¥en -- and yes the Dollar Index too -- all closed higher. "WHAT?" 'Tis true. Still, even as there is Dollar demand given the prospect of it paying a positive interest rate, the yield on the U.S. Treasury Bond continues to fall: 'twas 2.177% on 08 October, but is down now to 1.678%. In fact across our BEGOS Markets (Bond, Euro/Swiss, Gold/Silver/Copper, Oil, S&P 500), the price of the Bond is the only component with a positive 21-day linear regression trend. "WHAT?" 'Tis true. And then there's Oil: by our Market Values page, Black Gold settled yesterday 15 points below its smooth valuation line (66.22 vs. 81.51), even as Oil Inventories fell. "WHAT?" 'Tis true, (albeit OPEC is gonna keep a-pumpin'). Still, by that measure, Oil's price is massively, -- indeed deflationarily -- dislocated near-term from value. Too as noted, the Price of the S&P continues to be ridicously dislocated from the support of its Earnings; but if you get your dumbed-down P/E of 28.1x from the media, when 'tis honestly 47.4x, go ahead and say it: "WHAT?" 'Tis true. 'Course, the ongoing and most overwhelming dislocation is the price of Gold vis-à-vis our Scoreboard Dollar-debasement valuation (1784 vs. 4008). Say no more, Igor. A December to remember? Early on, 'tis the season to be dislocated. To which naturally (as subtly stated) we find Gold located in the 1780s. Why expect it to be anywhere else? So spot-on is Gold in the 1780s that per the following graphic of weekly price, the rightmost close is right on the dashed regression trendline. So are the 1780s driving you crazy, too? At least Gold's parabolic trend still is Long, although the aforementioned negative technicals have kept on the lid, (to say nothing of "The M Word" crowd?). Note as well the 79.1x reading of the Gold/Silver, ratio, essentially at a two-month high, the white metal having been terribly on the skids of late: Anything but skidding these last couple of months has been our Economic Barometer, it now having reached its highest oscillative level in better than three years. Whilst nominally last week's 13 incoming metrics were quite mixed, their overall effect net of prior period revisions and consensus expectations was to launch the Baro higher still as we here see: Amongst the improvers were November's Unemployment Rate and Average Workweek, plus both the Manufacturing and Services readings from the Institute for Supply Management, along with October's Construction Spending, Factory Orders and Pending Home Sales. However: November's ADP Employment data, Labor's Non-farm Payrolls and Hourly Earnings, the Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index and the Conference Board's read on Consumer Confidence were all weaker. Therein, too, is the red line of the S&P 500, its aforementioned snaky death throes throwing the Index all over the place this past week. The S&P's intra-day runs were as follows: Mon +48, Tue -86, Wed -143, Thu +91, Fri -113. Want some perspective for that? The entire trading range of the S&P 500 for the year 2004 was less than this past Wednesday's session alone. "WHAT?" 'Tis true. 'Course, back in 2004, 'twas a greater percentage range, but at least the average P/E for that year was a "reasonable" (vs. today) 26.4x. Thus again is begged the question: "Has the S&P crashed yet?" Obviously not, but we're feelin' very leery 'bout January. "As goes January..."(although you regular readers know we've demonstrably debunked that conventional notion as well). BUT... As for the Federal Reserve's removing of the punch bowl, Atlanta FedPrez Raphael "Ready to Raise" Bostic again says its time to step up the Taper of Paper Caper, whilst FedGov Randal "Have No" Quarles says 'tis time for The Bank to prepare to raise. And as noted in last week's missive: were it not for the "Oh my! Omicron!" scare, we could well see a FedFunds rate hike in the FOMC's 26 January Policy Statement. So just keep wearing your masque such that everything's great, and in turn let the Fed increase its rate! Here's another positive from the "Good Is Bad Dept.": the StateSide government shan't run out of money this time 'round until 18 February. Low on dough? To Congress you go! Just ask TreaSec Yellen, for she's in the know! Ho-ho-ho... Either way, west of The Pond "inflation" remains the watchword -- or if you prefer the real word -- as the word "transitory" is being transited away. East of The Pond, the EuroZone (just 23 years young) sees its inflation level hitting record high levels; but should it be peaking, 'tis thought any European Central Bank rate rise shan't next year materialize. And lacking any upside mobility of late (duh) are our precious metals, the following two-panel graphic bearing along as butt ugly. On the left we've Gold's daily bars from three months ago-to-date, their cascading "Baby Blues" reinforcing price's downtrend, (although price never really departs the 1780s, right?). On the right similarly is the same story for Sister Silver, who clearly is suffering the ravages of DDS ("Dangerfield Disrespect Syndrome"), by which she's none too happy. For from the precious metals' respective highs of just three weeks back, Gold has dropped as much as -5.8% ... but Silver more than double that at -12.6%! "WHAT?" 'Tis true: Meanwhile, still dwellers in their Profile cellars are Gold (below left) and Silver (below right). Here is the entirety of their trading across the last two weeks, the high volume price apices as labeled. And that is a lot of overhead work to do: So after all of that, are you ready to tune out? You can't be so blamed. Gold's 1780s have got us all crazy! Puts us in mind of that iconic glamour rock hit by Sparks from back in '83 -- supportive of the film by the same name -- "Get Crazy"Tune it in on your radio dial: sure to bring a you a Golden Smile! Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Shows Weakness

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Shows Weakness

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 06.12.2021 10:44
    USDCHF struggles to bounce The US dollar softened after November’s nonfarm payrolls missed the mark. The pair has met stiff selling pressure at 0.9270, a former support that had turned into a resistance. The bullish RSI divergence suggests a slowdown in the sell-off though there is no confirmation yet for a sustainable bounce. 0.9120 is a key demand area on the daily timeframe and a bearish breakout would invalidate the November rebound. Buyers may switch sides as sentiment further deteriorates, exacerbating volatility to the downside. CADJPY breaks higher The Canadian dollar surged after November’s unemployment rate fell to 6%. A bearish MA cross on the daily chart still indicates a pessimistic mood. An oversold RSI on the hourly chart caused a limited bounce as short-term traders took profit. Sellers are eager to fade rebounds with the latest being at 89.20. 87.20 at the base of the October rally would be the next support. A deeper correction may send the loonie to 85.90. The bulls will need to lift said resistance before they could initiate a reversal. UK 100 attempts to rebound The FTSE 100 recouped some losses bolstered by a weaker US jobs report. The index saw buying interest over the psychological level of 7000 which sits in the daily demand zone. The RSI’s double-dip in the oversold area has attracted a ‘buying-the-dips’ crowd in this congestion area. A close above the immediate resistance at 7150 is an encouraging sign of a bullish attempt. 7310 is a major hurdle ahead, its breach could short circuit the correction. 7060 is the closest support in case of weakness in the rebound.
    Awaiting US CPI And Speaking Of Disney and Uber. SEK And PLN As Central Banks Moves

    COT: Specs exit commodities on Omicron and Fed worries

    Ole Hansen Ole Hansen 06.12.2021 12:33
    Commodities 2021-12-06 10:50 Summary:  Futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across commodities, forex and financials up until last Tuesday, November 30. A week that encapsulated the markets very nervous reaction to the Omicron virus news as well as Jerome Powell's increased focus on combatting inflation. While global stocks and US long end yields dropped, a 7% correction in the Bloomberg commodity index helped trigger the biggest and most widespread hedge fund exodus since February 2020. Saxo Bank publishes weekly Commitment of Traders reports (COT) covering leveraged fund positions in commodities, bonds and stock index futures. For IMM currency futures and the VIX, we use the broader measure called non-commercial. Link to latest report This summary highlights futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across commodities, forex and financials up until last Tuesday, November 30. The reporting week encapsulated the markets very nervous reaction to the Omicron virus news as well as Jerome Powell confirming inflation is no longer being transitory. His comments to the Senate banking committee raised expectations for faster tapering with the first full 0.25% rate hike now priced in for July next year. The US yield curve flattened considerably with virus related safe-haven demand driving down the yield on 10-year US treasury notes by 22 basis point. Global stocks slumped with the VIX jumping 8%. Hardest hit, however was the commodity sector after the Bloomberg commodity index slumped by 7%, thereby triggering the biggest and most widespread hedge fund exodus since February 2020. Commodities Hedge funds responded to heightened growth and demand concerns related to the omicron virus, and the potential faster pace of US tapering, by cutting their net long across 24 major commodity futures by 17% to a 15-month low at 1.8 million lots. This the biggest one-week reduction since the first round of Covid-19 panic in February last year was triggered by net selling of all but three livestock contracts. Energy: Hardest hit was the energy sector where renewed demand concerns sent the prices of WTI and Brent down by more than 15%. In response to this, hedge funds accelerated their pace of futures selling with the combined net long slumping by 90k lots to a one-year low at 425k lots. The loss of momentum following the late October peak has driven an eight-week exodus out of oil contracts, culminating last week, and during this time the net length has seen a 35% or 224k lots reduction. Potentially setting the market up for a strong speculative driven recovery once the technical and fundamental outlook turns more friendly.Latest: Crude oil (OILUKFEB22 & OILUSJAN21) trades higher following its longest stretch of weekly declines since 2018. Today’s rise apart from a general positive risk sentiment in Asia has been supported by Saudi Arabia’s decision to hike their official selling prices (OSP) to Asia and US next month. Thereby signaling confidence demand will be strong enough to absorb last week's OPEC+ production increase at a time when mobility is challenged by the omicron virus. For now, both WTI and Brent continue to find resistance at their 200-day moving averages, currently at $69.50 and$72.88 respectively.  Metals: Gold was net sold for a second week as speculators continued to reduce exposure following the failed breakout attempt above $1830. With Fed chair Powell signaling a change in focus from job creation to fighting inflation, sentiment took another knock, thereby driving a 13.7k lots reduction to a four-week low at 105k lots. Industrial metals also suffered with the net long in HG copper slumping by one-third to a three-month low at 13.4k lots. Copper’s rangebound trading behavior since July has sapped hedge funds involvement with the current net length a far cry from the 92k record peak seen this time last year.Latest: Gold (XAUUSD) received a small bid on Friday following mixed US data, but overall, it continues to lack the momentum needed to challenge an area of resistance just above $1790 where both the 50- and 200-day moving averages meet. Focus on Friday’s US CPI data with the gold market struggling to respond to rising inflation as it could speed up rate hike expectations thereby putting upward pressure on real yields which are inverse correlated to gold's performance.  A full 25 basis point rate hike has now been priced in for July and the short-term direction will likely be determined by the ebb and flow of future rate hike expectations. Agriculture: The whole sector with the exception of livestock took a major hit, just one week after funds had increased bullish bets on grains and softs by the most in 15 months. Both sectors suffered setbacks of more than 5% with recent highflyers like wheat and cotton taking big hits. As mentioned, selling was broad and led by corn, soybeans, sugar and cocoa, with the latter together with palladium being the only two contracts where speculators hold an outright short position.This week the grain market will be focusing on weather developments in Australia and its potential impact on the wheat harvest, as well as the monthly World Agriculture Supply & Demand report (WASDE) from the USDA.  Forex In forex, speculators reacted to renewed virus concerns by increasing bullish dollar bets against ten IMM currency futures and the Dollar Index to an 18-month high at $27.9 billion. Speculators were buyers of JPY (18.4k lots or $2 billion equivalent) but sellers of everything else, including euros (6.8k) and the two commodity currencies of AUD (16.9k) and CAD (10.9k). These changes resulting in the aggregate dollar long rising by $2.3 billion. In terms of extended positioning, a euro short at 23k lots was last seen in March 2020, the GBP short at 39k lots was a two-year high while the 60k lots MXN short was the highest since March 2017. What is the Commitments of Traders report? The COT reports are issued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the ICE Exchange Europe for Brent crude oil and gas oil. They are released every Friday after the U.S. close with data from the week ending the previous Tuesday. They break down the open interest in futures markets into different groups of users depending on the asset class. Commodities: Producer/Merchant/Processor/User, Swap dealers, Managed Money and otherFinancials: Dealer/Intermediary; Asset Manager/Institutional; Leveraged Funds and otherForex: A broad breakdown between commercial and non-commercial (speculators) The reasons why we focus primarily on the behavior of the highlighted groups are: They are likely to have tight stops and no underlying exposure that is being hedged This makes them most reactive to changes in fundamental or technical price developments It provides views about major trends but also helps to decipher when a reversal is looming
    The risk vortex of crypto and bubble baskets

    The risk vortex of crypto and bubble baskets

    Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 06.12.2021 14:04
    Equities 2021-12-06 13:30 5 minutes to read Summary:  Our Bubble Stocks and Crypto & Blockchain baskets are the two worst performing baskets this month as these pockets of the market are currently going through a big realignment in terms of expectations. The Fed's new objective of getting inflation under control will accelerate tapering and led to several rate hikes next year. Combined with a significant fiscal drag next year, US growth stocks will be hit by both lower growth and higher discount rate on cash flows, the worst of all combinations. This means that growth stocks that can show a credible upward sloping path on operating margin will fare much better whereas growth stocks that will fail in delivering higher operating margin will experience more trouble. Friday’s price action was not pretty. Despite strong economic figures from the US the 10-year yield declined and normally that would have been a positive for technology stocks, but instead Nasdaq 100 continued lower with our Bubble Stocks and Crypto & Blockchain baskets leading the declines. On Saturday, Bitcoin was down as much as 21.2% at the lows adding to the woes of these pockets of the market. We know from surveys that there is a large overlap in exposure between investors in growth/bubble stocks and cryptocurrencies and that it is people under the age of 35 that dominates the exposure. Source: Saxo GroupThe Crypto & Blockchain basket (see composition below) is down 12.7% in December making it the worst performer and if we see the Fed getting ahead of the curve hiking rates three times next year then it could take more steam out of the crypto industry. The recent high profiled listing of Bakkt through a SPAC is a crypto related company that we will soon release a more thorough analysis of. As the table below also show analysts remain bullish on the industry with a median price target 77% above current prices. The key risk for bubble stocks and crypto related assets this week is the US inflation report on Friday which could accelerate the market’s expectations of tapering and rate hikes if inflationary pressures remain stubbornly high. Name Segment Market Cap (USD mn.) Sales growth (%) Diff to PT (%) YTD return (%) 5yr return Coinbase Global Inc Crypto exchange 57,169 139.3 44.1 NA NA Signature Bank/New York NY Bank 18,487 9.7 22.2 128.2 110.5 MicroStrategy Inc Investment firm 6,896 5.1 38.5 62.4 218.0 Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd Crypto services 6,245 NA 83.5 128.3 1,213.0 Silvergate Capital Corp Bank 4,364 61.3 32.1 121.0 NA Marathon Digital Holdings Inc Crypto mining 4,274 4,562.5 64.1 298.9 57.7 Bakkt Holdings Inc (*) Digital assets platform 3,354 NA 114.9 29.3 NA Riot Blockchain Inc Crypto mining 3,339 1,497.4 90.3 68.6 659.6 Northern Data AG Infrastructure 2,523 62.7 20.7 26.8 NA Voyager Digital Ltd Crypto broker 2,105 8,169.3 83.1 234.0 NA Monex Group Inc Financial institution 1,827 75.3 50.4 111.2 182.7 Hut 8 Mining Corp Crypto mining 1,553 203.9 102.8 241.8 352.1 Hive Blockchain Technologies Ltd Crypto mining 1,216 395.3 NA 67.4 3,900.0 Bitfarms Ltd/Canada Crypto mining 1,194 7.0 57.0 220.0 NA Canaan Inc Infrastructure 1,040 225.5 NA 2.2 NA Stronghold Digital Mining Inc (*) Crypto mining 872 NA 132.3 NA NA Argo Blockchain PLC Crypto mining 690 131.5 127.5 236.4 NA Coinshares International Ltd (*) Digital asset management 586 NA -7.3 NA NA Bit Digital Inc Crypto mining 571 NA 69.9 -62.4 NA Bitcoin Group SE Crypto broker 236 138.7 187.4 -41.8 626.8 DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc Investment firm 128 2.7 104.1 58.1 1,533.3 Digihost Technology Inc Crypto mining 118 NA NA 100.7 NA Taal Distributed Information Technologies Inc Blockchain platform 105 NA 139.5 49.0 NA Future FinTech Group Inc Blockchain e-commerce 85 2,555.0 NA -35.1 -83.6 Quickbit EU AB Crypto payment services 59 -27.2 NA -18.1 NA Safello Group AB Crypto broker 17 NA NA NA NA Aggregate / median   119,055 135.1 76.5 68.0 352.1 Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group* Added to theme basket on 29 October 2021** Infrastructure segment means physical computing applications for crypto mining Growth stocks have a profitability problem more than a growth problem The selloff in growth stocks have many liquidity and technical characteristics, and the recent shift by the Fed to focus on getting inflation down is beacon of what to come. The Fed will accelerate its tapering of bond purchases and move more quickly on interest rates which means that the discount rate will go up while growth might face headwinds from higher interest rates and a fiscal drag (the fiscal deficit will shrink in 2022). This is a double whammy for growth stocks. DocuSign’s Q3 earnings release was portrayed as a problem of revenue growth but if you model the company’s shareholder value then you will see that the more sensitive parameter to its implied expectations is its future operating margin. While DocuSign lifted its operating margin to 3.1% for the quarter up from 0.5% in Q2 and -5.2% a year ago, it was still below expectations and that extends the trajectory for improving the operating margin and thus lowers the value of the company. Many growth companies will not have growth trajectories that will differ much from what is implied in current market values, and a downside miss is definitely not the biggest downside trigger on market value. The reality is that growth stocks are priced for high growth and then a hockey stick on operating margin, but if that hockey stick is pushed further out then it has a big impact on market value. The next year will separate growth stocks into two camp. Those that can deliver on expanding their operating margin and those that will fail to do that. 
    Topping Process Roadmap

    Topping Process Roadmap

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 06.12.2021 15:43
    S&P 500 bulls missed a good opportunity to take prices higher in spite of the sharp medim-term deterioration essentially since the taper announcement. It‘s the Fed and not Omicron as I told you on Wednesday, but the corona uncertainty is reflected in more downgrades of real economy growth. There are however conflicting indicators that make me think we‘re still midway in the S&P 500 topping process and in for a rough Dec (no Santa Claus rally) at the same time, and these indicators feature still robust manufacturing and APT (hazmat manufacturer) turning noticeably down.Still, it‘s all eyes on the Fed, and its accelerated tapering intentions (to be discussed at their next meeting) as they finally admitted to seeing the light of inflation not being transitory. The ever more compressing yield curve is arguably the biggest watchout and danger to inflation and commodity trades – one that would put question mark to the point of answering in the negative whether we are really midway in the topping process. Another indicator I would prefer turning up, would be the advance-decline line of broader indices such as Russell 3000. And of course, HYG erasing a good deal of its prior sharp decline, which I had been talking often last week – until that happens, we‘re in danger of things turning ugly and fast, and not only for stocks should 4530s decisively give.In spite of decreasing yields, the dollar continues acting on the bullish argument introduced 2 weeks ago. Seeing antidollar plays struggle (part of which is the function of inflation expectations drifting lower on the Fed‘s turn – let‘s see when the central bank breaks something, which is a story for another day), is truly a warning of downside risks having sharply increased since Thanksgiving. Not only for stocks, where we might not be making THE correction‘s low, but also for commodities, cryptos and precious metals. In a series of two tweets yesterday, the warning is in regardless of a smooth Monday ahead.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 bears are looking a bit tired here, and the room for an upswing is getting evident. The surge late on Friday concerned both tech and value, thankfully – overall, the market breadth isn‘t though much encouraging.Credit MarketsHYG did successfully defend gained ground, and strength appears very slowly returning – the gains have to continue to sound the all clear, for considerably longer. As said on Friday, the sharpest rallies happen in bear markets, so all eyes on HYG proving us either way.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are looking fairly stable at the moment – not ready to decline, and still taking time to rebound. The accelerated taper idea didn‘t take them to the cleaners – the real fireworks though still have to wait till the Fed gets really close to choking off growth.Crude OilCrude oil could keep the intraday gains, but appears base building here – similarly to natgas, this is a medium-term buying opportunity as prices would inevitably recover.CopperCopper prices reflect the combined Fed and (to a lesser degree) Omicron uncertainty – it‘s casting a verdict about upcoming real economy growth, and the red metal is still looking undecided, and merely gently leaning towards the bulls.Bitcoin and EthereumThe bearish ambush of Bitcoin and Ethereum was reserved for the weekend, and the bleeding hasn‘t stopped so far.SummaryS&P 500 looks to have reached the low, but the jury remains out as to whether that‘s THE low. I highly recommend reading today‘s analysis for it lays out the key metrics to watch in its opening part. The nearest days and weeks will be of crucial importance in determining whether the worst in the stock market and commodities correction is behind us, or whether we still have some more to go.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    S&P 500 Still Above 4,500 – Have Stocks Bottomed?

    S&P 500 Still Above 4,500 – Have Stocks Bottomed?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 06.12.2021 15:31
      The S&P 500 index broke slightly below the 4,500 mark on Friday, but it bounced from that support level again. Is this a bottoming pattern? For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch   The broad stock market index lost 0.84% on Friday following Thursday’s advance of 1.4%. On Friday the index fell the lowest since the October 19 and it went below its early September local high of around 4,546 again. Overall, it lost 5.24% from the Nov. 22 record high of 4,743.83. Stocks fluctuate since last week’s Wednesday, so is this a bottoming pattern? For now, it looks like a flat correction or a consolidation within a downtrend. This morning the broad stock market is expected to open 0.4% higher and we may see some more short-term consolidation following the recent declines. The nearest important support level is still at 4,500. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,580-4,600, marked by the recent local lows. The S&P 500 remains below its short-term downward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq 100 Broke Below the 16,000 Level Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index remained relatively stronger than the broad stock market recently but on Friday it broke below the support level of 16,000 and it was relatively weaker than the S&P 500 index that day. The tech stocks’ gauge fell below the early September local highs, as we can see on the daily chart: Conclusion The S&P 500 index slightly extended its downtrend on Friday and it was 5.24% below the November 22 record high. So it is still just a downward correction and not a new bear market. But we may see some more downside. For now, it looks like a consolidation within a downtrend, as there have been no confirmed positive signals so far. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 slightly extended its short-term downtrend on Friday. A speculative short position is still justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting an over 5% correction. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    US Dollar Still Has the Green Light

    US Dollar Still Has the Green Light

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 06.12.2021 16:13
      The dollar looks poised for another rally, to gold’s dismay. So, what’s the price target for the greenback over the winter months? While the consensus across the financial markets (especially at the beginning of the year) was that the U.S. dollar was destined for devaluation, I warned that the greenback would rise from the ashes. And with gold, silver, and mining stocks often moving inversely to the U.S. dollar, the latter’s ascent helped make the precious metals one of the worst-performing asset classes in 2021. Moreover, after more dollar doubters emerged in October – and the precious metals rallied hard – the USD Index eventually cut through 94, 95, and then 96 like a knife through butter. And with the precious metals reversing sharply once again, I expect another rally to push the USD Index to ~98 over the medium term. Perhaps quite soon. And the implications for the precious metals sector, are bearish. On top of that, while overbought conditions elicited a short-term pullback, end-of-month turnarounds and / or rallies are commonplace for the greenback. For context, I warned that a consolidation was likely overdue by highlighting the USD Index’s overbought RSI (Relative Strength Index) readings with the red arrows above. Conversely, the blue vertical dashed lines above demonstrate how the USD Index often bottoms near the end of each month, and rallies often follow. And while the current consolidation may need some more time to run its course, higher highs should materialize over the medium term. To explain, after the USD Index recorded sharp rallies in June and July, consolidation phases unfolded before the uptrends continued. And while the secondary uprisings occurred at more moderate paces, the USD Index still managed to make new highs. As a result, ~98 should materialize during the winter months. Furthermore, if the forecast proves prescient, the USD Index’s strength will likely usher gold back to its previous 2021 lows. Adding to our confidence (don’t get me wrong, there are no certainties in any market; it’s just that the bullish narrative for the USDX is even more bullish in my view), the USD Index often sizzles in the summer sun and major USDX rallies often start during the middle of the year. Summertime spikes have been mainstays on the USD Index’s historical record and in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2018 a retest of the lows (or close to them) occurred before the USD Index began its upward flights (which is exactly what’s happened this time around). Furthermore, profound rallies (marked by the red vertical dashed lines below) followed in 2008, 2011 and 2014. With the current situation mirroring the latter, a small consolidation on the long-term chart is exactly what occurred before the USD Index surged in 2014. Likewise, the USD Index recently bottomed near its 50-week moving average; an identical development occurred in 2014. More importantly, though, with bottoms in the precious metals market often occurring when gold trades in unison with the USD Index (after ceasing to respond to the USD’s rallies with declines), we’re still far away from that milestone in terms of both price and duration. Again, the recent move higher in the USD Index doesn’t necessarily apply in the case of the above rule, as it was not the strength of the USD but weakness in the euro that has driven it. Likewise, with the USD Index now approaching its long-term rising support line (which is now resistance), a rally above the upward sloping black line below would invalidate the prior breakdown and support a move back above 100. Also, please note that the recent medium-term rally has been calmer than any major upswing witnessed over the last 20 years, where the USD Index’s RSI has hit 70. I marked the recent rally in the RSI with an orange rectangle and I did the same with the second-least and third-least volatile of the medium-term upswings. The sharp rallies in 2008 and 2014 were of much larger magnitudes. And in those historical analogies, the USD Index continued its surge for some time without suffering any material corrections. As a result, the short-term outlook is more of a coin flip. However, the medium-term outlook remains profoundly bullish, and gold, silver, and mining stocks may resent the USD Index’s forthcoming uprising. Just as the USD Index took a breather before its massive rally in 2014, it seems that we saw the same recently. This means that predicting higher gold prices (or the ones of silver) here is likely not a good idea. Continuing the theme, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie. And with the USDX’s long-term breakout clearly visible, the wind remains at the dollar’s back. Furthermore, dollar bears often miss the forest through the trees: with the USD Index’s long-term breakout gaining steam, the implications of the chart below are profound. And while very few analysts cite the material impact (when was the last time you saw the USDX chart starting in 1985 anywhere else?), the USD Index has been sending bullish signals for years. Please see below: The bottom line? With my initial 2021 target of 94.5 already hit, the ~98 target is likely to be reached over the medium term (and perhaps quite soon), mind, though: we’re not bullish on the greenback because of the U.S.’ absolute outperformance. It’s because the region is fundamentally outperforming the Eurozone, the EUR/USD accounts for nearly 58% of the movement of the USD Index, and the relative performance is what really matters. In conclusion, gold, silver, and mining stocks have reversed sharply in recent weeks. And though the trio tried to ignore the USD Index’s recent uprising, I wrote on Jul. 23 that the time-tested relationship of ‘U.S. dollar up, PMs down’ will likely be a major storyline during the Autumn months. To that point, with the theme likely to continue over the medium term, lower lows should confront gold, silver, and mining stocks over the next few months. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Treads Water - 07.12.2021

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Treads Water - 07.12.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 07.12.2021 09:00
    GBPUSD attempts to rebound The sterling consolidates as BOE officials stress due to inflationary pressure from a tight labor market. So far, rebounds have been an opportunity for trend followers to sell into strength. The pound is testing last December’s demand zone around 1.3200. An oversold RSI may help lift bids momentarily as sellers take profit. 1.3300 is the immediate resistance. Then the bulls will need to clear the origin of the latest sell-off at 1.3370 to attract more buying interest. On the downside, a breakout would send the price to 1.3100. NZDUSD sticks to downtrend The US dollar edged higher thanks to a rally in Treasury yields. Increasing divergence between the 20 and 30-day moving averages suggests a deterioration in market sentiment. On the hourly chart, a short-lived rebound has struggled to stay above 0.6780. And that is a sign that the bears are still in control of the direction. 0.6700 is the next support. Its breach would extend the sell-off to November 2020’s lows near 0.6600. The RSI’s oversold situation may cause a limited rebound with 0.6810 as the closest resistance. US 30 breaks higher The Dow Jones recoups losses as the omicron variant may have less impact than feared. The index bounced off last October’s lows around 34000. An oversold RSI in this demand zone has attracted a crowd to buy the dips. A break above 34950 and then 35300 would prompt short-term sellers to cover, paving the way for a sustainable rally. 35950 would be a key hurdle and its breach may turn the cautious mood around and resume the bullish trend. 34700 is the first support when the bulls try to catch their breath.
    Bitcoin, going from strength to strength

    Bitcoin, going from strength to strength

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 07.12.2021 14:07
    Like a whale diving deep to gorge on krill to emerge even more empowered shortly after. When catching these cycles right, bitcoin is ever rewarding. BTC in US-Dollar, Monthly Chart, up and up and up: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of December 7th, 2021. Typically, fortunes are slowly acquired and quickly destroyed, not so with bitcoin. Bitcoin’s up moves can be as dramatic as their declines. In addition, bitcoin seems bulletproof to fundamental attacks. With China’s ban on mining, its share of the global hash rate sank from 75% held in September 2019 to zero by now. Miners migrated to the US and had its 2019 4% hash rate rise to 35%. It is essential to remind oneself of facts like these, when emotions overcome one with doubt and confidence falters at these steep declines in bitcoin. At times when opportunity knocks and self-confidence is critical for accurate trade execution. The monthly chart above shows the roller coaster moves that can make even the stern trader doubtful, yet bitcoin rose closer to the sun after each cloud. We find six figure bitcoin prices to be likely within the next few months, as indicated in the very right green up arrow in the chart. Gold in Bitcoin, Daily Chart, measuring true value: Gold in Bitcoin, daily chart as of December 7th, 2021. Where we see bitcoin going from strength to strength, as well, is the relatively rare occurrence of fiat currencies being endangered by inflation to the level that we are right now. Fortunes can change hands quickly. Typically, procrastination is fueled by the belief of a rise in the cost of things. In reality, currency is less valuable. We, as such, encourage you not to measure everything in your country’s currency. We find measurements towards a gold price or a bitcoin price a more realistic view of price/value changes. The chart above shows how the relationship between gold and the bitcoin price changed over the short term, with bitcoins’ recent sharp decline.   BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, in the not to distant future: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of December 7th, 2021. A six-sigma event risk in the overall market environment is always present. Such a market crash would temporarily drag bitcoin to lower prices and needs to be reflected in your money management. Other than that, we see prices right here as a good starting zone for the next push-up which should exceed all-time highs in the not-too-distant future, as portrayed in the above chart. Bitcoin, going from strength to strength: No matter what we tell ourselves, when prices decline, we feel fearful. It is always hard to step into such selling pressure for a low-risk entry spot based on the action/ reaction principle to be part of the next cycle up.  Moreover, practice and planning are required to be part of these upswings and to ride the wave. Our quad strategy aims to reduce initial risk quickly after an entry has been made. Last Friday’s entries near the lows of the day allowed for a more than ten percent profit-taking on half of the position size, a target we call “financing.” Unheard of in any other liquid, low-risk market. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|December 7th, 2021|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Alibaba Stock Price and Forecast: Why is BABA stock going up?

    Alibaba Stock Price and Forecast: Why is BABA stock going up?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 07.12.2021 15:59
    BABA stock rallies over 10% on Monday in broad rally. Chinese names have suffered as DIDI delisting hits sentiment. BABA and others rally on Monday as China cuts commercial bank reserve requirements. Chinese stocks are nothing if not volatile, and this continued on Monday with huge rallies in most names. The reason was that China cut the reserve requirement for commercial banks in an effort to try and pump liquidity into the system. This can be taken two ways, and investors chose to see the positives. China is struggling to contain problems in the banking and property sectors from spreading, and the travails of Evergrande Group have been well documented. Evergrande was due to pay $82.5 million on Monday, but we are still in the dark on whether it met this latest payment or not. Bloomberg is reporting that another Chinese developer, Kaisa Group Holdings, received a forbearance proposal from bondholders on Tuesday. A forbearance proposal would be a form of an agreed delay or reduction in repayments. If agreed by both bondholders and the company, it averts a formal debt default. BABA chart, 15-minute Alibaba (BABA) stock news BABA stock has been under pressure throughout 2021 as a wave of negative sentiment hit Chinese equities and in particular Chinese tech names. This was kickstarted by BABA itself as it had to shelve the proposed spin-off IPO of ANT Group late in 2020. China then began taking a more cautious approach to its tech sector as worries over the huge amounts of data generated by them escalated. Didi Group (DIDI) did manage to get its IPO off the ground in New York but now plans to delist to Hong Kong. Alibaba stock is down 47% so far in 2021 and 22% over the last month as the sell-off has accelerated. Alibaba (BABA) stock forecast Investors may rejoice at the current bounce in Chinese tech stocks, but this has all the makings of yet another dead cat bounce. Take a look at the monthly chart below. BABA has broken the huge $130 level, which was really the last hope of support. Now it is lookout below until $100. The longer-term view is strongly negative until $169 is broken to the upside. Alibaba chart, monthly Shorter-term traders will be aware of the 9-day moving average offering resistance at $127.56. The MACD, stochastics and RSI all remain in bearish territory. The 15-minute chart does show short-term support at $112 with a large amount of volume at that level on Friday that provided a base for Monday's rally. This may carry on for Tuesday as risk assets are due to bounce, but $130 will likely cap any further gains. Alibaba daily chart above and the 15-minute chart below. The 15-minute shows the large support volume at $112.  
    Turning the Corner in Style

    Turning the Corner in Style

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 07.12.2021 16:05
    S&P 500 bulls delivered, and the revival in risk-on is increasingly getting legs as HYG rebounded sharply. The sharply increasing participation is counterbalanced by still compressing yield curve, but yields finally rose yesterday. Finally, we saw a truly risk-on positioning in the credit markets – and that won‘t be without (positive) consequences. Still, it pays to be ready for the adverse scenario that I‘ve described in yesterday‘s key analysis, in connection with which I have received an interesting question. It‘s essentially a request to dig in some more so that my thinking can‘t be interpreted as being on the verge of immediately flipping bearish: Q: Your analysis of today: "Downside risks having sharply increased since Thanksgiving. Not only for stocks, where we might not be making THE correction's low, but also for commodities, cryptos and precious metals". I am not sure if I am interpreting this right (English is not my native language). Are you saying that the market might turn down spectacular, even for precious metals? A: it's specifically the market breadth for larger than 500 stock indices that tells me we possibly aren't out of the woods yet - no matter the technical improvements that I looked for us to get yesterday, and that are likely to continue thanks not only to solid HYG performance. What I'm saying is that unless there is broader participation in the unfolding S&P 500 rally (and in the rally of other indices), we're in danger of a more significant move to the downside than we saw already (those few percents down). You can also watch for the sensitivity to Fed pronouncements - on one hand, we have the taper, even accelerated one on the table, yet through Nov, total assets grew by practically $100bn, and it was only the 7-day period preceding Dec 01 that marked balance sheet contraction. This sensitivity to hawkish statements would show in downside hits to risk-on assets (cyclicals), and also in VIX spikes. There, my mid-session Friday call made on Twitter for VIX to better reverse from its highs for Friday's close, came true. So, should a sharper decline happen (as said, the risks thereof haven't disappeared), it would (at least initially) influence precious metals too, and not remain limited to stocks and commodities. Having answered, let‘s move on. I like the strength returning to energy – both oil and natural gas as I tweeted yesterday. While financials are taking their time, and consumer discretionaries lagged hugely on a daily basis behind staples, I look for more strength to return to cyclicals at expense of interest rate sensitive sectors (that includes utilities also). Rising yields (however slowly) would underpin commodities, and it‘s showing already. Precious metals continue needing the newfound Fed hawkishness image to start fracturing, or causing inordinate level of trouble in the real economy. The latter would take time as manufacturing is pretty much firing on all cylinders, which is why I‘m not looking for overly sharp gold and silver gains very soon. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bears were more than a bit tired, and Friday‘s candle being unable to break below preceding day‘s lows while not too much stood in the way, was telling. What can‘t go down, would sooner or later go up. Credit Markets HYG upswing is a pleasant sight for the bulls – half of the prior decline has already been erased. Quite some more still needs to happen, and the lack of volume yesterday is a sign that patience could very well be required (let‘s temper our expectations while still being positioned bullishly). Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are still looking stable, and are waiting for the Fed perceptions to fade a little. CPI inflation hasn‘t peaked neither in the U.S. nor around the world (hello, Europe), neither have energy prices or yields – so, get ready for the upswing to continue at its own pace. Crude Oil Crude oil confirmed the bullish turn, and the modest volume isn‘t an issue for it indicates lack of sellers willing to step in. Plenty of positioning anticipating the upswing happened in the days before, I think. Copper Copper prices are taking the turn alongside the CRB Index – it‘s starting to lean as much as APT in the direction of no economy choking response to Omicron that would necessitate further GDP downgrades. I‘m looking for the red metal to continue gradually favoring the bulls even more. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum attempt base building, but both cryptos (Bitcoin somewhat more) remain vulnerable. There are a few good explanations for that, and the most credible ones in my view revolve around stablecoins backing. Summary S&P 500 reversal higher is looking increasingly promising, and the signs range from sharply broadening market breadth to encouraging HYG performance. Commodities aren‘t being left in the cold, and I‘m looking for their own reversal to gradually spill over into precious metals – depending upon the evolving Fed perceptions, of course. The odds of us having seen the worst in this correction have considerably improved, and while positioned appropriately, I‘m not yet sounding the analytical all clear of blue skies ahead. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Oil and more...

    Oil and more...

    Luke Suddards Luke Suddards 07.12.2021 17:07
    Oil: Crude has been rocketing higher after positive news flow with regards to omicron. Early evidence from South Africa indicates that ICU and oxygen usage are lower than previous waves at similar points on the timeline as well as those in hospital being largely unvaccinated. Based on this small sample size of evidence (which makes me still cautious) this leads one to believe omicron seems more transmissible, but less severe. Fauci (Biden’s Chief Medical Adviser) also shared optimism over the weekend stating that early signals show not a whole lot of severity. GlaxoSmithKline Plc also announced from their recent research that their Covid-19 antibody treatment is effective against mutations in omicron. Risk assets, which oil is falls into got a boost from this and current price action indicates some hot money has flowed back into the black liquid. Adding fuel to the bullish fire we had news that Iran-US Nuclear talks have stumbled a bit. Looking at the daily chart, technicals are strong with an oversold bounce having taken place with $68 support holding. Price is now above its 200-day SMA. Targets wise, on the upside the 21-day EMA around $76 and $78 will be important. On the downside $73.5 (just above the 200-day SMA) will be key. AUDUSD: The RBA left their policy settings unchanged as expected by the market. On the technicals, looking at the 1-hour chart here we can see price is facing some resistance in the form of the intersection of the 200 period SMA, downtrend line and 61.8% Fibonacci level. The RSI is in overbought territory. Could we see a dip lower towards the 0.705 area between the 21 period EMA and the 50 period SMA. On the upside 0.715 would be important. EURJPY: EURJPY on the 1 hour chart has been fluctuating between the 128.5 and 127.5 range bounds. Keep this one on your radar if you like playing the range.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Edges Lower

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Edges Lower

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 08.12.2021 09:07
    EURUSD seeks support The euro bounced higher after the bloc’s Q3 GDP beat expectations. A previous rebound was capped by the 20-day moving average, suggesting that the bearish sentiment still prevails. The RSI’s double top in the overbought area has prompted short-term buyers to take profit. The pair has met support above 1.1240. The bulls will need to lift offers around 1.1330 before they could attract momentum buyers. A bearish breakout would send the price to the floor at 1.1190. Its breach would trigger a new round of sell-off. AUDUSD breaks higher The Australian dollar soared after the RBA remained optimistic about the economic recovery. The pair saw strong buying interest at the psychological level of 0.7000, which also sits near November 2020’s lows. An oversold RSI on the daily chart compounds the ‘buying-the-dips’ behavior. An initial pop above 0.7070 forced bearish trend followers to cover their latest bets. 0.7170 would be the next target though the RSI’s overbought situation may limit the surge. 0.7040 is the first support for buyers to regroup and accumulate. USDJPY attempts to rebound The yen stalled after Japan’s GDP showed an unexpected contraction in Q3. A break below the daily support at 112.70 has put the bulls on the defensive. The latest consolidation is a sign of indecision as to whether the correction would continue. The greenback found support over 112.50 and a close above 113.95 could help the bulls regain the upper hand. Then the psychological level of 115.00 would be the next step before the uptrend could resume. On the downside, a fall below 113.10 would retest the key support at 112.50.
    Who Wants to Buy Bitcoin Now?

    Who Wants to Buy Bitcoin Now?

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 08.12.2021 08:40
    Since yesterday, Bitcoin has gone from almost $52K to $50.7K. On Tuesday, the crypto market was green on nearly all fronts, including ETH, ADA, XRP, etc. And although the Fear Index continued to remain in the horror zone with 26 points, everyone was buying altcoins. However, BTC did not gain a foothold above the resistance at $51,800, so it is premature to talk about conquering the heights and completing the correction. Perhaps this is not even a correction now, but a search for the actual price without rose-coloured glasses and excessive optimism. Whether there are still those who want to ride up at their own expense on the market, we will only find out when Bitcoin rises above $56K. A Grayscale poll found that 26% of American investors have already bought BTC. So, apparently, we just need the remaining 74% to join in. But do they have any motivation? Moreover, the United States has introduced cryptocurrencies into its anti-corruption strategy, although exactly how this will affect the market is unclear. Aside from the local downward trend in Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency market remains bullish, rapidly changing sentiment and moving from correction to growth. Based on the posts on Twitter, the popularity of cryptocurrencies is only growing. Thus, in partnership with the Gemini crypto exchange, the largest bank in Colombia, Bancolombia, added transaction services with BTC, ETH, LTC, and BCH to its list. Video game developer Ubisoft has launched an NFT platform, and blockchain project Spiral, a division of Jack Dorsey's Block, will improve Bitcoin's Lightning Network. Among the small altcoins, the hot class of projects related to the metauniverses remains. This topic is so popular that almost any new project considers it its duty to point out the potential for the development of this topic. It seems that investors are recruiting all newcomers to their portfolio, hoping to get an impressive profit if at least one project hits. However, you should be extremely careful. At the end of November, it seemed that the Covalent coin, issued six months ago, recovered relatively quickly from the traditional drawdown in the first months of its life. However, since the beginning of December, its value has been rapidly decreasing, colouring the first eight days of the month in red and confidently remaining below the offering price. At the same time, this cryptocurrency suits well for intraday trading: for yesterday's session, for example, it grew by 3.62%, although this did not affect the overall “red” result.
    Weak November Payrolls Won’t Help Gold

    Weak November Payrolls Won’t Help Gold

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 07.12.2021 17:14
      November employment report was mixed. Unfortunately for gold, however, it won’t stop the Fed’s hawkish agenda. Nonfarm payrolls disappointed in November. As the chart below shows, the US labor market added only 210,000 jobs last month. This number is much lower than both October’s figure (546,000 gains) and the market expectations (MarketWatch’s analysts forecasted 573,000 added jobs). So, it’s a huge blow to those optimistic about the US economy. However, this is a huge blow that nobody will care about because the disappointing payrolls were accompanied by a big decline in unemployment. As the chart above shows, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points, from 4.6% in October to 4.2% in November. What’s more, the unemployment rate declined simultaneously with the increases in both the labor-force participation rate (from 61.6% to 61.8%) and the employment-to-population ratio (from 58.8% to 59.2%). This means that the reduction in unemployment was genuine and rather not a result of dropping out from the labor market. Additionally, wage inflation has slowed down from 4.84% in October to 4.8% in November, remaining below expectations, which could slightly ease inflationary concerns. Last but not least, after revisions, employment in September and October combined was reported to be 82,000 higher than previously indicated, and the monthly job growth has averaged 555,000 so far this year. Therefore, even a weak November doesn’t change the fact that 2021 marked a great improvement in the US labor market.   Implications for Gold What does the November employment report imply for the gold market? The nonfarm payrolls disappointed, but it’s not enough to stop the Fed from accelerating the pace of tapering its quantitative easing, especially given the significant reduction in the unemployment rate. So, the hawkish revolution won’t be stopped. It may even be strengthened, as a big decline in unemployment brings us closer to “full employment” and meeting the criteria for hiking interest rates. This is, of course, not good news for the gold bulls. After hearing worries about inflation a few weeks ago, the Fed managed to calm investors. They’ve believed that Powell and his colleagues would take the inflationary threat seriously. Markets now expect a speed-up in the pace of tapering in December and as much as three interest rates hikes in 2022 (there are even investors who bet on seven hikes by the end of the next year!). However, there is a silver lining here. With the unemployment rate at 4.2%, the potential for further improvement is rather limited. And when a new upward trend begins, we will have rising unemployment rate and high inflation at the same time. Such conditions create stagflation, which would take gold higher. This is still a song of the future, though. Let’s focus on the recent past: gold prices increased slightly on Friday (December 3, 2021). Although the London P.M. Fix hardly changed (see the chart below), the New York price rebounded to about $1,783 on Friday from $1,769 the day before. However, it doesn’t change the fact that gold remains stuck in a sideways trend below $1,800, as concerns about inflation exist along with expectations of a more aggressive Fed tightening cycle. Luckily for gold, despite its hawkish rhetoric, the US central bank will remain behind the inflation curve. The cautious, dovish policy is simply too tempting, as hitting the brakes too hard could trigger a financial crisis and a recession. With the CPI annual rate above 6%, the Fed should have already hiked the federal funds rate instead of waiting until Q2 2022. And even with three 25-basis point hikes, real interest rates will remain deeply in negative territory, which should be supportive of gold prices. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    FX Update: Risk sentiment comeback with a few twists

    FX Update: Risk sentiment comeback with a few twists

    John Hardy John Hardy 08.12.2021 15:14
    Forex 2021-12-08 14:45 4 minutes to read Summary:  Risk sentiment is well on its way to erasing the reaction to the news of the omicron variant of covid, with most reactions across FX adjusting as one would expect on an improved outlook, with commodity currencies performing best, while safe haven JPY and CHF trade weaker and the euro is unable to figure out what it wants to do. Adding to a more hopeful stance and a weaker US dollar overnight was China allowing its currency to push to new highs for the year, beyond the highs established back in May. FX Trading focus: CNY new highs for the year, strong resurgence in risk sentiment The US dollar has pushed lower this week on a resurgence in risk sentiment, led by fading omicron fears – particularly yesterday – but also on hopes that China is set to support the global growth outlook and signaling confidence by allowing the renminbi to push to new highs for the year versus the US dollar. The weaker US dollar elsewhere this week explains the timing of the large move to new lows in USDCNH, as the CNH has actually underperformed resurgent commodity FX and some EM FX this week even while it outperformed the strong US dollar this year on balance. If the USD is to weaken further from here, it would be no surprise to see CNH continuing higher versus the US dollar – perhaps even beyond the 2018 lows in USDCNH – while keeping it somewhat weaker versus other currencies against which it has appreciated so aggressively this year. China is clearly interested in defending the stability and purchasing power of the CNH versus the USD and its basket, but the extent of the revaluation is getting stretched if we look at the official CNY basket. In G10 FX, the resurgence in risk sentiment has boosted the usual suspects and weighed against the other usual suspects, although a couple of unusual situations stick out: GBP and SEK: Sterling is in danger of breaking down versus the euro here after testing new lows for the year this morning in GBPUSD despite sterling’s former correlation with risk appetite, perhaps as a lot of air has been taken out of Bank of England expectations as the market has shifted the expected lift-off meeting to February of next year after pricing as early as November a couple of months ago. Late last week, the BoE’s normally hawkish Saunders sounded cautious on lifting off next week, while the day before yesterday Deputy Governor Broadbent advised looking “a couple of years ahead” in predicting that “these pressures on traded goods prices are more likely to subside than intensify”, although he did say wages could be an inflation driver. Chart: EURGBPEURGBP is poking at the 200-day moving average from the downside for the third time in recent months, and the less hawkish BoE may help trigger a further squeeze higher, especially if the 0.8600 prior pivot high falls. Next focus higher still comes in at the range highs from April-May near 0.8720. Source: Saxo Group SEK has traded sideways today rather than rallying, as one would expect, on the strong comeback in risk sentiment. The krona is historically one of the most highly risk sensitive currencies. Sure, the euro is largely stuck in the water here and the EU growth outlook has plenty of clouds over it with covid shut-downs etc, but EURSEK looks “wrong” relative to other reaction to the improved mood across markets, and should be lower. A statement today by Riksbank dove Jansson that it is hard to justify rate hikes and that a more active fiscal policy is the way forward likely held back SEK, as perhaps NOKSEK buying, judging from the last couple of session in that cross. In other developments, AUDNZD has cleared the important 1.0500 level, EURCHF is trying to pull higher but is still some way from challenging the important 1.0500 level. The CHF has not behaved anything like the JPY in recent months, failing to show sensitive in EURCHF, at least, to large shifts in safe haven years. Likely, to get EURCHF off the mat, we’ll need to see a broader EUR rally that includes EURUSD on a brightening outlook for EU growth. Hard to see how it gets much worse, on a relative basis, at present (covid shutdowns, energy crunch, etc…) The Bank of Canada is out just after pixel time for this article. The market is leaning for hawkish guidance for a sure rate hike at the January meeting, which is very likely what it will get. The degree to which CAD can continue to rally will also depend on whether the now suddenly very CAD-supportive backdrop extends. USDCAD needs to bash back below 1.2500 to suggest a full reversal of the rally move off the sub-1.2300 lows in October is in the cards. Looking ahead, the next critical event risks are the Friday US November CPI print, and then the exercise next week in seeing how the market reacts to the crystallization of the now hawkish Fed’s adjustments to its new monetary policy statement and to the “dot plot” of its policy forecasts. Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strengthStill mean reverting from the prior trends in most currencies, but far more upside needed from commodity currencies to fully reverse the prior trends. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.A strong move higher in EU yields taking EURJPY back well above the important 128.00 level of contention lately – watching whether the trend can flip positive in the week ahead. Elsewhere, note again that AUDNZD has pulled above the important 1.0500, that USDCHF flipped positive (even if it is mid-range after surviving another test of the 200-day moving average), and that NOKSEK is trying flipping positive after a very sharp rebound from recent lows. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights (all times GMT) 1500 – Canada Bank of Canada Rate Decision 1500 – US JOLTS Job Openings survey 2130 – Brazil Selic Rate Announcement 2205 – Australia RBA Governor Lowe to speak 0001 – UK Nov. RICS House Price Balance 0130 – China Nov. CPI / PPI
    New Year Resolutions: what to watch in 2022? | MarketTalk: What’s up today? | Swissquote

    Fireworks to Go On?

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 08.12.2021 16:01
    S&P 500 sharply extended gains, and credit markets indicate some continuation even if by pure inertia. A trend in place, stays in place until reversed – and yesterday‘s upswing was sufficiently supported by the credit markets. The late day retreat in HYG is an obvious warning of a pause possibly coming next, but not of a reversal – the improvements in market breadth speak for themselves. So, I‘m looking for a lean day today, and I‘m keenly watching bonds and cyclicals such as financials for further short-term direction clues. While yesterday‘s upswing was driven by tech, the daily rise in yields and inflation expectations (however modest) was balanced out by still more yield curve compression. The risk-on turn in credit markets isn‘t over, and the key question is whether HYG can extend gains or at least go only sideways for a while. Today‘s key premarket news propelling risk assets up, was about Pfizer extolling its three-dose alleged efficiency against Omicron – even though the news was sold into shortly thereafter, it has the power to buy more time and provide fuel for stocks and commodities. The copper weakness remains the only watchout in the short term, and silver sluggishness reflects lack of imminent inflation fears. As if the current prices accurately reflected above ground stockpiles and yearly mining output minus consumption. It‘s the same story in the red metal, by the way. Patience in the precious metals – it‘s about Fed either relenting, or placing inordinate amount of stress on the real economy, which would take time. Spring 2022 most probably would bring greater PMs gains than 2021 with its fits and starts – aka when inflation starts to bite the mainstream narratives and stocks, some more. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 gapped higher, and is once again approaching ATHs. Hold your horses though for it would take some time to get there. I would prefer to see broader participation within value, which isn‘t totally there at the moment. It‘s improving, but still. Credit Markets HYG upswing was considerably sold into, and that spells some consolidation ahead. The degree to which it spills over into stocks, remains to be seen. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are still looking stable, and ever so slowly improving after the Fed hawkish turn hit. The central bank and real yields projections hold the key, but the countdown to higher prices is firmly on. Crude Oil Crude oil upswing indeed continued, and black gold looks set to consolidate gains unless value stocks spring some more to life later today. Anyway, the medium-term chart remains bullish. Copper Copper is another reason why I‘m not overly bullish for today – the red metal‘s base building looks to need a bit more time to play out. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are still base building, and looking vulnerable. While a downswing isn‘t guaranteed, it can come and turn out to be sharp. Summary S&P 500 is likely to consolidate recent strong gain, not accelerating the surge today. The bulls within risk-on assets look to be slowly gaining the upper hand, and the opening part of today‘s analysis describes it‘s not a one-way street to fresh highs as the Fed has turned from a tailwind to a headwind. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto markets recover, but BTC could ruin the party

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto markets recover, but BTC could ruin the party

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 09.12.2021 09:24
    Akash Girimath Bitcoin price continues to stride with $53,687 and $56,276 as its short-term targets. Ethereum price pauses before retesting the $4,659, followed by the $4,777 hurdles. Ripple price to face a declining resistance level before it retests $0.956. Bitcoin price has been on a steady recovery phase after the recent flash crash. Ethereum and Ripple follow big crypto and are on their trajectories of retracement. The upswing for BTC is likely to continue, but investors need to note that a downswing might emerge such that a range forms. Bitcoin price eyes higher highs Bitcoin price is recovery from its December 4 crash and is currently hovering around $50,000 psychological level. This ascent comes as BTC tries to flip the inefficiency left by the bears during the recent sell-off. While $53,687 is still the short-term resistance barrier BTC wants to tag, investors need to know that BTC might sweep the swing low at $46,698 and set a trading range. Although this might result in a brief correction, it can serve as an opportunity to accumulate for sidelined buyers. Clearing $53,687 will open the path for Bitcoin price to tag the next level at $56,276. In total, this run-up would constitute an 11% ascent from the current position. BTC/USD 4-hour chart On the other hand, if Bitcoin price retraces to the extent that it produces a lower low below the December 4 swing low at $40,867, it will invalidate the bullish thesis. Ethereum price promptly follows BTC Ethereum price has rallied roughly 30% from its December 4 swing low at $3,370 and shows signs that it wants to go higher. The $4,493 resistance barrier is the first level ETH will encounter. Clearing this level will place $4,659 and $4,777 hurdles in its path. Ethereum will easily tag these levels, but the holders should keep a close eye on the all-time high at $4,878, as ETH might revisit. In a highly bullish case, Ethereum price could extend beyond its record level and set up a new one at $5,000. ETH/USD 4-hour chart While things are looking up for Ethereum price, a failure to breach through the $4,493 hurdle could indicate a weakness among buyers. If ETH retraces lower and produces a lower low below $3,890, it will invalidate the bullish thesis. Ripple price faces two hurdles Ripple price has seen a considerable recovery, similar to Bitcoin and Ethereum. As it stands, the XRP price looks ready to tackle the bear trend line extending from November. Any uptick in buying pressure pushes the remittance token toward this barrier. A decisive 4-hour candlestick close above this trend line at roughly $0.87 will set a higher high and confirm an uptrend. This move could attract sidelined buyers and propel XRP price to retest the $0.956 barrier. In total, this climb would represent a 15% gain from the current position. XRP/USD 4-hour chart On the contrary, if Ripple price fails to slice through the declining trend line, it will suggest that the sellers are not done offloading. In this situation, the XRP price will knock on the $0.764 support level. A breakdown of this barrier that produces a lower low will invalidate the bullish thesis for XRP.  
    What Happens After a Bullish Stampede?

    What Happens After a Bullish Stampede?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 08.12.2021 15:14
      The bulls pumped up the market, but with fundamentals deteriorating and corporations largely responsible for the spike, regular investors will be left holding the bag. With investors betting on a Santa Clause rally despite the deteriorating fundamentals, the S&P 500 helped the GDXJ ETF (proxy for junior mining stocks) outperform on Dec. 7. However, with short-covering and corporate buybacks primarily responsible for the daily spike, another ‘Minsky Moment’ could be on the horizon. To explain, I wrote on Nov. 19: While European markets have largely ignored the recent coronavirus spikes, a sharp sell-off could be the spark that lights the S&P 500’s correction. To explain, the DAX 30 Index (Germany) and the CAC 40 Index (France) both closed slightly lower on Nov. 18. However, prior to Nov. 18, the DAX 30 had closed in the green for 13 of the last 15 trading days, and one-upping its European counterpart, the CAC 40 had closed in the green for 15 of the last 16 trading days. On top of that, the CAC 40 had an RSI (Relative Strength Index) north of 80, while the DAX 30 had an RSI north of 75. As a result, both indices are materially overbought at a time when Germany is implementing new restrictions. Thus, if a Minsky Moment strikes in Europe, don’t be surprised if the negativity cascades across the Atlantic. To that point, after volatility erupted on cue, the DAX 30 suffered an intraday peak-to-trough decline of 7.8%, the CAC 40 dropped by 7.3%, and the S&P 500 dropped by 5.2%. Please see below: However, with overzealous equity bulls back at it again on Dec. 7, the PMs benefited from the risk-on sentiment. However, with the fundamental problems still present, investors may have set themselves up for more disappointment. To explain, with hedge funds increasing their short bets a little too late, Goldman Sachs Prime Brokerage reported that last week, “US equities on the GS Prime book made up more than 85% of the global $ net selling (-1.4 SDs), driven by short sales and to a lesser extent long sales (9 to 1).”  In a nutshell: hedge funds increased their short bets at the worst possible time. Please see below: Thus, with the Dec. 7 rally driven mainly by a reversal of these positions, the profound short squeeze helped uplift the PMs. For example, Bank of America data shows that last week’s corporate buybacks were the highest weekly total since March. And by repurchasing nearly $3.4 billion of their own stock (focus on the first blue column from the left), their bids helped calm the S&P 500’s selling pressure. Please see below: What’s more, while Bank of America said that hedge funds and retail investors somewhat bought the dip last week (though, they’re still net-sellers over the last four weeks), corporations did much of the heavy lifting.  As a result, with retail investors running out of gas and hedge funds mainly closing out their shorts on Dec. 7, the S&P 500 should resume its correction. More importantly, though, mining stocks’ recent strength should wilt away as the drama unfolds.  Please see below: And now for the grand reveal: corporations' buyback blackout period begins on Dec. 10. And since they can't repurchase more shares until the New Year, the elephant in the room won't be able to support the S&P 500. Likewise, after hedge funds covered their shorts on Dec. 7, short-covering won't be able to support the S&P 500 either. As a result, mining stocks should suffer if the negativity resurfaces over the next few weeks. Please see below: To explain, the red line above tracks the hourly movement of the S&P 500, while the gold line above tracks the hourly movement of the GDXJ ETF. As you can see, the junior miners often follow in the S&P 500’s footsteps. And with the S&P 500 setting itself up for another drop, the GDXJ ETF likely won’t be far behind. To that point, with the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) scheduled for release on Dec. 10 and the Fed’s next monetary policy meeting scheduled for Dec. 14/15, sources of volatility will arrive at a time when corporations are stuck on the sidelines.  For context, I wrote on Nov. 12: I’ve highlighted on several occasions how the Commodity Producer Price Index (PPI) often leads the following month’s headline CPI. And after the former increased by 2% month-over-month (MoM) on Nov. 9 – which is a material MoM increase – and by 22.2% YoY (a new 2021 high), it implies a headline CPI print of roughly 5.75% to 6.25% when the data is released on Dec. 10. Please see below: To explain, the green line above tracks the YoY percentage change in the commodity PPI, while the red line above tracks the YoY percentage change in the headline CPI. If you analyze the relationship, you can see that the pair have a close connection. In addition, after expectations for September were pulled forward to July, and then expectations for July were pulled forward to June, now, the probability of a Fed rate hike in May 2022 has reached ~69%. Please see below: Also noteworthy, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Dec. 3 that “the danger now is that we get too much inflation.... It's time for the [Fed] to react at upcoming meetings.” He added: “the inflation numbers are high enough that I think [ending the taper by March] would really help us to create the optionality to do more if we had to, if inflation doesn't dissipate as expected in the next couple of months.” For context, Bullard reiterated that he expects two Fed rate hikes in 2022. The bottom line? While the bulls stampeded through Wall Street on Dec. 7, things aren’t as rosy as they appear. And while the PMs benefited from the renewed optimism, their tepid rallies are even more fragile. Moreover, with another inflation print on the horizon and the FOMC’s Dec. 15 decision including its Summary of Economic Projections, the hawkish revelations could rattle the financial markets. And with corporate buybacks starting their holiday vacation on Dec. 10, stock market investors are on their own to navigate what comes next. In conclusion, the PMs rallied on Dec. 7, as risk-on sentiment reigned supreme. However, with the S&P 500 rallying by more than 2% and WTI rallying by nearly 4%, the PMs’ daily upswings were relatively muted. As a result, precious metals investors sense that caution is warranted. And with their trepidation a sign of heightened anxiety, they likely realize that going long the PMs involves much more risk than reward. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Continues To Soften

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Continues To Soften

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 09.12.2021 10:14
    USDCAD tests key support The Canadian dollar inched lower after the BOC left its interest rate unchanged as expected. The pair has met stiff selling pressure at the supply zone around 1.2850, a triple top on the daily chart. A drop below 1.2720 has forced out short-term buyers. 1.2580 is the next support and it sits on the 30-day moving average. A bearish breakout would deepen the correction to the psychological level of 1.2500. On the upside, the bulls will need to clear 1.2770 before they could have another attempt at the supply zone. USOIL rebounds from demand zone WTI crude bounces back on signs that the new virus strain has a limited impact on demand. Price action met strong buying interest near last August’s lows at 62.00, a major support from the daily chart to keep the uptrend intact. A bullish RSI divergence in this congestion area indicates a loss of momentum in the bearish drive. Then a rally above 69.30 forced the sellers to exit, opening the door for an extension towards 79.00. The initial surge has pushed the RSI into the overbought territory. 68.00 is an immediate support. GER 40 to test major resistance The Dax 40 recoups losses as fears of the omicron variant start to subside. Last October’s lows near 14900 have proven to be a solid support. The rally above 15520 stirred up volatility as the last sellers rushed to the exit. The bulls are pushing towards 15920, where the index took a nosedive in late November. A bullish breakout could attract more buying interest and turn market sentiment around. Meanwhile, an overbought RSI has caused a pullback, giving time for the bulls to accumulate. 15300 is the closest support.
    Frontrunning CPI

    Frontrunning CPI

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 09.12.2021 15:50
    S&P 500 rose as VIX retraced over half of its recent spike, but tech and value have a short-term tired look. Cyclicals turning down while utilities with staples barely budge in spite of a surge in yields? That looks really risk-off to me, and together with commodities and precious metals going nowhere, represents your usual setup before tomorrow‘s CPI announcement. So, count on some headwinds today.A reasonably hot inflation figure is expected tomorrow – inflation expectations have risen already yesterday. The fears are that a higher than what used to be called transitory figure, would cut into profit margins and send value lower. Even if inflation (which certainly hasn‘t peaked yet as I‘m on the record for having said already) isn‘t yet strong enough to sink stocks, the Fed‘s reaction to it is. The dynamic of tapering response messing up with the economy would take months to play out – so, the bumpy ride ahead can continue. If only the yield curve stopped from getting ever more inverted...Markets keep chugging along for the time being, and the warning signs to watch for talked in Monday‘s extensive analysis, aren‘t flashing red. While I would prefer to see more copper strength for confirmation (almost as much as no question marks creeping into the crypto land), this is what we have – and it indicates that the path higher won‘t be steep. Neither in stocks, commodities or precious metals – as I wrote yesterday:(…) The copper weakness remains the only watchout in the short term, and silver sluggishness reflects lack of imminent inflation fears. As if the current prices accurately reflected above ground stockpiles and yearly mining output minus consumption. It‘s the same story in the red metal, by the way.Patience in the precious metals – it‘s about Fed either relenting, or placing inordinate amount of stress on the real economy, which would take time. Spring 2022 most probably would bring greater PMs gains than 2021 with its fits and starts – aka when inflation starts to bite the mainstream narratives and stocks, some more.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 upswing looks ripe for a brief breather – the volume is drying up, and consolidation in the vicinity of ATHs shouldn‘t be unexpected.Credit MarketsHYG held up quite well on the day, but the stock market mood it translated into, was risk-off one as rising yields couldn‘t help cyclicals.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are still basing, positioned for the coming brief decline that has pretty good chances of being reversed right next. The countdown to higher prices and Fed mistake is firmly on, and the risks of being out of the market outweigh the patience now required.Crude OilCrude oil upswing is running into predictable headwinds, which I look to be resolved to the upside perhaps as early as tomorrow‘s regular session (I‘m not looking for CPI to send real assets down).CopperCopper is still quite lukewarm, and doesn‘t indicate a commodities surge right ahead. Some consolidation wouldn‘t be surprising now that half of the CRB Index downswing has been erased. Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum keep looking vulnerable – the yesterday discussed downswing possibility looks to be progressing, unfortunately for the bulls.SummaryS&P 500 is still likely to consolidate recent strong gain, and at the same time not to tank on tomorrow‘s inflation data. The (almost classical, cynics might say) anticipation is playing out in commodities and precious metals today, but I‘m looking for the downside to be reversed tomorrow as the yields vs. inflation expectations duo hint at. Fed fears this early in the tapering cycle will likely look to be a blip on the screen in the topping process hindsight.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Gold Stuck Between High Inflation and Strong Dollar

    Gold Stuck Between High Inflation and Strong Dollar

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 09.12.2021 16:46
      Inflation supports gold, the expected Fed’s reaction to price pressure – not. Since gold ended November with a small gain, what will December bring? I have good and bad news. The good is that the price of gold rose 2% in November. The bad –is that the price of gold rose 2% in November. It depends on the perspective we adopt. Given all the hawkish signals sent by the Fed and all the talk about tapering of quantitative easing and the upcoming tightening cycle, even a small increase is an admirable achievement. However, if we focus on the fact that US consumer inflation rose in October to its highest level in 30 years, and that real interest rates have stayed deeply in negative territory, gold’s inability to move and stay above $1,800 looks discouraging. We can also look at it differently. The good news would be that gold jumped to $1,865 in mid-November. The bad news, on the other hand, would be that this rally was short-lived with gold prices returning to their trading range of $1,750-$1,800 in the second half of the month, as the chart below shows. Now, according to the newest WGC’s Gold Market Commentary, gold’s performance in November resulted from the fact that higher inflation expectations were offset by a stronger dollar and rising bond yields that followed Powell’s nomination for the Fed Chair for the second term. Indeed, as you can see in the chart below, the greenback strengthened significantly in November, and real interest rates rallied for a while. Given the scale of the upward move in the dollar, and that it was combined with a surge in yields, gold’s performance last month indicates strength rather than weakness. As the WGC notes, “dollar strength was a headwind in November, acting as a drag on gold’s performance, but not enough to outweigh inflation concerns.”   Implications for Gold Great, but what’s next for the gold market in December and 2022? Well, that’s a good question. The WGC points out that “gold remains heavily influenced by investors’ continued focus on the path of inflation (…) and the Fed’s and other central banks’ potential reaction to it.” I agree. Inflation worries increase demand for gold as an inflation hedge, supporting gold, but they also create expectations for a more hawkish Fed, hitting the yellow metal. It seems that the upcoming days will be crucial for gold. Tomorrow (December 10, 2021), we will get to know CPI data for November. And on Wednesday (December 15, 2021), the FOMC will release its statement on monetary policy and updated dot plot. My bet is that inflation will stay elevated or that it could actually intensify further. In any case, the persistence of high inflation could trigger some worries and boost the safe-haven demand for gold. However, I’m afraid that gold bulls’ joy would be – to use a trendy word – transitory. The December FOMC meeting will probably be hawkish and will send gold prices down. Given the persistence of inflation, the Fed is likely to turn more hawkish and accelerate the pace of tapering. Of course, if the Fed surprises us on a dovish side, gold should shine. What’s more, the hawkish tone is widely expected, so it might be the case that all the nasty implications are already priced in. We might see a “sell the rumor, buy the fact” scenario, but I’m not so sure about it. The few last dot-plots surprised the markets on a hawkish side, pushing gold prices down. I’m afraid that this is what will happen again. Next week, the Fed could open the door to earlier rate hikes than previously projected. Hence, bond yields could surge again, making gold move in the opposite direction. You’ve been warned! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Apple (AAPL) Stock Price and Forecast: Can Apple take a bite out of $200 before year end?

    Apple (AAPL) Stock Price and Forecast: Can Apple take a bite out of $200 before year end?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 09.12.2021 15:54
    Apple stock powers on to more all-time highs on Wednesday. AAPL shares breach and close above $175. Is $200 a conceivable year-end target for Apple stock? Apple (AAPL) stock just continues to power on like a juggernaut. A powerful combination of momentum and fundamentals is pushing this one higher. Despite the market sell-off last week and earlier this week due to Omicron, Apple still found buyers. The stock has both defensive and offensive qualities. "Defensive" in terms of the huge cash pile it sits on and "offensive" in its entire business. The stock added another 2% on Wednesday, closing at $175.08. Apple is now up over 7% in just over a week, impressive when you consider the market background. Apple (AAPL) chart, 15-minute Apple (AAPL) stock news Apple was granted a motion to delay App Store changes that had been in the offing after the Epic Games ruling. Apple is appealing the so-called "Fortnite" issue as Epic Games is the creator of Fortnite. The ruling meant Apple would have to change some rules in order to allow links to outside payment systems. Because Apple is appealing the "Fortnite" ruling, it does not now have to make any App Store changes until that appeal decision. This likely means a multi-year-long reprieve for the App Store as the appeal will take time. A definite positive in our view. "Apple has demonstrated, at minimum, that its appeal raises serious questions on the merits of the district court’s determination," the 9th Circuit Court wrote on Wednesday-Reuters. Separately, Apple has lost more engineers from its car project to startup companies in the space, according to a report from Bloomberg. Apple (AAPL) stock forecast No resistance is in sight, obviously, when AAPL at record highs. The pivot level for short-term support is $167. Here we have some volume from last week, and also it is a breakout level for the move this week. The 9-day moving average will also likely track to this level today. Below the medium-term pivot is at $157, so Apple remains bullish above there. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and Relative Strength Index (RSI) remain bullish, and volume has been strong behind this recent rally, indicating its health. AAPL 1-day chart
    Tesla (TSLA) Stock Price and Forecast: Will Tesla fall to $900?

    Tesla (TSLA) Stock Price and Forecast: Will Tesla fall to $900?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 06.12.2021 19:29
    Tesla (TSLA) stock continues to slide as Friday sees 6% loss. Tesla (TSLA) now nearing key $1,000 support and pivot. Tesla (TSLA) is likely to move quickly to $910 if the stock breaches $1,000. Tesla stock continues to remain under increased selling pressure as markets take a risk-off approach in the current environment. The emergence of the omicron covid variant appears to have put the brakes on the latest rally but the move had become overdone anyway and some correction was necessary. While 2021 has been the year to buy dips, is this one different? We think not and reckon now is the time to wade back in but we take a differing approach here with Tesla (TSLA). The stock has had a standout 2021 and is likely to suffer from now into year-end. The temptation of profit taking is just too strong here. Technically $1,000 is key. Holding will put in place a bullish double bottom and make us change our call but we, for now, remain bearish and see $1,000 breaking, leading to a sharp acceleration to $910. Our daily chart for Tesla (TSLA) above shows just how much pain the stock has taken this past couple of weeks. Tesla was nearing gains of 80% for 2021 in early November but now is back to a gain of 45% for the year so far. Still a strong outperformance against the benchmarks. Tesla (TSLA) stock news The most anticipated of product launches, that of the cybertruck, has been delayed to the end of 2022 according to a Twitter post from CEO Elon Musk. He gave more details about the proposed cybertruck saying it will have four motors, one for each wheel, and will be able to crab sideways. Elon Musk will give more details on Tesla's next earnings call. China sees a recall for some Tesla cars with a report in Electrek stating "According to a statement from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Tesla Shanghai filed a recall plan for 21,599 Model Y EVs manufactured in the country. The automaker cited issues pertaining to the strength of front and rear steering knuckles, stating they may not meet the automaker’s design requirements". Also of note is Elon Musk selling another $1 billion worth of stock, while Cathie Wood of ARK also is still trimming her funds holding in the name. Tesla (TSLA) stock forecast $1,000 is huge, break and it is likely straight to $910. Hold and we would expect more all-time highs before year-end. It is that simple in our view. This one is big. $910 closes the gap from the whole Hertz parabolic move and markets love to fill gaps. Holding on the other hand confirms a double bottom which is a powerful bullish reversal signal. We would need some confirmation with either a stochastic or MACD crossover or a bullish divergence from the RSI. So far we have none of these, making a break lower more likely in our view.
    TSLA Stock Price and Forecast: Why Tesla will break $1,200 on Wednesday

    TSLA Stock Price and Forecast: Why Tesla will break $1,200 on Wednesday

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 01.12.2021 16:20
    Tesla emerges unscathed from another equity sell-off on Tuesday. TSLA is likely to break higher on Wednesday as buyers return. Tesla CEO Elon Musk takes a bite out of Apple. Tesla (TSLA) stock can do no wrong in 2021, and it avoided another market meltdown on Tuesday. While panic ensued following Powell's remarks about the taper and inflation, TSLA held firmly in the green. Equity indices finished nearly 2% lower on Tuesday, but Tesla shares closed at $1,144.76 for a gain of 0.7%. This was another strong outperformance for a stock that is up 62% year to date. Contrast that with the Nasdaq, up 25 % for 2021, and the S&P 500, up a similar amount. 2021 has been the year of the electric vehicle, and Tesla paved the way for others to follow, notably Rivian (RIVN) and Lucid (LCID). Our chart above shows the strong correlation between Tesla and Lucid with both stocks putting in a stellar second half for 2021. Tesla (TSLA) stock news Elon Musk is nothing if not entertaining, and on a slow news day for Tesla he livened things up by taking a pop on Twitter toward Apple. Don’t waste your money on that silly Apple Cloth, buy our whistle instead! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 1, 2021 The Apple cloth he is referring to is a polishing cloth available from Apple for $19. Tesla recently launched a Cyberwhistle for what reason? Who knows, but it is currently sold out. At $50 for a whistle, it is not exactly cheap. It seems people just love a Tesla product. Apple was no slouch either on Tuesday as the stock set all-time highs. Tesla (TSLA) stock forecast The triangle formation still holds and a breakout is awaited. A triangle pattern is usually a continuation pattern, and Wednesday could provide the catalyst to break higher. The stock has consolidated well despite some strong headwinds: notably, Elon Musk selling a Cybertruck load of stock, and Tesla not performing well in a recent reliability test. It did however score highly on customer satisfaction, and investor satisfaction is also high given the strong performance. We expect more all-time highs this week even with the surrounding Omicron volatility. Our view will change if Tesla cracked below key support at $1,063. TSLA 1-day chart
    Catching More Than a Decent Bid

    Catching More Than a Decent Bid

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 10.12.2021 15:48
    S&P 500 predictably relented, but the resilience of value provides a glimmer of hope. Quite a solid one as the HYG spurt to the downside didn‘t inspire a broader selloff, including in tech. Yesterday was your regular wait-and-see session of prepositioning to today‘s CPI data. This not exactly a leading indicator of inflation clearly hasn‘t peaked, and inflation around the world either. The difference between the U.S. with eurozone, and the rest of the world, is that many other central banks are already on a tightening path.I count on such a CPI reading that wouldn‘t cause a rush to the exit door and liquidation in fears of Fed going even more hawkish (in rhetoric, it must be said). My series of pre-CPI release tweets have worked out to the letter – and now, it‘s back to the inflation trades.I already told you in yesterday‘s report:(…) A reasonably hot inflation figure is expected tomorrow – inflation expectations have risen already yesterday. The fears are that a higher than what used to be called transitory figure, would cut into profit margins and send value lower. Even if inflation (which certainly hasn‘t peaked yet as I‘m on the record for having said already) isn‘t yet strong enough to sink stocks, the Fed‘s reaction to it is. The dynamic of tapering response messing up with the economy would take months to play out – so, the bumpy ride ahead can continue. If only the yield curve stopped from getting ever more inverted...Markets keep chugging along for the time being, and the warning signs to watch for talked in Monday‘s extensive analysis, aren‘t flashing red.The pieces of the stock market and commodities rally continuation are in place, and the same goes for precious metals reversing the prior cautious stance. Even cryptos are warming up to the data release.Looking further ahead in time to 2022, I can‘t understate the bright prospects of agrifoods (DBA) – and it‘s in no way just about the turmoil in fertilizer land.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 downswing looks ready to be reversed soon – in spite of the drying up volume which often accompanies bull markets. The daily indicators remain positioned favorably to the bulls.Credit MarketsHYG weakness looks somewhat overdone to me – the prior upswing is still getting the benefit of my doubt. The coming sessions just shouldn‘t bring a steep HYG decline in my view.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are still basing, and I‘m looking for the hesitation to be reversed to the upside. Just see the tough headwinds in comparing silver being almost at its Sep lows while gold is trading much higher. Once the inflation narratives get a renewed boost, silver would play catch up.Crude OilCrude oil upswing is running into predictable headwinds, but I‘m looking at the next attempt at $72 to succeed, and for $74 to be broken to the upside later on.CopperCopper is still lukewarm, and waiting for the broader commodity fires to reignite. The red metal isn‘t in an anticipatory, frontrunning mood – its prolonged consolidation means though it‘s prefectly prepared to rise decisively again.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum are finding buying interest, but the Ethereum underperformance has me still cautious after taking sizable ETH profits off the table yesterday.SummaryS&P 500 rally is likely to continue today, and the same goes for risk-on and real assets. The Fed evidently won‘t be forced into a more hawkish position in Dec, and the markets are starting to celebrate. Silently celebrate as it‘s not about fireworks, but a reasonable and well bid advance across the board. I hope you‘re likewise positioned!Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Another 4 Years of Gold’s Tricky Romance With Jay

    Another 4 Years of Gold’s Tricky Romance With Jay

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 10.12.2021 16:45
      “Do you love me?”, asked gold. “Of course, my dear”, replied Jay, but his thoughts were with others: asset purchases tapering and interest rate hikes. “It’s complicated” – this is how many people answer questions about their romantic lives. The relationship between gold and Jerome Powell is also not a clear one. As you know, in November, President Biden announced that he would reappoint Powell for the second term as the Fed Chair. It means that gold will have to live with Jerome under the same roof for another four years. To say that gold didn’t like it is to say nothing. The yellow metal snapped and left the cozy living room of $1,850, slamming the door loudly. In less literary expressions, its price plunged from above $1,860 on November 19 to $1,782 on November 24, 2021, as the chart below shows. The impulsive gold’s reaction to Powell’s renomination resulted from its failed dream about a love affair with Lael Brainard. She was considered a leading contender to replace Powell. The contender that would be more dovish and, thus, more supportive of gold prices. However, is a hawkish dove a hawk? Is Powell really a hawk? Even if more hawkish than Brainard, he still orchestrated an unprecedentedly accommodative monetary policy in response to the pandemic-related economic crisis. It was none other than Powell who started to cut interest rates in 2019, a year before the epidemic outbreak. It was he who implemented an inflation-averaging regime that allowed inflation to run above the target. Right now, it’s also Powell who claims that the current high inflation is transitory, although it’s clear for almost everyone else that it’s more persistent. I wouldn’t call Powell a hawk then. He is rather a dove in a hawk’s clothing. So, gold doesn’t have to suffer under Powell’s second term as the Fed Chair. Please take a look at the chart below, which shows gold’s performance in the period of 2017-2021. As you can see, the yellow metal gained about 34% during Powell’s first term as the chair of the Federal Reserve that started in February 2018 (or 40% since Trump’s November 2017 nomination of the Fed). Not bad! Actually, gold performed much better back then than under Yellen’s term as the Fed Chair. During her tenure, which took place in 2014-2018, the yellow metal was traded sideways, remaining generally in a corridor between $1,100-$1,300. I’m not saying that Yellen despised gold, while Powell loves it. My point is that gold’s performance during the tenures of Fed Chairs varies along with changes in the macroeconomic environment in which they act and the monetary stance they adopt. Gold suffered strongly until December 2015, when Yellen finally started hiking the federal funds rate. It then rebounded, only to struggle again in 2018 amid an aggressive tightening cycle. However, at the end of that year it started to rally due to a dovish shift within the Fed, and, of course, in a lagged response to unprecedented fiscal and monetary actions later in 2020. I have bad and good news here. The former is that the macroeconomic environment during Powell’s second term could be more inflationary, demanding more hawkish actions. The Fed has already started tapering of its quantitative easing, and bets are accumulating that it could start hiking interest rates somewhere around mid-2022. What’s more, the continuation of Powell’s leadership ensures more stability and provides markets with more certainty about what to expect from the Fed in the coming years. This is bad news for safe-haven assets such as gold. Last but not least, the composition of the FOMC is going to shift toward the hawkish side. This is because some strong doves, such as Daly and Evans, are out, while some notable hawks, such as George, Mester (and also Bullard), are among the voting members in 2022. Gold may, therefore, find itself under downward pressure next year, especially in its first half. On the other hand, the current FOMC expresses clearly dovish bias. With mammoth public debt and elevated asset prices, aggressive tightening would simply be very risky from a financial and political point of view. So, the Fed is likely to generally remain behind the curve. By the way, Biden not only reappointed Powell for the second term as Fed Chair, but he also appointed Brainard as Vice-Chair. We also can’t exclude that Biden agreed to Powell’s second term only if he conducts “appropriate” monetary policy. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren once called Powell “a dangerous man.” Well, in a way, it’s true, as powerful people can be dangerous. However, history shows that Powell doesn’t have to be a threat to gold. After all, he is not a hawk in the mold of Paul Volcker, but merely a hawkish dove, or a dove that will have to normalize the crisis monetary policy and curb inflation. In the upcoming months, gold may struggle amid prospects of more interest rates hikes and likely strengthened hawkish rhetoric from the Fed. However, precious metals investors often sell the rumor and buy the fact. So, when the US central bank finally delivers them, better times may come for the yellow metal, and gold and Jay could live happily ever after. The End. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Stocks To Advance After Neutral Inflation Data?

    Stocks To Advance After Neutral Inflation Data?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 10.12.2021 15:46
      Stocks retraced some of their recent rally yesterday – was it just a quick downward correction before another leg up? For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch today's video. today's video." frameborder="0" allowfullscreen> The nearest important resistance level remains at 4,700-4,750, marked by the record high, among others. On the other hand, the support level is at around 4,610-4,630, marked by Tuesday’s daily gap up of 4,612.60-4,631.97. The S&P 500 is at its previous consolidation, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq 100 Bounced From the 16,400 Level Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index got back to the 16,400 level on Wednesday and yesterday it retraced some of its recent advance, just like the broad stock market. However, tech stocks are relatively weaker, as the Nasdaq 100 is still well below the Nov. 22 record high of 16,764.85. Conclusion The S&P 500 index will likely retrace its yesterday’s decline this morning. So the broad stock market may extend a short-term consolidation following the recent rally. There have been no confirmed short-term negative signals so far and we may see an attempt at breaking above the 4,700 level following neutral CPI data release. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 is expected to open higher this morning and we may see a consolidation along the 4,700 level. We are still maintaining our short position from the 4,678 level. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    TSLA Stock Price and Forecast: Why is Tesla is going to break below $1,000?

    TSLA Stock Price and Forecast: Why is Tesla is going to break below $1,000?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 10.12.2021 16:09
    Tesla stock underperforms strongly on Thursday as continued profit-taking strikes blow. Equity markets remain nervous as VIX inches up again on Thursday and indices lose ground. TSLA also feels pressure from more sales by CEO Elon Musk. Tesla (TSLA) shares lost a lot of ground on Thursday as investors cashed in recent gains ahead of the year end. TSLA has to be included in practically all indices, passive and active funds, and the temptation to book some strong profits ahead of the new year is just too tempting. Added to this is the strong retail investor base who will also be much more inclined to sell out before the holiday season, and the stock has been coming under heavy selling pressure. Call options have been a strong feature of the rise in Tesla this year, especially the last six months. Call option volumes have been steadily decreasing. Tesla (TSLA) stock chart, 15-minute As we can see from the chart above, December has not been kind to Tesla stock so far, and we see this continuing. Tesla (TSLA) stock news Added to profit-taking and Elon Musk selling stock was news yesterday that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is scrutinizing a feature in some Tesla versions that allow users to play video games in the car. Obviously, this would be a distraction to the driver. We are assuming it is a passenger feature but nonetheless still distracting. Elon Musk sold another $963 million worth of Tesla this week, and Cathie Wood of ARK is still selling small amounts. Tesla (TSLA) stock forecast Somehow $1,000 is still holding in there as support, but surely today is the day when that will finally break. Then it is a pretty clear path in terms of support straight to $910. $1,000 is psychological, but it has been tested quite a few times and the more a level is tested the weaker it becomes. Tesla is putting in a series of lower highs and knocking on the door of $1,000 each time. So the bounce from $1,000 can be said to be weaker each time. We also have a falling Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) confirming the price action. Tesla (TSLA) stock chart, daily
    New Profitable Call on Natural Gas: “The Yoyo-Trade” Is Back

    New Profitable Call on Natural Gas: “The Yoyo-Trade” Is Back

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 10.12.2021 15:42
      What will next week bring us? Hopefully, another profitable trade! The entry has been triggered, and we are on track to reaching our first target. The fundamental question is: are we witnessing a resumption of bullish factors on natural gas? The price of gas hit its highest level since February 2014 in early October. Tight supplies and concerns about a rougher than expected winter in the northern hemisphere were the main propellants for natural gas. However, quite suddenly, a dip took place over the past week. Since exiting the key $ 5.00 per Million British thermal units (MBtu) support zone a week ago, it has fallen by more than 25% – more than 40% drop from its highest level in October. Meanwhile, at the pre-open last Monday, I told our subscribers to get ready to go long around the $3.604-3.716 support zone (yellow band), with a stop placed just below the $3.424 level (red dotted line) and targets at $4.009 and $4.355 (green dotted lines). As a result, gas prices contracted in stride while trading just into the provided entry area before the bull crowd woke up to push them back up in the following days. In fact, with gas prices picking up momentum from Wednesday, the proposed trade entry on the Henry Hub futures is turning profitable (and getting closer to target #1). Trading Charts Chart – Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart, logarithmic scale) Now, let’s zoom into the 4H chart to observe the recent price action all around the abovementioned levels of our trade plan: Chart – Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGF22) Futures (January contract, 4H chart, logarithmic scale) In summary, my trading approach has led me to suggest some long trades around potential key supports, as this dip on natural gas offered a great opportunity for the bulls to enter long whilst aiming towards specific projected targets. If you don’t want to miss any future trading alerts, make sure to look at our Premium section. By the way, for those of you who are interested in trading biofuels, please note that I recently wrote an article on this topic to diversify your portfolio. Alternatively, you can have a closer look at my selection of stocks and MLPs through our public dynamic stock watchlist. Stay tuned – and happy trading! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Silver is moving up

    Silver is moving up

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 11.12.2021 10:45
    So, what are the facts: Monthly chart, Silver in US-Dollar, probabilities: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of December 10th, 2021. In 2020, silver broke a multiyear sideways range and moved strongly up. It has now consolidated for over a year in a sideways range again. This is a bullish setup! As much as emotions might be weary, from a probability perspective, a general rule is that the longer a congestion is from a time perspective, the more significant will be the subsequent breakout from that range. Statistical probabilities are also clearly pointing to the upside rather than returning into the prior range. Not to forget, buying near the lows of such a range box guarantees the lowest entry risk and highest risk/reward-ratio play to be taken for the long side, even if emotions might tell you otherwise. 2021 silver trades performance: 2021 silver trades performance. Another fact is that one does not need to know when and if a breakout is happening to extract money from the markets consistently. The above chart is this year’s silver trades that we posted in real-time in our free Telegram channel. The systematic approach focuses on low-risk entry points with a risk reduction method through our quad exit strategy. Sideways markets provide an income-producing aspect of one’s trading, and a possible breakout of a range would give a significant bonus. An approach like this keeps emotions in check since one’s labor gets rewarded and allows for significantly higher rewards once ranges do break. Silver in US-Dollar, quarterly chart, silver is moving up: Silver in US-Dollar, quarterly chart as of December 10th, 2021. In short, while waiting is strenuous, and one might feel doubtful, from a probability perspective, silver is an even likelier success story now than it has been six months or a year ago. What should also not be underestimated is the fundamental situation of this wealth preservation play. The extensions of governments playing the inflation game to such length are like adding fuel to the silver play. Widespread problems that are the pillars to this insurance play have, if anything, increased. Consequently, supporting a good likelihood that silver prices go up. When? Well, that is hard to say since no one knows the future, but maybe this question gets proportionally in weight too much attention since insurance isn’t just bought for the next storm to come but in principle acquired to make one feel good and to protect one’s wealth long term. The quarterly chart above shows how silvers inherent volatility can sustain, in times of market turmoil, extended phases of extreme standard deviation levels. Price moves far away from the mean (red line). We are trading near the mean as of now, and the very right green line is a projection of a possible price move up.   S&P 500 in US-Dollar, quarterly chart, Quod erat demonstrandum: S&P 500 in US-Dollar, quarterly chart as of December 10th, 2021. Still, some doubt left? Have a look at the above S&P500 chart, representing the broad market. Does that look like a healthy chart? Baby boomers and general stock-market participants might be in for a rude awakening once they realize how little their fiat currency is still worth when they cash in those stock portfolio investments. Just compare your total living cost from 2020 with 2021. All positions from food to health insurance, from car gas to electricity bills. Calculate the percentage difference from those two numbers and add this percentage to the average acquisition cost of your physical silver, and you have the real value of your silver already now. How does homelessness double to a half million people per day sleeping roofless factor in? Does this chart represent great times when we face supply chain disruptions? Or is it all smoke and mirrors, and once the music stops, there will be countless chairs missing for everyone to sit down? Silver is moving up: The essential principle in play is that markets are counterintuitive. Meaning your feelings might have switched from enthusiasm to uncertainty, even frustration, but probability facts are in direct opposition to one’s feelings. This principle is the underlying reason why moves out of extended congestion zones can result in substantial moves. Once emotionally weak hands are washed out, these breakouts come from an emotional perspective surprising. Bears step aside and bulls chase prices. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.
    Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC might dive below $40,000

    Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC might dive below $40,000

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 10.12.2021 16:09
    Bitcoin price has penetrated below the $53,000 support level and is currently exploring the $48,000 to $50,000 foothold. BTC needs to rise above $57,845 to flip bullish, failing could leave it open to retest $40,000. On-chain metrics are indicating a wide array of emotions, painting the indecisiveness of the crypto markets. Bitcoin price is currently hovering around a crucial barrier as bulls and bears hash it out. This fight for control shows indecision among the participants and is often formed before a volatile move. Short-term investors need to be cautious about the next move, therefore, so as not to be caught off guard. Bitcoin price at crossroads Bitcoin price has slipped below the $50,000 psychological level five times over the last six days. Although the first four times BTC recovered back above it, the December 9 crash produced a daily close below it. Price action for the next few days is crucial as it will determine or establish a directions bias. In some cases, Bitcoin price could consolidate before it violently explodes. While it is difficult to say in which direction BTC might head, let’s assume, it is a bullish move. In that case, Bitcoin price needs to produce a daily close above $57,845 to indicate that the bulls are back in control. Doing this will establish a higher high and eventually, a higher low, which will confirm the start of an uptrend. Even after flipping the $57,845 level, BTC needs to wade through a thick consolidation area up to $61,000. Beyond this level, the big crypto will then have to tackle the $65,509 hurdle and eventually the all-time high at $69,000. To trigger this scenario, BTC needs to consolidate or reverse the downtrend and produce a higher high above $57,845. BTC/USD 1-day chart Supporting this scenario is the daily active addresses chart, which shows that DAA is above the 30-day average of 944,000 and is currently at 1.11 million. This data reveals that despite the recent flash crashes, investors are still interacting with the bitcoin blockchain, suggesting that they are optimistic about BTC’s performance. BTC DAA chart Further implying that an uptrend is likely is the 365-day Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) model, which has reset and is currently at 1%. This on-chain metric is used to determine the average profit/loss of investors that purchased BTC over the past year. There is a chance this index might dip into the negative territory, but there is also the possibility that long-term holders might start accumulating, kick-starting the uptrend. BTC 365-day MVRV chart Lastly, the stable coin supply reserve on all exchanges has hit a new all-time high of $21.3 billion as of December 9. This uptick seems to have picked up pace around November 25, indicating that investors could be preparing to buy the dip if we ever get one or using the stablecoins as collateral for their existing positions. BTC stablecoin supply reserve chart BTC bears are not far behind While the bullish scenario does not seem out of the realm of possibility, the breakdown of the $50,000 psychological level and $48,326 support level suggests that bears are in control. If buyers fail to rescue the pioneer crypto at these levels, there is a high chance the downtrend could deepen, knocking BTC down to $40,596, the next support floor. If this were to happen, the market makers will likely collect the liquidity resting below this area, allowing BTC to revisit the $30,000 levels again. In an extremely dire case, Bitcoin price could head below the July 20 swing low at $29,763 to collect the sell-stop liquidity. Supporting the bearish side of arguments is IntoTheBlock’s Global In/Out of the Money (GIOM) model, which shows that the next stable support level extends from $45,615 to $23,046. Here roughly 5 million addresses purchased 3.35 million BTC at an average price of $36,730. Even if BTC might head to $30,000 or lower, there is a high chance it might revisit $36,000. BTC GIOM Moreover, the large transaction volume worth $100,000 or more has also dried up from 12 million on November 16 to 5.4 million on December 6. This 55% reduction indicates large institutions or whales are uninterested in BTC at the current levels. BTC large transactions volume chart Investors need to be cautious, therefore, and observe how Bitcoin price reacts around the $50,000 psychological level. A consolidation followed by a pump to $57,845 will suggest that the bulls are trying to make a comeback. In which case, market participants need to wait for confirmation. If Bitcoin price continues to sell-off, then a revisit of $40,000 or lower seems plausible.
    Gold Stays Sedentary Whilst Silver (a Steal!) Skids Senselessly

    Gold Stays Sedentary Whilst Silver (a Steal!) Skids Senselessly

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 13.12.2021 09:18
    The Gold Update by Mark Mead Baillie --- 630th Edition --- Monte-Carlo --- 11 December 2021 (published each Saturday) --- www.deMeadville.com Without looking... Think quick! What is the price of Gold right now? (HINT: If you read last week's missive, you already know the answer). "Uhh gee, mmb... in the 1780s?" Spot-on there, Squire, for the simplest reason that the price of Gold is always in the 1780s. Don't believe it? Feel free to verify the following, (you cannot make this stuff up): 'Twas in the 1780s ten years ago; 'twas in the 1780s ten months ago; 'twas in the 1780s ten weeks ago; 'twas in the 1780s ten days ago; and 'tis today in the 1780s -- 1783 to be precise -- as portrayed in the above Gold Scoreboard. That is just 44% of Gold's Dollar-debased value of 4015, even as honestly-adjusted for the increase in the supply of Gold itself. No kiddin'. Indeed should Gold have just died, an epitaph of solely "1780" is perfectly apt. "Charles, is this Gold's gravestone?" ... "That, my dear Dysphasia, is a rhetorical question." For just as the price of Gold was relatively "fixed" post-Issac Newton in the $18-to-$20 range, then again relatively "fixed" post-Bretton Woods in the $34-to-$35 range -- until 1971 upon Richard Nixon nixing such Gold Standard -- today we might say Gold is relatively "fixed" in the 1780s by "The M Word" crowd. Indeed, the "manipulation" motif is gaining more and more mainstream mention of late, the market depth of bids and offers rotating marvelously around 1780 as a centerpiece price. And it never being wrong, the market is what 'tis today: 1780. But broad buying sway can this allay: for Gold remains extraordinarily under-owned, an understatement at that. 'Course, the day to sell your Gold is the day everybody wants it, even at a five-figure price. But for now, why own a dense, ductile lump of rather incongruous rock when with a mere tap of the mouse one benefits many times over from an increasing array of shiny objects permeating the markets, be they earningless stocks or cryptocrap or even non-fungible tokens? Certainly they make one and all cocksure and feeling fine! (Until suddenly the objects vanish, but we're not supposed to say that). And how about Sister Silver of late? Hardly does she feel very great. Whilst Gold has been ad nausea sedentary in forever wallowing 'round the 1780s, and more accurately being -3.0% month-over-month, Silver senselessly has skidded -10.9%! Quite obviously, Silver has not been adorned in her precious metals pinstripes. So it must instead be that she is sporting her industrial metal jacket, right? For Cousin Copper clearly must be going over the cliff. But no, 'tisn't. Rather for the same stint, Copper is off but a mere -0.5%. What To Figure, eh? Last week we wrote of market dislocation: Silver has become so dislocated as to have been left naked! Here are the percentage tracks of our BEGOS Markets' metals triumvirate from one month ago-to-date (21 trading days): Further, guess what just crossed above 80x for its first occurrence since 29 September? Exactly right: the Gold/Silver ratio, which now is 80.3x. Its millennium-to-date average is 66.4x. Thus were Silver today (22.215) priced at the average, she'd in fact be +24.6% higher at 27.690. (Think means regression). Either way, by our math, Silver right now is a steal (!!!) So as Silver sinks even as Copper remains buoyant -- which makes no sense -- Gold sedentarily sits. In settling out the week yesterday at the aforementioned 1783, price on a points basis traced its narrowest week (since that ending on Valentine's Day 2020) in the last 22 months, and the narrowest week on a percentage basis since that ending nearly two years ago on 22 December 2019. So narrow was last week's trading range that it barely shows as the rightmost nub on the graphic of Gold's weekly bars from one year ago-to-date: Economically, the past week of incoming metrics were inflation-persistent. There was an upward revision to Q3's Unit Labor Costs along with a downward revision for the quarter's Productivity: that's Classic Stagflation, right there! Too, November's CPI remained stubbornly high with an +0.8% reading, (which for those of you scoring at home is an annualized pace of +9.6% ... are ya gettin' that with all the dough you've got sitting in the bank? Oh right, you put it all in the stock market). October's Trade Deficit backed off from that for September, whilst Consumer Credit eroded and Wholesale Inventories somewhat bloated. December's University of Michigan Sentiment Survey regained the 70 level, but remains below the COVID-era average of 77. Put it all together and the Economic Barometer lost of bit of tether: With further respect to rising everything ('cept the metals), Dow Jones Newswires during the week ran with "This Inflation Defies the Old Models. Neither supply or demand by itself is increasing prices; it’s an unusual combination of both." True enough: we've tons of money chasing not enough stuff, the cost of which to produce and supply is ever-increasing. This is what happens when the system is flooded with money. Everybody's loaded, so why the heck seek work? Especially given your shiny object investments see you retiring at 35. (Or as a French friend oft texts to us: "So gréat!") Meanwhile come 21 December (that's Tuesday a week), some 40% of StateSide obligations shan't be payable (per analysis from the Bipartisan Policy Center) given the debt ceiling then being reached. "Hey Shinzō, that you? Joe here. Hey listen: we may have to skip that next interest payment. My Janet who? Hello Shinzō? Hey! Are you still there, buddy?" Or something like that. Which leads us to three critical, succinct questions: â–  "Got Gold?" â–  "Got Silver?" â–  "Has the S&P crashed yet?" Just askin'. In fact speaking of the latter, our "live" S&P 500 price/earnings ratio is now 48.6x, (another of our honest calculations that the FinWorld elects not to perform). In fact, the "in" thing these days is to value a company -- should they not have earnings -- by revenues. (This is referred to as "Dumbing-down beyond stoopid"). For example, we read this past week that such valuation method is apparently touted for a shiny object called "Snowflake". Last year this object's top line was +$592M and its bottom line -$539M, a truly symmetrical snowflake swing of -$1.1B. Moreover, we read (courtesy of NASDAQ) that negative swings are to be again seen in '22, '23 and '24. And snowflakes do melt. (See 2000-2002). Just sayin'. 'Course to be fair, Gold's price as a function of valuation continues to melt. The U.S. money supply continues to rise, yet Gold's price remains hardly wise, (except in the guise to load up on this prize). To wit, our two-panel graphic featuring on the left Gold's daily bars from three months ago-to-date and on the right price's 10-Market Profile. The good news per the "Baby Blues" having just ceased their fall right at the -80% axis is that price's recent freeze in the 1780s may be the consolidative haunch from which to launch. And obviously, those incessant 1780s clearly dominate the Profile: Silver's like graphic shows both price and the "Baby Blues" (below left) clearly more skittish than Gold, whilst her Profile (below right) sees her singin' the blues. (But grab some Silver whilst you've nuthin' to lose!) Grab a glimpse too at The Gold Stack: The Gold StackGold's Value per Dollar Debasement, (from our opening "Scoreboard"): 4015Gold’s All-Time Intra-Day High: 2089 (07 August 2020)Gold’s All-Time Closing High: 2075 (06 August 2020)2021's High: 1963 (06 January)The Gateway to 2000: 1900+The 300-Day Moving Average: 1815 and fallingThe Final Frontier: 1800-1900The Northern Front: 1800-1750Trading Resistance: 1785 / 179510-Session “volume-weighted” average price magnet: 1783Gold Currently: 1783, (expected daily trading range ["EDTR"]: 22 points)Trading Support: 1777 / 177310-Session directional range: down to 1762 (from 1811) = -49 points or -2.7%On Maneuvers: 1750-1579The Weekly Parabolic Price to flip Short: 17282021's Low: 1673 (08 March) The Floor: 1579-1466Le Sous-sol: Sub-1466The Support Shelf: 1454-1434Base Camp: 1377The 1360s Double-Top: 1369 in Apr '18 preceded by 1362 in Sep '17Neverland: The Whiny 1290sThe Box: 1280-1240 And then there's next week. 15 metrics are scheduled for the Econ Baro. And the mid-week cherry? A policy statement from the Federal Open Market Committee. "Oh no, not again!" Kinda like those radio hits: good or bad, they just keep on comin'! So c'mon and get yourself some Gold, and don't forget the Silver too! Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com www.TheGoldUpdate.com
    Omicron, USDJPY, Gold, DXY highlighted in this Luke Suddards' piece

    Omicron, USDJPY, Gold, DXY highlighted in this Luke Suddards' piece

    Luke Suddards Luke Suddards 10.12.2021 15:15
    Pfizer and BioNTech released the results of their recent laboratory study which found that their vaccine’s antibody response is capable of neutralizing omicron (levels similar to 2 doses against previous strains) after three doses. There was a more than 25-fold reduction in the efficacy of the vaccine however, showing the 32 mutations in omicron does certainly have an impact. The vaccine induced T cells are not affected by omicron and should therefore still provide protection from severe symptoms. To finish off a Japanese study showed that omicron was 4.2 times more transmissible than delta in its early stage. We know that omicron was far more transmissible already so this isn’t a major shock, however, the issue with higher transmissibility is the opportunity for further new variants to arise which (hopefully) will not increase in lethality. Dollar Index (DXY): The greenback is basically flat from where it started the week as traders remain hesitant to push price in a new direction until today’s CPI result is out the way. Omicron news as mentioned above has been on the positive side so risk-off flows derived from that side of things has been non-existent. However, where we could see more safe haven bids for the dollar is from any escalation in the Russia Ukraine tensions, with an invasion very likely seeing risk-off ensconcing markets. This would clearly benefit the dollar on the lhs of the smile (risk-off). Data wise, job numbers filled the rather quiet calendar throughout the week with vacancies reaching new records as well as jobless claims breaching the 200k mark, coming in at 184k. We also had bond auctions coming to the fore, beginning with the front end of the curve, 3-year auctions showed strong demand despite today’s inflation numbers; moving to the back end of the curve the 10-year also showed relatively robust demand. It was the 30-year bond which was very weak with yields spiking higher leading to fears over today’s inflation numbers being the main driver. Inflation numbers were smack bang in line with consensus at 6.8% YoY (highest since 1982) and 4.9% YoY for core. The initial market reaction saw the dollar softer as short term rates fell (clearly the market was positioned for 7%), but that initial dollar weakness is now being retraced as it's still a solid number (Fed won't change path) with prices increases broad based.  Next week the focus will be on the Fed meeting where the risks are definitely tilted towards the hawkish side for the dollar. (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) The dollar is ever so slightly above its upper trend line and the 21-day EMA has provided good dynamic support. The RSI has bounced off the 55 support level too keeping the uptrend momentum in tact. There is some resistance at 96.5 to monitor and on the downside the 21-day EMA would be important to watch if price slides. EURUSD: The euro continues to tread water as it faces headwinds on multiple fronts. The week began with fairly positive ZEW sentiment reading with current conditions missing (expected with covid restrictions), but the main index reading more positive than expected. Olaf Scholz has now been inducted as Chancellor of Germany with the end of Merkel’s reign officially coming to an end. European gas has been soaring again as tensions between Russia and US led to reports than Biden could implement sanctions on Russia. Europe is highly exposed to the price of natural gas so this could be one to watch for sure. Next week sees a very important ECB meeting with a fresh set of economic projections out (I’ll be watching their inflation forecasts particularly) as well as insights into how they’ll navigate the completion of their PEPP programme and transition. I’ll be providing a preview next week.  (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) EURUSD moves sideways with a slight tilt towards the downside capped by the overhead 21-day EMA. 1.135 resistance has formed as the one to watch. The price support at 1.125 should be on your radar too. The RSI has rolled over a touch and pointing lower. The former low around the lower trend line at 1.12 could be very important over the next week. GBPUSD: Sterling has been under pressure as multiple factors line up against it. The week began with centrist Ben Broadbent’s speech which didn’t drop any hints on what the BoE may do at their December meeting. UK GDP data was disappointing with missed expectations on a monthly time frame as well as YoY and 3-month average. Plan B restrictions have now been implemented - guidance to work from home from Monday, and an extension of face masks to most public indoor venues (public transport etc). Mandatory Covid-19 passes will now be needed for entry to places such as nightclubs and venues with large crowds. With Plan B restrictions and softer GDP data, markets are all but certain a BoE hike will not happen at next week’s meeting, opting to rather wait until February for a move. I’ll be providing a preview for this event, but we shouldn’t be getting any curve balls as expectations are widely baked in for no hike, leading to very muted reactions in GBP crosses if any. UK opinion polls have moved against Boris Johnson after the uproar caused by allegations of his rule breaking Christmas party. Labour is now ahead in a variety of polls, which hasn’t occurred for a long time. If the fallout continues the Conservative MPs may decide to trigger a vote of no confidence in him which may inject some political instability. Article 16 could be used as a deflection and distraction tactic to turn the spotlight away from himself. (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) GBPUSD looks technically weak as it trades below the lower trend line of its descending channel. The RSI hovers just above oversold. 1.315 on the downside would be key for a move lower while 1.32.5 - 1.33 on the upside just below the 21-day EMA would be key. USDJPY: The yen continues to come under pressure as the US 10-year yield moves higher and risk sentiment leans on the positive side, reducing the need for risk-off hedges. Tensions over Russian invading Ukraine will need to be monitored though as this could see flows directed towards the yen. (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) USDJPY continues to be bid around its 38.2% Fibonacci level and mini range support around 113.5. The 50-day SMA and 21-day EMA are bunched up right together on the price candles. The RSI edges above the 46 level of support. Targets wise, on the upside 114-114.5 will remain key while on the downside 112.5 will be important to watch. Gold: Omicron variant positive news flow is taking the allure away from gold for safe haven flows, however, rising tensions between the US and Russia is helping to offset that. Real yields have also been rising higher of late which will pressure gold as well as a stronger dollar. Gold is a tad stronger on the inflation release as traders had most likely positioned for a 7% print and this not being the case has led to some bids flowing through.  (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) Gold remains trapped in a tight range with today's inflation data a potential catalyst for a more directional move. Price is now just above the $1775 support level. The RSI has turned back upwards, but remains in no-man's land. The important level on the upside will be $1800 just above all the key moving averages. Oil: Oil certainly saw some new hot money coming back in to drive the recent recovery up from the $68 support area. Beginning the week we saw Saudi Arabia decided to hike their selling price to Asia and the US, indicating that they believe demand will remain robust despite omicron restriction fears. So far omicron news has been positive enough not to lead to expectations of serious demand destruction. Plan B work from home guidance has probably led to some slight weakness in crude, but we’ll need to watch what airlines decided to do in the next few weeks for jet fuel demand. Official US inventory data showed a modest reduction in inventory levels, but nothing to get excited about. Iranian talks are continuing ahead with nothing of anything major to report back on (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) Oil now between its 200-day SMA and the 21-day EMA, is looking for its next direction. Support comes in around $73.50 with the 200-dauy SMA just below there. On the upside $76 provides resistance aided by the 21-day EMA. The RSI, has turned upwards and will need to continue in that direction for bulls to be satisfied.
    On a Knife-Edge

    On a Knife-Edge

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 13.12.2021 15:04
    S&P 500 recaptured 4,700s on little change in market breadth and ever so slowly coming back to life HYG. Credit markets made a risk-on move, but HYG isn‘t leading the charge on a medium-term basis in the least – it‘s improving, but the stiff headwinds in bonds are being felt. Given the CPI discussed at length on Friday, it‘s still a relative success. Make no mistake though, time is running short in this topping process, and trouble is going to strike earliest after the winter Olympics. Global economic activity might be peaking here, and liquidity around the world is shrinking already – copper isn‘t too fond of that. The Fed might attempt to double the monthly pace of tapering to $30bn next, but I doubt how far they would be able to get at such a pace. Inflation and contraction in economic growth are going to be midterms‘ hot potatoes, and monetary policy change might be attempted. Tough choices for the Fed missed the boat in tapering by more than a few months. 2022 is going to be tough as we‘ll see more tapering, market-forced rate hikes (perhaps as many as 2-3 – how much closer would yield curve control get then?), higher taxes and higher oil prices. Stocks are still likely to deliver more gains in spite of all the negative divergences to bonds or other indices (hello, Russell 2000). Copper would be my indicator as to how far further we have to go before GDP growth around the world peaks. Oil is ready for strong medium-term gains, and I‘m not looking for precious metals to yield much ground. Silver though is more vulnerable unless inflation returns to the spotlight. Cryptos do likewise have issues extending gains sharply. All in all, volatility is making a return, and it isn‘t a good news for the bulls. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 advance continues, and I‘m looking for ATHs to give in. It will take a while, but the balancing on a tightrope act continues. Credit Markets HYG strength didn‘t convince, but it didn‘t disappoint either – the constellation remains conducive to further stock market gains. So far and still conducive. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are stronger than miners, and the lackluster, sideways performance is likely to continue for now – fresh Fed policy mistake is awaited, and it‘s actually bullish that gold and silver aren‘t facing more trouble when the consensus expectation is faster taper. Crude Oil Crude oil upswing is still struggligh at $72, and remains favored to go higher with passage of time as excess production capacity keeps shrinking while demand isn‘t being hit (no, the world isn‘t going the lockdowns route this time). Copper High time copper stopped hesitating, for its sideways trading is sending a signal about future GDP growth. The jury is still out in the red metal‘s long basing pattern – a battle of positive fundamentals against shrinking liquidity and possibly slowing growth. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum bottom searching goes on, and I suspect at least a test of Friday‘s lows is coming. I don‘t see too many signs of exuberance returning right away as Ethereum hasn‘t yet started to outperform. Summary S&P 500 bulls continue climbing a wall of worry even if credit markets don‘t confirm entirely. Risk-on and real assets rally is likely to continue, and the road would be getting bumpier over time. The Fed won‘t overcome market expectations, and the last week of Nov (first week of balance sheet contraction) pace wouldn‘t be consistently beaten without consequences down the road. Select commodities and precious metals are already feeling the pinch, but there is no sending them to bear markets. Get ready for the twin scourge of persistent inflation and slowdown in growth to start biting increasingly more. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Cardano Price Prediction: ADA eyes 40% rise with on-chain metrics backing the claim

    Cardano Price Prediction: ADA eyes 40% rise with on-chain metrics backing the claim

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 13.12.2021 16:09
    Cardano price is undergoing a retracement that will likely set the stage for a 38% run-up to $1.75. ADA needs to flip the $1.60 resistance barrier into support to reach its destination at $1.75. The transaction data and the recent uptick in average transaction size support the bullish thesis for the so-called “Ethereum killer. Cardano price has set up liquidity pools that are likely to be taken advantage of going forward. The most probable direction for ADA seems to be bullish, with on-chain metrics providing a tailwind to the claim. Cardano price to collect buy-stop liquidity Cardano price set up a double top at $1.75 on December 2 and retraced 32% to $1.13. A few days later, ADA created a double bottom at $1.13 and surged 18%. However, the recent upward correction will likely set the stage for the incoming bullishness to be sustained. A bounce off the $1.26 support level that sets up a new swing high above $1.47 will confirm the start of an uptrend. In this scenario, Cardano price will encounter the $1.60 resistance level. Flipping this barrier into a support floor will suggest that the buyers are taking control. This move will open the path for collecting the buy-stop liquidity resting above the $1.75 hurdle. In total, the climb would constitute a 38% gain. ADA/USDT 4-hour chart Supporting the bullish outlook for Cardano price is the recent uptick in the average transaction size from $23,877 to $83,704. This 250% spike in transfer size indicates that investors are interested in the price of ADA at the current levels and are actively pouring money into it. ADA average transaction size Moreover, IntoTheBlock’s Global In/Out of the Money (GIOM) model is another contributing factor to Cardano’s bullishness, and it shows that ADA will face little-to-no imminent resistance. Two significant clusters of underwater investors appear at $1.42 and $1.60. Here, roughly 381,000 and 441,000 addresses purchased nearly 4.32 billion and 5.25 billion ADA tokens, respectively. Therefore, an uptick in buying pressure that propels Cardano price into these clusters is likely to be met with selling momentum from holders trying to break even. Hence, ADA bulls need to clear these two levels to reach their destination at $1.75. ADA GIOM While things are looking good for Cardano price, there is a high chance ADA might retrace below $1.19 to collect liquidity. Investors can scoop the so-called “Ethereum killer” for a discount in this situation. However, if Cardano price produces a lower low below $1.12, it will invalidate the bullish thesis. In this case, ADA could slip down to retest the 1.02 support floor.
    We Might Say Next FED Moves Are Not Obvious As Some Factors Differentiate Circumstances

    Will Inflation Look Different in 2022?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 13.12.2021 17:04
    One swallow doesn't make a summer, but when it comes to slower inflation pressure, there have been several. Will the narrative change soon? While Fed Chairman Jerome Powell had been preaching his “transitory” doctrine for months, the thesis was obliterated once again after the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) surged by 6.8% year-over-year (YoY) on Dec. 10. Additionally, while the Commodity Producer Price Index (PPI) – which will be released on Dec. 14 – is likely provide a roadmap for inflation’s next move, signs of deceleration are already upon us.  For example, supply bottlenecks, port congestion, and rapidly rising commodity prices helped underwrite inflation’s ascent. However, with those factors now stagnant or reversing, inflationary pressures should decelerate in 2022. To explain, Deutsche Bank presented several charts that highlight 2021’s inflationary problems. However, whether it’s suppliers’ delivery times, backlogs of work, port congestion, bottleneck indices, or the cost of shipping and trucking, several inflationary indicators (excluding air cargo rates) have already peaked and rolled over.  Please see below: To that point, global manufacturing PMIs also signal a deceleration in input price pressures. With input prices leading output prices (like the headline CPI), the latter will likely showcase a similar slowdown if the former’s downtrend holds. Please see below: Source: IIF/Robin Brooks To explain, the colored lines above track the z-scores for prices paid within global manufacturing PMI reports. In a nutshell: regions were experiencing input inflation that was ~2 and ~4 standard deviations above their historical averages. However, if you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that all of them have consolidated or come down (the U.S. is in light blue). As a result, it’s another sign that peak input inflation could elicit peak output inflation. As mentioned, though, the commodity PPI is the most important indicator and if the data comes in hot on Dec. 14, all bets are off. However, the monthly weakness should be present since the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (S&P GSCI) declined by 11.2% in November.   Also noteworthy, Morgan Stanley’s Chief U.S. Economist, Ellen Zentner, also sees signs of a deceleration. She wrote: “We are seeing nascent signs that pipeline inflation pressures are easing – based on evidence from company earnings transcripts, ISM comments, Korea trade data, China's inflation data, the Fed's Beige Book, a department huddle with our equity analysts, and our own survey.” To explain, the green, gold, and blue lines above track Morgan Stanley’s core inflation estimates for emerging markets, developed markets, and global markets. If the predictions prove prescient, the 2022 inflation narrative could look a lot different than in 2021. However, please remember that inflation doesn’t abate without direct action from the Fed, and with a hawkish Fed known to upend the PMs (at least in the short- or medium run), the fundamental environment has turned against them. For example, when the Fed turns hawkish, commodities retreat, and with U.S. President Joe Biden showcasing heightened anxiety over inflation, more of the same should materialize over the medium term. To explain, Morgan Stanley initially projected no rate hikes in 2022. Now, Zentner expects “2 hikes in 2022, followed by 3 hikes plus a halt in reinvestments in 2023.” She wrote: “Before investors close out the year, we need to get past the FOMC's final meeting next week, and it comes with every opportunity for surprise. On Wednesday, we expect the Fed to move to a hawkish stance by announcing that it is doubling the pace of taper, highlighting continued inflation risks and no longer labeling high inflation as transitory, and showing a hawkish shift in the dot plot. We think this shift will shake out in a 2-hike median in 2022, followed by 3.5 hikes in 2023 and 3 hikes in 2024.” Furthermore, upping the hawkish ante, Goldman Sachs initially projected no rate hikes in 2022. Then, the team moved to three rate hikes in 2022 (June, September, and December 2022). Now, Goldman Sachs expects the FOMC to hike rates in May, July, and November 2022 – with another four hikes per year in 2023 and 2024.   The Fed’s Time to Shine “The FOMC is very likely to double the pace of tapering to $30bn per month at its December meeting next week, putting it on track to announce the last two tapers at the January FOMC meeting and to implement the last taper in March,” wrote Chief Economist Jan Hatzius. “We expect the Summary of Economic Projections to show somewhat higher inflation and lower unemployment. Our best guess is that the dots will show 2 hikes in 2022, 3 in 2023, and 4 in 2024, for a total of 9 (vs. 0.5 / 3 / 3 and a total of 6.5 in September). We think the leadership will prefer to show only 2 hikes in 2022 for now to avoid making a more dramatic change in one step, especially at a meeting when the FOMC is already doubling the taper pace. But if Powell is comfortable showing 3 hikes next year, then we would expect others to join him in a decisive shift in the dots in that direction.” Speaking of three hikes, the market-implied probability of three FOMC rate hikes in 2022 has risen to 96%. Please see below: For context, I’ve been warning for months that surging inflation would force the Fed’s hand. I wrote on Oct. 26: Originally, the Fed forecasted that it wouldn’t have to taper its asset purchases until well into 2022. However, surging inflation pulled that forecast forward. Now, the Fed forecasts that it won’t have to raise interest rates until well into 2023. However, surging inflation will likely pull that forecast forward as well. More importantly, though, while the PMs have remained upbeat in recent weeks, the forthcoming liquidity drain will likely shift the narrative over the medium term. The bottom line? While inflation shows signs of peaking, there is a vast difference between peak inflation and the Fed’s 2% annual target. As a result, even if a 6.8% YoY headline CPI was the precipice, it’s nothing to celebrate. Thus, the Fed needs to tighten monetary policy to control inflation, and anything less will likely re-accelerate the cost-push inflationary spiral.  To that point, with the precious metals extremely allergic to a hawkish Fed, I’ve highlighted on numerous occasions how the GDXJ ETF suffered following the 2013 taper. With 2022 Fed policy looking even more hawkish than in mid-2014, the latter’s downtrend should have plenty of room to run. In conclusion, the PMs were mixed on Nov. 10, and the scorching inflation print was largely ignored by investors. However, with the Fed poised to provide another dose of reality on Dec. 15, the recent volatility should persist. To that point, it’s important to remember that the S&P 500’s volatility increased materially after the Fed tapered in 2013. With stock market drawdowns bullish for the USD Index and bearish for the PMs, there are plenty of technical, fundamental, and sentiment factors brewing that favor the theme of ‘USD Index up, PMs down’ over the medium term. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD In Brief Consolidation

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD In Brief Consolidation

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 14.12.2021 09:42
    USDCHF looks for breakout The US dollar consolidates ahead of the Federal Reserve meeting. The pair is grinding for support above 0.9160 after it gave up most gains from the November rally. Overall sentiment remains positive as long as price action stays above the daily support at 0.9100. The current consolidation is a sign of accumulation from the long side. A close above the immediate resistance at 0.9270 would propel the greenback to the previous peak at 0.9360. On the downside, between 0.9160 and 0.9195 lies an important demand zone. US 30 to test previous peak The Dow Jones 30 inches lower as investors look ahead to Fed’s aggressive tapering. By lifting offers around the psychological level of 36000, a major resistance on the daily chart, the bulls may have turned sentiment around. As the index falls back in search of support, the RSI’s oversold situation may catch buyers’ attention. A break above 36350 may resume the uptrend. Otherwise, 35620 is the closest support where buyers could jump in for fear of missing out. Further down, 34800 would be a second line of defense. GER 40 seeks support The Dax 40 treads water as major central banks are set to update their policies. An initial surge above 15500 has prompted the bears to cover. Then the index found support at the 38.2% (15550) Fibonacci retracement level while an oversold RSI attracted buying interest. And that is a sign of underlying strength in the rebound. A bullish MA cross indicates an acceleration on the upside. A break above 15840 may send the price to the all-time high at 16300. In case of a deeper pullback, 15300 is a critical level to keep the rebound relevant.
    Gold – Recovery ahead

    Gold – Recovery ahead

    Florian Grummes Florian Grummes 14.12.2021 13:26
    https://www.midastouch-consulting.com/13122021-gold-recovery-ahead December 13th, 2021: The gold market is nearing the end of a difficult and very challenging year. Most precious metal investors must have been severely disappointed. Gold – Recovery ahead. Review 2021 started quite bullish, as the gold price climbed rapidly towards US$1,960 at the beginning of the year. In retrospect, however, this peak on January 6th also represented the high for the year! In the following 11.5 months, gold did not even come close to reaching these prices again. Instead, prices came under considerable pressure and only bottomed out at the beginning and then again at the end of March around US$1,680 with a double low. Interestingly, the low on March 8th at US$1,676 did hold until today. The subsequent recovery brought gold prices back above the round mark of US$1,900 within two months. But already on June 1st, another violent wave of selling started, which pushed gold prices down by US$150 within just four weeks. Subsequently, gold bulls attempted a major recovery in the seasonally favorable early summer phase. However, they failed three times in this endeavor at the strong resistance zone around US$1,830 to US$1,835. As a result, sufficient bearish pressure had built up again, which was then unleashed in the flash crash on August 9th with a brutal sell-off within a few minutes and a renewed test of the US$1,677 mark. Despite this complete washout, gold bulls were only able to recover from this shock with difficulty. Hence, gold traded sideways mainly between US$1,760 and US$1,815 for the following three months. It was not until the beginning of November that prices quickly broke out of this tenacious sideways phase and thus also broke above the 15-month downtrend-line. This was quickly followed by another rise towards US$1,877. However, and this is quite indicative of the ongoing corrective cycle since the all-time high in August 2020, gold prices made another hard U-turn within a few days and sold off even faster than they had risen before. Since this last sell-off from US$1,877 down to US$1,762, gold has been stuck and kind of paralyzed for three weeks, primarily trading in a narrow range between US$1,775 and US$1,785. Obviously, the market seems to be waiting for the upcoming FOMC meeting. Overall, gold has not been able to do much in 2021. Most of the time it has gone sideways and did everything to confuse participants. These treacherous market phases are the very most dangerous ones. Physical investors can easily sit through such a sideways shuffling. But leveraged traders had nothing to laugh about. Either the movements in gold changed quickly and abruptly or almost nothing happened for days and sometimes even weeks while the trading ranges were shrinking. Technical Analysis: Gold in US-Dollar Weekly Chart – Bottoming out around US$1,780? Gold in US-Dollars, weekly chart as of December 13th, 2021. Source: Tradingview Despite the 15-month correction, gold has been able to easily hold above the uptrend channel, which goes back to December 2015. The steeper uptrend channel that began in the summer of 2018 is also still intact and would only be broken if prices would fall below US$1,700. Support between US$1,760 and US$1,780 has held over the last three weeks too. The weekly stochastic oscillator is currently neutral but has been slowly tightening for months. Overall, gold is currently trading right in the middle of its two Bollinger bands on the weekly chart. Thus, the setup is neutral. However, bottoming out around US$1,780 has a slightly increased probability. Daily Chart – New buying signal Gold in US-Dollars, daily chart as of December 13th, 2021. Source: Tradingview On the daily chart, gold has been searching for support around its slightly rising 200-day moving average (US$1,793) over the last three weeks. However, eye contact has been maintained, hence a recapturing of this important moving average is still quite possible. Despite the failed breakout in November, the current price action has not moved away from the downtrend-line. A further attack on this resistance thus appears likely. Encouragingly, the daily stochastic has turned up from its oversold zone and provides a new buy signal. In summary, the chances of a renewed recovery starting in the near future predominate on the daily chart. In the first step, such a bounce could run to around US$1,815. Secondly, the bulls would then have to clear the downtrend-line, which would release further upward potential towards US$1,830 and US$1,870. The very best case scenario might see gold being able to rise to the psychological number of US$1,900 in the next two to four months. On the downside however, the support between US$1,760 and US$1,780 must be held at all costs. Otherwise, the threat of further downward pressure towards US$1,720 and US$1,680 intensifies. Commitments of Traders for Gold – Recovery ahead Commitments of Traders for Gold as of December 12th, 2021. Source: Sentimentrader The commercial net short position in the gold futures market was last reported at 245,623 contracts sold short. Although the setup has somewhat improved due to the significant price decline in recent weeks, the overall constellation continues to move in neutral waters. There is still no clear contrarian bottleneck in the futures market, where professional traders should have reduced their net short positions to below 100,000 contracts at least. Until then, it would still be a long way from current levels, which could probably only happen with a price drop towards US$1,625. As long as this does not happen, any larger move up will probably have a hard time. In summary, the CoT report provides a neutral signal and thus stands in the way of a sustainable new uptrend. However, given the current futures market data, temporary recoveries over a period of about one to three months are currently possible. Sentiment for Gold – Recovery ahead Sentiment Optix for Gold as of December 12th, 2021. Source: Sentimentrader Sentiment for gold has been meandering in the neutral and not very meaningful middle zone for more than a year. Furthermore, a complete capitulation or at least very high pessimism levels are still missing to end the ongoing correction. Such a high pessimism was last seen in spring of 2019, whereupon gold was able to rise more than US$800 from the lows at US$1,265 to US$2,075 within 15 months. This means that in the big picture, sentiment analysis continues to lack total capitulation. This can only be achieved with deeply fallen prices. In the short term, however, the Optix for gold has almost reached its lows for the year. At the same time, german mainstream press is currently asking, appropriately enough, “Why doesn’t gold protect against inflation? This gives us a short-term contrarian buy signal, which should enable a recovery rally over coming one to three months. Seasonality for Gold – Recovery ahead Seasonality for Gold over the last 53-years as of December 12th, 2021. Source: Sentimentrader As so often in recent years, precious metal investors are being put to the test in the fourth quarter of 2021. In the past, however, there was almost always a final sell-off around the last FOMC meeting between mid-November and mid-December. And this was always followed by an important low and a trend reversal. This year, everything points to December 15th or 16th. Following the FOMC interest rate decision and the FOMC press conference, the start of a recovery would be extremely typical. Statistically, gold prices usually finish the last two weeks of the year with higher prices, because trading volume in the west world is very low over the holidays, while in Asia, and especially in China and India, trading is more or less normal. Also, the “tax loss selling” in mining stocks should be over by now. Overall, the seasonal component turns “very bullish” in a few days, supporting precious metal prices from mid-December onwards. Typically, January in particular is a very positive month for gold, but the favorable seasonal period lasts until the end of February. Macro update and Crack-up-Boom: US-Inflation as of November 30th, 2021. ©Holger Zschaepitz Last Friday, inflation in the U.S. was reported to have risen to 6.8% for the month of November. This is the fastest price increase since 1982, when Ronald Reagan was US president, and the US stock markets had started a new bull market after a 16-year consolidation phase. Today, by contrast, the financial markets have been on the central banks’ drip for more than a decade, if not more than two. The dependence is enormous and a turn away from the money glut is unthinkable. Nevertheless, the vast majority of market participants still allow themselves to be bluffed by the Fed and the other central banks and blindly believe the fairy tales of these clowns. The Global US-Dollar Short Squeeze However, while inflation figures worldwide are going through the roof due to the gigantic expansion of the money supply and the supply bottlenecks, the US-Dollar continues to rise at the same time. A nasty US-Dollar short squeeze has been building up since early summer. The mechanism behind this is not easy to understand and gold bugs in particular often have a hard time with it. From a global perspective, the US-Dollar is still the most important reserve currency and thus also the most important international medium of exchange as well as the most important store of value for almost all major countries. Completely independently of this, many of these countries still use their own currency domestically. International oil trade and numerous other commodities are also invoiced and settled in US-Dollar. For example, when France buys oil from Saudi Arabia, it does not pay in its own currency, EUR, but in USD. Through this mechanism, there has been a solid demand for US-Dollar practically non-stop for decades. The US-Dollar system The big risk of this “US-Dollar system”, however, is that many foreign governments and companies borrow in US-Dollar, even though most of their revenue is generated in the respective national currency. The lenders of these US-Dollar are often not even US institutions. Foreign lenders also often lend to foreign borrowers in dollars. This creates a currency risk for the borrower, a mismatch between the currency of their income and the currency of their debt. Borrowers do this because they have to pay lower interest rates for a loan in US-Dollar than in their own national currency. Sometimes dollar-denominated bonds and loans are also the only way to get liquidity at all. Thus, it is not the lender who bears the currency risk, but the borrower. In this way, the borrower is basically taking a short position against the US-Dollar, whether he wants to or not. Now, if the dollar strengthens, this becomes a disadvantage for him, because his debt increases in relation to his income in the local currency. If, on the other hand, the US-Dollar weakens, the borrower is partially relieved of debt because his debt falls in relation to his income in the local currency. Turkish lira since December 2020 as of December 13th, 2021.©Holger Zschaepitz Looking, for example, at the dramatic fall of the Turkish lira, one can well imagine the escalating flight from emerging market currencies into the US-Dollar. Since the beginning of the year, Turks have lost almost 50% of their purchasing power against the US-Dollar. A true nightmare. Other emerging market currencies such as the Argentine peso, the Thai baht or even the Hungarian forint have also come under significant pressure this year. On top, the Evergrande bankruptcy and the collapse of the real estate bubble in China may also have contributed significantly to this smoldering wildfire. All in all, the “US-Dollar short squeeze” may well continue despite a technically heavily overbought situation. Sooner or later, however, the Federal Reserve will have to react and row back again. Otherwise, the strength of the US-Dollar will suddenly threaten a deflationary implosion in worldwide stock markets and in the entire financial system. The global house of cards would not survive such shock waves. The tapering is “nearish” It is therefore highly likely that the Fed will soon postpone the so-called “tapering” and the “interest rate hikes” until further notice. To explain this, they will surely come up with some gibberish with complicated-sounding words. All in all, an end to loose monetary policy is completely unthinkable. Likewise, the supply bottlenecks will remain for the time being. This means that inflation will continue to be fueled by both monetary and scarcity factors and, on top of that, by the psychological inflationary spiral. In these crazy times, investors in all sectors will have to patiently endure temporary volatility and the accompanying sharp pullbacks. Conclusion: Gold – Recovery ahead With gold and silver, you can protect yourself well against any scenario. In the medium and long term, however, this does not necessarily mean that precious metal prices will always track inflation one-to-one and go through the roof in the coming years. Most likely, the exponential expansion of the money supply will continue and accelerate. Hence, significantly higher gold and silver prices can then be expected. If, on the other hand, the system should implode, gold and silver will be able to play out their monetary function to the fullest and one will be glad to own them when almost everything else must be written down to zero. In the bigger picture, however, gold and silver fans will have to remain patient for the time being, because the clear end of the months-long correction has not yet been sealed. Rather, the most important cycle in the gold market should deliver an important low approximately every 8 years. The last time this happened was in December 2015 at US$1,045. This means that the correction in the gold market could continue over the next one or even two years until the trend reverses and the secular bull market finally continues. In the short term, however, the chances of a recovery in the coming weeks into the new year and possibly even into spring are quite good. But it should only gradually become clearer after the Fed’s interest rate decision on Wednesday what will happen next. A rally towards US$1,815 and US$1,830 has a clearly increased probability. Beyond that, US$1,870 and in the best case even US$1,910 could possibly be reached in February or March. For this to happen, however, the bulls would have to do a lot of work. Analysis initially written and published on on December 13th, 2021, by www.celticgold.eu. Translated into English and partially updated on December 13th, 2021. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. By Florian Grummes|December 13th, 2021|Tags: Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, Gold Cot-Report, gold fundamentals, gold mining, Gold neutral, Silver, The bottom is in|0 Comments About the Author: Florian Grummes Florian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets.
    Gold still in the Bears' hands

    Gold still in the Bears' hands

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 14.12.2021 14:55
    Gold has remained aloof from the main market movements since the beginning of the month, hovering in a range of no more than 1.5% over the last two weeks and alternating between rising and falling. The trend so far this month suggests cautious buying on the intraday lows from a slightly higher level. This is a continuation of the upward trend of the local lows that we have seen since March of this year. On the other hand, the local initiative remains on the side of the bears, who are pushing the gold price sideways on the slightest attempt of rising into the area of crossing the 50- and 200-day moving averages. A pullback above $1790 will give a strong bullish signal, the so-called “golden cross”, and it might test the resistance of the bearish trend from August last year. The current week, excessively busy with key central bank meetings led by the Fed, promises to take gold out of the equilibrium. In theory, the tightening of central bank rhetoric (accelerating tapering, approaching rate hike date) is a negative for gold. In practice, however, it is worth remembering that gold has remained under pressure precisely on expectations of a tight Fed and company response to inflation. In addition, it is worth remembering that the multi-year bearish trend in gold ended in 2015 on the day of the first Fed rate hike after the financial crisis. Although bears generally retain control of the market, bulls are pulling their support higher and are increasingly attempting to stop the downtrend of the last 16 months.
    Three ways to buy bitcoin

    Three ways to buy bitcoin

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 14.12.2021 13:15
    With more than a trillion-dollar market cap, bitcoin is now in an echelon where regulation would be fearful to intervene harshly, since a bitcoin crash would affect other markets. In a way, the last pillar is cemented for there to be little risk to think of a world without bitcoin. That being said, even if only minor, some bitcoin exposure is now widely accepted as a wise decision of portfolio management. We share three ways of purchase that we find conservative. We aim to demystify the saga of bitcoins acquisition risk due to its volatility. BTC in US-Dollar, Quarterly Chart, zooming out, away from the noise: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, quarterly chart as of December 14th, 2021. Risk is related to size. Suppose you buy a small enough amount alongside your overall market exposure, small enough that you can afford assets even to go to zero, then the risk is minimized. Would it be nice to have picked up a few thousand bitcoins when it was available at five dollars or a few hundred at fifty, certainly! Nevertheless, thinking long term and with volatility now being much less, the more bitcoin had settled in and is more widely accepted, even buying here now at US$47,000 is just fine. What we find less attractive is not owning any. And after that initial purchase, to add at price dips in bitcoin to grow a position size over time would be a possible extension of such a strategy. The quarterly chart above shows how bitcoin has always reached new all-time highs again, and there is no fundamental or technical evidence that this behavior should change. BTC in US-Dollar, Weekly Chart, buy low and hold: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of December 14th, 2021. Another way to participate in the bitcoin market if you already have some exposure is buying in tiny increments when markets seem low. This means buying after one of bitcoin’s steep declines and add this way to your long-term exposure. The weekly chart above shows with a green box an approximated entry zone. We used ABC pattern recognition, volume profile, Fibonacci retracements, action-reaction models, and inter-market relationships along with other tools to zoom into such a low-risk and high success probability zone. Once such a zone is established, we go a time frame lower. In this case, the daily time frame, to fine-tune entries. Therefore, it increases probabilities and reduce entry risk even further. BTC in US-Dollar, Daily Chart, low-risk entries with quad exit: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, daily chart as of December 14th, 2021. Our third option presented is a more active way in market participation. It is refined in its form to suit more experienced traders to soothe trading psychology. In addition, it keeps entry risk to a minimum and maximizes profits. We openly share the underlying principles in our free Telegram channel. Alongside, we post real-time entries and exits for educational purposes. This approach has a sophisticated exit strategy (quad exits). It allows for partial profit-taking and expansive position size building over time to maximize one’s bitcoin exposure without added risks. The daily chart above focuses on two supply zones (yellow horizontal lines). The zones got identified by volume profile analysis (green histogram to the right side of the chart). We want the price to build a double bottom price pattern at one of these levels to enter a long position. We have already retraced from recent all-time highs in a typical percentage fashion for bitcoins trading behavior. Consequently, a turning point here is highly likely. Three ways to buy bitcoin: Overwhelm often stems from a lack of choices. After reading this chart book, we hope that those readers who feel intimidated experience a sigh of relief. Like gold, bitcoin is a store of value. We find a good likelihood that bitcoin might surpass the ten trillion gold market cap. Consequently, your investment right now has a fair chance to grow by a factor of ten or more.  After acquiring bitcoin, you can store your purchase in a small cold wallet, the size of a USB stick. Tuck it away, just like you do your precious metal coins. Buying now for the long term is still stepping in front of most market players which have succumbed to their doubts and procrastination. Consequently, it allows for this investment to be early, anticipating a likely change of the future regarding payment methods and store of value vehicles. Therefore, an asset with significant growth potential (=attractive risk/reward-ratio). Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|December 14th, 2021|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|
    Another Inflation Twist

    Another Inflation Twist

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 14.12.2021 15:45
    S&P 500 gave up premarket gains, and closed on a weak note – driven by tech while value pared the intraday downswing somewhat. Market breadth still deteriorated, though – but credit markets didn‘t crater. Stocks look more cautious than bonds awaiting tomorrow‘s Fed, which is a good sign for the bulls across the paper and real assets. Sure, the ride is increasingly getting bumpy (and will get so even more over the coming weeks), but we haven‘t topped in spite of the negative shifts mentioned yesterday. The signs appear to be in place, pointing to a limited downside in the pre-FOMC positioning, but when the dust settles, more than a few markets are likely to shake off the Fed blues. I continue doubting the Fed would be able to keep delivering on its own hyped inflation fighting projections – be it in faster taper or rate raising. Crude oil is likewise just hanging in there and ready – the Fed must be aware of real economy‘s fragility, which is what Treasuries are in my view signalling with their relative serenity. We‘ve travelled a long journey from the Fed risk of letting inflation run unattented, to the Fed making a policy mistake in tightening the screws too much. For now, there‘s no evidence of the latter, of serious intentions to force that outcome. Lip service (intention to act and keep reassessing along the way) would paid to the inflation threat tomorrow, harsh words delivered, and the question is when would the markets see through that, and through the necessity to bring the punch bowl back a few short months down the road. As stated yesterday: (…) Global economic activity might be peaking here, and liquidity around the world is shrinking already – copper isn‘t too fond of that. The Fed might attempt to double the monthly pace of tapering to $30bn next, but I doubt how far they would be able to get at such a pace. Inflation and contraction in economic growth are going to be midterms‘ hot potatoes, and monetary policy change might be attempted. Tough choices for the Fed missed the boat in tapering by more than a few months. 2022 is going to be tough as we‘ll see more tapering, market-forced rate hikes (perhaps as many as 2-3 – how much closer would yield curve control get then?), higher taxes and higher oil prices. Stocks are still likely to deliver more gains in spite of all the negative divergences to bonds or other indices (hello, Russell 2000). Copper would be my indicator as to how far further we have to go before GDP growth around the world peaks. Oil is ready for strong medium-term gains, and I‘m not looking for precious metals to yield much ground. Silver though is more vulnerable unless inflation returns to the spotlight. Cryptos do likewise have issues extending gains sharply. All in all, volatility is making a return, and it isn‘t a good news for the bulls. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 ran into headwinds, and fresh ATHs will really take a while to happen, but we‘re likely to get there still. Credit Markets HYG didn‘t have a really bad day – just a cautious one. Interestingly, lower yields didn‘t help tech, and that means a sectoral rebalancing in favor of value is coming, and that the current bond market strength will be sold into. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals held up fine yesterday, but some weakness into tomorrow shouldn‘t be surprising. I look for it to turn out only temporary, and not as a start of a serious downswing. Crude Oil Crude oil continues struggling at $72, but the downside looks limited – I‘m not looking for a flush into the low or mid $60s. Copper In spite of the red candle(s), copper looks to be stopping hesitating, and is readying an upswing. I look for broader participation in it, and that includes commodities and silver. The run up to tomorrow‘s announcement would be telling. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum bottom searching goes on, yesterday‘s downside target was hit, and the bulls are meekly responding today. I don‘t think the bottom is in at $46K BTC or $3700s ETH. Summary Risk-off mood is prevailing in going for tomorrow‘s FOMC – the expectations seem leaning towards making a tapering / tightening mistake. While headwinds are stiffening, we haven‘t topped yet in stocks or commodities, but the road would be getting bumpier as stated yesterday. Select commodities and precious metals are already feeling the pinch late in today‘s premarket trading, but there is no sending them to bear markets. Get ready for the twin scourge of persistent inflation and slowdown in growth to start biting increasingly more – just-in producer price index (9.6% YoY, largest ever) confirms much more inflation is in the pipeline, and the Fed would still remain behind the curve in its actions. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    US PPI hits forecasts, feeding an appetite for the USD ahead of FOMC

    US PPI hits forecasts, feeding an appetite for the USD ahead of FOMC

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 14.12.2021 16:01
    The start of the Fed’s two-day meeting gave new signs of the strength of inflationary pressures in the market, adding to speculation about a tightening of the monetary policy tone. In November, the PPI index was 9.6% y/y, markedly higher than the expected 9.2% and 8.6% a month earlier. The PPI ex-energy and food accelerated to 7.7% y/y last month from 6.8% in October. The latest data shows that inflationary pressures are no longer a problem of Oil and agriculture price spikes. It has spread across the economy, forcing the Fed to step up. This bad news increased pressure on the US stock market before the opening of the regular session. However, it is positive news for the dollar, which managed to retreat from intraday lows against the euro, yen and franc. The dollar index has been consolidating in a converging triangle since late November. The latest inflation data has a high chance of pushing it beyond consolidation without waiting for the official comments from the Fed tomorrow evening.
    GameStop Stock News and Forecast: Why did GME stock fall so much on Monday?

    GameStop Stock News and Forecast: Why did GME stock fall so much on Monday?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 14.12.2021 16:01
    GameStop stock fell nearly 14% on Monday to $136.88. Retail and meme stocks suffered quite sharp falls on Monday. AMC followed GME by falling to $23.24 for a 15% loss. The rise of the meme stock has been a unique feature of this investing year over any others with a special set of once-in-a-generation circumstances elevating many ordinary joes into stock trading stars. The first was GameStop (GME), which made possibly more headlines than any other stock in history. I confess to not doing a lot of research on this, but when you overhear numerous discussions in the local pub about the phenomenon, you know it must be serious. AMC then joined the party, and together the pair became the poster child stocks for the meme stock revolution. We even had the perfect pantomime villain in the Robinhood saga. Regardless, the retail investor is now a powerful force in the stock market, but that power has begun to wane as we approach the final finishing straight of the year. Now retail investors who got in early and held their nerve are being rewarded with yearly gains of 626% for GameStop (GME) and 996% for AMC. So any discussion of a collapse needs to be put into context. The fact does remain though that both stocks are actually well off their 2021 peaks. GameStop shed nearly 14% on Monday, closing at $136.88. There is a slight contradiction to the underlying trend with in-store attendance surely surging, definitely in my local store ahead of the holidays. GameStop (GME) chart, 15 minute GameStop (GME) stock news There was no underlying fundamental news. Rather a catalyst of market weakness and general risk aversion hurt this one. GME and AMC are both momentum names, and when that slows the results can be shocking. GameStop (GME) stock forecast The big catalyst was more technical in our view. In the absence of fundamental news flow, GameStop has been going through support levels like a knife through butter. $167 was a big level, marking the lows going back to September. Cracking below that level was the direct result of breaking the 200-day moving average. Monday saw a move to break $146, marking new six-month lows. GameStop now sits on the last key support before $118. GME shares closed at $136.88, though the volume-weighted average price for the year is $138. Below, the volume begins to strongly lighten, meaning less price discovery, meaning a likely move to $118. This amounts to a low volume fall. I know most readers do not like to hear bearish arguments, especially in some favourite name like GameStop and AMC, but we can only comment on the price action and trends we see. For now, bears are definitely in control. A break of $167 resistance would change the picture. GME 1-day chart
    Inflation Beast Roars - Gold Only Modestly Up

    Inflation Beast Roars - Gold Only Modestly Up

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 14.12.2021 17:09
      The inflation beast is growing stronger. Unfortunately for gold bulls, we cannot say the same about the yellow metal. Is sacrifice going on tomorrow? “Woe to you, oh earth and sea, for the Devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short (...). Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast,” says the Bible. The current number of the beast is not 6.66%, but 6.8% - this is how high the CPI annual inflation rate was in November. The number came above expectations and implies further acceleration in inflation from 6.2% in October. It was also the largest 12-month increase since the period ending June 1982, as the chart below indicates. The latest BLS report on inflation also shows that consumer inflation rose 0.8% on a monthly basis after rising 0.9% in October. The core CPI rate increased 0.5% in November, following a 0.6-percent increase in the previous month. On an annual basis, it jumped 5% after a 4.6% increase in October (see the chart above). So, as , “hell and fire was spawned to be released”. Indeed, November readings clearly falsify central banks’ narrative about transitory inflation (which was already partially abandoned) and confirm my claim that inflation will stay with us for longer. As a reminder, my bet is that we will see the peak of inflation no earlier than somewhere in Q1 2022. Actually, it might be even a bit later, as the Omicron coronavirus variant could contribute to supply disruptions and add to inflationary pressure. What’s important here is to remember that current inflation is not merely a supply problem. It’s true that the energy index is surging, but the shelter index is also rising, and it has even surpassed the pre-pandemic level, as the chart below shows. So, inflation has a really broad nature, which makes perfect sense, as it was caused by a boost in the money supply and strong demand. The BLS report confirms this view: “The monthly all items seasonally adjusted increase was the result of broad increases in most component indexes, similar to last month.”   Implications for Gold The inflationary beast not only reared its ugly head, but it started roaring and growing stronger. The CPI inflation rate jumped to 6.8% in November, and it’s probably not the final number! Actually, it could have been even higher if the Omicron variant of coronavirus had not emerged, slowing down some expenditures. What does this acceleration imply for the gold market? Well, one week ago I wrote: “My bet is that inflation will stay elevated or that it could actually intensify further. In any case, the persistence of high inflation could trigger some worries and boost the safe-haven demand for gold.” Indeed, inflationary pressure intensified further, which pushed gold prices higher, as the chart below shows. However, I also expressed concerns about the Fed’s reaction to high inflation and its implications for gold: I’m afraid that gold bulls’ joy would be – to use a trendy word – transitory. The December FOMC meeting will be probably hawkish and will send gold prices down. Given the persistence of inflation, the Fed is likely to turn more hawkish and accelerate the pace of tapering. The higher than expected inflation rate in November, and a very modest gold’s reaction to it, only strengthen my fears that tomorrow could be a great day for monetary hawks and a sad day for gold. Given such high inflation, the Fed has simply no choice and must accelerate the pace of the tapering and hiking cycle. So, to paraphrase Iron Maiden, sacrifice is going on tomorrow. On the other hand, gold often bottomed out in December historically (in recent years, it did so in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019). We’ll find out soon whether my fears were justified! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    UK Consumer Inflation

    UK Consumer Inflation

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 15.12.2021 09:33
    UK consumer inflation accelerated to 5.1% in November, coming close to turning peaks in 2008 and 2014 of 5.2%. Higher levels were last seen in Britain only in the early 1990s. The figures exceeded economists’ average estimates of 4.8%. Overall, the entire inflation data package exceeded expectations, posting a 14.3% y/y rise in producer input prices. Producer selling prices show a 9.1% YoY increase. Meanwhile, producers continue to pass the increased costs onto consumers to a large extent, as producer input prices added 1% for November, selling prices added 0.9%, and consumer prices added 0.7%. Yesterday we saw employers broadly maintaining the pace of wage growth until October, indicating that the inflationary spiral continues to unwind. This is a significant signal for the Bank of England, which on Thursday could give a clear call of a rate hike early next year. And it’s good news for GBP, which gets support on the decline to 1.32 earlier this week.
    How Supply Constraints Stole Christmas

    How Supply Constraints Stole Christmas

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 15.12.2021 13:00
    Equities 2021-12-15 10:30 Summary:  If you have tried to buy, well, basically anything, you've probably noticed that the shelves in the stores aren't as full as they used to be. With the Christmas shopping season approaching fast, there is a very real chance that Santa will have a hard time getting everyone what they want. In this article, we will look at how supply constraints will be this year's Grinch, how they will steal Christmas and how you can counteract them. It’s not news that the global supply chains are challenged, but how did it get here and what will it mean for your Christmas presents? In this article, we will look into how supply constraints came about and how they will impact Christmas shopping. “We’ve all become accustomed to the fact that when you order something online, you get it delivered within a few days. That system is broken down and we have to be much more patient now,” says Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategies at Saxo Group. Exceptional demand challenges the physical limits of the worldOne of the main drivers behind the supply constraints is a sudden imbalance between supply and demand, which is an effect of the COVID-19 breakout in the early 2020s. On one hand, a collapse of the global economy was expected, and on the other, governments across the globe started supporting both businesses and people by handing out money. The global economic collapse in large part didn’t happen and the world went into a lockdown, which meant that people suddenly had money on their hands but couldn’t travel or go to restaurants, so instead they started buying goods and commodities.“I normally tend to tell the Danish media that it all began when we got our holiday check paid out from the government, because then we all went on a spending spree. Restaurants and cinemas were closed, so we went online and went shopping for consumer goods. So, from having cancelled lots of orders, expecting a sharp decline in economic activity due to the pandemic, companies suddenly had to put in massive new amounts of orders and the system couldn't cope,” says Hansen.In a world where global activity was already historically high, an increase in demand like this puts a lot of strain on the physical parts of being able to supply people with what they want. “When you have such a big shift on the demand side, then when we talk about supply, it's about the physical world - ports, container ships, available containers - and its generally about infrastructure, which takes time to build out and thus can’t make as big a leap as the demand side, because we are talking about building big physical things,” says Peter Garnry, Head of Equity Strategies at Saxo Group. The system, which Hansen is referring to is the logistics sector, where the physical limits of the world are challenged by rapid technological development. “I think what this whole supply chain issue has shown is that everything we're talking about is basically constraints we observe in the physical world, and if there's something we have seen during this pandemic, it’s a phenomenal rally in technology stocks and companies that operate in the online world. When I travel around and talk to clients, I show this chart where you can see that since the great financial crisis, technology companies’ revenue and profits have just taken off like a rocket relative to the physical world, the normal world, the one we are in, and these supply constraints are once again teaching us that a lot of the investment opportunities will be in the online world,” says Garnry. In essence, this means that because governments feared an economic collapse, they handed out money to people and companies who then used the money to buy more goods than usual, like e.g. technological devices and gadgets, which pushed the limits of the physical ships, ports, trucks and roads. In such a situation, the last thing you would want is to clog up the system, so the pressure on the physical limits will be even tougher. Enter Ever Given.The bottleneckWinding the clock back to March this year, one of the largest container ships in the world, Ever Given, was passing through the Suez Canal, one of the world’s most important supply routes. Here it was hit by strong winds that forced the ship to turn, which resulted in the ship getting stuck across the canal. Some 400 container ships were queued up for six days, creating not only shipping delays but also further bottlenecks when the ships arrived at ports at the same time, increasing the pressure on the physical world. So now you had governments handing out money, a global population eager to buy goods, ports that are already overworked and a global trading route which is closed down, halting the usual flow of goods from East to West. A shortage of peopleIt’s probably fair to think that such bottlenecks shouldn’t take long to fix as long as everything is operating as it should. But here it’s necessary to understand two things. The first thing is that on the sea, transportation of cargo is constantly becoming bigger, but on land, this isn’t the case. “Containers ships are getting bigger and bigger, but you still need one truck to move the container to and from the harbour. So, it’s an increasing challenge that these ships roll in and need to be offloaded and loaded in a relatively short time. This has become a major obstacle, like we have seen in Felixstowe in the UK, in Los Angeles and even in Rotterdam,” Hansen says.At the same time, there’s a historic shortage of truck drivers around the globe. In the US alone, it’s estimated that 80,000 additional truck drivers are needed to handle the number of containers that could be delivered at the country’s ports. The reasons for this are many, but it’s an important factor in the supply constraints, and one that isn’t easily fixed.Generally, truck drivers have been in short supply since the mid-2000s. In addition, many economies around the world work at close to full capacity, which usually allows people with lower-paying jobs – like truckers – to move up to higher-paying and more attractive jobs, due to increased demand for workers. Also, governmental support during COVID may have provided some drivers with money they’ve been able to use to get better jobs. “You need a lot of truck drivers, which has been another issue, as there’s a shortage of truck drivers. This is mainly because some of them have found other jobs during the lockdown, where wages are rising in other industries as well, so it's difficult to find all the truck drivers needed to move all these containers. That means that you suddenly end up with a harbour full of empty containers stacking up, which takes space away from the filled ones that need to come in,” says Hansen. So, along with increased demand putting the physical world under pressure, and the blockage of an important trading route, there are also not enough people and trucks to handle the containers when ships do roll in, all adding to the delays and difficulties of moving things around the world.COVID closuresWhen trying to explain how we ended up with supply constraints, it’s impossible not to mention the COVID-19 virus, because it has had a significant impact. As previously mentioned, one reaction to the pandemic has been governmental stimulus, which has created a number of ripple effects. More concretely, COVID-19 has affected operations at ports around the globe – especially in China, one of the world’s key production hubs. “The Chinese zero-case policy on COVID-19 is making it difficult to keep supply chains efficient, because when there’s a new series of cases in China, they tend to close down pretty large parts of the particular region where the cases are happening,” says Garnry.The shortage to rule them allStruggling to ship goods around the world is a major challenge. But struggling to supply the most crucial component in today’s technology goods is arguably a much bigger issue. Semiconductors – also called integrated circuits or microchips – are used in a wide range of goods and products, including electronics. The semiconductor shortage – like the others we’ve described – has been caused by a variety of snowball effects, including bad weather in Texas, trade disputes between China and the US, and especially the COVID-19 pandemic. But this shortage is more significant, constraining sales of some of our most in-demand goods. In that sense, the semiconductor shortage is the real Grinch, which will steal the most popular Christmas presents even before they’re produced. “The semiconductor shortage is impacting everything from Nintendo to car production and PlayStations. iPhone production has also been cut by as many as 10 million units due to these constraints. So, even if you wish for it, and you want it and it's cool, you can't get it,” says Garnry.And if you’re wishing for a new car, semiconductors can also spoil the day. Car manufacturers, who buy lower margin semiconductors, were late in ordering chips after the economy didn’t collapse due to the pandemic. The semiconductor industry had already found willing buyers thanks to high demand for graphics cards for gaming and crypto, as well as chips used in data centres and computers. Car manufacturers were therefore put at the back of the line and have ever since scrambled to get priority, causing car production to be reduced due to lack of semiconductors, meaning that there are a lot of cars that are almost ready to be shipped, but can’t be because they are missing this one component,” says Garnry. Product centralisationLooking at the different reasons why supply chains have ended up in the pickle they’re in, one of them also points to a potential solution, which would be a massive shift in the production strategy that companies have pursued for a number of years. “If you're a large consumer goods company today and your main markets are the US and Europe, you must be contemplating whether you should have production closer to your end markets,” says Garnry. He adds:“Not too long ago, we had a very engaging conversation with Jens Bjørn Andersen, CEO of DSV, and we talked about this situation. In the financial industry, we always suggest that investors should make sure to  diversify their portfolio. But for whatever reason, this concept seems to have escaped the manufacturing industry when you look at their portfolio of production. Said in another way – production companies have sent huge amounts of their global production to China and that really hurts when you have disruptions like these. This could lead us to see more fragmented production and that manufacturing companies begin to diversify their supply chains. My bet is that in the future, we will see some production come back to main consumer markets in the western world.” How to un-steal Christmas from the supply GrinchWhile Garnry’s point about production closer to main markets is relevant, it’s a long-term solution that won’t help this year’s Christmas shopping. For now, we’ll just have to get used to it being more difficult to get what we want.“We need to get the balance back in terms of supply and demand. Until then, we're going to have to live with some disruptions for a number of years and that will create these temporary obstructions in various places in the world,” says Hansen. Garnry adds that the bottlenecks will solve themselves: “We will get there, but it will take some time,” he says.So, what do we do this Christmas? While the Grinch may steal your car, iPhone and PlayStation, Hansen thinks we should look at our wish list and wish for something the Grinch can’t steal – and where we can do good. “Regarding Christmas, think a bit alternatively. The global economy came back very strongly, but there was a whole area which was left in the dark and that was the service sector. So, spare a thought for them if you can't get the goods you are looking for. Wish for a gift card to the cinema or to a restaurant or to some local experience. They're not going to run out of supplies and could use it,” he says.If you want to read more about how to invest in the logistics sector during these challenges, take a look at this article. If you want to get inspiration for more investments in the logistics sector, take a look at Garnry’s theme basket here.
    Tough Choices Ahead

    Tough Choices Ahead

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 15.12.2021 15:51
    S&P 500 declined on poor PPI data, with financials virtually the only sector closing in the black. Rising yields and risk-off credit markets, that‘s the answer – markets are afraid of a more hawkish Fed than what they expect already. While the central bank will strive to project a decisive image, I‘m looking for enough leeway to be left in, and packaged in incoming data flexibility and overall uncertainty. Good for them that the fresh spending initiative hasn‘t yet passed. Still, I‘m looking for the Fed to be forced during 2022 to abruptly reverse course, and bring back the punch bowl. Treasuries look serene, and aren‘t anticipating sharply higher rates in the near term – not even inflation expectations interpreted higher PPI as a sign that inflation probably hasn‘t peaked yet. This isn‘t the first time inflation is being underestimated – and beaten down commodities (with copper bearing the brunt in today‘s premarket) reflect that likewise. Only cryptos are bucking the cautious entry to the Fed policy decision, and decreasing liquidity, in what can still turn out as a lull before another selling attempt. I think that the overly hawkish Fed expectations are misplaced, and that the risk-on assets would reverse the prior weakness – both today and in the days immediately following, which is when the real post-Fed move emerges. Odds are that it would still be up across the board. Yes, I‘m looking for the Fed speak to be interpreted as soothing – as one that would still result in market perceptions that the real bite isn‘t here yet, or doesn‘t look too real yet. Big picture is that public finances need inflation to make the debt load manageable, and that ample room to flex hawkish muscles isn‘t there (as retail data illustrate). As I wrote in yesterday‘s summary: (…) Risk-off mood is prevailing in going for tomorrow‘s FOMC – the expectations seem leaning towards making a tapering / tightening mistake. While headwinds are stiffening, we haven‘t topped yet in stocks or commodities, but the road would be getting bumpier as stated yesterday. Select commodities and precious metals are already feeling the pinch late in today‘s premarket trading, but there is no sending them to bear markets. Get ready for the twin scourge of persistent inflation and slowdown in growth to start biting increasingly more – just-in producer price index (9.6% YoY, largest ever) confirms much more inflation is in the pipeline, and the Fed would still remain behind the curve in its actions. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 had a weak day, but the dip was being bought – there is fledgling accumulation regardless of deteriorating internals, and tech selloff continuing. Credit Markets HYG even staged a late day rally – bonds are in a less panicky mood, not anticipating overly hawkish Fed message. And that‘s good for the markets that sold off a bit too much. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals downside appears limited here, and today‘s premarket downswing has been largely erased already. Much catching up to do on the upside, just waiting for the catalyst. Crude Oil Crude oil is on the defensive now – the weak session yesterday didn‘t convince me. I‘m though still looking for higher prices even as today‘s premarket took black gold below $70. Still not looking for a flush into the low or mid $60s. Copper Copper upswing didn‘t materialize, and worries about the economic outlook keep growing. The sideways trend keeps holding for now though, still. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum bottom searching goes on, yesterday‘s downside target was hit, but the bottom (at $46K BTC or $3700s ETH) might not be in just yet. Cryptos remain in wait and see mode. Summary Bears aren‘t piling in before today‘s FOMC – the Fed‘s moves will though likely be interpreted as not overly hawkish. Given more incoming signs of slowing economy, the window of opportunity to tighten, is pretty narrow anyway. Why take too serious a chance? Yes, I‘m looking for the weakness in real assets to turn out temporary, and for stocks not to be broken by inflation just yet – as argued for in the opening part of today‘s analysis. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    MSFT Stock News and Forecast: Why Microsoft is on target for $300

    MSFT Stock News and Forecast: Why Microsoft is on target for $300

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 15.12.2021 16:08
    Microsoft stock falls over 3% on Tuesday ahead of Fed. Tech stocks suffer as rate hikes hit high growth names. MSFT is close to all-time highs, volume remains elevated. Microsoft (MSFT) is pausing for breath near all-time highs as the market awaits Fed taper talk Wednesday. While high growth stocks may wait in trepidation, more established names such as Microsoft and Apple (AAPL) have continued to attract fresh investors. High growth usually means low profits, but this is certainly not the case for Microsoft or Apple. Indeed, recent research from Goldman Sachs demonstrated the divergence between mega tech names this year versus unprofitable tech names. Unprofitable tech names are down circa 20% for the year, while mega tech is up nearly 30%. The logic is sound – higher rates disproportionally hit high growth rates. By comparison, established mega tech are cash cows that offer huge profits, huge leverage, huge purchasing power and operate in a quasi-monopolistic stance whereby inflationary pressures can be passed on to consumers. GOOGL, AAPL, MSFT outperformance versus Nasdaq since the start of the year Microsoft stock news It used to be the case that consumer staples were the de facto defensive stocks that investors retreated to in times of stress. After all, we all need food for survival. Utility stocks also were well-used defensive mechanisms for much the same logic, basic necessity. However, with the advent of mobile technology, essentials are now seen as communication and news stocks. Big tech fulfills all these roles. Our smartphone is a means of communication, a means of news service, television, shopping, etc. We now view many big tech services as essential and ones we cannot live without. Combine this with huge revenue, in many cases monopolistic qualities, and piles of cash, and you have the perfect defensive stocks for the 21st century. This is why Apple actually appreciated during last week's Omicron sell-off. What we are currently seeing is high growth meme names taking a disproportionate hit ahead of the Fed. Think Tesla down again, and AMC and GME collapsing. The Nasdaq index was the underperformer on Tuesday. Microsoft stock forecast $318 is our key short-term pivot. Already MSFT has put in a lower high, albeit just below all-time highs. A break of $318 sets a lower low and puts a short-term trend in motion. We specify short term here. This is what most of you likely are interested in. The longer-term trend remains bullish, fundamentals are strong, earnings power is consistent and defensive qualities mentioned above can shield it from inflationary pressures. However, there are some bearish points to note for short-term swing traders. We have a decling MACD and RSI. We also have bearish divergences from both indicators, significantly so in the case of the RSI. Based on this we feel $318 is likely to break, and below we see support at $300. We base this not only on the round number theory but on the volume profile. Volume means price acceptance and support. MSFT 1-day chart
    Having A Look At The Markets Considering Tensions, COVID-19 And National Banks Decisions

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Attempts Rebound - 08.11.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 08.11.2021 09:09
    USDCHF struggles for bids The US dollar bounced higher on solid jobs performance in October. A bullish RSI divergence indicates a deceleration in the sell-off. Sellers have started to cover after a close above the immediate support at 0.9170. However, the initial momentum was held back after the RSI shot into the overbought territory. The bulls will need to lift offers around 0.9225, which sits on the 30-day moving average to attract more followers. On the downside, a break below 0.9100 may trigger a fall towards 0.9020. USDCAD tests supply area The Canadian dollar claws back some losses after Canada’s unemployment rate shrank to 6.7% in October. The US dollar’s break above 1.2430 has put the bears under pressure. An overbought RSI has put a limit on the upside as intraday buyers take profit. The bulls are making an attempt at 1.2500. This level was a key support on the daily chart and has now turned into a resistance. A bullish breakout may pave the way for a bullish reversal. A fall below 1.2375 would put the demand zone over 1.2300 at the test once again. US 30 rises as risk appetite grows The Dow Jones 30 finds support from the passage of the $1 trillion US infrastructure bill. The index saw an acceleration to the upside after it rallied above the previous peak at 35600. Sentiment remains bullish with short-term price action grinding up along a rising trendline. 36600 would be the next target. The RSI’s overbought situation has led to a temporary retracement which could be an opportunity for trend followers to stake in. 36070 on the trendline is the first level where we can expect a rebound.
    Why Isn’t Gold Rallying Along With Inflation?

    Why Isn’t Gold Rallying Along With Inflation?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 05.11.2021 16:20
      Inflation is high and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. However, gold is not rising. The question is – what does the Fed have to do with it? Inflation is not merely transitory, and that’s a fact. Why then isn’t gold rallying? Isn’t it an inflation-hedge? Well, it is - but gold is a lazy employee. It shows up at work only when inflation is high and accelerating; otherwise, it refuses to get its golden butt up and do its job. All right, fine, but inflation is relatively high! So, there have to be other reasons why gold remains stuck around $1,800. First of all, central banks are shifting their monetary policy. Global easing has ended, global tightening is coming! Actually, several central banks have already tightened their stance. For example, among developed countries, New Zealand, Norway, and South Korea have raised interest rates. Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Romania, and Russia are in the club of monetary policy hawks as well. Even the bank of England could hike its policy rate this year, while the Fed has only announced tapering of its asset purchases. So, although central banks will likely maintain their dovish bias and real interest rates will stay negative, the era of epidemic ultra-loose monetary policy is coming to an end. We all know that neither the interest rates nor the central banks’ balance sheets will return to the pre-pandemic level, but the direction is clear: central banks are starting tightening cycles, no matter how gentle and gradual they will be. This means that monetary policy is no longer supportive of gold. The same applies to fiscal policy. It remains historically lax despite fiscal stimulus being pulled back. Even though Uncle Sam ran a fiscal deficit of $2.8 trillion in fiscal year 2021 - almost three times that of fiscal year 2019 ($0.98 trillion) - it was 12% lower than in fiscal year 2020 ($3.1 trillion). This implies that the fiscal policy is also tightening (despite the fact that it remains extravagantly accommodative), which is quite a headwind for gold. Investors should always look at directional changes, not at absolute levels. What’s more, we are still far from stagflation. We still experience both high inflation and fast GDP growth, as well as an improving labor market. As a reminder, the unemployment rate declined from 5.2% in August to 4.8% in September. The fact that the labor market continues to hold up relatively well is the reason why the so-called Misery Index, i.e., the sum of inflation and unemployment rates, remains moderate despite high inflation. It amounted to 10.19 in September, much below the range of 12.5-20 seen during the Great Inflation of the 1970s (see the chart below). So, the dominant narrative is about both inflation and growth. When people got vaccines, markets ceased to worry about coronavirus and started to expect a strong recovery. Commodity and equity prices are rising, as well as real interest rates. These market trends reflect expectations of more growth than inflation – expectations that hurt gold and made it get stuck around $1,800. Having said that, the case for gold is not lost. Gold bulls should be patient. The growth is going to slow down, and when inflation persists for several months, the pace of real growth will decline even further, shifting the market narrative to worrying about inflation’s negative effects and stagflation. Gold should shine then. Wait, when? Soon. The Fed’s tightening cycle could be a turning point. The US central bank has already announced tapering of quantitative easing, which could erase some downward pressure on gold resulting from the anticipation of this event. Additionally, please remember that every notable market correction coincided with the end of QE, and every recession coincided with the Fed’s tightening cycle. Moreover, don’t forget that gold bottomed in December 2015, just when the Fed started hiking the federal funds rate for the first time since the Great Recession, as the chart below shows. However, when it comes to tapering, the situation is more complicated. The previous tapering was announced in December 2013, started in January 2014, and ended in October 2014. As one can see in the chart above, the price of gold initially increased, but it remained in its downward trend until December 2015 when the Fed started hiking interest rates. Hence, if history is any guide, there are high odds that gold may struggle further for a while before starting to rally next year, which could happen even as soon as June 2022, when the markets expect the first hike in interest rates. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Needs Catalyst

    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Needs Catalyst

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 15.12.2021 08:38
    XAUUSD awaits breakout Gold consolidates as traders await the Fed’s monetary policy update. The metal came under pressure after it erased all gains from the November rally. Price action is stuck in a narrowing range between the daily support at 1760 and 1806. This indicates the market’s indecision. A bearish breakout would confirm the bearish MA cross on the daily chart and trigger an extended sell-off towards the floor at 1680. On the upside, a rally would send the price to retest the previous peak at 1870. GBPCAD rises towards key resistance The pound bounced back after Britain showed strong wage growth in the three months to October. A bullish RSI divergence indicated a loss of momentum in the latest sell-off. A break above 1.6770 and then a bullish MA cross were the confirmation for a reversal. The pair is heading towards the daily resistance level at 1.7100. Its breach may lead to a broader rally in the medium term. In the meantime, an overbought RSI could temporarily limit the extension. 1.6900 is the closest support in case of a pullback. USOIL seeks support Oil prices struggled after the International Energy Agency said that the omicron strain may threaten global demand. WTI crude is hovering under the 20-day moving average after the RSI briefly shot into the overbought territory. 74.10 near the 30-day moving average seems to be a tough nut to crack for now. A bullish breakout would attract momentum buyers and send the price to the daily resistance at 79.00. Otherwise, 68.00 from the latest rally is the support to keep the rebound valid.
    BoE Preview: No rate hike to keep Santa happy?

    BoE Preview: No rate hike to keep Santa happy?

    Luke Suddards Luke Suddards 16.12.2021 12:57
    GBP USD EUR 15 Dec 2021 Take a read below of all the essential details to know for this event. The Bank of England are back to deliver their interest rate policy decision tomorrow at 12pm GMT. No surprises like which unfolded at the November meeting are expected to be thrown the market’s way as the consensus clearly now expects a delay to the 15bps hike. The BoE have gone from one uncertainty to the next – labour data to now omicron. The announcement of Plan B restrictions was the nail in the coffin for any moves by the BoE come Thursday. If even one of the most hawkish members of the MPC (Saunders) stated there could be advantages to waiting for more data on how the omicron variant will impact the U.K. economy before raising rates then we can expect the more dovish/neutral members to be hesitant on the rate hike front. This is quite clearly a patient committee which sees “value in waiting for additional information”. It costs them less to wait and fall temporarily behind the curve as opposed to jumping the gun too early (remember monetary policy has a lag between implementation and visible effects). At the last meeting the interest rate vote was 7-2, with Saunders and Ramsden leading the hawkish charge, however, with the latest commentary by Saunders could we see this meeting’s vote at 8-1 instead? This combined with any softening in the policy statement tone could have dovish implications for money market expectations around February’s meeting, potentially applying some pressure on GBP. Some other historical precedents provide further support for a hold at this meeting – since gaining independence the BoE has never hiked at a December meeting with Christmas round the corner as well as preferring to take policy action at meetings that coincide with monetary policy reports and press conferences. Traders focus will be shifting to February’s meeting as they try to assess whether the BoE will hike by 15bps vs 25bps or hold again. This really does depend on the damage caused by omicron over the next 2 months. The UK with their higher natural immunity and the rapid ramp up in booster jabs (41% of population 12+ and 86% of over 60 population triple jabbed) should be able to avoid harsher lockdowns like we’ve seen previously, limiting the economic impact. This is very much dependent on the number of hospitalizations and deaths (busiest time of year for the NHS in Winter as it is). Case data should have peaked by the time of the next meeting (if it follows previous trends), with the BoE having more information at their fingertips to evaluate whether economic risks (how does the labour market hold up) from omicron will be on a downward trajectory. Continuing with the medium-term outlook, the SONIA curve indicates a bank rate of around 1% by end 2022. This is quite aggressive and creates the risk of a dovish repricing in those expectations if there are any speedbumps throughout next year. This would be a headwind for sterling. Labour, Inflation & GDP data: We received the first official employment report with the distortionary effects of furlough removed. It went fairly smoothly and I think bar omicron this would have been enough for the BoE to move. Average earnings (excluding bonuses) which feeds through to wage pressures was above consensus at 4.3% vs 4% exp, the employment gains of 149k was below the 225k anticipated, however, the claimant count showed a good decrease and the unemployment rate was lower than the 4.3% expected as well as tracking below the BoE’s forecast of 4.5%. Taking into account record vacancies and these figures the labour market looks healthy and is heading in the right direction. Moving onto the price stability side of the equation. Headline and core inflation both substantially beat the market’s expectations and with core (strips out volatile items) at 4% it is now the highest reading since 1992. The surge above 5% at a headline level has arrived earlier than many economist and the Bank themselves expected. Upon closer inspection, services inflation remains weak and price pressures are still largely being driven on the energy and goods components. The concern for the BoE of higher inflation is an unanchoring of expectations and second round effects such as wages rising – this would create more persistent inflation and could prove difficult lowering it back to the 2% target within the Bank’s ideal timeframe. Looking at OIS pricing post this inflation drop it seems rate markets have got a tad ahead of themselves with pricing for a hike tomorrow now at 74%. This could actually see sterling weaken if a hold is announced. GDP data out Friday almost was flat from a MoM perspective as it creeped up by a paltry 0.1%, this is quite significantly down from the 0.6% seen in September as well as the consensus of 0.4%. This leaves the UK economy 0.5% smaller than pre-covid levels. It remains to be seen how the economy will fare going forward as restrictions could be increased as key personnel involved in these decisions produce ominous warnings - CMO Whitty warned that UK hospitals could be overwhelmed in four weeks. Given the UK’s economy is heavily skewed towards services, tighter restrictions are a definite risk to the recovery. GBPUSD: GBPUSD found a pre-meeting bid after the inflation numbers and saw price move above both the mini descending channel and back into the main descending channel. I think a good upside target is the round number 1.33 around the 21-day EMA. Above that 1.335 (white horizontal line) would be the next go to. On the downside, a break of 1.32 would be key bringing the 8 December lows of 1.316 into play. The RSI flirted with oversold and has risen 10 points to around 40. Preview (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.) EURGBP: EURGBP has failed again to show proper follow through as it breached its upper trend line and the 200-day SMA. The RSI resistance line at 65 proved again to be a useful tool in guiding the sustainability of the move. Price is now hovering just above its 50-day SMA and right on top of its 21-day EMA. Targets wise on the upside again moves into the 200-day SMA and trend line would be important (around 0.855) and then on the downside the 50-day SMA will prove important with moves below there bringing 0.845 into play. Preview (Source: TradingView - Past performance is not indicative of future performance.)
    Great Santa Rally

    Great Santa Rally

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 16.12.2021 15:40
    S&P 500 with pretty much everything else surged as the Fed didn‘t turn too hawkish. Predictably. The day of reckoning is again postponed as the central bank effectively kicked the can down the road by not getting ahead of inflation. Taper done by Mar 2022, and three rate hikes then, doesn‘t cut it. This illustrates my doubts about serious inflation figures to still keep hitting (hello latest PPI), and above all, their ability to execute this 1-year plan. If you look under the hood, they don‘t even expect GDP to materially slow down – 4.0% growth in 2022 with three hikes against 3.8% actual in Q3 2021 on no hikes. Something doesn‘t add up, and just as the Bank of England raising rates to 0.25% now, the Fed would be forced to hastily retreat from the just projected course.Yesterday‘s expectations panned out to the letter:(…) Still, I‘m looking for the Fed to be forced during 2022 to abruptly reverse course, and bring back the punch bowl. Treasuries look serene, and aren‘t anticipating sharply higher rates in the near term – not even inflation expectations interpreted higher PPI as a sign that inflation probably hasn‘t peaked yet. This isn‘t the first time inflation is being underestimated – and beaten down commodities (with copper bearing the brunt in today‘s premarket) reflect that likewise. Only cryptos are bucking the cautious entry to the Fed policy decision, and decreasing liquidity, in what can still turn out as a lull before another selling attempt.I think that the overly hawkish Fed expectations are misplaced, and that the risk-on assets would reverse the prior weakness – both today and in the days immediately following, which is when the real post-Fed move emerges. Odds are that it would still be up across the board. Yes, I‘m looking for the Fed speak to be interpreted as soothing – as one that would still result in market perceptions that the real bite isn‘t here yet, or doesn‘t look too real yet. Big picture is that public finances need inflation to make the debt load manageable, and that ample room to flex hawkish muscles isn‘t there (as retail data illustrate).Markets are interpreting yesterday as the punch bowl effectively remaining in place, and crucially, copper is participating after the preceding weakness. The metal with PhD in economics has been hesitating due to the darkening real economy prospects even though manufacturing data aren‘t a disaster. Consumer sentiment isn‘t though positive, and inflation expectations among the people aren‘t retreating as much as bond spreads would show. The red metals is balancing out the economic prospects in favor of participating in the renewed rush into commodities – the super (let alone secular) bull run isn‘t over by a long shot. Stockpiles are tight, and whatever the odds of the infrastructure bill being passed any time soon, copper isn‘t budging. That‘s great for real assets across the board.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 reversal is to be trusted, and the advance was very solidly taken part in. With not too much willing sellers, the advance will likely moderate today, but still continue. The bull hasn‘t topped, has been my thesis for weeks.Credit MarketsHYG celebrations are ushering in the next risk-on phase – credit markets are confirming. The too hawkish Fed worry is in the rear view mirror, and many assets can run once again, the time is still right.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals downside was indeed limited, and the solid upswing I called for, materialized. Now, let‘s wait for the reaction of this catalyst with more inflation, for the juiciest results...Crude OilCrude oil is once again readying the upswing – the conditions are in place for $72 to give in shortly. Similarly, oil stocks haven‘t peaked, and are merely consolidating.CopperKey vote of confidence is coming today from copper – the red metal would very willingly participate in a fresh commodities upswing. It‘s been ushered in already, actually.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum look to have found the bottom as well – what kind of corrective pullback would we get? I‘m not looking for one overly deep and testing yesterday‘s lows.SummaryBears have thrown in the towel, and rightfully so – another instance of the Fed crushing the puts. Being between a rock and a hard place, with midterms approaching, infrastructure bill birthing troubles, the central bank‘s room to act isn‘t really too large. FOMC has met market expectations, and still remained behind the curve on inflation. On top, I‘m looking for them to have to reverse course during 2022 – I‘ve argued the case macroeconomically in the opening part of today‘s report. Back to the inflation trades – long live real assets and the not yet having topped S&P 500 (don‘t look at me, Russell 2000)!Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Cryptos ready for Christmas rally

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Cryptos ready for Christmas rally

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 16.12.2021 16:06
    Bitcoin bulls consolidate above $48.760 and will be looking to test and break $50,020 to the upside. Ethereum has bulls banging on the door at $4,060, ready for a breakout towards $4,465. XRP sees buying volume picking up, as a return to $1.0 is in the making. Bitcoin price is seeing a lift in price action as supportive tailwinds emerge following a dovishly perceived US central bank decision, with investors buying cryptocurrencies across the board. Ethereum is seeing the same interest this morning, with buying volume picking up as the RSI nudges higher. Ripple is undergoing a tight squeeze against $0.84, with bulls pushing to break the downtrend and rally up to $1.0. Bitcoin price sees investors buying any offer insight as buying volume picks up Bitcoin (BTC) price is seeing a positive lift in sentiment as a backdraught emerges after a perceived dovish central bank decision from Jerome Powell and the US Federal Reserve. This morning, investors are taking a stake in risky assets with equities and cryptocurrencies on the front foot. With that, expect Bitcoin to rally on this sentiment throughout the trading day. BTC price will quickly face a critical hurdle at $50,020 with the psychological $50,000 level included and the S1 monthly support level. This trifecta will weigh on any possible upside potential. But as markets are rallying with risk-on across the board, expect this level to break sooner rather than later, with an intraday target towards $53,350. BTC/USD daily chart Investors should expect positive sentiment to be a major theme throughout the day. Two further major central banks are scheduled to announce their decisions today, however, the Bank of England and the ECB, and there is a risk these could cast a shadow on the current Christmas rally.. If one of these delivers a message that would break current sentiment, expect a quick nosedive correction in BTC back towards $44,088 or $43,030 in a quick rewind of the rally. Ethereum price sees bulls fighting bears at $4,060, ready for a landslide victory Ethereum (ETH) price made a perfect bounce off $3,687 on Wednesday, with investors pushing ETH price towards $4,060 around the monthly S1 support level and a pivotal historical chart level. As price opens again around the same level this morning, elevated buying from investors is putting bears under pressure to close their shorts, switch sides and join the buying camp. When this happens, expect a significant spike in buying volume with a quick break above $4,060 and a continuation towards the 55-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $4,332. ETH price is just around $130 away from the monthly pivot level and a second technical element in the same area. Expect the rally to halt around that level as some short-term profit-taking will happen, and the price could fade a little back towards the 55-day SMA. Should current sentiment persist, with tailwinds in equities and cryptocurrencies, expect ETH price action to hit $4,646 by the end of the week, with new all-time highs in sight by next week. ETH/USD daily chart With the end of the year approaching rapidly, expect the volume to die down a bit, which could cause some sharp corrections as sellers will not always be there to match the profit-taking from investors. This could result in possible knee-jerk reactions with ETH price tanking in a matter of minutes. Expect with that, the $3,687 and $3,391 levels to be there as safeguards. Ethereum price must reclaim $4,000 to reignite ETH bull market XRP price sees investors coming in with breakout towards $1.05 Ripple (XRP) price sees investors returning as favorable tailwinds in cryptocurrencies are filtering through into XRP price action. Bulls opened the price this morning close to $0.84, and an initial resistance level is just above at $0.88. Expect a bit of a hesitant start because of this double belt of resistance. Once punched through, expect hesitant investors to pull the trigger and join the rally to move higher towards $0.95 at the 200-day SMA. XRP/USD daily chart Assuming a break above the 200-day SMA, expect a quick pop towards $1.05, but once hit, a quick fade will likely happen, with price action falling back towards $0.99. Should, however, these tailwinds start to fade as quickly as they come, expect a quick return to the downside with a push down on $0.78 and a break lower towards $0.62, with the blue descending trend line and the S2 at $0.58 as supporting factors. XRP price shows signs of incoming breakout
    Intraday Market Analysis: USD Weakens Across The Board

    Intraday Market Analysis: USD Weakens Across The Board

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 17.12.2021 08:56
    EURUSD tests key supply zone The euro jumped after the ECB announced it will cut its bond-buying program. The pair’s latest retreat seems to have been an accumulation phase for the bulls. Strong buying interest lies in the demand zone around 1.1230. A break above 1.1320 has put buyers back in the control room. 1.1380 from a previously botched reversal attempt is a major hurdle ahead. Its breach may trigger an extended rally towards 1.1460. The RSI’s overextended situation has caused a brief pullback with 1.1270 as a key support. GBPUSD attempts bullish reversal Sterling surged after the Bank of England raised its interest rates to 0.25%. The pound has been treading water above 1.3170. The sellers’ struggle to push lower and the buyers’ attempts above 1.3260 suggest that the mood could be improving. A break above 1.3300 has prompted the bears to cover, attracting momentum traders in the process with 1.3440 as the next target. That said, an overbought RSI may cause a temporary pullback as intraday traders take profit. 1.3260 has become the closest support. NZDUSD breaks resistance The New Zealand dollar rallied as risk sentiment made its return post-FOMC. A bullish RSI divergence indicates a deceleration in the sell-off momentum. The long candle wick from 0.6700 suggests solid buying interest. Then a break above 0.6800 has put the last sellers under pressure. An overbought RSI has limited the initial surge. A pullback may test 0.6755, previously a resistance that has turned into a support. 0.6860 near the 30-day moving average is the next hurdle, and its breach could trigger a bullish reversal.
    Natural Gas: to the Moon and back

    Natural Gas: to the Moon and back

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 17.12.2021 10:41
    The energy crisis is in no hurry to leave Europe. The first wave of astronomical increases in gas prices this autumn has been followed by a second one, with even higher prices, in Europe exceeding $1500 yesterday. As is often the case, several factors combined in an unfortunate coincidence led to the crisis. It seems that China and Europe were over-zealous at the start of the year in encouraging economic recovery and moving away from coal consumption. The first substitute for coal was gas. But Russia, which had not yet got a certification for North Stream 2, diverted gas to China. The situation was exacerbated by the failure of wind generation, on top of a hot summer and a rather chilly start to winter, requiring more energy. All this is multiplied by a policy that Gazprom is failing to deliver via Nord Stream-2 and that the Russian giant prefers to use other ways to supply gas to Europe as little as possible. So the policies of all concerned have only exacerbated the price hike. Now, the officials’ mood and rhetoric do not promise a rapid improvement soon. However, it is worth realising that it is also in the political will to drastically alleviate the pressure on gas prices. It is unlikely that Europe will survive the whole of 2022 in such a situation, but there could be a rather nasty rise in electricity prices in the next couple of months, pushing inflation further upwards. The latest round of gas price rises came when Germany announced that it would not rush to certify NS2. Almost immediately after that, we saw Gazprom continue to reroute gas to China, exceeding the agreed contractual norms as much as possible, while supplies to Europe dropped to a 6-year low. Europe’s logical response to the current energy crisis with its supply problems is promoting alternative sources of energy. High gas and coal prices are a natural catalyst for the switch to alternatives, and politicians can help by announcing stimulus to speed things up even further. It is also worth looking at companies associated with LNG, which is more flexible than pipeline gas in changing supply in response to demand fluctuations. Gazprom itself rarely benefits from sharp price spikes. It is more likely to benefit from long-term trends, supply growth, and Brent Crude price. The roller-coaster ride we see in European gas prices is not a good investment idea as it creates a lot of uncertainty and adds volatility. Looking ahead to the year, I think the power generation and alternative energy suppliers sectors (beyond coal, oil and gas) are attractive. Shares in companies in the traditional energy sector have risen impressively since last November, and this rally, in our view, is coming to an end. The trend for ESG - took off too fast at the start of 2021 and will run out of steam somewhat over the coming months. It’s not a hundred-metre race but a multi-year marathon, so a smooth transition would be logical. As we see at the end of the year, disruptive moves cause severe supply chain disruption and are costly to the world, including a new surge of interest in coal earlier in November. As long as it looks like a speculative hype idea, we expect companies to outperform this trend when the initial noise subsides and the distortions are balanced. ESG now resembles Big Tech a few years ago: a lot of hype and periodic “deflating”, but there is more potential here than in other trends in the long run.
    DXY remain in 96.00 – 97.00 ranges. Here are the pairs to look closely for the week ahead

    DXY remain in 96.00 – 97.00 ranges. Here are the pairs to look closely for the week ahead

    Surya Teja Surya Teja 20.12.2021 08:44
    EURUSD re-tested 1.12 level. EURUSD was last traded at 1.12 level in 24th Nov 2021, before buyers quickly pushed the price back to above 1.13 within just 2 trading days, and since then the price remained consolidating between 1.1250 – 1.1350 for the past 15 trading days. In this weekly chart perspective the divergence is too obvious to ignore as RSI signaling oversold since EURUSD broke below 1.13 level in early November 2021. Despite the uncertainty from a macro-economic point of view, there are chances for 1.14 level to be the next bulls target, as long as sellers do not break below 1.12 level. AUDUSD re-tested 0.71 weekly engulf. Following the rise of Iron Ore in mid-November 2021, it has become a huge favor for the Aussie dollar to make a significant upside push just right after sellers reached 0.70 level, which then becomes the Q4 new low. Now buyers that has clear the 0.71 level which will expose 0.72 - 0.73 as the next bull target. However, this will be a tough job for buyers as both 100-200 weekly moving averages act as a strong resistance level, even though last week buyers managed to reach 0.72. After that the price quickly lowered toward weekly engulf neckline before the US session closed. Weekly engulf can be a good area to watch for buyers to look for upside continuation for the week ahead.
    Creating silver wealth without fear

    Creating silver wealth without fear

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 20.12.2021 09:32
    Two weeks ago, we posted the following chart in our weekly silver chart book release, after representing a strong case for a bullish silver play: Silver in US-Dollar, Weekly chart from December 3rd, 2021: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of December 3rd, 2021. We wrote at the time: “The weekly chart above illustrates that as much as we have entered the “shopping zone” for silver. There is a probability that we might see a quick spike down as we have seen at the end of September.” Weekly chart, Silver in US-Dollar, creating silver wealth without fear: Silver in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of December 18th, 2021. We were spot on anticipating how the market would unfold in the future. Furthermore, we followed the principles of consistent analysis of our surroundings, the market, and ourselves. We advanced confidently in the direction of likely probabilities and tried to keep doubt to a minimum. Hourly chart, Silver in US-Dollar, well positioned: Silver in US-Dollar, hourly chart as of December 18th, 2021. This sequence allowed for a low-risk entry on December 15th, 2021 right at the lows. The entry-level of US$21.47 already allowed for a 2.75% partial profit-taking on half of our position size at US$22.06. As always, we use our low-risk quad exit strategy to reduce risk and, as such, fear of losing profits. Now we are well-positioned with the remainder of the position, and a stop raised to break even entry levels. Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart, worth the effort: Silver in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of December 18th, 2021. The monthly chart above shows our planned following two targets for this trade. With an entry at US$21.47 and an initial tight stop at US$21.22, our risk/reward-ratio towards our first profit-taking target was about 1:2.37. Now for the next target at US$27.35, it is 1:23, and for the final target at US$47.20, it is 1:103. In other words, with extensive planning and stacking of odds, we were able to identify a trade that had about a percent of risk at entry time. In addition, we quickly mitigated risk by early partial profit-taking. And yet, we still have a profit potential of the final 25% of position size, possibly maturing to a 120% profit. Taking only highly likely and highly profitable trades like these is also confidence-building and a fear eliminator. Creating silver wealth without fear: Michael Jordan’s achievement of playing in the present moment only is nothing short of the accomplishment of monks and so-called enlightened beings. It takes a long stretch of a career to achieve such a skill set. It illustrates that trading is more than just pushing a button or extracting a mathematical edge system. Trading is psychology and requires many skill sets combined to produce the necessary consistency to overcome the dilemma that you are only as good as your last action. Luck alone will get you nowhere in this game. It is not our intention to discourage you. Instead, it is quite the opposite. Often trading can be overwhelming and at times one can be down thinking: „Why can’t I do this, why did I betray my own rules again?” Trading is hard, it takes screen time and skill. Do not let fear and doubt dictate your actions. You can do this! Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|December 19th, 2021|Tags: bottoming pattern, Crack-Up-Boom, Gold, Gold/Silver-Ratio, inflation, low risk, Silver, silver bull, Silver Chartbook, silversqueeze, technical analysis, The bottom is in, time frame, trading principles|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC to provide the biggest buying opportunity before $100,000

    Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: BTC to provide the biggest buying opportunity before $100,000

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.12.2021 14:41
    Bitcoin price is in a massive accumulation phase before it explodes to $100,000 or more. The bull run is likely to begin after a deep correction to MicroStrategy’s average buy price at $29,860. On-chain metrics suggest that long-term holders are booking profit, adding a tailwind to the bearish thesis. Bitcoin price has been hanging around the $50,000 psychological level for quite some time. A breakdown of one crucial support barrier is likely to trigger a steep crash for BTC. On-chain metrics are also suggesting that long-term holders are booking profits, anticipating a nosedive. Bitcoin price and MicroStrategy’s accumulation Bitcoin price has been stuck between the 21-week Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $51,782 and the 50-week SMA at $44,730 for roughly two weeks. Although BTC pierced through the 50-week SMA on December 4 crash, it recovered quickly. As the sell-off continues, the big crypto is slowly slithering its way to retest the vital support level. A weekly close below the 50-week SMA at $44,730 will indicate a major shift in trend from bullish to bearish. This development would also signal that Bitcoin price is due to collect liquidity resting below the $40,596 support level. While this liquidity run might knock BTC below $40,000, it is a temporary move. In the long run, investors can expect the pioneer crypto to consolidate here before heading to $30,000 or the liquidity resting below it. Interestingly this downswing is necessary to trigger the stop-losses resting below a critical $29,860 level, which is the average buy-in price of MicroStrategy. To date, the business intelligence software company has purchased 122,477 BTC, which is 0.53% of the total BTC in existence. The total value of Bitcoins held by MicroStrategy is worth $5.76 billion, which indicates a profit of roughly 56%. It is fair to assume that many whales or long-term holders that are betting on BTC have an average price at roughly the same level as MicroStrategy or a bit lower. Therefore, a dip below the average price of MicroStrategy at $29,860 will indicate a ‘max pain’ scenario and is likely to be where many investors may panic and sell to prevent losses. Market makers are likely to drive Bitcoin price to retest this barrier, therefore, or just below it. While this outlook is speculative, it would make sense for BTC, especially from a market makers’ perspective due to the supply resting below the multiple wicks present around the $30,000 psychological level. In total, this move would represent a 36% crash from the current position. Although unlikely, a worst-case scenario would be for BTC to fall by 48%, allowing it to retest the 200-week SMA at $23,935. BTC/USD 1-week chart IntoTheBlock’s Global In/Out of the Money (GIOM) model reflects the levels mentioned above. This on-chain index shows that the immediate cluster of investors that are “In the Money,” extends from $28,350 to $46,636. Roughly 5.23 million addresses purchased 3.13 million BTC at an average price of $38,283. Therefore, a weekly close below this level will cause panic selling among investors that could drag the big crypto down to sub-$30,000 levels. Moreover, any short-term buying pressure is likely to face massive headwinds as a massive cluster of underwater investors are present from $55,302 to $67,413. In this range, roughly 6.65 million addresses that purchased 3.37 million BTC are “Out of the Money.” Only a massive spike in buying pressure will be able to overcome the selling pressure from investors in this cluster trying to break even. Hence, the logical conclusion is that the outlook for BTC favors the bears. BTC GIOM The supply shock chart supports the bearish outlook for Bitcoin. It shows that the long-term holders are booking profits. Willy Woo, a popular analyst stated, long term holders have been selling down and taking profits, but as a cohort they continue to be in a region of peak accumulation. Bear markets coincide when these holders have divested of their coins, despite the fear in the market, structurally we are not setup for a bear market. BTC supply shock chart Further supporting a sell-off is the 0.83% decline in the number of whales holding between 100 to 100,000 BTC. Roughly 136 whales have offloaded their positions as seen in the supply shock chart above. BTC whale distribution chart The only chart that shows hope and presents the possibility of a short-term bullish outlook is the Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) model, hovering around -1.8%. This on-chain metric is used to determine the average profit/loss of investors that purchased BTC over the past year. A negative value represents that short-term holders are selling and is often referred to as the “opportunity zone.” This is where mid-to-long-term holders accumulate. So, there is a chance that BTC might see a potential buying spree that pushes it to retest the 21-week SMA at $51,776 or reach for the $57,845 resistance barrier, in a highly bullish case. BTC 365-day MVRV While the scenario outlined above is undoubtedly bearish for short-term holders, it will provide long-term investors with a perfect buying opportunity. A retest of MicroStrategy’s average buy price at $29,860 will be where investors can expect a reversal of the downswing. The resulting uptrend will likely propel Bitcoin price to a new all-time high at $100,000. However, if Bitcoin price decides to skip the crash and produces a weekly close above the current all-time high at $69,000, then it will invalidate the bullish thesis. In such a case, investors can expect BTC to head to other psychological barriers like $70,000 or $80,000.
    Hong Kong Siblings Arrested Over $50 Million Crypto Money Laundering Scheme

    Alibaba Stock News and Forecast: Why BABA stock keeps falling

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.12.2021 14:41
    BABA shares have fallen sharply on fears over delisting. Alibaba stock is now down at 5-year lows. $100 is the next major support as $110 is held for now. Alibaba (BABA) continues to suffer from repeated selling pressure as the original Chinese tech stock suffers backlash effects. Alibaba can be said to have set off the whole Chinese regulatory crackdown. Alibaba was due to spin off its payment subsidiary ANT Group about 14 months ago. The deal fell through, however, after Alibaba CEO Jack Ma appeared to question the Chinese hierarchy. This was the catalyst for a reexamination by China of its burgeoning tech space. Most notably, intense regulatory scrutiny focused on the huge amounts of data generated and stored by Chinese tech names. China saw this as a matter of concern over national security. DIDI was next in the crosshairs. It had IPO'd successfully in New York in early 2021. The stock had listed in New York in apparent defiance of Chinese officials. Once China set its sights on DIDI, panic soon ensued among Chinese tech investors, and BABA and others suffered contagion effects. The trend has been powerful with momentum completely vanishing. BABA shares are down 25% in the last three months, taking total losses for 2021 to 48%. Alibaba (BABA) chart, daily Alibaba (BABA) stock news Alibaba was once known as the Chinese Amazon, and for good reason. The company is still highly profitable. Revenues have grown from $158 billion in 2017 to $717 billion in 2021. This represents a growth rate of nearly 50% from 2020. Despite this, the share price is down a similar amount as mentioned. Gross profit grew 30% to March 2021. Revenue continued to grow as the Chinese tech bubble burst. Revenue is forecast to remain strong, growing by 22% in 2022 and 17% for 2023 and 2024. Revenue will, if those targets are met, have grown to $1.2 trillion by 2024. This represents a near doubling from current levels. Alibaba was hit with a heavy fine by the Chinese authorities after the ANT Group debacle. Investors had hoped the matter was finally settled, but the power of investor fear resurfaced once China restarted its scrutiny of US-listed names, this time with DIDI being the poster child. This fear is likely to remain elevated as Chinese and US tensions are unlikely to subside anytime soon. China is also not likely done with its crackdown and delisting plans for some of its tech names. This presents opportunities and challenges. BABA may be overvalued fundamentally with strong revenue growth, but momentum and fear are powerful factors. More important is uncertainty. Markets hate uncertainty, and that is currently the main headwind for Alibaba and other Chinese tech names. Alibaba (BABA) stock forecast Breaking support at $130 has led to an obvious fascination with $100. Before that, there is a last chance saloon support at $110. This is the September 2016 high. The daily chart has registered an oversold Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has also crossed into bullish territory. A close above the 9-day moving average is needed to get short-term traders interested. Long-term players will need to see a move above $170. The short-term trend is bearish until the 9-day moving average is broken. The stock remains bullish in the short term on a break of $130 in our view. This is high risk, so please use stops. BABA 1-day chart
    Not Only Gold Lacks Energy – We All Do Now

    Not Only Gold Lacks Energy – We All Do Now

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 17.12.2021 15:19
      First a pandemic, then inflation, and now an energy crisis. Should you buy gold when preparing for the winter? Brace yourselves, winter is coming! And this time I’m deadly serious, as there is a global energy crisis. Not only does gold lack energy to fuel its rally right now, but people from all over the world lack it to fuel their operations and to heat their houses. Apparently, the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t enough, so we also have to deal with inflation, supply bottlenecks, and the energy crisis. I guess there is nothing else to do now but wait for the frogs to start falling from the sky. But let’s not give the gods ideas and focus on the energy crisis today. What is it about? A picture is worth a thousand words, so please take a look at the chart below, which presents the Dutch Title Transfer Facility, Europe’s leading benchmark for natural gas prices. As you can see, future prices for European natural gas have skyrocketed to a record level in October 2021, surging several times from their low in May 2020. The persistence and global dimension of these price spikes are unprecedented, as natural gas prices have also surged in Asia and America (although to a lesser degree). What caused such a spike? Well, as a trained economist, I cannot resist answering that it’s a matter of demand and supply! Yeah, thank you, Captain Obvious, but could you be a little more specific? Sure, so on the demand side, we have to mention a fast recovery from the epidemic and cold fall that increased the use of energy. Oh, and don’t forget about the ultra-low interest rates and the increase in the money supply that boosted spending on practically everything. The increased demand for energy is hardly surprising in such conditions. On the supply side, there were unpredictable breakdowns of gas infrastructure in Russia and Norway that decreased deliveries. The former country reduced its exports due to political reasons. What’s more, the reduction in the supply of CO2 emission rights and unfavorable weather didn’t help. The windless conditions in Europe generated little wind energy, while drought in Brazil reduced hydropower energy. More fundamentally, the decline in energy prices in response to the economic crisis of 2020 prompted many producers to stop drilling and later supply simply didn’t catch up with surging demand. You can also add here the political decisions to move away from nuclear and carbon energy in some countries. Last but not least, the butterfly’s wings flapped in China. Coal production in that country plunged this year amid a campaign against corruption and floods that deluged some mines. Middle Kingdom therefore began to buy significant amounts of natural gas, sharply increasing its prices. China’s ban on importing coal from Australia, of course, didn’t help here. Great, but what does the energy crisis imply for the global economy and the gold market? First, shortages of energy could be a drag on global GDP. The slowdown in economic growth should be positive for gold, as it would bring us closer to stagflation. Second, the energy crisis could cause discontent among citizens and strengthen the populists. People are already fed up with pandemics and high inflation, and now they have to pay much higher energy bills. Just imagine how they will cheer when blackouts occur. Third, the surge in natural gas prices could support high producer and consumer inflation. We are already observing some ripple effects in the coal and oil markets that could also translate into elevated CPI numbers. Another inflationary factor is power shortages in China, as they will add to the supply disruptions we are currently facing. All this implies more persistent high inflation, which should provide support for the yellow metal as an inflation hedge, although it also increases the odds of a more hawkish Fed, which is rather negative for gold. It’s true that a replay of the 1970s-like energy crisis is remote, as today’s economies are much less energy-consuming and dependent on fossil fuels. However, the worst is possibly yet to come. After all, winter hasn’t arrived yet – and it could be another harsh one, especially given that La Niña is expected to be present for the second year in a row. Meanwhile, gas stocks are unusually low. You can connect the dots. So far, gold has rather ignored the unfolding energy crisis, but we’ve already seen that market narratives can change quickly. It’s therefore possible that prolonged supply disruption and high inflation could change investors’ attitude toward the yellow metal at some point. The weak gold’s reaction stems from the limited energy crisis in the US and from the focus on the Fed’s tightening cycle. But investors’ attention can shift, especially when the Fed starts hiking federal funds rate. Brace yourselves! Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Dollar‘s Warning Signal

    Dollar‘s Warning Signal

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 20.12.2021 15:57
    S&P 500 fading the FOMC rally went a bit too far – credit markets aren‘t panicking, so I doubt a fresh lasting downtrend is starting here. Chop, yes – the 4,720 area is proving a tough nut to crack, but it would be overcome. If there are two arguments in favor, it‘s the financials and HYG – the likely rebound in the former, and Friday‘s resilience in the latter. Given that Thursday‘s spurt to 4,750 evaporated so fast, I‘m not looking for a stellar year end. Positive given where we‘re trading currently, sure. Markets are now grappling with faster Fed tapering (which has opened the way to a rate hike in Q2 2022), getting slowly more afraid of fresh corona restrictions, and dealing with inflation that‘s not going anywhere. Outpacing wage growth, with real yields being deeply negative (no, 10-year Treasury yield at even 2% doesn‘t cut it – that‘s my 2022 target, by the way), the administration would be hard pressed in the year of midterms to counter the corrosive inflation effects on poll numbers. And the Fed expects to keep tightening when the real economy is already suffering from contracting liquidity as seen also in strengthening dollar? The central bank will have a hard time taming inflation, and in my view won‘t succeed – the persistently high inflation rates are going to be with us for years to come, and outpacing wages. Corona response is another uncertainty, and given the APT performance, the odds of seeing economic activity (just at a time when supply chains would need to keep working off prior setbacks) restricted, have increased. Similar to the recent high PPI reading, this is one more argument for why inflation isn‘t receding in the short run – not when demand isn‘t likewise being destroyed. As if consumer sentiment weren‘t struggling already... Still, equities are poised to extend gains in 2022, and I‘m looking for a volatile but positive year. 5,200 in Dec 2022 isn‘t out of the question – with large cap tech, financials and energy doing particularly fine. Real rates would remain negative, and precious metals would love the Fed slamming on the tightening breaks, and bringing back the punch bowl somewhat. If you look at the flattening yield curve, it‘s clear evidence of market fears (I call that certainty as that‘s what they excel at – the 1995 soft landing was a notable exception) of the Fed overdoing the tapering & rate hikes. Given all the inflation still ahead, and the expected fiscal-monetary policies working against each other (yes, more handouts), commodities would have another great year. So much for the big picture 2022 predictions. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 on the defensive, but the bullish case isn‘t lost. Some sideways trading of today‘s volatility is likely to preceed the upswing – we aren‘t rolling over to a 5-10% correction now. Credit Markets HYG retreat could have been a lot worse, and it‘s a good sign bonds aren‘t panicking. Just the junk ones would need to outperform the quality ones to drive a good stock market day. For now, bonds remains on guard. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals decided to make a measured upswing – this isn‘t a real reversal. Pressure to go higher is building up, and rates rising a little before the Fed moves, won‘t cut it. When liquidity conditions and corona fears ease a little, look for a much steeper upswing. Crude Oil Crude oil is trapped in the omicron uncertainty – quite resilient, which is a testament to the overwhelming pressure for prices to keep rising. Waiting for some fears to be removed before the fundamentals sink in again. Copper Copper is leaning to the bullish side of the spectrum – it certainly isn‘t disappointing. The low volume hints at little willingness to sell – an attempt to spike shouldn‘t be surprising next. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum weakness today is there, mirroring commodities – but the decline isn‘t in the disastrous category. Wait and see with a whiff of preliminary caution – that‘s all. Summary S&P 500 and oil are feeling the omicron response pinch – the worries boosted by Netherlands lockdown Sunday. Corona remains the wildcard, and markets are ignoring its relatively mild symptoms while focusing on case count. Tech is likely to do better than most of value while yields aren‘t pressured to rise fast. For a moment, inflation is receding from the spotlight, but I‘m looking for it to come back. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Moderna Inc Stock Price and Forecast: MRNA says its booster dose appears to protect against omicron

    Moderna Inc Stock Price and Forecast: MRNA says its booster dose appears to protect against omicron

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 20.12.2021 16:10
    Moderna (MRNA) says a booster dose of its vaccine appears to protect against omicron. Moderna (MRNA) shares boosted themselves, up 7% premarket. Moderna (MRNA) stock has reversed the post-earnings slide. Moderna (MRNA) is back to pre-earnings levels as the emergence of the omicron variant and its effect flows through to multiple vaccine makers. Booster rollouts are ongoing globally and the spread of the new variant is causing new restrictions to be put in place in many European countries. Moderna shares have now retraced back to where they were on November 4, just before a disappointing earnings release. Now, this next phase will be crucial. Can traders push Moderna (MRNA) higher or will longer-term investors hold sway and take a second opportunity for more selling. Moderna (MRNA) stock news The White House has chimed in on the latest covid news as it struggles to cope with the omicron variant. It released an unusually strong statement on Friday urging continued vaccination. "Our vaccines work against Omicron, especially for people who get booster shots when they are eligible. If you are vaccinated, you could test positive. But if you do get COVID, your case will likely be asymptomatic or mild. We are intent on not letting Omicron disrupt work and school for the vaccinated. You’ve done the right thing, and we will get through this. For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm. So, our message to every American is clear: There is action you can take to protect yourself and your family. Wear a mask in public indoor settings. Get vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated, and get a booster shot when you’re eligible". Here is the link for you to verify the statement. Moderna (MRNA) this morning announced that its authorized booster shot increases omicron neutralizing antibodies approximately 37 fold. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) had on Friday backed mRNA vaccines over JNJ. Also on Friday Bloomberg reported that researchers from the University of Washington and Humbas Biomed produced results from a study showing limited antibody response against omicron from Sinopharm, Sputnik and JNJ covid vaccines. The study is pre-print and not peer-reviewed. Moderna (MRNA) stock forecast The emergence of omicron had already stabilized losses in Moderna (MRNA) stock and resulted in a higher high on November 29 and a lower low on December 10. The news of this booster effectiveness will see more gains for MRNA shares. November 29 resistance at $376 will be the first target. But in reality, this zone from $320 to $350 (highlighted below) is a resistance zone with decent volume. The spike high in late November was just when news of omicron began to surface and investors rushed back to covid vaccine stocks. Equity markets then began to discount its effect and MRNA slid back. But crucially it set a higher low. We expect further gains here. The RSI has plenty of room to run and yet to signal a significant move. The MACD had already crossed bullishly so more is expected. Breaking above $376 will see a test of $420 to $450. Key supports are the 200-day moving average t $268 and the Dec 10 low at $233. Moderna (MRNA) chart, daily
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto market in shambles as BTC consolidates

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto market in shambles as BTC consolidates

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 20.12.2021 16:10
    Bitcoin price slides lower, hinting at a retest of the 50 weekly SMA at $44,778. Ethereum price prepares for a 16% breakout from the falling wedge pattern. Ripple price could see an 11% ascent to $0.96 as it prepares for a second leg-up. Bitcoin price is moving sideways, trapped between crucial weekly moving averages. This consolidation has had a positive knock-on effect on Ethereum price which is setting up a bullish pattern ready for a breakout. Ripple, on the other hand, has already embarked on a climb and is preparing for its second leg-up. Bitcoin price anticipates short-term losses Bitcoin price is in a slow downtrend and looking to retest the 50-week Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $44,778. While this development will see BTC shed roughly 3%, it could result in a bounce, triggering a bullish outlook. A successful bounce off the said SMA will open the path to retest the 21-week SMA at $51,256 and, in a highly bullish case, the $53,709 resistance level. If the bid orders continue to pour in, the pioneer crypto is likely to continue its ascent and tag the $57,845 barrier. Regardless, investors need to note that this bullish outlook is contingent on a successful bounce off the 50-week SMA at $44,778. BTC/USD 1-day chart If Bitcoin price slices through the SMA at $44,778, there is a good chance it will continue its descent to $40,596 to collect the liquidity resting below it. A daily close below $44,778 will invalidate the bullish thesis detailed above. Ethereum price eyes higher highs Ethereum price has been outlining a falling wedge pattern since November 28. This technical formation is obtained by connecting the three lower lows and four lower highs formed during this period using trend lines. The setup forecasts a 16% upswing, obtained by adding the distance between the first swing high and swing low to the breakout point at $3,912, which puts ETH at $4,533. Assuming Ethereum price can bounce off the 70.5% retracement level at $3,780, this run-up would constitute a 20% ascent. Therefore, investors need to keep a close eye on the reversal of the retracement. ETH/USD 4-hour chart On the other hand, if Ethereum price shatters the $3,780 and $3,740 barriers, it is likely to head lower to retest the range low at $3,669. A four-hour candlestick close below this level will create a lower low, invalidating the bullish thesis. Ethereum price must reclaim $4,200 as support to resume bull run Ripple price vies to keep going higher Ripple price consolidated around the $0.837 resistance barrier for more than a week. The increased buying pressure resulted in an 11% spike in XRP price, pushing it to set up a potential swing high at $0.917. While the initial surge was noticeable, investors can expect XRP price to retrace before triggering another rally. The 0.837 support level will likely be tagged again soon. Assuming this occurs, market participants can expect Ripple price to climb 12% to retest the $0.936 hurdle. In some cases, XRP price might extend this advance to collect the liquidity resting above $0.980 or $1.018 hurdles. XRP/USD 4-hour chart While things are looking up for Ripple price, a breakdown of the $0.837 support level will indicate weakness among buyers. In this case, XRP price will probably dip below the $0.749 demand barrier to collect the liquidity resting there. A daily close below this level will indicate buyers are unwilling to push the price higher and invalidate the bullish thesis for the remittance token. XRP price looks primed for a break out to $1.75
    Tension Beetween Ukraine And Russia Definetely Shaped News In Recent Days

    Intraday Market Analysis – AUD Struggles To Bounce - 21.12.2021

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 21.12.2021 07:56
    AUDUSD sees limited rebound The Australian dollar softens over dovish RBA meeting minutes. The pair has met stiff selling pressure near the 30-day moving average (0.7220). On the hourly chart, a bearish MA cross and a break below 0.7100 indicate weakness in the latest rebound. An oversold RSI may cause a brief rally, but the bears may sell into strength around 0.7160. 0.7050 at the base of the initial breakout is an important support. A lack of bids could send the Aussie to 0.6990 with the reversal attempt at stake. XAGUSD to test demand area Silver drops as the US dollar inched higher across the board. A bullish RSI divergence suggests a loss of momentum in the sell-off. Then the recent surge has broken above multiple levels of resistance, prompting the short side to cover some of their bets. However, the bulls may need to defend their gains after the initial push overextended. The demand zone between last September’s low (21.40) and 21.80 is critical in keeping the rebound valid. 22.65 is now a fresh resistance before a full-blown recovery could materialize. US 30 struggles for support The Dow Jones retreated as major countries imposed curfews ahead of the holiday season. Following a double top under 36200, a drop below 35450 has broken buyers’ attempt to resume the rally. The index is struggling to hold above the base of the December recovery (34800) which coincides with the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level of the rally from 34000. Buyers will need to lift 35620 before they could attract followers’ attention. 34000 is the daily support to safeguard the bullish bias in the medium-term.
    Powell Sent Gold Above $1,800 – But Only for a Short While

    Powell Sent Gold Above $1,800 – But Only for a Short While

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 21.12.2021 13:34
    Finally, Powell admitted higher inflation risks and gold jumped above $1,800. Before anyone noticed, however, it plummeted below the key level again. Who are you, Mr. Powell: a reptilian or a human? A dove or a hawk? Since we all know the answer to the first question, let’s focus on the second one. Markets decided that Powell’s last press conference was rather dovish, but a careful reading doesn’t support this view. The main dovish signal was Powell’s emphasis that quantitative easing tapering and interest rate hikes are separate issues, as the tightening cycle criteria are stricter. So, the first rate hike may not come immediately after the end of tapering, which is scheduled for mid-March. Even if they are separate, we shouldn’t expect a long break between the end of quantitative easing and the first rate hike. This gap will definitely be shorter than in 2014-2015. In the last tightening cycle, the Fed ended asset purchases in October 2014, while the first increase in the federal funds rate occurred in December 2015. Powell himself, however, pointed out that the economy is much stronger, while inflation is much higher, so a long separation before interest rate hikes is not likely: I don't foresee that there would be that kind of very extended wait at this time. The economy is so much stronger. I was here at the Fed when we lifted it off last time and the economy is so much stronger now, so much closer to full employment. Inflation is running well above target and growth as well above potential. There wouldn't be the need for that kind of long delay (…) The last cycle that was quite a long separation before interest rates, I don't think that's at all likely in this cycle. We're in a very, very different place with high inflation, strong growth, a really strong economy (…) So this is a strong economy, one in which it's appropriate for interest rate hikes. In fact, this delay may be very short. On Friday, Fed Governor Chris Waller said that the interest rate increase will likely be warranted “shortly after” the end of asset purchases, possibly even at the FOMC meeting in March 2022. Another hawkish message sent by Powell was his acknowledgment of stronger inflation risks, i.e., that inflation may turn out to be more lasting than expected now: There’s a real risk now, we believe, I believe, that inflation may be more persistent and that may be putting inflation expectations under pressure. And that the risk of higher inflation becoming entrenched has increased, it’s certainly increased. I don’t think it’s high at this moment, but I think it’s increased. And I think that’s part of the reason behind our move today, is to put ourselves in a position to be able to deal with that risk. Thus, the Fed has become more concerned about high inflation and has timidly started reacting to it. The acceleration in the pace of tapering was, except for the more hawkish rhetoric, the first step – but not the last one.   Implications for Gold The yellow metal responded surprisingly well to the last FOMC meeting, at which the Fed announced a more aggressive pace of tapering and rate hikes next year. As the chart below shows, gold rose almost $40, or more than 2%, from Wednesday to Friday last week, jumping again above the key level of $1,800. Perhaps investors expected even more forceful actions. After all, despite all the hawkish reaction, the Fed remains behind the curve and shows no hurry to become really proactive. Such a passive attitude is really risky, as history teaches us that high inflation doesn’t just go away on its own, but its stabilization requires a decisive tightening of monetary policy. The longer the Fed waits, the more severe reaction would be needed, which increases the odds of putting the economy into recession. All this seems bullish for gold prices. However, gold was unable to retain its position above $1,800 and declined on Monday (December 20, 2021), so gold bulls can only hope that the yellow metal will the find strength to rally next year. It’s possible if inflation wreaks more havoc in 2022, but a hawkish Fed’s rhetoric remains an important headwind for the gold market. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Santa Rally Time

    Santa Rally Time

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 21.12.2021 16:05
    S&P 500 made a first step towards the turnaround higher in the opening part of this week. Fading the rally is being countered, and yesterday‘s omicron policy response fears are being duly reversed. For the time being, Fed‘s liquidity is still being added – the real wildcard moving the markets, is corona these days. Credit markets are in the early stages of heralding risk-on appetite as returning. As stated yesterday when mentioning my 2022 outlook: (…) Fading the FOMC rally went a bit too far – credit markets aren‘t panicking, so I doubt a fresh lasting downtrend is starting here. Chop, yes – the 4,720 area is proving a tough nut to crack, but it would be overcome. If there are two arguments in favor, it‘s the financials and HYG – the likely rebound in the former, and Friday‘s resilience in the latter. Given that Thursday‘s spurt to 4,750 evaporated so fast, I‘m not looking for a stellar year end. Positive given where we‘re trading currently, sure. Markets are now grappling with faster Fed tapering (which has opened the way to a rate hike in Q2 2022), getting slowly more afraid of fresh corona restrictions, and dealing with inflation that‘s not going anywhere. Outpacing wage growth, with real yields being deeply negative (no, 10-year Treasury yield at even 2% doesn‘t cut it – that‘s my 2022 target, by the way), the administration would be hard pressed in the year of midterms to counter the corrosive inflation effects on poll numbers. And the Fed expects to keep tightening when the real economy is already suffering from contracting liquidity as seen also in strengthening dollar? The central bank will have a hard time taming inflation, and in my view won‘t succeed – the persistently high inflation rates are going to be with us for years to come, and outpacing wages. … Similar to the recent high PPI reading, this is one more argument for why inflation isn‘t receding in the short run – not when demand isn‘t likewise being destroyed. As if consumer sentiment weren‘t struggling already... For now, the year end squaring the books trading can go on, and positive Santa Claus seasonality can make itself heard still. The crypto turn that I had been looking for on the weekend, is happening with strength today. Likewise the oil and copper recovery spilling over into silver, and the reasonably good performance returning to many value stocks too. Very constructive action. In short, the bulls have a good rebound opportunity into Christmas. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is waking up, and odds are the move would bring it back above the 50-day moving average. Looking at the volume, it‘s as if fresh sellers were nowhere to be found. Credit Markets HYG made an attempt to come back, and comparing it to the quality end of the bond spectrum results in a good impression – one of risk-on return approaching. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals downswing isn‘t to be taken too seriously – odds are strong that gold and silver would ride the risk-on return with gains added. It‘s about liquidity not being withdrawn by the market players. Crude Oil Crude oil recoved from the omicron uncertainty – to a good degree, which is a testament to the overwhelming pressure for prices to keep rising. The $72 area setback could be coming back into play still this week, if nothing too surprising happens. Copper Copper is leaning to the bullish side of the spectrum, driven not only by positive fundamentals and Chile elections. The low volume indeed hinted at little willingness to sell – so, let‘s look for a good attempt to rise next. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum weakness is being decisively rejected, mirroring commodities – the decline indeed hasn‘t been in the disastrous category. The bulls clearly want to move. Summary S&P 500 and oil are rebounding from the omicron response pinch – and it‘s good we see cryptos doing the same. Corona wildcard has calmed down a little, and market breadth is making baby steps to improve. In this environment, high beta assets look poised to erase prior setbacks a little faster today, and can keep those gains unless a fresh bad headline strikes. One more tailwind – at least when it comes to real assets, for sure – is inflation coming back to the spotlight, which is what we‘ll have to wait for some more time still. But it‘ll happen. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold In Limited Pullback

    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold In Limited Pullback

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 22.12.2021 08:40
    XAUUSD seeks support Gold softens as the US dollar edged higher. A surge above 1788 and then 1808 has prompted the bears to cover. The precious metal is looking for support after the breakout stalled with an overextended RSI. A bearish MA cross may weigh on short-term sentiment. The base of the initial breakout around 1770 is a key support. A deeper correction would lead to the daily support at 1753, a critical level to keep the rebound relevant. Gold may climb towards 1850 if the bulls succeed in pushing above 1814. USDCAD consolidates gains The Canadian dollar recouped some losses after better-than-expected retail sales. A break above the major daily resistance at 1.2930 has put the bulls back in control of the direction. The RSI’s repeated overbought situation may cause a temporary pullback. Trend followers would be looking to jump in at a better price. 1.2880 is the closest support. Sentiment would remain upbeat as long as price action is above 1.2770. A rally above the intermediate resistance at 1.2960 may trigger an extended rally towards 1.3200. UK 100 makes a bullish attempt The FTSE 100 recovered some ground after the Omicron sell-off. The index has found solid buying at 7110. An oversold RSI has attracted a buying-the-dips crowd. A tentative break above 7300 suggests strong interest in keeping the market afloat. A bullish MA cross could lead to an acceleration on the upside. 7385 is a major hurdle on the daily chart. Its breach could cause a runaway rally and resume the uptrend. On the downside, 7250 is the first support, and 7110 is the second line of defense in case of weakness.
    When All Is Said and Done

    When All Is Said and Done

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 22.12.2021 15:56
    S&P 500 duly rallied on broad strength, and credit markets performance bodes well for all risk-on assets. Now a little consolidation after yesterday‘s steep gains is ahead, but I don‘t see it as derailing future gains. The stock bull run isn‘t over, and doesn‘t need the infrastructure bill for its further advance, price action shows. The VIX is calming down, now around 21 with further room to decline still – at least as far as the remainder of 2021 is concerned. Commodities remain in rally mode after the recent correction, and crude oil sending a bullish message (and not one of fear) is a welcome sign. The same goes for copper moving in sync with the rest of the commodities – and that has positive implications for silver too. Precious metals though still remain a patience trade, where the risks of being out of the markets outweight those of being in – it‘s a bet on the Fed making a wrong tapering / tightening move – with the market figuring out so beforehand. It sure would come as the compressing yield spreads reveal that is the greatest fear, but we aren‘t there yet. Finally, cryptos cautious mood today illustrates the certainly less exciting session just ahead than was the case yesterday. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 has woken up, and indeed surpassed the 50-day moving average. The lower volume isn‘t an issue, but a little consolidation is ahead today – not a steep rally continuation. Credit Markets HYG jumped higher in a giant risk-on nod that is further confirmed by the quality bonds performance. Again, I‘m looking for a little consolidation here today as well. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold downswing isn‘t to be taken at all seriously – I‘m looking for more gains in both the yellow and white metals, at their own and relatively slow pace. The countdown to Fed policy mistake and inflation returning to the limelight, is on. Crude Oil Crude oil scored a nice upswing, oil stocks confirmed as well the return of strength into the stock market, and both black gold and S&P 500 can keep rising together over the next days. Chances are the $72 area setback could be coming back into play still this week. Copper Copper keeps agreeing with the risk-on turn, and is certainly primed to go much higher over the nearest weeks and months. Similarly to uranium, I remain bullish on the sector, especially since copper, silver, nickel and lithium are all green economy preconditions. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum time to consolidate yesterday‘s gains, is here – and I‘m not looking for a bullish picture based on Ethereum performance. Sideways to a little down, that‘s the most likely outcome before the bulls move again. Summary Consolidation of yesterday‘s steep S&P 500 and commodity gains is ahead for today, but the Santa Claus rally is by no means over. Even if oil and cryptos hesitate a little, the constructive message from bonds and copper is overpowering that in my view. As explained in detail within the opening part of today‘s analysis, the bulls have to odds to keep moving – and will likely take advantage thereof before the year is over. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto markets might pause before the uptrend catches traction

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto markets might pause before the uptrend catches traction

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 22.12.2021 16:07
    Bitcoin price swept the liquidity resting above $49,527 and edged closer to retesting the $50,000 psychological level. Ethereum price could see a brief correction to solidify its breakout from the falling wedge pattern. Ripple price remains strong as it sets up a higher high, indicating a retest of $1 is likely. Bitcoin price is hovering around a crucial level after collecting liquidity above it. This development over the past 48 hours indicates that BTC will consolidate here before continuing its ascent. Ethereum and Ripple follow the pioneer crypto closely and show promise of gains soon. Bitcoin price faces a decisive moment Bitcoin price sliced through Monday’s high at $47,565 and collected the liquidity resting above $49,527. While BTC might head higher and retest the $50,000 psychological level, investors need to pay attention to the possibility that the big crypto might slide lower and sweep Monday’s low at $45,550. If buyers resist booking profits, there is a high chance BTC will retest $50,00 and make a run for last week’s high at $50,0835. In some cases, Bitcoin price might extend to the $53,618 resistance level. In total, this run-up would constitute an 8.6% ascent. BTC/USD 3-hour chart Increased profit-taking from holders could undo the gains seen over the past 48 hours. This development could knock BTC down to Monday’s lows at $45,550 or sweep last week’s lows at $45,438. Ethereum price needs to solidify its stance Ethereum price action since November 28 set up a falling wedge pattern. This setup is obtained by connecting the three lower lows and four lower highs formed during this period using trend lines. The technical formation forecasts a 16% upswing, obtained by adding the distance between the first swing high and swing low to the breakout point at $3,912, which puts ETH at $4,533. So far, ETH has broken out of this pattern and crawled closer to retest the $4,155 resistance barrier. Initially, however, investors can expect a retracement to $3,912 or the 62% retracement level at $3,823. A bounce from these barriers will solidify the breakout and indicate that a 16% ascent to $4,535 is likely. ETH/USD 4-hour chart Regardless of the bullish pattern, if Ethereum price produces a lower low below $3,669, coinciding with the low of the trading range, it will invalidate the bullish thesis. In this case, ETH could revisit the $3,415 support floor. Ethereum price must reclaim $4,200 as support to resume bull run Ripple price remains strong Ripple price pierced through the declining trend line on December 18 and has rallied 19% to set up a swing high at $0.971. This run-up, while impressive, could extend to retest the $1.015 resistance level. In a bullish case, the XRP price could tag the $1.102 hurdle and collect the liquidity resting above it. However, it is unlikely that the remittance token will continue this ascent, especially since BTC might undergo a minor retracement. XRP/USD 4-hour chart Due to the correlation between the two, XRP price might follow the big crypto and undergo a correction. Moreover, the 19% ascent seen so far has collected the liquidity in its immediate vicinity and is likely to undergo a minor retracement. If this downswing pushes Ripple price below $0.688, it will create a lower low, invalidating the bullish thesis. XRP price looks primed for a break out to $1.75
    Gold along the year

    Gold along the year

    Mark Mead Baillie Mark Mead Baillie 27.12.2021 09:49
    The Gold Update by Mark Mead Baillie --- 632nd Edition --- Monte-Carlo --- 25 December 2021 (published each Saturday) --- www.deMeadville.com Christmas Greetings to Everyone Everywhere. With but five trading days remaining in 2021, Gold -- as we'll show -- traditionally is the gift that keeps on giving into year-end. But first, we've this: The last time 25 December arrived on a Saturday was 11 years ago in 2010: â–  'Twas the date of Gold Update No. 58; today we're penning No. 632; â–  The price of Gold then was 1379; today 'tis 1810, (+31%) â–  The U.S. money supply ("M2" basis) then was $8.9 trillion; today 'tis $21.6 trillion, (+2.4x) â–  The supply of Gold then was 173.7 tonnes; today 'tis 202.8 tonnes, (+17%). Query, (courtesy of the "Fun With Numbers Dept."): Given across these past 11 years the +2.4x increase in the U.S. money supply, even as tempered for the duly noted +17% increase in the supply of Gold itself, ought its price nonetheless now be 2747? After all, currency debasement is the ultimate, primary driver of price, lagging as 'tis been. Further by the above opening Gold Scoreboard which comprehensively accounts for 41 years of currency debasement, more than double present price is Gold's valuation today of 4030! Thus analogous in reprising the infamous query of immortal football coach Vince Lombardi: "What da hell's goin' on out dere??" 'Course, you regular readers of The Gold Update know exactly what's goin' on out dere. 'Tis "The Age of the Shiny Object". Why purchase Gold -- as stated just +31% from this day of days 11 years ago -- when by merely owning the S&P 500 itself you've recorded a gain over same of +276%? Better still, how about your cryptocrap with its gains of +∞%? But wait, there's more: How are those NFTs workin' out for ya? (We think of them ultimately as "non-fundable tokens"). Then, too, is "The M Word" crowd: "Churn it and burn it, baby!" Or as Carly Simon might have sung it from back in '71: "Manipulation..." Regardless, with the S&P now at an all-time "Santa Claus Rally" closing high of 4726 (thank you record level of stock buybacks), Stoopid is sleeping securely because should the market dip from here, it always comes back, right? Arithmetically that's been undeniably true. Undeniably true as well by its historical track is the S&P's price/earnings ratio (our "live" read now 49.5x) having always returned to its median (at present 20.4x since the Index's inception nearly 65 years ago on 04 March 1957). So here's the crux: we've already accounted that year-over-year earnings' increases from a "shutdown 2020" to an "open 2021" were not sufficient enough to materially boost the "E" of the P/E such as to mitigate the ever-rocket-boosted "P". Therefore: the next reversion of the P/E to its 20.4x median essentially requires a move of the S&P from today's 4726 level down to 1948, (i.e. a -58.8% "dip"). But Stoopid worries not: "Been there, done that, it always comes back." Even as this time 'round rates rise, in turn ramping up that variably-priced interest on Stoopid's fully drawn credit cards. "Got Gold?" For which there is some good news, both aft and ahead. â–  Aft - Whilst during each of this past Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Gold dealt with dilly-dallying 'round as usual in the 1780s, price finally saw its way clear to close on Thursday above 1800, its first weekly settle north of said number since that ending 19 November. â–  Ahead - Per this missive's title, 'tis time for Gold's annual finale rally, (our now pointing that out meaning it shan't occur). But it being a festive day, let's stay positive as traditionally is Gold's wont through the final five trading days of the year. For as the following table displays, Gold during this stint has risen in 17 of the 20 completed years thus far this millennium. We thus anticipate that for this 21st year of the 21st century, Gold shall be higher in a week's time than today's 1810 level: That is a statistical gift. Now here's one that is technical: The above graphic depicts Gold's daily "price oscillator" (a mainstay of the website's Market Rhythms page) during 2021's fourth quarter-to-date. The rightmost wee blue nub just crossed to positive, the trader's signal thus being to get Long Gold. The prior 12 such Long signals (dating back to 27 March 2020) saw upside price follow-throughs averaging as much as +77 points which in that vacuum from 1810 would be to 1887, the more conservative median being +31 points to 1841. No guarantees 'natch, but nicely on time to synch with Gold's annual finale rally should it come to pass. Meanwhile, unsurpassed for better than three years until just now is the current level of the Economic Barometer, which with but a week to run in 2021 saw this past week's set of 13 incoming metrics move the Baro to its highest oscillative level since 31 July 2018. Yes, there were a few weak links in the data: Q3's Current Account Deficit sagged to its worst level since Q3 2006; and although the quarter's final read on Gross Domestic Product increased to an annualized "growth" rate of +2.3%, that was more than double-mitigated by the party-pooper Chain Deflator being finalized at a +6.0% "growth" rate. (For you WestPalmBeachers down there, that basically means there is no real GDP "growth", but rather "stagflation"; look it up). Too, increases slowed in November's Personal Income and Spending. But highlighted were improvements in November's New and Existing Home Sales, Durable Orders and (not surprising should you follow the Baro) the Conference Board's Leading (i.e. lagging) Indicators. 'Course the real stinker was the Fed's favoured inflation read of Core Personal Consumption Expenditures coming in at an annualized pace of +6.0%. But, perhaps folks "just don't get it yet" given the level of Consumer Confidence (also per the Conference Board) rising in December to a five-month high. Here's the whole view: With respect to the Baro's having re-attained the noted 2018 level, 'twas after that the S&P 500 then declined into the year's Christmas Eve by -16.5%. Not that history shall repeat same going into next year: we anticipate worse -- far worse -- either by our "Look Ma, No Earnings!" crash (per the aforementioned P/E assessment), and/or by Federal Reserve Vice Chair Nominee Lael "The Brain" Brainard's "Climate Change!" crash. Also there's now ever-increasing amount of "Oh My! Omicron!" Still, upward economic gains along with increasing inflation strains both serve justice for the Fed to commence raising its Bank's Funds rate as early as 26 Jan. Which in turn means you'll have somewhere else to park your dough when the stock market doth over the cliff go. Get ready for "The Return of the Savings Account!" In theatres next Spring. 'Course far better than that, again: "Got Gold?" And don't forget Silver too! All so stated, New York FedPrez John "It's All Good" Williams looks to the Fed's rate rises as an economic positive -- which to his credit -- has historically synched with the beginning of higher interest rates. And perhaps more costly money can be withstood, Dow Jones Newswires this past week having referred to U.S. household wealth as "vast". Indeed per a year-old survey from the Fed, the median StateSide household wealth level is $122,000. (Admittedly, we did not dig sufficiently deep into the data to divulge if that includes proceeds from the aforementioned fully-drawn credit cards). Next let's fully draw our two-panel graphic of Gold's daily bars from three months ago-to-date on the left and the 10-day Market Profile on the right. Especially encouraging therein are Gold's "Baby Blues" penetrating up through their 0% axis in confirming the regression trend having rotated to positive. And the Profile shows the most dominant trading level of the past two weeks as (no surprise) 1787: With the same drill for Silver, we see her "Baby Blues" (below left) in accelerating ascent, albeit the low 23s may be a sticky wicket there. Still, her Profile (below right) appears supportive for the mid-to-lower 22s, (and happy winkies to you too there, Sister Silver): Time to wrap it up from here with this note: it again appears The World Elites' Economic Forum in Davos is being "deferred", the great convening over The Great Reset to instead take place toward early summer. Bit of an economic inflow delay there for little ole Switzerland, but we have it on well-vetted authority they'll manage. The small alpine nation may rank just 135th by size and 101st by population. But it ranks seventh in total Gold holdings and far and away first in per capita Gold wealth: there is one tonne of Gold for every 8,322 people which (in sparing you the math) is $7,672 per Swiss resident. (Italy is a distant second at $2,589). "And Season's Greetings to you, mmb!" Thank you, Squire, and our very best to you 'n yours, all the little Squires down the line, and absolutely as well to our star readers right 'round the world! Everyone take care, and don't forget the real star: Gold! Cheers! ...m... www.deMeadville.com www.TheGoldUpdate.com
    Is the End of Transitory Inflation the End of Gold Bulls?

    Is the End of Transitory Inflation the End of Gold Bulls?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 24.12.2021 11:18
    The debate about the nature of inflation is over. Now the question is what the end of transitory inflation implies for gold. I offer two perspectives. Welcome, my son. Welcome to the inflationary machine. Welcome to the new economic regime of elevated inflation. That’s official because even central bankers have finally admitted what I’ve been saying for a long time: the current high inflation is not merely a transitory one-off price shock. In a testimony before Congress, Jerome Powell agreed that “it’s probably a good time to retire” the word “transitory” in relation to inflation. Bravo, Jay! It took you only several months longer than my freshmen students to figure it out, but better late than never. Actually, even a moderately intelligent chimpanzee would notice that inflation is not merely temporary just by looking at the graph below. To be clear, I’m not predicting hyperinflation or even galloping inflation. Nor do I claim that at least some of the current inflationary pressures won’t subside next year. No, some supply-side factors behind recent price surges are likely to abate in 2022. However, other drivers will persist, or even intensify (think about housing inflation or energy crisis). Let’s be honest: we are facing a global inflation shock right now. In many countries, inflation has reached its highest rate in decades. In the United States, the annual CPI rate is 6.2%, while it reached 5.2% in Germany, 4.9% in the Eurozone, and 3.8% in the United Kingdom. The shameful secret is that central banks and governments played a key role in fueling this inflation. As the famous Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises noticed once, The most important thing to remember is that inflation is not an act of God; inflation is not a catastrophe of the elements or a disease that comes like the plague. Inflation is a policy — a deliberate policy of people who resort to inflation because they consider it to be a lesser evil than unemployment. But the fact is that, in the not very long run, inflation does not cure unemployment. Indeed, the Fed and the banking system injected a lot of money into the economy and also created room for the government to boost its spending and send checks to Americans. The resulting consumer spending boom clogged the supply chains and caused a jump in inflation. Obviously, the policymakers don’t want to admit their guilt and that they have anything to do with inflation. At the beginning, they claim that there is no inflation at all. Next, they say that inflation may exist after all, but is only caused by the “base effect”, so it will be a short-lived phenomenon that results solely from the nature of the yearly comparison. Lastly, they admit that there is something beyond the “base effect” but inflation will be transitory because it’s caused only by a few exceptional components of the overall index, the outliers like used cars this year. Nothing to worry about, then. Higher prices are a result of bottlenecks that will abate very soon on their own. Later, inflation is admitted to be more broad-based and persistent, but it is said to be caused by greedy businesses and speculators who raise prices maliciously. Finally, the policymakers present themselves as the salvation from the inflation problem(that was caused by them in the first place). Such brilliant “solutions” as subsidies to consumers and price controls are introduced and further disrupt the economy. The Fed has recently admitted that inflation is not merely transitory, so if the abovementioned scheme is adequate, we should expect to look for scapegoats and possibly also interventions in the economy to heroically fight inflation. Gold could benefit from such rhetoric, as it could increase demand for safe-haven assets and inflation hedges. However, the Fed’s capitulation also implies a hawkish shift. If inflation is more persistent, the US central bank will have to act in a more decisive way, as inflation won’t subside on its own. The faster pace of quantitative easing tapering and the sooner interest rate hikes imply higher bond yields and a stronger greenback, so they are clearly negative for gold prices. Having said that, the Fed stays and is likely to stay woefully behind the curve. The real federal funds rate (i.e., adjusted by the CPI annual rate) is currently at -6.1%, which is the deepest level in history, as the chart below shows. It is much deeper than it was at the lows of stagflation in the 1970s, which may create certain problems in the future. What is important here is that even when the Fed raises the federal funds rate by one percentage point next year, and even when inflation declines by another two percentage points, the real federal funds rate will increase to only -3%, so it will stay deeply in negative territory. Surely, the upward direction should be negative for gold prices, and the bottom in real interest rates would be a strong bearish signal for gold. However, rates remaining well below zero should provide some support or at least a decent floor for gold prices (i.e., higher than the levels touched by gold in the mid-2010s). Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    S&P 500, Nasdaq and more...

    S&P 500, Nasdaq and more...

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 27.12.2021 15:56
    S&P 500 and risk-on assets continued rallying, pausing only before the close. Santa Claus delivered, and the final trading week of 2021 is here. With the dollar pausing and VIX at 18 again, we‘re certainly enjoying better days while clouds gather on the horizon – Thursday‘s inability of financials to keep intraday gains while yields rose, is but one albeit short-term sign. The Fed is still accomodative (just see the balance sheet expansion for Dec – this is really tapering), didn‘t get into the headlines with fresh hawkish statements, and inflation expectations keep rising from subdued levels. Importantly, bonds prices aren‘t taking it on the chin, and the dollar hasn‘t made much progress since late Nov. Both tech and value are challenging their recent highs, and the ratio of stocks trading above their 200-day moving average, is improving. The same for new highs new lows – the market breadth indicators are picking up. We haven‘t seen the stock market top yet – the rickety ride higher isn‘t over, Santa Claus rally goes on, and my 2022 outlook with targets discussed that a week ago. Precious metals are extending gains, and aren‘t yet raging ahead – the picture is one of welcome strength returning across the board. The same goes for crude oil finally rising solidly above $72 as the omicron fears are receding in light of fresh incoming data including South African policies. It‘s only copper that‘s now reflecting the prospects of real economy slowdown. At the same time, the crypto rebound last week served as a confirmation of broad risk-on advance. Still more to come, as per Thursday‘s article title. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is within spitting distance of ATHs, and the bulls haven‘t said the last word in spite of the approaching need to take a rest. It‘s rally on, for now. Credit Markets HYG has finally overcome the Sep highs, but its vulnerability at current levels is best viewed from the point of view of LQD underperformance. Investment grade corporate bonds could have been trading higher compared to the progress made by TLT. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver are looking up, and so are miners – the upswing isn‘t overheated one bit, and can go on as we keep consolidating with an increasingly bullish bias. Crude Oil Crude oil once again extended gains, and even if oil stocks are a little lagging, the medium-term bullish bias in black gold remains. The path of least resistance is once again up. Copper Copper at least closed unchanged – the fresh steep rally indeed seems more than quite a few weeks ahead. But the table for further gains is set. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are entering the final trading week of 2021 in good shape. The rising tide of liquidity is still lifting all boats in a rather orderly way. Summary Thursday brought a proper finish to the Christmas week, and we‘re not staring at a disastrous finish to 2021 across the board. Short-term extended, but overall very positive bond market performance is aligned, and we can look for positive entry to 2022 in stocks, precious metals, oil, copper and cryptos alike. Shrinking global liquidity, no infrastructure bill, and consolidating dollar complete the backdrop of challenges that would make themselves heard well before Q2 2022 arrives. I hope you had Merry Christmas once again, and will also enjoy the relatively smooth ride while it lasts – 2022 will be still a good year, but with its fair share of corrections. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    AUDUSD, USDCHF and EURJPY status explained

    AUDUSD, USDCHF and EURJPY status explained

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 28.12.2021 08:43
    AUDUSD falls back for support The Australian dollar pulls back as risk assets tread water amid low liquidity. A break above the previous high at 0.7220 reveals a strong bullish bias. However, the RSI’s repeatedly overbought situation may have prompted short-term buyers to take some chips off the table. In turn, this left price action vulnerable to retracement. 0.7200 is the closest support. Its breach would trigger a deeper correction towards 0.7120. A close above 0.7250 may resume the reversal and carry the Aussie to the daily resistance at 0.7360. USDCHF tests consolidation range The US dollar softens over weaker Treasury yields. The pair’s latest rebound has met aggressive selling at the upper bound of the consolidation range near 0.9250. That is a sign of lingering bearish pressure. The greenback is testing the lower bound near 0.9160. Range traders were eager to buy the dip as the RSI ventured into the oversold zone. 0.9210 is an intermediate hurdle leading to the upper limit where a breakout could trigger a bullish reversal towards 0.9350. Otherwise, a drop below 0.9160 may send the pair to 0.9100. EURJPY breaks higher The Japanese yen weakened after Japan’s jobless rate rose to 2.8% in November. The long side has gained the upper hand after they pushed above 129.60. A bullish MA cross following a brief consolidation indicates an acceleration in the upward momentum. A break above the psychological level of 130.00 would set 130.60 as the next target, clearing the path for a rally to 131.30. An overbought RSI may cause a temporary pullback. 129.20 from the previous supply zone has become a fresh support.
    Tension Beetween Ukraine And Russia Definetely Shaped News In Recent Days

    EUR/USD Forecast: Near-term bullish bias stays intact above 1.1310

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 24.12.2021 14:54
    EUR/USD seems to have settled above key technical level. Hot inflation data from the US helped the dollar limit its losses. Trading conditions in financial markets thin out on Christmas Eve. EUR/USD seems to have steadied around mid-1.1300s on Friday as the trading action turns subdued on Christmas Eve. The near-term bullish outlook remains intact for the pair but thin trading conditions are likely to limit the movements in the remainder of the day. The data published by the US Burau of Economic Analysis revealed on Thursday that the annual Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index, the Fed's preferred gauge of inflation, jumped to 4.7% in November from 4.2% in October. This print surpassed the market expectation of 4.2% and helped the dollar stay resilient against its rivals in the second half of the day. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield edged higher toward 1.5% after the inflation report and according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, markets are pricing a 53.8% probability of a 25 basis points Fed rate hike in March. Bond and stock markets in the US will be closed on Friday and investors will keep an eye on technical levels when they return on Monday. EUR/USD Technical Analysis On the four-hour chart, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator is moving sideways around 60, suggesting that sellers are showing no interest in the pair for the time being. Additionally, the last four candles on the same chart closed above the 200-period SMA; confirming the bullish bias in the near term. Static resistance seems to have formed at 1.1340 ahead of 1.1360 (post-ECB high on December 16) and 1.1380 (November 30 high). On the downside, support is located at 1.1310 (200-period SMA) and 1.1290 (50-period SMA).
    Gold and inflation

    Gold and inflation

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 28.12.2021 16:28
    High inflation won’t go away in 2022. Good for gold. However, it is likely to continue to climb and reach its peak. That sounds a bit worse for gold. If 2021 was tough for you, I don’t recommend reading Nostradamus’ predictions for the next year. This famous French astrologer saw inflation, hunger, and much more coming in 2022: So high the price of wheat, That man is stirred His fellow man to eat in his despair Yuk! So, life is about to get a little more complicated: we must now avoid becoming infected and being eaten by our fellow citizens! If you are interested in how cannibalism will affect the gold market, I’m afraid that I don’t have adequate data. Anyway, if you end up in the pot together with vegetables and your colleagues, gold’s performance probably won’t be your top priority. Hence, let’s focus on inflation. Last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released the latest data on the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index. This measure of inflation surged 5.7% in the 12 months ended in November, which was the fastest increase since July 1982. Meanwhile, as the chart below shows, the core index, which excludes energy and food, rose 4.7%. It was the highest jump since February 1989. This is very important, as it shows that inflation is not elevated merely by rising energy prices. Instead, it’s more broad-based, which can make inflation more lasting. Indeed, there are strong reasons to expect that high inflation will stay with us in 2022. As the chart below shows, the shelter index – the biggest CPI component – has been rising recently, which should move the whole index up. In other words, surging home prices could translate into higher rents, supporting consumer inflation. Additionally, the Producer Price Index has also been rallying this year. The final demand index rose 9.6% on an annual basis in November, the largest advance since 12-month data was first calculated in late 2010. Moreover, the commodity index surged 23%, and it was the highest jump since November 1974. All this indicates that inflationary pressure remains strong. Implications for Gold To be clear, inflation will eventually peak, and this will probably happen in 2022. This is because a one-time helicopter drop (the surge in the money supply) leads to a one-time jump in the price level. However, inflation is like toothpaste. It’s easy to get it out, but it’s difficult to get it back in again. To use another metaphor, if you wait with your actions until you see the whites of the eyes of a tiger, you can be eaten (sorry for being monothematic today!). This was exactly the Fed’s strategy with the inflationary tiger for most of 2021. Yes, the US central bank accelerated tapering of quantitative easing in December, but it remains behind the curve (or, to continue the metaphor, it’s still holding the tiger by the tail). What does it all mean for the gold market? High inflation should support gold prices. The expectations of a more hawkish Fed probably prevent a big rally, but ultra-low real interest rates are supportive of the yellow metal. However, what is one of my biggest worries for the next year (except for the perspective of being eaten by hungry neighbors) is how gold will react to the peak in inflation. Although inflation will stay elevated, it won’t rise indefinitely. When it peaks, real interest rates could go up, negatively affecting the yellow metal. Of course, one would say that the peak of inflation would be accompanied by a more dovish Fed, so disinflation doesn’t have to hurt gold, just as rising inflation didn’t make it shine. However, this is not so simple, and if inflation stays above 5%, the Fed could still feel obligated to act and bring inflation to its 2% target. Anyway, US monetary policy (together with fiscal policy) will be tighter compared to 2020 and to other major countries, which (together with a likely peak in inflation) creates a rather challenging macroeconomic environment for gold in 2022 (at least until worries about the negative consequences of the Fed’s tightening cycle emerge). If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    XAUUSD seeks support, NZDUSD consolidates recent gains, EURUSD tests important resistance

    XAUUSD seeks support, NZDUSD consolidates recent gains, EURUSD tests important resistance

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 29.12.2021 08:42
    EURUSD tests important resistance The US dollar struggles as the Omicron scare subsides. The pair has been stuck in a narrow range between 1.1230 and 1.1360, because of a lack of liquidity and a catalyst. Following a bounce from 1.1260 price action is testing the upper band of the horizontal consolidation. A bullish breakout would pop up volatility as sellers rush for the exit. An extended rally would set 1.1450 as the next target. On the downside, a fall below 1.1260 may prolong the sideways action for a few more days. NZDUSD consolidates recent gains The New Zealand dollar softens over a limited year-end risk appetite. The latest surge above 0.6830 has put the bears on the defensive. Intraday traders took profit after the RSI showed overextension. The current flag-shaped consolidation could be an opportunity for the bulls to regroup and catch their breath. The demand zone around 0.6760 is a major level to support the rebound. On the upside, 0.6840 on the 30-day moving average is the closest resistance. And its breach may trigger a broader rally towards 0.6920. XAUUSD seeks support Gold edged higher as the US dollar slipped across the board. A close above the supply zone around 1815 is a short-term confirmation that sentiment favors the upside. A bullish MA cross on the hourly chart indicates that the recovery could be picking up steam. Above 1820, 1840 would be the target when momentum makes its way back into the market. In the meantime, buyers may see a retracement to 1803 as an opportunity to buy the dip after the RSI returned to the neutrality area. 1790 is a second level of support.
    Article by Decrypt Media

    S&P 500 rally, comodities and precious metals

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 28.12.2021 15:49
    Broad S&P 500 rally is spilling over to precious metals and commodities – Santa Claus leaves no stone unturned, apparently. Not that yields or the dollar would move much yesterday – it‘s the omicron response relief (thus far. yet APT has risen sharply to counter the bullish and wildly profitable oil message) coupled with the yesterday mentioned market friendly Fed: (…) The Fed is still accomodative (just see the balance sheet expansion for Dec – this is really tapering), didn‘t get into the headlines with fresh hawkish statements, and inflation expectations keep rising from subdued levels. Even though junk bonds retreated from intraday highs, the rally isn‘t over yet – VIX remaining around 18 is the best that the stock bulls can hope for today (i.e. a sluggish day still retaining bullish bias). Financials and industrials had a good day, but consumer discretionaries to staples ratio leaves more than a bit to be desired. The same goes for the financials to utilities ratio. Yes, the horizon is darkening, but further gains for weeks to months to come, still lie ahead. Remember, the topping process is about fewer and fewer sectors pulling their weight, about the market generals not being followed by the troops in the coming advance. We‘re not quite there yet. The Fed didn‘t really taper much in Dec, thus the jubilant close to 2021 across the board. The compressed yield curve would eventually invert – regardless of the current levels of inflation, the GDP growth can still support higher stock prices. Precious metals and commodities would though become an increasingly appealing proposition as I‘m not looking for the Fed to be able to break inflation. The tightening risks are clearly seen in market bets via compressed yields, so they‘ll attempt to not only talk a good game – they will act, and the risks of breaking something (real economy) would grow. That‘s the message from Treasuries – hawkish monetary policy mistake is feared and increasingly expected. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 market breadth again improved – the increasing participation shows that the bull run isn‘t clearly over. And it also reveals that this isn‘t yet the time to expect a new correction. Credit Markets HYG stalled a little, but doesn‘t look to have definitely peaked. One look at LQD reveals the nuanced risk-off turn yesterday, which might not interfere with further stock market gains today though). Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver paused, but I‘m treating it as a daily pause in an otherwise developing uptrend. Once the inflation expectations stop being as steady as they had been yesterday, the metals will like that. Crude Oil Crude oil is strongly up, and oil stocks confirm. The $78 zone comes next, and could take a few days to be reached. Copper Copper still hasn‘t arrived at true fireworks – but the long consolidation is being resolved in a bullish way (of course). Broader commodities are showing that the path of least resistance is higher in the red metal as well. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are foretelling stiffer headwinds than had been the case recently. I don‘t think this is a start of a genuine downtrend. Summary Santa Claus rally naturally goes on, and yesterday‘s steep gains are likely to be followed with deceleration today – at least in stocks. Precious metals and commodities are catching up, and we‘re looking at a very positive close to 2021 across the board. The same goes for optimistic entry to 2022 in stocks, precious metals, oil, copper and cryptos alike – in Bitcoin though, I would like to see today‘s lows hold, and Ethereum to spring higher faster than Bitcoin. On a very short-term basis, S&P 500 and oil are extended today, and some trepidation shouldn‘t be surprising. The medium-term trends remain unchanged, and lead higher. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Fear May Drive Silver More Than 60% Higher In 2022

    Fear May Drive Silver More Than 60% Higher In 2022

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 22.12.2021 23:17
    As the US and global markets rattle around over the past 60+ days, many traders have failed to identify an incredible opportunity setting up in both Gold and Silver. Historically, Silver is extremely undervalued compared to Gold right now. In fact, Gold has continued to stay above $1675 over the past 12+ months while Silver has collapsed from highs near $30 to a current price low near $22 – a -26% decline. Many traders use the Gold/Silver Ratio as a measure of price comparison between these two metals. Both Gold and Silver act as a hedge at times when market fear rises. But Gold is typically a better long-term store of value compared to Silver. Silver often reacts more aggressively at times of great fear or uncertainty in the global markets and often rises much faster than Gold in percentage terms when fear peaks. Understanding the Gold/Silver ratio The Gold/Silver ratio is simply the price of Gold divided by the price of Silver. This creates a ratio of the price action (like a spread) that allows us to measure if Gold is holding its value better than Silver or not. If the ratio falls, then the price of Silver is advancing faster than the price of Gold. If the ratio rises, then the price of Gold is advancing faster than the price of Silver. Right now, the Gold/Silver ratio is above 0.80 – well above a historically normal level, which is usually closer to 0.64. I believe the current ratio level suggests both Gold and Silver are poised for a fairly big upward price trend in 2022 and beyond. This may become an exaggerated upward price trend if the global market deleveraging and revaluation events rattle the markets in early 2022. Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don't miss the next opportunity! I expect to see the Gold/Silver ratio fall to levels below 0.75 before July/August 2022 as both Gold and Silver begin to move higher in Q1:2022. Some event will likely shake investor confidence in early 2022, causing precious metals to move 15% to 25% higher initially. After that initial move is complete, further fallout related to the deleveraging throughout the globe, post-COVID, may prompt an even bigger move in metals later on in 2022 and into 2023. COVID Disrupted The 8~9 Year Appreciation/Depreciation Cycle Trends In May 2021, I published an article suggesting the US Dollar may slip below 90 while the US and global markets shift into a Deflationary cycle that lasts until 2028~29 (Source: The Technical Traders). I still believe the markets will enter this longer-term cycle and shift away from the broad reflation trade that has taken place over the past 24+ months – it is just a matter of time. If my research is correct, the disruption created by the COVID virus may result in a violent reversion event that could alter how the global markets react to the deleveraging and revaluation process that is likely to take place. I suggest the COVID virus event may have disrupted global market trends because the excess capital poured into the global markets prompted a very strong rise in price levels throughout the world in real estate, commodities, food, technology, and many other everyday products. The opposite type of trend would have likely happened if the COVID event had taken place without the excessive capital deployed into the global markets. Demand would have diminished. Price levels would have fallen. Demand for commodities and other technology would have fallen too. That didn't happen. The opposite type of global market trend took place, and prices rose faster than anyone expected. Markets Tend To Revert After Extreme Events As much as we may want to see these trends continue forever, any trader knows that markets tend to revert after extreme market trends or events. In fact, there are a whole set of traders that focus on these “reversion events.” They wait for extreme events to occur, then attempt to trade the “reversion to a mean” event in price action. My research suggests the COVID virus event may have created a hyper-cycle event between early 2020 and December 2021 (roughly 24 months). My research also suggests a global market deleveraging/revaluation event may be starting in early 2022. If my research is correct, the recent lows in Gold and Silver will continue to be tested in early 2022, but Gold and Silver will start to move much higher as fear and concern start to rattle the markets. As asset prices revert and continue to search for proper valuation levels, Gold and Silver may continue to rally in various phases through 2028~2030. Initially, I expect a 50% to 60% rally in Silver, targeting the $33.50 to $36.00 price level. For SILJ, Junior Silver Miners, I expect an initial move above $20 (representing a 60%+ rally), followed by a follow-through rally targeting the $25.00 level (more than 215% from recent lows). I believe the lack of focus on precious metals over the past 12+ months may have created a very unusual and efficient dislocation in the price for Silver compared to Gold. This setup may present very real opportunities for Silver to rally much faster than Gold over the next 24+ months – possibly longer. If my research is correct, the Junior Silver Miners ETF, SILJ, presents a very good opportunity for profits. Want to learn more about the movements of Gold, Silver, and their Miners? Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals. If you need technically proven trading and investing strategies using ETFs to profit during market rallies and to avoid/profit from market declines, be sure to join me at TEP – Total ETF Portfolio. Pay particular attention to what is quickly becoming my favorite strategy for income, growth, and retirement - The Technical Index & Bond Trader. Have a great day!
    AM Market Digest: December 1, 2021

    AM Market Digest: December 1, 2021

    Jessica Amir Jessica Amir 01.12.2021 08:33
    Equities 2021-12-01 00:00 7 minutes to read Summary:  Hello December...Traditionally the second most bullish month for equites with the ASX200 rising 1.7% on average in December (since 1993/inception), while the S&P500 index has risen 1.5% on average (since 1950). Now the question is, will this December be different? Probably yes, as there is much uncertainty; markets are weary of Omicron (awaiting vaccine makers to develop a new vaccine), while retail sales are growing slower than expected (going against the grain as sales generally ramp up this time of year). So what’s next? We cover what to watch today and potential trading considerations. So volatility is indeed picking up right? And add in the fact that US Fed Chair said overnight, that the bond-buying taper process could wrap up “few months sooner than expected”…which opens the door to interest rates hikes thereafter. Powell also said “it’s probably a good time to retire” the world “transitory” to describe inflation. While global equities remain on tender hooks, keep an eye on volatility, and consider possible hedges. Iron ore breaks above its 30-DMA for the first time since 26 October. Watch the Aussie dollar with GPD data ahead. Markets and what you need to know    Equites: In the US: The Dow Jones fell 1.8%, the S&P500 lost 1.9%. Apple rose 3.1%. Pfizer rose 2.5% Salesfore.com fell 4%. Travellers fell 3.6% In Europe: the Euro Stoxx 50 fell 1.1%, the FTSE 100 down 0.7%. Yesterday most Asian markets fell, with the Australian market being the exception, rising 0.2% Commodities: Gold spot down 0.5% to $1,775.45, erasing gains after Powell’s comments on Taper, Inflation Keep an eye on Newcrest (NCM AU), Northern Star (NST AU), Evolution (EVN AU), Regis Resources (RRL AU), Resolute Mining (RSG AU), OZ Minerals (OZL AU):  WTI crude down 5.4% Oil Falls Below $65 With Powell signaling faster end to tapering Keep an eye on Woodside (WPL AU), WorleyParsons (WOR AU), Oil Search (OSH AU), Beach Energy (BPT AU), Karoon (KAR AU), Origin Energy (ORG AU), Santos (STO AU):  Copper down 1.4% Iron ore fell 0.4% after rising 6.8% the prior day Keep an eye on BHP (BHP AU), Rio Tinto (RIO AU) and Fortescue (FMG AU) Currencies: Aussie down 0.4% to 0.7118 per US dollar (Australia, NZ dollars record biggest monthly drops since pandemic) Kiwi down 0.1% to 0.6817 per US dollar Bonds: U.S. 10-year yield fell 6.2bps to 1.4375% Company News: Volvo Cars shares rose 13.6%; The company released first quarterly property since listing on the stock market a year ago and confirm a dip in revenue and profit. Volvo also flagged the sector-wide semiconductor shortage would continue into next year Apple shares +3.1% after reported Best Apple Cyber Monday. The tech giant is also working on a charger that powers multiple devices, an iPhone, AirPods, and Watch simultaneously. Orocobre shares rose 6% to a record high. Trading volume quadruped. The company expects lithium demand to grow materially through to 2040 due to electric vehicle adoption amid the global transition to carbon neutrality. This is expected to lead to a widening deficit over the next two decades, with demand predicted to be more than twice as great as supply by 2040. Major news, in case you missed it; Australian borders won’t reopen today (1 December), they’ll reopen 15 December Moderna CEO says current vaccines are less effective against new variant and it may take months before a new variant-specific jab is at scale. The World Health Organization said Omicron presents as ‘very high global risk’. Latest economic news: In Australia: The Australian economy is slowing: Private credit grew less than expected; showing Aussies are businesses borrowing less (credit grew 0.5% in October, vs 0.6% expected). Consumer confidence fell on a weekly basis In Asia – China’s manufacturing unexpected grew in November. First rise in activity since Aug. Japan industrial output rose for first time in four months, auto production rebounds on an easing of supply constraints Considerations for today and what to watch Volatility: New information is driving the markets short term direction, so keep an eye out. We’re in an illiquid part of the season, so volatility is high at the moment with news dictating the market moves. Some fund managers are taking money off the table and increasing their hedging To minimise volatility you could consider hedging for the next couple of weeks; perhaps consider currency options which is what we are seeing some clients trade at the moment, they are Buying dollar yen. Iron ore:  The Iron ore price to surged to a one month high, rising back above $100. Also of note, we are seeing clients increasing buy iron ore stocks (Fortescue, BHP and Rio Tinto). What’s new: Brazilian iron ore giant, Vale lowered its production outlook for year, while Rio Tinto announced it sees demand stabilizing is 2022 and underlying demand remaining robust expecting, China to take action to avoid a property hard land. Basically it seems iron ore supply will be coming out of market (from Vale), and demand is picking up in China. From a technical perspective, the iron ore price has held above its 15 and 30 day average, while the MACD technical indicator suggest that buying could pick up again in iron ore. This is definitely something to watch. It appears the 15 day moving average could also cross above the 30 day moving average, which would trigger a gold cross event, a technical event that often results in a bull run forming/continuing as quant traders/investors typically buy into positions when such an event occurs.   Source: TradingView, Saxo Markets Events to watch today: Local: Australian GPD data out 11:30am - expected to show Australian GPD slowed YoY, est. 3.0%, prior 9.6%. QoQ, est. -2.7%, prior 0.7%. So keep an eye on the Australian dollar. If the data is weaker than expected the Aussie dollar would likely fall US tonight: November ADP employment, November MBA purchase index, November ISM manufacturing PMI, crude oil inventories, Federal Chair Jerome Powell testimony What else? OPEC meets on Thursday - we could see production cuts, which could cause a rally in oil   Australian analyst rating changes to consider: CKF: Collins Foods Cut to Neutral at Jarden Securities; PT A$14.16 FMG: Fortescue Cut to Neutral at Citi GNC: GrainCorp Cut to Sell at Bell Potter; PT A$6.15 HPG: Hipages Group Rated New Overweight at Barrenjoey; PT A$4.65 JHX: James Hardie GDRs Rated New Overweight at Barrenjoey; PT A$63 TPG: TPG Telecom Rated New Overweight at Barrenjoey; PT A$7.50 TSI: Top Shelf International Rated New Speculative Buy at Canaccord   Ex-Dividends today on ASX:  Incitec Pivot, United Malt, Aristocrat Leisure
    Meaning Of The Bull Market - The Opposition To The Bear One

    Thanksgiving bull market called off?

    Kim Cramer Larsson Kim Cramer Larsson 23.11.2021 17:15
    Maybe the Thanksgiving week will not be so joyful on the Stock market this year.Yesterday the US Stock market started out bright only for Sellers to take control shortly after the opening bell. Buyers tried to lift Nasdaq 100 above the upper rising trend line but couldn’t hold it.A big bearish Engulfing candle yesterday formed under heavy volume on Nasdaq 100 taking out the previous two day’s of positive trading closing below Thursday open.We now have RSI divergence confirmed on RSI and MACD which indicates further sell-offs can be seen next few days. To reverse the correction picture a close above yesterdays’ high is needed.Support at 15.950 can be tested. S&P 500 peaked within few cents from the upper rising trend line the possible target I mentioned yesterday at 4.755. We should expect more selling pressure. Support at 4.630. A close below could fuel further sell-offs down to around 4.551
    Financial Sector May Rally 11% - 15% Higher Before End Of January 2022

    Financial Sector May Rally 11% - 15% Higher Before End Of January 2022

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 11.12.2021 10:25
    The financial sector is poised for a very strong rally into the end of 2021, and early 2022 as revenues and earnings for Q4:2021 should continue to drive an upward price trend. The US Federal Reserve is keeping interest rates low. At the same time, the US consumer continues to drive home purchases and holiday shopping. Strong economic data should drive Q4 results for the financial sector close to levels we saw in Q3:2021. If that happens, we may see a robust rally in the US Financial sector over the next 45 to 60+ days. The strength of the recent rally in the US major indexes shows just how powerful the bullish trend bias is right now. Some traders focus on the downside risks associated with the US Federal Reserve actions and/or the concerns related to inflation and global markets. I, however, continue to focus on the strength in the US major indexes and various sector trends that show real opportunities for profits. Comparing Sector Strength The following two US market sector charts highlight the performance over the last 12 vs. 24 months. I want readers to pay attention to how flat the Financial Sector has stayed since just before the 2020 COVID event and how the Financial Sector has started to trend higher over the past 12 months. This is because the shock of COVID briefly disrupted consumer activity. Yet, consumers are coming back strong, driving retail sales, home sales, and the continued strong US economic data. Therefore, it makes sense that the Financial sector should continue to show firm revenue and earnings growth while the US consumer is active and spending. Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! Over the past two years, Discretionary, Technology, and Materials drove market growth compared to other sectors. Remember, the initial COVID virus event disrupted market sector trends over the last 24+ months. (Source: StockChart.com) Taking a look at this 1 Year US Market Sector chart shows how various sectors have rebounded and how the Discretionary and Materials sectors have flattened/weakened. Pay attention to how the Energy and Real Estate sectors have been over the past 12 months. Also, pay attention to how the Financial sector is strengthening. I believe that the continued deflation/deleveraging that is taking place throughout most of the world will continue to drive global central banks to stay relatively neutral regarding rising interest rates. This will likely prompt an easy money policy throughout most of 2022 and drive continued revenues/earnings for sectors associated with consumers' engagement with the economy. If inflation weakens into 2022 while wage and jobs data stays strong, we may see more moderate strength in the Financial, Healthcare, Discretionary, and Technology sectors over the next 6 to 12+ months. Read more about Global Deleveraging Here: Delivering Covid Bubble Possible Volatility Risks In Foreign Markets (Source: StockChart.com) Financials May Pop 11% Or More Over The Next 6+ Months This Weekly IYG, IShares US Financial Service ETF, highlights the recent sideways price trend in the Financial sector and the potential for a 9% to 13% rally that may take place as the markets shift into focus for the Q4:2021 earnings. Yes, inflation is still a concern, but as long as the US consumer continues spending and engaging in the economy, the Financial Services and US Banks should show strong returns. If the US markets rally into the end of 2021, possibly reaching new all-time highs again, this trend may carry well into 2022 and drive Q4:2021 and Q1:2022 revenues and earnings for the Financial sector even higher. This Weekly XLF chart shows a very similar setup to IYG. I firmly believe the recent fear in the markets related to the US Federal Reserve, the new COVID variants, and the global markets deleveraging process is missing one critical component – the strength of the US markets and the strength of the US Dollar. As the rest of the world struggles to find support and economic strength, the US markets continue to rebound on the strength of the US consumer, the recovering economy, and the growth of these sectors. As long as the US Federal Reserve does not disrupt this trend, I believe Q1:2022 could be much more robust than many people consider. I also think the deflation/deleveraging process will work to take the pressures away from recent inflation trends. What could this mean for 2022? Early 2022 may well work as a "rebalancing" process for the global markets – possibly taking the pressures away from the strength in energy, commodities, and staple products/materials. This means pricing pressures will decrease while consumers are still earning and spending. The Financial sector should benefit from these trends over the next 6+ months. Watch for the Financials to start to increase throughout the end of 2021 and into early 2022. There are many ways to consider trading this move, but ideally, I think the rally will take place before the end of February 2022. Q1 is usually relatively strong, so that this trend may last well into April/May 2022. It all depends on what happens that could disrupt the current market sector trends. If nothing happens to disrupt the strength of the US Dollar and the strength of the US markets, then I believe the Financial Sector has a very strong opportunity for at least 10% to 11% growth. Want to learn more about the potential for a financial sector rally? Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals. If you need technically proven trading and investing strategies using ETFs to profit during market rallies and to avoid/profit from market declines, be sure to join me at TEP - Total ETF Portfolio. Have a great day! Chris VermeulenChief Market Strategist
    S&P 500's rally to be continued?

    S&P 500's rally to be continued?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 29.12.2021 15:31
      Stocks slightly extended their rally yesterday and the S&P 500 reached new all-time high above the 4,800 level. But will the uptrend continue? The broad stock market index lost 0.10% on Tuesday, Dec. 28, as it fluctuated following the recent record-breaking rally. The broad stock market is now way above its local highs from November and December. Stocks broke above the consolidation and we had a Santa Claus rally. The new record high is at 4,807.02. Now we may see a consolidation or a downward correction. The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.1% lower this morning. On Dec. 3 the index fell to the local low of 4,495.12 and it was 5.24% below the previous record high. So it was a pretty mild downward correction or just a consolidation following this year’s advances. The nearest important resistance level remains at around 4,800. On the other hand, the support level is now at 4,740-4,750, marked by the previous highs. The S&P 500 broke above its two-month long consolidation, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq 100 Remains Below the November High Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index is relatively weaker than the broad stock market’s gauge as it is still trading below the Nov. 22 record high of 16,764.85. The recent rally in stocks was driven by a handful of stocks and the technology stocks were just retracing their recent declines. However, the Nasdaq 100 broke above the resistance level of 16,400. Apple’s Market Cap Gets Close to $3 Trillion Again Apple stock got back close to its Dec. 13 record high of $182.13. The nearest important resistance level is at $180-182. The stock remains above its two-month long upward trend line. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far, however, the market may be trading within a medium-term topping pattern. It’s getting very hard to fundamentally justify the Apple’s current market capitalization of around $3 trillion. Conclusion The S&P 500 index will most likely fluctuate following the recent record-breaking rally. We may see some profit trading action and a consolidation along the 4,800 level. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. However, there are some short-term overbought conditions. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 will likely fluctuate following the recent rally. We may see a consolidation or a downward correction at some point. In our opinion no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    GBPUSD consolidates gains, GER 40 breaks above daily resistance, USOIL seeks support

    GBPUSD consolidates gains, GER 40 breaks above daily resistance, USOIL seeks support

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 30.12.2021 08:24
    GBPUSD consolidates gains Growing risk appetite weighs on a safer US dollar. The rally above 1.3360 confirms that short-term sentiment has turned around. However, the push might have run out of steam as the RSI shows a bearish divergence. The deceleration indicates limited buying interest after the price went parabolic. 1.3400 is an immediate support. Its breach could trigger a correction and force the latest buyers out. Then 1.3300 would be the next support. 1.3500 is a major resistance from the daily chart. GER 40 breaks above daily resistance The Dax 40 climbed higher as investors favor value stocks in telecoms, transportation, and utilities. A break above December’s high at 15840 is a strong signal that the bulls may have had the last word. Trend followers would jump in, in anticipation of continuing above the psychological level of 16000. The RSI’s overbought situation could prompt intraday buyers to take profit. The previous resistance 15700 (now turned support) is the first level to evaluate buying interest. 15500 is the second support in case of a deeper pullback. USOIL seeks support WTI crude rallied after the EIA report showed a larger-than-expected fall in US inventories. The bulls are looking to hold onto their recent gains after they cleared the 30-day moving average and daily resistance at 73.20. 79.00 from November’s sharp sell-off is a major hurdle ahead. A bullish breakout could put the rally back on track. The RSI’s overextension may cause a brief pullback. The 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level is an area of interest as it coincides with the previous low at 72.60.
    Rallying, singing "Jingle Bells", S&P 500 feels like hanging by the fingernails

    Rallying, singing "Jingle Bells", S&P 500 feels like hanging by the fingernails

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 29.12.2021 16:25
    S&P 500 feels like hanging by the fingernails – tech down and value retreating intraday. Correction of prior steep upswing is here – the bears will try some more, but I‘m not looking for them to get too far. The signs are there to knock the bulls somewhat down, and fresh ATHs look to really have to wait till next week. Checking up on the VIX, financials and consumer discretionaries confirms the odds of the bears stepping in today, and perhaps also tomorrow (depending upon today‘s close). The repelled HYG downswing likewise doesn‘t represent a significant risk-off turn (yet) – instead, we appear to be on the doorstep of another rotation, and its depth would be determined by how well tech is able to hold near current levels. Looking at precious metals, commodities and cryptos, the sellers of this risk-on rally have good odds of closing in the black for today. Earliest signs of stabilization would come from bonds, tech and cryptos – that‘s where I‘m mostly looking today. Keeping in mind the big picture – all eyes on upcoming Fed balance sheet data: (…) The Fed didn‘t really taper much in Dec, thus the jubilant close to 2021 across the board. The compressed yield curve would eventually invert – regardless of the current levels of inflation, the GDP growth can still support higher stock prices. Precious metals and commodities would though become an increasingly appealing proposition as I‘m not looking for the Fed to be able to break inflation. The tightening risks are clearly seen in market bets via compressed yields, so they‘ll attempt to not only talk a good game – they will act, and the risks of breaking something (real economy) would grow. That‘s the message from Treasuries – hawkish monetary policy mistake is feared and increasingly expected. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 saw a shot across the bow, and it remains to be seen whether the bears take advantage of a promising position to strike later today. Odds are they would at least try. Credit Markets HYG‘s hammer-style candle on rising volume doesn‘t bode well for today. Stabilization in junk bonds would be a most welcome sign once it arrives. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver aren‘t at all well positioned in the short-term – higher yields perhaps accompanied by consolidating inflation expectations, provide the bears with an opportunity. Crude Oil Crude oil is likewise stalling, but not too vulnerable unless fresh omicron fears return to the headlines. The $78 zone indeed looks to take a few days to be reached – I‘m still not looking at this week really. Copper Copper is taking a cautious stance – cautious, not panicky. Building a base not too far from yesterday‘s lows, would be most constructive now. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are feeling the pinch, and the Ethereum underperformance has foretold stiffer headwinds than had been the case recently. Genuine downtrend hasn‘t yet developed – the bulls are being tested as we speak. Summary Santa Claus rally is getting the announced reprieve – the day of decision how far it reaches, is today. Unless bonds (I‘m looking at the junk spectrum mainly), tech and cryptos weaken inordinately much, today‘s move would come in the sideways consolidation category. Odds for that are slightly better than a coin toss, but regardless, I‘m looking for a positive first day of 2022 trading to help make up for end of this week‘s headwinds. It‘s also positive that oil remains well bid above $75.50, and copper above $4.40. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    2022 and Gold

    2022 and Gold

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 30.12.2021 17:54
      2021 was bad for gold. Unfortunately, 2022 doesn’t look any better, especially at the beginning. The end, however, gives the yellow metal some hope… Bye, bye 2021! It definitely wasn’t a year of gold. As the chart below shows, the yellow metal lost 5% of its value over the last twelve months, declining from $1,887.60 on December 30, 2020, to $1,794.25 on December 29, 2021. Thus, the gold bulls won’t miss 2021, I guess. What about me? Well, I correctly predicted in January that “gold’s performance in 2021 could be worse than last year”. However, I expected more bullish behavior. I thought that rising inflation would be more supportive of gold prices. I’m fully aware that gold is not a perfect inflation hedge, but historical analysis suggests that high and accelerating inflation should be positive for gold prices. After all, inflation lowers the real interest rates, the key fundamental factor in the gold market. However, rising inflation has prompted the Fed to tighten its monetary policy and speed up the tapering of its quantitative easing. Expectations of hikes in the federal funds rate in 2022 also strengthened. In consequence, as the chart below shows, bond yields rose, especially those short- and medium-term, creating downward pressure on gold prices. Thus, we’ve learned two important lessons in 2021: don’t just count on inflation, and don’t fight with the (hawkish) Fed. As you can see, bond yields haven’t returned to their pre-pandemic level yet. Although they don’t have to fully recover, they do have room for further increases. The issue here is that when inflation peaks and disinflation starts, inflation expectations could decline, boosting the real interest rates. Actually, market-based inflation expectations already peaked in November, as shown in the chart below. This indicates that worries about inflation had calmed and investors had regained some confidence in the US central bank’s ability to contain upward price pressure.   Implications for Gold Will 2022 be better for gold than 2021? It’s possible, but I’m not an optimist. I mean here: macroeconomic conditions will turn more bearish for gold. Despite the spreading of Omicron variant of coronavirus, 2022 could mark the end of the global Covid-19 epidemic with a full economic recovery and a return to normal conditions. Fiscal policy will tighten, while the Fed will adopt a more hawkish monetary policy than in 2021. Supply shocks are easing, so inflation may peak, while real interest rates go up further. Moreover, the US dollar may strengthen against the euro, as the ECB is slower with its monetary policy tightening. On the other hand, there are also some factors that could support gold prices. In 2021, GDP rebounded greatly after the economic crisis of 2020, and financial markets also recovered robustly. 2022 may be more challenging for economic growth and the financial sector, though. One thing is the base effect, while another is central banks’ policy normalization and rising interest rates. With massive public and private debts, the Fed’s tightening cycle could deflate asset and credit bubbles and even trigger a recession, or at least a market correction. However, there are no signs of market stress yet, so a financial crisis is not in my baseline scenario for the next year. 2023 (or even later) is a more probable timeframe. Hence, I believe that the end of 2022 may be better for gold than the beginning of the year, as mere expectations of the Fed’s tightening cycle could be replaced by worries about the consequences of interest rate hikes. Anyway, 2021 is (almost) dead. Long live 2022! I wish you a return to normalcy, shining profits and all the golden next year! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Crude Oil ahead of 2022

    Crude Oil ahead of 2022

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 30.12.2021 17:54
      Omicron did a bit of a mess at the end of 2021, with oil too. Will crude oil break new price records in the New Year 2022? What do you guys reckon? Market Updates Yesterday, crude oil prices ended modestly higher after a volatile session with amplitudes increased by closing trades, as US crude inventories fell by 3.6 million barrels – more than expected – which is a positive sign for demand. Commercial crude oil reserves in the United States fell more than expected last week, recording the third consecutive significant decline on the back of strong demand, according to figures released yesterday by the US Energy Information Agency (EIA). On the other hand, the overall volatility is mainly due to the possible impact of the Omicron variant on demand; projects, commutations, as well as trips are cancelled, and more severe restrictions are put in place in Europe and China. (Source: Investing.com) The oil market continues to be tight due to the increased demand for heating oil to replace natural gas, which has become very expensive, especially in Europe; the Dutch TTF (Title Transfer Facility) benchmark dropped almost 8% to €89 there. As you may know, one third of European gas supplies come from Russia. This explains why the energy market is also keeping an eye on the Russo-Western crisis around Ukraine. Russian gas exports could be affected if tensions rise, as Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to speak on the phone with his American counterpart Joe Biden later today. I bet they won’t talk about Russian caviar (which might also be considered Russia’s original black gold). RBOB Gasoline (RBF22) Futures (Continuous contract, daily chart, logarithmic scale) Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGF22) Futures (January contract, daily chart, logarithmic scale) WTI Crude Oil (CLG22) Futures (February contract, daily chart, logarithmic scale) Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    S&P 500 - ATH?

    S&P 500 - ATH?

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 30.12.2021 22:59
    A very late Santa Rally appears to have been set up in the US markets as we close in on the end of 2021. The US markets have already started a melt-up trend – which is what I expected to happen prior to the bout of volatility over the past 30+ days. A Very Late Santa Rally Could Prompt A Powerful Move Upward A very late positive shift in the US major indexes may prompt a powerful upward price trend in early 2022. I expect that Q4:2021 earnings and revenues will continue to impress traders while the US Dollar strengthens above 95. This combination of a strong US economy with a stronger US Dollar will continue to attract foreign capital investment in US equities in early 2022. Traders won't want to miss the potential for a Q1 and Q2 rally phase in the US markets IF the US Fed stays moderately inactive throughout the first half of 2022. Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! Traders were concerned that the US Fed and Inflation would prompt a sudden shift by the US Fed. Still, I believe the new Omicron COVID virus and the shift away from hyper-inflationary trends may alter how the Fed sees the global economy in 2022. The US markets may be strengthening simply because of the additional stimulus and strong US consumer activity from the recovery/reflation trade momentum (late 2020 and almost all o 2021). The early 2022 trends may carry momentum into the first two Quarters of 2022 with slowly diminishing strength overall. Please take a minute to review our ADL Price Predictions for 2022 in this research article: The Technical Traders S&P 500 Rallying To New All-Time Highs To Close Out 2021 The S&P 500 recently rallied to new all-time highs just days before the end of 2021. This move suggests traders are shifting away from broader market concerns and starting to pay attention to the pending Q4:2021 earnings and revenue data and the 2021 Annual Data that will hit over the next 30 to 60+ days. Even though the markets are looking for any reason to spike the VIX (volatility), I believe the momentum behind this rally phase is going to continue to drive the S&P 500 up towards 5000 – or higher. My expectations are that we will see a fairly strong 5% to 8% rally in early 2022 from the 2021 end-of-year price levels. I believe the US market is attracting lots of foreign market capital as long as the US Fed does not do anything to topple the current market dynamics. NASDAQ Is Struggling To Reach New All-Time Highs, But Could Explode Higher In Early 2022 Even though the NASDAQ appears to be more volatile than the S&P500 and Dow Jones, it stands a very good chance of exploding higher in early 2022 as Q4:2021 earnings are announced, and end-of-year revenues and US economic data are presented in January/February. I expect that technology will continue to dominate trends related to how US consumers spend their time/money in 2022 – especially if we continue to go through more COVID virus waves. The sectors I'm watching in 2022 are Housing, Technology, Healthcare, Consumer Staples/Discretionary, Metals/Mining, and Retail. If there are any signs of concern in the US/Global markets, I expect to see these concerns appear in the strongest sectors right now (Consumer, Retail, Metals, Housing, and Technology). The US Fed will probably not take any severe actions in Q1:2022 and maybe talk about raising rates in Q2:2022. This means the US markets will continue to attract foreign capital, and traders need to prepare for a potentially explosive upside price trend in the NASDAQ before March 2022.
    Bitcoin and Ethereum are staging a daily comeback

    Bitcoin and Ethereum are staging a daily comeback

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 30.12.2021 15:49
    S&P 500 bulls stood their ground nicely, and the key sectors confirmed little willingness to turn the very short-term outlook more bearish than fits the little flag we‘re trading in currently – it‘s a bullish flag. Given the continued risk-off turn in bonds, the stock market setback could have been more than a tad deeper – that would be the conclusion at first glance. However, high yield corporate bonds held up much better than quality debt instruments, and that means the superficial look would have been misleading. Likewise as regards my other 2 signs out of the 3 yesterday presented ones – tech held up fine, and cryptos have practically erased yesterday‘s hesitation during today‘s premarket. The Santa Claus rally indeed hasn‘t yet run its course, and the slighly better than a coin toss odds of us not facing more than a very shallow correction, look to be materializing. As I wrote 2 days ago – What‘s Not to Love Here – we‘re entering 2022 with great open profits in both S&P 500 (entered aggressively at 4,672) and crude oil (entered with full force at $67.60). Both rides aren‘t yet over, copper is primed to catch up in the short run to the other commodities, gold is well bid at current levels, and together with silver waiting for a Fed misstep (market risk reappreciation) and inflation to start biting still some more while the real economy undergoes a soft patch (note however the very solid manufacturing data) with global liquidity remaining constrained even though the Fed didn‘t exactly taper much in Dec, and nominal yields taking a cautious and slow path towards my 2022 year end target of 1.80-2.00% on the 10-year Treasury. As I wrote prior Monday, we‘re looking at still positive 2022 returns in stocks – of course joined by commodities and precious metals. The path would be though probably a more turbulent one than was the case in 2021. We had a good year of strong gains, and I hope you have benefited. Thank you for all your appreciation and best wishes sent my way throughout all of 2021 and now by email or via Twitter – I would love to wish you a very Happy New Year – may 2022 keep bringing you happiness, success and good health. Enjoy the New Year‘s Eve celebrations, and see you again on Jan 03, 2022! Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 consolidation is still shaping up finely – and does so on solid internals. Particularly the tech resilience is a good omen. Credit Markets HYG could have indeed declined some more, but didn‘t. While I‘m not reading all too much into this signal individually, it fits the (still bullish) mozaic completed by other markets on my watch. That‘s the strength of intermarket analysis. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver got on the defensive, but the bears didn‘t get too far – and the chance they could have, wasn‘t too bad. Rising yields were though countered by the declining dollar. Crude Oil Crude oil is likely to pause today, and will rally again once risk-on returns broadly, including into credit markets. For now, backing and filling above $76 is my leading very short-term scenario – Monday though will be a fresh day. Copper Copper is pausing, but the downswing didn‘t reach far, and was bought relatively fast. More consolidation above $4.40 looks likely, and it would come with a generally bullish bias that‘s apt to surprise on the upside. Similarly to precious metals though, patience. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are staging a daily comeback, and as long as mid-Dec lows don‘t come in sight again, crypto prices can muddle through with a gently bullish bias. Summary Santa Claus isn‘t willing to give much ground, and the table is set for this nice rally to modestly continue today – somewhere more pronouncedly (S&P 500, cryptos) than elsewhere (commodities and precious metals). I‘m still looking for a positive first day of 2022 trading to help make up for end of this week‘s headwinds – it has been great that the bears couldn‘t find more strength yesterday. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    USDCHF tests daily support, AUDUSD consolidates gains, EURGBP falls below daily support

    USDCHF tests daily support, AUDUSD consolidates gains, EURGBP falls below daily support

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 03.01.2022 09:59
    USDCHF tests daily support The US dollar softens over increased risk appetite. A drop below the lower band of the consolidation range at 0.9160 confirms a lack of interest in the greenback. The pair is testing the major demand zone around 0.9100 from the daily chart. A bearish breakout could jeopardize the pair’s rebound over the past quarter. It could also trigger a sell-off towards the psychological level of 0.9000. The bulls may be tempted to buy the dip. 0.9180 would be the first resistance to lift before they could turn the downbeat inertia around. AUDUSD consolidates gains The Australian dollar finds support from rising commodity prices. A bullish MA cross on the daily chart indicates improvement in underlying sentiment. The former supply zone between 0.7210 and 0.7220 has turned into a demand zone. Buyers may be eager to join the rally after the RSI returned to the neutrality area. 0.7290 is a fresh resistance, and a combination of profit-taking and fresh selling could temporarily weigh on the Aussie. 0.7120 is a second line of defense in case of a deeper retracement. EURGBP falls below daily support The pound outperforms the euro over diverging monetary policies. The break below the daily support at 0.8380 is an invalidation of the rebound in late November. The RSI’s repeatedly oversold situation has attracted some buying interest, but not enough to sustain a meaningful bounce. 0.8420 is now a fresh resistance. And only its breach could prompt sellers to cover. On the downside, 0.8365 is a fragile support. A breakout would further deteriorate sentiment and send the euro to February 2020’s lows near 0.8280.
    "Gold is in the 1960s"

    "Gold is in the 1960s"

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 31.12.2021 14:05
      Although your calendar may say otherwise, gold is in the 1960s. The question is whether we will move into the 1970s or speed-run to the mid-2010s. Did you go overboard with your time travel and lose track of time? Probably not, but just in case, I assure you that the current year is 2021. To be 100% sure, I fact-checked it on a dedicated webpage for time-travelers. However, the authority of science is being questioned, and there are people who say that, from a macroeconomic point of view, we are approaching the 1970s, or at least the 1960s. There are also voices saying that the gold market is replaying 2012-2013. Although appearances point to 2021, let’s investigate what year we really live in. The similarities with the 1970s are obvious. Just like then, we have high inflation, large fiscal deficits (see the chart below), and easy, erroneous monetary policy. Fifty years ago, the Fed blamed inflation on exogenous shocks and considered inflation to be transitory too. The new monetary regime adopted by the US central bank in 2020 also takes us back to the 70s and the mistaken belief that the economy cannot overheat, so the Fed can let inflation run above the target for a while in order to boost employment. The parallels extend beyond price pressure. The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan reminded many of the fall of Saigon. The world is facing an energy crisis right now, another feature of the 1970s. If we really repeat those years, gold bulls should be happy, as the yellow metal rallied from $35 to $850, surging more than 2300% back in that decade (see the chart below). However, there is one problem with this narrative. In the 1970s, we experienced stagflation, i.e., a simultaneous occurrence of high inflation and economic stagnation with a rising unemployment rate. Currently, although we face strong upward price pressure, we enjoy economic expansion and declining unemployment, as the chart below shows. Indeed, the monthly unemployment rate decreased from 14.8% in April 2020 to 4.2% in November 2021. The current macroeconomic situation, characterized by inflation without stagnation part, is reminiscent of the 1960s, a decade marked by rising inflation and rapid GDP growth. As the chart below shows, the CPI annual rate reached a local maximum of 6.4% in February 1970, similar to the current inflation level. Apparently, we are replaying the 1960s right now rather than the 1970s. So far, growth is slowing down, but we are far from stagnation territory. There is no discussion on this. My point was always that the Fed’s actions could bring us to the 1970s, or that complacency about inflation is increasing the risk of de-anchoring inflation expectations and the materialization of a stagflationary scenario. In the 1960s, the price of gold was still fixed, so historical analysis is impossible. However, it seems that gold won’t start to rally until we see some signs of stagnation or an economic crisis, and markets begin to worry about recession. Given that the current economic expansion looks intact, the yellow metal is likely to struggle at least by mid-2022 (unless supply disruptions and energy crisis intensify significantly, wreaking havoc). Do we have to go back that far in time, though? Maybe the 2020 peak in gold prices was like the 2011 peak and we are now somewhere in 2012-2013, on the eve of a great downward move in the gold market? Some similarities cannot be denied: the economy is recovering from a recession, while the Fed is tightening its monetary policy, and gold shows weakness with its inability to surpass $1,800. So, some concerns are warranted. I pointed out a long time ago the threat of an upward move in the real interest rates (as they are at record low levels), which could sink the precious metals market. However, there are two key differences compared to the 2012-2013 period. First, inflation is much higher and it’s still accelerating, while ten years ago there was disinflation. This distinction should support gold prices. The peak in the inflation rate could be a dangerous time for gold, as the disinflationary era would raise interest rates, putting downward pressure on the yellow metal. Second, the prospects of the Fed’s tightening cycle are probably already priced in. In other words, the next “taper tantrum” is not likely to happen. It implies that a sudden spike in the interest rates similar to that of 2013 (see the chart below) shouldn’t repeat now. Hence, the answer to the question “what year is it?” should be that we are somewhere in the 1960s and we can move later into the 1970s if high inflation stays with us and stagnation sets in or if the next crisis hits. However, we can leap right into the 2010s if inflation peaks soon and the hawkish Fed triggers a jump in bond yields. It’s also possible that we will see a temporary disinflation before the second wave of elevated inflation. So, gold could continue its struggle for a while before we see another rally. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    A Look At Markets Around The World: US CPI, Sweden Riksbank EU Yields And More

    Taxes, UK Equities, Global Shipping and Pandemic in "Charts of 2021: Honorable Mentions" by Callum Thomas

    Callum Thomas Callum Thomas 03.01.2022 14:13
    Last week I shared with you some of my Best Charts of 2021 (as well as my Worst Charts of 2021 and then also my favorites!) -- so this week I wanted to follow up with what I would say are the "honorable mention" charts of 2021...       These charts were worthy of mention but didn’t quite fit into any of the previous categories -- but were definitely worth including and highlighting both due to how they proved useful in the past year or so, but also in terms of the outlook into 2022.       These charts were featured in my just-released 2021 End of Year Special Report -- check it out (free download as a holiday treat!).       Enjoy, feel free to share, and be sure to let me know what you think in the comments...           1. Expect Higher Taxes: This chart arguably points to higher tax rates ahead given that government debt as a % of GDP has doubled over the past decade while effectively economy-wide tax-take has gone sideways.       chart of developed economy fiscal outlook - higher taxes forecast           2. Global Food Crisis? Stagnant capex by food producers contributed to a perfect storm for food prices (along with actual storms, pandemic disruption, rising costs).                 3. UK Equities: In the wake of Brexit & pandemic woes, UK equities moved to decade-low valuations vs their European peers. From crisis to opportunity?                     >>> These charts were featured in our 2021 End of Year Special Report.               4. Global Shipping Capex: Shipping sector investment stagnated for a decade – contributing to the global supply chain chaos. Ironically it likely rebounds after banking windfall profits from the surge in freight rates.                 5. Global vs US Earnings Cycles: A key driver of the long-term cycles of relative price performance of global vs US equities has been the cycles in relative earnings. That cycle will need to change for the price cycle to change.                 6. Pandemic Progress: the global rollout of vaccines, rising immunity, societal adaptations, and therapeutics have helped result in a series of lower highs in deaths – I like the look of that trend. The light at the end of the tunnel, though flickering at times, does seem a little brighter now…                     Thanks for reading!           This is an excerpt from my 2021 End of Year Special report - click through to download a free copy of the report.       Best regards       Callum Thomas   Head of Research and Founder of Topdown Charts           Follow us on:   Substack https://topdowncharts.substack.com/   LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/topdown-charts   Twitter http://www.twitter.com/topdowncharts
    Let's have a look at S&P 500, Crude Oil, Nasdaq and Credit Markets. Cryptos are still bullish above mid-Dec lows.

    Let's have a look at S&P 500, Crude Oil, Nasdaq and Credit Markets. Cryptos are still bullish above mid-Dec lows.

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 03.01.2022 15:57
    S&P 500 pared prior steep gains, but thanks to the credit markets message, I‘m not reading into Friday‘s weakness much. There is still more in this rally – value held better than tech, and high yield corporate bonds didn‘t really slide. The year end rebalancing will likely give way to solid Monday‘s performance. While VIX appears to want to move up from the 17 level, it would probably take more than one day to play out. As the Santa Claus rally draws to its close, the nearest data point worth looking forward for, is Tuesday‘s ISM Manufacturing PMI. It‘ll likely show still expanding manufacturing (however challenged GDP growth is on a quarterly basis), and that would help commodities deal with the preceding downswing driven by energy and agrifoods. Both of these sectors are likely to return to gains, and especially oil is. As stated on Thursday, the open profits would still keep rising. Precious metals were the key winners Friday, paying attention to the dollar and nominal yields retreat the most. The red metal‘s upswing certainly helped – such were my latest words: (…) copper is primed to catch up in the short run to the other commodities, gold is well bid at current levels, and together with silver waiting for a Fed misstep (market risk reappreciation) and inflation to start biting still some more while the real economy undergoes a soft patch (note however the very solid manufacturing data) with global liquidity remaining constrained even though the Fed didn‘t exactly taper much in Dec, and nominal yields taking a cautious and slow path towards my 2022 year end target of 1.80-2.00% on the 10-year Treasury. As I wrote prior Monday, we‘re looking at still positive 2022 returns in stocks – of course joined by commodities and precious metals. The path would be though probably a more turbulent one than was the case in 2021. Finally, cryptos look to be in agreement with not reading too much to Friday‘s downswings – both Bitcoin and Ethereum are turning up as $46K in BTC held up once again. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Nasdaq got a little oversold relative to S&P 500 – this is not the start of a fresh downtrend. Once financials and consumer discretionaries turn up, the rally will be on better footing again. Credit Markets HYG could have declined some more, but tellingly didn‘t. Bonds aren‘t ready to turn to risk-off just yet. Upswing attempt next shouldn‘t be surprising in the least. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver are looking at a much better year than was 2021. Stock market volatility, GDP growth challenges and persistent inflation would help the metals and commodities rise. Crude Oil Crude oil is about to move up again as gains were taken off the table on Friday. With the omicron response and related pronouncements coming in lately from the U.S., what else to expect – a great deal of destroyed demand doesn‘t look to be ahead. Copper Copper undid the prior pause, and looks ready to keep defending the $4.43 area. The long consolidation that started in May, would be eventually broken to the upside. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum may be short-term undecided, but don‘t look willing to decline. Cryptos are still bullish above mid-Dec lows. Summary First trading day of 2022 is likely to extend prior gains, resolving the prior sideways move. As risk-on faltered on Friday, S&P 500 and cryptos are likely to catch up, and oil would probably outperform copper today while precious metals digest very solid New Year‘s Eve gains. We‘re nowhere near the good days ending just yet – turbulence would come once Fed tapering gets really noticeable (post Olympics), with VIX trending higher well before that already. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Does gold in the beginning of 2022 remind us year 2021? What about inflation this year?

    Does gold in the beginning of 2022 remind us year 2021? What about inflation this year?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 04.01.2022 13:14
    The start of 2021 wasn’t successful for gold: after a few days of rally, the yellow metal entered a bearish trend. 2022 looks uncomfortably similar. So far, so good – the first three days of 2022 didn’t bring a new catastrophe. It’s probably just the calm before the storm, but the new year started well. Even the price of gold has risen! As the chart below shows, the yellow metal managed to jump above the key level of $1,800 at the very end of 2021, but it still maintains its position (at least as of early January 3, 2022). It reminds me of the beginning of 2021. Gold also started last year with a bang, only to plunge later. Its price increased 3.5% during the first week of the year, reaching $1,957, and then began its big downward move. As the chart below shows, the yellow metal plunged below $1,700 at the very end of March. Hence, although January is historically a good month for gold, it might be too early to celebrate, and investors should exercise caution. However, luckily for gold bulls, there is one significant difference between 2021 and 2022. Last year, there were Georgia runoffs and Democrats took over both the White House and the full Congress (the House and the Senate). That was when the blue wave plunged the yellow metal. This year should be politically calmer for the US (so, we don’t count the odds of Russia invading Ukraine and China attacking Taiwan), but the major threat to the gold market remains the same: a rise in the real interest rates. In January 2021, it was the blue wave that triggered a rebound in rates, but it may be induced by many more factors in the future. It could be the development of a new cure against coronavirus and the end of the pandemic, a more hawkish Fed, or a decline in inflation. The spread of the Omicron variant keeps worries alive. After all, as the chart below shows, the 7-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases in the United States has hit a record high of about 405,000. When we are completely back to normalcy, risk appetite and bond yields may increase. Another risk for gold is the stabilization of inflation and even subsequent disinflation. As the chart below shows, we got a one-off boost in the money supply, so inflation is likely to peak this year. Inflation expectations should ease then, and real interest rates may rebound in such a scenario. What gives me some comfort here is that the pace of money supply growth hasn’t returned to the pre-pandemic level yet, but it stays at an elevated level (although much below the peak). It should support high inflation this year. Moreover, the Fed is likely to remain behind the curve and the peak in inflation may only strengthen the dovish camp within the FOMC (although investors should remember that the composition of the voting members of the Committee has become more hawkish in 2022).   Implications for Gold What does it all imply for the gold market? Will the yellow metal resume its long-term bullish trend in 2022? Well, this is what a majority of investors that took part in Kitco News’ annual outlook survey believe. Of nearly 3,000 retail investors, 54% said they see gold prices above $2,000 by the end of the year. This is also in line with Goldman Sachs’ call for gold in 2022. Other forecasters see gold prices trading in a range between $1,800 and $2,000. It’s certainly a possible scenario. After all, much of the Fed’s tightening cycle has already been priced in; and the last time gold bottomed was in December 2015, just around the first hike in the federal funds rate after the Great Recession. However, I expect more volatile trading with strong downside potential. As a reminder, my educated guess is that gold may plunge at some point amid a rebound in bond yields, but will rise later as worries about the next economic crisis accumulate. Indeed, it’s quite funny, but I haven’t even finished this article, and the price of gold has already started to slide amid rising US dollar index and Treasury yields, in line with my warnings from the beginning of this text. This is how I became a prophet. Now I can see that as soon as you finish reading this article you will continue surfing the internet! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    It's not sure where S&P 500 will go. Apple (APPL) with a new record high yesterday

    It's not sure where S&P 500 will go. Apple (APPL) with a new record high yesterday

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 04.01.2022 15:25
      The S&P 500 retraced its late last week’s declines yesterday and it went closer to the 4,800 level again. Will it reach the new record high today? The broad stock market index gained 0.64% on Monday, Jan. 3, as it retraced most of the recent decline from last Thursday’s record high of 4,808.93. Yesterday the index fell to the local low of 4,758.17, before advancing almost 40 points. The S&P 500 index remains way above the local highs from November and December. Stocks broke above the consolidation and we had a quick Santa Claus rally. The broad stock market’s gauge continues to trade within a short-term consolidation. For now, it looks like a relatively flat correction within an uptrend. On Dec. 3 the index fell to the local low of 4,495.12 and it was 5.24% below the previous record high. So it was a pretty mild downward correction or just a consolidation following last year’s advances. The nearest important resistance level remains at around 4,800-4,810. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,740-4,750, marked by the previous highs. Recently the S&P 500 broke above its two-month long consolidation, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Apple’s Market Cap Tops $3 Trillion Apple stock reached the new record high of $182.88 yesterday, as it broke slightly above the Dec. 13 high of $182.13. The stock remains above its two-month long upward trend line. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far, however, the market may be trading within a medium-term topping pattern. It’s getting very hard to fundamentally justify the Apple’s current market capitalization of around $3 trillion. Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.3% higher this morning, but we may see some short-term uncertainty and a further consolidation along the 4,800 level. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 will likely extend its short-term consolidation along the 4,800 level. In our opinion no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Can't skip S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq

    Can't skip S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 04.01.2022 15:53
    Very good S&P 500 entry to 2022, and the HYG intraday reversal is the sight to rejoice. In the sea of rising yields, both tech and value managed to do well – the market breadth keeps improving as not only the ratio of stocks trading above their 200-day moving averages shows. Likewise VIX refused to reach even 19, and instead is attacking 16.50. This is not complacency – the bulls were thoroughly shaken at the entry to the session yesterday – but a buying interest that convincingly turned the tide during the day. As I wrote yesterday: (…) thanks to the credit markets message, I‘m not reading into Friday‘s weakness much. There is still more in this rally – value held better than tech, and high yield corporate bonds didn‘t really slide. The year end rebalancing will likely give way to solid Monday‘s performance. While VIX appears to want to move up from the 17 level, it would probably take more than one day to play out. As the Santa Claus rally draws to its close, the nearest data point worth looking forward for, is Tuesday‘s ISM Manufacturing PMI. It‘ll likely show still expanding manufacturing (however challenged GDP growth is on a quarterly basis), and that would help commodities deal with the preceding downswing driven by energy and agrifoods. Both of these sectors are likely to return to gains, and especially oil is. The only sector taking a beating yesterday, were precious metals. While inflation expectations were little changed (don‘t look for inflation to go away any time soon as I‘ve been making the case repeatedly), the daily rise in yields propelled the dollar to reverse Friday‘s decline, and that knocked both gold and silver off the high perch they closed at last week. Still, none of the fundamental or monetary with fiscal policy originating reasoning has been invalidated – not even the charts were damaged badly by Monday‘s weakness. As economic growth gets questioned while fiscal policy remains expansive unlike the monetary one, volatily in the stock market together with persistent inflation would be putting a nice floor beneath the metals. Even cryptos are refusing to yield much ground, the Ethereum to Bitcoin ratio keeps trading positively, and I‘m not even talking the rubber band that commodities (crude oil and copper) are. Very good for our open positions there, as much as in the S&P 500 – let them keep bringing profits. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Really bullish price action in both S&P 500 and Nasdaq – that was the entry to 2022 I was looking for. Embellished with prior downswing that lends more credibility to the intraday reversal. Credit Markets HYG refusing to decline more, is the most bullish sign for today imaginable – let it hold, for junk bonds now hold the key, especially if quality debt instruments keep declining steeply. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver look to have reversed, but reaching such a conclusion would be premature. The long basing pattern goes on, and breakout higher would follow once the Fed‘s attempting to take the punch bowl away inflicts damage on the real economy (and markets), which is what the yield curve compression depicts. Crude Oil Crude oil is about to launch higher – and it‘s not a matter of solid oil stocks performance only. Just look at the volume – it didn‘t disappoint, and in the risk-on revival that I expect for today, black gold would benefit. Copper Copper swooned, but regained composure – the stop run is over, and we‘re back to base building for the coming upswing. Broader commodities certainly agree. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are very gently leaning bullish, but I‘m not sounding the all clear there yet thanks to how long Bitcoin is dillydallying. Cryptos aren‘t yet out of the woods, but their posture has improved thus far noticeably. Summary First trading day of 2022 extended prior S&P 500 gains, and the risk-on appetite is improving as we speak. Commodities are reaping the rewards, and we‘re looking at another good day ahead, including in precious metals taking a bite at yesterday‘s inordinately large downswing. Nothing of the big factors ahead for Q1 2022 as described in today‘s analysis (I wholeheartedly recommend reading it in full for the greatest benefits – there is only so much / little that I can fit into a one paragraph summary), and that means we‘re looking at further stock market gains as the bull runs (including in commodities and precious metals, yes precious metals), aren‘t over in the least. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Gold and silver - The beginning of the year 2022 may not satisfy

    Gold and silver - The beginning of the year 2022 may not satisfy

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 04.01.2022 16:10
      Gold, silver, and mining stocks started 2022 with a bang. However, this wasn’t the kind of fireworks investors were hoping for. While gold, silver, and mining stocks partied hard into year-end, the trio woke up to massive hangovers on Jan. 3. Although I’ve been warning for some time that mining stocks would stumble in 2021, the New Year is still filled with old problems. For example, the GDX ETF has been making lower lows and lower highs for months, and when its RSI (Relative Strength Index) approaches 70, the senior miners often run out of gas. For context, I highlighted the events with the blue vertical dashed lines below. Moreover, with the senior miners’ current price action following the ominous paths of 2000, 2008, and 2013, and their stochastic indicator still signaling overbought conditions, Monday’s weakness may be a sign of things to come. Please see below: Please also consider the implications of year-end tax-loss harvesting. With the general stock market rallying to start the New Year, losing positions that were sold to offset capital gains near the end of 2021 were likely repurchased on Jan. 3. However, gold, silver, and mining stocks didn’t benefit from the phenomenon. As a result, while the GDX ETF may have outperformed gold, the relative strength was immaterial within the overall picture. Turning to the HUI Index’s long-term chart, the same bearish forecast is present. For example, I marked the specific tops with red and black arrows. In the current situation, we saw yet another small move up, but that’s most likely because price moves are now less volatile. The areas marked with red ellipses remain similar and show back-and-forth movement before the big decline. As a result, we’ve entered a consolidation phase, and the implications are not bullish, but bearish. Making three of a kind, the GDXJ ETF’s corrective upswing has likely run its course. Interestingly, the junior miners’ current rally mirrors the small correction that materialized in mid-2021. Back then, the GDXJ ETF rallied on low volume and didn’t recapture its 50-day moving average. With the same tepid strength present today, the drawdown that followed in mid-2021 will likely commence once again. On top of that, the behavior of the GDXJ ETF’s RSI is also similar – with the indicator moving from roughly 30 to 50. For context, I highlighted the similarities with green and purple ellipses below. Also noteworthy, similar developments occurred in February/March 2020, before the profound plunge unfolded. As a result, the GDXJ ETF looks set for another sharp drawdown over the medium term and predicting higher prices might be misleading. Finally, while my short position in the GDXJ ETF proved quite prescient in 2021, the junior miners continue to underperform the senior miners. With the GDX/GDXJ ratio likely to confront new lows in the coming months, the GDXJ ETF should remain a material laggard in 2022. In conclusion, gold, silver, and mining stocks started off 2022 with a bang. However, it wasn’t the kind of fireworks that investors were hoping for. With each new celebration shorter in magnitude, it’s likely only a matter of time before their parties are canceled. As a result, the precious metals still confront the same bearish technical outlooks that plagued them in 2021. While mean reversion remains undefeated over the long term, the wait may prove longer than many expect. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Will 2022~23 Require A Different Strategy For TradersInvestors?

    Will 2022~23 Require A Different Strategy For TradersInvestors?

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 05.01.2022 16:33
    Is The Lazy-Bull Strategy Worth Considering? - Part IMany traders struggled in 2021 with the extended price volatility and sideways price trends. Recently, news that Bridgewater's 2021 results were saved by December's +7.8% gain (Source: Yahoo! Finance) leads me to believe a number of independent funds and investors are going to have a tough end-of-year return for 2021.Average Hedge Fund Returns Less Than 25% Of The 2021 S&P500 GainsThe volatility in the US and global markets throughout most of 2021 took a toll on traditional trading strategies. With the VIX trading above 12 on average throughout almost all of 2021, traditional trading strategies may not have been able to adjust to this increased volatility in the US markets – getting chewed up along the way. I wrote an article series about how computerized trading strategies can fail when volatility levels increase beyond traditional boundaries a few weeks ago. You can read the first of the three part series, US Federal Reserve Actions 1999 to Present - What's Next?, and then link to the other two.(source: Aurum.com)Many of the best Hedge Funds could barely squeeze out a profit in 2021. While the S&P500 rallied more than 27% in 2021, you can see from the graphic above that the average returns for Hedge Funds in 2021 were a paltry +6.24%.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! I expect that the US and global markets will continue to stay in extended price volatility ranges throughout all of 2022 and into 2023 as broad global market transitioning continues to take place. This expectation leads me to conclude that the “Lazy-Bull” strategy may be better suited for traders/investors over the next 24+ months than more active trading strategies.What Is The “Lazy-Bull” Strategy?The Lazy-Bull strategy is a term I use for my proprietary strategies – The Technical Investor and the Technical Index & Bond Trader. I call it the Lazy-Bull strategy because it is straightforward and only generates about 3 to 10 trades per year (on average). Many traders dislike this type of strategy because it it does not require many trades and does not provide the rush/roller coaster ride that many think they should feel while trading, which is not how it should be. Having said that, overall, this strategy has consistently produced positive annual results (CGAR average ROI 15% - 51% depending on ETF leverage, and only 7 - 21% drawdown) – beating the SPY almost every year. If you traded with the 1x, 2x, or 3x ETFs then you would have crushed the S&P 500 every year, and experienced that positive rush feeling that leverage/volatility provides.My trading style is a bit different than most other traders. My objectives consist of three very important concepts:Protect Capital At All TimesTrade Only When Strategically Opportunistic (probabilities are favorable)Trade Efficiently Using Bonds As Trade When Fear Rises among traders and investors.Through the Technical Investor and Technical Index and Bond Trading strategies, I help individuals and advisors learn how trading more efficiently using the Lazy-Bull strategies is for generating large compounded returns as shown in the SP500 chart below.I'll go further into detail regarding my strategies as we continue this multi-part article.Reading Into Q1:2022 – What To Expect?Right now, the world is waiting on Q4:2021 earnings and economic data. The first Quarter of 2022 should be very exciting for US traders as the year-end momentum of 2021 may carry forward into Q1:2022 with solid revenues and earnings. After that, we move into Q2:2022, which may be much more volatile overall.Let's look at our proprietary data mining utility to see what we might expect from the markets in the first Quarter of 2022.January 2022 has more than a 1.41:1 probability ratio of staying positive based on the past 29 years of historical data. Ideally, the average positive and negative monthly ranges are about equal – nearly $5.00. The accumulated monthly data shows that January is usually overall positive by at least $2.50 to $5.00.February 2022 has a much higher chance of extreme volatility. February 2022 shows a much greater positive to negative ratio while the possibility of a bullish February drops to a 1.33:1 probability ratio. Overall, I would suspect larger price volatility in mid to late February 2022 as the markets attempt to transition into late Q1 expectations.March 2022 has the same 1.41:1 probability ratio as January, yet the overall likelihood of extended downside price trends is about 20% greater than January.My analysis of this data suggests January and March of 2022 may surprise traders with a potential for a significant upward price move headed into Q2:2022. I believe Q4:2021 will also surprise traders as US consumers continue to engage and spend. This will lead to higher expectations for Q1:2022, which may set up a bit of a rally ahead of April/May 2022.Q1 and Q2, historically, seem to be strong in terms of traditional market growth and expectations. Yes, there have been instances when unexpected volatility disrupts the more customary types of trends – and 2022 may be one of those years. Our research shows the US Fed may make early efforts to move away from extreme easy money policies – which may shock the markets.Our research suggests the possibility of a 7% to 10% rally in the SPY in the First Quarter of 2022. If our extended research is accurate, our predictive modeling suggests more extreme price volatility may also play a significant role in how price trends/moves in 2022. Is The Lazy-Bull Strategy Worth Considering?In Part II of this article, we'll review the entire year of 2022 Quarterly Data Mining results and present more evidence that 2022 and 2023 may be years where a shift in strategy plays an important role for traders/investors. With the VIX trading above 15 more consistently, many strategies will get chewed up and spit out as the markets roll 9% - 15% up and down while attempting to transition away from the post-COVID stimulus.Get ready; 2022 will be an excellent year for traders with significant trends and bigger volatility. We just have to stay ahead of these trends to protect our capital and allow it to grow more efficiently. The risks of more traditionally moderate volatility systems getting chewed up in this extreme environment will continue. So be prepared to move towards a more protective trading style to survive the next 12 to 24 months.Want To Learn More About The Technical Investor and The Technical Index & Bond Trading Strategies?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to take a few minutes to visit the Technical Traders website to learn about our Technical Investor and Technical Index and Bond Trading strategies and how they can help you protect and grow your wealth. Have a great day!
    Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Crude Oil are ones you're likely to watch

    Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Crude Oil are ones you're likely to watch

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 05.01.2022 15:55
    Another daily rise in yields forced S&P 500 down through tech weakness – the excessive selloff in growth didn‘t lead buyers to step in strongly. More base building in tech looks likely, but its top isn‘t in, and similarly to the late session HYG rebound, spells a day of stabization and rebalancing just ahead. I‘m not looking for an overly sharp move, even if the very good non-farm employment change of 807K vs. 405K expected could have facilitated one. Friday though is the day of the key figure release – till then a continued bullish positioning where every S&P 500 dip is being bought, would be most welcome. The same goes for high yield corporate bonds not standing in the way, and for credit markets to reverse yesterday‘s risk-off slant. Likewise the compressed yield curve could provide more relief by building on last few days‘ upswings in the 10- to 2-year Treasury ratio. VIX has been repelled above 17 again, and keeps looking ready to meander near its recent values‘ lower end. That‘s all constructive for stock market bulls, and coupled with the fresh surge in commodities (and precious metals), bodes well for the S&P 500 not to crater soon again. Another positive sign comes from the dollar, which wasn‘t really able to keep intraday gains in spite of the rising Treasury yields. Cryptos though remain cautious (unlike precious metals which moved nicely off Monday‘s oversold levels – on a daily basis oversold), so we‘re in for a muddle through with a generally and gently bullish bias this week… until non-farrm payrolls surprise on Friday (and markets would probably interpret it as a reason to rise). Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 keeps respectably treading water, waiting for Nasdaq to kick in – odds are we won‘t have to wait for a modest upswing in both for too long. Credit Markets HYG is the key next – holding above yesterday‘s lows would give stocks enough breathing room, and so would however modest quality debt instruments upswing. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver are leading miners, but the respectable daily volume makes up for this non-confirmation. The table is set for the floor below gold and silver to hold, while a very convincing miners move has to still wait. Crude Oil Everything is ready for the crude oil upswing – even if oil stocks pause next, which can be expected if tech stages a good rally. Until then, it‘s bullish for both $WTIC and $XOI. Copper Copper is keeping the upswing alive, and any pullbacks don‘t have good odds of taking the red metal below 4.39 lastingly. Still, copper remains range bound for now, and the pressure to go higher, is building up. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum lost the bullish slant, but didn‘t turn bearish yet – this hesitation is disconcerting, but it would be premature to jump the gun. It‘s still more likely that cryptos would defy the shrinking global liquidity, and try to stage a modest rally. Summary S&P 500 internals reveal tech getting hurt yesterday, and at the same time getting ready for a brief upswing of the dead cat bounce flavor. And if HYG kicks back in, odds increase dramatically that the tech (and by extension S&P 500) upswing won‘t be a dead cat bounce (please note that I‘m not implying vulnerability to a large downswing) – that‘s my leading scenario, which should materialize by Friday‘s market open. Yes, I‘m looking for non-farm payrolls to be well received once the dust settles. Till then, commodities are paving the way for further stock market gains, with precious metals turning out not too shabby either. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Will 2022~23 Require Different Strategies For TradersInvestors Part II

    Will 2022~23 Require Different Strategies For TradersInvestors Part II

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 06.01.2022 00:19
    Is The Lazy-Bull Strategy Worth Considering? Part III started this article by highlighting how difficult some 2021 strategies seemed for many Hedge Funds and Professional Traders. It appears the extreme market volatility throughout 2021 took a toll on many systems and strategies. I wouldn't be surprised to see various sector ETFs and Sector Mutual Funds up 15% to 20% or more for 2021 while various Hedge Funds struggle with annual returns between 7% and -5% for 2021.After many years in this industry and having built many of my own strategies over the past decade, I've learned one very important facet of trading strategy development – expect the unexpected. A friend always told me to "focus on failure" when we developed strategies together. His approach to strategy design was "you develop it do too well in certain types of market trends and volatility. By focusing on where it fails, you'll learn more about the potential draw-downs and risks of a strategy than ignoring these points of failure". I tend to agree with him.In the first part of this research article, the other concept I started discussing was how traders/investors might consider moving away from strategies that struggled in 2022. What if the markets continue trending with extreme volatility throughout 2022 and into 2023? Suppose your system or strategy has taken some losses in 2022, and you have not stopped to consider volatility or other system boundaries as a potential issue. In that case, you may be looking forward to a very difficult 12 to 14+ months of trading in 2022 and 2023.Volatility Explodes After 2017Current market volatility/ATR levels are 300% to 500% above those of 2014/2015. These are the highest volatility levels the US markets have ever experienced in the past 20+ years. The current ATR level is above 23.20 – more than 35% higher than the DOT COM Peak volatility of 17.15.As long as the Volatility/ATR levels stay near these elevated levels, traders and investors will likely find the markets very difficult to trade with strategies that cannot properly adapt to the increased risks and price rotations in trends. Simply put, these huge increases in price volatility may chew up profits by getting stopped out on pullbacks or by risking too much in terms of price range/volatility.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!The increased volatility over the past 5+ years directly reflects global monetary policies and the COVID-19 global response to the crisis. Not only have we attempted to keep easy money policies for far too long in the US and foreign markets, but we've also been pushed into a hyperbolic price trend that started after 2017/18, which has increased global debt consumption/levels to the extreme.2022 and 2023 will likely reflect a very strong revaluation trend which I continue to call a longer-term "transition" within the global markets. This transition will probably take many forms over the next 24+ months – but mostly, it will be about deleveraging debt levels and the destruction of excess risk in the markets. In my opinion, that means the strongest global economies may see some strength over the next 24+ months – but may also see extreme price volatility and extreme price rotation as this transition takes place.Expect The Unexpected in 2022 & 2023The US major indexes had an incredible 2021 – rallying across all fears and COVID variants. The NASDAQ and S&P500 saw the biggest gains in 2021 – which may continue into early 2022. Yet I feel the US markets will continue to transition as the global markets continue to navigate the process of unwinding excess debt levels and potentially deleveraging at a more severe rate than many people expect.Because of this, I feel the US markets may continue to strengthen as global traders pile into the US Dollar based assets in early 2022. Until global pressures of deleveraging and transitioning away from excesses put enough pressure on the US stock market, the perceived safety of US assets and the US Dollar will continue as it is now.(Source: www.StockCharts.com)Watch For Sector Strength In Early 2022 As Price-Pressure & Supply-Side Issues Create A Unique Opportunity For Extended Revenues/ProfitsI believe the US markets will see a continued rally phase in early 2022 as Q4:2021 revenues, earnings, and economic data pour in. I can't see how any global economic concerns will disrupt the US markets if Q4:2021 data stays stronger than expected for US stocks and the US economy.That being said, I do believe certain sectors will be high-fliers in Q1:2022 and Q2:2022 – at least until the supply-side issues across the globe settle down and return to more normal delivery expectations. This means sectors like Automakers, Healthcare, Real Estate, Consumer Staples & Discretionary, Technology, Chip manufacturers, and some Retail segments (Construction, Raw Materials, certain consumer products sellers, and specialty sellers) will drive a new bullish trend in 2022.The US major indexes may continue to move higher in 2022. They may also be hampered by sectors struggling to find support or over-weighted in symbols that were over-hyped through the end of 2020 and in early 2021.I have been concerned about this type of transition throughout most of 2021 (particularly after the MEME/Reddit rally phase in early 2021). That type of extreme trending usually leads to an unwinding process. I still don't believe the US and global markets have completed the unwinding process after the post-COVID extreme rally phase.(Source: www.StockCharts.com)Will The Lazy-Bull Strategy Continue To Outperform In 2022 & 2023?This is a tricky question to answer simply because I can't predict the future any better than you can. But I do believe moving towards a higher-level analysis of global market trends when the proposed "transitioning" is starting to take place allows traders to move away from "chasing price spikes." It also allows them to position for momentum strength in various broader market sectors and indexes.I suspect we'll start to see annual reports from some of the biggest institutional trading firms on the planet that show feeble performance in 2021. This recent article caught my attention related to Quant Funds in China.I believe we will see 2022 and 2023 stay equally distressing for certain styles of trading strategies while price volatility and an extreme deleveraging/transitioning trend occur. Trying to navigate this type of choppy global market trending on a short-term basis can be very dangerous. I believe it is better to move above all this global market chop and trade the bigger momentum trends in various sectors and indexes.Part III of this research article will focus on Q1 through Q4 expectations for 2022 and 2023. I will highlight broader sector/index trends that may play out well for investors and traders who can move above the low-level choppiness in the US and global markets.WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TECHNICAL INVESTOR AND THE TECHNICAL INDEX & BOND TRADING STRATEGIES?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may begin a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to take a few minutes to visit the Technical Traders website to learn about our Technical Investor and Technical Index and Bond Trading strategies and how they can help you protect and grow your wealth.Have a great day!
    Game of Chicken

    Game of Chicken

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 06.01.2022 16:18
    FOMC minutes didn‘t reveal fresh hawkish tunes, but markets were caught off guard – unlike 3 weeks ago during the statement and press conference. It‘s as if S&P 500 and pretty much everything else woke up to the hawkish reality only now. In spite of the new liquidity powered Santa Claus rally, the sudden realization that the March Fed meeting might very well bring in a first rate hike, forced a sharp downturn across the board.The dollar wasn‘t too affected by the daily rise in yields that hit junk bonds particularly hard. The yield curve keeps being compressed, and is getting closer to the point of inversion. The likely good employment data on Friday would provide the Fed with a convenient cover to embark on and keep pursuing the tightening route. Not that it would have the power to break inflation (even at the professed very accelerated tapering pace – let alone the relatively measly hikes when CPI, PPI or PCE deflator are considered) – this game of chicken with the markets risks a tantrum that could bring up the „fond memories“ of Dec 2018.Yes, the risks of crashing the airplane would grow up over the coming weeks and months – the Fed is walking a very tight rope indeed. Markets are spooked, and the coming days would show whether this is already the start of something worse, or whether we can still shake it off and continue upwards till the Olympics. I‘m still leaning towards the latter.Anyway, good to have closed the profitable S&P 500 and crude oil positions in time.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookTech understandably declined more than value – thanks to yields. S&P 500 bottom might not yet be in really. Bonds and tech need to stabilize first.Credit MarketsHYG is still holding the key, and would provide an early turnaround sign. The plunge in LQD isn‘t looking short-term encouraging in the least – the dust hasn‘t yet settled.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver still haven‘t left the sideways consolidation pattern – the white metal would be more affected through the inflation taming fears. That‘s though a premature calculation as inflation might turn out less amenable to be put down fast.Crude OilUnlike practically everything else, crude oil recovered strongly from the FOMC-induced setback – and certainly looks like the strongest of the pack at the moment.CopperCopper gave up advantageous position, and isn‘t really following (energy-led) commodities up yet. The long sideways consolidation is testing the bulls‘ resolve even as the pressure to go higher is building up. The same for silver, by the way.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum clearly lost the remainder of the bullish posture – it‘s turning out they aren‘t ready to defy the shrinking global liquidity.SummaryS&P 500 bulls look to get under some more pressure before the repeated hawkish message gets absorbed. The bond markets coupled with the dollar would reveal just how serious the bulls are about buying this dip and now. My bet is that they would remain shaken, and looking hesitantly for a floor. If there is one overarching message from yesterday, it‘s that the hawkish Fed appreciation has been woefully misapprehanded, and if followed through on in its entirety, would lead to a dangerous game of chicken with the markets (we aren‘t there quite yet).Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Santa comes on a roller coaster this year! | MarketTalk: What’s up today? | Swissquote

    Taking XAU/USD and NFP into consideration...

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 05.01.2022 15:57
    Nonfarm Payrolls in US is forecast to increase by 400,000 in December. Gold is likely to react more significantly to a disappointing jobs report than an upbeat one. Gold's movement has no apparent connection with NFP deviation four hours after the release. Historically, how impactful has the US jobs report been on gold’s valuation? In this article we present results from a study in which we analyzed the XAU/USD’s pair reaction to the previous 18 NFP prints*. We present our findings as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) gets ready to release the December jobs report on Friday, January 7. Expectations are for a 400,000 rise in Nonfarm Payrolls following the 210,000 increase in November. *We omitted the NFP data for March 2021, which was published on the first Friday of April, due to lack of volatility amid Easter Friday. Methodology We plotted gold price’s reaction to the NFP release at 15 minutes, one hour and four hours intervals after the release. Then we compared the gold price reaction to the deviation between the actual NFP release result and the expected result. We used the FXStreet Economic Calendar for data on deviation as it assigns a deviation point to each macroeconomic data release to show how big the divergence was between the actual print and the market consensus. For instance, the August NFP data missed the market expectation of 750,000 by a wide margin and the deviation was -1.49. On the other hand, February’s NFP print of 536,000 against the market expectation of 182,000 was a positive surprise with the deviation posting 1.76 for that particular release. A better-than-expected NFP print is seen as a USD-positive development and vice versa. Finally, we calculated the correlation coefficient (r) to figure out at which time frame gold had the strongest correlation with an NFP surprise. When r approaches -1, it suggests there is a significant negative correlation, while a significant positive correlation is identified when r moves toward 1. Since gold is defined as XAU/USD, an upbeat NFP reading should cause it to edge lower and point to a negative correlation. Results There were ten negative and seven positive NFP surprises in the previous 17 releases, excluding data for March 2021. On average, the deviation was -0.93 on disappointing prints and 0.47 on strong figures. 15 minutes after the release, gold moved up by $3.87 on average if the NFP reading fell short of market consensus. On the flip side, gold gained $0.03 on average on positive surprises. This finding suggests that investors’ immediate reaction is likely to be more significant to a disappointing print. However, the correlation coefficients we calculated for the different time frames mentioned above don’t even come close to being significant. The strongest negative correlation is seen 15 minutes after the releases with the r standing at -0.4. One hour after the release, the correlation weakens with the r rising to -0.23 and there is virtually no correlation to speak of four hours after the release with the r approaching 0. Several factors could be coming into play to weaken gold’s correlation with NFP surprises. Several hours after the NFP release on Friday, investors could look to book their profits toward the London fix, causing gold to reverse its direction after the initial reaction. Additionally, US Treasury bond yields’ movements have been impacting gold’s action lately and a decline in the benchmark 10-year T-bond yield on an upbeat jobs report could make it difficult for the USD to gather strength against its rivals, limiting XAU/USD’s downside.    
    Shiba Inu price could surge 30% if SHIB can overcome this hurdle [Video]

    Shiba Inu price could surge 30% if SHIB can overcome this hurdle [Video]

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 07.01.2022 15:56
    Shiba Inu price bounces off the daily demand zone, extending from $0.0000269 to $0.0000293.Increased buying pressure could propel SHIB by 31% to sweep the range high at $0.0000399.A four-hour candlestick close below $0.0000269 will create a lower low, invalidating the bullish thesis.Shiba Inu price is at an interesting point in its journey since it has produced two areas of liquidity in the opposite direction. Adding to this exciting development is one hurdle that blocks the path for SHIB and might hinder the bullish outlook.Shiba Inu price prepares for a rallyShiba Inu price set up two swing lows at $0.0000283 on December 20, 2021, and January 5, creating the double bottom setup. Interestingly, this setup took place inside the daily demand zone, extending from $0.0000269 to $0.0000293.While SHIB has recovered above this area, it needs to rally 12% before it faces the trading range’s midpoint at $0.0000341. Clearing this barrier will lead the meme coin to face $0.0000349, which harbors the buy-stop liquidity resting above it. Shiba Inu price needs to clear $0.0000349 before it can reach the range high at $0.0000399, completing its 31% ascent.SHIB/USDT 4-hour chartDepicting the importance of the hurdle at $0.0000349 is IntoTheBlock’s Global In/Out of the Money (GIOM) model. This on-chain metric shows that roughly 110,570 addresses that purchased 82,785 billion SHIB tokens at an average price of $0.0000350 are underwater.Therefore, Shiba Inu price needs to flip this barrier to reduce the selling pressure from holders trying to break even.Beyond this area, the resistance barriers thin out until $0.0000680, supporting the bullish outlook detailed above.SHIB GIOMFurther indicating the oversold nature of Shiba Inu price is the Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) model. This on-chain metric is used to determine the average profit/loss of investors that purchased SHIB over the past month.Currently, 30-day MVRV is hovering at -11.53%, an opportunity zone, suggesting that SHIB holders are at a loss and are less likely to sell their tokens. Moreover, long-term holders tend to accumulate in this area, which could serve as a significant source of buying pressure and could be the reason to kick-start an uptrend.SHIB MVRVWhile things are looking up for Shiba Inu price, a four-hour candlestick close below the daily demand zone’s lower limit at $0.0000269 will create a lower low, invalidating the bullish thesis. This development could trigger a crash, knocking Shiba Inu price to retest the $0.0000237 support level.
    Honeymoon Is Over?

    Honeymoon Is Over?

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 07.01.2022 16:03
    S&P 500 didn‘t shake off the post-FOMC minutes selloff in the least – and credit markets don‘t offer much short-term clarity either. Probably the brightest sign comes from the intraday reversal in financials higher – but tech still isn‘t catching breadth, which is key to the 500-strong index recovery. Bonds remained in the count down mode, as in not yet having regained composure and risk-on posture.The bottom might not be in, taking more time to play out – if we see a really strong non-farm payrolls figure, the odds of Fed tapering and rate hiking seriously drawing nearer, would be bolstered – to the detriment of most assets. So, we could be looking at a weak entry to today‘s S&P 500 session. But as the data came in at measly 199K, more uncertainty is introduced – will they or won‘t they (taper this fast and hike) – which works to drive chop and volatility.We‘re looking at another risk-off day today – and a reflexive but relatively tame rally in quality debt instruments. Crude oil is likely to be least affected, followed by copper as the red metals takes a second look at its recent weakness going at odds with broader commodities strength. Precious metals look to be a better bet in weathering the tightening into a weak economy storm than cryptos.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookNeither tech nor value offered clues for today‘s session – the downswing overall feels as having some more to go still, and that‘s based on the charts only. Add in the fundamentals, and it could get tougher still.Credit MarketsHYG upswing solidly rejected, and not even high volume helped the bulls – the dust doesn‘t look to be settled here either.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver feel the heat, and it might not be yet over in the short run, miners say. Still, note the big picture – we‘re still in a long sideways consolidation where the bears are unable to make lasting progress.Crude OilCrude oil bulls are enjoying the advantage here – firmly in the driver‘s seat. Pullback are being bought, and will likely continue being bought – the upcoming maximum downside will be very indicative of bulls‘ strength to overcome $80 lastingly.CopperCopper‘s misleading weakness continues, and similarly to precious metals, it‘s bidding its time as no heavy chart damage is being inflicted through this dillydallying.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum are in a weaker spot, and the bearish pressure may easily increase here even more. This doesn‘t look to be the time to buy yet.SummaryS&P 500 still remains on edge and under pressure until convincing signs of turnaround develop – yesterday‘s session didn‘t qualify. With further proof of challenged real economy, a fresh uncertainty (how‘s that going to weather the hawkish Fed, and are they to listen and attenuate, or not?) is being introduced – short-term chop would give way to an increase in volatility. In the non-farm payrolls aftermath, markets haven‘t yet made up their minds – it‘s the riskier end of the asset classes to take the heat the most here (starting with cryptos). Don‘t look though for a tremendous rush into Treasuries – tech decoupling from the rising yields would be a first welcome sign of a local bottom.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Financial Sector Starts To Rally Towards The $43.60 Upside Target

    Financial Sector Starts To Rally Towards The $43.60 Upside Target

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 07.01.2022 22:13
    Near November 24, 2021, I published a research article suggesting the Financial Sector, XLF in particular, may bottom and start to move higher, targeting the $43.60 level. After watching XLF rotate lower and form multiple bottoms near $37.50, it appears to finally be starting a new breakout rally phase ahead of Q4:2021 earnings. Will it rally up to my $43.60 target level before the end of January 2022? And how far could it rally beyond my $43.60 target?Using a simple Fibonacci Price Extension allowed me to target the $43.60 level. Duplicating that range and applying it to the top of the $43.60 target level will enable me to see a higher target range of $49.55. This upper target level would result from a 200% Fibonacci price rally from the original price range I identified back in late November 2021.Could it happen? Sure, it could happen. Financials are uniquely positioned to benefit from higher consumer engagement in almost all levels of the economy. Housing, consumer spending, credit/loan origination, fees and services, trading, and other services – they all combine into Banking and Financial Services. I expect Q4:2021 to show robust consumer engagement and housing data, likely prompting many financial firms' strong revenues/earnings results.My original financial sector (xlf) research article included (below) for you to review:The recent downward price rotation in the Financial Sector (XLF) may have frightened some traders, but my research suggests this move is setting up a future bullish price target near $43.60 – a more than +11% move. The end of the year Christmas Rally phase of the markets should drive spending and Q4:2021 expectations strongly into the first quarter of 2022. Unless something big breaks this market trend, traders should continue to expect a “melt-up” bullish price trend through at least early January 2022.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!The Financial Sector continues to deliver strong earnings and revenue data each quarter. The way consumers and assets prices have reacted after the COVID market collapse says quite a bit about the ability of financial firms to generate future profits. Financial firms actively engage in financial services, traditional banking, real estate, and other investments, and corporate financing. The rising inflation trends and consumer spending activities suggest the US economy is still rallying after the COVID stimulus and recovery.Financials May Rally 10% to 15%, or more, by January 2022My analysis of XLF suggests this recent pullback in price may stall and start a new bullish price rally targeting the $43.60 level – a full 100% Fibonacci Price Extension of the last rally in XLF.This Daily XLF chart shows the extended rally in early 2021 and the brief pause in the price rally between June 2021 and early September 2021. Now that we've entered Q4:2021 and the US economy appears to be strengthening in the post-COVID recovery, my expectations are that most sectors, and the US major indexes, will rally throughout the end of 2021 and into early 2022.This recent pullback in XLF sets up a solid buying opportunity for traders targeting a +10% rally that may last well into January/February 2022 – or longer.Longer-term Financial Trends Suggest Another Rally Above $44 May Start SoonOver the past 6+ months, moderate rally phases in XLF have shown a range of about $4.00 to $4.50. I've highlighted two recent rally phases in XLF on this longer-term XLF Daily chart below with gold rectangles. I believe the next rally from the recent pullback will be similar in size and prompt a moderate upward price move targeting the $43.60 level – or higher.Although there are some concerns related to the continuing recovery in the US markets, I believe the momentum of the US recovery and the strength in the US Dollar will push many US sectors higher over the next 60+ days. Closing out Q4:2021 and starting Q1:2022 with a fairly strong rally that may surprise many traders.The Financial sector is likely to present very strong Q4:2021 revenues and earnings data as long as the global markets don't push some crisis event or other issue that could detract from the US economic recovery. Right now, the biggest issues seem to be China and Europe.Concluding thoughtsMy opinion is that any moderate price weakness in the Financial sector will be short-lived and will resolve into a bullish price rally, or "melt-upward" type of trend, as we move into early December 2021. Once the US Debt Ceiling issue is resolved, I believe the Financial sector will begin a very strong rally pushing prices above $44 or $45 as Q4:2021 earnings expectations drive investors' focus into Technology, Consumer Retail, Financials, and Real Estate.The strength of the US Dollar is driving large amounts of capital into US assets and stocks right now. Based on my research, it is very likely that the US major indexes and certain sectors will continue to rally into early January 2022. If my analysis proves accurate, we may see a +11% to +18% rally in XLF before the end of January.If you are interested in learning more about how my strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition, I invite you to visit www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Will 2022~23 Require A Different Strategy For Traders/Investors? Part III

    Will 2022~23 Require A Different Strategy For Traders/Investors? Part III

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 08.01.2022 13:50
    Is The Lazy-Bull Strategy Worth Considering? - Part IIIThis last part of our multi-part article compares trading styles amidst the increasing price volatility and extended hyperbolic trending. We'll explore what we've witnessed in the US markets over the past 5+ years and highlight what to expect throughout 2022. Additionally, we'll highlight and feature the strategic advantages of our advanced Lazy-Bull strategies.Lazy-Bull Rides Big Trends & Avoids Excessive RisksMany people are inherently opposed to the Lazy-Bull strategy because they've been conditioned to think trading requires actively seeking various opportunities every week. We don't quite see it that way. Instead, we see the opportunity for growth and consistency existing in taking 4 to 12+ strategic trades per year while the markets set up broad momentum moves/trends. Our objective is not to trade excessively just for the sake of trading. Instead, we want to take advantage of when the markets enter opportunistic periods of trending and ride those trends as far as they go.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!This example Weekly SPY chart showing our TTI trading strategy highlights the growth phases in various trend stages. Notice the GREEN and RED sections on this chart where our system has identified directional changes in the major price trends. Over the past 11+ years, there have been numerous bullish price trend phases resulting in 12 months to 36+ months bullish price trend trends. These major price cycles make up part of the advantage of the Lazy-Bull strategy.We are not actively seeking the strongest stock symbols throughout these trends. Instead, we are simply relying on the strength of the US major indexes to carry our trades further into profits as the market's trend. The TTI strategy is a "set it – and forget it" type of strategy until the strategy generates a new entry or exit trigger.Volatility & Price Rotation Make 2022 More Dangerous Than 2021 – What Next?Our research shows 2022 will likely continue to exhibit increased price volatility and bigger price rotation. Meaning 2022 could be very dangerous for shorter-term strategy traders as volatility levels may disrupt traditional stop boundaries or other aspects of their defined strategies.It is important to understand how and when these issues creep into a strategy and attempt to move above these issues.Looking at the Q1 through Q4 data using our proprietary Data mining utility, I'll give you my insight related to the data and what I believe is likely to happen in 2022. Remember, this data consolidated the past 28-29 years of trends in the SPY to present these results – going back to 1993. That means that this data is compiled through several various price trends, major market peaks, major market bottoms, and various volatility levels along the way.Q:2022 AnalysisQ1 data suggests an overall positive/upward price trend is likely in 2022, with the Total Monthly Sum across 29 years totaling 37.94. Broken into annual gains, that translates into an expected $1.30 gain in the SPY in Q1:2022.The Total Monthly NEG (negative) range appears to be more than double the Total Monthly POS (positive) range. However, we may see some price volatility in Q1:2022 that surprises the markets. For example, maybe the US Fed makes surprise rate increases? Perhaps it relates to some other foreign market event disrupting the US markets? I don't know what it will be, but I feel some market event in Q1 is likely, and this event may prompt a fairly large downward price rotation in the SPY.Overall, I believe Q1:2022 will end slightly higher than the end of Q4:2021 levels and may see the SPY attempt to break above $490~500 on stronger earnings and continue the market's bullish price phase.Q2:2022 AnalysisThe second quarter seems a bit more stable in overall price appreciation trends. The data shows a shallow NEG value compared to a moderately strong POS value for Q2. Because of this, I believe the second quarter of 2022 will slide into a relatively strong upward Melt-Up type of trend after a potentially volatile Q1:2022.The Total Monthly Sum value is higher in Q2 than in Q1, suggesting Q2 may exhibit a stronger upward momentum as a more apparent trend direction sets up after the Q1 volatility.The US Fed will likely attempt to aggressively reduce its balance sheet throughout Q2 and into Q3:2022 if my expectations are accurate. This may create some additional market volatility in Q2 and Q3:2022 – but I suspect the US Fed will attempt to conduct a lot of this activity relatively quietly – almost behind the market strength/trends.Q3:2022 AnalysisQ3 shows data that is somewhat similar to Q1 overall. I interpret this data as showing moderate bullish trend strength within the typical mid-Summer US market stagnation in trend. Mid-Summer trends tend to be a bit more sideways in nature. Many traders are vacationing, enjoying the Summer weather, and/or not paying attention to market trends and dynamics. Because of this, I expect the July through September months of 2022 to be relatively quiet and mundane.Additionally, we have the mid-term US elections set up in November 2022. The July through September months will be packed with political posturing, campaigning, and various events filled with antics to distract the markets from focusing on real issues. As a result, election years tend to be somewhat quiet – especially in the 2 to 5 months leading up to the actual election date.The end of Q3:2022 and the start of Q4:2022 could see some bigger, more aggressive price trending. The elections, ramping up of the early holiday/Christmas seasons, and the end of Summer may prompt traders to move into undervalued assets or other opportunist trades seeking to ride out an end-of-year trend. Right now may be a great time to identify strong swing/position trades to close out 2022 with some nice profits.Q4:2022 AnalysisQ4:2022 shows a very strong bullish trend potential, with the POS results greatly surpassing the NEG results. Historically, this is because of the traditional Santa Rally phase of the US markets and may play a big role in 2022 if the US economy stays strong throughout 2022.Overall, I expect the US Fed to act in a manner that supports the "transitioning" of the global markets away from excessive risks while attempting to nudge inflationary trends lower. There is talk that the US Fed may take aggressive action to combat inflation, but I see the Fed's actions are more subtle than brutal at this stage.I believe the US Federal Reserve is keenly aware of the fragility of the global markets after many years of excessive easy-money policies. In my opinion, the current market environment is more similar to the late 1960s and 1970s than the 1990s and early 2000 time frame. We've seen a massive influx of capital in the global markets – push all traditional economic metrics "off the charts" after the COVID event. That capital will work itself throughout the global economy, disrupting more at-risk companies and nations' capabilities, but still prompt a moderate growth component for many years to come.Volatility, Trading, And Profiting From Bigger TrendsThe entire point was to discuss the opportunities of moving above the current excessive price volatility and adopting a trading strategy that is more suited to bigger, broader market price trends. In 2019, I warned that 2020 was likely to be very volatile.In February 2021, I warned that 2021 was likely to be very volatile for certain market sectors: WILL 2021 PROMPT A BIG ROTATION IN SECTOR TRENDS? – PART IIIn early January 2020, I warned the US markets may be set up for a "Waterfall Selloff": ARE WE SETTING UP FOR A WATERFALL SELLOFF?Today, I'm suggesting that price volatility will likely peak sometime in 2022 or 2023 and begin to subside as the excesses of the past 8+ years continue to process through what I'm calling the "transitioning phase" of the markets. This market phase is more of a deleveraging and revaluation phase which started in February 2020 – in various sectors. It has now extended into many global economies where excess risk factors are being addressed and revalued (think China, Asia, and other areas).This transitioning process will likely continue in 2022 and 2023, meaning traders need to be prepared for the increased price volatility and adopt a style of trading that will allow them to profit from these bigger trends. This is why I'm suggesting taking a higher-level approach to trade over the next 24 to 36+ months.Certain market trends will still allow traders to pick up some fantastic profits as sectors and various undervalued symbols gain momentum. Overall, though, I feel that 2022 and 2023 will be moderately difficult for shorter-term trading strategies and that a higher-level, longer-term approach may be a much more beneficial approach.Want To Learn More About My Long-Term Investing Strategy?My Technical Investor strategy is uniquely suited toward this type of trading style. It is simple, longer-term, and rises above the moderate price volatility that disrupts many shorter-term trading strategies.Get ready; 2022 will be an excellent year for traders with big trends and bigger volatility. We have to stay ahead of these trends to protect our capital and allow it to grow more efficiently. The risks of more traditionally moderate volatility systems getting chewed up in this extreme environment will continue. So be prepared to move towards a more protective trading style to survive the next 12 to 24 months.If you are interested in learning more about how my Technical Investor (and other trading strategies) can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition, I invite you to visit  www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Miners Should Prepare a Pillow: Gold's Hard Landing Can Hurt

    Miners Should Prepare a Pillow: Gold's Hard Landing Can Hurt

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 07.01.2022 15:54
      As in sports, a weak market streak can reverse in the next season. However, the precious metals team looks like it’s about to drop out of the league. While gold, silver, and mining stocks were in the holiday spirit during the final weeks of 2021, I warned on Jan. 4 that the GDXJ ETF’s sleigh was headed for an epic crash. I wrote: The GDXJ ETF’s corrective upswing has likely run its course. Interestingly, the junior miners’ current rally mirrors the small correction that materialized in mid-2021 (early August). Back then, the GDXJ ETF rallied on low volume and didn’t recapture its 50-day moving average. With the same tepid strength present today, the drawdown that followed in mid-2021 will likely commence once again. On top of that, the behavior of the GDXJ ETF’s RSI is also similar – with the indicator moving from roughly 30 to 50. For context, I highlighted the similarities with green and purple ellipses below. Also noteworthy, similar developments occurred in February/March 2020, before the profound plunge unfolded. As a result, the GDXJ ETF looks set for another sharp drawdown over the medium term. After the junior mining stocks ETF proceeded to decline by more than 6% in two days, my short position rang in the New Year with solid gains. What’s more, with the GDXJ ETF likely to break below its 2021 lows over the medium term, winter woes should materialize before a long-term buying opportunity emerges. Please see below: Likewise, with the GDX ETF’s RSI (Relative Strength Index) signaling an ominous outcome for the senior miners, I warned that a sell-off was likely on the horizon. For context, I highlighted the historical similarities with the blue vertical dashed lines below. Moreover, with the GDX ETF’s weakness accelerating on Jan. 5/6, the senior miners have declined sharply in recent days. In addition, the current price action mirrors the senior miners’ ominous performance in July/August 2021 – just like I’ve been describing it for a few weeks now. As a result, the previous corrective upswing is likely over, and the GDX ETF should confront lower lows sooner rather than later. For context, a breakdown below the 2021 lows should materialize over the medium term, and the forecast for gold, as well as gold stocks, is bearish for the next several weeks / months. However, the milestone may not occur over the next few days. Turning to the HUI Index’s long-term chart, the same bearish signals are present. For example, I marked the specific tops with red and black arrows. In the current situation, we saw yet another small move up, but that’s most likely because the price moves are now less volatile. The areas marked with red ellipses remain similar and show back-and-forth movement before the big decline. As such, while we’ve entered a consolidation phase, this week’s selling pressure has been quite ferocious. Thus, the implications are not bullish but bearish. Finally, the GDX/GDXJ ratio continues to perform as expected. For example, I warned throughout 2021 that the ratio was destined for devaluation. ith the metric kicking off 2022 with another decline, the GDXJ ETF continues to underperform the GDX ETF. For context, I believe that gold, silver, and the GDX ETF are all ripe for sharp re-ratings over the medium term. However, I think that the GDXJ ETF offers the best risk-reward ratio due to its propensity to materially underperform during bear markets. As a result, shorting junior miners offers a great risk to reward trade-off. In conclusion, gold, silver, and mining stocks began 2022 with the same weakness that plagued them in 2021. While the worst performers one year often become the best performers the next, the charts signal more weakness ahead. As a result, while the precious metals are poised to soar over the long term, lower lows will likely materialize before their secular uptrends resume. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Commodities - Crude Oil and Natural Gas in times of Omicron and low temperatures

    Commodities - Crude Oil and Natural Gas in times of Omicron and low temperatures

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 05.01.2022 17:19
      Happy new year, everyone! We hope that 2022 will be a prosperous one for all our readers. However, will it be successful for oil? Energy Market Updates Yesterday, crude oil prices ended higher, after a volatile session as US inventories fell by 6.4 million barrels – more than twice the previous week – which is another positive sign for demand. US inventories levels of crude oil, gasoline, and distillates stocks are again forecasted to fall by about 3 million more than expected last week. That would be another significant decline on the back of greater demand, according to estimated figures released by the American Petroleum Institute (API) yesterday. (Source: Investing.com) Crude oil prices stabilized near their 6-week highs following the OPEC+ group meeting, which maintained a limited increase in production of 400k barrels/day (no surprise). It is therefore a matter of maintaining an increase in production for the seventh consecutive month. This also shows that the organization was confident and believed in the resistance of global oil demand despite the recent restrictions implemented by several governments scared by Omicron, even though those travel restrictions may likely delay the resumption of aviation demand. RBOB Gasoline (RBG22) Futures (February contract, daily chart) WTI Crude Oil (CLG22) Futures (February contract, daily chart) Regarding natural gas, the Henry Hub (US benchmark) is slowly climbing as temperatures are dropping in many regions, while the European benchmark, the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF), rallied 3.5% as European gas prices remain extremely volatile due to reduced exports from Russia (notably via the Yamal pipeline) but also via Ukraine. The upward momentum is also linked to weather forecasts, such as colder temperatures and frost encountering the European continent in the coming days and weeks, which may obviously have a stimulating effect on gas demand. Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGG22) Futures (February contract, daily chart) Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Gold: No Cheer in the New Year

    Gold: No Cheer in the New Year

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 06.01.2022 12:22
      What a way to start a year! Gold just faked its comeback before moving to new yearly lows. That’s a very bearish way for a market to start the year. Given that miners underperformed gold and silver briefly outperformed it, we have a very bearish storm brewing for the next couple of weeks / months. On Jan 3, I wrote the following: The year 2021 is over, 2022 has finally arrived. However, why does the current price action look “sooo last year”? Because the patterns appear to be repeating and the clearest similarity is present in the key precious metal – gold itself. Gold prices moved higher in late December, and it happened on low volume. The rally caused the stochastic indicator to move above 80 and the RSI above 50. That’s exactly what happened in both: late 2021 and late 2020. What does it mean? Well, it means that we shouldn’t trust this rally, as it could end abruptly, just like the one that we saw a year ago. Besides, gold corrected 61.8% of the preceding decline (so it moved to its most classic Fibonacci retracement), which means that – technically – what we saw in the past two weeks was just a correction, not the beginning of a new rally. And what happened next? Gold declined, faked its comeback, and then declined again to new yearly lows. 2022 continues to be a down year for gold, and this is particularly revealing, because early January is the time when the buy-backs should – theoretically – happen. I’m referring to the tendency for investors to exit losing positions (and – in tune with my expectations and against expectations of almost everyone else – 2021 was a down year for gold, silver, and mining stocks, after all) close to the end of the year, in order to harvest the tax loss, and then to get back into the market in early January. Despite the above tendency, gold is down, silver is down, and mining stocks are down as well. This shows that the precious metals market is weak (which has been clear since gold invalidated its breakout above the 2011 high in 2020) and is unlikely to soar significantly (in terms of hundreds of dollars) unless it slides first. Besides, at the beginning of major rallies, gold stocks tend to lead the way up. And right now, it’s exactly the opposite. The upper part of the above chart features the GDXJ ETF – proxy for junior mining stocks, the middle part features the GLD ETF – proxy for gold, and the bottom part features the S&P 500 Index. The red lines compare the previous stock market highs to what happened in junior miners, and the dotted lines show what juniors did when gold formed its recent highs and lows. In short, junior gold mining stocks are underperforming both: gold, and other stocks. This is as bearish as it can get, given the current situation regarding the USD Index (which is in a medium-term uptrend) and the situation in the interest rates, which are not only about to go up, but the expectations of them going up are becoming more and more hawkish. And that’s no accident either, as it’s in tune with the current political narrative in the U.S. – inflation is currently presented as the major enemy that needs to be dealt with. In other words, as the situation in interest rates is likely to become even more hawkish and the USD Index is likely to move higher, gold is likely to go down, and so – eventually – will the general stock market. And since junior mining stocks have already proven over and over again that they magnify declines on both markets, they are likely to fall particularly hard, when the above markets decline. We gained quite a lot based on the decline in the juniors in 2021, but it seems that the gains that could be reaped in 2022 (of course, I can’t and I’m not promising any kind of specific performance for any market) based on junior miners’ decline (and then their revival) could be breathtaking – but as always, only if one is positioned correctly for both major moves. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    It's gripping, how Decentraland and MANA develops

    It's gripping, how Decentraland and MANA develops

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 05.01.2022 15:57
    Decentraland price is hovering around the $3.16 support level and has tagged it for the third time. A bounce off this barrier could be the key to triggering a 22% rally to $3.96 for MANA. If the $3.16 support level breaches, it will invalidate the bullish thesis. Decentraland price is at an inflection point and will likely catalyze a massive run-up. This outlook, however, depends on how MANA bounces off the support level it is hovering around. Decentraland price looks ready for a move Decentraland price has been hovering around the $3.16 support level for roughly a week. So far, MANA has touched this support level thrice, giving rise to a triple bottom setup. This bottom reversal pattern combined with the consolidation suggests that the Decentraland price is ready for an explosive move. The $3.43 resistance barrier is the first hurdle Decentraland price will face on its journey north. Clearing this blockade will allow buyers to step on the pedal, propelling Decentraland to $3.65. If Decentraland manages to push past $3.65 and the buying pressure continues to hold up, MANA is likely to make a run for the $4 psychological level. Traders can take advantage of this opportunity by entering long at the current position and taking profit at $3.65. MANA/USDT 4-hour chart On the other hand, Decentraland price could fail to bounce off the $3.16 support level. If the selling pressure increases, pushing MANA to produce a four-hour candlestick close below $3.16 will create a lower low. If this barrier is shattered, it will invalidate the triple bottom’s bullish outlook and likely trigger a 4% crash to $3.01.
    USD to CAD chart is (probably as expected) linked with jobs stats

    USD to CAD chart is (probably as expected) linked with jobs stats

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 10.01.2022 10:30
    EURUSD tests key resistance The US dollar retreated after December’s nonfarm payrolls came in far below expectations. The pair has been in a narrowing range between 1.1270 and 1.1365. The previous fall below 1.1280 added pressure on the buy side, though it turned out to be an opportunity for the bulls to accumulate at a bargain. A break above the resistance could end the sideways action and trigger a runaway rally towards 1.1460. The RSI surged into the overbought area and may cause a brief pullback above 1.1295. USDCAD tests daily support The loonie rallied after Canada added twice as many jobs as expected in December. The year-end sell-off met strong bids near the daily support at 1.2620. But the rebound came to halt at the supply zone around 1.2810, which used to be a support from the previous consolidation. The RSI’s double top in the overbought zone has restrained the upward momentum. 1.2730 is a fresh resistance as price action is about to retest the critical level at 1.2620. A bearish breakout could trigger a plunge to 1.2540. GER 40 seeks support The Dax 40 edged lower as rising CPI in the eurozone argues in favor of tightening. The index saw stiff selling pressure right under the all-time high at 16300. A bearish RSI divergence in this major supply area indicates a lack of commitment from the bulls as buying slows down. A combination of profit-taking and fresh selling has led to a drop below 16100, a warning sign for a steeper correction. 15800 is the next key support. A breakout could send the index to 15500 at the base of the latest rally.
    S&P 500 probably doesn't attract investors, gold and silver recovering?

    S&P 500 probably doesn't attract investors, gold and silver recovering?

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 10.01.2022 12:33
    S&P 500 indecisiveness Thursday gave way to another down day, and it doesn‘t look to be over in the least. Tech still isn‘t catching breadth enough – and that was my key condition of declaring a reprieve in the selling, if not a turnaround. Likewise credit markets don‘t offer optimistic signs – it‘s still risk-off there, and the sharp rise in yields is putting inordinate pressure on many a tech stock. True, the behemoths aren‘t that much affected, but even a glance at semiconductors tells you that the rot is running deeper than apparent from $NYFANG. This is part of the flight from growth into value, which we will see more of in 2022. The same for still unpleasantly high inflation which won‘t be tamed by the hawkish Fed – not even if they really allow notes and bonds to mature without reinvesting the proceeds already in Mar. The train has left the station more than 6 or 9 months ago when they were pushing the transitory thesis I had been disputing. We have truly moved into the persistently high inflation paradigm, and it would be accompanied by wage inflation and strong precious metals and commodities runs. We‘re looking at very good year in gold and silver while the turbulence in stocks is just starting, and we have quite a few percent more to go on the downside. Oil and copper are set up for great gains too. This will be a year when monetary and fiscal policy work at odds, when they contradict each other. Inflation would catch up with the economic growth in that inflation-induced economic slowdown would be a 2022 surprise. Signs of real estate softening would also appear – it‘s all about housing starts. While rates would rise (2.00% in 10-year Treasury is perfectly achievable), it won‘t catch up with inflation in the least – hello some more negative rates, and financial repression driving real assets. Rhymes perfectly with the 1970s. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook No real floor has materialized in either S&P 500 or tech. Volume didn‘t rise, the buyers aren‘t yet interested – we have to get at more oversold levels. Credit Markets HYG didn‘t build on Thursday‘s advance one iota, and still looks to me melting down. While the 10-year closed at 1.76%, we aren‘t looking at such sharp bond ETF downswings – and the degree in which tech reacts next, would be telling. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver staged an orderly recovery, still tiptoeing around the hawkish Fed, whose tightening cycle would turn out shorter than they think. And sniffing that out, would be the turning point in the metals. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls took a daily pause, but expect it to be short-lived. We‘re looking at triple digit oil not too many months away. Copper Copper pared back Thursday‘s setback, and definitely isn‘t overheated. The sideways consolidation that would be resolved to the upside, continues – the bears are fighting a losing battle. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum continue trading on a weak note, and the sellers are likely to return soon. This certainly doesn‘t look like a good time to buy. Summary S&P 500 still hasn‘t turned, and I‘m looking for more weakness – tech continues leading to the downside, and bond reprieve hasn‘t yet arrived. Anyway, it‘s questionable how fast tech would react – value can‘t keep S&P 500 afloat by itself. The realization of the hawkish Fed is here as much as the jobs data not standing in their tightening plans (wage pressures are here as quite a lot of vacancies remains unfilled – hello, full employment) – and assets are reacting. As I have stated in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of today‘s big picture analysis (investors would appreciate thoroughly), we‘re in for a challenging year in stocks, a great one in precious metals and most commodities – and definitely in for turbulence arriving, pulled over into 1H 2022 courtesy of the Fed. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Consolidates

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Consolidates

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 11.01.2022 08:57
    AUDUSD attempts reboundThe Australian dollar bounces back over strong retail sales in November. The pair saw bids near a previous trough (0.7130).The RSI’s double-dip into the oversold area attracted some traders in taking up the bargain. A bullish RSI divergence suggests a deceleration in the downward momentum. And a jump above 0.7180 could be the first step towards a bounce.The Aussie may surge to the daily resistance at 0.7360 if buyers succeed in lifting offers around 0.7270. Otherwise, the price could test the critical floor at 0.7080.USDJPY tests supportThe Japanese yen rose as risk appetite fades across markets.A bullish MA cross on the daily chart indicates that the dollar’s rally gained traction. However, an overbought RSI means that a pullback could be an opportunity for the bulls to buy dips.The dollar is testing the psychological level of 115.00, the origin of the rally above the November peak (115.50). An oversold RSI has brought in some buying interest. A bearish breakout could trigger a correction to 114.30. Then, the bulls will need to reclaim 115.90 in order to resume the uptrend.US 30 continues to retreatThe Dow Jones tumbled as US Treasury yields hit a two-year high on hike bets.A bearish RSI divergence foreshadowed the current sell-off. A drop below 36300 prompted leveraged positions to close out, driving up volatility as short-term sentiment deteriorated. Rebounds could be opportunities for the bears to sell into strength.35700 is an area of interest, as it lies in a former supply zone and along the 30-day moving average. 35200 would be a second layer of support, while 36400 is the immediate resistance.
    BTC (Bitcoin) price moves beetween 40 and 50k levels

    BTC (Bitcoin) price moves beetween 40 and 50k levels

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 11.01.2022 16:04
    Bitcoin briefly slipped below $40,000 in Monday's trading. BTC price sees a sharp recovery and a break above Monday’s high. As a broad recovery looks to be underway, expect bulls to target $50,000 in the first phase. Bitcoin (BTC) saw sellers squeeze out their final drop of gains on Monday after demand briefly dipped below $40,000. This level is in line with the low of the September 21 decline last year and BTC price bounced off the monthly S1 support level and a longer-term red descending trend line. Expect a turnaround from here, with demand switching to the buy-side with risk-on back on the front foot. BTC price set for a 180-turn back towards $50,000 Bitcoin price has given market participants quite a lot of pain at the start of 2022. Investors that came on strong out of the gate saw their investments devalue by 17%. On the horizon, however, the clouds start to evaporate, and during the European session, a global risk-on tone across assets is set to soothe and possibly erase the negative headwinds that were dictating price action these past ten days of the new year. Technically, BTC is set for recovery with an entry at around $39,800 and a bounce off the September 21 low, the monthly S1 support level and a rejection by the red descending trend line that formed since November 10. With the turnaround currently in global markets, cryptocurrencies are seeing a tailwind emerge that is set to break the high of Monday and could see it hit $44,088 later today. If markets can hold on to this momentum, expect that by Thursday bulls will attack the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the historical $48,760 level, which is then just inches away from $50,000, potentially within sight by the end of the week. BTC/USD daily chart With this turnaround, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) will likely see a bounce off the oversold border and start to drift towards the mid-50 area. This could open the door for short sellers to try and enter with sizeable short positions once $44,088 has been hit, and to seek to push BTC price further below $40,000, with $38,073 as the first price target. This will, at the same time, firmly disappoint investors who hoped to reach $50,000. Such a move, however, would most probably go hand in hand with global market sentiment returning to a depressive move.
    Would they sell S&P 500 (SPX)?

    Would they sell S&P 500 (SPX)?

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 11.01.2022 15:41
    S&P 500 reversed sharp intraday losses, and credit markets moved in a decisive daily risk-on fashion. Turnarounds anywhere you look – HYG, TLT, XLK… but will that last? VIX having closed where it opened, points to still some unfinished job on the upside, meaning the bears would return shortly – but given how fast they gave up the great run yesterday, I‘m not looking for them to make too much progress too soon. Good to have taken yesterday‘s short profits off the table. Assessing the charts, it‘s great (for the bulls) that tech liked the long-dated Treasuries reversal to such a degree – and that value closed little changed on the day (its candle is certainly ominously looking). As a result, we‘re looking at a budding reversal that can still go both ways, and revisit 4,650s in the bearish case at least. Remember that tech apart from $NYFANG lagged, and financials aren‘t yet broken either, meaning that the credit market upswing better be taken with a pinch of salt. True, rates have risen fast since the New Year, and the pace of yield increases has to moderate. I‘m of the opinion that yesterday‘s good Nasdaq showing hasn‘t yet turned tech bullish, and that we still face a move lower ahead. As written yesterday: (…) This is part of the flight from growth into value, which we will see more of in 2022. The same for still unpleasantly high inflation which won‘t be tamed by the hawkish Fed – not even if they really allow notes and bonds to mature without reinvesting the proceeds already in Mar. The train has left the station more than 6 or 9 months ago when they were pushing the transitory thesis I had been disputing. We have truly moved into the persistently high inflation paradigm, and it would be accompanied by wage inflation and strong precious metals and commodities runs. We‘re looking at very good year in gold and silver while the turbulence in stocks is just starting, and we have quite a few percent more to go on the downside. Oil and copper are set up for great gains too. This will be a year when monetary and fiscal policy work at odds, when they contradict each other. Inflation would catch up with the economic growth in that inflation-induced economic slowdown would be a 2022 surprise. Signs of real estate softening would also appear – it‘s all about housing starts. While rates would rise (2.00% in 10-year Treasury is perfectly achievable), it won‘t catch up with inflation in the least – hello some more negative rates, and financial repression driving real assets. Rhymes perfectly with the 1970s. Stocks aren‘t yet out of the woods, the yesterday opened oil position is already profitable, cryptos likewise maintain a gainful slant to the Sunday-opened short – meanwhile, precious metals are once again catching breadth to rise, and the same goes for copper. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook The bid arrived, and the bottom may or may not be in – in spite of the beautiful lower knot, I‘m leaning towards the hypothesis that there would be another selling wave. Credit Markets HYG reversal looks certainly more credible than the S&P 500 one. LQD though didn‘t rise, which is a little surprising – on the other hand though, that‘s part of the risk-on posture, which would have been made clearer by LQD upswing. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver position is improving, and I like the miners coming alive. The stage is set for upswing continuation till we break out of the very long consolidation. Crude Oil Crude oil looks to have declined as much as it could in the short run – I‘m looking for another run to take out $80 – see how little ground oil stocks lost? Copper Copper didn‘t outshine, didn‘t disappoint – its long sideways move continues, the red metal remains well bid, and would play catch up to the other commodities – the bears aren‘t likely to enjoy much success over the coming months. Bitcoin and Ethereum Just as I wrote yesterday, Bitcoin and Ethereum continue trading on a weak note, and the sellers are likely to return soon. This certainly doesn‘t look like a good time to buy. Summary S&P 500 turnaround has a question mark on it – one that I‘m more inclined to think would lead to further selling than a run above 4,720. The tech and bonds progress would be challenged again – we‘re still way too early in the Fed tightening cycle when the headwinds are only becoming to be appreciated. The room for negative surprises and kneejerk reactions is still there (the job market isn‘t standing really in the Fed‘s way), and it would likely take stocks (and cryptos) down while being less of an issue for real assets – be it commodities or precious metals. Wage pressures and unfilled vacancies are likely to last, meaning the inflation would be persistent – the staglationary era coupled with inflation-induced economic slowdown surprise I mentioned yesterday, awaits. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Gold - Fed moves are likely to reveal the shape of the future

    Gold - Fed moves are likely to reveal the shape of the future

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 11.01.2022 15:10
      Job creation disappointed in December. However, it could not be enough to counterweight rising real interest rates and save gold. On Thursday (January 6, 2022), I wrote that “the metal may find itself under hawk fire in the upcoming weeks”. Indeed, gold dropped sharply in the aftermath of the publication of the FOMC minutes. As the chart below shows, the hawkish Fed’s signal sent the price of the yellow metal from $1,826 to $1,789. This is because the minutes revealed that the Fed would be ready to cut its mammoth holdings of assets later this year. Previously, the US central bank was talking only about interest rate hikes and the ending of new asset purchases, i.e., quantitative easing. Now, the reverse process, i.e., quantitative tightening, is also on the table. What is surprising here is not the mere idea of shrinking the Fed’s assets – after all, they have risen to $8.7 trillion (see the chart above) – but its timing. Last time, the central bank started the normalization of its balance sheet only in 2018, nine years after the end of the Great Recession and four years after the completion of tapering. This time, QT may start within a few months after the end of tapering and the first interest rate hikes. It looks like 2022 will be a hot year for US monetary policy – and the gold market. Consequently, markets have been increasingly pricing in a more decisive Fed, which boosted bond yields. As the chart below shows, the long-term real interest rates (10-year TIPS) jumped from -1.06% at the end of 2021 to -0.73 at the end of last week. The upward move in the interest rates is fundamentally negative for gold prices.   Implications for Gold Luckily for the yellow metal, nonfarm payrolls disappointed in December. Last month, the US labor market rose, adding just 199,000 jobs (see the chart below), well short of consensus estimates of 400,000. This negative surprise lifted gold prices slightly on Friday (January 7, 2021). The latest employment report suggests that labor shortages and the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus are holding back job creation and the overall economy. However, gold bulls shouldn’t count on weak job gains to trigger a sustainable rally in the precious metals. This is because the American economy is still approaching full employment. The unemployment rate declined further to 3.9% from 4.2% in November, as the chart below shows. The drop confirms that the US labor market is very tight, so weak job creation won’t discourage the Fed from hiking the federal funds rate. As a reminder, in December, FOMC members forecasted the unemployment rate to be 4.3% at the end of 2021. What is crucial here is that disappointing job gains reflect labor shortages rather than weak demand. Additionally, wage growth remains pretty fast, despite the decline in the annual rate from 5.1% in November to 4.7% in December. The key takeaway is that, despite disappointing job creation, the US economy is moving quickly towards full employment. The unemployment rate is at 3.9%, very close to the pre-pandemic low of 3.7%. Hence, the latest employment situation report may only reinforce arguments for the Fed’s tightening cycle. This is fundamentally bad news for gold, as strengthened expectations of the interest rate hikes may boost real interest rates further and put the yellow metal under downward pressure. Some analysts believe that hawkish sentiment might be at its peak. I’m not so sure about that. I believe that monetary hawks haven’t said the last word yet, and that the normalization of the interest rates is still ahead of us. Anyway, Powell will appear in the Senate today, so we should get more clues about the prospects for monetary policy and gold this year. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Under Pressure

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Under Pressure

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 12.01.2022 09:05
    GBPUSD rally gains tractionThe US dollar fell after the Fed Chair’s remark that no decision has been made on quantitative tightening. The pair showed some weakness near the daily resistance at 1.3600.The RSI’s double top in the overbought area led some buyers to take chips off the table. However, a follow-up close above the resistance indicates that the bulls are still in control of the direction.Sentiment remains upbeat and 1.3700 from the start of the November sell-off would be the next target. 1.3570 is a fresh support in case of a pullback.NZDUSD bounces off major supportThe New Zealand dollar recovers as risk appetite returns following Jerome Powell’s testimony.The previous rebound towards 0.6830 met strong selling pressure. Its failure to achieve a new high suggests that the bearish bias lingers. The drop below 0.6740 further weighs on the kiwi. A bounce could still be an opportunity to sell into strength.The bulls need to clear 0.6835 in order to turn the tide, and 0.6730 is a fresh support. A bearish breakout may test the base of December’s bounce at 0.6700.EURJPY maintains uptrendThe euro recoups losses as traders dump safe-haven currencies. The fall below 130.80 has shaken out some weak hands.Nonetheless, the upward bias remains intact after the single currency saw solid demand over the psychological level of 130.00. The RSI’s oversold situation compounded the attractiveness of the discount.A rise above 131.60 would bring in momentum traders and clear the path for an extended rally to 132.55 near last October’s peak. 129.10 is the second line of defence in case of a deeper retracement.
    Gold Market in 2022: Fall and Revival?

    Gold Market in 2022: Fall and Revival?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 07.01.2022 16:46
      2021 will be remembered as the year of inflation’s comeback and gold’s dissatisfying reaction to it. Will gold improve its behavior in 2022? You thought that 2020 was a terrible year, but we would be back to normal in 2021? Well, we haven’t quite returned to normal. After all, the epidemic is not over, as new strains of coronavirus emerged and spread last year. Actually, in some aspects, 2021 was even worse than 2020. Two years ago, the pandemic was wreaking havoc. Last year, both the pandemic and inflation were raging. To the great surprise of mainstream economists fixated on aggregate demand, 2021 would be recorded in chronicles as the year of the supply factors revenge and the great return of inflation. For years, the pundits have talked about the death of inflation and mocked anyone who pointed to its risk. Well, he who laughs last, laughs best. However, it’s laughter through inflationary tears. Given the highest inflation rate since the Great Stagflation, gold prices must have grown a lot, right? Well, not exactly. As the chart below shows, 2021 wasn’t the best year for the yellow metal. Gold lost almost 5% over the last twelve months. Although I correctly predicted that “gold’s performance in 2021 could be worse than last year”, I expected less bearish behavior. What exactly happened? From a macroeconomic perspective, the economy recovered last year. As vaccination progressed, sanitary restrictions were lifted, and risk appetite returned to the market, which hit safe-haven assets such as gold. What’s more, a rebound in economic activity and rising inflation prompted the Fed to taper its quantitative easing and introduce more hawkish rhetoric, which pushed gold prices down. As always, there were both ups and downs in the gold market last year. Gold started 2021 with a bang, but began plunging quickly amid Democrats’ success in elections, the Fed more optimistic about the economy, and rising interest rates. The slide lasted until late March, when gold found its bottom of $1,684. This is because inflation started to accelerate at that point, while the Fed was downplaying rising price pressures, gibbering about “transitory inflation”. The rising worries about high inflation and the perspective of the US central bank staying behind the curve helped gold reach $1,900 once again in early June. However, the hawkish FOMC meeting and dot-plot that came later that month created another powerful bearish wave in the gold market that lasted until the end of September. Renewed inflationary worries and rising inflation expectations pushed gold to $1,865 in mid-November. However, the Fed announced a tapering of its asset purchases, calming markets once again and regaining investors’ trust in its ability to control inflation. As consequence, gold declined below $1,800 once again and stayed there by the end of the year. What can we learn from gold’s performance in 2021? First of all, gold is not a perfect inflation hedge, as the chart below shows. I mean here that, yes, gold is sensitive to rising inflation, but a hawkish Fed beats inflation in the gold market. Thus, inflation is positive for gold only if the US central bank stays behind the curve. However, when investors believe that either inflation is temporary or that the Fed will turn more hawkish in response to upward price pressure, gold runs away into the corner. Royal metal, huh? Second, never underestimate the power of the dark… I mean, the hawkish side of the Fed – or simply, don’t fight the Fed. It turned out that the prospects of a very gradual asset tapering and tightening cycle were enough to intimidate gold. Third, real interest rates remain the key driver for gold prices. As one can see in the chart below, gold plunged each time bond yields rallied, in particular in February 2021, but also in June or November. Hence, gold positively reacts to inflation as long as inflation translates into lower real interest rates. However, if other factors – such as expectations of a more hawkish Fed – come into play and outweigh inflation, gold suffers. Great, we already know that 2021 sucked and why. However, will 2022 be better for the gold market? Although I have great sympathy for the gold bulls, I don’t have good news for them. It seems that gold’s struggle will continue this year, at least in the first months of 2022, as the Fed’s hiking cycle and rising bond yields would create downward pressure on gold. However, when the US central bank starts raising the federal funds rate, gold may find its bottom, as it did in December 2015, and begin to rally again. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Riding Out Inflation in Style

    Riding Out Inflation in Style

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 12.01.2022 16:24
    S&P 500 refused further downside, tech caught fire, and credit markets staged a risk-on reversal. The bond upswing is the most important element – Powell‘s testimony wasn‘t able to ignite further rise in yields at the moment.Couple that with continued energy surge, and we‘re looking at real assets being very favorably positioned here (relatively easiest gains ahead), and that has profitable consequences for oil, copper and precious metals bulls. Even cryptos like the fact that CPI didn‘t come above expectations.Stock market fate is though tied to the Treasuries and corporate bonds – keeping an eye on the tech sensitivity to both advancing and retreating yields is of paramount importance, with financials not sticking higher as a sore thumb among other S&P 500 sectors being the other.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookFresh attempt at the lows was repelled, and the bulls aren‘t looking too spooked. Market breadth hasn‘t plunged to new lows, and is being slowly improved. It looks like we‘re about to keep moving up before the bears return.Credit MarketsHYG reversal looks credible, even if the volume was lower. It‘s risk on as HYG outperformed – the next question is how would it fare when yields rise again.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver position is improving, and I like it that miners keep coming alive. As written yesterday, the stage is set for upswing continuation till we break out of the very long consolidation.Crude OilCrude oil is performing just right – breaking higher from the prior flag-like structure, and simultaneously being inspired by the oil stocks example – $80 resistance has been decisively taken out.CopperLooking at today‘s price action, the time of copper playing catch up to the other commodities has arrived already – the bears indeed aren‘t likely to enjoy much success over the coming months.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum are turning a corner, but animal spirits aren‘t there now – are cryptos more aware of the coming liquidity challenges? The rebound is lacking fervor still.SummaryS&P 500 turnaround succeeded, and markets are choosing to ignore the hawkish Fed and high inflation data. That‘s all good for commodities and then precious metals, but would catch up with stocks over time – in the sense that paper assets would underperform. For now, the S&P 500 bears have been repelled, and it would take a fresh round of higher yields forcing tech down, to knock the 500-strong index lower, which isn‘t likely to happen today. Overall, we‘re looking at still a good year in stocks (check the Latest Highlights for big picture picks), but 2H 2022 would be calmer than the prior 180 days.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    US Fed Playing With Fire - Bubbles May Burst While Bond Yields & Metals Rally

    US Fed Playing With Fire - Bubbles May Burst While Bond Yields & Metals Rally

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 12.01.2022 16:59
    The US Federal Reserve's tightening monetary policy from a historically low-interest rate has slowed the US stock markets. As a result, traders quickly attempt to adjust their capital allocation levels as risk assets, technology, and US major indexes roll lower because of expected Fed Rate Hikes and other Hawkish activities.We will explore how the US Fed's comments and potential future actions may prompt significant market trends in 2022 and beyond. We'll also attempt to identify how and when the US Fed may disrupt the US markets. We know the actions of the US Fed will prompt some significant trends over the next 12 to 24 months. We know certain assets will likely rise in value as fear settles into the markets because of rising interest rates and deflating asset bubbles. It is just a matter of understanding how the speculative asset bubble of the past 8+ years and how the US Fed may move to pop these speculative bubbles soon.Asset Bubbles Everywhere, The Global Markets Continue To FrothAsset bubbles, such as those created in Cryptos, the US stock market, US Real Estate, and the art/collectible market over the past 5+ years, have visualized the US Fed's easy money results in terms of bubbles.Take a look at this chart showing the growth in certain asset classes since the start of 2019. It is incredible to think that these asset classes have rallied so far and so fast in just over 35 months: The Grayscale Bitcoin ETF rallied more than 1200%. The Technology sector rallied more than 200%. Real Estate rallied more than 85%. The S&P 500 rallied more than 94%. The US Federal Reserve's move to lower interest rates after the 2018 market collapse, which resulted in a December 24, 2018, Christmas Bottom, prompted an incredible rally phase where traders followed the US Fed in piling into assets. As long as the US Fed continued buying assets and kept interest rates near zero, global traders had no reason to fight the US Fed.(Source: StockCharts.com)Is The US Fed About To Pop The Bubble From The Stratosphere?Our research suggests the US Federal Reserve is changing its policy a little late into the game. However, it appears the US and global markets have already "rolled over" in terms of growth trends and expectations. This SPY to QQQ ratio chart highlights that the US markets entered a peaking phase in late July/August 2020 and reached an ultimate peak in February 2021.(Source: TradingView.com)S&P 500 PE Ratio Suggests Investors Are ALL-IN For The Next 90+ YearsIn other words, it appears traders have reached their ceiling in terms of what they believe the US Fed is capable of doing at this stage in the rally. For example, the PE Ratio of the US Stock market ending in 2021 ended just below 30, with a historical high for 2021 near 37. The historical mean is 15.96 – which is still relatively high for the US stock market.Remember, a PE level of 15.96 means any investor buying in at those levels would need a minimum of 15.96 years of a company handing over "every penny of revenue" to the investor (excluding all costs, payrolls, taxes, fees, and other operating expenses) to cover the PE multiple of the investment. So a PE level of 30, as we see at the end of 2021, suggests that stock price valuation levels are at least 60 to 90+ years ahead of real returns.The only thing that can change this historic level of speculation in the markets is a deleveraging/revaluation event.(Source: multpl.com)From the US Fed's Actions To How Traders Should Prepare For Shifting MarketsThis first part of our ongoing research into the US Fed's actions and where they are telegraphing their intents will continue. Part II of this article will investigate how traders should read into these shifting markets and where we're attempting to highlight what has taken place over the past 3 to 5+ years.We've managed to live through an incredible event in history. I can only think of one other time when a global superpower extended this type of credit and support for the worldwide economy. That was the Roman Empire many thousands of years ago.What we experience over the next 20 to 40+ years could be the biggest and most incredible opportunity of your lifetime. The process of deleveraging all this debt and working all this capital through the global markets over the next few decades may present one of the most incredible investment/trading opportunities anyone has ever seen in over 1500 years.Look for my Part II to this article, and we'll continue exploring the current shifts in the US and global stock and asset markets.Finding The Right Strategies That Will Help You Navigate Through Bulls & BearsIf you have struggled with finding opportunities over the past year or so and want to know which are the hottest sectors, or how to protect and grow your capital, then please take a minute to review my Total ETF Portfolio - Triple-Strategy Trading Plan to help you profit from these big market transitions.Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    S&P 500: Bulls Are Coming Back?

    S&P 500: Bulls Are Coming Back?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 12.01.2022 15:42
      Stocks retraced some more of their recent declines on Tuesday. Will the market continue higher following today’s consumer inflation data? The S&P 500 index gained 0.92% yesterday, as it got back above the 4,700 level. The broad stock market’s gauge extended its advance following Monday’s upward reversal from the local low of 4,582.24. It was a dip-buying opportunity, however the short-term advance still looks like an upward correction within a new downtrend. The broad stock market continues to trade within an over two-month long consolidation. Late December – early January consolidation along the 4,800 level was a topping pattern and the index fell to its previous trading range. On Dec. 3 the index fell to the local low of 4,495.12 and it was 5.24% below the previous record high. So it was a pretty mild downward correction or just a consolidation following last year’s advances. The nearest important resistance level is at 4,700-4,720 and the next resistance level is at around 4,750. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,650. And the important support level is now at 4,580-4,600, marked by Monday’s daily low. The S&P 500 is close to its November-December local highs again, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Apple Bounced From the $170 Price Level Last week, Apple stock broke below its two-month long upward trend line after reaching the new record high of $182.94 on Tuesday. So far, it looks like a downward correction and the nearest important support level is at $165-170, marked by the previous highs and lows. The stock trades within an over month-long consolidation of around $170-180. Is this a medium-term topping pattern? It’s getting very hard to fundamentally justify the Apple’s current market capitalization of around $3 trillion. Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.4% higher this morning following the Consumer Price Index release which was slightly higher than expected at +0.5% m/m. So the broad stock market will retrace more of the recent declines. However, we may see a profit taking action later in the day. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 extended its short-term uptrend yesterday. It may be still a correction within a downtrend or some further consolidation along the 4,700 level. In our opinion no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    USDCHF a bit down, XAUUSD not changing much and we might say USOIL steadily goes up

    USDCHF a bit down, XAUUSD not changing much and we might say USOIL steadily goes up

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 13.01.2022 08:54
    USDCHF tests daily support The US dollar plunged after December’s CPI slowed down to 0.5% from 0.8% in November. Despite a swift recovery from the daily support at 0.9100, price action came under pressure once again at December’s supply area (0.9280). The dive below 0.9180 then 0.9140 is a sign of liquidation as buyers rush to the exit. As the greenback revisits the critical support at 0.9100, an oversold RSI may attract some buying interest. The former demand area around 0.9200 is now the first resistance level. XAUUSD looks to break out Gold edged higher as the US dollar softened across the board. The precious metal has met stiff selling pressure in the supply zone around 1830. This level used to be a support from last November’s sell-off. The recovery above the psychological level of 1800 shows the bulls’ commitment to keeping the price afloat. A break above the supply zone would force the sell-side to cover and trigger an extended rally towards the previous peak at 1870. On the downside, 1800 has turned into a fresh support. USOIL continues upward WTI crude climbed higher after a larger-than-expected fall in US inventories. A close above the daily resistance at 79.00 was a strong bullish sign. Following a brief pause, the rally accelerated above 80.40. Sentiment remains upbeat and the bulls are keen to buy the dip during a pullback. A breach above 82.20 would clear the path to the peak at 85.00. An overbought RSI may cause a temporary retreat. In that case, trend-followers could be looking to jump in near the closest support at 81.20.
    Moderna (MRNA) Stock Price and Forecast: Why do dead cats bounce?

    Moderna (MRNA) Stock Price and Forecast: Why do dead cats bounce?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 12.01.2022 15:58
    MRNA shares slump on Tuesday after a strong bounce on Monday. FXStreet had called the Monday bounce as likely to fail. Moderna needs to find a new revenue source as covid likely to fade. Moderna (MRNA) shares failed to rally on Tuesday despite Fed Chair Powell talking calmly to Capitol Hill and soothing most equities in the process. Risk was back on and rate hikes are also likely on, this time in March. Powell has carefully mapped out the strategy so as not to surprise markets, and despite yields rising slightly, tech continued to bounce on Tuesday. However, Moderna shares slumped. Moderna (MRNA) stock news Shares in Moderna closed over 5% lower at $221.39 on Tuesday. Many traders are asking why, when all major indices closed higher. Mainstream media have been trotting out the rotation line, which is a neat excuse for, "We don't really know why that happened, so let us just compare it to something else." The fact as always is to do with momentum and trends. Moderna has been falling, and this latest fall is symptomatic of waning investor interest as covid looks to fade. Moderna is hugely over-reliant on its covid vaccine for income. Yes, it has a decent pipeline, but nothing else can come close to matching the revenue generation of its covid vaccine. This is the big problem. Pfizer is much more diversified and a larger company with multiple revenue streams. Moderna (MRNA) is not in this league. It may get there one day, but in the meantime it will face revenue generation challenges. Take a look at the Moderna development pipeline here. It is impressive but nothing that looks either imminent or significant in terms of replacing covid vaccine revenue. Covid is/was a once-in-a-century event (fingers crossed). Moderna (MRNA) stock forecast There is nothing significant in Monday's move despite MRNA shares closing 9% higher. We outlined this in our article earlier in the week and remain bearish on Moderna. The trend is in place as Monday failed to break above $259, so we remain with lower lows and lower highs. $259 is the pivot for the short term. $188.41 is the first target with $200 a big psychological level along the way. There is a pattern here: declining Relative Strength Index (RSI), declining Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) and declining stock price. We have a volume gap from $200 until $180. There is more downside in our view unless MRNA shares close above $259. Moderna (MRNA) chart, daily
    All Eyes on Copper

    All Eyes on Copper

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 13.01.2022 15:36
    S&P 500 sold off only a little in the wake of CPI data – probably celebrating that the figure wasn‘t 8% but only 7%. As if that weren‘t uncomfortable already – and the Fed wants to field accelerated taper, and perhaps even four quarter-point rate hikes to tame it? Oh, and perhaps also balance sheet reduction through not reinvesting proceeds from matured bonds and notes as talked on Monday – sure, that will do the trick. Looking at Treasuries over the prior two days shows that the Fed isn‘t being questioned. Value defends the high ground while tech rallies – Monday‘s fear with its brief return Tuesday, is in the rear-view mirror, compacency returning, and VIX again below 18. Prior upswing consolidation right next, is the most likely action for S&P 500. The real gains though are being made elsewhere – in crude oil and copper. With commodities back on fire, these two have certainly greater appreciation potential next than stocks or cryptos – so, long live our open longs there! The red metal has defied base metals intraday consolidation yesterday, and that has consequences for inflation trades – silver is waiting in the wings. To give you an idea how mispriced the risk of persistently unpleasant inflation is, yesterday‘s CPI coming only in line with expectations, caused inflation expectations to decline… At least the dollar took a rightful breather – its prior sideways consolidation has been broken to the downside. Currencies are starting to figure out inflation, and just how far and inadequate Fed‘s promise to take on it, has been... Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Daily consolidation of prior strong gains that‘s likely to go on today – stocks are making up their mind as to where next in the very short run now that the bears had been repelled. Credit Markets HYG is likewise looking to need some time to move higher next – volume is declining, and a brief sideways move is most likely now. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver are still sideways to up – not down. The pressure to go higher is building up, waiting for the Fed miscalculation, or perception of the consequencies of its upcoming action. The faith in the central bank isn‘t yet really shaken. Crude Oil Crude oil finds it easiest to keep rising – the technical and fundamental conditions are in place, and oil stocks will continue to be the leading S&P 500 performers. Copper Copper is starting to play catch up to the other commodities finally – it‘ll be a rocky ride, but the red metal has waken up, and cast a clear verdict on inflation that has to seep into other markets next. Will take time, but we‘ll get there. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum didn‘t convince on the upside, and with no dovish surprise on the horizon, the path of least resistance probably remains down for now. Summary S&P 500 turnaround is getting cemented, and worries about the hawkish Fed or inflation look to be momentarily receding. Not even the PPI is waking up the markets – the focus seems to be on measly 0.1% undershoot. Ironic, pathetic. While stocks keep on moving in a tight range, and still want to keep on appreciating modestly, the real action is happening in the commodities, to be followed by precious metals. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    We Will Probably Review All Of Inflation Indicators Around The World This Weekend

    The USD Had a Slip-Up, but Gold Turned a Blind Eye to It

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 13.01.2022 15:22
      “It’s my party and I’ll fall if I want to”, sang gold and kept its word. Although the dollar weakened, gold seemed reluctant to take advantage of it. Now that was a big decline in the USD Index! What made gold yawn and why is it declining today? Because it doesn’t want to rally. I’ve been writing this over and over again, and yet I’ll write it once more. Markets don’t move in a straight line up or down, and periodic corrections are natural. However, the way markets interact during those corrections tells us a lot about what’s likely to take place next, at least in the case of some markets. The USD Index declined quite visibly yesterday and in today’s overnight trading. The key questions are: so what, and if that was completely unexpected. Starting with the latter, it wasn’t unexpected. It’s something in tune with gold’s long-term chart. When the weekly RSI (based on the weekly price changes) for the USD Index hit 70, I wrote the following: Also, please note that the recent medium-term rally has been calmer than any major upswing witnessed over the last 20 years, where the USD Index’s RSI has hit 70. I marked the recent rally in the RSI with an orange rectangle, and I did the same with the second-least and third-least volatile of the medium-term upswings. The sharp rallies in 2008 and 2014 were of much larger magnitudes. And in those historical analogies, the USD Index continued its surge for some time without suffering any material corrections. As a result, the short-term outlook is more of a coin flip. Consequently, the current decline is not unexpected, it’s rather normal. I marked additional situations on the above chart with orange rectangles – these were the recent cases when the RSI based on the USD Index moved from very low levels to or above 70. In all three previous cases, there was some corrective downswing after the initial part of the decline, but once it was over – and the RSI declined somewhat – the big rally returned and the USD Index moved to new highs. I marked those declines in the RSI with blue rectangles, and I did the same thing for the current decline. As you can see, the size of the move lower is currently analogous to previous short-term corrections that were then followed by higher prices. This means that it’s quite likely over or very close to being over, and the medium-term rally can return any day now. Moving back to USD’s short-term chart, we see that the USD Index just (in overnight trading, so the move is not even close to being confirmed) moved a little below USDX’s rising support line based on the previous June and October 2021 lows. At the same time, the USDX is slightly below its late-2020 top and slightly above its November 2021 top. In light of the situation on the long-term USDX chart (as discussed above), this combination of support levels is likely to trigger a rebound and the continuation of the medium-term rally. At the beginning of 2021, I wrote that the year was likely to be bullish for the USD Index, and my forecast for gold (and the rest of the precious metals sector) was bullish – against that of almost every one of my colleagues. The USD Index ended 2021 about 6% higher, gold was down about 3.5%, silver was down almost 12%, the GDX ETF was down by about 9.5%, and the GDXJ ETF (proxy for junior mining stocks, my primary tool for shorting the precious metals sector in 2021 – I wasn’t shorting gold at any point in 2021) was down by about 21%. What about this year? It’s a tough call to say how the entire year will go, but it seems to me that the USD Index will move higher, and we’ll see both in the PMs: a massive decline, and then a huge rally. It’s very likely to be a year to remember for anyone interested in trading gold, silver, and/or mining stocks and/or investing in them. Let’s get back to the current situation. The USD Index declined to fresh 2022 lows – well below the previous January lows, and also below the December and late-November lows. How did gold respond? Gold rallied – but just by a mere $8.80. While gold got close to its early-January high, it didn’t manage to move above it. 2022 is still a down year for gold. Also, gold is clearly below its November 2021 highs, when it was trading close to $1,900. Is gold showing strength here? Absolutely not. Gold is showing the opposite of strength. It’s weak and unwilling to react to the USD’s weakness. That’s exactly what I want to see as a bearish indication if I plan on entering a short position in the precious metals sector or when I’m timing an exit of a long position, or as a confirmation of a bearish narrative in general. So, yes, of course I want to say that yesterday’s rally in gold was a bearish development. That’s the case, because gold should have rallied so much more, given what happened in the USD Index. Today’s overnight action makes the bearish case even clearer. The USDX is down a bit, but gold is down too, anyway. It simply doesn’t want to rally. Gold wants to decline instead. Mining stocks and silver behaved similarly to gold yesterday – they didn’t move to, let alone above, their previous 2022 highs. Consequently, they confirm the indications for the gold vs. USD dynamic – they don’t point to something else. Summing up, the outlook for silver, gold, and mining remains bearish for the medium term, and this week’s rally seems to be nothing more than a counter-trend breather. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Having A Look At The Markets Considering Tensions, COVID-19 And National Banks Decisions

    US 100 doesn't go really high, XAGUSD seems to feel quite good

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 14.01.2022 08:38
    US 100 revisits major support The Nasdaq 100 faltered after an unexpected rise in US initial jobless claims. The tech index bounced off the demand zone around 15200 which used to be a resistance on the daily chart. A bullish divergence revealed a slowdown in the sell-off momentum. The latest break above 15820 prompted some sellers to cover but came under pressure at 15980. After intraday traders took profit, 15200 is a critical support to keep the rebound relevant. A deeper correction would send the price to 14900. EURGBP stuck in bearish trend The euro rose after ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said the inflation spike may last longer than projected. Nonetheless, the bearish sentiment still prevails after the pair failed to hold on to 0.8370. The former support has now turned into a resistance. The current consolidation could be a distribution phase and a drop below 0.8325 could send the price to February 2020’s lows near 0.8290. On the upside, the bulls have the challenging task of lifting offers around 0.8370 and then 0.8415 before they could attract more followers. XAGUSD tests major resistance Silver extends its recovery on the back of a weak US dollar. The metal saw support at the psychological level of 22.00. A break above the resistance at 22.80 and then an acceleration to the upside indicates strong buying interest. An overbought RSI has temporarily held the rally back. The bulls are testing the daily resistance at 23.40. A breakout could shake sellers out and trigger a reversal above 24.00. On the downside, buyers could be lurking around 22.60 in case of a pullback.
    US Federal Reserve - Playing With Fire Part II

    US Federal Reserve - Playing With Fire Part II

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 14.01.2022 22:49
    The US Federal Reserve has recently taken steps to communicate a change in future policy – suggesting raising interest rates and acting more aggressively to combat inflation. Throughout the last few weeks of 2021 and early 2022, these comments and posturing by the US Fed have created some very big downside price moves in the US major indexes. As a result, the US markets' volatility levels (VIX) have moved to a recent average between 17~21 – nearly 3x historical normal levels.US Fed Likely To Move Very Slowly On RatesOne thing that I believe has become evident to many people is that we have moved past the COVID stimulus conversations of the past 24+ months. Inflation, rising prices, constricted supply-chains, and an excess of capital throughout many global markets appear to have shifted how the US Fed interprets future risks. The Fed is telegraphing these concerns to investors very clearly right now, which means traders/investors are shifting their focus away from high-flying Growth stocks.Even though traders are attempting to shift capital away from certain risky sectors in the US and global markets, I still believe we have about 60 to 120+ days before the bigger market shift takes place.The US Federal Reserve will likely start addressing inflationary concerns by reducing their balance sheet assets – not by aggressively raising interest rates. I feel the US Fed will navigate Q1:2022 and Q2:2022 by reducing balance sheet assets while allowing the global supply-chain issues to attempt to resolve themselves. By June/July 2022, or later, I believe the Fed may start to consider rate increases as a means to slow inflation.Fed Comments Shift Investor Sentiment – Metals In Focus For Later 2022This move away from Dovish/easy-money policies will push traders to consider more traditional hedge investments – like Gold and Silver. I'm sure you've read some comments over the past 24+ months about Gold being an extremely undervalued asset as the US Fed poured trillions of stimulus dollars into the economy? These comments were made concerning the fact that Gold rallied from $1450 in 2019 to almost $2100 in 2020 – over 12 months (over +43%). Could a big move in Gold/Silver happen again in 2022 or 2023?My research suggests a Double Pennant/Flag formation in Gold suggests the $1675 support level becomes critical soon. It also indicates a Breakout/Breakdown move may start to happen before March or April 2022 – near the APEX of the current Pennant/Flag formation.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! The key APEX range is currently between $1785 and $1830. This represents a very tight price range where Gold may attempt to consolidate as we move towards the March/April Apex. My research suggests a move to levels near $1740 to $1750 may happen just before the Apex Breakout/Breakdown initiates. So, watch for a bit of downside price volatility in Gold before the end of February 2022.Junior Gold Miners May Rally +45%, Or More, On A Gold Price RallyThe Junior Gold Miners (GDXJ) Weekly Chart shows a firm support level near $37.35 that should act as a floor for price. My research suggests the next 45+ days will see GDXJ prices stay below $44 to $45 – trading in a reasonably tight range before starting to rally higher near the end of February 2022.I believe Metals and Miners are aligning for a late February 2022 or Q2:2022 rally. The reason is that I believe the positioning by the US Fed, and expectations related to later 2022 (a mid-term election year), may prompt quite a bit of concern for the US and global equities. This will likely push investors and traders into “old-school” hedge instruments – like Gold and Silver.That means Junior Gold and Silver Miners maybe about 55+ days away from an explosive upside price trend.SILJ May Rally +70% to +100%, Or More, On Fed ActionsNear the end of 2022, I published a research article highlighting the incredible opportunity in Silver – focusing on how the Gold/Silver ratio had recently reached another peak level and had started to decline: Fear May Drive Silver More Than 60% Higher In 2022. This move suggests the disparity between the price of Gold to the price of Silver shows Gold is appreciated (and holding greater value) than Silver over the past few years.The COVID virus event, and the subsequent Fed/Government stimulus, shifted investors/traders focus away from precious metals and into the equities market speculative rally. Now that the US Fed is starting to warn of more aggressive rate increases and other actions, precious metals are suddenly much more important as a hedge against future risks.This SILJ Weekly Chart highlights the incredible base level, near $12, that continues to offer traders a fantastic hedge against a sudden Fed move. Using a simple Fibonacci Price Extension, we can see a $20 target level (+61%) and a $25.64 target level (100%). If the $12 level holds as a base/support, SILJ may be one of the easiest and best hedges against a sudden Fed move right now.The US Federal Reserve is, in my opinion, playing with fireThe COVID Virus Event pushed global debt levels higher by more than $19.5 Trillion Dollars (Source: Bloomberg ). The rush to attempt to save the global economy has created a massive surge in global debt levels – pushing the global debt to GDP level to well above 356% (Source: Axios).Why is this so important right now? Because the US Federal Reserve is talking about an attempt to move interest rates and Fed decision-making back to near-normal levels. In my opinion, this was the one fault of Alan Greenspan in 2006-07. The thought that we can raise rates to “near normal level” at any time when we have grown debt levels excessively throughout the world is failed thinking and ignorant, in my opinion.The US Federal Reserve is trapped and almost backed into a corner. I believe the US Fed will find any rate increases above 1.00 before the end of 2023 will significantly disrupt the global speculative bubble. Any attempt to move rates to levels near or above 2.00 would represent a nearly +2000% rate increase in less than 12 to 24 months. If you want to see a shock to the global markets where global debt to GDP is closing in on 400%, try raising the FFR by more than 2000% over a short period of time. That is what I call “playing with FIRE.”.(Source: Axios)2022 and 2023 will be filled with significant market trends and increased volatility. Right now, traders and investors need to understand the global markets are attempting to quickly transition away from a speculative/growth phase as the US Federal Reserve attempts to telegraph future rate increases. So it's time to start thinking about how to prepare for unknowns and how to protect your capital more efficiently.Growth sectors and US major indexes may continue to move higher for the next 30 to 60+ days, but my research suggests Q2:2022 may represent a "change in thinking" related to a late-2022 Fed shift. We are starting to see the markets move away from the speculative bubble-type trending we saw in 2020 and early 2021. Keep your eyes open and learn how to prepare for the big trends over the next 3+ years. The Fed is playing with fire right now. One wrong move and the markets could start a drastic price correction/reversion.Finding The Right Trading StrategiesIf you have struggled with finding opportunities over the past year or so and want to know which are the hottest sectors, or how to protect and grow your capital, then please take a minute to review my Total ETF Portfolio – Triple-Strategy Trading Plan to help you profit from these big market transitions.Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Gold Wars: Revenge of Supply and Inflation

    Gold Wars: Revenge of Supply and Inflation

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 14.01.2022 16:53
      Inflation! The Republic is crumbling under attacks by the ruthless Supply Lord, Count Shortage. Dearness is everywhere. Will gold save the galaxy? If George Lucas were to make a movie about 2021 instead of Jedi knights, he would probably call it Revenge of the Supply. After all, last year will be remembered as the period of semiconductor shortages, production bottlenecks, disrupted value chains, delayed deliveries, surging job vacancies, rising inflation, and skyrocketing energy prices. It could be a shocking discovery for Keynesian economists, who focus on aggregate demand and believe that there is always slack in the economy, but it turned out that supply matters too! As a reminder, state governments couldn’t deal with the pandemic more smartly and introduced lockdowns. Then, it turned out – what a surprise! – that the shutdown of the economy, well, shut down the economy, so the Fed and the banking system boosted the money supply, while Congress passed a mammoth fiscal stimulus, including sending checks to just about every American. In other words, 2021 showed us that one cannot close and reopen the economy without any negative consequences, as the economy doesn’t simply return to the status quo. After the reopening of the economy, people started to spend all the money that was “printed” and given to them. Hence, demand increased sharply, and supply couldn’t keep up with the boosted spending. It turned out that economic problems are not always related to the demand side that has to be “stimulated”. We’ve also learned that there are supply constraints and that production and delivery don’t always go smoothly. The contemporary economy is truly global, complex, and interconnected – and the proper working of this mechanism depends on the adequate functioning of its zillion elements. Thus, shit happens from time to time. This is why it’s smart to have some gold as a portfolio insurance against tail risks. Evergiven, the ship that blocked the Suez Canal, disrupting international trade, was the perfect illustration. However, the importance of supply factors goes beyond logistics and is related to regulations, taxes, incentives, etc. Instead of calls for injecting liquidity during each crisis, efficiency, reducing the disincentives to work and invest, and unlocking the supply shackles imposed by the government should become the top economic priority. Another negative surprise for mainstream economists in 2021 was the revenge of inflation. For years, central bankers and analysts have dismissed the threat of inflation, considering it a phenomenon of the past. In the 1970s, the Fed was still learning how to conduct monetary policy. It made a few mistakes, but is much smarter today, so stagflation won’t repeat. Additionally, we live in a globalized economy with strong product competition and weak labor unions, so inflation won’t get out of control. Indeed, inflation was stubbornly low for years, despite all the easy monetary policy, and didn’t want to reach the Fed’s target of 2%, so the US central bank changed its regime to be more flexible and tolerant of inflation. It was in 2020, just one year before the outbreak of inflation. The Fed completely didn’t expect that – which shows the intellectual poverty of this institution – and called it “transitory”. Initially, inflation was supposed to be short-lived because of the “base effects”, then because of the “supply bottlenecks”. Only in November, the Fed admitted that inflation was more broad-based and would be more persistent than it previously thought. Well, better late than never! What does the revenge of supply and inflation imply for the gold market? One could expect that gold would perform better last year amid all the supply problems and a surge in inflation. We’ve learned that gold doesn’t always shine during inflationary times. The reason was that supply shortages didn’t translate into a full-blown economic crisis. On the contrary, they were caused by a strong rebound in demand; and they contributed mainly to higher inflation, which strengthened the Fed’s hawkish rhetoric and expectations of higher interest rates, creating downward pressure on gold prices. On the other hand, we could say as well that gold prices were supported by elevated inflation and didn’t drop more thanks to all the supply disruptions and inflationary threats. After all, during the economic expansion of 2011-2015 that followed the Great Recession, gold plunged about 45%, while between the 2020 peak and the end of 2021, the yellow metal lost only about 13%, as the chart below shows. Hence, the worst might be yet to come. I don’t expect a similarly deep decline as in the past, especially given that the Fed’s tightening cycle seems to be mostly priced in, but the real interest rates could normalize somewhat. Thus, I have bad news for the gold bulls. The supply crunch is expected to moderate in the second half of 2022, which would also ease inflationary pressure. To be clear, inflation won’t disappear, but it may reach a peak this year. The combination of improvement on the supply side of the economy, with inflation reaching its peak, and with a more hawkish Fed doesn’t bode well for gold. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Powell Sends a Smile to Gold

    Powell Sends a Smile to Gold

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 14.01.2022 16:27
      Powell testified before the Senate. He didn’t say anything new, but gold rallied a bit. “We have totally screwed up inflation and now we are in deep trouble,” admitted Jerome Powell during his appearance before the Senate. OK, he didn’t formulate it exactly that way, but it was the message of his testimony. Powell admitted that the Fed wrongly expected a faster easing of supply disruptions and thought that price pressures would be much lower by now. As a consequence, inflation was believed to be only ‘transitory’. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. “The supply-side constraints have been very durable. We are not seeing the kind of progress that all forecasters thought we’d be seeing by now. We did foresee a strong spike in demand. We didn’t know it would be so focused on goods,” saidPowell. As a result of the Fed’s inaction, inflation has risen 7% in 2021, the fastest pace since February 1982, as the chart below shows. After conducting very complicated calculations, Powell admitted that “inflation is running very far above target.” Bold deduction, Sherlock! Such high inflation is indeed a troublesome and even central bankers realize that. This is why Powell stated that “the economy no longer needs or wants the very accommodative policies we have had in place,” and that “we will use our tools to support the economy and a strong labor market and to prevent higher inflation from becoming entrenched.” However, there is a problem here. The main tool the Fed has to fight inflation is raising the federal funds rate, but hiking interest rates may hamper economic expansion and even trigger the next financial crisis. As Powell admitted, “if inflation does become too persistent, that will lead to much tighter monetary policy and that could lead to a recession.” Thus, the central bank is between a rock and a hard place, between high inflation and the risk of slowing economic expansion or even of an economic crisis.   Implications for Gold What does Powell’s testimony imply for the gold market? Well, theoretically not much, as it didn’t include any major surprises. However, Powell sounded quite hawkish. For example, he downplayed the economic consequences of the current surge in coronavirus cases, and said that it’s likely not changing the Fed’s plans to tighten its monetary policy this year. These plans are relatively bold for this year: “We are going to end asset purchases in March. We will raise rates. And at some point this year will let the balance sheet runoff,” Powell said. However, it seems that Powell sounded less hawkish than investors were afraid of. Given such worries, the lack of any surprises could be dovish. This is at least what gold’s performance suggests. As the chart below shows, Powell’s testimony triggered a small rally and revived optimism in the gold market. That’s for sure encouraging. After all, gold jumped above a key level of $1,800, catching some breath, but it’s too early to call a major reversal in the gold market. The yellow metal would have to sustain itself above $1,820 and then surpass $1,850, or even higher levels, to trumpet a bullish breakout. There are still several headwinds for gold. First of all, the monetary hawks haven’t struck yet. They are growing in strength, as several regional bank presidents have recently called for a rate hike as soon as in March. Such calls may strengthen the expectations of rate increases, boosting bond yields, and creating downward pressure for gold prices. We’ll find out soon whether it will happen or not, as the January FOMC meeting is in two weeks, and it could be a groundbreaking event in the gold market. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    BTCUSD Moving Down In General, ETHUSD Not So Far From November Tops

    BTCUSD Moving Down In General, ETHUSD Not So Far From November Tops

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 17.01.2022 08:33
    The Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index has been cruising between 21-23 for the past seven days - in the extreme fear territory, finding itself in the middle of that range on Monday. Meanwhile, the value of all coins tracked by CoinMarketCap fell 0.5% in the last 24 hours to $2.05 trillion. By and large, a sideways range, $2.0-$2.1 trillion, has also been prevalent here for the past seven days, marking a lull in bull and bear fighting. It remains to be seen whether this signifies fatigue from the past months' turbulent moves or preparations for a new strong momentum. The local victory is on the bears' side, dominating the top coins now, where losses range from -0.8% for Bitcoin to -5.7% for Polkadot over the last 24 hours. Bitcoin failed to build on last week's upside momentum and is back in the $41-42K consolidation area, approaching it from above. A decline from these levels in the coming days will be a development of the downtrend since November, reversing the BTCUSD from the upper boundary of the downtrend channel. A bearish scenario suggests a dip towards $31K by the end of this week to close the July gap. But the door for such a decline will only open after the bulls surrender the $40K level they managed to hold in September and earlier in January. Ether has also encountered a sell-off in its attempts to rise above $3.3K. The 200-day moving average level is now acting as significant resistance. Bitcoin and Ether, which have a combined capitalisation of almost 60% of all cryptocurrencies, show worryingly negative dynamics. At the same time, their share has been declining since late last year. We are seeing either a shift in investor attitudes towards the sector leaders or certain inertia of altcoins compared to the flagships. Right now, it seems that crypto enthusiasts are not at all opposed to the changing landscape. However, as is often the case in nature, such changes rarely go smoothly.      
    YUAN feels good even after not so optimistic stats

    YUAN feels good even after not so optimistic stats

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 17.01.2022 12:33
    China published mixed economic data noting a slowdown in a year-over-year comparison, but some of the data exceeded expectations. The Chinese renminbi has been on the offensive against the US dollar for the past week, bringing USDCNH back to test the lows of the past six months. The economy grew by 1.6% last quarter after 0.2% previously. However, the GDP growth was 4.0% y/y - the lowest since the second quarter of 2020. Industrial production added 4.3%, markedly better than the expected 3.7%. December retail sales data disappointed with growth slowing to just 1.7% y/y, the lowest since August 2020. Weakness in domestic demand data has not stopped the demand for the Chinese renminbi, which is testing the 6.35 mark for the second month. Since the beginning of December, the pair has bounced out of this area. Earlier in May 2021, we also witnessed a prolonged reversal near this level. The USDCNH traded steadily lower from January to May 2018 but turned to the upside at the start of the trade wars. The yuan has settled well, consolidating in a narrow range since late October, which has created the potential for a resumption of the trend. A firm consolidation below 6.35 at the end of the week or the month would be an essential signal for starting a new downward wave. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of another bounce from these levels for the time being.
    S&P 500 (SPX) Chart Looks Like An Interesting Mountain Trip. Oil keeps moving up

    S&P 500 (SPX) Chart Looks Like An Interesting Mountain Trip. Oil keeps moving up

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 17.01.2022 15:18
    S&P 500 didn‘t like latest weak data releases, but finished well off intraday lows. This reversal though leaves quite something to be desired – and it‘s sectoral composition doesn‘t pass the smell test entirely either. Yields continued to rise while HYG barely closed where it opened – that‘s not really risk-on. Cyclicals, and riskier parts of tech weren‘t visibly outperforming – the S&P 500 rally felt like a defensive bounce off some oversold levels. That‘s why it won‘t likely hold for long – I don‘t think we have seen the end of selling – more downside awaits. It‘s still correction time, even if 2022 is likely to end up around 5,150 – we‘re still in a bull market, and Big Tech would do well. For now though, rising yields are putting pressure – and they would continue to rise. As liquidity would no longer be added by the Fed by Mar, the question remains how much would funds coming out of the repo facilities and the overnight account at the Fed (think $2t basically) offset the intended tightening. Commodities aren‘t at all shaken, and Wednesday‘s positive copper move doesn‘t look to be an outlier – unlike Friday‘s decline that didn‘t correspond with other base metals. Even though it might be soothing to the pension funds, inflation rates aren‘t likely to come down to the usual massaged 2% during the next 2-3 years, no matter whether the Fed hikes by 0.25% 6 or 8 times. The persistently and unpleasantly 4-5% high CPI is likely to break the mainstream narrative, and stay with us for much longer than generally anticipated, which is only part of the reason why I am looking for gold to leave $1,870s very convincingly in the dust this year. Both yellow and black gold would rise in tandem, and the rising open crude oil profits (heavy long positions opened at $78) are part of the reason behind permanently elevated inflation ahead. The commodities upswing is also no longer tempered by the rising dollar. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook The tech reversal could carry the daily weight of S&P 500 upswing – the daily weight only. I‘m not looking for this modest show of strength to hold. Credit Markets HYG didn‘t close strongly either – rising yields are taking their toll, and will continue doing so. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver downswing needn‘t be feared – while the metals are still sideways, the pressure to go up is building, and the dollar woes would be but the first catalyst (challenged faith in the Fed taming inflation would be next). Crude Oil Crude oil still finds it easiest to keep rising, and black gold could pause a little on the approach to $90 – the technical and fundamental upswing conditions are in place, and oil stocks will continue to be among the best S&P 500 performers. Copper Copper catch up was postponed a little – that‘s all. The decline wasn‘t a true reversal, and the red metal would take on $4.60 before too long again. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum still can‘t convince on the upside, and with no dovish surprise on the horizon, the path of least resistance probably remains down for now – today‘s session definitely confirms that. Summary S&P 500 upswing isn‘t to be trusted, and its defensive nature out of tune with bonds, is part of the reason why. The stock market correction has further to go, and while tech overall would do well in 2022, it has to decline first – that would set the stage for a good 2H advance. The early phase of the Fed tightening cycle belongs to the bears, and it would continue to be commodities and precious metals to weather the storms best. Long live the inflation trades. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    FTSE 100 and USDCHF slowly goes up?

    FTSE 100 and USDCHF slowly goes up?

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 17.01.2022 10:49
    USDCHF attempts to rebound The US dollar came under pressure after a contraction in December’s US retail sales. Strong selling pressure from the supply area around 0.9280 has pushed the pair all the way below the daily support at 0.9100. An oversold RSI triggered a buying-the-dips behavior but the rebound could be limited as sentiment tilted to the bearish side. The bulls will need to reclaim the support-turned-resistance at 0.9190 first. Otherwise, a new round of sell-off below 0.9090 could send the greenback to last August lows near 0.9020. NZDUSD seeks post-rally support The New Zealand dollar fell as risk sentiment subsided going into the weekend. The surge above the supply zone around 0.6850 has triggered a reversal fever after a month-long sideways action. As the RSI drops back into the neutrality area, buyers could be waiting to jump in at a discount. A pullback below 0.6840 has led to some profit-taking but as long as the price stays above 0.6780 the rebound is valid, or the kiwi could revisit the critical floor at 0.6700. A break above the recent high at 0.6890 would extend the rally to 0.6960. UK 100 consolidates gains The FTSE 100 finds support from the UK’s stronger-than-expected GDP. A break above the top of the previous consolidation range (7545) means a continuation of the current uptrend. Trend-followers may consider a pullback as an opportunity to stake in. Short-term sentiment remains bullish as long as the index is above 7470. A break above the immediate resistance at 7580 would extend the rally upward. A deeper retracement would test 7370 which used to be a major resistance from the double top on the daily chart.
    (TSLA) Tesla Stock with +1.75% There are many factors which can influence its price.

    (TSLA) Tesla Stock with +1.75% There are many factors which can influence its price.

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.01.2022 15:56
    Tesla gains on Friday as Nasdaq finished in the green. TSLA stock closes at $1049.61 for a gain of 1.75%. Tesla shares are still in a downtrend but holding above the key pivot. Tesla (TSLA) returned to the green on Friday as the NASDAQ took the crown for best performing index, while the Dow suffered a bank burnout. Bank stocks reported on Friday in the form of Citigroup (C), JPMorgan (JPM) and Wells Fargo (WFC), and the results were decidedly mixed. Citigroup and JPMorgan fell heavily and dragged the Dow down with them. Yields though remained under control, allowing the Nasdaq to breathe lighter and make some headway after recent losses. This helped Tesla back into the green, but the stock remains choppy and sideways in motion. Tesla Stock News The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that a Tesla lawyer asked Cooley LLP, an international law firm, to fire one of its lawyers who had previously worked at the US SEC. The lawyer in question had supposedly interviewed Elon Musk in the SEC investigation in 2018 into Musk after he claimed on Twitter that he had gotten funding in place to take Tesla private. The SEC investigation led to Elon Musk and Tesla each paying $20 million fines. According to the WSJ article, a Tesla lawyer asked Cooley LLP to fire the attorney late last year, but Cooley did not follow through on the request. Tesla has used alternative law firms on several cases since December. Tesla and Cooley LLP have not yet responded to CNBC requests for comment. This may add to pressure on the stock despite Friday's rebound. Earlier in the week, investors and Cybertruck fans were left disappointed with a further delay to the truck's production timeline release, which has now been pushed to 2023. Tesla Stock Forecast Irrespective of the news, we have an indecisive chart here. TSLA stock's most recent high was a lower one than the previous and has put in a series of lower lows. This means it is currently in a short-term downtrend. $980 is the key pivot that will signify more losses. Breaking $980 makes the target $886. Holding above $980, and the target is $1,200. However, we have a declining Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD). The MACD has also crossed into negative territory. Tesla chart, daily
    (BTC) Bitcoin with a rise, (ETH) Ether gains as well, (XRP) Ripple probably doesn't feel that well today

    (BTC) Bitcoin with a rise, (ETH) Ether gains as well, (XRP) Ripple probably doesn't feel that well today

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.01.2022 15:56
    Bitcoin price rejuvenates its uptrend as it bounces off a 4-hour demand zone, extending from $41,843 to $42,707. Ethereum price produces a higher high, signaling a continuation of its uptrend. Ripple price revisits the demand zone, ranging from $0.694 to $0.753, as bulls fail to kick-start a rally. Bitcoin price reveals a bullish outlook albeit a slow one, providing altcoins with an opportunity to run free. The past week is a testament to the recent gains witnessed among many altcoins. While Ethereum continues to remain bullish, Ripple struggles to hold on. Bitcoin price pushes forward Bitcoin price produced a lower low after the January 13 swing high at $44,439 but managed to set a higher low, keeping the uptrend somewhat intact. As BTC bounces off a 4-hour demand zone, extending from $41,843 to $42,707, investors can expect the pioneer crypto to make a run for the previous week’s high at $47,609. This hurdle is present below the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) At $48,590. BTC’s upside potential, though, at least in the short-term, seems to be capped at the aforementioned level. BTC/USD 4-hour chart If Bitcoin price fails to see a bullish reaction off of the $41,843 to $42,707 demand zone, it will indicate weakness among buyers. This lack of interest could allow bears to take control and push BTC down to $41,762 – a four-hour candlestick close below there will then invalidate the bullish thesis. This development could lead Bitcoin price lower, to retest the $39,87 support level. Ethereum price shows strength Ethereum price is in a similar situation to Bitcoin as it produced a higher low but failed to set up a higher high. As long as BTC remains bullish, ETH will follow suit. Market participants can, therefore, expect the smart contract token to make a run for the 200-day SMA at $3,475. Clearing this hurdle will open the path for Ethereum price to revisit the daily supply zone, extending from $3,675 to $3,846. The upper limit of this hurdle coincides with the 50-day SMA, indicating that a further uptrend is unlikely. ETH/USD 4-hour chart Regardless of the optimistic scenario, Ethereum price needs to hold above the weekly support level at $3,061 to see a meaningful uptrend. A breakdown of this foothold will remove confidence and instill doubt among buyers. A four-hour candlestick close below the demand zone’s lower limit at $2,927, however, will create a lower low, invalidating the bullish thesis. Ethereum price finds stable support as ETH targets $4,000 Ripple price lacks motivation Ripple price has been teetering on a daily demand zone, stretching from $0.693 to $0.753 since the December 4, 2021 crash. One can assume that this barrier has been weakening. Due to its correlation with BTC, however, XRP price is likely to rally 12% to retest the 50-day SMA at $0.844. The weakened demand zone could face destruction by a short-term bearish momentum, however, so investors should exercise caution with the remittance token. In some cases, Ripple price could overcome the immediate hurdle and make a run for the 200-day SMA at $0.954. XRP/USD 1-day chart On the other hand, if Ripple price produces a daily candlestick close below $0.693, it will create a lower low, invalidating the bullish thesis. This development could trigger a crash, where XRP price could revisit the $0.604 support level. XRP price looks bullish, targets $1
    Holiday Jubilations Take Over GWENT!

    Holiday Jubilations Take Over GWENT!

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 22.12.2021 12:28
    CD PROJEKT RED announces that the annual Winter Event has started in GWENT: The Witcher Card Game, with festive rewards and offers up for grabs for all players. GWENT's Winter Event is live right now and will end on January 11th at noon, CET. During this time players will be earning a special in-game resource called Pine Cones, acquired for logging in every day, completing daily quests, as well as winning matches in Standard, Seasonal, and Draft game modes. Once obtained, Pine Cones can then be exchanged for a swathe of themed vanities, including cardbacks, avatars and borders, titles — as well as both a leader and a coin skin! — via a dedicated page in the in-game Reward Book. Watch the Winter Event Trailer Additionally, owners of the Geralt leader skin will be able to take on two special contracts during the event, awarding those who complete them with the equippable Red Hat and Candy Sword trinkets for Geralt. Furthermore, for a limited time players can claim a Geralt-leader-skin-exclusive sword inspired by Netflix's The Witcher series — available for free to all until January 13th, in celebration of the second season's release.The holiday spirit has also spilled into the in-game store, where Shupe the Troll is currently hosting a special sale featuring the Midwinter Bundle and Frozen Bundle, both filled with merry items, as well as the Yule Board. Those who would also like to deck out Geralt with the Winter-Event-only trinkets, but don't yet have him in their collection, can purchase the witcher's legendary neutral leader skin, as it is up for grabs right now in the shop, too. Learn more about the Winter Event GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is available for free on PC via GOG.COM and Steam, Apple M1 Macs running macOS, as well as on Android and iOS. For more information on GWENT, visit playgwent.com. Source: CD Projekt
    A New Journey and Saovine Event Kicks Off in GWENT! - 03.11.2021

    A New Journey and Saovine Event Kicks Off in GWENT! - 03.11.2021

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 03.11.2021 15:59
    CD PROJEKT RED today announced that the 7th season of Journey and the Saovine live event are available in GWENT: The Witcher Card Game right now. This newest installment of Journey brings over 80 rewards across more than 100 levels for players to unlock. In addition to battling in GWENT's Standard, Seasonal and Draft modes, weekly quests can be undertaken to provide more opportunities to progress through levels, while new chapters of this latest Journey's story will also be available each week — centering around two higher vampires: Regis, an old friend and companion of Geralt of Rivia, and Dettlaff van der Eretein, known from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansion Blood and Wine. Watch the Journey Season 7 Trailer As with previous seasons, the 7th season of Journey is available in two tiers. The free tier is available to all GWENT players and offers avatars, borders, and reward points to unlock — while Journey's Premium paid tier offers all that and more, with cardbacks, coins, music tracks, and titles to unlock, alongside the Regis neutral leader skin as well as alternative outfits and trinkets for Regis to equip during battles. Journey Season 7 begins today and will run for three months. Learn More About the Latest Season of Journey Also available from today in GWENT is Saovine — an annual Halloween-themed event, where this year players must complete special quests given by the three Crones: Whispess, Brewess, and Weavess. Once a player completes all quests from one of the three Crones, they will unlock a title, avatar, and border — and will then be free to accept quests from the remaining Crones. Players will also receive a special coin for doing the bidding of two of the Crones, and a border trinket for completing every task for all three of them. All brand new 11 Saovine rewards can only be gained during this event by fulfilling the Crones' demands. During Saovine, a number of Halloween-inspired ornaments will also be on sale in the GWENT in-game store, including two brand new items: the Saovine gameboard and the Bat Wings trinket for Shupe's leader skin. Saovine will come to an end at 12:00 noon, November 4th CET. Watch the Saovine Event Trailer GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is available for free on PC via GOG.COM and Steam, Apple M1 Macs running macOS, as well as on Android and iOS. For more information on GWENT, visit playgwent.com.   Source: CD Projekt
    GWENT Masters Season 3 Concludes! New GWENT Update Coming Tomorrow!

    GWENT Masters Season 3 Concludes! New GWENT Update Coming Tomorrow!

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 06.12.2021 14:27
    CD PROJEKT RED announces that Alexander "TLG_Cyberz" Schmidt has claimed the ultimate victory in the Season 3 GWENT World Masters tournament this past weekend, earning the title of GWENT World Champion in the official Witcher Card Game esports series. The season's grand finale tournament played out over the course of Saturday and Sunday, December 4th-5th. Streamed live on Twitch in its entirety, it saw 8 of the best GWENT players from around the world competing in high-stakes battles for a share of the $71,000 prize pool and the title of GWENT World Champion. Relive GWENT World Masters on the official CD PROJEKT RED Twitch channel. The final tournament prize pool distribution and standings are as follows: WINNERAlexander "TLG_Cyberz" Schmidt (Germany)FINALISTSAlexander "TLG_Cyberz" Schmidt (Germany) — $36,140Ilya "BigKuKuRUzina35" Lyapin (Russia) — $9,230SEMIFINALISTSZhang "lord-triss" Yusheng (China) — $8,305Oleg "Akela114" Nikolaev (Russia) — $7,455QUARTERFINALISTSAleksander "TLG_Pajabol" Owczarek (Poland) — $3,480PaweÅ‚ "kams134" Skoroda (Poland) — $2,840Damian "TailBot" Kaźmierczak (Poland) — $1,775Elias "theshaggynuts" Sagmeister (Austria) — $1,775 During the event, before the final match, CD PROJEKT RED also revealed that a new content update for GWENT is coming Tuesday, December 7th. The update will add 12 new cards (2 per each faction), while also introducing a number of regular balance changes. The video overview for the update is available on Twitch, via the GWENT World Masters tournament recording, as well as on GWENT's official YouTube channel. CD PROJEKT RED would like to thank all participants and everyone who watched live to help make GWENT World Masters such a fantastic event.For a complete overview of GWENT Masters — the official esports series for GWENT: The Witcher Card Game — including the ruleset, format, and tournament dates, visit masters.playgwent.com.GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is available for free on PC via GOG.COM and Steam, Apple M1 Macs running macOS, as well as on Android and iOS. For more information on GWENT, visit playgwent.com.   Source: CD Projekt
    Another One Bites the Dust

    Another One Bites the Dust

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 20.01.2022 16:36
    S&P 500 gave up opening gains that could have lasted longer – but the bear is still strong, and didn‘t pause even for a day or two. Defeated during the first hour, the sellers couldn‘t make much progress, and credit markets confirm the grim picture. There is a but, though – quality debt instruments turned higher, and maintained much of their intraday gains.And that could be a sign – in spite of the bearish onslaught driving the buyers back to the basement before the closing bell – that more buying would materialize to close this week, with consequences for S&P 500 as well. I would simply have preferred to see rising yields once again, that would be a great catalyst of further stock market selling. Now, the wisest course of action looks to be waiting for the upcoming upswing (one that didn‘t develop during the Asian session really), to get exhausted.Remember my yesterday‘s words:(…) The rising yields are all about betting on a really, really hawkish Fed – just how far are the calls for not 25, but 50bp hike this Mar? Inflation is still resilient (of course) but all it takes is some more hawkish statements that wouldn‘t venture out of the latest narrative line.Anyway, the markets aren‘t drinking the kool-aid – the yield curve continues flattening, which means the bets on Fed‘s misstep are on. True, the tightening moves have been quite finely telegraphed, but the markets didn‘t buy it, and were focused on the Santa Claus (liquidity-facilitated) rally instead – therefore, my Dec 20 warning is on. The clock to adding zero fresh liquidity, and potentially even not rolling over maturing securities (as early as Mar?) is ticking.And the run to commodities goes on, with $85 crude oil not even needing fresh conflict in Eastern Europe – the demand almost at pre-corona levels leaving supply and stockpiles in the dust, is fit for the job.With SPX short profits off the table, crude oil consolidating, and cryptos having second thoughts about the decline continuation, it‘s been precious metals that stole the spotlight yesterday – really great moves across the board to enjoy!Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 buyers are nowhere to be seen – what kind of reflexive rebound would we get next? The odds aren‘t arrayed for it to be reaching very high – yields are catching up even with financials...Credit MarketsHYG is likely to pause a little next, and the degree of its move relative to the quality debt instruments, would be telling. Rates are though going to keep rising, so keep looking for a temporary HYG stabilization only.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver keep catching fire, and are slowly breaking out of the unpleasantly long consolidation. The strongly bullish undertones are playing out nicely – these aren‘t yet the true celebrations.Crude OilCrude oil looks like it could pause a little here – the stellar run (by no means over yet) is attracting selling interest. The buyers are likely to pause for a moment over the next few days.CopperCopper is paring back on the missed opportunity to catch up – the red metal will be dragged higher alongside the other commodities, and isn‘t yet offering signs of true, outperforming strength.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum really are setting up a little breather, but I‘m not looking for bullish miracles to happen. Still, the buying interest was there yesterday, and that would influence the entry to the coming week (bullishly).SummaryS&P 500 upswing turned into a dead cat bounce pretty fast, and while we may see another attempt by the bulls, I think it would be rather short-lived. Think lasting a couple of days only. Not until there is a change in the credit markets, have the stock market bulls snowball‘s chance in hell. Commodities and especially precious metals, are well placed to keep reaping the rewards – just as I had written a week ago. For now, it‘s fun to be riding the short side in S&P 500 judiciously, and the time for another position opening, looks slowly but surely approaching. Let the great profits grow elsewhere in the meantime.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Gold: Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Macro Influences - The Latest "As Good As Gold" Is Here!

    Russian Bear and Inflationary Hydra Sent Gold to $1,840

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 20.01.2022 17:24
      Gold soared as investors got scared by reports of an allegedly impending military conflict. Was it worth reacting sharply to geopolitical factors? Gold has been performing quite nicely in January. As the chart below shows, its price increased from $1,806 at the end of December to around $1,820 this week, strengthening its position above $1,800. Yesterday (January 19, 2022), gold prices went sharply higher, jumping above $1,840, as one can see in the chart below. What happened? Investors got scared of the Russian bear and inflationary hydra. President Biden predicted that Russia would move into Ukraine. The threat of invasion and renewal of a conflict weakened risk appetite among investors. To complete the geopolitical picture, this week, North Korea fired missiles again (on Monday, the country conducted its fourth missile test of the year), while terrorists attacked the United Arab Emirates with drones. The heightened risk aversion could spur some demand for safe-haven assets such as gold. The yellow metal tends to benefit from greater uncertainty. However, investors should remember that geopolitical risks usually cause only a short-lived reaction. Investors also recalled the ongoing global inflationary crisis. Some news helped them wake up. In the U.K., inflation surged 5.4% in December, the highest since March 1992. Meanwhile, in Canada, inflation jumped 4.8%, also the fastest pace in 30 years. Additionally, crude oil prices have jumped to around $86.5 per barrel, the highest value since 2014, as the chart below shows. The timing couldn’t be worse, as inflation is already elevated, while higher oil implies higher CPI in the future. Gold should, therefore, welcome the rise in oil prices. On the other hand, it could prompt the Fed to react more forcefully and aggressively to tighten its monetary policy.   Implications for Gold What does the recent mini-rally imply for the gold market? Well, it’s never a good idea to draw far-reaching conclusions from short-term moves, especially those caused by geopolitical factors. Risk-offs and risk-on sentiments come and go. However, let’s do justice to gold. It hit a two-months high, more and more boldly settling in above $1,800. All this happened despite rising bond yields. As the chart below shows, the long-term real interest rates have increased from about -1.0% at the end of 2021 to about -0.6%. Gold’s resilience in the face of rising interest rates is praiseworthy. Having said that, investors shouldn’t forget that 2022 will be a year of the Fed’s tightening cycle, rising interest rates, and also a certain moderation in inflation. All these factors could be important headwinds for gold this year. However, investors may underestimate how the Fed’s monetary policy will impact market conditions. After all, the Fed’s hawkish stance also entails some risks for the financial markets and the overall economy. Practically, each tightening cycle in the past has led to an economic crisis. As a reminder, after four hikes in 2018, the Fed had to reverse its stance and cut them in 2019. The Fed signaled not only a few hikes this year, but also a reduction of its balance sheet. Given the enormous indebtedness of the economy and Wall Street’s addiction to easy money, it might be too much to swallow. Importantly, when the Fed is focused on fighting inflation, its ability to help the markets will be limited. I thought that such worries would arise later this year, supporting gold, but maybe the gold market has already started to price in the possibility of economic turbulence triggered by the Fed’s tightening cycle. Anyway, next week, the FOMC will gather for the first time in 2022, and it could be an important, insightful event for the gold market. Stay tuned! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Technical Analysis: Moving Averages - Did You Know This Tool?

    Gold Price Chart Might Make Some Investors Happy, US 30 With Reds

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 21.01.2022 08:59
    XAUUSD breaks resistance Gold surged over geopolitical tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine. Following a three-week-long sideways grind, the break above the triple top at 1830 indicates strong commitment from the buy-side. 1850 is the next level to clear, which would lead to November’s peak at 1877. The RSI has shot into the overbought area, and some profit-taking could briefly drive the price lower. Buyers may see a pullback as an opportunity to join in. 1820 near the base of the recent rally is a key support in this case. AUDUSD seeks support The Australian dollar climbed back after the unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% in December. A surge above 0.7270 was the bulls’ attempt to initiate a reversal. As sellers covered their bets, the way might be open for a meaningful rebound. The follow-up correction met solid buying interest at 0.7170. Sentiment would remain upbeat as long as price action stays above this key support. 0.7290 is an important hurdle and its breach could trigger a runaway rally towards 0.7420. US 30 tests major support The Dow Jones 30 retreats as traders take profit ahead of next week’s Fed meeting. The index has given up all its gains from the late December rally and fell through the daily support at 34700. This bearish breakout could extend losses to the psychological level of 34000, a critical floor to prevent a deeper correction in the medium-term. The RSI’s oversold situation may attract some buying interest. Nonetheless, the bulls will need to lift offers around 35500 in a show of force, in order to turn sentiment around.
    Gamestop (GME) Stock Price and Forecast: Any pop from Activision (ATVI), Microsoft (MSFT) deal?

    Gamestop (GME) Stock Price and Forecast: Any pop from Activision (ATVI), Microsoft (MSFT) deal?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 20.01.2022 15:58
    GameStop stock fails to ignite despite the gaming sector being in play. GameStop is a bystander retailer, while the big activity is game makers. GME stock remains bearish in our view despite a mid-week short squeeze attempt. GameStop (GME) stock surged in early January but has since slumped consistently. At least some volatility returned to the name. GameStop was the original meme stock but has been suffering of late as investors turn their backs on high growth and high-risk names. GameStop Stock News A pop of 7% on January 7 has been about as good as it gets so far this year for GameStop (GME) holders as the stock exhibits more signs of dwindling interest in the meme stock space. The Wall Street Journal did report on January 7 that GameStop was entering the NFT and cryptocurrency market. This has echoes of another meme stock, AMC. It may smack of desperation or even bad timing given the crypto and NFT craze has also retreated in line with meme stocks. Or it may be a shrewd move. Time will tell, but so far the shares have not given the news much traction. Interest did spike in GME on the back of the mega-deal from Microsoft (MSFT) offering up $69 billion in cash to buy Activision (ATVI), but GameStop is merely a powerless bystander in the acquisition fervor sweeping the gaming sector. GameStop (GME) jumped to the top of WallStreetBets mentions, but this has not seen the correlated share price uptick. In fact, GME shares are down 17% in a week. That takes losses so far for 2022 to nearly 30%. One year on and it does not look like history is going to repeat itself. Video game sales data out yesterday was not exactly comforting with the figure in December down 1% following November's 10% fall. GameStop Stock Forecast The chart is still highly bearish, which was triggered after the double-top formation. This played out and reached our $150 target and then some. Now GME has broken the $118 level, which brings $86 firmly into focus as the next major target. Obviously, $100 along the way will generate headlines, but this is purely psychological. We also note the volume gap from $110 to $70 that could accelerate the move. Bearish unless $160 is broken. GameStop (GME) chart, daily
    Still Pushing for More

    Still Pushing for More

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 21.01.2022 16:23
    S&P 500 gave up yet again the opening gains – the bear didn‘t pause even for a day or two. Buyers defeated during the first hours, and credit markets are once again leaning the bearish way. Risk-off rules even if long-dated Treasuries rose for a day. Tech investors are selling first, and asking questions later, with consumer discretionaries, financials, and also energy hit. The washout S&P 500 bottom is approaching, and our fresh short profits are growing...Talking profits, after a one-day consolidation in precious metals, time has come to cash in on crude oil gains before the decline questioning $86 – that‘s second outsized gains trade in a row there. Black gold won‘t likely be held down for too long, and the same goes for copper knocking on $4.60 for the third time shortly. Excellent for the bottom line.This is the season of real assets (commodities and precious metals), and of the stock market correction still playing out, and driving open crypto short profits alike. Much to enjoy across the board as my fresh portfolio performance chart (check out my homesite) reached a solid new high yesterday – it‘s one year today since I launched my site. Tremendous journey building on prior own strength – thank you very much!Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 buyers still can‘t get their act together – the momentum remains to the downside until credit markets turn and tech bleeding stops. This can happen as early as Monday or Tuesday – I remain watching closely for signs of a high-confidence setup to perhaps take.Credit MarketsHYG pause didn‘t last long, and the volume keeps being elevated without credible signs of buying interest. What‘s more, the credit market posture is decidedly risk-off.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver are likely to pause a little, the miners say – but the propensity to rise is there, even this early in the tightening cycle. I‘m looking for dips to be eagerly bought.Crude OilCrude oil looks like seeing the bullish resolve tested soon, and odds are the dip would be relatively quickly bought. Still, the pace of steep upswings is likely to slow down next, I say so even as I continue being medium-term bullish ($90 is doable).CopperCopper is paring back on the missed opportunity to catch up, and it‘s good the red metal managed to rise even if quite a few other commodities stalled. Waking up alongside silver, finally?Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum little breather is over, the bears did strike again – and it may not be over yet, really not.SummaryThe opening sentence of yesterday‘s summary proved very true, and even faster that I thought possible - „S&P 500 upswing turned into a dead cat bounce pretty fast, and while we may see another attempt by the bulls, I think it would be rather short-lived. Think lasting a couple of days only.“ With the bears in the driving seat overnight – on the heels of a risk-off turn in the credit markets – we‘re likely to witness today another selling attempt.Another yesterday mentioned conclusion remains true as well - „Commodities and especially precious metals, are well placed to keep reaping the rewards – just as I had written a week ago. For now, it‘s fun to be riding the short side in S&P 500 judiciously... Let the great profits grow elsewhere in the meantime.“ Let‘s just add that cryptos are making us smile today, too.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Gold Is the Belle of the Ball. Will Its Dance Turn Bearish?

    Gold Is the Belle of the Ball. Will Its Dance Turn Bearish?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 21.01.2022 16:06
      The precious metals still do pirouettes on the trading floor, but they can stumble in their choreography. The bears are just waiting for it. With the GDX ETF soaring on significant volume on Jan. 19, the senior miners had a renewed pep in their step. With gold, silver, and mining stocks all dancing to the same beat, the precious metals garnered all of the bullish attention. However, with the trio known to cut their performances short as soon as investors arrive, will the mood music remain so sanguine? Well, for one, the GDX ETF has a history of peaking when the crowd enters the party. For example, I marked with the blue vertical dashed lines and blue arrows below how large daily spikes in volume often coincide with short-term peaks. Moreover, with another ominous event unfolding on Jan. 19, historical data implies that we’re much closer to the top than the bottom. To explain, I wrote on Jan. 20: From the technical point of view, we just saw another day similar to the other days that I marked with vertical dashed lines and black arrows. Those days were either right at the tops or not far from them. As much as yesterday’s (7%!) rally looks bullish, taking a look at the situation from a broad perspective provides us with the opposite – bearish – implications. The zig-zag scenario is being realized as well. The GDX ETF moved to the upper border of the rising trend channel. Also, doesn’t it remind you of something? Hint: it happened at a similar time of the year. Yes, the current price/volume action is similar to what we saw in early 2021. The RSI was above 60, a short-term rally that was preceded by a bigger decline, and a strong daily rally on huge volume at the end of the corrective rally. We’ve seen it all now, and we saw it in early 2021. Please see below: What’s more, the senior miners’ fatigue is already present. For example, the GDX ETF declined by 1.40% on Jan. 20, and the index ended the session only $0.30 above its 2021 close. Likewise, the senior miners failed to rally above the upper trendline of their ascending channel (drawn with the blue lines above). As a result, the price action resembles an ABC zigzag pattern, and while the short-term outlook is less certain, the medium-term outlook is profoundly bearish. As further evidence, the HUI Index’s weekly chart provides some important clues. For example, despite the profound rally on Jan. 19, the index’s stochastic indicator still hasn’t recorded a buy signal. Moreover, the HUI Index dropped after reaching its 50-week moving average, and the ominous rejection mirrors 2013. Back then, the index approached its 50-week moving average, then suffered a pullback, and then suffered a monumental decline. As a result, is this time really different? Remember – history tends to rhyme, and this time the analogies from the past favor a bearish forecast for gold stocks. Turning to the GDXJ ETF, the junior miners were off to the races on Jan. 19. However, the size of the rally is actually smaller than what we witnessed in early 2021. Moreover, when the short-term sugar high ended back then, optimism turned to pessimism and the GDXJ ETF sank to new lows. Thus, with the junior miners’ 2021 story one of lower highs and lower lows, 2022 will likely result in more of the same. Please see below: Finally, the Gold Miners Bullish Percent Index ($BPGDM) isn’t at levels that trigger a major reversal. The Index is now at 30. However, far from a medium-term bottom, the latest reading is still more than 20 points above the 2016 and 2020 lows. Likewise, when the BPGDM hit 30 in 2013, the HUI Index was already in the midst of its medium-term downtrend (similar to what we witnessed in 2021). However, the milestone was far from the final low. With material weakness persisting and a lasting bottom not forming until the end of 2015/early 2016, further downside for gold (and silver) likely lies ahead. For context, it’s my belief that the precious metals will bottom when the BPGDM hits zero – and perhaps when it remains there for some time. In conclusion, gold, silver, and mining stocks put on quite a show on Jan. 19. However, with their bullish rhythm known to turn bearish in an instant, investors should proceed with caution. Moreover, the data shows that when investors rush to buy the precious metals, their over-enthusiasm results in medium-term weakness, not strength. As a result, the trio’s declines likely have more room to run before long-term buying opportunities emerge later in 2022. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Tesla Stock Price and Forecast: Despite market sell-off, TSLA finished Thursday in the green

    Tesla Stock Price and Forecast: Despite market sell-off, TSLA finished Thursday in the green

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 21.01.2022 16:06
    TSLA finished Thursday in the green, gaining 0.06% to $996.27. Equities had gyrated sharply but fell as the close approached. Tesla stock outperforms as Nasdaq and S&P 500 both fall sharply. Tesla (TSLA) managed to hold onto intraday gains but only just barely on Thursday. Stocks (https://www.fxstreet.com/markets/equities) had opened well and were up some 1% for the main indices at the halfway stage of Thursday, but jitters resurfaced as the finish line approached. Investors began dumping positions, and the main indices closed in the red. The S&P 500 shed 1.1%, the Dow closed 0.89% lower and the Nasdaq closed down the most at 1.34% in the red. Tesla however just held onto a green day, up 0.06%. Given that it is a volatile name and a high beta one, this was a strong outperformance. Tesla Stock News: bearish Bank of America forecast a worrying sign Tesla (TSLA) stock may have held its ground in anticipation of its Q4 earnings, which are due out next week. Bank of America and Piper Sandler fought it out with conflicting analyst reports. Bank of America took a dim view of Tesla's market share forecasts, saying it would drop from 69% to 19% of the EV market due to legacy automakers ramping up EV production. However, Piper Sandler noted that it sees Tesla beating delivery estimates for the year due to factories in Texas and Berlin ramping up production. For now, it appears investors are putting more focus on those delivery numbers and anticipating a strong earnings report. The Bank of America report is more alarming, but it does have a longer term outlook with the market share fall predicted for 2024. Tesla Stock Forecast: $886 is a futher downside target Yesterday's move has kept Tesla above the key short-term pivot at $980, but note that yesterday's high price was stuck at the 9-day moving average and Tesla failed to break through. This gives us more belief in an imminent break of $980. If this level does go, then the move to $886 will likely be quick due to a lack of volume. Tesla (TSLA) chart, daily
    USDCHF, CADJPY And UK 100 - All Of Them Got Some Gains

    USDCHF, CADJPY And UK 100 - All Of Them Got Some Gains

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 24.01.2022 09:51
    USDCHF tests daily support The Swiss franc rallied as traders poured into safe-haven currencies. The pair previously bounced off the critical floor (0.9090) on the daily chart. An oversold RSI in this demand zone brought in some buying interest. However, sentiment remains downbeat with the greenback struggling to clear offers around 0.9180. A fall below said support would trigger a new round of sell-off towards 0.9020 as late buyers rush to the exit. On the upside, a bullish breakout would open the door to the recent peak at 0.9275. CADJPY breaks key support The Canadian dollar slipped after disappointing retail sales in November. A bearish RSI divergence at the recent high (91.15) indicates a loss of momentum in the rally. The first drop below 90.60 prompted some buyers to bail out. Then the rebound met stiff selling pressure at 91.90. And this is a sign of exhaustion after a four-week-long uptrend. The loonie now has fallen through the major support at 90.60, with 89.80 as the target. As the RSI goes oversold, traders may look to sell the next bounce near 91.05. UK 100 tumbles through supports The FTSE 100 stalls as appetite subsides across risk assets. An overbought RSI on the daily chart suggests over-extension after a month-long rally. A pullback is necessary for the bulls to catch their breath. A drop below 7530 and then 7470 further weighs on short-term sentiment as profit-taking intensifies. The index is about to test 7380, a fresh demand zone from the November-December double top on the daily timeframe. The bulls need to reclaim 7540 before a rebound could gain traction.
    Nike Stock News and Forecast: NKE just does it again with earnings beat on top and bottom

    Nike Stock News and Forecast: NKE just does it again with earnings beat on top and bottom

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 21.12.2021 15:54
    Nike reported earnings after the close on Monday. NKE stock is higher after a beat on revenue and earnings per share. Nike says Vietnam production levels are now back to 80% of prior volumes. Nike (NKE) seems to have yielded to its longtime trademark – "Just Do It". The company certainly did that on Monday as it unveiled another strong set of results. Not only that, but concerns over supplies from Vietnam were quieted, and the shares are likely to open higher on Tuesday. Nike stock news Earnings per share came in at $0.83, ahead of the $0.63 estimate. This was a significant beat. Revenue was also ahead at $11.36 billion versus estimates for $11.25 billion. Nike shares popped over 2% on the earnings release. With global equity markets looking a bit healthier on Tuesday morning, expect more gains for NKE stock price as the session progresses. Recent concerns over Vietnam supplies had held Nike stock back. Vietnam is a major textile supplier globally, and it was not just Nike that was affected. A covid outbreak had forced numerous closures. However, Nike outlined in the earnings release that Vietnam production levels were now back up to 80% of preclosure levels. The company said it expects revenue to grow in the low single digits for Q3 in line with consensus at just over 2%. Nike has mentioned that input costs are rising and is planning for supply chain costs to rise. Nike did say that it expects margins to rise 150 basis points. This margin gain is being driven by a direct selling online model that Nike has been adopting. Nike stock forecast Nike is not cheap. The stock I mean, not the sneakers! The company trades on a relatively high price/earnings multiple of 45. This is a significant premium to its peers and reflective of Nike's leadership position. Technically, things do not look too positive in the longer-term outlook either. We have a very clear double top in place from August and November. It remains to be seen if Nike shares will be able to hold above resistance at $164-$166 from the 9 and 21-day moving averages. We doubt it and would be fading any rally. Longer term we have a falling Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator. There is big support coming from the 200-day moving average. Look how well that worked in late September. Currently, the 200-day is at $152. A solid break of that and Nike stock will look to fill the gap created by earnings on June 24. That support is at $134. Failure to fill that gap will be a sign to get back in again, just like in late September. Retracements are opportunities to identify a longer-term trend at play. A retracement that does not create a new significant low is obviously bullish. How to identify one is the tricky part. Given that this is a longer-term time frame, the trick is actually to be slightly late to the party and wait for confirmation. NKE 1-day chart
    Decentralized Autonomous Organisation - Another Addition To Our Personal Dictionaries

    Price Of Bitcoin Below $36k And Price Of Ether Below $2.5k

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 24.01.2022 09:39
    The cryptocurrency fear and greed index was down to 11 on Sunday and slightly up to 13 by early Monday. Crypto market capitalisation lost another 1.1% overnight to $1.61 trillion, the lowest since August. As is often the case with prolonged sell-offs, altcoins are falling with acceleration to the first cryptocurrency, causing BTC's share gains, which already stands at 41.3% against lows of 39.3% in mid-January. Bitcoin's share of 40% seems like a turning point, twice triggering a correction in the crypto market. This level stood like an informal threshold that optimism about altcoins had gone too far. However, the rise in bitcoin's share does little to help its price. We saw the sixth consecutive bearish daily candlestick on Monday morning, and the price rolled back to $35K. The bears may well be able to sell the price down to $32.5K, closing the gap of July and returning the rate to last summer's support area. Alarmingly, the sharp reversal on Friday was not followed by any meaningful bounce. Some observers point out that this is a worrying signal, suggesting further market declines, as we have not seen a final capitulation. Without capitulation, the markets will remain with an overhang of sellers. The price of ether has fallen to $2400, which is less than half of its peak price in November. Events are developing in a bearish scenario, so far broadly repeating what we saw in 2018 in terms of overall sentiment. Long-term buyers can avoid buying at prices above 30k for bitcoin and 2k for ether. We believe long-term investors will look out for purchases in the 20-30k per bitcoin area. Whether these purchases will be at the upper or lower boundary depends, among other things, on the situation in the stock markets. The return of buyers there will support the demand for risk among institutional investors. But as long as we see only steady selling from them, it is too early to talk about buying.
    Price of Gold Hasn't Increased a Lot Since the Beginning of the Year

    Price of Gold Hasn't Increased a Lot Since the Beginning of the Year

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 24.01.2022 14:47
      You don't have to be a fortune teller to predict some of the precious metals’ behavior in the market. Any incoming signs take the shape of a bear. What a signal-rich week that was! At least if you’re interested in forecasting gold and predicting silver prices. The USD Index rallied, but that was the least interesting of the important developments, as it had already reversed during the preceding week. So, the fact that the USD Index continued its medium-term uptrend last week is not that noteworthy. It needs to be said, though, as that continues to be an important factor for the future of the precious metals market. To be clear – the implications for the PM sector are bearish. What about gold, the key precious metal? Gold is so far almost unchanged this year, despite the initial decline and the subsequent rally. Overall, gold is up by $3.20 so far in 2022, which is next to nothing. Gold rallied on a supposedly dangerous situation regarding Ukraine, but it failed to rally above the combination of resistance lines and very little changed technically. On a side note, I would like to remind you that, based on our own reliable source in Ukraine (one of our team members is located there), the risk of military conflict (in particular, a severe one) is low, and it seems that the market’s reaction was greatly exaggerated. Anyway, moving back to technicals, let’s keep this $3.20-up-this-year statistic in mind while we take a look at what’s going on in silver and mining stocks. Silver declined on Friday, but it’s still up by $0.97 so far in 2022. This means that on a short-term basis, silver greatly outperformed gold. What’s up with mining stocks? The GDX ETF – a proxy for generally senior mining stocks – is down this year by $0.38, which is 1.19%. At the same time, the GDXJ ETF is down by $0.87, which is 2.07%. In other words: While silver is outperforming gold on a short-term basis, gold mining stocks are underperforming it. Junior mining stocks (our short position) are declining more than senior miners, and in fact, they are declining the most out of the entire precious metals sector. Silver’s outperformance, accompanied by gold miners weakness, is a powerful bearish combination in the case of the entire precious metals sector. If the general stock market is going to slide, silver and mining stocks (in particular, junior mining stocks) are likely to decline in a rather extreme manner. The thing is… We just saw something in the general stock market that we haven’t seen since early 2020 – right before the massive decline that triggered the huge declines in the precious metals sector. The RSI Index just moved below 30 for the first time since pre-slide moments. Just like what we saw back then, the S&P 500 is now declining on increasing volume. Yes, RSI below 30 is generally considered oversold territory, but the direct analogies take precedence over the “usual” way in which things work in markets in general. In this case, the situation could get from oversold to extremely oversold. Let’s keep in mind that stocks declined very sharply in 2020. One could say that times were different, but were they really? The key difference is that the monetary authorities are now already after the bullish money-printing cycle and are handling inflation by aiming to increase interest rates, while they had been preparing to cut them in 2020. The situation regarding the pandemic is not that different either. Sure, back in 2020, it was all new, we had massive lockdowns and there was great uncertainty regarding… pretty much everything. Now, the situation is not entirely unexpected, but given the explosive nature of new COVID-19 cases (likely due to the Omicron variant), it’s still quite new and uncertain. The uncertainty is not as great as it was back in 2020, but then again, now we’re facing monetary tightening, not dramatic dovish actions. Thus, I wouldn’t exclude a situation in which we really see a repeat of the early-2020 performance, where the declines are sharp and huge. The technicals in the precious metals market have been pointing to that outcome for months anyway, especially the long-term HUI Index chart that I’ve been discussing previously. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    GME Is Plunging Recently, GameStop Stock Price Is Currently ca. $94

    GME Is Plunging Recently, GameStop Stock Price Is Currently ca. $94

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 24.01.2022 16:27
    GameStop stock stages a dead cat bounce on Friday. GME stock closes up nearly 4% on Friday as market freefalls. More losses are likely on Monday as momentum fades and meme is massacred. GameStop (GME) managed to outperform the market significantly on Friday. The meme stock king closed nearly 4% higher at $106.36 despite the main indices closing sharply in the red. However, this was merely a dead cat bounce, and we will outline our reasoning below. GameStop Stock News Nothing too significant behind Friday's outperformance. GameStop (GME) shares had suffered eight consecutive days of losses. Statistically, an up day was becoming more and more likely. GameStop passed a few milestones without much fanfare or reaction from the stock price. Social media traders attempted to play up the one-year anniversary of the GameStop pop, and CEO Ryan Cohen joined in. However, the stock slid. An announcement of a pivot into the NFT space was also met by indifference after a quick surge from the share price. Despite GME spending much of last week near the top of social media mentions, it failed to hook any buyers. The market has little time for risk at present, and speculative meme stocks are getting hit hard so far this year. As we have mentioned, this may be a good thing and avert a full-blown bubble bursting, akin to 2000. The NFT announcement did see a brief pop, but that merely presented a fresh selling opportunity. Year to date, GME is now down nearly 30% and is likely to get worse. The main trading lesson of momentum trading is to get out quickly when momentum stops or stalls. This is not investing or buy-and-hold. This is the realm of quick scalping and risk control. Momentum has collapsed in retail names. Witness falling volumes, falling single share volumes, lower retail sentiment, and drastically lower call option volume: all signs of falling momentum. GameStop Stock Forecast $100 will be broken soon, possibly today or Tuesday. That will lead to some stop-loss triggering as people are herd animals and love round numbers. There will be plenty of stops sitting just below $100. $86 is the target thereafter. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) still has more room to run before being overbought. Breaking $86 is big. That was the retest following the power surge higher back in February pf last year. Below $86 volume thins out, and there is a volume gap until $50. GameStop (GME) chart, daily
    The 10 Public Companies With the Biggest Bitcoin Portfolios

    Crypto Prices Reviewed - 25.01.2022 - by Korbinian Koller

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 25.01.2022 11:02
    Bitcoin will create, not destroy BTC in US-Dollar, monthly chart, no rush: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of January 25th, 2022. All the typical fears came forward after last week’s price decline in the crypto space. Fears on why to get out of one’s bitcoin hodls. Even to walk away from the idea of bitcoin being a good store of value. But the emotional decision in market participation is often the wrong choice to come out ahead. Bitcoin will not be regulated away. With a near 100 billion tax revenue, bitcoin is unlikely to be banned in the USA. It has established itself in size as an income stream that no one could afford to give up. The monthly chart above shows that after the recent double top bitcoin´s two year strong up move has seen three months of a price decline to the 50% Fibonacci retracement line. To the right of the chart, we portray two fictitious candles as we see a likelihood of the future to unfold over the next two months.   BTC in US-Dollar, weekly chart, sideways to up: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of January 25th, 2022. On January 20th, the Federal Reserve Board released a discussion paper that examines the pros and cons of a potential U.S. central bank digital currency. News like this shakes up investor’s minds, fearing possible conversions where fiat currency savings might lose some of their value. On top, massive fear ruled the market over the last few days and weeks, a time when professionals know that opportunities are just around the corner. A look at the weekly chart reveals that the right top of the monthly double top had a substructure of a head and shoulders formation. Last week, the shoulder line broke and sent prices plummeting for a near 22% loss. Prices find themselves now in a value zone. In the histogram to the right of the chart, we see a fractal volume analysis. This analysis suggests supply in the price zone between US$36,000 and US$31,000. BTC in US-Dollar, Daily Chart, Bitcoin will create, not destroy: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, daily chart as of January 25th, 2022. As much as we expect a sideways zone for four to eight weeks before bitcoin prices head significantly higher, we already attempted three long trades on a daily time frame after prices entered into the value zone pointed out on the previous chart. Our approach of position building thanks to a quad exit strategy exploit low-risk entry points. Consequently, we were able in the past to catch bitcoin long-term trades near their price lows. News has more than once in the past accelerated price up moves for bitcoin in an unexpected fashion. As a result, we are actively scanning for low-risk opportunities already now. The price moves marked in white show how prices decline quickly in bitcoin, while typically trading sideways most of the time. Fortunately, rising prices act just the same way. The volume profile to the right of the chart shows four significant supply zones. (marked in orange dotted horizontal lines.) Bitcoin will create, not destroy: The good news is that government’s conversion of fiat money to digital might scare people into fleeing with their savings into bitcoin. Henceforth, they further stabilize this payment method. We mention this possible future for bitcoin since changes could be rapid, significant, and surprising. Consequently, bitcoin might find itself in a fast uptrend with high price targets to be expected. We also want to point out the nature of your participation in long-term bitcoin acquisitions. You are not only a speculator on a perfect investment, but also a holder of a positive value. A principle value that protects your freedom of purchasing power. A purchasing power that isn’t transparent allows you to conduct business as you please. Transactions without a controlling force casting a shadow over your choices. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|January 25th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Crude Oil is Rapidly Climbing, the Rest Is Moving Down or Not At All

    Crude Oil is Rapidly Climbing, the Rest Is Moving Down or Not At All

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 24.01.2022 16:05
    S&P 500 closed below the 200-day moving average – unheard of. But similarly to the turn in credit markets on Wednesday, the bulls can surprise shortly as the differential between HYG and TLT with LQD is more pronounced now. The field is getting clear, the bulls can move – and shortly would whether or not we see the autumn lows tested next. Now that my target of 4,400 has been reached (the journey to this support has been a more one-sided event than anticipated), 4,300 are next in the bears sight. The bearish voice and appetite is growing, which may call for a little caution in celebrating the downswings next. Relief rally is approaching, even if not immediately and visibly here yet. All I am waiting for, is a convincing turn in the credit markets, which we haven‘t seen yet. The dollar is likely to waver in the medium-term, and that‘s what‘s helping the great and profitable moves in commodities, and reviving precious metals. Crypto short profits are likewise growing – the real question is when the tech slide would stop (getting closer), and how much would financials rebound as well. Not worried about energy – the oil dip would turn out a mere blip. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 buyers are nowhere to be seen, volume isn‘t yet at capitulation levels – rebound off increasingly oversold levels is approaching. Tech melting down faster than value is to be expected – look for consumer staples to do fine too, not just the sectors mentioned above. As written on Friday, the turn in bleeding in credit markets and tech may stop as early as Monday or Tuesday – I remain watching closely for signs of a high-confidence setup to perhaps take. Credit Markets HYG paused for a day while quality debt instruments rose – that‘s still risk-off, but symptomatic of the larger battle and buying interest at these levels already. Could presage a respite in stocks during the regular session next. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver indeed paused a little – in spite of the miners weakness, that‘s no reversal. Most likely only a temporary correction within a developing uptrend. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls are finally getting tested, and by the look of oil stocks, it‘s not going to be a test reaching too far. Not even volume rose on the day – look for price stabilization followed by another upswing. Copper Copper had actually a hidden bullish day – a good consolidation of prior gains. While the volume isn‘t pointing the clearly bearish way, the amplitude of the move can be repeated next. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum Sunday rally fizzled out, and the downswing doesn‘t look to be yet over as another day of panic across the board is ahead. No signs from cryptos that the slide is stopping now. Summary S&P 500 bulls are readying a surprise – the long string of red days is coming to a pause. Credit markets turning a bit risk-on coupled with a tech pause and financials revival (not to mention consumer staples and energy) would be the recipe to turn the tide. We‘re in a large S&P 500 range, and got quite near its lower band at around 4,300. The short rides are to be wound down shortly, and that will coincide with another commodities run higher. Look to precious metals likewise not to disappoint while cryptos continue struggling at the moment. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    GBPUSD To Visit 1.3440? AUD Recovered, GER 40 Went a Few Steps Up To Slightly Decrease a Moment Later

    GBPUSD To Visit 1.3440? AUD Recovered, GER 40 Went a Few Steps Up To Slightly Decrease a Moment Later

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 25.01.2022 08:47
    GBPUSD remains under pressure The sterling struggles as global markets remain risk-off. A limited rebound has fought to hold above 1.3570 and the sell-off accelerated after a bearish breakout. The pair is testing a previous low at 1.3440 which sits along the 30-day moving average. There could be buying interest in this congestion area after the RSI plunged into the oversold band. 1.3570 is now a fresh resistance, then the bulls will need to lift 1.3660 before they could turn sentiment around. On the other hand, a deeper correction may send the price to 1.3400. AUDUSD in bearish reversal The Australian dollar recovered after the Q4 CPI beat expectations. However, the latest rally took a bearish turn after the price slipped below 0.7170. The lack of commitment to hold onto recent gains suggests a weak risk appetite. A fall below the daily support at 0.7130 further weighs on the Aussie and prompts buyers to bail out. The RSI’s oversold situation helped lift the pair temporarily. Nonetheless, the bears might be eager to sell into strength near 0.7210. 0.7080 would be the next stop as the trend turns south. GER 40 tests critical support The Dax 40 plunges amid rising tensions in Ukraine. The index has given up all gains from the rebound in late December and cut through the major demand zone around 15070. The RSI’s repeatedly oversold situation attracted a buying-the-dips crowd. Nevertheless, there is no sign of improvement in the market mood. And price action has not stabilized yet. A grind of last October’s low at 14820 would test the bulls’ resolve in the medium-term. On the upside, 15600 is the first hurdle to lift.
    Everybody Talks About Stocks, In Fact, There's Much To Watch, As MSFT and Others Release Their Reports

    Everybody Talks About Stocks, In Fact, There's Much To Watch, As MSFT and Others Release Their Reports

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 25.01.2022 15:51
      The S&P 500 index was trading 4% lower yesterday before closing 0.3% higher. So was it an upward reversal or just another temporary bottom? The broad stock market index accelerated its sell-off on Monday, as it reached the new local low of 4,222.62. The market was 596 points or 12.4% below the Jan. 4 record high of 4,818.62. Investors reacted to further Russia-Ukraine tensions. We are also waiting for series of quarterly earnings releases, tomorrow’s FOMC Statement release and Thursday’s important U.S. Advance GDP release. Overall, we had a big increase in volatility yesterday. Late December – early January consolidation along the 4,800 level was a topping pattern and the index retraced all of its December’s record-breaking advance. This morning it is expected to open 1.6% lower and we may see more short-term volatility. Will it reach yesterday’s low again? Probably not – we’ll likely see a consolidation. The nearest important resistance level is now at 4,420-4,450, marked by yesterday’s daily high, among others. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,300-4,350. The support level is also at 4,220-4,250. The S&P 500 remains below a steep short-term downward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Microsoft Stocks Ahead of the Earnings Release Microsoft (MSFT) will release its quarterly earnings today after the session’s close. It’s an important stock, as it weighs 6.0%, just after the Apple’s 6.7%. So, the S&P 500 traders will be watching that release very closely. Microsoft accelerated its sell-off yesterday and it fell to the local low of $276.05. It was 21% below the Nov. 22 record high of $349.67. The stock remains below the downward trend line, but we can see some clear short-term oversold conditions. Let’s take a look at the Microsoft’s monthly chart. The stock broke below its multi-year hyperbolic run marked by the thick blue curve. The chart is logarithmic, and we can see an enormous rally that took place since 2013. The breakdown may lead to a change in trend or some medium- or long-term consolidation. It looks like a multi-year bull run is over. Futures Contract Got Close to the 4,200 Level Yesterday The S&P 500 futures contract accelerated its downtrend yesterday, as it fell close to the 4,200 level. There have been no confirmed positive signals so far, however there are some downtrend exhaustion signals. (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index accelerated its sell-off yesterday and at some point it was 4% lower! But the market rebounded sharply following a “V” pattern reversal and it closed 0.3% higher. This morning it is expected to open 1.6% lower and we may see some further volatility. The coming quarterly earnings releases (MSFT on Tuesday, TSLA on Wednesday and AAPL on Thursday, among others) remain a bullish factor for stocks, but there is still a lot of uncertainty concerning Russia-Ukraine tensions. Investors are also waiting for tomorrow’s Fed release and Thursday’s U.S. Advance GPD number release. If you want to be in the loop about any future market changes (with instant mail notifications!) sign up for the newsletter here. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 is expected to open lower again; we may see a consolidation. Opening a speculative long position is justified from the risk/reward perspective. We are expecting a 5% upward correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    S&P 500 Declined, Gold Price (XAU/USD) Isn't Far From November's Levels

    S&P 500 Declined, Gold Price (XAU/USD) Isn't Far From November's Levels

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 25.01.2022 15:55
    Tough call as select S&P 500 sectors came back to life, but credit markets are a bit inconclusive. Some more selling today before seeing a rebound on Wednesday‘s FOMC (I‘m leaning towards its message being positively received, and no rate hike now as that‘s apart from the Eastern Europe situation the other fear around). VIX looks to have topped yesterday, and coupled with the commodities and precious metals relative resilience (don‘t look at cryptos where I took sizable short profits in both Bitcoin and Ethereum yesterday), sends a signal of upcoming good couple of dozen points rebound in the S&P 500. Taking a correct view at the hightened, emotional market slide yesterday, is through the portfolio performance – as you can see via clicking the link, yesterday‘s setup needn‘t and shouldn‘t be anyone‘s make or break situation. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 buyers stepped in, and carving out a nice lower knot today is the minimum expectation that the bulls can have. The reversal is still very young and vulnerable. Credit Markets HYG reversed, but isn‘t in an uptrend yet – there is just a marginal daily outperformance of quality debt instruments. More is needed. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver are only pausing – in spite of the miners move to the downside at the moment. HUI and GDX will catch up – they‘re practically primed to do so over the medium-term. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls are still getting tested, and oil stocks stabilized on a daily basis. Some downside still remains, but nothing dramatic – the volume didn‘t even rise yesterday. Copper Copper declined, but didn‘t meaningfully lead lower – the downswing was actually bought, and low 4.40s look to be well defended at the moment. More fear striking, would change the picture, but we aren‘t there yet. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum reversed, but in spire of the volume, look to need more time to bottom out – and I wouldn‘t be surprised if that included another decline. Summary S&P 500 bulls would get tested today again, and at least a draw would be a positive result, as yesterday‘s tech upswing is more likely to be continued tomorrow than today – that‘s how it usually goes after sizable (think 5%) range days. The table is set for an upside surprise on FOMC tomorrow – the tantrum coupled with war fears bidding up the dollar, is impossible to miss. Best places to be in remain commodities and precious metals, and the coming S&P 500 upswing looks to be a worthwhile opportunity in the making, too – on a short-term and nimble basis. So, I‘m more in the glass half full camp going into tomorrow. Anyway, let‘s take the portfolio view discussed in the opening part of today‘s article. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    GME Stock Chart - We Might Believe $86 is the Current Support

    GME Stock Chart - We Might Believe $86 is the Current Support

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 25.01.2022 15:55
    GameStop stock crashes but recovers in the afternoon. GameStop shares close nearly 6% lower on Monday. GME shares remain top of WallStreetBets interest list. GameStop (GME) stock likes volatility, and meme traders should certainly be used to it by now, but perhaps not the type that was evident yesterday. GameStop shares crashed below $100 and kept on going before a broad-based afternoon rally helped GME stock recover to close just above the psychological $100 level. GameStop Stock News Again we find ourselves writing about a stock with significant movement based solely on price action. There is little in the way of actual hard news flow. GameStop stock has not had a good start to the year, but despite this it remains one of the top trending stocks across most social media platforms. This has partly to do with loyalty and partly to do with the one-year anniversary of the GameStop saga. However, for the most part traders are fixated on the big picture theme of us versus them that captured the whole argument. GameStop is now down over 30% so far in 2022. GameStop Stock Forecast We remain bearish on this one, which I know many loyal holders may not want to hear. We have to focus on the chart and what we can take from that. Loyalty, if not profitable, is pointless to a trader. Emotion should always be controlled. Breaking $100 was psychological and led to some stops likely triggering. We had identified $86 as strong support for the last few weeks, and GME shares more or less bounced perfectly from it yesterday. GME stock bottomed out at $86.29, so we can take some kudos for that. But now where? Holding $86 was actually pretty important as below is a big volume gap that would likely see an acceleration toward $70. Holding gives some hope of a rebound, but $118.59 remains the short-term pivot for us. Below here bears are in charge. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) are both still following price lower, so there is no sign of any divergence or oversold conditions just yet. GameStop (GME) chart, daily
    Will FOMC Moves Let Us Prepare Kind of Gold Price Prediction?

    Will FOMC Moves Let Us Prepare Kind of Gold Price Prediction?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 25.01.2022 16:28
      The World Gold Council believes that gold may face similar dynamics in 2022 to those of last year. Well, I’m not so sure about it. Have you ever had the feeling that all of this has already happened and you are in a time loop, repeating Groundhog Day? I have. For instance, I’m pretty sure that I have already written the Fundamental Gold Report with a reference to pop-culture before… Anyway, I’m asking you this, because the World Gold Council warns us against the whole groundhog year for the gold market. In its “Gold Outlook 2022,” the gold industry organization writes that “gold may face similar dynamics in 2022 to those of last year.” The reason is that in 2021, gold was under the influence of two competing forces. These factors were the increasing interest rates and rising inflation, especially strong in operation in the second half of the year, which resulted in the sideways trend in the gold market, as the chart below shows. The WGC sees a similar tug of war in 2022: the hikes in the federal funds rate could create downward pressure for gold, but at the same time, elevated inflation will likely create a tailwind for gold. The WGC acknowledges that the ongoing tightening of monetary policy can be an important headwind for gold. However, it notes two important caveats. First, the Fed has a clear dovish bias and often overpromises when it comes to hawkish actions. For example, in the previous tightening cycle, “the Fed has tended not to tighten monetary policy as aggressively as members of the committee had initially expected.” Second, financial market expectations are more important for gold prices than actual events. As a result, “gold has historically underperformed in the months leading up to a Fed tightening cycle, only to significantly outperform in the months following the first rate hike.” I totally agree. I emphasized many times the Fed’s dovish bias and that the actual interest rate hikes could be actually better for gold than their prospects. After all, gold bottomed out in December 2015, when the Fed raised interest rates for the first time since the Great Recession. I also concur with the WGC that inflation may linger this year. Expectations that inflation will quickly dissipate are clearly too optimistic. As China is trying right now to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, supply chain disruptions may worsen, contributing to elevated inflation. However, although I expect inflation to remain high, I believe that it will cool down in 2022. If so, the real interest rates are likely to increase, creating a downward pressure on gold prices. I also believe that the WGC is too optimistic when it comes to the real interest rates and their impact on the yellow metal. According to the report, despite the rate hikes, the real interest rates will stay low from a historical perspective, supporting gold prices. Although true, investors should remember that changes in economic variables are usually more important than their levels. Hence, the rebound in interest rates may still be harmful for the precious metals.   Implications for Gold What should be expected for gold in 2022? Will this year be similar to 2021? Well, just like last year, gold will find itself caught between a hawkish Fed and high inflation. Hence, some similarities are possible. However, in reality, we are not in a time loop and don’t have to report on Groundhog Day (phew, what a relief!). The arrow of time continues its inexorable movement into the future. Thus, market conditions evolve and history never repeats itself, but only rhymes. Thus, I bet that 2022 will be different than 2021 for gold, and we will see more volatility this year. In our particular situation, the mere expectations of a more hawkish Fed are evolving into actual actions. This is good news for the gold market, although the likely peak in inflation and normalization of real interest rates could be an important headwind for gold this year. Tomorrow, we will get to know the FOMC’s first decision on monetary policy this year, which could shake the gold market but also provide more clues for the future. Stay tuned! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    EURUSD, EURCHF and US 30 Chart Don't Show Spectacular Fluctations

    EURUSD, EURCHF and US 30 Chart Don't Show Spectacular Fluctations

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 26.01.2022 08:44
    EURUSD grinds daily support The US dollar inches lower as traders take profit ahead of the Fed meeting. The euro’s struggle to stay above 1.1360 indicates buyers’ weak interest in holding onto previous gains. The latest rebounds have failed to clear the former support that has turned into a resistance. A break below the previous consolidation range and daily support (1.1280) could send the pair to 1.1235. The RSI’s oversold situation attracted some buying interest. But the bulls will need to lift 1.1360 first before a reversal could become a reality. EURCHF attempts reversal The safe-haven Swiss franc retreats as global panic selling takes a breather. A bullish RSI divergence shows a slowdown in the sell-off momentum. Then a rally above 1.0355 has prompted some sellers to cover, taking the heat off the single currency. A bullish MA cross is an encouraging sign for a reversal. 1.0400 is the next hurdle and its breach could be a turning point for traders’ sentiment and a launchpad towards 1.0480. On the downside, 1.0340 is fresh support and then 1.0300 a critical floor to safeguard the rebound. US 30 hits last major support The Dow Jones 30 recoups losses as traders await details on the Fed’s monetary tightening. Breaks below daily supports at 34700 and 34000 have forced buyers to liquidate in bulk. The index saw bids at last June’s low (33200) while the RSI sank into the oversold area on the daily chart. As the quote stabilizes, traders may be looking to buy the dips. A close above 34500 may lead to 35500 which is a key supply zone from a previous breakout. A break below the daily support could trigger a broader correction in the weeks to come.
    Polkadot (DOT) Explained - A Pinch Of Origins And History

    Polkadot Price +2.3%, LUNA Price -7.4%, ETH Price 1.1% and BTC -0.6%

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 26.01.2022 09:33
    Bitcoin decreased 0.6% on Tuesday, ending the day around $36,600 while Ethereum lost 1.1%. Other leading altcoins from the top ten showed mixed dynamics: from a 7.4% decline of Terra to a 2.3% rise of Polkadot. According to CoinGecko, the total capitalization of the crypto market sank 1.1% to $1.74 trillion over the past day. In total, the crypto market broke the recent days' decline after bitcoin hit lows of the last six months on Monday, dropping below $33,000. This was followed by a sharp rebound upwards to $37,500. The US market was the reason. Throughout January, stocks are falling in anticipation of the Fed's monetary policy tightening. The decline in risky assets also had a negative impact on bitcoin, which has already lost about 20% since the beginning of the month. A correlation between the benchmark cryptocurrency and Nasdaq has reached a new all-time high, according to Bloomberg. On Wednesday, all the attention will be riveted to the FOMC meeting. If the regulator tightens its rhetoric and announces the upcoming rate hike as early as March, all risky assets, including cryptocurrencies, could suffer significantly. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged El Salvador to move away from bitcoin as a legal currency. MicroStrategy has stated that it would continue to buy BTC despite its decline in recent months. Its worth noting that a week ago, crypto funds recorded the first inflow of funds into their assets in the last six weeks.
    Apple Stock Price and Forecast: AAPL earnings preview

    Apple Stock Price and Forecast: AAPL earnings preview

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 26.01.2022 16:22
    Apple reports earnings after the close on Thursday.With the Fed out of the way, the road is cleared for the stock superpower.AAPL could help turn the entire market sentiment after Microsoft beat. Apple is due to report earnings after the close on Thursday. With the Fed meeting ending today, investors will then focus on the tech sector to hopefully end the bearish mood currently hitting markets. Tech names along with a not-too-surprising Fed (https://www.fxstreet.com/macroeconomics/central-banks/fed) could turn things around. Sentiment is beginning to look overdone, but it is imperative to get solid earnings from the tech sector. So far the bank sector has disappointed, while the energy sector looks like it should outperform. This week as we mentioned in our preview note is key with 104 of the S&P 500 companies reporting. Apple Stock NewsApple reports after the close on Thursday, January 27. Earnings per share (EPS) is expected to come in at $1.89 on revenue of $118.28 billion. Wall Street analysts also expect Apple to have sold 80 million iPhones in the last quarter. Bank of America certainly is looking to the upside as it outlines in a note out this morning. The bank sees iPhone sales coming in at 81 million and sees a strong revenue number of $121 million, well ahead of forecasts. Analysts have been active this week on the name ahead of earnings. Earlier we reported on Goldman Sachs maintaining their $142 price target ahead of earnings, while Morgan Stanley expects strong iPhone deliveries to maintain bullish earnings.As ever the commentary around earnings will be as important as the earnings themselves. Last time out the dreaded supply chain and chip issues came to light, so we will look for more clarity around these areas.Apple Stock Forecast$157 is big, very big. A break and it likely heads to $148, which is a huge volume profile support and the point of control. But breaking $157 does put in a new lower low and so continue the downtrend. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) both look quite stretched, but the RSI is not yet oversold. The MACD, meanwhile, is at its lowest since March of last year, and the histogram is also at its widest in a year. Earnings then could be the catalyst to turn this trend around. Apple (AAPL) chart, daily
    Rushing Headlong

    Rushing Headlong

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 26.01.2022 16:34
    Glass half full call on S&P 500 yesterday was vindicated – this yet another reversal has the power to go on, and credit markets appear sniffing out the upcoming reprieve. While rates have justifiably risen, they have done so quite fast in Jan – time to calm down and reprice the excessively hawkish Fed fears. Even if it was just energy and financials that rose yesterday, the table is set for gains across many assets – just check the progress from yesterday‘s already optimistic upturn, or the already fine early view of yesterday‘s market internals.VIX is calming down, Fed is unlikely to rock the boat too much – such were my yesterday‘s thoughts about:(…) seeing a rebound on Wednesday‘s FOMC (I‘m leaning towards its message being positively received, and no rate hike now as that‘s apart from the Eastern Europe situation the other fear around).The sizable open profits – whether in S&P 500 or crude oil – can keep on growing while gold slowly approaches $1,870 again (look for a good day today), and copper stabilizes above $4.50 to keep pushing higher even if not yet outperforming other commodities. More dry firepowder and fresh profits ahead anywhere I look – even cryptos are to enjoy the unfolding risk-on upswing.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookThis is what a tradable S&P 500 bottom looks like – just as it was most likely to turn out. After the 200-day moving average, 4,500 point of control is the next target.Credit MarketsHYG reversed, but isn‘t in an uptrend yet – this is how a budding reversal looks like, especially since the selling hasn‘t picked up ahead of the Fed. Turning already.Gold, Silver and MinersGold and silver pause was barely noticeable – it‘s a great sight of upcoming strength in the metals while miners unfortunately would continue underperforming to a degree, i.e. not leading decisively.Crude OilCrude oil bulls are back, how did you like the pause? The ride higher isn‘t over by a long shot, and I like the volume of late being this much aligned.CopperCopper looks to be catching breath before another (modest but still) upswing. The buyers aren‘t yet rushing headlong.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin and Ethereum reversed, and are participating in the risk-on upturn, with Ethereum sending out quite nice short-term signs. From the overall portfolio view and upcoming volatility though, I would prefer to wait before making any move here.SummaryS&P 500 bulls withstood yesterday‘s test, and are well positioned to extend gains, especially on the upcoming well received FOMC statement and soothing press conference. It had also turned out that a tech upswing is more likely to be continued today than yesterday – the Fed‘s words would calm down bonds, and that would enable a better Nasdaq upswing.As I wrote yesterday, the table is set for an upside FOMC surprise – the tantrum coupled with war fears bidding up the dollar, is impossible to miss. Best places to be in remain commodities and precious metals – and I would add today once again in a while that real assets upswing would coincide with the dollar moving lower later today (check those upper knots of late). So far so good in risk-on, inflation trades – and things will get even better as my regular readers know (I can‘t underline how much you can benefit from regularly reading the full analyses as these are about how I arrive at the profitable conclusions presented & how you can twist them to your own purposes).Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Financial Sector ETF XLF $37.50 Continues To Present Opportunities

    Financial Sector ETF XLF $37.50 Continues To Present Opportunities

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 26.01.2022 23:16
    Recent volatility in the US markets ahead of the Fed comments/actions have prompted a relatively big pullback in almost every sector. Many traders are concerned the Fed may take immediate action to raise rates. Yet, a small portion of traders believes the Fed may be trapped in a position to act more conservatively in addressing inflation going forward. I think the Fed will continue to talk firmly about potentially raising rates. The Fed is more interested in decreasing the assets on their balance sheet before they risk doing anything to disrupt support for the global markets.Suppose my analysis of the Fed predicament is correct. In that case, the recent collapse of the US markets represents a fear-based emotional selloff of many sectors that may still represent a strong opportunity for a recovery rally in 2022. One of those sectors is the Financial sector – particularly XLF.I wrote about this on January 7, 2022, in this article: FINANCIAL SECTOR STARTS TO RALLY TOWARDS THE $43.60 UPSIDE TARGETI also wrote how the US Fed might be playing with fire regarding their stern positioning and statements recently in this article on January 14, 2022: US FEDERAL RESERVE - PLAYING WITH FIRE PART 2Critical Components Of Recent Inflationary TrendsIf you attempt to follow my logic as I read into the Fed's intentions. There are three critical components to navigating the rise of inflationary trends recently.The COVID-19 virus event created several disparities in the global markets. First, the disruption to the labor and supply-side markets began an almost immediate inflationary aspect for the global economy. Secondly, the US's stimulus and easy money policies have stimulated demand for products, technology, houses, autos, and other real assets. These two factors combined have increased inflationary pressures on the global markets.Rising consumer demand for real and virtual assets such as Cryptos, NFTs, and others has pushed the speculative investing cycle into a hyper-active rally phase. This was clearly witnessed in early 2021, with the Reddit/Meme rallies became the hottest trades, then quickly dissipated after July 2021. This speculative rally has pushed the post-COVID rally well beyond reasonable expectations over the past 16+ months.Excessive debt levels push a deflationary process to the forefront. Consumers are now starting to pull away from the excesses of the past 16+ months. The Fed's tough talk and recent deeper declines in various sectors over the past 12+ months show that inflationary trends are subsiding. Despite the supply-side issues being resolved, consumers continue to pull away from hyper-speculative activities. The markets will naturally revalue to support more realistic price levels, deflating excessive P/E ratios and recent extreme price peaks in assets.Possible Next Steps for the US FedMy interpretation of the global markets is that excess speculative trending and rising commodity prices, combined with excess debt levels and consumers who have suddenly become very aware of global market risks, are already acting as a deflationary process. Because of these underlying factors, which I believe are currently in play throughout the globe, the US Federal Reserve may be forced to wait things out a bit. The Fed may have to navigate these natural deflationary processes while attempting to provide monetary support for what I believe will be a downside/deflationary trend over the next 3+ years.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! The US Federal Reserve may not have to take any aggressive action right now. Instead, it may decide to watch how the global markets contract as consumers pull away from inflated price levels and higher risks and attempt to navigate these natural deflationary price trends. If the Fed were to act aggressively right now and raise rates, they could push the global markets into a steeper collapse. This process would likely burst numerous asset bubbles very quickly and push many foreign nations into some type of debt default.This presents a new problem for the US Fed – going from inflationary concerns to global economic collapse concerns very quickly. So when I suggested the Fed is playing with fire – maybe I should have said “playing with the nuclear economic football”?Financial Sector ResilienceStill, I believe the US Financial sector is showing tremendous resilience near $37.50. I think it has a powerful opportunity to rally back above $42 to $44 if the Fed takes a more measured approach to let the global markets deflate a bit before taking any aggressive actions.The US Financial sector will likely continue to benefit from price volatility and consumer demand as these deflationary trends prompt consumers to engage in more normal economic activities. The Financial sector also has continued to stay under moderate pricing pressure since the 2008 highs. XLF is only 25.46% higher than the 2008 highs, whereas the NASDAQ is more than 575% above the 2008 market highs.The Financial Sector may be one of the strongest market sectors over the next few years. Deflationary trends push consumers and global markets away from excess debt levels and towards more traditional economic activities/trends.Want To Learn More About Financial Sector ETFs?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Gains Bullish Momentum

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Gains Bullish Momentum

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 27.01.2022 08:26
    USDCAD breaks higherThe Canadian dollar slipped after the BOC kept interest rates unchanged. Its US counterpart found support at 1.2560 after a brief pullback.An oversold RSI attracted some bargain hunters. The current rebound is a sign that there is a strong interest in pushing for a bullish reversal. 1.2700 is a key supply zone as it coincides with the 30-day moving average.A breakout would definitely turn sentiment around and trigger a runaway rally. In turn, this sets the daily resistance at 1.2810 as the next target.NZDUSD continues lowerThe New Zealand dollar steadied after the Q4 CPI beat expectations.However, the pair is still in bearish territory after it broke below the lower end (0.6750) of the flag consolidation from the daily time frame. The RSI’s oversold situation brought in a buying-the-dips crowd around 0.6660 but its breach indicates a lack of buying interest.The kiwi is now testing November 2020’s low at 0.6600. The bears could be waiting to fade the next bounce with 0.6700 as a fresh resistance.XAUUSD pulls back for supportGold tumbled after the US Fed signaled it may raise interest rates in March. The rally stalled at 1853 and a break below the resistance-turned-support at 1830 flushed some buyers out.1810 at the base of the previous bullish breakout is a second line of defense. The short-term uptrend may still be intact as long as the metal stays above this key support.A deeper correction would drive the price down to the daily support at 1785. The bulls need a rebound above 1838 to regain control of price action.
    Gold Plunged but Didn’t Knuckle Under to the Hawkish Fed

    Gold Plunged but Didn’t Knuckle Under to the Hawkish Fed

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 27.01.2022 14:17
    The FOMC set the stage for a March interest rate hike, which was an aggressive signal. Gold got it and fell – but hasn't capitulated yet.The Battlecruiser Hawk is moving full steam ahead! The FOMC issued yesterday (January 26, 2022) its newest statement on monetary policy in which it strengthened its hawkish stance. First of all, the Fed admitted that it would start hiking interest rates “soon”:With inflation well above 2 percent and a strong labor market, the Committee expects it will soon be appropriate to raise the target range for the federal funds rate.Previously, the US central bank conditioned its tightening cycle on the situation in the labor market. The relevant part of the statement was as follows in December:With inflation having exceeded 2 percent for some time, the Committee expects it will be appropriate to maintain this target range until labor market conditions have reached levels consistent with the Committee's assessments of maximum employment.The alteration implies that, in the Fed’s view, the US economy has reached maximum employment and is ready to lift the federal funds rate. Indeed, Powell reaffirmed it, saying:There’s quite a bit of room to raise interests without threatening the labor market. This is by so many measures a historically tight labor market — record levels of job openings, quits, wages are moving up at the highest pace they have in decades.Powell also clarified the timing, stating that “the Committee is of the mind to raise the federal funds rate at the March meeting.” This is not completely unexpected, but does mark a significant hawkish change in the Fed’s communication, which is negative for gold.Second, the FOMC reaffirmed its plan, announced in December, to end quantitative easing in early March. It means that in February, the Fed will buy only $20 billion of Treasuries and $10 billion of agency mortgage-backed securities, instead of the $40 and $20 purchased in January:The Committee decided to continue to reduce the monthly pace of its net asset purchases, bringing them to an end in early March. Beginning in February, the Committee will increase its holdings of Treasury securities by at least $20 billion per month and of agency mortgage‑backed securities by at least $10 billion per month.Third, the FOMC is preparing for quantitative tightening. Together with the statement on monetary policy, it published “Principles for Reducing the Size of the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet”. The Fed hasn’t yet determined the timing and pace of reducing the size of its mammoth balance sheet. However, we know that it will happen after the first hike in interest rates, so probably as soon as May or June. After all, as Powell admitted during his press conference, “the balance sheet is substantially larger than it needs to be (...). There’s a substantial amount of shrinkage in the balance sheet to be done.”Implications for GoldWhat does the recent FOMC statement imply for the gold market? The end of QE, the start of the hiking cycle, and then of QT – all packed within just a few months – is a big hawkish wave that could sink the gold bulls. The Fed hasn’t been so aggressive for years.Of course, maybe it’s just a great bluff, and the Fed will retreat to its traditional dovish stance soon when tightening monetary and financial conditions hit Wall Street and the real economy. However, with CPI inflation above 7%, mounting political pressure, and public outrage at costs of living, the US central bank has no choice but to tighten monetary policy, at least for the time being.It seems that gold got the message. The price of the yellow metal plunged more than $30 yesterday, as the chart below shows. Interestingly, gold started its decline before the statement was published, which may indicate more structural weakness. What is also disturbing is that gold was hit even though the FOMC statement came largely as expected.On the other hand, gold didn’t collapse, but it dropped only by thirty-some dollars, or about 1.6%. Given the importance and hawkishness of the FOMC meeting, it could have been worse. Yes, the hawkish message was expected, and some analysts even forecasted more aggressive actions, but gold clearly didn’t capitulate. Thus, there is hope (and turbulence in the stock market can also help here), although the upcoming weeks may be challenging for gold, which would have to deal with rising bond yields.If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today!Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Gold Is Bruised but Can Show Strength – By Doing Nothing

    Gold Is Bruised but Can Show Strength – By Doing Nothing

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 27.01.2022 17:59
      The Fed finally said it: the rates are going up. The USD Index and gold heard it and reacted. The former is at new yearly highs, while gold slides. The medium-term outlook for gold is now extremely bearish. The above might sound like a gloom and doom scenario for precious metals investors, but I view it as particularly favorable. Why? Because: This situation allows us to profit on the upcoming decline in the precious metals sector through trading capital. This situation allows us to detect a great buying entry point in the future. When gold has everything against it and then it manages to remain strong – it will be exactly the moment to buy it. To be more precise: to buy into the precious metals sector (I plan to focus on purchasing mining stocks first as they tend to be strongest during initial parts of major rallies). At that moment PMs will be strong and the situation will be so bad that it can only improve from there – thus contributing to higher PM prices in the following months. Most market participants have not realized the above. “Gold and (especially) silver can only go higher!” is still a common narrative on various forums. Having said that, let’s take a look at the short-term charts. In short, gold declined significantly, and it’s now trading once again below the rising support / resistance line, the declining red resistance line, and back below 2021 closing price (taking also today’s pre-market decline into account). In other words: All important short-term breakouts were just invalidated. The 2022 is once again a down year for gold. Is this as bearish as it gets for gold? Well, there could be some extra bearish things that could happen, but it’s already very, very bearish right now. For example, gold market could catch-up with its reactions to USD Index’s strength. The U.S. currency just moved above its previous 2022 and 2021 highs, while gold is not at its 2021 lows. Yet. I wouldn’t view gold’s performance as true strength against the USD Index at this time just yet. Why? Because of the huge consolidation that gold has been trading in. The strength that I want to see in gold is its ability not to fall or soar back up despite everything thrown against it, not because it’s stuck in a trading range. In analogy, you’ve probably seen someone, who’s able to hold their ground, and not give up despite the world throwing every harm and obstacle at them. They show their character. They show their strength. Inaction could represent greater wisdom and/or love and focus on one’s goal that was associated with the lack of action. You probably know someone like that. You might be someone like that. The above “inaction” is very different from “inaction” resulting from someone not knowing what to do, not having enough energy, or willpower. Since markets are ultimately created by people (or algorithms that were… ultimately still created by people) is it any surprise that markets tend to work in the same way? One inaction doesn’t equal another inaction, and – as always – context matters. However, wasn’t gold strong against the USD Index’s strength in 2021? It was, but it was very weak compared to the ridiculous amounts of money that were printed in 2020 and 2021 and given the global pandemic. These are the circumstances, where gold “should be” soaring well above its 2011 highs, not invalidating the breakout above it. The latter, not the former, happened. Besides, the “strength” was present practically only in gold. Silver and miners remain well below their 2011 highs – they are not even close to them and didn’t move close to them at any point in 2020 or 2021. Gold has been consolidating for many months now, just like it’s been the case between 2011 and 2013. The upper part of the above chart features the width of the Bollinger Bands – I didn’t mark them on the chart to keep it clear, but the important detail is that whenever their width gets very low, it means that the volatility has been very low in the previous months, and that it’s about to change. I marked those cases with vertical dashed lines when the big declines in the indicator took it to or close to the horizontal, red, dashed line. In particular, the 2011-2013 decline is similar to the current situation. What does it mean? It means that gold wasn’t really showing strength – it was stuck. Just like 2012 wasn’t a pause before a bigger rally, the 2021 performance of gold shouldn’t be viewed as such. What happened yesterday showed that gold can and will likely react to hawkish comments from the Fed, that the USD Index is likely to rally and so are the interest rates. The outlook for gold in the medium term is not bullish, but very bearish. The above is a positive for practically everyone interested in the precious metals market (except for those who sell at the bottom that is), as it will allow one to add to their positions (or start building them) at much lower prices. And some will likely (I can’t guarantee any performance, of course) gain small (or not so small) fortunes by being positioned to take advantage of the upcoming slide. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    USD To JPY Chart - What an Upswing! SPX Doesn't Go Really High

    USD To JPY Chart - What an Upswing! SPX Doesn't Go Really High

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 28.01.2022 08:39
    USDJPY tests major resistance The Japanese yen inched higher after January’s Tokyo CPI beat expectations. The US dollar found support in the daily demand zone around 113.50. And that is a sign that upbeat sentiment in the medium-term remains intact. A close above the psychological level of 115.00 attracted momentum traders and sped up the rebound. 115.60 at the origin of the January liquidation is key resistance. In fact, its breach could put the uptrend back on track. The RSI’s overextension may cause a limited pullback with 114.50 as the closest support. USOIL breaks to new high Oil climbed amid fears of disruption as tensions between Russia and the West grew. After a short-lived pause, WTI crude saw bids near a previous low at 82.00 which lies on the 20-day moving average. A break above the January peak at 87.80 indicates solid interest in keeping the rally in shape. As the bulls’ run continued, more trend-followers would push the price to 89.00. An overbought RSI temporarily restrained the fever, and buyers could see a pullback towards 85.00 as an opportunity. SPX 500 struggles for support Upcoming US rate hike still weighs on equity markets. A tentative break below last October’s low (4300) has put the S&P 500 on the defense. A bearish MA cross on the daily chart shows that sentiment could be deteriorating as price action struggles to stabilize. An oversold RSI led to a limited rebound as intraday sellers took profit. Nonetheless, buyers should be wary of catching a falling knife, leaving the index vulnerable to another sell-off if it drops below 4230. 4490 is the first resistance to clear to initiate a recovery.
    NASDAQ, Non-Farm Payrolls, GBPAUD, Gold and More in The Next Episode of "The Trade Off"

    Stock Market in 2022: Momentum on the Stocks in the Market Are In a Solid Footing

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 28.01.2022 10:51
    The year 2022 is seemingly a mixed bag, even as markets start reopening. The year looks promising, though, with issues like inflation and COVID to contemplate. Historic rallies in 2021 after lockdowns are looking to inspire trading in various industries, with some assets to look out for by investors. Growth will surely return at some point, but so will disappointing instances where tumbles will dominate trading desks. The S & P's historic gains of 30 percent dominated the press at the close of 2021, making investors using Naga and other optimistic platforms. The ended year had one of the longest bull markets. However, the Fed rate tightening and the direction the pandemic will take are some things to expect, notwithstanding that the stock market might grow by a whopping 10 percent in 2022. Trading Movements In Week One 2022 European markets have opened with a lot of optimism in 2022, the pan-European STOXX 600 closed at 489.99 points; this is 0.5 percent higher than the opening figure. The European benchmark was some percentage lower than the overall S&P 2021 performance, though with a surge of 22.4 percent. Record gains in the stock markets have relied on the positions taken by the governments during the pandemic. In the USA and Europe, increasing vaccination rates and economic stimulus measures have improved investor confidence. However, there are indications for more volatility in 2022, a situation investors must watch keenly. There has been little activity in London markets in the first week of 2022, while in Italy, France, and Spain gains of between 0.5-1.4 percent made notable highlights. European markets had diverse industries drive up the closing gains witnessed; the airline sector, in particular, has had a significant influence. Germany’s Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) had an impressive 8.8 percent jump while Air France KLM (AIRF.PA), a 4.9 percent gain. Factory activity is another factor to thank for the first week's gains all over Europe. Noteworthy, the Omicron variant influenced trading in the entirety of December, but the reports that it is milder than Delta has energized market activities coming into January. S&P and DOW Jones 2022 First Week Highs Across the Atlantic, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) and S&P 500 (SPX) closed at a record high, highlighting a similar aggressiveness as the European markets. While the jump was industrial-wide, Tech stocks continued to dominate, as Apple finally touched the $3 trillion valuation, though for a short time. Tesla Inc. (TSLA.O) posted a 13.5 percent jump thanks to increased production in China and an unprecedented goal to surpass its target. The US market, like the European market, is also in a fix; the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to cause concern with the wait-and-see approach, the only notable strategy. Currently, every country is reporting a jump in the number of Covid cases, with the UK going above 100K cases for the first time and the US recording some new records as well. School delays and increased isolation by key workers will surely debilitate the markets, with the global chip shortage another point to contemplate. However, markets can still ride on the increased development of therapies to help fight Covid. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (CDC) has been quick, as now children can have their third doses as well. Industries to Look Out For In 2022 European automakers have seen early peaks, while the airline sector has also picked up fast. In the US, tech shares continue to dominate, and 2022 might witness new records never seen before. However, the energy sectors have also dominated the news in 2021, and in 2022; the confidence in them will continue to rise because of an anticipation of stabilization in energy prices. The same goes for crude oil prices. Regardless, shareholders will continue watching the decisions by the Federal Reserve, a review in the current interest rates will surely tame inflation. Conclusion 2022 will see its highs and lows in investments. Some assets will make the news and investors will be keen to use any information to make key decisions. Tech will continue to shine, but it is important to anticipate the direction of the pandemic, as it will be an important factor in investor decisions.
    DXY Hits Level of July, 2020 and Affects EURUSD

    DXY Hits Level of July, 2020 and Affects EURUSD

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 28.01.2022 10:26
    The US dollar rewrote its 1.5-year highs on Thursday, sending EURUSD under 1.1150. After the FOMC meeting, the pair fell in total by 1.5%, leaving a two-month consolidation with a sharp movement. Friday's small rollback from extremes is likely a local profit fixation by the end of the week and month. History suggests that the US currency begins to add about 2-3 quarters before the first rate hike and continues to be in positive territory for about the same time after. We believe that this long story should be adjusted to the new reality in which interest rates are the starting point. Namely, the first point of tightening monetary conditions is now the beginning of the curtailment of purchases on the balance sheet and not the first increase. The start of the dollar's growth last year was the beginning of a public discussion of curtailment. And now, seven months later, the dollar is halfway up with an 8.5% increase from the area of last year's lows. The second half of this wave is unlikely to be as powerful. We only assume that the dollar has a 3-4% growth potential in the area of 100.3-101 due to monetary policy changes. This will return the US currency to the area of steady highs in 2020, excluding two weeks of the most violent market crash. The EURUSD rate in this scenario may fall to 1.07-1.08 before finding a more substantial base of buyers. However, investors and traders should also remember that monetary policy is far from the only driver for currencies. The markets' attention can quickly switch to the debt sustainability of the Eurozone countries and the pace of economic recovery in the world.
    Many Factors to Affect XAU This Year. What About The Past?

    Many Factors to Affect XAU This Year. What About The Past?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 28.01.2022 10:38
      Gold’s fate in 2021 will be determined mainly by inflation and the Fed’s reaction to it. In the epic struggle between chaos and order, chaos has an easier task, as there is usually only one proper method to do a job – the job that you can screw up in many ways. Thus, although economists see a strong economic expansion with cooling prices and normalization in monetary policies in 2022, many things could go wrong. The Omicron strain of coronavirus or its new variants could become more contagious and deadly, pushing the world into the Great Lockdown again. The real estate crisis in China could lead the country into recession, with serious economic consequences for the global economy. Oh, by the way, we could see an escalation between China and Taiwan, or between China and the US, especially after the recent test of hypersonic missiles by the former country. Having said that, I believe that the major forces affecting the gold market in 2022 will be – similarly to last year’s – inflation and the Fed’s response to it. Considering things in isolation, high inflation should be supportive of gold prices. The problem here is that gold prefers high and rising inflation. Although the inflation rate should continue its upward move for a while, it’s likely to peak this year. Indeed, based on very simple monetarist reasoning, I expect the peak to be somewhere in the first quarter of 2022. This is because the lag between the acceleration in money supply growth (March 2020) and CPI growth (March 2021) was a year. The peak in the former occurred in February 2021, as the chart below shows. You can do the math (by the way, this is the exercise that turned out to be too difficult for Jerome Powell and his “smart” colleagues from the Fed). This is – as I’ve said – very uncomplicated thinking that assumes the stability of the lag between monetary impulses and price reactions. However, given the Fed’s passive reaction to inflation and the fact that the pace of money supply growth didn’t return to the pre-pandemic level, but stayed at twice as high, the peak in inflation may occur later. In other words, more persistent inflation is the major risk for the economy that many economists still downplay. The consensus expectation is that inflation returns to a level close to the Fed’s target by the end of the year. For 2021, the forecasts were similar. Instead, inflation has risen to about 7%. Thus, never underestimate the power of the inflation dragon, especially if the beast is left unchecked! As everyone knows, dragons love gold – and this feeling is mutual. The Saxo Bank, in its annual “Outrageous Predictions”, sees the potential for US consumer prices to rise 15% in 2022, as “companies bid up wages in an effort to find willing and qualified workers, triggering a wage-price spiral unlike anything seen since the 1970’s”. Actually, given the fact that millions of Americans left the labor market – which the Fed doesn’t understand and still expects that they will come back – this prediction is not as extreme as one could expect. I still hope that inflationary pressure will moderate this year, but I’m afraid that the fall may not be substantial. On the other hand, we have the Fed with its hawkish rhetoric and tapering of quantitative easing. The US central bank is expected to start a tightening cycle, hiking the federal funds rate at least twice this year. It doesn’t sound good for gold, does it? A hawkish Fed implies a stronger greenback and rising real interest rates, which is negative for the yellow metal. As the chart below shows, the normalization of monetary policy after the Great Recession, with the infamous “taper tantrum”, was very supportive of the US dollar but lethal for gold. However, the price of gold bottomed in December 2015, exactly when the Fed hiked the interest rates for the first time after the global financial crisis. Markets are always future-oriented, so they often react more to expected rather than actual events. Another thing is that the Fed’s tightening cycle of 2015-2018 was dovish and the federal funds rate (and the Fed’s balance sheet) never returned to pre-crisis levels. The same applies to the current situation: despite all the hawkish reactions, the Fed is terribly behind the curve. Last but not least, history teaches us that a tightening Fed spells trouble for markets. As a reminder, the last tightening cycle led to the reversal of the yield curve in 2019 and the repo crisis, which forced the US central bank to cut interest rates, even before anyone has heard of covid-19. Hence, the Fed is in a very difficult situation. It either stays behind the curve, which risks letting inflation get out of control, or tightens its monetary policy in a decisive manner, just like Paul Volcker did in the 1980s, which risks a correction of already-elevated asset prices and the next economic crisis. Such expectations have boosted gold prices since December 2015, and they could support the yellow metal today as well. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Tesla Stock Price and Forecast: Why did TSLA fall despite beating earnings estimates?

    Tesla Stock Price and Forecast: Why did TSLA fall despite beating earnings estimates?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 27.01.2022 15:59
    Tesla stock swung around violently post the earnings release. TSLA shares quickly dropped 6% despite beating earnings estimates. Tesla then recovered to trade down 2% as buyers stepped in. Tesla (TSLA) swung around pretty wildly in the after-hours market on Wednesday following its earnings release. The stock dropped 6% fairly rapidly despite beating on the top and bottom lines. Buyers then went bargain hunting as the market struggled to grasp what metric to focus on. By the time things settled down, we were nearly back to where things started. At the time of writing, Tesla is back to $930 in the premarket on Thursday, so only $7 or less than 1% lower from where Tesla stock was trading at the close of the regular session and before the earnings drop. Tesla Stock News Tesla beat on earnings per share (EPS), coming in at $2.54 versus the $2.26 average estimate. Revenue also beat forecasts, coming in at $17.72 billion versus the $16.35 billion estimate. This was a pretty strong performance beat on both top and bottom lines. Margins also held up well, coming in at 30.8% versus estimates for 30%. So far so good. However, Tesla then mentioned that its factories were not at full capacity and it saw this continuing into 2022. Supply chain issues were to blame, and investors took a dim view of this and sold the stock sharply lower. However, buyers then stepped in as arguments over demand versus supply issues surfaced. The demand profile remains strong and Tesla stuck to its strong outlook for demand going forward. If it can address supply issues and with new factories in Texas and Berlin coming on line, it may be in a position to drive more supply to meet demand. It is certainly better to have a problem meeting demand than it is to have a lack of demand. This is a case of "if you build it, they will come" for Tesla going forward. Tesla Stock Forecast TSLA bottomed out at $879 after the release, but in reality it spent very little time down there. This is interesting to us on a technical view as it prints a higher low than Monday's sell-off and puts in place the potential for a bottoming formation. From the 4-hour chart below we can see this price action in play. The lows from Monday at $855 are our short-term pivot. Above there things have a chance to turn bullish in a more medium-term view. Below and it is on to $813 to test the 200-day moving average. Tesla chart, 4 hourly
    Fed Comments Help To Settle Global Market Expectations

    Fed Comments Help To Settle Global Market Expectations

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 28.01.2022 14:59
    The recent Fed comments should have helped settle the global market expectations related to if and when the Fed will start raising rates and/or taking further steps to curb inflation trends. Additionally, the Fed has been telegraphing its intentions very clearly over the past few months, providing ample time for traders and investors to alter their approach to pending monetary tightening actions. Read the full Fed Statement here.In my opinion, foreign markets are more likely to see increased risks and declining price trends for two reasons. First, at-risk nations/borrowers struggle to reduce debt levels. Second, foreign market traders/investors struggle to adapt to the transition away from speculative “growth” trends. I think the US Dollar may continue to show strength over the next 4+ months as the foreign traders pile into US economic strength while the Fed initiates their tightening actions. So it makes sense to me that global markets would recoil from Fed tightening while debt-heavy corporations/nations seek relief from rising debt obligations.Foreign Markets Struggle For Support Before US Fed Monetary TighteningIn a continuing downward slide, global market equity indexes continue to move lower after the US Fed comments this week. In this article, I wrote about this dynamic on August 3, 2021: US Markets Stall Near End Of July As Global Markets Retreat - Are We Ready For An August Surprise? At that time, I suggested the US markets were stalling while the global markets continued to decline.Now, nearly five months later, we've seen the US market trend moderately higher, attempting to struggle to new highs and exhibit deep downward price trends, while the global markets have continued to trend lower. As we move closer to the US Fed pushing interest rates higher, I expect these trends to become even more volatile and pronounced.US Equities May Find Support After The Fed Raises RatesThe current dynamic in the global markets is that capital is seeking investments where safety and profitable returns dominate over risks. As the global markets transition ahead of the Fed rate increases, I believe the US markets will continue to dominate global assets in opportunities, safety, and returns. Once the Fed starts to raise interest rates, a brief period of volatility throughout the global markets may occur. Still, that volatility should quickly settle as traders chase a stronger US Dollar, US Dollar-based Dividends, and a potential “melt-up” of the US Equity market (particularly the Dow Jones, S&P500, and possibly the Russell 2000).Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!Unless the US Fed takes very aggressive action in raising rates too quickly, I believe, at least initially, the US equity markets will continue to benefit from perceived strengths compared to many global equities/indexes.This means there will be many opportunities for traders and investors in 2022 and 2023 – we have to be patient in waiting for the chance to profit from these big trends. Jumping ahead of this volatility could be dangerous if you are on the wrong side of the price trend. Instead, wait for the right opportunities while you protect your capital from extreme risks. Let the markets tell you when opportunities are perfect – don't try to force a trade to happen.On December 28, 2021, I published this research article showing how my Adaptive Dynamic Learning (ADL) Predictive Modeling system expects price to trend in 2022 and early 2023: Predictive Modeling Suggests 710 Rally In SPY And QQQ Before April 2022. I strongly suggest taking a look at the recent downside price trends in relation to the lower range of the ADL Predictive Modeling expectations. If my ADL Predictive Modeling system is accurate, we may see a relatively strong recovery in the US stock market throughout the rest of 2022 and beyond.Strategies To Help You Protect And Grow Your WealthLearn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    As Fed Is Acting, Is The DXY The Most Interesting Chart For Now?

    As Fed Is Acting, Is The DXY The Most Interesting Chart For Now?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 28.01.2022 15:42
      Despite death wishes from the doubters, the dollar took to the skies on the Fed’s hawkish wings. Gold and silver can wave from the ground for now. While Fed Chairman Jerome Powell threw fuel on the fire on Jan. 26, it’s no surprise that the USD Index has rallied to new highs. For example, while dollar bears feasted on false narratives in 2021, I was a lonely bull forecasting higher index values. Likewise, after more doubts emerged in 2022, the death of the dollar narrative resurfaced once again. However, with the charts signaling a bullish outcome for some time, my initial target of 94.5 was surpassed and my next target of 98 is near. As such, it’s crucial to avoid speculation and wait for confirmation of breakdowns and breakouts. In its absence, the price action often pulls you in the wrong direction. Remember the supposedly bearish move below 95 when the USD Index moved even below its rising support line? It’s been just 2 weeks since that development. On Jan. 14, I wrote the following: In conclusion, 2022 looks a lot like 2021: dollar bears are out in full force and the ‘death of the dollar’ narrative has resurfaced once again. However, with the greenback’s 2021 ascent catching many investors by surprise, another re-enactment will likely materialize in 2022. Moreover, since gold, silver, and mining stocks often move inversely to the U.S. dollar, their 2022 performances may surprise for all of the wrong reasons. As such, while the dollar’s despondence is bullish for the precious metals, a reversal of fortunes will likely occur over the medium term. Given yesterday’s reversal in the USD Index, it’s likely also from the short-term point of view – we could see the reversal and the return of the USD’s rally and PMs’ decline any day or hour now. Fortunately, if you’ve been following my analyses, the recent price moves didn’t catch you by surprise. What’s next? While the USD Index still needs to confirm the recent breakout and some consolidation may ensue, the bullish medium-term thesis remains intact. More importantly, though, the USD Index’s gain has resulted in gold, silver, and mining stocks’ pain. For example, the dollar’s surge helped push gold below its short-and-medium-term rising support lines (the upward sloping red lines on the bottom half of the above chart). However, since the USD Index hit a new high and gold didn’t hit a new low, is the development bullish for the yellow metal? To answer, I wrote on Jan. 27: The U.S. currency just moved above its previous 2022 and 2021 highs, while gold is not at its 2021 lows. Yet. I wouldn’t view gold’s performance as true strength against the USD Index at this time just yet. Why? Because of the huge consolidation that gold has been trading in. The strength that I want to see in gold is its ability not to fall or soar back up despite everything thrown against it, not because it’s stuck in a trading range. In analogy, you’ve probably seen someone, who’s able to hold their ground, and not give up despite the world throwing every harm and obstacle at them. They show their character. They show their strength. Inaction could represent greater wisdom and/or love and focus on one’s goal that was associated with the lack of action. You probably know someone like that. You might be someone like that. The above “inaction” is very different from “inaction” resulting from someone not knowing what to do, not having enough energy, or willpower. Since markets are ultimately created by people (or algorithms that were… ultimately still created by people) is it any surprise that markets tend to work in the same way? One inaction doesn’t equal another inaction, and – as always – context matters. However, wasn’t gold strong against the USD Index’s strength in 2021? It was, but it was very weak compared to the ridiculous amounts of money that were printed in 2020 and 2021 and given the global pandemic. These are the circumstances, where gold “should be” soaring well above its 2011 highs, not invalidating the breakout above it. The latter, not the former, happened. Besides, the “strength” was present practically only in gold. Silver and miners remain well below their 2011 highs – they are not even close to them and didn’t move close to them at any point in 2020 or 2021. The Eye in the Sky Doesn’t Lie Moreover, if we zoom out and focus our attention on the USD Index’s weekly chart, the price action has unfolded exactly as I expected. For example, while overbought conditions resulted in a short-term breather, the USD Index consolidated for a few weeks. However, history shows that the greenback eventually catches its second wind. To explain, I previously wrote: I marked additional situations on the chart below with orange rectangles – these were the recent cases when the RSI based on the USD Index moved from very low levels to or above 70. In all three previous cases, there was some corrective downswing after the initial part of the decline, but once it was over – and the RSI declined somewhat – the big rally returned and the USD Index moved to new highs. Please see below: Just as the USD Index took a breather before its massive rally in 2014, it seems that we saw the same recently. This means that predicting higher gold prices (or those of silver) here is likely not a good idea. Continuing the theme, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie, and with the USDX’s long-term breakout clearly visible, the wind remains at the dollar’s back. Furthermore, dollar bears often miss the forest through the trees: with the USD Index’s long-term breakout gaining steam, the implications of the chart below are profound. While very few analysts cite the material impact (when was the last time you saw the USDX chart starting in 1985 anywhere else?), the USD Index has been sending bullish signals for years. Please see below: The bottom line? With my initial 2021 target of 94.5 already hit, the ~98-101 target is likely to be reached over the medium term (and perhaps quite soon) Mind, though: we’re not bullish on the greenback because of the U.S.’s absolute outperformance. It’s because the region is fundamentally outperforming the Eurozone. The EUR/USD accounts for nearly 58% of the movement of the USD Index, and the relative performance is what really matters. In conclusion, the USD Index’s ascent has surprised investors. However, if you’ve been following my analysis, you know that I’ve been expecting these moves for over a year. Moreover, with the rally poised to persist, gold, silver, and mining stocks may struggle before they reach lasting bottoms. However, with long-term buying opportunities likely to materialize later in 2022, the precious metals should soar to new heights in the coming years. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    If It Had Been Basketball, We Might Say S&P 500 Had Been Blocked!

    If It Had Been Basketball, We Might Say S&P 500 Had Been Blocked!

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 28.01.2022 16:01
    S&P 500 upswing attempt rejected, again – and credit markets didn‘t pause, with the dollar rush being truly ominous. Sign of both the Fed being taken seriously, and of being afraid (positioned for) the adverse tightening consequences. Bonds are bleeding, the yield curve flattening, and VIX having trouble declining. As stated yesterday: (...) It‘s nice to start counting with 5 rate hikes this year when taper hasn‘t truly progressed much since it was announced last year. The accelerated taper would though happen, and the following questions are as to hikes‘ number and frequency. I‘m not looking the current perceived hawkishness to be able to go all the way, and I question Mar 50bp rate hike fears. Not that it would even make a dent in inflation. Not even the shock and awe 50bp hike in Mar would make a dent as crude oil prices virtually guarantee inflation persistence beyond 2022. The red hot Treasury and dollar markets are major headwinds as the S&P 500 is cooling off (in a very volatile way) for a major move. As we keep chopping between 4,330s and 4,270s, the bulls haven‘t been yet overpowered. I keep looking to bonds and USD for direction across all markets. I also wrote yesterday: (...) All that‘s needed, is for bonds to turn up, acknowledging a too hawkish interpretation of yesterday‘s FOMC – key factor that sent metals down and dollar up. While rates would continue rising, as the Fed overplays its tightening hand, we would see them retreat again – now with 1.85% in the 10-year Treasury, we would overshoot very well above 2% only to close the year in its (2%) vicinity. That just illustrates how much tolerance for rate hikes both the real economy and the markets have, and the degree to which the Fed can accomplish its overly ambitious yet behind the curve plans. Still time to be betting on commodities and precious metals in the coming stagflation. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Another setback with reversal of prior gains - S&P 500 is chopping in preparation for the upcoming move. Concerningly, the bears are overpowering the bulls on a daily basis increasingly more while Bollinger Bands cool down to accommodate the next move. Direction will be decided in bonds. Credit Markets HYG keeps collapsing but the volume is drying up, which means we could see a reprieve – happening though at lower levels than earlier this week. Quality debt instruments are pausing already, indicatively. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver declined as yields moved sharply up and so did the dollar – but inflation or inflation expectations didn‘t really budge, and TLT looks ready to pause. The metals keep chopping sideways in the early tightening phase, which is actually quite a feat. Crude Oil Crude oil isn‘t broken by the Fed, and its upswing looks ready to go on unimpeded, and that has implications for inflation ahead. Persistent breed, let me tell you. Copper Copper is in danger of losing some breath – the GDP growth downgrades aren‘t helping. The red metal though remains range bound, patiently waiting to break out. Will take time. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin and Ethereum are pointing lower again, losing altitude – not yet a buying proposition. Summary S&P 500 bulls wasted another opportunity to come back – the FOMC consequences keep biting as fears of a hawkish Fed are growing. Tech still can‘t get its act together, and neither can bonds – these are the decisive factors for equities. As liquidity is getting scarce while the Fed hadn‘t really moved yet, risk-on assets are under pressure thanks to frontrunning the Fed. The room for a surprising rebound in stocks is however still there, given how well the 4,270s are holding in spite of the HYG plunge. And given the recent quality debt instruments pause, it looks approaching. Look for a dollar decline next to confirm the upcoming risk-on upswing. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    APPL (Apple) After Release of The Reports. How Will It Affect The Market?

    APPL (Apple) After Release of The Reports. How Will It Affect The Market?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 28.01.2022 16:11
    Apple stock surges after a strong earnings release. AAPL popped 2% on the numbers, and this move has continued. Apple could turn the entire market sentiment around. Apple (AAPL) dropped earnings after the close last night, and they amounted to a blow out. There had been some talk of record numbers and iPhone sales prior to the release, but this set of earnings surprised even the most bullish previews. The stock immediately popped 2% and stabilized but has since added another 2% to its after-market gains and is currently at $165.79 in Friday's premarket. This marks a 4% gain on the regular session close from Thursday. This big question is whether Apple (AAPL) can turn the entire market sentiment around. It is after all the biggest company in the world with the highest weighting in the main S&P 500 and NASDAQ indices. It certainly has the potential to call a bottom to this miserable start to 2022. Apple Stock News Earnings per share (EPS) came in at $2.10 versus the average estimate of $1.88. Revenue also beat estimates, hitting $123.9 billion versus $118.28 billion. The closely watched iPhone revenue number hit $71.63 billion and represents just under 58% of Apple's total revenue. Gross margins increased from 39.8% to 43.8% yearly. On the conference call post earnings, CEO Tim Cook said he sees this margin remaining strong in Q2 2022 to 43% at the midpoint of projections. However, the March quarter is traditionally the slowest of the year earnings wise due to the post-holiday season lull in sales activity. CFO Luca Maestri addressed the key question of supply chain issues, saying chip issues are only a problem for mostly older models and that problems have eased. Tim Cook said the supply chain is doing well. Overall, this was exactly what the market needed: blowout earnings with a significant beat. The earnings call offered strong revenue and most importantly positive commentary around the supply chain and semiconductor chip issues. We will likely see multiple analyst upgrades as the day progresses. Apple Stock Forecast This now becomes a key barometer for the broad market. AAPL should stabilize and appreciate further from here based on these results. If this current rally fails and fades, then truly we are entering a correction phase. For now, $157 remains key support. This is the high from September and also the 100-day moving average. Hold here and we can then target $167.63 and then onto record highs. Also note how the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is oversold by traditional metrics at 30 (we prefer to use 20) and how the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is also at lows with the histogram at the widest we have seen for some time. All of these are indicators of oversold conditions. Everything looks set up for a turnaround. The only caveat is the overall market sentiment. Apple (AAPL) chart, daily
    S&P 500 (SPX) A Very Tight Sequence of The Latest Candles In The Chart

    S&P 500 (SPX) A Very Tight Sequence of The Latest Candles In The Chart

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 31.01.2022 15:53
    S&P 500 left the 4,270s - 4,330s range with an upside breakout – after bonds finally caught some bid. While in risk-on posture, divergencies to stocks abound – any stock market advance would leave S&P 500 in a more precarious position than when the break above 4,800 ATHs fizzled out. But a stock market advance we would have, targeting 4,500 followed by possibly 4,600. The sizable open long profits can keep growing. Only the market internals would be poor, so better don‘t look at the percentage of stocks trading above their 200-day moving averages, and similar metrics. Enough to say that Friday‘s advance was sparked by the Apple news. When it‘s only the generals that are advancing while much of the rest remains in shambles, Houston has a problem – we aren‘t there yet. Fed‘s Kashkari also helped mightily on Friday – that implicit rates backpedalling was more than helpful. Pity that precious metals haven‘t noticed (I would say yet) – but remember the big picture and don‘t despair, we‘re just going sideways before the inevitable breakout higher. Back to rates and the Fed, there is a key difference between the tightening of 2018 and now – the economy was quite robust with blood freely flowing, crucially without raging inflation. With the Fed sorely behind the curve by at least a year, it‘ll have to move faster and have lower sensibility to market selloffs caused. Stiff headwinds ahead as liquidity gets tighter. Couple that with resilient oil – more profits taken off the table Friday at $88.30 – and you‘ve got a pretty resilient inflation. Not that inflation expectations would be shaking in their boots, not that commodities would be cratering. It‘s only copper (influencing silver) that has to figure out just how overdone its Friday‘s move had been. Not that other base metals would be that pessimistic. Similarly to precious metals and the early tightening phase, commodities would be under temporary pressure as well, but outperforming as we officially enter stagflation. Not too tough to imagine given the GDP growth downgrades. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Great finish to the week, but S&P 500 bulls have quite a job ahead – it continues being choppy out there. I‘m still looking at bonds with tech for direction. Credit Markets HYG finally turned around, and Friday was a risk-on day. The question remains how far can the retracement (yes, it‘s retracement only) reach – can the pre-FOMC highs be approached? Could be, could be. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver retreated, but no chart damage was done – things are still going sideways as the countdown is on for the Fed to either tighten too much and send markets crashing, or reverse course (again). Crude Oil Crude oil isn‘t broken by the Fed, and why should it be given that it can‘t be printed. Some backing and filling is ahead before the uptrend reasserts itself. Copper Copper is the only red flag, and seeing it rebound would call off the amber light. This is the greatest non-confirmation of the commodities direction in quite a while, and that‘s why I‘m taking it with more than a pinch of salt. Bitcoin and Ethereum Crypto bulls are putting up a little fight as the narrow range trading continues – I‘m not looking at the Bitcoin and Ethereum buyers to succeed convincingly. Summary S&P 500 bulls finally moved in an otherwise volatile and choppy week. For the days ahead, volatility is likely to calm down somewhat, but chop is likely to be with us still – only that I expect it to be of the bullish flavor. 10-year Treasury yield has calmed down, and that would be constructive for stocks – watch next for the 2-year to take notice likewise. The 2-year Treasury is quite sensitive to the anticipated Fed moves, and illustrates well the rate hike fears – coupled with the compressed 10-year to 2-year ratio, we‘re looking at rising expectation of the Fed policy mistake (in tightening too much, too fast). For now though, stocks can recover somewhat, and most of the commodities can keep on appreciating. Precious metals keep being in the waiting game, very resilient, and will turn out one of the great bullish surprises of 2022. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Bitcoin, Fed, Stocks and Bonds

    Bitcoin, Fed, Stocks and Bonds

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 01.02.2022 13:18
    Bitcoin, the plan, and its execution The Plan: It is an election year when Democrats will project political pressure upon the Federal Reserve to not risk through aggressive policy changes a stock market collapse to keep their votes. As a result, more money printing expands inflation, which supports the interest for bitcoin as an inflation hedge. Should we see in opposition for whatever reason a rapid stock market decline, the investor would unlikely be interested in owning stock or bonds. While initially, bitcoin prices would likely fall alongside the markets, money will likely flow into bitcoin shortly afterward. The execution: With bitcoins prices suppressed from their recent decline (down 52% from its last all-time high at around US$69,000), we have another edge for minimizing exposure risk. BTC in US-Dollar, monthly chart, high likely turning points: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of January 31st, 2022. The chart above depicts five supply zones we have our eye on. We will try identifying low-risk entry points on smaller time frames at or near these points and reduce risk further with our quad exit strategy. We already had entries near zone 1 and 2 and posted those live in our free Telegram channel. BTC in US-Dollar, weekly chart, bitcoin, the plan, and its execution, reload trading: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 1st, 2022. Once the more significant time frame turning point is identified (white arrow), we will add what we call ‘reload’ trades (see chart above) on the smaller weekly time frame. We do so by identifying low-risk entries in congestion zones (yellow boxes) on the way up. We aim to arrive near the elections in November with a sizable position that is due to our exit strategy being risk-free. Playing with the market’s money will allow for positive execution psychology and ease us to observe our position through an expected volatility period, with further profit-taking into possible volatile upswings that are only temporary in nature. BTC in US-Dollar, Quarterly Chart, long-term profit potential: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, quarterly chart as of February 1st, 2022. While this year’s midterm trading on the long side of the bitcoin market could provide for substantial income from the 50% profit-taking of each individual trade and reload based on our quad exit strategy, the real goal is to have a remaining position size that could potentially go to unfathomable heights, since we see in the long term the inflation problem not going away but rather culminating in a bitcoin rise that could be substantially much larger in percentage than alternative inflation hedges like real estate, gold, silver and alike. Not to say that we find it also essential to hold these asset classes for wealth preservation. The quarterly chart above illustrates the potential of such a position. We illustrated both in time (six years) and price (US$ 134,000) our most conservative model in this chart. Bitcoin, the plan, and its execution: We see no scenario where inflation is just going away. The above narrative shows that a short-term fueling of inflation is likely. Furthermore, a high-risk scenario is fueling inflation even more. Should markets decline rapidly, it can be expected that money printing and buying up the market is the most predominant solution applied. Consequently, the average investor would wake up relieved that prices wouldn’t decline any further but liquidating their holdings in a further inflated fiat currency will have massively decreased purchasing power. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|February 1st, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Tesla (TSLA) Price Also Has Its Ups and Downs. It's Below $920 Currently

    Tesla (TSLA) Price Also Has Its Ups and Downs. It's Below $920 Currently

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 31.01.2022 15:49
    Tesla stock tumbles after beating earnings estimates TSLA shares hit by concerns over supply chain issues. Apple and big tech could turn the market next week. Tesla (TSLA) staged a modest recovery on Friday, but the real damage was done on Thursday when the stock shed nearly 12%. Friday's move was not even that impressive given Tesla's high beta, a fact that would usually see it bounce significantly more than the major indices. As we know well by now high, growth is not the sector of choice this year, and Tesla does straddle this space. Investors are moving back to more traditional sectors and metrics for their portfolios, and the era of high flying growth is coming to an end, for now at least. We view this as a positive event, stretching too far would have resulted in an ugly snapback or bubble popping most likely. This stabilisation should continue for the year with one or two speculative dead cat bounces along the way. We may just get one of those next week as the remainder of big tech gets a chance to continue on from where Apple led. Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) are all reporting earnings this week. Positive earnings should steady sentiment, and this would then also likely spread to some high growth names. However, in the longer term, we expect balance sheets rather than growth to outperform this year. Tesla Stock News Tesla is not just pure growth, although it is managing to do that rather impressively if the latest results are anything to go by. It will stay with the pace, while other start-up EV manufacturers are more likely to fade away. Tesla created the EV space and remains the brand leader. This will likely not change since it has positioned itself as a premium brand. It will likely face more competition, but we do not see it losing quite as much market share as that forecast by Bank of America. Forecasting a drop from 69% to 19% market share in the space of two years does seem a bit headline-grabbing. The problem for Tesla is its valuation got too ahead of itself, so it is likely to underperform in this new environment despite continued strong earnings and revenue growth. Tesla Stock Forecast The bearish trend is now well-established. Thursday's losses only followed on from what we identified back in early January. The spike higher failed, and then it created a lower low, which confirmed the mid-December low. Even Friday's price action set a lower low than Thursday before the bounce set in. Resistance at $987 is last week's high and is first up. A close above that is significant and a new bar above that will signify a small short-term uptrend. Otherwise, the medium-term downtrend remains in control with support at the 200-day moving average, which sits at $814 currently. Tesla (TSLA) chart, daily
    Technical Analysis: Moving Averages - Did You Know This Tool?

    (PLTR) Palantir Stock Went Down And Isn't Even Close To November's Levels

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 01.02.2022 15:49
    Palantir stock rises by nearly 8% on Monday. PLTR shares have suffered from the hawkish Fed and risk aversion. Palantir could see a rally as risk assets see inflows. Palantir (PLTR) is back on the minds of traders as retail interest stocks finally catch a bid in this new environment. Meme and retail interest stocks have been hammered so far in 2022. Most, if not all, of these stocks are high growth, unprofitable and highly speculative names, and the momentum has dried up in this sector in 2022. The Fed has pivoted to a strongly hawkish stance, and markets are pricing in five rate hikes this year. Palantir has fallen 25% so far this year and nearly 50%over the last three months. Palantir Stock News The meme and retail space staged a recovery yesterday as some end-of-month position covering saw some positive flows. Added to this was a more risk-on tone following from Apple's strong earnings late last week and in anticipation of more big tech earnings this week. AMC then whetted risk appetites further this morning when it released revenue numbers that were ahead of analysts' forecasts. AMC shares popped 14% and dragged many retail and meme stocks along with them. All this should contribute to more gains for Palantir on Tuesday as momentum is key for these names. Adding to this and more stock-specific is that Palantir and Satellogic (SATL) announced a strategic partnership. "Combining the forces of Palantir’s Edge AI technology with Satellogic’s frequent high-resolution imagery will give users actionable insight faster than ever, accelerating their operations from space to mud," said Shyam Sankar, COO of Palantir. "The holistic capabilities of Palantir's Foundry will be instrumental in helping Satellogic realize our mission to improve life on Earth through geospatial data,” said Matthew Tirman, President of Satellogic North America. “ Satellogic will provide Palantir’s US government customers with ready access to Satellogic’s high-resolution satellite imagery to drive analytical insights across a range of mission-oriented use cases.” Satellogic only recently went public via a SPAC deal, listing on the NASDAQ on January 26. We do not have details of the financial side of the partnership or the impact on Palantir's revenue streams. The partnership is for five years, and the companies already have an existing collaboration. All this makes it less significant in our view as it is merely an add-on to an existing relationship between the two companies. Investors are pushing the news aggressively on social media. Palantir Stock Forecast We do note the oversold Relative Strength Index (RSI) on January 27 with it dipping below 20. Oversold readings are usually below 30 for the RSI, but 20 eliminates false signals. This then worked well, and today's move is likely to see more gains. Breaking $13.61 gets PLTR shares above the 9-day moving average, and the next resistance is at $15 from both the yearly VWAP and 21-day moving average. The VWAP is the volume-weighted average price. Palantir (PLTR) chart, daily
    Crude Oil Consquently Goes Higher, S&P 500 Gains and Bitcoin Slowly Recovers

    Crude Oil Consquently Goes Higher, S&P 500 Gains and Bitcoin Slowly Recovers

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 01.02.2022 16:01
    S&P 500 pushed sharply higher, squeezing not only tech bears even if yields didn‘t move much – bonds actually ran into headwinds before the closing bell. With my 4,500 target reached, the door has opened to consolidation of prior steep gains, and that would be accompanied by lower volatility days till before the positioning for Friday‘s non-farm payrolls is complete as talked on Sunday. So, we have an S&P 500 rally boosting our open profits while the credit market‘s risk-on posture is getting challenged, and divergencies to stocks abound – as I wrote yesterday: (…) any stock market advance would leave S&P 500 in a more precarious position than when the break above 4,800 ATHs fizzled out. But a stock market advance we would have, targeting 4,500 followed by possibly 4,600. We‘re getting there, the bulls haven‘t yet run out of steam, but it‘s time to move closer to the exit door while still dancing. But the key focus remains the Fed dynamic: (…) Fed‘s Kashkari ... helped mightily on Friday – that implicit rates backpedalling was more than helpful. Pity that precious metals haven‘t noticed (I would say yet) – but remember the big picture and don‘t despair, we‘re just going sideways before the inevitable breakout higher. Back to rates and the Fed, there is a key difference between the tightening of 2018 and now – the economy was quite robust with blood freely flowing, crucially without raging inflation. With the Fed sorely behind the curve by at least a year, it‘ll have to move faster and have lower sensibility to market selloffs caused. Stiff headwinds ahead as liquidity gets tighter. Suffice to say that precious metals did notice yesterday, and copper looks ready to work off its prior odd downswing. Remember that commodities keep rising (hello the much lauded agrifoods) while oil enteredd temporary sideways consolidation. Look for other base metals to help the red one higher – the outlook isn‘t pessimistic in the least as the recognition we have entered stagflation, would grow while the still compressing yield curve highlights growing conviction of Fed policy mistake. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls proved their upper hand yesterday, and the question is where would the upswing stall – or at least pause. Ahead soon, still this week. Credit Markets HYG caught a bid yesterday too, but the sellers have awakened – it appears the risk-on trades would be tested soon again. Bonds are certainly less optimistic than stocks at this point, but the S&P 500 rickety ride can still continue, and diverge from bonds. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver retreat was indeed shallow, did you back up the truck? The chart hasn‘t flipped bearish, and I stand by the earlier call that PMs would be one of the great bullish surprises of 2022. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls rejected more downside, but I‘m not looking for that to last – however shallow the upcoming pullback, it would present a buying opportunity, and more profits on top of those taken recently. Copper Expect copper‘s recent red flag to be dealt with decisively, and for higher prices to prevail. Other base metals have likewise room to join in as $4.60 would be taken on once again. At the same time, the silver to copper ratio would move in the white metal‘s favor after having based since the Aug 2020 PMs top called. Bitcoin and Ethereum As stated yesterday, crypto bulls are putting up a little fight as the narrow range trading continues – I‘m not looking at the Bitcoin and Ethereum buyers to succeed convincingly. Time for a downside reversal is approaching. Summary S&P 500 bulls made a great run yesterday, and short covering was to a good deal responsible. Given the credit market action, I‘m looking for the pace of gains to definitely decelerate, and for the 500-strong index to consolidate briefly. VIX is likely to keep calming down before rising again on Friday. Should credit markets agree, the upcoming chop would be of the bullish flavor, especially if oil prices keep trading guardedly. And that looks to be the case, and the rotation into tech can go on – $NYFANG doing well is one of the themes for the environment of slowing GDP growth rates, alongside precious metals and commodities embracing inflation with both arms. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    XAU Stays Strong, But Went Below The "Iconic" Value

    XAU Stays Strong, But Went Below The "Iconic" Value

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 01.02.2022 16:30
      Gold fought valiantly, gold fought nobly, gold fought honorably. Despite all this sacrifice, it lost the battle. How will it handle the next clashes? Have you ever felt trapped in the tyranny of the status quo? Have you ever felt constrained by some invisible yet powerful forces trying to thwart the fullest realization of your potential? I guess this is what gold would feel like right now – if metals could feel anything, of course. Please take a look at the chart below. As you can see, January looked to be quite good for the yellow metal. Its price surpassed the key level of $1,800 at the end of 2021, rallying from $1,793 to $1,847 on January 25, 2022. Then the evil FOMC published its hawkish statement on monetary policy. In its initial response, gold slid. That’s true, but it bravely defended its positions above $1,800 during both Wednesday and Thursday. There was still hope. However, on Friday, the metal capitulated and plunged to $1,788. Here we are again – below the level of $1,800 that gold hasn’t been able to exceed for more than several days since mid-2021, as the chart below shows. Am I disappointed? A bit. Naughty goldie! Am I surprised? Not at all. Although I cheered the recent rally, I was unconvinced about its sustainability in the current macroeconomic context, i.e., economic recovery with tightening of monetary policy (the surprisingly positive report on GDP in the fourth quarter of 2021 didn’t probably help gold), rising interest rates, and possibly a not-distant peak in inflation. In the previous edition of the Fundamental Gold Report, I described the Fed’s actions as “a big hawkish wave that could sink the gold bulls” and pointed out that “gold started its decline before the statement was published, which may indicate more structural weakness.” I added that it was also disturbing that “gold was hit even though the FOMC statement came largely as expected.” Last but not least, I concluded my report with a warning that “the upcoming weeks may be challenging for gold, which would have to deal with rising bond yields.” My warning came true very quickly. Of course, we cannot exclude a relatively swift rebound. After all, gold can be quite volatile in the short-term, and this year could be particularly turbulent for the yellow metal. However, I’m afraid that the balance of risks for gold is the downside. Next month (oh boy, it’s February already!), we will see the end of quantitative easing and the first hike in the federal funds rate, followed soon by the beginning of quantitative tightening and further rate hikes. Using its secret magic, the Fed has convinced the markets that it has become a congregation of hawks, or even a cult of the Great Hawk. According to the CME Fed Tool, future traders have started to price in five 25-basis-point raises this year, while some investors believe that the Fed will lift interest rates by 50 basis points in March. All these clearly hawkish expectations led to the rise in bond yields (see the chart below), creating downward pressure on gold.   Implications for Gold What does the recent plunge in gold prices imply for investors? Well, in a sense, nothing, as short-term price movements shouldn’t affect long-term investments. Trading and investing should be kept separate. However, gold’s return below $1,800 can disappoint even the biggest optimists. The yellow metal failed again. Not the first and not the last time, though. In my view, gold may struggle by March, as all these hawkish expectations will exert downward pressure on the yellow metal. In 2015, the first hike in the tightening cycle coincided with the bottom of the gold market. It may be similar this time, as the actual hike could ease some of the worst expectations and also push markets to think beyond their tightening horizon. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    5 Interesting Energy Stocks added to our Watchlist this Quarter

    5 Interesting Energy Stocks added to our Watchlist this Quarter

    Invest Macro Invest Macro 02.12.2021 10:12
    December 1, 2021 The fourth quarter of 2021 is approximately two-thirds over and we wanted to highlight some of the Top Energy Companies that have been analyzed by our QuantStock system so far. Our QuantStock system is a proprietary algorithm that takes into account key company fundamentals, earnings trends and other strength components to find quality companies. We use it as a stock market ideas generator and to update our stock watchlist every quarter. The QuantStock system does not take into consideration the stock price or technical price trends so one must compare each company idea against the current stock prices. There are a plethora of professional studies that continue to show stock markets are overvalued and this is always a key component to consider when researching any stock market idea. As with all investment ideas, past performance does not guarantee future results. Suncor Energy Energy Stock | Medium Cap | 5.42 percent dividend | 15.22 P/E | Our Grade = C+ Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE: SU) is one of Canada’s biggest energy stocks. It is an integrated energy company engaged in producing synthetic crude from oil sands. Suncor last announced its financial results for the third quarter on October 27. It came up with earnings of 56 cents per share and revenue of $8.11 billion for the three months ended September 30. The results showed significant improvement from the comparable quarter of 2020 but missed the consensus forecast of 58 cents per share for profit and $8.5 billion for revenue. Despite missing expectations, Suncor Energy stock climbed to a new high of $26.97 earlier this month. Matador Resources Co. Energy Stock | Small Cap | 0.51 percent dividend | 16.78 P/E | Our Grade = C- Matador Resources Co. (NYSE: MTDR) is an energy company based in Texas, United States. The company last month announced impressive financial results for the third quarter. Matador earned $1.25 per share during the three months ended September 30, beating the consensus forecast of 96 cents per share. Moreover, it generated revenue of $472.351 million during the quarter, ahead of analysts’ average estimate of $387.950 million. In addition, Matador stock has also performed exceptionally well so far in 2021. The company’s share price has skyrocketed more than 200 percent on a year-to-date basis. The 52-week range of the stock is $10.16 – $47.23, while its total market value stands close to $4.5 billion. Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp. Energy Stock | Small Cap | 0.84 percent dividend | 11.29 P/E | Our Grade = C- Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp. (NYSE: MGY) is another Texas-based oil producer. The company posted solid financial results for the third quarter earlier this month. Magnolia reported adjusted earnings of 67 cents per share on revenue of $283.58 million. The results easily surpassed analysts’ average estimate of 61 cents per share for earnings and $274 million for revenue. If we quickly look at its key financial metrics, Magnolia stock is currently trading around $18.82, against its 52-week range of $18.38 – $19.07. Moreover, the company’s market value is just over $3.4 billion, while its P/E ratio stands at 11.03. China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. Energy Stock | Medium Cap | 10.26 percent dividend | 3.71 P/E | Our Grade = C China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (NYSE: SNP), commonly known as Sinopec, is a leading oil and gas company based in China. Besides its listing in the New York Stock Exchange, it also trades in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Sinopec last month announced mixed results for the third quarter. Its reported earnings of $2.64 per share, representing a sharp decline from $5.54 per share in the comparable period of 2020. On the positive side, its revenue for the third quarter grew over 52 percent to $114.58 million. If we look at its share price, Sinopec stock has struggled to gain value so far in 2021. The stock has only increased nearly one percent on a year-to-date basis. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. Energy Stock | Medium Cap | 19.49 percent dividend | 2.71 P/E | Our Grade = C Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR) is one of the leading energy stocks based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company, also called Petrobras, is engaged in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Petrobras last released its quarterly financial results on October 28. The company reported earnings of $5.9 billion for the third quarter, down 26.9 percent from Q2 but significantly higher than the comparable period of 2020. In addition, its quarterly revenue of $23.3 billion was also well above $13.15 billion in the year-ago period. If we talk about its share price movement, Petrobras stock hasn’t performed well this year. The stock is still down nearly six percent on a year-to-date basis. Article by InvestMacro – Be sure to join our stock market newsletter to get our updates and to see more top companies we add to our stock watch list.
    S&P 500 Is Almost At New Record High, Will The Uptrend Continue?

    S&P 500 Is Almost At New Record High, Will The Uptrend Continue?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 17.11.2021 16:15
    S&P 500 got close to its all-time high, as market mood turned bullish again. But the index retraced some of the rally. So will the uptrend continue? For in-depth technical analysis of various stocks and a recap of today's Stock Trading Alert we encourage you to watch The S&P 500 index gained 0.39% on Tuesday, Nov. 16, as it closed slightly above the 4,700 mark. The market reached the daily high of 4,714.95 before retracing some of the intraday advance. It got close to the Nov. 5 record high of 4,718.50. Last week it fell to the local low of 4,630.86 and it was almost 88 points or 1.86% below the record high. The early November rally was not broad-based and it was driven by a handful of tech stocks like MSFT, NVDA, TSLA. The market seemed overbought in the short-term and it traded within a topping pattern. Then the index retraced some of that advance, as it fell the mentioned 88 points from the record high. The nearest important support level remains at 4,630-4,650 and the next support level is at 4,600. On the other hand, the resistance level is at 4,700-4,720. The S&P 500 broke below its steep short-term upward trend line recently, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Nasdaq Extended Its Short-Term Uptrend Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq 100 chart. The technology index broke above the 16,000 level recently and it was trading at the new record high. The market accelerated higher above its short-term upward trend line. But last week it retraced some of the advance and it got back to the 16,000 level. Since then it has been advancing and yesterday it got back closer to the record high, as we can see on the daily chart: Apple Above $150, Microsoft at New Record High Let’s take a look at the two biggest stocks in the S&P 500 index, AAPL and MSFT. Apple broke above the $150 price level yesterday. However, it remains well below the early September record high. Microsoft stock retraced all of its recent decline and it reached the new record high of $340.67 yesterday, as we can see on their daily charts: Conclusion The S&P 500 index is expected to open virtually flat this morning. We may see another attempt at breaking above the 4,700 level. However, the market will likely continue to fluctuate along that level following mixed economic data releases. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 bounced from its last week’s local low and it got back above the 4,700 level yesterday. It still looks like a short-term consolidation. Still no positions are justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Crypto as a trading vehicle

    Crypto as a trading vehicle

    Chris Weston Chris Weston 17.11.2021 09:40
    Traders continue to be drawn to crypto as a trading vehicle. Not just because of its ability to trend for a prolonged period, or due to the nature of impulsive momentum that traders can identify and jump on. But also, as we’re seeing now with increased two-way opportunities, and for those that will trade the flow long or short.  For those who see crypto as a vehicle to trade and not just for the long-term adoption story that investors tend to want to be involved with, then from a spread/movement (or volatility) basis crypto is one of the best vehicles out there. We’ve seen that case-in-point over the past 24 hours - A rapid flush out of longs in the market has seen $866m liquidated across exchanges - 31% of that in Bitcoin alone. Again, we look to China where authorities are warning SOEs about cryptocurrency mining, broadly detailing they would increase electricity rates and levies for companies still involved here. While China going after the crypto market is obviously not new, it reminds us that increasing the costs associated with crypto is one of the key influence’s governments can utilise to impact the crypto market, as they can with potentially influencing the fiat-to-stable coin transfer.  There has been some focus on the passing of the US infrastructure bill where a provision has been set for the exchange (or “Broker”) to report customer intel to the IRS – clearly not a popular move for those in the US participating in the crypto market, although it won’t kick in until 2024. This becomes somewhat political, given 1 in 10 Americans have bought and sold crypto in the past 12 months. It perhaps doesn’t shock then that a group of US senators are looking at exempting participants who are involved in the development and innovation of the crypto ecosystem. Either way, crypto will react just like any other asset class to news around regulation, and just as investors are inspired by news of innovation, adoption, or efficiencies - regulation will promote short sharp moves lower, as we have seen periodically.  As a trader, these headlines need to be incorporated fully into one’s risk management. Price moves are the immediate red flag, and a sudden move needs to put us on notice. Personally, when I see a move of 3% in Bitcoin or Ethereum within a 30-minute window, I will assess the headlines and the severity of the issue, as we often see a far slower burn to fully discount news than say spot FX. First movers’ advantage in crypto can therefore be genuinely beneficial and while hedge fund algorithmic activity has dramatically increased in this space over the years, with the technology to react to news far quicker than retail traders, it is still as not as efficient as other asset classes.  This can help level the playing field. The cost to movement trade-off  Our flow is predominantly always seen in Bitcoin and Ethereum – and, while we offer 16 coins in total, these two have the best liquidity, and for an average spread of $33 (on Bitcoin), $5.4 (Ethereum) we see the 12-month average high-to-low percentage range at 6.8% and 8.6% respectively over the past 12 months.  Another popular way to see this is the 5-day Average True Range (ATR). In pips, the 5-day ATR in Bitcoin is 3453 – so this is a spread as a percentage of the daily trading range of 0.96%. On our standard account (comm is incorporated into the spread) this same dynamic in EURUSD sits at 0.97%.  So, in essence, on a spread-per-movement basis Bitcoin is comparable to EURUSD and even gold.  The current set-up Bitcoin daily After a move into 58,621 in Bitcoin, we’ve seen the 50-day MA act as support and buyers stepping in. The 28 Oct swing low of 57,762 is also one to consider, and if we were to see a breakdown through the 50 day and the 28 Oct low and Bitcoin could stage a rapid move into 54,000. As it is, this has the feel that we could see some messy two-way action, and it wouldn’t surprise to see 68,000 capping the upside, 57,000 the downside.  Ethereum daily Ethereum has found support into the lower Bollinger band (20-day MA, 2.5 standard deviations) but has broken the channel support it held since late Sept. That doesn’t mean it will collapse, but the markets propensity to follow the trend is over given price is no longer making higher highs. Another where the near-term price action could get messy and chop around with better two-way price moves.  DOT is one that has seen some good volatility of late and another that is holding the 50-day MA for dear life. A close below 39.66 and this could open a deeper move – a factor which could be appealing as we pay 7.5% on shorts.  As always in trading keeping an open mind is key and for those who want to trade crypto rather than HODL, it feels like the stage is set for two-way opportunity.
    Markets Situation, Federal Reserve, Crude, EURJPY, Gazprom And More - "The Trade Off" Is Here!

    It Won't Be A Surprise, If We Say S&P 500 Is Moving Like APPL (Apple) According To These Charts...

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 01.02.2022 15:38
      Stocks extended their Friday’s rally yesterday, as the S&P 500 index broke above the 4,500 level. Is this still just an upward correction? The S&P 500 index gained 1.89% on Monday, as it extended its Friday’s gains and broke above the 4,500 level. It retraced more of its recent declines after breaking above the last week’s consolidation along the 4,300-4,400. On last Monday’s low of 4,222.62 the market was 596 points or 12.4% below the Jan. 4 record high of 4,818.62. And yesterday it reached the new local high of 4,516.89. It still looks like an upward correction within a downtrend, however, the market may be also trading within a new uptrend. Late December – early January consolidation along the 4,800 level was a topping pattern and the index retraced all of its December’s record-breaking advance. On Friday it broke above a steep short-term downward trend line. This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.3% higher following an overnight consolidation. The nearest important resistance level is now at 4,500-4,550, marked by the previous local lows. The resistance level is also at 4,600. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,400-4,450, marked by the recent resistance level. The S&P 500 is now back above its early December local low, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Apple Rallies Again Recently, Apple stock fluctuated along the support level of $155.0-157.5 following mid-January downtrend ahead of its quarterly earnings release. The stock reversed the downtrend after breaking above a short-term consolidation and since the earnings release it gained more than 10%. The resistance level is at around $180.0-183.0, marked by the Jan. 4 record high of $182.94. Conclusion The S&P 500 index extended its Friday’s advance yesterday and it broke slightly above the 4,500 level. It still looks like an upward correction following mid-January declines and a rebound within a new medium-term downtrend. Stocks may further extend their uptrend, but there’s a risk of a short-term downward reversal. Today the index is expected to open 0.3% higher, and we may see some uncertainty and a consolidation along the 4,500 level. The market will be waiting for the quarterly earnings releases (AMD, Alphabet today after the session’s close, Meta tomorrow and Amazon on Thursday, among others) and Friday’s monthly jobs data announcement. There is still an uncertainty concerning Russia-Ukraine tensions. We decided to close our profitable long position that was opened on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at the 4,335 level - S&P 500 continuous futures contract. The details of that position (stop-loss and profit target levels) were available for our subscribers in the premium Stock Trading Alerts. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 broke above the 4,500 level again; it still looks like an upward correction. We decided to close our speculative long position from last Tuesday (4,335 level) at the opening of today’s cash market’s trading session – a gain of around 175 index points. In our opinion, no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Pairs With American Dollar: AUDUSD, USDCAD, NZDUSD - Update

    Pairs With American Dollar: AUDUSD, USDCAD, NZDUSD - Update

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 02.02.2022 08:31
    AUDUSD recoups losses The Australian dollar recovered after the RBA signaled an end to its bond-buying program. The recent sell-off below the daily support and psychological level of 0.7000 further weighed on market sentiment. As the RSI dipped again into the oversold territory, short-term sellers’ profit-taking has driven the price higher. The bears could be looking to fade the current rebound unless the bulls succeed in pushing past 0.7180. 0.7030 is a fresh support and 0.6970 a major floor before June 2020’s lows near 0.6800. USDCAD tests support The Canadian dollar advanced after November’s GDP exceeded expectations. A break above the supply zone at 1.2730 has put the US counterpart back on track. Nonetheless, the rally came to a halt at the daily resistance at 1.2790. The greenback needed a breather as the surge prevented buyers from chasing after volatility. 1.2580 is a key support and an oversold RSI may raise buyers’ interest again. A close above the said resistance could propel the pair to December’s high at 1.2950. NZDUSD sees limited rebound The New Zealand dollar bounced back after the Q4 jobless rate dropped to 3.2%. The pair saw bids over September 2020’s lows around 0.6530. The RSI’s repeated oversold situation has caught bargain hunters’ attention. However, the directional bias remains bearish. The kiwi could find resistance at 0.6700 near the 20-day moving average as trend-followers look to sell into strength. 0.6400 would be the next target if the US dollar makes a comeback across the board.
    A Look At Markets Around The World: US CPI, Sweden Riksbank EU Yields And More

    Getting Long in the Tooth

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 02.02.2022 15:56
    S&P 500 recoverd the opening setback at 4,500, and the low volume behind the upswing coupled with credit market reversal shows that the push towards 4,600 is next – but it would be fraught with internal vulnerability. It‘s that value has welcomed the risk-on turn while tech barely prevented lower values – the bond reprieve won‘t last, and is providing more fuel behind the commodities push higher, and precious metals recovery. The Kashkari effect and good ISM Manufacturing PMIs have worked fine, but the services data awaits. And I‘m looking at it to throw a spanner in the works, a modest one. For now, controlling the overall risk is key – fresh portfolio highs were achieved yesterday as new S&P 500 long profits were taken off the table – and commodities with precious metals are likely to do well in this extended (sticking out like a sore thumb) rally off oversold levels (in tech). The other key thought expressed in the linked tweet is that S&P 500 hasn‘t entered a bear market, that it hasn‘t rolled over to the downside for good. It‘s that I expect the return of the bears in the not too distant future, and a smoother sailing in 2H 2022. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls prevailed, but the question still remains – where would the upswing stall, or at least pause? Still the same answer as yesterday - ahead soon, still this week. Credit Markets HYG reversed higher, and the pace of its coming gains, would be valuable information. Volume tells a story of a modest setback only thus far – greater battles await. Gold, Silver and Miners Gold and silver staircase recovery goes on, showing that further retreat was indeed unlikely. The long consolidation would be resolved in a bullish way, it‘s only a question of time. Great performance this early in the tightening cycle – look for PMs upswings once the rate hikes get going. Crude Oil Crude oil bulls aren‘t wavering as the whole energy sector attests to. Black gold hasn‘t dipped yet below $86, and keeps marching and leading the other commodities $100 is approaching. Copper Copper‘s recent red flag was indeed dealt with decisively, and higher prices prevailed. Still great room to catch up with the rest after the preceding reprieve across other base metals as well. Bitcoin and Ethereum The narrow crypto trading range continues – I‘m still not looking at the Bitcoin and Ethereum buyers to succeed convincingly. Time for a downside reversal is approaching – will happen just when Ethereum loses the bid. Summary S&P 500 bulls again scored gains yesterday, but the sectoral rotation and credit market turn would build a vulnerability going into Friday when value would suffer. Before that, I look for the bears to gradually start appearing again, taking probing bites, but not yet being decisive. VIX has some more room to decline indeed, confirming my earlier thoughts – the volatility return would happen on non-farm payrolls inducing a fresh guessing game as to the Mar rate hikes – 25 or 50bp? Inflation, precious metals and commodities would though still emerge victorious. For now, overall risk management is key – fresh portfolio high was reached yesterday. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Price Of Gold Update By GoldViewFX

    S&P 500 Tops The Chart, Gold Finds His Way (?), USOIL On A Straight Way?

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 03.02.2022 09:01
    XAUUSD attempts to bounce The bullions bounce higher as the US dollar softens across the board. Gold is looking to claw back losses from the liquidation in late January. A close above the psychological level of 1800 would be the first step, pushing short-term sellers into covering their bets. The previous support at 1817 coincides with the 30-day moving average, making it an area of interest and important resistance. A bullish breakout may send the metal to the previous high at 1847. On the downside, 1780 is a fresh support. SPX 500 tests resistance The S&P 500 rallies over better-than-expected corporate earnings. A break above 4490 has eased the selling pressure on the index. The former daily support at 4600 is now a key resistance that lies over the 30-day moving average. A close above this congestion area could turn sentiment around, paving the way for a recovery towards 4750. The RSI’s overbought situation may keep the momentum in check temporarily. A pullback may see buying interest in the demand zone between 4410 and 4490. USOIL consolidates gains WTI crude continues to climb as OPEC+ refuses to raise its output limit. The RSI inched into the overbought territory on the daily chart after a new high above 85.00. The bulls could be wary of chasing after the extended rally. 85.00 has turned into a support and a pullback could be an opportunity to accumulate again. Further down, 82.00 on the 30-day moving average is a major floor for the current rally. The milestone at 90.00 would be the next target when momentum makes its return.
    Seasonality favors another wave up

    Seasonality favors another wave up

    Florian Grummes Florian Grummes 03.02.2022 21:05
    However, these gains attracted some profit-taking at prices around US$1,850. And in the aftermath of last week’s FOMC meeting, gold sold off for three days in a row. This merciless sell-off only ended at US$1,780 wiping out nearly all gains since mid of December. It was some form of the classic “the bull walks up the stairs and the bear jumps out the window” pattern, which is a typical behavior within an uptrend.Hence and exactly for this reason, the deep pullback did not necessarily end the recovery in the gold market. Of course, in the bigger picture, the entire precious metals sector is still stuck in this tenacious correction which has been ongoing since August 2020. In the short-term, however, the pullback has created an oversold setup and once again proved that there is buying interest at prices below US$1,800.US-Dollar index, daily chart as of February 3rd, 2022. False breakout?US-Dollar index, daily chart as of February 3rd, 2022.It also seems that the US-Dollar might have hit an important top last Thursday and is now moving lower, which would be very supportive for gold, of course. Everyone is expecting the US-Dollar to go up as the FED is expected to raise interest rates. But the US-Dollar has been discounting this “hike and taper scenario” for several months already. Actually, the US-Dollar index has been rallying +8.8% since May 2021! During the recent FOMC meeting, however, big money might have used the seeming breakout to sell their dollar longs into a favorable high-volume setup. At the same time, stock market sentiment was extremely bearish. Hence, last week likely triggered a top in the US-Dollar and a violent back and forth bottoming pattern for the stock-market.US-Dollar index, monthly chart as of February 3rd, 2022. A series of lower highs!US-Dollar index, monthly chart as of February 3rd, 2022.In the big picture, a top in the US-Dollar would continue the series of lower highs for the dollar. As well, the US-Dollar is moving within a huge triangle since 2001. After a series of three lower highs since December 2016, a test of the lower boundary of the triangle would give gold prices an extreme tailwind in the coming years. Hence, even if it´s hard to come up with any bearish arguments for the dollar at the moment, technically it looks like the dollar could roll over.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart from February 3rd, 2020. Gold’s behavior is changing.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 3rd, 2022.For gold, a weaker US-Dollar would be very helpful. In fact, since the beginning of this week, we perceive an ongoing change in gold’s behavior. We are getting impressed by its intraday strength! Every small pullback around and below US$1,800 was rather quickly bought again. So far, gold has only recovered 38.2% of last week’s nasty sell-off and currently sits pretty much exactly at its 200-day moving average (US$1,805).But the fresh buy signal from the slow stochastic oscillator on the daily chart promises more upside. Hence, we see gold fuming its way higher in the coming weeks. In the next step, gold will have to overcome the 38.2% resistance around US$1,808.50 and then continue its recovery towards US$1,830. In any case, the seasonal component is at least very favorable until the end of February. Therefore, even higher price targets are conceivable too. But gold needs to breakout above the triangle and clear US$1,850. Only then a more sustainable bullish momentum would emerge which could last further into spring.If, on the other hand, gold takes out US$1,780, the recovery since mid of December might be over already and the medium-term correction might likely pick up again.Conclusion: Seasonality favors another wave upOverall, we assume that seasonality favors another wave up in the gold market. Thus, another rally towards at least US$1,830 is realistic. We are short-term bullish, mid-term neutral to skeptic and long-term very bullish for gold.Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter.Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.By Florian Grummes|February 3rd, 2022|Tags: EUR/USD, Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, Gold neutral, precious metals, Reyna Gold, US-Dollar|0 CommentsAbout the Author: Florian GrummesFlorian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.
    AMC Entertainment Holdings Stock News and Forecast: AMC nearly doubles debt raise

    AMC Entertainment Holdings Stock News and Forecast: AMC nearly doubles debt raise

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 03.02.2022 16:35
    AMC stock slumped yesterday as debt raise news was digested. AMC now nearly doubles the raise from $500 million to $950 million. AMC is down over 40% in the last month and 43% for 2022. AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) stock is back on the news wires the last few days, but unfortunately for holders it has not been well received. AMC stock put in three consecutive green days before slumping over 8% on Wednesday. Risk aversion returned, but AMC also announced it was raising more debt to refinance its existing debt. The stock closed at $15.42 for an 8.5% loss on the day. AMC Stock News This morning AMC has nearly doubled its debt offering from $500 million to $950 million. There is also see a bit more detail on the offering. It is to carry a 7.5% interest rate and expires in 2029. The funds will be used to retire existing debt at 10.5% expiring in 2025. The extra $450 million sees AMC also redeeming some notes at 15-17% due in 2026. So AMC is basically remortgaging at a lower rate. This will reduce its interest payments. AMC needs to do this, however, as it carries too much debt. The company has $5.4 billion in long-term debt. AMC has about $1.6 billion in cash, but it spends nearly $100 million per quarter on debt repayments. So remortgaging makes sense, but it is not exactly comforting. CEO Adam Aron has been looking for ways to improve the financial position of the company, and investors baulked at more share issuances. This was the obvious next step but comes a bit later than optimal. Junk bond yields had reached a record low during the summer. The rate of 7.5% is more or less in line with the sector. CCC high yield corporate bonds are currently yielding on average 8.3%. This is up from 6% during the summer. Moody's reacted positively and changed its outlook to positive. AMC Stock Forecast For now, AMC shares are holding the support at $14.54, but risk aversion is growing after FB earnings last night and a suprisngly hawkish Bank of England this morning. Equity markets will suffer with high risk names getting hit the most. Expect $14.54 to break with the next support at $12.22. A break here and the lure of $10 will be obvious. Only beaking $21.04 ends this curent bearish trend. AMC daily chart
    Having A Look At The Markets Considering Tensions, COVID-19 And National Banks Decisions

    EURUSD - Heading To 1.1480? GBPUSD After BoE Decision, CADJPY - A Quite Wide Rang?

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 04.02.2022 09:38
    EURUSD breaks higher The euro soared as traders bet that persistent inflation could force the ECB to act sooner than later. A break below the daily support at 1.1300 had put the single currency under pressure. However, a swift rebound above this support-turned-resistance indicates strong commitment from the buy-side. The pair is rising towards the January peak at 1.1480. The RSI’s triple top in the overbought area may slow the momentum down as intraday buyers take a break. 1.1270 is a key support to keep the rebound relevant. GBPUSD tests resistance The pound popped higher after the BOE raised interest rates to 0.5%. The latest rebound above the resistance at 1.3520 has prompted sellers to cover. Then the rally is accelerating towards 1.3660 which is a major hurdle from the sell-off in late January. A bullish breakout could turn sentiment in the sterling’s favor and send the price to the previous peak at 1.3740. On the downside, 1.3500 is an important support and its breach could invalidate the recovery despite the bullish catalyst. CADJPY awaits breakout The Canadian dollar recovers over growing risk appetite. A fall below the demand zone around 90.60 weighed on sentiment as the loonie struggled to make a higher high. The pair found support at 89.70 in what used to be a former supply area on the daily chart. The current consolidation is a sign of indecision. 91.10 proves to be a tough resistance to crack. A bullish breakout could bring the price to the recent peak at 92.00. Failing that, the pair may suffer from another round of sell-off below 89.10.
    Gold Ended January Glued to $1,800. Will It Ever Detach?

    Gold Ended January Glued to $1,800. Will It Ever Detach?

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 03.02.2022 16:57
      Gold didn’t shine in January. The struggle could continue, although the more distant future looks more optimistic for the yellow metal. That was quick! January has already ended. Welcome to February! I hope that this year has started well for you. For gold, the first month of 2022 wasn’t particularly good. As the chart below shows, the yellow metal lost about $11 of its value, or less than 1%, during January. This is the bad side of the story. The ugly side is that gold wasn’t able to maintain its position above $1,800, even though geopolitical risks intensified, while inflation soared to the highest level in 40 years! The yellow metal surpassed the key level in early January and stayed above this level for most of the time, even rallying above $1,840 in the second half of the month. But gold couldn’t hold out and plunged at the end of January, triggered by a hawkish FOMC meeting. However, there is also a good side. Gold is still hovering around $1,800 despite the upcoming Fed’s tightening cycle and all the hawkish expectations about the US monetary policy in 2022. The Fed signaled the end of tapering of quantitative easing by March, the first hike in the federal funds rate in the same month, and the start of quantitative tightening later this year. Meanwhile, in the last few weeks, the markets went from predicting two interest rate hikes to five. Even more intriguing, and perhaps encouraging as well, is that the real interest rates have increased last month, rising from -1% to -0.6%. Gold is usually negatively correlated with the TIPS yields, but this time it stayed afloat amid rising rates.   Implications for Gold What does gold’s behavior in January imply for its 2022 outlook? Well, I must admit that I expected gold’s performance to be worse. Last month showed that gold simply don’t want to either go down (or up), but it still prefers to go sideways, glued to the $1,800 level. The fact that strengthening expectations of the Fed’s tightening cycle and rising real interest rates didn’t plunge gold prices makes me somewhat more optimistic about gold’s future. However, I still see some important threats to gold. First of all, some investors are still underpricing how hawkish the Fed could become to combat inflation. Hence, the day of reckoning could still be ahead of us. You see, just today, the Bank of England hiked its policy rate by 25 basis points, although almost half of the policymakers wanted to raise interest rates by half a percentage point. Second, the market seems to be biased downward, with lower and lower peaks since August 2020. Having said that, investors should remember that what the Fed says it will do and what it ends up doing are often very different. When the Fed says it will be dovish, it will be dovish. But when the Fed says it will be hawkish, it says so. This is because a monetary tightening could be painful for asset valuations and all the debtors, including Uncle Sam. The US stock market already saw significant losses in January. As the chart below shows, the S&P 500 Index lost a few hundred points last month, marking the worst decline since the beginning of the pandemic. Thus, the Fed won’t risk recession in its fight with inflation, especially if it peaks this year, and would try to engineer a soft-landing. Hence, the Fed could reverse its stance relatively soon, especially that it’s terribly late with its tightening. However, as long as the focus is on monetary policy tightening, gold is likely to struggle within its tight range. Some policymakers and economists have argued that the emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic is more like a postwar demobilization and conversion to a civilian industry than a normal business cycle. White House economists have compared the current picture to the rapid increases in 1947, caused by the end of price controls in conjunction with supply chain problems and pent-up demand after the war (“Historical Parallels to Today’s Inflationary Episode”, Council of Economic Advisers, July 6, 2021). The problem with this analogy is that it is only one instance from more than 70 years ago. More recent and more frequent inflation episodes have generally been ended by a recession or a mid-cycle slowdown. Price pressures have an internal momentum of their own and tend to intensify rather than lessen as the business cycle becomes more mature and the margin of spare capacity shrinks in all markets. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Price Of Gold Update By GoldViewFX

    How the Fed Will Affect Gold? Let's Take A Look Back...

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 04.02.2022 14:47
      Beware, the Fed’s tightening of monetary policy could lift real interest rates! For gold, this poses a risk of prices wildly rolling down. The first FOMC meeting in 2022 is behind us. What can we expect from the US central bank this year and how will it affect the price of gold? Well, this year’s episode of Fed Street will be sponsored by the letter “T”, which stands for “tightening”. It will consist of three elements. First, quantitative easing tapering. The asset purchases are going to end by early March. To be clear, during tapering, the Fed is still buying securities, so it remains accommodative, but less and less. Tapering has been very gradual and well-telegraphed to the markets, so it’s probably already priced in gold. Thus, the infamous taper tantrum shouldn’t replay. Second, quantitative tightening. Soon after the end of asset purchases, the Fed will begin shrinking its mammoth balance sheet. As the chart below shows, it has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic, reaching about $9 trillion, or about 36% of the country’s GDP. It’s so gigantic that even Powell admitted during his January press conference that “the balance sheet is substantially larger than it needs to be.” Captain Obvious attacked again! In contrast to tapering, which just reduces additions to the Fed’s holdings, quantitative tightening will shrink the balance sheet. How much? It’s hard to say. Last time, during QT from 2017 to 2019, the Fed started unloading $10 billion in assets per month, gradually lifting the cap to $50 billion. Given that inflation is now much higher, and the Fed has greater confidence in the economic recovery, the scale of reduction would probably be higher. The QT will create upward pressure on interest rates, which could be negative for the gold market. However, QT will be a very gradual and orderly process. Instead of selling assets directly, the US central bank will stop reinvestment of proceeds as securities run off. As we can read in “Principles for Reducing the Size of the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet”, The Committee intends to reduce the Federal Reserve's securities holdings over time in a predictable manner primarily by adjusting the amounts reinvested of principal payments received from securities held in the System Open Market Account. What’s more, the previous case of QT wasn’t detrimental to gold, as the chart below shows. The price of gold started to rally in late 2018 and especially later in mid-2019. Third, the hiking cycle. In March, the Fed is going to start increasing the federal funds rate. According to the financial markets, the US central bank will enact five interest rate hikes this year, raising the federal funds rate to the range of 1.25-1.50%. Now, there are two narratives about American monetary policy in 2022. According to the first, we are witnessing a hawkish revolution within the Fed, as it would shift its monetary stance in a relatively short time. The central bank will “double tighten” (i.e., it will shrink its balance sheet at the same time as hiking rates), and it will do it in a much more aggressive way than after the Great Recession. Such decisive moves will significantly raise the bond yields, which will hit gold prices. However, in this scenario, the Fed’s aggressive actions will eventually lead to the inversion of the yield curve and later to recession, which should support the precious metals market. On the other hand, some analysts point out that central bankers are all talk and – given their dovish bias – act less aggressively than they promise, chickening out in the face of the first stock market turbulence. They also claim that all the Fed’s actions won’t be enough to combat inflation and that monetary conditions will remain relatively loose. For example, Stephen Roach argues that “the Fed is so far behind [the curve] that it can’t even see the curve.” Indeed, the real federal funds rate is deeply negative (around -7%), as the chart below shows; and even if inflation moderates to 3.5% while the Fed conducts four hikes, it will remain well below zero (about -2%), providing some support for gold prices. Which narrative is correct? Well, there are grains of truth in both of them. However, I would like to remind you that what really matters for the markets is the change or direction, not the level of a variable. Hence, the fact that real interest rates are to stay extremely low doesn’t guarantee that gold prices won’t decline in a response to the hiking cycle. Actually, as the chart above shows, the upward reversal in the real interest rates usually plunges gold prices. Given that real rates are at a record low, a normalization is still ahead of us. Hence, unless inflation continues to rise, bond yields are likely to move up, while gold – to move down. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Smelling Blood

    Smelling Blood

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 04.02.2022 15:58
    S&P 500 is grinding lower, and bonds concur. Risk-off posture and rising yields aren‘t tech‘s friend really, and the VIX is back to moving up. The odd thing is that the dollar wasn‘t well bid yesterday as could have been expected on rising rates – the sentiment called for a bad non-farm payrolls number today. Understandably so given Wednesday‘s preview, and the figure would just highlight how desperately behind the inflation curve the Fed is, what kind of economy it would be tightening into, and shine more light on its manouevering room for Mar FOMC.Fun times ahead for the bears, and the S&P 500 short profits can go on growing – the ride isn‘t over: If tech – in spite of the great earnings Amazon move – gets clobbered this way again on the rising yields, then we could very well see even energy stocks feel the initial selling wave. Not that value stocks would be unaffected, to put it more than mildly – just check yesterday‘s poor showing of financials. Something is going to give, and soon.Precious metals are holding up relatively well, regardless of the miners‘ weakness. Commodities can go on enjoying their time in the limelight – crude oil is not even momentarily dipping, and copper stands ready to keep probing higher values within its still sideways range. Even cryptos are benefiting from what could almost be described as a daily flight to safety.As I wrote in extensive Monday‘s analysis and repeated since, stiff winds are still ahead in spite of the soothing verbal pause in tightening. As the 467K figure just in beats expectations, the Fed gets its justification to withdraw liquidity any way it pleases.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 bulls are getting slaughtered, and the downhill path is likely to continue, thanks to tech. Brace for a volatile day today.Credit MarketsHYG selling pressure made a strong return, predictably. Credit markets are leading stocks to the downside, certainly.Gold, Silver and MinersAs written yesterday, all this risk-off already in and still to come, is failing to press gold and silver really down – and that tells you the true direction is up. The downswings are being bought.Crude OilCrude oil bulls in the end didn‘t waver, and are pushing higher already – the upside breakout can really stick.CopperCopper is back to the middle of its recent range, still positioned for an upside breakout. It would take time, and precede the precious metals one. Rising commodities are sending a clear message as to which way the wind is blowing.Bitcoin and EthereumThe crypto bears didn‘t get far, and it looks like we‘re back to some chop ahead. SummaryS&P 500 bulls are getting rightfully challenged again – the Fed hikes are approaching. See though how little are commodities and precious metals affected. Meanwhile the S&P 500 internals keep deteriorating. Today‘s analytical introduction is special in talking the non-farm payrolls and Fed tightening dynamic, and explains why the pressure in stocks to probe lower values, is still building up, and that 4,450 may not be enough to stop it. For all the pause in Fed hawkish jawboning, the tightening cycle is merely getting started, and today‘s surprisingly strong data gives the Fed as much justification as the quickening wage inflation. I hope you enjoyed today‘s extensive analysis and yesterday‘s risk exposure observations. Have a great day ahead!Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Regains Momentum

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Regains Momentum

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 07.02.2022 09:10
    USDCHF bounces higherThe US dollar rallied after January’s nonfarm payrolls exceeded expectations. The latest pullback found support near the previous low at 0.9180.A bullish RSI divergence suggests a loss of momentum in the sell-off. A close above 0.9275 would force short-term sellers to cover and pave the way for a broader rebound.Then the double top (0.9360) on the daily chart would be the next target. On the downside, a bearish breakout may send the pair to 0.9110.USDCAD awaits breakoutThe loonie weakened after a rise in Canada’s unemployment rate in January. The greenback has previously come to a halt at the daily resistance (1.2800).The retracement then found bids at the resistance-turned-support at 1.2650, suggesting traders’ strong interest in keeping the two-week-long rally intact. The RSI has inched into the overbought territory and may drive the price lower with short-term profit-taking.A bullish breakout may extend the uptrend to December’s peak at 1.2950.GER 40 lacks supportThe Dax 40 drifts lower after the ECB’s hawkish turn. The recent rebound met stiff selling pressure at 15740. Then a fall below 15350 indicates a lack of commitment from the buy-side.A bearish MA cross suggests an acceleration to the downside and may attract more bears. The demand area around 14850 is a critical floor on the daily chart. Its breach could trigger a bearish reversal in the medium term.An oversold RSI may cause a limited bounce. The bulls need to reclaim 15500 in order to turn sentiment around.
    Rally Time

    Rally Time

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 07.02.2022 15:59
    S&P 500 refused to break below 4,450s, and junk bonds took off the lows as well. The bottom isn‘t in, but I‘m looking for a little reprieve next. The degree to which bonds were sold off vs. stocks, hints that we would have lower to go still, ultimately bottoming around late Feb, perhaps even early Mar. Increasingly more Fed hikes are being priced in, and Friday‘s good non-farm payrolls figure is reinforcing these expectations.Treasuries are telling the story as well – the 10-year yield has been surging lately while the 30-year bond didn‘t move nearly as much. It means a lot of focus on Fed tightening, which is making the recent Amazon and Meta earnings ability to move stocks this much, all the better for the S&P 500 in the short run. The 10-year yield is likely to retrace a part of its prior increase, and that would give stocks some breathing room. At the same time though, I don‘t think that the tech selling is done, that tech is out of the woods now – the current rally is likely to run out of steam over the next 5-10 days, then go sideways to down.As for the immediate plan for Monday‘s session, I think the 4460s would hold on any retest, should we get there at all. The bulls have a very short-term advantage, then as mentioned above, selling would resume, and around May or June we could get the answer as to whether we‘ve been just consolidating or topping out. Before that, we‘re in a quite wide range where current stock market values aren‘t truly reflecting bond market sluggishness.Keeping in mind the key Friday‘s conclusion:(…) Precious metals are holding up relatively well, regardless of the miners‘ weakness. Commodities can go on enjoying their time in the limelight – crude oil is not even momentarily dipping, and copper stands ready to keep probing higher values within its still sideways range. Even cryptos are benefiting from what could almost be described as a daily flight to safety.As I wrote in extensive Monday‘s analysis and repeated since, stiff winds are still ahead in spite of the soothing verbal pause in tightening. As the 467K figure just in beats expectations, the Fed gets its justification to withdraw liquidity any way it pleases.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 bulls aren‘t yet winning, but have a good chance to suck in those who believe the tech bottom is in – tech bears would get another opportunity in the not too distant future.Credit MarketsHYG paused, and the heavy selling is catching a bid – reprieve is approaching even if Friday‘s highs didn‘t last.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals aren‘t getting anywhere, and are likely to warmly embrace the upcoming pause in higher yields. But that‘s not yet the true fireworks we would get later in 2022, which would come on the Fed‘s abrupt U-turn.Crude OilCrude oil bulls aren‘t even remotely pausing – I wouldn‘t count on pullback towards $88 or lower really. There is still much strength in black gold regardless of the Iran sanctions waiver – triple digit oil I called for months ago, is getting near.CopperCopper is back to the middle of its recent range, and the downside looks fairly well defended. The upside breakout would take time, and precede the precious metals one. Rising commodities are still sending a clear message as to which way the wind is blowing.Bitcoin and EthereumThe crypto break higher attests to the return of strength underway, and it‘s supported by the volume. The buyers have the short-term upper hand.SummaryS&P 500 bulls withstood the prospect of hawkish Fed getting more job market leeway on Friday, and look to be entering the week with a slight advantage. Also the bond markets look nearning the moment of calming down as the longer durations are painting a different picture than the 10-year Treasury. S&P 500 would like that, but the tech rebound would get tested as we likely move lower to welcome Mar. Till then, stocks are likely to drift somewhat higher before the rally runs out of steam over the next 5-10 days. Full game plan with reasoning is introduced in the opening part of today‘s extensive analysis. Cryptos good performance on Friday is as promising as the commodities surge – enjoy the days ahead.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Bitcoin, Ethereum, Metaverse Tokens Sink After Holiday Crypto Rally

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: BTC bears to go extinct beyond $53,000

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 07.02.2022 16:06
    Bitcoin price looks overextended as it grapples with the 50-day SMA and the weekly resistance barrier at $42,816. Ethereum price pierces through the bearish breaker and approaches the 50-day SMA at $3,242. Ripple price approaches the $0.757 to $0.807 supply zone that could cut the uptrend short. Bitcoin price has seen tremendous gains over the past three days as it attempts to overcome a massive hurdle. While altcoins like Ethereum and Ripple have corresponded to this bullishness, investors need to exercise caution with fresh investments as a retracement could be around the corner. Bitcoin price faces a decisive moment Bitcoin price has risen 18% over the past four days and is currently hovering below the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the weekly resistance barrier confluence at $42,816. If this uptrend is a bull trap, BTC is likely to see rejection followed by a retracement to the immediate support level at $8,481. A breakdown of the said barrier will knock the big crypto down to $34,752. In an extremely bearish case, Bitcoin price could revisit the $30,000 psychological barrier and collect the liquidity resting below it. BTC/USD 1-day chart If BTC produces a daily candlestick close above the breaker’s upper limit at $44,387, however, it will invalidate the bearish thesis. While this development will alleviate the sell-side pressure, it does not mean that Bitcoin price has flipped bullish. A daily candlestick close above $52,000 will produce a higher high and suggest the possible start of an uptrend. Ethereum price slithers close to bearish thesis invalidation Ethereum price has followed the big crypto and pierced the bearish breaker, ranging from $2,789 to $3,167. Any further bullish momentum will push ETH to climb higher and retest the 50-day SMA at $3,242. Assuming BTC retraces, investors can expect Ethereum price to face rejection at $3,242, leading to a 25% pullback to the weekly support level at $2,324. In a highly bearish case, Ethereum price could revisit the $1,730 weekly support level and collect the sell-side liquidity resting below it. ETH/USD 1-day chart Regardless of the bearish outlook, the Ethereum price can invalidate the short-term bearish outlook if it produces a daily candlestick close above the $3,167 resistance zone. A bullish scenario could be kick-started, however, if buyers push ETH to produce a swing high at $3,413. Ethereum price gains momentum to breakout to $3,300 Ripple price faces a blockade Ripple price broke out of its consolidation and rallied 25% from $0.604 to $0.754. This impressive move is currently retesting the weekly resistance barrier at $0.740, which rests below another hurdle that extends from $0.757 to $0.807. Rejection at this multi-resistance zone seems likely considering the situation in which Bitcoin is in, and investors can expect the Ripple price to retrace 16%, returning to the consolidation zone at $0.628. XRP/USD 1-day chart A daily candlestick close above the supply zone’s upper limit at $0.807 will signal a resurgence of buyers and indicate their willingness to move higher. In this case, Ripple price could set up a higher high by rallying 12% to $0.911.    
    Are You Thinking the Dollar Will Collapse? That’s False Hope

    Are You Thinking the Dollar Will Collapse? That’s False Hope

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 07.02.2022 15:49
      Gold’s latest feats increased investors’ appetite. The outlook for the dollar, however, remains healthy. That can only mean one thing. As volatility erupts across the financial markets, gold and silver prices are being pulled in conflicting directions. For example, with the USD Index suffering a short-term decline, the outcome is fundamentally bullish for the precious metals. However, with U.S. Treasury yields rallying, the outcome is fundamentally bearish for gold and silver prices. Then, with panic selling and panic buying confronting the general stock market, the PMs are dealing with those crosscurrents. However, with QE on its deathbed and the Fed poised to raise the Federal Funds Rate in the coming months, the common denominator is rising real interest rates. To explain, the euro’s recent popularity has impacted the USD Index. For context, the EUR/USD accounts for nearly 58% of the dollar basket’s movement. Thus, if real interest rates rise and the U.S. dollar falls, what will happen to the PMs? Well, the reality is that rising real interest rates are bullish for the USD Index, and the euro’s recent ECB-induced rally is far from a surprise. With investors often buying the EUR/USD in anticipation of a hawkish shift from the ECB, another ‘hopeful’ upswing occurred. However, the central bank disappointed investors time and time again in 2021, and the currency pair continued to make new lows. As a result, we expect the downtrend to resume over the medium term.  Supporting our expectations, I wrote the following about financial conditions and the USD Index on Feb. 2: To explain, the blue line above tracks Goldman Sachs' Financial Conditions Index (FCI). For context, the index is calculated as a "weighted average of riskless interest rates, the exchange rate, equity valuations, and credit spreads, with weights that correspond to the direct impact of each variable on GDP." In a nutshell: when interest rates increase alongside credit spreads, it's more expensive to borrow money and financial conditions tighten. To that point, if you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the FCI has surpassed its pre-COVID-19 high (January 2020). Moreover, the FCI bottomed in January 2021 and has been seeking higher ground ever since. In the process, it's no coincidence that the PMs have suffered mightily since January 2021. To that point, with the Fed poised to raise interest rates at its March monetary policy meeting, the FCI should continue its ascent. As a result, the PMs' relief rallies should fall flat like in 2021.  Likewise, while the USD Index has come down from its recent high, it's no coincidence that the dollar basket bottomed with the FCI in January 2021 and hit a new high with the FCI in January 2022. Thus, while the recent consolidation may seem troubling, the medium-term fundamentals supporting the greenback remain robust. Furthermore, tighter financial conditions are often a function of rising real interest rates. As mentioned, the USD Index bottomed with the FCI and surged to new highs with the FCI. As a result, the fundamentals support a stronger, not weaker USD Index. As evidence, the U.S. 10-Year real yield, the FCI, and the USD Index have traveled similar paths since January 2020. Please see below: To explain, the green line above tracks the USD Index since January 2020, while the red line above tracks the U.S. 10-Year real yield. While the latter didn’t bottom in January 2021 like the USD Index and the FCI (though it was close), all three surged in late 2021 and hit new highs in 2022. Moreover, the U.S. 10-Year Treasury nominal and real yields hit new 2022 highs on Feb. 4.  In addition, if you compare the two charts, you can see that all three metrics spiked higher when the coronavirus crisis struck in March 2020. As such, the trio often follows in each other’s footsteps. Furthermore, with the Fed likely to raise interest rates at its March monetary policy meeting, this realization supports a higher U.S. 10-Year real yield, and a higher FCI. As a result, the fundamentals underpinning the USD Index remain robust, and short-term sentiment is likely to be responsible for the recent weakness.  Likewise, as the Omicron variant slows U.S. economic activity, the ‘bad news is good news’ camp has renewed hopes for a dovish Fed. However, the latest strain is unlikely to affect the Fed’s reaction function. A case in point: after ADP’s private payrolls declined by 301,000 in January (data released on Feb. 2), concern spread across Wall Street. However, after U.S. nonfarm payrolls (government data) came in at 467,000 versus 150,000 expected on Feb. 4, the U.S. labor market remains extremely healthy.  Please see below: Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) On top of that, the BLS revealed that “the over-the-month employment change for November and December 2021 combined is 709,000 higher than previously reported, while the over-the-month employment change for June and July 2021 combined is 807,000 lower. Overall, the 2021 over-the-year change is 217,000 higher than previously reported.”  Thus, the U.S. added more than 700,000 combined jobs in November and December than previously reported, and the net gain in 2021 was more than 200,000. Please see below: Source: BLS As for wage inflation, the BLS also revealed: “In January, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 23 cents to $31.63. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 5.7 percent.” As a reminder, while investors speculate on the prospect of a hawkish ECB, the latest release out of Europe shows that wage inflation is much weaker than in the U.S. To explain, I wrote on Feb. 1: Eurozone hourly labor costs rose by 2.5% YoY on Dec. 16 (the latest release). Moreover, the report revealed that “the costs of wages & salaries per hour worked increased by 2.3%, while the non-wage component rose by 3.0% in the third quarter of 2021, compared with the same quarter of the previous year.”  As a result, non-wage labor costs – like insurance, healthcare, unemployment premiums, etc. – did the bulk of the heavy lifting. In contrast, wage and salary inflation are nowhere near the ECB’s danger zone. Please see below: And why is wage inflation so critical? Well, ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane said on Jan. 25: Source: ECB As a result, when the ECB’s Chief Economist tells you that wage inflation needs to hit 3% YoY to be “consistent” with the ECB’s 2% overall annual inflation target, a wage print of 2.3% YoY is far from troublesome. Thus, while euro bulls hope that the ECB will mirror the Fed and perform a hawkish 180, the data suggests otherwise.  In addition, while U.S. nonfarm payrolls materially outperformed on Feb. 4, I noted on Feb. 2 that there are now 4.606 million more job openings in the U.S. than citizens unemployed. Please see below: To explain, the green line above subtracts the number of unemployed U.S. citizens from the number of U.S. job openings. If you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the epic collapse has completely reversed and the green line is now at an all-time high. Thus, with more jobs available than people looking for work, the economic environment supports normalization by the Fed. Thus, if we piece the puzzle together, the U.S. labor market remains healthy and U.S. inflation is materially outperforming the Eurozone. As a result, the Fed should stay ahead of the ECB, and the hawkish outperformance supports a weaker EUR/USD and a stronger USD Index. Moreover, the dynamic also supports a higher FCI and a higher U.S. 10-Year real yield. As we’ve seen since January 2021, these fundamental outcomes are extremely unkind to the PMs. Finally, while the Omicron variant has depressed economic sentiment, I noted previously that the disruptions should be short-lived. For example, with Americans’ anxiety about COVID-19 decelerating, renewed economic strength should keep the pressure on the Fed. Please see below: To explain, the light brown line above tracks the net percentage of Americans concerned about COVID-19, while the dark brown line above tracks the change in flight search trends on Kayak. In a nutshell: the more concern over COVID-19 (a high light brown line), the more Americans hunker down and avoid travel (a low dark brown line). However, if you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the light brown line has rolled over and the dark brown line has materially risen. Moreover, with the trend poised to persist as the warmer weather arrives, increased mobility should uplift sentiment, support economic growth, and keep the Fed’s rate hike cycle on schedule. The bottom line? The USD Index’s fundamentals remain extremely healthy, and while short-term sentiment has been unkind, rising real yields and a hawkish Fed should remain supportive over the medium term. Moreover, with the PMs often moving inversely to the U.S. dollar, more downside should confront gold, silver, and mining stocks over the next few months. In conclusion, the PMs rallied on Feb. 4, despite the spike in U.S. Treasury yields. However, with so much volatility confronting the general stock market recently, sentiment has pulled the PMs in many directions. However, the important point is that the medium-term thesis remains intact: the USD Index and U.S. Treasury yields should seek higher ground, and the realization is profoundly bearish for the precious metals sector. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Bubble stocks...

    Recovery Of Gold (XAUUSD), Will NZDUSD Meet The Sell-off? UK 100 Keeps Quite High Values

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 08.02.2022 08:48
    XAUUSD breaks resistance Gold continues to recover as the US dollar treads water. The previous fall below the daily support at 1785 had put the bulls on the defensive. The RSI’s oversold signal attracted some buying interest and prompted sellers to cover, driving up the price. The rebound has since gained traction after the metal rallied above the support-turned-resistance at 1817. In fact, the bullish breakout may raise momentum and open the door to the recent peak at 1850. On the downside, 1795 is a major support to keep buyers committed. NZDUSD remains under pressure The New Zealand dollar edges lower amid cautious market sentiment at the start of the week. The pair previously bounced off September 2020’s low around 0.6530. However, 0.6700 on the 20-day moving average so far has proven to be a tough hurdle. A drop below the fresh support (0.6630) indicates that the directional bias remains bearish. And sellers would be eager to fade another rebound. 0.6590 is the closest support. A break below 0.6530 could trigger a new round of sell-off towards 0.6400. UK 100 awaits breakout The FTSE 100 rallies supported by solid performance in the commodity sector. The recent rebound hit resistance near the January peak at 7640. Narrowing consolidation and higher highs suggest increased buying pressure. A bullish breakout would flush sellers out and attract momentum traders, firing up volatility in the process. This would be a strong bullish continuation signal. 7460 is a fresh support if the market remains indecisive. Its breach could extend the correction back to 7250.
    Bears Are Watching Crude Oil (WTIC) Carefully As It's Very Close To $91

    Bears Are Watching Crude Oil (WTIC) Carefully As It's Very Close To $91

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 08.02.2022 15:34
    S&P 500 bulls missed the opportunity, but credit markets didn‘t turn down. Yesterday‘s pause is indicative of more chop ahead – the risk-on rally can‘t be declared yet as having run out of steam, no matter the crypto reversal of today. Bonds are in the driver‘s seat, and the dollar is also cautious – unless these move profoundly either way, the yesterday described S&P 500 reprieve can still play out even if: (…) The bottom isn‘t in, but I‘m looking for a little reprieve next. The degree to which bonds were sold off vs. stocks, hints that we would have lower to go still, ultimately bottoming around late Feb, perhaps even early Mar. Increasingly more Fed hikes are being priced in, and Friday‘s good non-farm payrolls figure is reinforcing these expectations. As for the immediate plan for Monday‘s session, I think the 4460s would hold on any retest, should we get there at all. The bulls have a very short-term advantage, then as mentioned above, selling would resume, and around May or June we could get the answer as to whether we‘ve been just consolidating or topping out. The 4,460s are still holding while commodities look to be consolidating today. As the dollar is up somewhat, bonds would have to face opening headwinds – the effect upon tech would be telling. I‘m still looking for downswing rejection in stocks while precious metals would hold up better than commodities today. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook As stated yesterday, S&P 500 bulls aren‘t yet winning, but have a good chance to suck in those who believe the tech bottom is in – tech bears would get another opportunity in the not too distant future. Credit Markets HYG gave up the opening strength, and the bulls are likely to get under pressure soon – it‘s that yesterday‘s session lacked volume, thus interest of the buyers. The clock is ticking. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals keep refusing to make lower lows – that‘s the most important aspect of their tempered ascent. And price gains would accelerate later in 2022, which would come on the Fed‘s abrupt U-turn. Crude Oil Now, crude oil bulls did pause, but the dip isn‘t likely to reach too far – I still wouldn‘t count on pullback towards $88 or lower really – oil stocks would have to turn decidedly down first. Copper Copper is getting cautious, and would probably decline should the commodities pause continue – no matter what other base metals would do at the same time. Still, that‘s internal strength in the waiting, similarly to the precious metals strength. Bitcoin and Ethereum The crypto break higher ran out of steam, warning of a rickety ride ahead – not just in cryptos. Things can still get volatile. Summary S&P 500 bulls haven‘t lost the opportunity to force higher prices, but need to repel the upcoming intraday flush that can come today, and possibly even continue tomorrow. Yes, instead of seizing upon the chance, bonds have merely paused, creating a perfect environment for whipsawish trading today – I‘m still expecting Friday‘s lows to hold on a closing basis, but I‘m not ruling out a fake breakdown first. The very short-term outlook is simply choppy until the bond market upswing kicks in in earnest. And that would provide more fuel to precious metals and commodities while pressuring the dollar – seems though we would have to wait for a while to see that happen. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Payrolls Release: Gold Reacted Quickly And Decreased... And Got Back In The Game A Moment Later!

    Payrolls Release: Gold Reacted Quickly And Decreased... And Got Back In The Game A Moment Later!

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 08.02.2022 16:42
      The latest employment report strongly supports the Fed’s hawkish narrative. Surprisingly, gold has shown remarkable resilience against it so far. What a surprise! The US labor market added 467,000 jobs last month. As the chart below shows, the number is below December’s figure (+510,000) but much above market expectations – MarketWatch’s analysts forecasted only 150,000 added jobs. Thus, the report reinforces the optimistic view of the US economy’s strength, especially given that the surprisingly good nonfarm payrolls came despite the disruption to consumer-facing businesses from the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The unemployment rate increased slightly from 3.9% in December to 4% in January, as the chart above shows. However, it was accompanied by a rise in both the labor force participation rate (from 61.9% to 62.2%) and the employment-population ratio (from 59.5% to 59.7%). Last but not least, average hourly earnings have jumped 5.7% over the last 12 months, as you can see in the next chart. It indicates that wage inflation has intensified recently, despite the surge in COVID-19 cases that was expected by some analysts to dent demand for workers. Hence, the January employment report will cement the hawkish case for the Fed. Rising wages will add to the argument for decisive hiking of interest rates, while the surprisingly strong payrolls will strengthen the Fed’s confidence in the US economy.   Implications for Gold What does the latest employment report imply for the gold market? The unexpectedly high payrolls should be negative for the yellow metal. However, while gold prices initially plunged below $1,800, they rebounded quickly, returning above its key level, as the chart below shows. Gold’s resilience in the face of a strong jobs report is noteworthy and quite encouraging. After all, the report strengthened the US dollar and boosted market expectations of a 50-basis point hike in the federal funds rate in March (from 2.6% one month ago to more than 14% now). Such a big move is unlikely, but the point is that financial conditions are tightening without waiting for the Fed’s actual actions. In the past, gold disliked strong economic reports and rising bond yields and showed a negative correlation with nonfarm payrolls, but not this time. More generally, although long-term fundamentals have turned more bearish in recent months, gold has remained stuck at $1,800. However, last week, two factors could have supported gold prices. The first was rising volatility in the equity market. The S&P 500 Index dropped almost 500 points, or 10%, in January, as the chart below shows. Although it has recovered somewhat, it still remains substantially below the top, with the tech sector experiencing weakness. On Thursday, the shares of Meta, Facebook’s parent company, plunged more than 20%. The second potentially bullish driver was last Thursday’s meeting of the ECB’s Governing Council. The central bank of the Eurozone was more hawkish than expected. Christine Lagarde acknowledged inflationary risks and said that she had become more concerned with the recent surge in inflation. According to initial estimates, the annual inflation rate in the euro area amounted to 5.1% in January 2022, the highest since the common currency was created. Lagarde also backed off her previous guidance that the interest rate hike was “very unlikely” in 2022. The ECB’s pivot – the central bank opening the door for the first rate increase since 2011 – boosted the euro against the greenback. The bottom line is that gold has made itself comfortable around $1,800 and simply doesn’t want – or is not ready – to go away in either direction, at least not yet. The battle between bulls and bears is still on. I’m afraid that, given the relatively aggressive monetary and financial tightening, the sellers will win this clash and gold will drop before the bulls can regain control over the market. However, recent gold’s resilience indicates that there is an underlying bid in the markets and bulls are not giving up. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Crypto Airdrop - Explanation - How Does It Work?

    February 8th, 2022, Crypto Chartbook

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 08.02.2022 20:48
    Stacking bitcoins winning edges It is not the number of edges that get it low risk. And again, there are no hidden magic formulas. What works well is covering multiple aspects in stacking one’s edges: Market behavior Time of day Oscillators for ranging markets Indicators for trending markets Supply/demand zone identification (VWAP=volume weighted average price, in addition to support and resistance lines) Inter-market relationships Leading/lagging (relative strength within a sector or group) Candlestick pattern Volume Time frame relationships Action-reaction principle News Day of the week Swing leg count MAE (=maximum adverse excursion) Mathematical/statistical edges like standard deviation Your list might look vastly different but should include tools that cover the principal variants of market behavior (ranging, trending, slow/fast price action, liquidity, time, volume, transactions). Investopedia is a good research tool for finding definitions and explanations of the various available technical tools. BTC in US-Dollar, daily chart, how we stack odds in our favor: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 8th, 2022. Our previous chart book release described fundamental reasons for being bullish on bitcoin, which we stack in a similar principled fashion. We pointed out that we were looking for low-risk entry points to build up a long-term position for bitcoin. Such a low-risk opportunity arose on February 3rd, last week. We had the following edges stacked at the time of entry (green arrow): General price strength (directional yellow line channel) Previous day retracement (action-reaction principle) Small range Doji for tight stop and possible reversal indication VWAP (blue histogram to the right of the chart) indicating a supply zone Scheduled ECB news item out of the way Time of week Time of day (we entered near the close of the daily candle) Extended from the mean (blue line, standard deviation) Commodity Channel Index (CCI). A momentum-based oscillator useful in congested sideways channels, gave the prior day to execution indication of a long entry (yellow arrow) We posted our entry in real-time in our free Telegram channel. Within a 24-hour period, we could profit on half of the position size for a gain of 8.73%. We also posted this first profit-taking target in real-time in our free Telegram channel. Our quad exit strategy provides income-producing revenues like this but, even more, eliminates risk. Consequently, this approach supports trading the remaining position with psychological ease for the intended long-term holding period. Hence, even starting out as a a short-term trade, the last 25% of the initial position can become a long-term invest. BTC in US-Dollar, weekly chart, well-positioned: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 8th, 2022. With previous entries at recent lows established in much the same manner, we are now exposed to the market with seven remaining rest positions at zero risk. Such an approach can afford to negate whether this will be the long-term turning point or not. Profits have been made. Should our plan pan out, then the remaining exposed capital will lead to further profits. Otherwise, this remaining position size will stop out at breakeven entry level. The weekly chart shows now a confirmed situation of a weekly bar takeout. For most traders this is an entry signal while we were already well established. We are playing with the market’s money and profits banked. With this time frame alignment more money is expected to join the long side. The chart also illustrates the favorable risk/reward-ratio to the right of the chart.   BTC in US-Dollar, monthly chart, early bird: Bitcoin in US-Dollar, monthly chart as of February 8th, 2022. A glance at the monthly chart shows we are positioned very early and aggressively for this time frame. Nevertheless, as soon as prices might reach US$48,000, we will find ourselves here as well time frame aligned with a bar takeout. Green numbers show our entry prices for January with two entries and February with five entries. Should prices move upwards in our favor, we would take again partial profits near the red horizontal trend line slightly below all-time highs. The remaining positions stays in place for a possible breakout to all-time new highs. Too late if you are not positioned yet? No! This continuous flow of adding low-risk entry trades followed by partial profit-taking allows participating at all stages of market swings. Stacking bitcoins winning edges: In short, you want to have a clear instruction sheet on what to do in whatever market condition bitcoin throws at you. With a set of tools broadly covering all these variants and measuring them, you will be able to act without hesitancy. Then you can hope for the best, since you planned for the worst. Risk control is the core of each advanced trading approach! We aim to keep it simple, like a card counter, which supports executing high probability winning trades. At the same time, the crowd is confronted by surprising news or fast-moving markets. They use reactionary, inappropriate execution, which in turn creates losing trades. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|February 6th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, bitcoin consolidation, crypto analysis, Crypto Bull, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Having A Look At The Markets Considering Tensions, COVID-19 And National Banks Decisions

    EURUSD Keeps Plain Line, US 30 With A Bounce, GBPUSD Gains A Bit

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 09.02.2022 08:51
    EURUSD hits resistance The euro fell back after ECB President Lagarde tried to cool rate hike expectations. The rally came under pressure at the January peak of 1.1480. The RSI’s overextension at this daily resistance prompted momentum buyers to cash in. A combination of profit-taking and fresh selling may drive the exchange rate lower. Short-term sentiment remains upbeat though unless the single currency drops below the origin of its bullish push at 1.1270. A recovery above 1.1480 could pave the way to last October’s high at 1.1690. GBPUSD consolidates gains The sterling turns higher as traders price in an increasingly hawkish Bank of England. A break above 1.3520 forced sellers to cover some of their positions. However, the pound’s rally came to a halt in the supply zone around 1.3620. The RSI’s overbought situation and bearish divergence suggest softness in the underlying momentum. The pair found bids on the 50% Fibonacci retracement level (1.3490), which sits in the aforementioned supply area. A new rally may propel the pair to the daily resistance at 1.3750. US 30 bounces higher The Dow Jones 30 inches higher supported by better-than-expected earnings. The index steadied after successive breaks above 34800 and 35450. Nonetheless, the recent recovery slowed down on the 30-day moving average, a sign of a lingering cautious mood. 34500 is a key support to keep the rebound relevant. A bearish breakout could extend the correction to 33800. On the upside, a rally above 35700 could attract momentum traders and initiate a bullish reversal to 36500.
    Considering Portfolios In Times Of, Among Others, Inflation...

    More Profits Ahead

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 09.02.2022 15:54
    S&P 500 bulls took the opportunity yesterday amid mild credit market support. Looks like more fireworks are to come – the risk-on turn is merely starting. Not only financials, but also tech welcomed higher yields – it seems that the positive seasonality of 2nd to 3rd week of Feb, is working. We have quite a way to go still on the upside – 4,600s are waiting, and it remains to be seen how far in the 4,600 – 4,700 range stocks make it. Consumer discretionaries are outperforming staples, and energy isn‘t cratering – the brief commodities reprieve (don‘t look though at copper, which seems preparing a nice upside move, or crude oil‘s shallow dip) supports the stock market advance. Precious metals are rising strongly – both thanks to inflation expectations not budging much, and the expected copper upturn. Not even cryptos are plunging. The open S&P 500 and oil profits can keep on rising. Looks like the markets are slowly positioning for yet another hot inflation number tomorrow. How many times lately have there been expectations that high CPI data would sink stocks – but these rallied instead? Thursday is likely to turn out similarly – I‘m not looking for the stock market rally to top out tomorrow. The Mar FOMC is still quite a few weeks away, 50bp rate hike fears notwithstanding. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls have made the opening step, and look ready to extend gains. Even volume has returned a little, but importantly, sellers were nowhere to be seen – and that‘ll likely be the case today as well. Credit Markets HYG couldn‘t keep the opening gains, but junk bonds still did better than their quality counterparts. Anyway, the HYG weakness looks likely to be reversed (to some degree) today. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are firmly on another upleg – and miners strength is confirming that. When inflation turns out more stubborn than generally appreciated, and bond yields don‘t catch up nearly enough, precious metals would like that. Love that. Crude Oil Now, crude oil bulls did pause, but the dip isn‘t likely to reach too far – I still wouldn‘t count on pullback towards $88 or lower really – this correction is more likely to be in time than in price. Copper Copper is clearly refusing to decline – its upswing looks to be a question of shortening time only. Likewise the commodities reprieve would be reversed shortly. The red metal‘s price action coupled with precious metals one, is very nice to see – for the fruits it would bring. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos aren‘t weakening – they look to be pausing in the upswing only. How long would they need to consolidate before continuing the attempt to go higher? Summary S&P 500 bulls have a firm grip on higher prices – we‘re looking at another green day today. And if it‘s accompanied by the turning bonds, then all the better. Tech has risen, oil is a little down while sectoral breadth improves – the conditions are in place for S&P 500 to overcome 4,600. The risk-on rally hasn‘t yet run out of time, and the Mar FOMC is still far away. Upgraded rate hike prospects are being increasingly absorbed by the markets, and stocks don‘t look spooked at the moment. The bears‘ time would still come though, but let‘s first enjoy the gains our timely positioning is bringing. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    AUDUSD Gets Rid Of The Recent Resistance, EURGBP Flows Calmly And USOIL Hovers Around $90

    AUDUSD Gets Rid Of The Recent Resistance, EURGBP Flows Calmly And USOIL Hovers Around $90

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 10.02.2022 08:47
    AUDUSD breaks higher The Australian dollar climbs as traders wager on a hawkish shift from the Reserve Bank of Australia. On the daily chart, a break above the 30-day moving average suggests improved sentiment in the short term. The pair extended its gains after it broke the supply area around 0.7170. As sellers scramble to cover their bets, driving up bids, the rally is heading to the next resistance at 0.7210. The RSI’s overbought situation may cause a temporary pullback with 0.7110 as the first support. EURGBP seeks support The euro consolidates gains amid mixed messages from the ECB. The pair found support at February 2020’s low at 0.8290, and a bullish MA cross on the daily chart suggests a potential turnaround. A break above the daily resistance at 0.8405 has put the single currency back on track. An overbought RSI led momentum traders to take profit. The current pullback is testing the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level (0.8405) which used to be a resistance. 0.8475 is the main hurdle for the reversal to gain traction. USOIL tests support WTI crude bounces higher after the EIA reported a sharp drop in US inventories. Price action is looking to consolidate its gains above the psychological level of 90.00. Sentiment remains upbeat though the bulls need to take a breather after the latest vertical ascent. 88.00 on the 20-day moving average is the immediate support. An oversold RSI may attract buying interest. A deeper retracement would test 85.00. A recovery above 92.30 could trigger momentum buying once again and resume the rally towards 95.00.
    Fed Acted, Now It's Markets' Turn. What's The Next Step Of Crude Oil?

    Fed Acted, Now It's Markets' Turn. What's The Next Step Of Crude Oil?

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 10.02.2022 15:58
    S&P 500 upswing continued amid increasing credit market support. Risk-on, finally – and commodities are on fire again, with precious metals awaiting their time in the spotlight. That‘s the big picture view as markets keep digesting the recently upgraded hawkish talk of the Fed. Or more precisely in my view, they‘re sniffing out the inevitability of the Fed having to make a U-turn later this year. Meanwhile, any temporary hint of lower Treasury yields – the reprieve is arriving – is eagerly embraced by the tech while value is disregarding that. As a result, S&P 500 market breadth is improving, and as stated yesterday, the positive seasonality of 2nd to 3rd week of Feb, is working. Today‘s CPI data would show inflation isn‘t relenting – even White House warned about hot year on year figure coming. Coupled with the tightening job market, the question is now what remains of the budding S&P 500 upswing and bond market reprieve. It‘s becoming increasingly clear that the Fed would have to really move, and that inflation is biting and not exactly sinking input costs. That‘s where we have the cost-push inflation I talked relentlessly over many quarters last year, and wage pressures joining at the hip. It‘s really about letting copper and oil profits keep growing now, while taking off S&P 500 long ones off the table. Done, and PMs are to join next. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bulls had a great day, and need a solid close today against the poor inflation data. This isn‘t though likely to happen unless bonds hold up well during the regular session. Mission impossible, almost. Credit Markets HYG extended gains yesterday, and would need to defend them today. What remains of the risk-on posture, is key to determining the stock market rally longevity vs. waning power. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals are firmly on another upleg – I‘m not looking for setbacks during the opening selling pressure to last. The direction is firmly up. Crude Oil Crude oil is still pausing, but at the same time the bulls are readying a response. I‘m looking for continued trading in the recent range, followed by a break higher. Copper Copper is finally on the move, and the high volume speaks plenty about the buying pressure. I‘m looking for dips to be bought – I‘m not expecting a stampede of the bears taking advantage of a „shorting opportunity“. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos aren‘t plunging, but the test of the bullish resolve is arriving today – let‘s see what kind of reversal it turns into. The volume looks solid, so I count on more than a daily setback as a minimum. Summary S&P 500 meets unpleasantly high inflation, which is forcing the hand of the Fed. Stocks are going to have a hard time recovering, and the bullish window of opportunity may be drastically shortened. Good to have taken profits off the table automatically through the trailing stop-loss – commodities would be more resilient. That‘s where real gains are – in real assets, as inflation is returning to the spotlight. Rightfully so as the Fed is desperately behind the curve, and precious metals need to fully get that. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    The Question Is How Will Price Of Gold Act In Times Of ECB Meeting

    The Question Is How Will Price Of Gold Act In Times Of ECB Meeting

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 10.02.2022 16:22
      Lagarde opened the door to an interest rate hike, which gave the European Central Bank a hawkish demeanor. Does it also imply more bullish gold? The ECB has awoken from its ultra-dovish lethargy. In December 2021, the central bank of the Eurozone announced that its Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program would end in March 2022. Although this won’t also mean the end of quantitative easing as the ECB continues to buy assets under the APP program, the central bank will be scaling down the pace of purchases this year. Christine Lagarde, the ECB’s President, admitted it during her press conference held last week. She said: “We will stop the Pandemic Emergency Programme net asset purchases in March and then we will look at the net asset purchases under the APP.” She also left the door open for the interest rates to be raised. Of course, Lagarde did not directly signal the rate hikes. Instead, she pointed out the upside risk of inflation and acknowledged that the macroeconomic conditions have changed: We are going to use all instruments, all optionalities in order to respond to the situation – but the situation has indeed changed. You will have noticed that in the monetary policy statement that I just read, we do refer to the upside risk to inflation in our projection. So the situation having changed, we need to continue to monitor it very carefully. We need to assess the situation on the basis of the data, and then we will have to take a judgement. What’s more, Lagarde didn’t repeat her December phrase that raising interest rates in 2022 is “very unlikely”. When asked about that, she replied: as I said, I don’t make pledges without conditionalities and I did make those statements at our last press conference on the basis of the assessment, on the basis of the data that we had. It was, as all pledges of that nature, conditional. So what I am saying here now is that come March, when we have additional data, when we’ve been able to integrate in our analytical work the numbers that we have received in the last few days, we will be in a position to make a thorough assessment again on the basis of data. I cannot prejudge what that will be, but we are only a few weeks away from the closing time at which we provide the analytical work, prepare the projections for the Governing Council, and then come with some recommendations and make our decisions. It sounds very innocent, but it’s worth remembering that Lagarde is probably the most dovish central banker in the world (let’s exclude Turkish central bankers who cut interest rates amid high inflation, but they are under political pressure from Erdogan). After all, global monetary policy is tightening. For example, last week, the Bank of England hiked its main policy rate by 25 basis points and started quantitative tightening. Even the Fed will probably end quantitative easing and start raising the federal funds rate in March. In such a company, the ECB seems to be a reckless laggard. Hence, even very shy comments mean something in the case of this central bank. The markets were so impressed that they started to price in 50 basis points of rate hikes this year, probably in an exaggerated reaction.   Implications for Gold What does the latest ECB monetary policy meeting mean for the gold market? Well, maybe it wasn’t an outright revolution, but the ECB is slowly reducing its massive monetary stimulus. Although the euro area does not face the inflationary pressure of the same kind as the US, with inflation that soared to 5% in December and to 5.1% in January (according to the initial estimate), the ECB simply has no choice. As the chart below shows, inflation in the Eurozone is the highest in the whole history of euro. Additionally, in the last quarter of 2021, the GDP of the euro area finally reached its pre-pandemic level, two quarters later than in the case of the US. Europe is back in the game. The economic recovery strengthens the hawkish camp within the ECB. All of this is fundamentally bullish for gold prices. To be clear, don’t expect that Christine Lagarde will turn into Paul Volcker and hike interest rates in a rush. Given the structural problems of the euro area, the ECB will lag behind the Fed and remain relatively more dovish. However, German bond yields have recently risen, and there is still room for further increases. If the market interest rates go up more in Europe than across the pond, which is likely given the financial tightening that has already occurred in the US, the spread between American and German interest rates could narrow further (see the chart below). The narrowing divergence between monetary policies and interest rates in the US and in the Eurozone should strengthen the euro against the greenback – and it should be supportive of gold. As the chart above shows, when the spread was widening in 2012-2018, gold was in the bear market. The yellow metal started its rally at the end of 2018, just around the peak of the spread. On the other hand, if the divergence intensifies, gold will suffer. Given that Powell is expected to hike rates as soon as March, while Lagarde may only start thinking about the tightening cycle, we may have to wait a while for the spread to peak. One thing is certain: it can get hot in March! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    XAGUSD And US100 Slides Down, USDJPY Near 116.00

    XAGUSD And US100 Slides Down, USDJPY Near 116.00

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 11.02.2022 10:06
    USDJPY to test major resistance The US dollar surged after consumer prices hit a 40-year high. Higher lows and then a close above the recent peak at 115.65 is an indication of strong bullish pressure. This breakout has propelled the greenback to January’s high at 116.35. Its breach could trigger a runaway rally and resume the uptrend in the medium term. An overbought RSI on the hourly chart may briefly restrain the bullish fever. 115.30 is the closest support and the bulls may see a pullback as an opportunity to stake in. XAGUSD seeks support Bullions fell back after US Treasury yields soared over hot US inflation data. The psychological level of 22.00 has proven to be a solid demand area. A break above 23.00 has forced sellers to cover, paving the way for an upward extension. 24.00 from a previous rectangle consolidation is the next resistance. A bullish breakout would bring silver back to this year’s high at 24.70. On the downside, the resistance-turned-support at 22.80 could see buying interest in case of a retracement. US 100 hits resistance The Nasdaq 100 struggles as record-high US inflation exacerbates rate hike concerns. The previous rebound has eased selling pressure but hit resistance under 15350. The subsequent pullback bounced off the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level (14400), which suggests buyers’ strong interest in keeping the index afloat. Sentiment is still a tad cautious unless the bulls clear the said hurdle. Then the psychological level of 16000 could be within reach. 14500 is a key support in case of an extended consolidation.
    S&P 500 Moved Up... Then Down... But Will Strengthen All In All?

    S&P 500 Moved Up... Then Down... But Will Strengthen All In All?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 11.02.2022 15:27
      Stocks retraced their Wednesday’s advance yesterday. Was this a downward reversal, or just a correction within an uptrend? The S&P 500 index lost 1.81% on Thursday, Feb. 10 after gaining 1.5% on Wednesday, as investors reacted to higher-than-expected inflation number release. Investors fear that the rising inflation will lead to a faster tightening by the Fed. On Wednesday the index got close to its previous Wednesday’s local high of 4,595.31, and yesterday it fell to the 4,500 level (the daily low was at 4,484.31). This morning the market will likely open 0.2% higher after an overnight decline. We may see some more short-term uncertainty. For now, it looks like a flat correction or a consolidation within an uptrend from the Jan. 24 local low of 4,222.62. The nearest important resistance level remains at 4,550-4,600. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,450-4,500. The S&P 500 index is close to the previous Friday’s daily closing price, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract Trades Along the 4,500 Level Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. It broke above the short-term downward trend line in late January before rallying up to around the 4,600 level. Since then, it has been fluctuating along the 4,500 level. The market remains at the resistance level of its previous local lows, but there have been no confirmed negative signals so far. So in our opinion, no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view. (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index will likely extend its almost two-week long consolidation after rallying from the mentioned late January local low. So far, it looks like a consolidation within an uptrend. The quarterly earnings season is mostly over now, and there is still an uncertainty concerning Russia-Ukraine tensions. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index will likely open slightly higher this morning and we may see more fluctuations along the 4,500 level. In our opinion, no positions are currently justified from the risk/reward point of view. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Fed And BoE Ahead Of Interest Rates Decisions. Having A Look At Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow Jones Charts

    Many Would Want To Know The Near Future Of S&P 500

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 11.02.2022 15:57
    S&P 500 upswing was rejected – the intraday comeback didn‘t succeed. Risk-off posture won the day, and the dust is settling. Day 4-5 of the rally‘s window of opportunity that I talked on Monday, is proving as a milestone. Hot CPI data has increased the bets on Mar 50bp rate hike to a virtual certainty, and asset prices didn‘t like that. Not just stocks across the board, but commodities likewise (to a modest degree only) gave up intraday gains, turning a little red. Cryptos too ended down – it had been a good decision to cash in solid open long profits in S&P 500, oil and copper. Fresh portfolio highs reached over this 12+ months period (details on my homepage): What‘s the game plan for today? As the dollar closed flat while yields rose, I‘m not ruling out a reflexive intraday rebound attempt – after all, the bears should rule in the 2nd half of Feb most clearly. As time passes, the rips would be sold into unless bonds and tech can catch a solid bid. With focus on inflation, that‘s unlikely. Medium-term S&P 500 bias continues being short while commodity dips are to be cautiously bought. Crude oil looks to need to spend a bit more time around $90 while copper defending the low $4.50 is equally important. While silver didn‘t rise by nearly as much as the red metal did, it is down approximately as much in today‘s premarket – the white metal would recover on a less headline heavy day. Remember that PMs are trading sideways to up, with decreasing sensitivity to rising 10-year yield, and have done historically well when rate hikes finally start. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 momentum has sharply shifted to the downside, and today‘s recovery attempts are likely to be sold into. I‘m keeping a keen eye on bonds, tech and risk-on in general – not expecting miracles. Credit Markets HYG keeps showing the way, resolutely down as of yesterday. With rising yields not propelling even financials, the bears have returned a few days earlier than they could – in a show of strength. Gold, Silver and Miners Miners issued a warning to gold and silver – yesterday brought a classic short-term top sign. I‘m though not ascribing great significance to it, for it isnt‘a turning point. Gold would be relatively unmoved while silver recovers however deep setback it suffers today. Crude Oil Crude oil appears to need more time to base – while the upside is being rejected for now, the selling attempts aren‘t materializing at all. Higher volume adds to short-term indecision, but strong (long) hands are to win. Copper Copper is running into selling pressure, and looks in need of consolidation in order to overcome $4.60. The red metal remains true to its reputation for volatility. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are taking their time, and the bulls need to act. Given that volume isn‘t disappearing, the bears have a short-term advantage. Summary S&P 500 looks to be getting under pressure soon again, today. There is no support from bonds, unless these stage an intraday risk-on reversal. The momentum is with the sellers, and rips are likely to be sold as markets digest yet more hawkish Fed action slated for March. Digest and slated are the key words – the Fed‘s hand is being forced here. Commodities and precious metals are likely to do best in what‘s coming – the 5-10 day window of bullish S&P 500 price action, is slowly closing down. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Mining Stocks Don't Stay As Strong As Gold

    Mining Stocks Don't Stay As Strong As Gold

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 11.02.2022 15:41
      In line with bearish bets, miners have thrown a match. Gold, however, doesn’t want to leave the ring without a fight. How long will it stay high? While gold remains relatively firm despite stock market turbulence, rising real yields, and bearish technical indicators, even a confluence of headwinds hasn’t been able to knock the yellow metal off its lofty perch. However, mining stocks haven’t been so lucky. With my short position in the GDXJ ETF offering a great risk-reward proposition, the junior gold miners’ underperformance has played out exactly as I expected. Moreover, with major spikes in volume preceding predictable sell-offs (follow the vertical dashed lines below), I’ve warned on several occasions that the GDX ETF is prone to tipping its hand – we saw this volume spike in January, which was the 2022 top (as of today). In addition, with mining investors’ power drying up by the day, the medium-term looks equally unkind. Please see below: On Wednesday, gold miners fell. Even though they declined by just $0.06, it was profound. The miners were following gold higher during the early part of Wednesday’s (Feb. 9) session, but they lost strength close to the middle thereof and were back down before the closing bell. If the gold price reversed and then declined during the day, that would have been normal. However, gold stayed up. This tells us that the buying power has either dried up or is drying up. When everyone who wanted to get into the market is already in it, the price can do only one thing (regardless of bullish factors) – fall. Those who are already in can then sell. Monitoring the markets for this kind of cross-sector performance is one of the more important gold trading tips. Look, I’m not saying that declines now are “guaranteed”. There are no guarantees in the markets. There might be buyers that haven’t considered mining stocks that would now enter the market, but history tells us that this is unlikely. Instead, declines are very likely to follow. Yesterday’s big daily decline confirmed my above comments. Gold miners declined much more than gold did, and they did so at above-average volume. The latter indicates that “down” is the true direction in which the precious metals market is heading. To that point, the HUI Index provides clues from a longer-term perspective. When we analyze the weekly chart, it highlights investors’ anxiety. For example, after hitting an intraweek high of roughly 260, the HUI Index ended the Feb. 10 session at roughly 250 – just 3.99 up from last Friday – that’s an intraweek reversal. Furthermore, with the index still in a medium-term downtrend, shades of 2013 still profoundly bearish, and sharp declines often preceded by broad head and shoulders patterns (marked with green), there are several negatives confronting the HUI Index. As such, a sharp drawdown will likely materialize sooner rather than later. Please see below: Finally, the GDXJ ETF is the gift that keeps on giving. For example, with lower highs and lower lows being part of the junior miners’ roughly one-and-a-half-year journey, false breakouts have confused many investors. However, while I’ve been warning about the weakness for some time, more downside is likely on the horizon. To explain, I wrote on Feb. 10: I emphasized before that juniors hadn’t moved above their 50-day moving average, and that they stayed below their rising blue resistance line. Consequently – I wrote – the downtrend in them remained clearly intact. Yesterday’s reversal served as a perfect confirmation of the above. The previous breakdowns were verified in one of the most classic ways. The silver price has been quite strong recently, which is also something that we see close to the local tops. The reversals in mining stocks, the situation in gold, outperformance of silver, AND the situation in the USD Index (the medium-term support held) together paint a very bearish picture for the precious metals market in the short and medium term. All in all, if the weakness continues, I expect the GDXJ ETF to challenge the $32 to $34 range. However, please note that this is my expectation for a short-term bottom. While the GDXJ ETF may record a corrective upswing at this level, the downtrend should continue thereafter, and the junior miners should fall further over the medium term. In conclusion, gold showcased its steady hand throughout the recent volatility. However, mining stocks have cracked under the pressure. With the latter’s underperformance often a bearish omen for the former, the yellow metal’s mettle may be tested over the medium term. As such, while the long-term outlooks for gold, silver, and mining stocks remain profoundly bullish, a final climax will likely unfold before their secular uptrends continue. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Price Of Gold Update By GoldViewFX

    Price Of Gold Hitting $2.000? Metal Seems To Feel Good

    Florian Grummes Florian Grummes 14.02.2022 07:34
    Given last week’s strong price action and gold’s intraday resilience, it is now very likely that gold indeed is breaking out of the multi-month consolidation triangle. Actually, this large and symmetrical triangle had been building for more than a year, at least. However, the correction in gold began on August 7th, 2020. Now it looks like the breakout is in process. Typically, traders tend to aggressively buy into such a breakout. And given Friday’s sharp spike higher, it actually looks exactly like this. Hence, expect more volatility and a sharp move higher as the direction of gold’s next move has become more obvious. Please note, that it is rather challenging to draw and determine the correct triangle, because gold has been in a tricky sideways market for such a long time and many trend-lines have been invalidated during this messy period. But at the latest, a weekly close above US$1,875 should confirm the breakout. This should unleash enough energy to push gold prices quickly towards US$1,900 and even US$1,950 within a few weeks. Obviously, that would fit very well with gold’s seasonal cycle, which is bullish until the end of February at least, but often saw gold rallying into mid of march, too. Consumer sentiment at 10-year low but Fed wants to hike and taper From a fundamental perspective, it leaves us speechless how the Fed can go on a hiking rampage while consumer sentiment is at a 10-year low. While the confidence in governments worldwide is collapsing and inflation is spiking higher, raising rates will have zero impact upon supply shortages. Instead, it will make these shortages only worse and bankrupt more companies in the supply chain. Also, it will bankrupt emerging markets, as the strong dollar has already been putting so much pressure on dollar indebted nations and creditors. It’s all a big mess, and we believe there is no way out. That’s why the warmongering industrial and military complex of the US is desperately trying to push Russia into an attack on Ukraine! Without showing any proof, the Biden administration and their mouthpiece “the mainstream media” have been pushing people’s focus on fears that Russia will soon invade Ukraine. Another noteworthy fundamental observation: Gold’s correction began in earnest when Pfizer & Biontech announced their vaccine on November 9th, 2020. In a first reaction, gold immediately sold off $150 on that same day. Many more similar large red daily candles followed over the last 16 months, destroying the confidence of the gold bugs and shifting millions of dollars to the short sellers. Now that more and more very serious questions about the vaccines are debated in the news, it would make sense for gold to run back to US$1,950. This was the level where gold was trading back on November 9th, 2020. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 13th, 2022. Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 13th, 2022. On the weekly chart, gold has been slowly but surely progressing into the apex of the triangle over the last few months. It now looks like Gold is breaking out with vengeance. Theoretically, the resistance zone between US$1,850 and US$1,875 could still stop the bullish train. The weekly Bollinger Bands (US$1,864) sits right in this zone and should at least challenge the bulls for some days. However, the weekly stochastic has just given a new buy signal. On top, the oscillator has been making higher lows since March 2021. A measured move out of this triangle could take gold to around US$1,950 to US$1.975 until spring. The monthly Bollinger Band ($1,975) could become the logical target! Overall, the weekly chart is becoming more and more bullish, suggesting that gold can at least move around US$80 to US$100 higher. Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 13th, 2022. Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 13th, 2022. On the daily chart, gold has been struggling with the upper triangle resistance in November and January. Each time, the bears managed to push back. Now it looks like the bulls are finally successful. The fierce and sharp pullback two and half weeks ago had created a nice oversold setup which became the launching pad for the ongoing attack. Since then, the slow stochastic has been nicely turning around. This buy signal is still active and has not yet reached the overbought zone. Thanks to Friday’s big green candle, the bulls are now bending the upper Bollinger Band (US$1,858) to the upside. To conclude, the daily chart is bullish, and gold should have more upside. If the bulls continue their attack, we could see prices directly exploding for four to seven days. More likely would be a consolidation. Only with prices below US$1,835 the breakout would have failed. In that rather unlikely case, the picture could quickly turn ugly again. Conclusion: Gold is breaking out! In mid of December, gold made an important low around US$1,752. Back then, most gold bugs had enough and did throw in the towel after a very difficult and messy 16-month correction. Gold, silver and the mining stock had become the most hated asset. But actually, all that gold might have been doing was building an epic base and a launch pad to start the next leg higher within its bull market. Overall, we expect that Gold is breaking out after a short consolidation! The successful breakout above resistance between US$1,850 and US$1,875 should happen within the next few days or weeks. This should then lead to higher prices and gold will likely run towards US$1,950, at least. However, we are not sure yet whether this will also bring an attack towards the round number resistance at US$2,000. Given the fact, that gold usually starts to struggle somewhere in spring, the ongoing rally could still be just a counter-trend move within the larger ongoing consolidation/correction. Hence, we are short-term very bullish, mid-term neutral and long-term very bullish for gold. Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Florian Grummes|February 13th, 2022|Tags: Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, gold fundamentals, precious metals, Reyna Gold, US-Dollar About the Author: Florian Grummes Florian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.
    US 30 Is On A Slightly Low Level, Which Way Will GBPJPY Choose?

    US 30 Is On A Slightly Low Level, Which Way Will GBPJPY Choose?

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 14.02.2022 08:48
    USDCHF to test resistance The US dollar rises as traders seek safe haven amid tensions in Ukraine. The pair is grinding up along a rising trendline from support at 0.9180. A series of higher lows suggests strong buying interest. A break above the intermediate resistance at 0.9275 may boost buyers’ confidence further. 0.9310 is the next hurdle and its breach would bring the greenback to the double top (0.9370) on the daily chart. On the downside, the trendline is the closest support, and then 0.9180 is a critical level to keep the short-term rally intact. GBPJPY tests demand zone The pound may find support from Britain’s upbeat GDP in Q4. A break above January’s high at 157.70 suggests that the bulls have reclaimed control of price action. The next challenging task is to push above last October’s peak at 158.20. This would resume the uptrend in the medium term. In the meantime, a combination of profit-taking and fresh selling is driving the price towards 155.20. Sentiment would remain steady as long as the sterling met bidders in this demand area. US 30 seeks support The Dow Jones 30 struggled as white-hot US inflation fanned fears of aggressive rate hikes. Nonetheless, a break above the 30-day moving average on the daily chart indicates improved market sentiment. An overbought RSI prompted momentum traders to exit. A fall below 34820 would suggest lingering hesitation among market participants and shake out weak hands. The bulls may see a pullback towards 34500 as a buying opportunity. The rebound may only resume if the price lifts offers around 35400.
    Technical Analysis: Moving Averages - Did You Know This Tool?

    S&P 500 Chart - There's A Big Red Candle On The Right Hand Side

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 14.02.2022 16:24
    S&P 500 opening range gave way to heavy selling as 4,470s didn‘t hold. Risk-on was overpowered, and the flight to Treasuries didn‘t support tech. And that‘s most medium-term worrying – stocks don‘t look to have found a floor, and gave up the opportunity for a tight range trading on Friday all too easily. The prospects of war were that formidable opponent, against which the S&P 500 didn‘t really stand a chance. So, the downtrend has reasserted itself, and HYG doesn‘t look to have found a floor – junk bonds are leading to the downside, with energy, materials and financials standing out, which isn‘t exactly a bullish constellation. The other key beneficiaries of the safe haven bid were gold, miners and oil. Silver lagged as copper retreated all too easily, but I‘m looking for that to change. As for Monday‘s session in stocks, the odds of a countertrend move to the upside, at least intraday, are good. Just a quick glance at the dollar, gold, oil and Bitcoin would reveal the extent of possible stabilization. Stabilization, not a reversal, because HYG is unlikely to turn up, and I‘m not looking for stocks to start moving up again. Thursday marked a high point in the countertrend rally, which was cut short after some 5 days only. Sideways to a little up is the best the bulls can hope for on Monday. Funny though how with all eyes on Eastern Europe, the inflation and steep rate hike bets receded? What a Super Bowl! Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Whatever backing and filling there could have been, the S&P 500 didn‘t hesitate, and is pointing to the downside. The bears are back, and aren‘t yielding. Credit Markets Credit markets went decidedly risk-off, and a little sideways reprieve wouldn‘t be surprising. But it would change nothing as the bets on rising rates, are on, and the 2-year Treasury is forcing the Fed‘s hand. Gold, Silver and Miners Miners and gold came alive on the tensions escalation news – the uptrend is alive and well indeed, even without these geopolitical developments. The upswing wasn‘t really sold into. Crude Oil Crude oil correction came to an abrupt close, and it‘s unlikely black gold would dip in the current environment. The upcoming corrections would be bought as much as the previous one, and given the oil stocks performance, wouldn‘t likely reach far to the downside. Copper Copper is under pressure, and not holding up as well as other commodities. Base metals though are breaking higher, which is why I‘m looking at Friday‘s red metal trading as a temporary setback only. Bitcoin and Ethereum The floor in cryptos is heralding a tight range day – it‘s good for risk-on that Friday‘s downswing isn‘t immediately continuing, it‘s buying some time. Summary S&P 500 bears are back in the driver‘s seat, and the rush to Treasuries took the spotlight off rate hikes – to a small degree. Not that the Fed would be changing course on geopolitics, we aren‘t there yet. To the contrary, credit markets are pressuring the central bank to move – as decisively as possible in the overleveraged system – and Powell would find it hard not to deliver. Come autumn latest, the strain on the real economy would be hard to ignore – real estate is feeling the pinch already. Stock bulls can‘t expect higher prices unless tech recovers, and we look to be still far from that moment. Real assets with safe haven appeal are likely to do best, and the same goes for the dollar temporarily too. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Tesla Stock Price and Forecast: Should I buy TSLA, RIVN or LCID?

    Tesla Stock Price and Forecast: Should I buy TSLA, RIVN or LCID?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 14.02.2022 15:59
    TSLA drops nearly 5% on Friday as macro factors in charge. All EV stocks LCID, Chinese names suffer the same fate. Tesla once again is targetting its 200-day moving average. Tesla (TSLA) followed many EV names (all, if we are correct) lower on Friday as macro factors took charge over equity markets. The dominant theme so far in 2022 has been one of rising rates and inflationary pressures. This has led to high growth and tech names underperforming, while energy and financial stocks have been the place to be. That is likely to remain the theme for at least the next quarter if not also Q2. Russia and Ukraine tensions have pushed the oil price above $90, and financial stocks benefit from higher interest rates. Growth stocks, however, do not benefit from higher interest rates as investors look for businesses with cash. With higher interest rates, future cash flows become less valuable. So of the three names mentioned, Tesla, Rivian (RIVN) or Lucid (LCID), we would not want to currently be long any of them. We expect TSLA to perform best of the three due to its market-leading position and revenue, but this sector is out of favour and likely to remain so. Tesla Stock News The latest data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) confirms what we saw from Chinese EV companies earlier. Deliveries for January were down versus December. This is due to the lunar new year in China. Tesla sold 59,845 vehicles in January, down from 70,847 China-made vehicles in December. The Chinese electric vehicle market remains the largest EV market in the world, helped by government incentives and population demand. Tesla Stock Forecast Tesla remains in the strong downtrend identified earlier this year. $945 was tested multiple times as resistance and failed. This has resulted in the recent pullback. Now $824 remains as the 200-day moving average. Below we have trendline support at $752. The 200-day is the key level. Tesla has not closed below its 200-day moving average since June 2021. It has broken the 200-day on an intraday basis several times since but always failed to close below. Notice how volume has steadily been declining in Tesla this month, despite some hugely volatile days. This is indicative of a lack of conviction in the stock. Tesla (TSLA) chart, daily
    Will USDJPY Find Its Stability? XAUUSD Is Trades Higher And Higher

    Will USDJPY Find Its Stability? XAUUSD Is Trades Higher And Higher

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 15.02.2022 09:04
    USDJPY hits double top The US dollar recovers as hot CPI fuels bets of a 50 basis points hike in March. The rally came to a halt at January’s high (116.35). Profit-taking compounded by new selling triggered a liquidation below 115.50. The medium-term trajectory remains upward and the bulls may be eager to buy the dips. 114.90 is the next support and an oversold RSI may attract bargain hunters. Further down, the daily support at 114.20 is a major demand zone in case of a deeper correction. A close above the double top could resume the uptrend. XAGUSD tests resistance Bullion rallies over investors’ flight to safety. Silver continues to climb from the daily support at 22.00. Following a brief pullback, a break above the recent high at 23.70 indicates strong buying interest. A bullish MA cross is a sign of acceleration to the upside. The psychological level of 24.00 is the next hurdle and a breakout would bring the price to January’s peak at 24.70. The RSI’s overbought situation may cause a limited fallback; if so the previous low at 22.90 would be the closest support. GER 40 tests critical floor The Dax 40 remains under pressure over Russia-Ukraine tensions. The last rebound’s failure to achieve a new high showed that the bears were still in charge. Trend followers are likely to sell into strength as sentiment remains wary. The index saw bids in the critical demand zone around 14900 which has been tested several times in the last four months. A bearish breakout would trigger a broader sell-off and put a serious dent in the medium-term rally. The bulls will need to reclaim 15500 before they could turn things around.
    Should Someone Tell The Price Of Gold It's Time To Review Its Incoming "Oponents"?

    Should Someone Tell The Price Of Gold It's Time To Review Its Incoming "Oponents"?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 15.02.2022 16:00
      Gold continues to benefit from the market turmoil and has apparently forgotten about medium-term problems. Meanwhile, the rising USD and a hawkish Fed await confrontation. With financial markets whipsawing after every Russia-Ukraine headline, volatility has risen materially in recent days. With whispers of a Russian invasion on Feb. 16 (which I doubt will be realized), the game of hot potato has uplifted the precious metals market. However, as I noted on Feb. 14, while the developments are short-term bullish, the PMs’ medium-term fundamentals continue to decelerate. For example, while the general stock market remains concerned about a Russian invasion, U.S. Treasury yields rallied on Feb. 14. With risk-off sentiment often born in the bond market, the safety trade benefiting the PMs didn’t materialize in U.S. Treasuries. As a result, bond traders aren’t demonstrating the same level of fear. Please see below: Source: Investing.com Furthermore, while the potential conflict garners all of the attention, the fundamental issues that upended the PMs in 2021 remain unresolved. For example, with inflation surging, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Feb. 14 that “the last four [Consumer Price Index] reports taken in tandem have indicated that inflation is broadening and possibly accelerating in the U.S. economy.” “The inflation that we’re seeing is very bad for low- and moderate-income households,” he said. “People are unhappy, consumer confidence is declining. This is not a good situation. We have to reassure people that we’re going to defend our inflation target and we’re going to get back to 2%.” As a result, Bullard wants a 50 basis point rate hike in March, and four rate hikes by July. Please see below: Source: CNBC Likewise, while San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly is much less hawkish than Bullard, she also supports a rate hike in March. Source: CNBC As a result, while the PMs can hide behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the short term, their medium-term fundamental outlooks are profoundly bearish. As mentioned, Bullard highlighted inflation’s impact on consumer confidence, and for a good reason. With the University of Michigan releasing its Consumer Sentiment Index on Feb. 11, the report revealed that Americans’ optimism sank to “its worst level in a decade, falling a stunning 8.2% from last month and 19.7% from last February.” Chief Economist, Richard Curtin said: “The recent declines have been driven by weakening personal financial prospects, largely due to rising inflation, less confidence in the government's economic policies, and the least favorable long term economic outlook in a decade.” “The impact of higher inflation on personal finances was spontaneously cited by one-third of all consumers, with nearly half of all consumers expecting declines in their inflation adjusted incomes during the year ahead.” Please see below: To that point, I’ve highlighted on numerous occasions that U.S. President Joe Biden’s re-election prospects often move inversely to inflation. With the dynamic still on full display, immediate action is needed to maintain his political survival. Please see below: To explain, the light blue line above tracks the year-over-year (YoY) percentage change in inflation, while the dark blue line above tracks Biden’s approval rating. If you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the U.S. President remains in a highly perilous position. Moreover, with U.S. midterm elections scheduled for Nov. 8, the Democrats can’t wait nine to 12 months for inflation to calm down. As a result, there is a lot at stake politically in the coming months. As further evidence, as inflation reduces real incomes and depresses consumer confidence, the Misery Index also hovers near crisis levels. Please see below: To explain, the blue line above tracks the Misery Index. For context, the index is calculated by subtracting the unemployment rate from the YoY percentage change in the headline CPI. In a nutshell, when inflation outperforms the unemployment rate (the blue line rises), it creates a stagflationary environment in America. To that point, if you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the Misery Index is approaching a level that coincided with the global financial crisis (GFC). As a result, reversing the trend is essential to avoid a U.S. recession. As such, with inflation still problematic and the writing largely on the wall, the market-implied probability of seven rate hikes by the Fed in 2022 is nearly 93% (as of Feb. 10). Please see below: Ironically, while consumers and the bond market fret over inflation, U.S. economic growth remains resilient. While I’ve been warning for months that a bullish U.S. economy is bearish for the PMs, continued strength should turn hawkish expectations into hawkish realities. To that point, the chart above shows that futures traders expect the U.S. Federal Funds Rate to hit 1.75% in 2022 (versus 0.08% now). However, Michael Darda, Chief Economist at MKM Partners, expects the Fed’s overnight lending rate to hit 3.5% before it’s all said and done. “We have this booming economy with high inflation and a rapid recovery in the labor market – much different relative to the last cycle,” he said. “The Fed is behind the curve this time. They are going to have to do more.”  Singing a similar tune, John Thorndike, co-head of asset allocation at GMO, told clients that “inflation is now here, [but] the narrative is that inflation goes away and markets tend to struggle with change. It is more likely than not that real yields and policy rates need to move above inflation during this cycle.” The bottom line? While the Russia-Ukraine drama distracts the PMs from the fundamental realities that confront them over the medium term, their outlooks remain profoundly bearish. Moreover, while I’ve noted on numerous occasions that the algorithms will enhance momentum in either direction, their influence wanes materially as time passes. As such, while headline risk is material in the short-term, history shows that technicals and fundamentals reign supreme over longer time horizons. Thus, while the recent flare-up is an unfortunate event that hurts our short position, the medium-term developments that led to our bearish outlook continue to strengthen. In conclusion, the PMs rallied on Feb. 14, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict is the primary driver moving the financial markets. However, while the PMs will ride the wave as far as it takes them, they ignored that the USD Index and U.S. Treasury yields also rallied. Moreover, with Fed officials ramping up the hawkish rhetoric, the PMs' fundamental outlook is more bearish now than it was in 2021 (if we exclude the Russia-Ukraine implications). As a result, while the timeline may have been delayed, lower lows should confront gold, silver, and mining stocks in the coming months. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Speaking Of nVidia Stock, S&P500 (SPX), The Conflict In Eastern Europe And GBP State

    Look At This XAUUSD Slide. Did GBPUSD Find Its Straight Line?

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 16.02.2022 08:43
    EURUSD bounces off support The US dollar retreats as the Fed’s half-point hike in March remains uncertain. The euro’s break above the daily resistance at 1.1480 boosted buyers’ confidence after a sell-off in January. It bounced off 1.1280 at the base of the recent bullish breakout. The support also is right next to the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level (1.1265) making it an area of congestion. A close above the intermediate resistance (1.1370) would attract more buying interest. Then an extension above 1.1490 may fuel a rally towards 1.1600. GBPUSD awaits breakout The sterling holds well as Britain’s wage growth beats expectations in December. The current rebound came under pressure in the supply zone around 1.3660 which was the origin of a sharp drop in late January. An overbought RSI led to some profit-taking but the pound has found support above 1.3480. The bears’ failed attempts to push lower indicates strong demand. A bullish close above 1.3640 would lift offers towards last month’s high at 1.3750. The daily support at 1.3370 is a key floor in keeping the rally intact. XAUUSD seeks support Gold drifts lower on signs of de-escalation in Ukraine. A break above last November’s high at 1875 may have put the precious metal back on track. However, the rally ran out of steam in the short term with the RSI shooting into the overbought territory. The price is taking a breather and buyers may see a pullback as an opportunity to stake in. A drop below 1852 may wash out weak hands and deepen the correction towards 1830. 1880 is now a fresh resistance and its breach could propel bullion to last June’s high at 1910.
    Stumbling Again

    Stumbling Again

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 16.02.2022 15:53
    S&P 500 rebound goes on reflexively, but stormy clouds are gathering – I‘m looking for the bears to reassert themselves over the next couple of days latest. The credit markets posture is far from raging risk-on even though select commodities are recovering (what else to expect in a secular commodities bull) and precious metals suffered a modest setback (not a reversal though). Crypto recovery is nodding towards the risk-on upturn that is though likely to get checked soon.It‘s great that tech was the driver of yesterday‘s S&P 500 upswing, but for how long would it keep leadership now that attention is shifting back towards inflation. Yesterday I wrote that: (...) rebound looks approaching as stocks might lead bonds in the risk appetite. When the East European tensions get dialed down, S&P 500 can be counted on to lead, probably more so when it comes to value than tech. That‘s why the tech participation is key as it would make up for the evaporating risk premium in energy. Or precious metals – these are likely to rise once again when the spotlight shifts to the inadequacy of Fed‘s tightening in the inflation fight.So far the stock market advance hasn‘t met a brick wall, but value upswing has been sold into (unlike tech‘s). Energy stocks lost, but are likely to come back – and the next microrotation might not be powerful enough to carry S&P 500 higher. Anyway without a HYG upswing, stock bulls are facing stiff headwinds.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 rebounded on low volume but that wouldn‘t be an issue in a healthy bull market – the trouble is that this 2022 price action isn‘t very healthy.Credit MarketsHYG didn‘t trade on a strong note, and the rise in yields continues almost unabated. This is what I meant yesterday by saying that we may be though nearing the point of credit market reprieve – as much as that‘s compatible with rate raising cycle.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals suffered a temporary setback – they easily gave up some of the safe haven gains, which isn‘t surprising. The bulls though haven‘t lost control, and that‘s key.Crude OilCrude oil dip was bought, and there wasn‘t much bearish conviction to start with. The general uptrend is likely to continue, and $90 appears likely to hold over the next few days definitely.CopperCopper is now in for some backing and filling, but managed to catch up with other commodities a little yesterday. The red metal remains range bound, but making good bullish progress.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos are paring back yesterday‘s advance, and unless the mid Feb lows give, they‘re likely to muddle through with a modest bullish bias till the attention shifts to the Fed again.SummaryS&P 500 bulls‘ opportunity seems slipping away with each 1D or 4H candle, and I‘m not counting on the credit markets to ride to stocks‘ rescue. The commodities bull though is likely to carry on with little interference – and so does the precious metals bull as the yield curve keeps compressing. Slowdown in economic growth with rampant inflation and the realization that the Fed tightening hasn‘t had the effect, is awaiting, and would usher in strong gold and silver gains.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Tesla Stock News and Forecast: TSLA, RIVN or LCID stock, which is the best buy?

    Tesla Stock News and Forecast: TSLA, RIVN or LCID stock, which is the best buy?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 16.02.2022 16:18
    Tesla bounces strongly on Tuesday as risk assets surge. TSLA stock gains just over 5% on Tuesday. Geopolitical tensions falling help risk appetites return. Tesla (TSLA) shares bounced strongly on Tuesday, eventually closing up over 5% in a strong day for equities. The stock market was buoyed by news of some Russian deployments returning to their bases. Russia then appeared to confirm this as hopes grew for a diplomatic solution. This saw an obvious bounce in equities (https://www.fxstreet.com/markets/equities) with the strongest names being those that were previously the weakest. Understandable, but is this gain sustainable? NATO this morning has said it sees no sign of Russian troops pulling back from the Ukraine border. NATO has said it sees Russian troop numbers still growing along the Russian-Ukraine border. This news (https://www.fxstreet.com/news) still has legs. Volatility has been high as a result and will likely continue that way. Tesla Stock News The latest quarterly SEC filings have provided much information to pore over. In particular, Tesla, they do note some hedge fund selling. This is not too surprising given the record highs TSLA stock pushed on to before Elon Musk sold a stake. Benzinga reports that the latest filing shows Ray D'Alio's Bridgewater cutting its stake in Tesla. Cathie Wood of ARK Invest was regularly top-slicing her firm's stake in Tesla recently. CNBC also reported yesterday that hedge fund Greenlight Capital had made a bearish bet on Tesla shares. Greenlight, according to the report, has been a long time Tesla bear. Apart from those snippets though, macroeconomic factors are the main driver of the Tesla stock price currently. Electric vehicle stocks have not been a strong sector so far in 2022 as growth, in general, is out of favor with investors. This has led to steep falls in other names such as Rivian (RIVN) and Lucid (LCID). Both are at a much earlier stage of development than Tesla (TSLA) and on that basis, we would favor Tesla (TSLA) over them. But we must stress we would ideally avoid the sector entirely until perhaps the second quarter. Once markets have adjusted to the prospect of higher rates, some high-growth stocks may benefit. historical in a Fed (https://www.fxstreet.com/macroeconomics/central-banks/fed) hiking cycle the main indices do advance but growth sectors struggle. Rivian so far is down 36% year to date, Lucid is down 24% while Tesla is the outperformer, down 12% for 2022. Tesla Stock Forecast We remain in the chop zone between the two key levels of $945 and $886. Breaking $945 should lead to a move toward $1,063. That would still be consistent with the longer-term bearish trend. Nothing goes down or up in a straight line. TSLA is unlikely to be able to fight the current overpowering macroeconomic backdrop of rising rates (https://www.fxstreet.com/rates-charts/rates) hitting high growth stocks. But breaking $945 is still significant in the short term and should see some fresh momentum. While $886 is significant, the 200-day moving average at $826 should have our real attention on the downside. Tesla has not closed below this level in over 6 months, so that would be significant and again lead to a fresh influx of momentum. Just this time though, it would be selling momentum. Tesla (TSLA) chart, daily Short-term swing traders should note the volume momentum behind moves. Once volume dries up, Tesla tends to fall off intraday. From the 15-minute chart below, we have an opening gap from Tuesday down to $880. This is short-term support, but a break will see the bottom of Monday's range at $840 tested. Tesla (TSLA) 15-minute chart
    NYMEX Gas Prices Catapulted Like Fighter Jets from an Aircraft Carrier

    NYMEX Gas Prices Catapulted Like Fighter Jets from an Aircraft Carrier

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 16.02.2022 16:56
      The Natural Gas flight has passed its first goal and is on its way to the second target. Here is a map showing the route to Natgas’ new destination. In today’s edition, I will provide some updates on recent market developments for Natural Gas futures (NGF22) following my last projections published on Friday, Feb. 11, for which the stop was also updated on Wednesday. Trade Plan We all love it when a trade plan comes together! The market has to cope with stronger demand to fuel increasing industrial activity after being surprised by the warming mid-February weather forecast. Therefore, you can see that the rebounding floor (support) provided was ideal for the Henry Hub, which is also supported by unyielding global demand for US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to turn its momentum back up. The recommended objective of $4.442 was almost hit yesterday. However, it was achieved this morning (during the European session) and the $4.818 level is now the next goal. As I explained in more detail in my last risk-management-related article to secure profits, my recommended stop, which was located just below the $ 3.629 level (below one-month previous swing low), was recently lifted up around the $3.886 level (around breakeven). Now it could be lifted one more time up to 4.180, which corresponds to the 50% distance between the initial entry and target 1. By doing so, the second half of the trade would become optimally managed. Alternatively, you can also use an Average True Range (ATR) multiple to determine a different level (above breakeven) that may better suit your trading style. Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, daily chart) Now, let’s zoom into the 4H chart to observe the recent price action all around the abovementioned levels of our trade plan: DHenry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, 4H chart) That’s all folks for today. Happy trading! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Wednesday Wasn't A Big Gain Day For BTC (+0.1%), ETH Added More (+1.4%)

    Wednesday Wasn't A Big Gain Day For BTC (+0.1%), ETH Added More (+1.4%)

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 17.02.2022 09:15
    Bitcoin ended Wednesday with symbolic gains, gaining 0.1% to stay around $44,100. Ethereum rose 1.4%, and the other leading altcoins in the top ten also showed mostly upward momentum, from 0.3% (Binance Coin) to 5.5% (Avalanche). The total capitalization of the crypto market, according to CoinGecko, grew by 0.9% over the day, to $2.09 trillion. Altcoins were in high demand, which led to a decrease in the Bitcoin dominance index by 0.3%, to 40.1%. The Fear and Greed Index rose another 1 point to 52 (neutral). For the second time this month, Bitcoin's growth is interrupted by attempts to gain a foothold above $45,000. In the event of a pullback, traders should monitor the dynamics near 42,000, where Bitcoin found support at the beginning of the week. Consolidation between 42,000 and 45,000 can be regarded as a positive signal, as it will consolidate confidence that the downtrend of recent months will not resume after a pause. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched an audit of the US representative office of the Binance crypto exchange. The Canadian authorities intend to track transactions in cryptocurrencies and block bank accounts in order to cut off funding for the Freedom Convoy truckers' protest movement. Twitter has added support for Ethereum addresses to the money transfer service within its application. The Bank of Russia plans to start the second stage of testing the cryptoruble in autumn. On Thursday morning, the markets and bitcoin experienced a downward momentum due to news of shelling in Ukraine. Cryptocurrencies reacted impulsively as a risk asset, but last week's example shows that they can also act as safe havens, as some investors may try to save capital using Bitcoin, Ethereum and a number of other large altcoins.
    Bearish Turn Coming

    Bearish Turn Coming

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 17.02.2022 15:57
    Thanks to Fed minutes, the S&P 500 closed modestly up, but could have taken the stronger credit markets cue. Instead, the upswing was sold into – the selling pressure is there, and neither value nor tech took the opportunity to rise, even against the backdrop of a weakening dollar. That‘s quite telling – the stock market correction hasn‘t run its course yet, and whatever progress the bulls make, is being countered convincingly. Precious metals adored the combo of yields and dollar turning down – and reacted with the miners‘ outperformance. The silver to copper ratio is basing, and the white metal looks to have better short-term prospects than the red one. Still in the headline sensitive environment we‘re in, gold would be stronger than silver until inflation is recognized for what it is. If there‘s one thing that the aftermath of Fed minutes showed, it‘s that the commodities superbull is alive and well, and that precious metals likewise are acting very positively in this tightening cycle. Suffice to say that gold has a track record of turning up once the rate hikes finally start… Excellent, the portfolio is positioned accordingly. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 rebound is getting suspect, and should stocks close on a weak note today, it‘s clear that today‘s wobbling Philly Fed Manufacturing Index won‘t be balanced out by the succession of Fed speakers – the signs of real economy headwinds are here. Credit Markets HYG upswing could have had broader repercussions, and it‘s quite telling it didn‘t. The risk-on turn would likely be sold into, with consequences. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals suffered a temporary setback only indeed – I‘m looking for the gains to continue as the miners outperformance just can‘t be overlooked. Crude Oil Crude oil dipped some more, and the dip was again bought. Given the late session wavering, I‘m looking for some more sideways and volatile trading ahead before the upswing reasserts itself. Copper Copper continues trading sideways, but with bullish undertones. More consolidation before another upswing attempt is probable. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are turning down, but still haven‘t broken either way out of the current range. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum are sending a message of caution. Summary S&P 500 bulls‘ opportunity seems increasingly slipping away given that the buyers couldn‘t defend gains after Fed minutes release. The upturn in credit markets is likely to prove of fleeting shelf life, and would exert downward pressure upon stocks. As I wrote yesterday (and talked extensively within today‘s article chart captions), the commodities bull is likely to carry on with little interference – and so would the precious metals bull as the yield curve keeps compressing, and the beginning of rate hikes would mark further headwinds for the real economy at a time of persistent inflation that could be perhaps brought down to 4-5% official rate late this year (which would leave the mainstream wondering why it just isn‘t transitory somewhat more – what an irony). The Fed‘s tools to be employed are simply insufficient to break the inflation‘s back, that‘s it. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    AUDUSD And NZDUSD Charts Looks Quite Similar... SPX Trades A Bit Lower Than A Few Days Ago

    AUDUSD And NZDUSD Charts Looks Quite Similar... SPX Trades A Bit Lower Than A Few Days Ago

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 18.02.2022 08:51
    AUDUSD attempts to break out The Australian dollar finds support from a low jobless rate in January. The pair has previously hit resistance in the supply zone around 0.7250. This is a daily resistance from the sell-off in late January. Then a recovery above 0.7180 suggests solid buying pressure before a bearish mood could take hold again. A break above the key hurdle could initiate a bullish reversal above this year’s peak (0.7310). Otherwise, a prolonged consolidation may test the demand area between 0.7100 and 0.7150. NZDUSD tests resistance The New Zealand dollar climbed higher as the RBNZ can lift its cash rates next week. Price action came under pressure on the 30-day moving average (0.6730). However, strong support at 0.6590 builds a case for a potential reversal. A break above 0.6690 is an encouraging sign leaving 0.6730 as the last obstacle before a bullish extension. A broader rally would bring the kiwi back to January’s high at 0.6890. In the meantime, an overbought RSI caused a brief pullback towards 0.6660. SPX 500 consolidates The S&P 500 struggles as the Russia-Ukraine crisis persists. The previous rebound has met stiff selling pressure over the 30-day moving average (4590). A pullback has sent the RSI into the oversold territory, triggering some buyers’ interest in racking up the bargain. The rebound is still valid as long as the index stays above the critical area of 4280. A break above 4480 may extend gains to the double top at 4590 which is an important resistance. 4360 is the immediate support if the sideways action lingers.
    Gores Guggenheim Stock News and Forecast: Is GGPI a better bet than LCID or RIVN?

    Gores Guggenheim Stock News and Forecast: Is GGPI a better bet than LCID or RIVN?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.02.2022 16:10
    GGPI Stock has rallied after a Superbowl ad. GGPI stock surges another 4% on Wednesday as momentum remains high. GGPI may struggle as markets turn negative and growth stocks struggle to hold gains. Gores Guggenheim (GGPI) stock is probably more commonly referred to as Polestar stock now that the SPAC will take electric vehicle maker Polestar public this year. The deal is due to complete some time in the first half of 2022. Polestar is an electric vehicle maker backed by Volvo and Chinese company Geely. So what is different about this one compared to the others? Gores Guggenheim Stock News Polestar looks merely like Volvo's EV division. We know this is not the case as Volvo has its hybrid and EV models planned. However, the companies certainly have strong links. Rivian (RIVN) went public in a blaze of hype and publicity due largely to its links to Amazon (AMZN) and Ford (F). Both companies had stakes in Rivian. However, from what we know, Rivian will have to build out its manufacturing and distribution network. It will not piggyback on Ford for this. Polestar uses the Volvo service network in the UK, and Polestar will utilize Volvo's South Carolina plant to manufacture Polestar models in the US. Previously, Polestar said it will have its showrooms in the US but use Volvo for servicing. Polestar will look to do as much sales work as possible online and use Volvo then for manufacturing and servicing. This gives it an obvious advantage over LCID and RIVN. Gores Guggenheim Stock Forecast On Wednesday, the stock spiked again, closing nearly 5% higher at $12.02. The company has been in charge since the Superbowl ad brought more attention to the stock and the cars. Both seem well received. Now GGPI stock has ramped up to a strong resistance area. Above $12 and as high as $12.36 is the previous spike high from December. This will be tough to break given that high risk stocks are likely to suffer as we close out the week. Geopolitical events are dominating and high growth names are still not favored. SPACs generally hold $10 cash until the deal goes through, so this is obvious support. The best strategy with SPAC trading is to try and buy as close to $10 as possible. GGPI 1-day chart
    Economic Calendar – 06.01.2021 – A brief look at CPI and Services PMI continued

    Economic Calendar – 06.01.2021 – A brief look at CPI and Services PMI continued

    FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 05.01.2022 10:30
    With some Services PMI announcements on 5th January, next countries are to present their indicators, but they should not cover the rest of tommorow’s events. Speaking of Services PMI, we start 0.30 am in Japan (prev. 53.0), then heading to China (prev. 52.1) at 1.45 am and then to UK with Composite PMI indicator presented at 9.30 am as well. In the meantime, at 7 am German Factory Orders indicator (M/M – prev. -6.9%) will be published with Brazilian IPC-Fipe Inflation Index (M/M – prev. 0.72%) an hour later. At 8.30 am we go back to Germany to check IHS Markit Construction PMI considering December (prev. 47.9). At midday we will be all eyes on Brazil again as Industrial Production (Y/Y – prev. -7.8%) is about to be announced. Afternoon can be even more interesting as German CPI (M/M – prev. -0.2%) (Preliminary Release) and US Exports and Imports will be known. Except some more releases, the day will end with Tokyo Core CPI (Y/Y – prev. 0.3%) Time: GMT Source: Investing.com
    Our Attention Should Be Drawn To Fed As Well, An Increase Of Interest Rate Is Likely To Come

    Our Attention Should Be Drawn To Fed As Well, An Increase Of Interest Rate Is Likely To Come

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 15.02.2022 15:31
    The FED has made it very clear that it will raise its benchmark interest rate, the federal funds rate. This could have severe consequences and even lead to a financial crisis. They are too far behind the curve and will be labeled a major policy error in the future, most likely. They have put themselves in a situation where they are now their own hostage. They need more leadership to describe what a soft landing is going to look like. They have been too slow to act, and now they are going too fast. The “Powell Put” has now been put out to pasture. We believe that the FED will make more rate hikes than they have announced. Goldman Sachs thinks there will be four 25-basis-point increases in the federal funds rate in 2022. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said, “he wouldn’t be surprised if there were even more interest rate hikes than that in 2022. There’s a pretty good chance there will be more than four. There could be six or seven. I grew up in a world where Paul Volcker raised his rates 200 basis points on a Saturday night.” Mr. James Bullard of the St. Louis FED spoke out in an arrogant tone that aggressive action is now required. The markets translated this to mean that the FED was going to call an emergency meeting as soon as this coming week to hike interest rates by no less than 50 basis points. This sent interest rates soaring and stock prices plummeting. WARNING: More Downside To Come Uncertainty abounds regarding the path of inflation and new FED policy. This has created a landscape of continued strong periods of distribution in the equity markets. If there are any bounces, they should be used to sell ‘risk assets’. This has been one of the worst starts to a calendar year in the history of the stock and bond markets. Chart Source: Zero Hedge Last Thursday, the reported inflation rate increased by 7.7 percent, the highest in forty years. Stocks tumble as red-hot inflation print pressures technology shares. Markets didn’t like this, which immediately moved them down. Bears are in control of the market, which can be observed from Friday’s trading session. The U.S. 10-year yield rose above 2% for the first time since August 2019 amid a broad Treasury-market selloff. It was driven by expectations for quicker FED interest-rate hikes to contain faster than predicted inflation. It takes at least two to three years to have any material impact on the economy. One sector is currently doing well, which is the oil sector. Cycle's analysis is applied to find the best stocks to invest in and the best sectors. The next sector we are monitoring is Gold/Silver. Crude oil prices are staying strong. There are a lot of geopolitical factors in play here. I think there's a risk premium on oil right now because of Russia. What The Heck is CPI? The Consumer Price Index, CPI, is the measure of changes in the price level of a basket of consumer goods and services. This is one of the most frequently used statistics for identifying periods of inflation in households. Consumer Price Index Summary. Last Thursday, the inflation figures were released, confirming that everything is getting more expensive. It is up 7.5 percent versus last year. Mortgage rates are starting to rise. If you plan to buy a new home, this is the time to do it. These historically low interest rates will not last long. Should I Invest In Gold Today? Owning gold acts as a hedge against inflation as well as a good portfolio diversifier as it is a great store of value. Gold also provides financial cover during geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty. Gold has historically been an excellent hedge against inflation because its price tends to rise when the cost-of-living increases. Conclusion: It seems the stock market may be on its last leg here. Big money flow has been coming out of the large-cap stocks while commodities have been rising. Commodities are typically one of the last assets to rally before the stock market top and start a bear market. I see all the signs, but we must wait for the price to confirm before taking action. We have seen this setup before in 2015/2016, also in 2018, and the market recovered and rallied dramatically from those levels.  What Trading Strategies Will Help You To Navigate Current Market Trends? Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals. I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Wondering How Inflation And Fed Reaction Will Affect Gold

    Wondering How Inflation And Fed Reaction Will Affect Gold

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 18.02.2022 16:05
      Not only won’t inflation end soon, it’s likely to remain high. Whether gold will be able to take advantage of it will depend, among others, on the Fed. Do you sometimes ask yourself when this will all end? I don’t mean the universe, nor our lives, nor even this year (c’mon, guys, it has just started!). I mean, of course, inflation. If only you weren’t in a coma last year, you would have probably noticed that prices had been surging recently. For instance, America finished the year with a shocking CPI annual rate of 7.1%, the highest since June 1982, as the chart below shows. Now, the key question is how much higher inflation could rise, or how persistent it could be. The consensus is that we will see a peak this year and subsequent cooling down, but to still elevated levels. This is the view I also hold. However, would I bet my collection of precious metals on it? I don’t know, as inflation could surprise us again, just as it did to most of the economists (but not me) last year. The risk is clearly to the upside. As always in economics, it’s a matter of supply and demand. There is even a joke that all you need to turn a parrot into an economist is to teach it to say ‘supply’ and ‘demand’. Funny, huh? When it comes to the demand side, both the money supply growth and the evolution of personal saving rate implies some cooling down of inflation rate. Please take a look at the chart below. As you can see, the broad money supply peaked in February 2021. Assuming a one-year lag between the money supply and price level, inflation rate should reach its peak somewhere in the first quarter of this year. There is one important caveat here: the pace of money supply growth has not returned to the pre-pandemic level, but it stabilized at about 13%, double the rate seen at the end of 2019. Inflation was then more or less at the Fed’s target of 2%, so without constraining money supply growth, the US central bank couldn’t beat inflation. As the chart above also shows, the personal saving rate has returned to the pre-pandemic level of 7-8%. It means that the bulk of pent-up demand has already materialized, which should also help to ease inflation in the future. However, not all of the ‘forced savings’ have already entered the market. Thus, personal consumption expenditures are likely to be elevated for some time, contributing to boosted inflation. Regarding supply factors, although some bottlenecks have eased, the disruptions have not been fully resolved. The spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus and regional lockdowns in China could prolong the imbalances between booming demand and constrained supply. Other contributors to high inflation are rising producer prices, increasing house prices and rents, strong inflation expectations (see the chart below), and labor shortages combined with fast wage growth. The bottom line is that, all things considered – in particular high level of demand, continued supply issues, and de-anchored inflation expectations – I forecast another year of elevated inflation, but probably not as high as in 2021. After reaching a peak in a few months, the inflation rate could ease to, let’s say, around 4% in December, if we are lucky. Importantly, the moderate bond yields also suggest that inflation will ease somewhat later in 2022. What does it mean for the gold market? Well, I don’t have good news for the gold bulls. Gold loves high and accelerating inflation the most. Indeed, as the chart below shows, gold peaks coincided historically with inflation heights. The most famous example is the inflation peak in early 1980, when gold ended its impressive rally and entered into a long bearish trend. The 2011 top also happened around the local inflationary peak. The only exception was the 2005 peak in inflation, when gold didn’t care and continued its bullish trend. However, this was partially possible thanks to the decline in the US dollar, which seems unlikely to repeat in the current macroeconomic environment, in which the Fed is clearly more hawkish than the ECB or other major central banks. The relatively strong greenback won’t help gold shine. Surely, disinflation may turn out to be transitory and inflation may increase again several months later. Lower inflation implies a less aggressive Fed, which should be supportive of gold prices. However, investors should remember that the US central bank will normalize its monetary policy no matter the inflation rate. Since the Great Recession, inflation has been moderate, but the Fed has tightened its stance eventually, nevertheless. Hence, gold may experience a harsh moment when inflation peaks. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Bullish momentum remains strong

    Bullish momentum remains strong

    Florian Grummes Florian Grummes 20.02.2022 17:36
    Even at the last important low (US$$1,750) on December 15th, 2021, the sentiment was still awful as the sector had become the most hated asset class. Now fast-forward, gold has been successfully breaking out of its multi month triangle and keeps sprinting higher. The bulls currently are bending the daily and weekly Bollinger Bands to the upside, and seasonality is still supportive.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 20th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of February 20th, 2022.Looking at the weekly chart, it appears that gold not only broke out of a triangle consolidation pattern, but also out of a large inverse head and shoulder pattern. It’s not a textbook head and shoulder, but worthwhile noting. A measured move projection could theoretically take gold towards US$2,125! However, the monthly Bollinger Band, sitting at around US$ 1,975, might be a much more realistic target for the ongoing move. As you might remember, the zone between US$1,950 to US$1,975 is very strong resistance. We would not rule out a short-lived overshoot towards US$,2000, though.Overall, the weekly chart is not yet overbought and looks bullish. Hence, the rally has very good chances to continue for a few more weeks.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.As expected, the breakout above US$1,840 to US$1,850 has unleashed enough energy to quickly push gold prices towards the round psychological number of US$1,900. Fortunately, the daily stochastic has transformed its overboughtness into the rare “embedded status”, where both signal lines are sitting above 80 for more than three days in a row. Hence, the uptrend is locked-in and shorting this market would be fighting the uptrend.Of course, given the uncertain and complex geopolitical situation, events can and likely will strongly influence gold over the coming days and weeks. Speaking from a technical point of you, any pullback towards the breakout zone around US$1,845 would be a buying opportunity. However, prices below US$1,875 would already be a surprise in the short-term. On the contrary, it’s much more likely that gold will continue its run to at least US$1,930 over the coming days.In summary, the daily chart is bullish. Especially the bullish embedded stochastic oscillator likely will not allow any larger pullback, but rather a consolidation around US$1,900. Watch those two signal lines. Only if one of them would be dropping below 80on a daily close, the bull run might be over!GDX (VanEck Gold Miners ETF) in US-Dollar, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.GDX, daily chart as of February 20th, 2022.Gold & gold related mining stocks often stabilize your portfolio during uncertain times and do act as a hedge. While the stock market continued its dive due to the crisis in Ukraine and the potential interest rate turnaround in the US, the GDX VanEck Gold Miners ETF is up more than 21.5% since its low in mid of December. Over the last two weeks, the leading gold mining stocks recorded some of their best days in the last 12 months. Last week, Barrick Gold ($GOLD) jumped up more than 7% due to good earnings, a dividend increase, and a new share repurchase program. Some smaller gold stocks like Sabina Gold & Silver ($SGSVF) went up even more (+15% Friday, 11th).Now that gold is on the rise, it’s time for the beaten down and undervalued mining stocks to catch up. Usually, it starts with the big senior produces like Barrick Gold, Agnico Eagle Mines ($AEM) and Newmont Corporation ($NEM), then the juniors like for example Victoria Gold Corp. ($VITFF) join and finally, the explorer and developers literally explode higher.However, the GDX has nearly reached its downtrend line as well as the 38.2% retracement of the whole corrective wave since August 2020. Hence, the big miners are running into string resistance and might need to consolidate soon.At the same time, note, that silver has been lagging. Silver always lags most of the time, but in the final stage of sector wide rally it suddenly passes all the other metals and shots up nearly vertically. That also typically is the sign that the rally in the sector is coming to an end. Obviously, we have not yet seen any strong silver days. Therefore, silver actually confirms that the sector has more room and time to run higher!Conclusion: Bullish momentum remains strongOverall, gold continues to look promising here as the bullish momentum remains strong. Hence, Gold is probably on the way towards US$1,950 and US$1,975, with a slight chance for an overshot to US$2,000. But of course, given the rather overbought daily chart, the risk/reward is not that good anymore. Silver and many of the smaller mining stocks, however, might still offer a chance to play the ongoing rally over the next few weeks. Once gold tops out in spring, expect a big pullback. Maybe even back towards the higher trending 200-day moving average (currently at US$1,808) at some point in midsummer. But that is all somewhere in the future. For now, the bullish momentum remains strong.Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter.Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.By Florian Grummes|February 20th, 2022|Tags: $GDXJ, Barrick Gold, GDX, Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, gold fundamentals, Newmont Corporation, precious metals, Reyna Gold, Sabina Gold & Silver, Silver, silver bull, US-Dollar, Victoria Gold|0 CommentsAbout the Author: Florian GrummesFlorian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.
    GBPUSD Chart - Green Candles On The Right Hand Side, USDCAD Moved Down A Little

    GBPUSD Chart - Green Candles On The Right Hand Side, USDCAD Moved Down A Little

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 21.02.2022 08:53
    GBPUSD tests resistance The sterling edged higher after January’s retail sales beat expectations. The recent pause has been an opportunity for the bulls to accumulate. A break above 1.3640 would signal solid buying after previous failed attempts. The daily resistance at 1.3750 would be the next hurdle. Its breach could trigger a broader reversal in the weeks to come. 1.3560 is the immediate support. And 1.3490 at the lower end of the horizontal consolidation is the second line of defense in case the pair needs to attract more support. USDCAD awaits breakout The Canadian dollar tanked after disappointing retail sales in December. The US counterpart is still struggling below the supply zone around 1.2800. A close above this daily resistance could propel the pair to last December’s high at 1.2950, a prerequisite for a bullish continuation in the medium-term. The current sideways action is a sign of indecision. 1.2640 is the lower boundary of the recent consolidation range. A bearish breakout would bring the greenback to a previous low at 1.2560. EURJPY struggles for support The Japanese yen rallies amid growing risk aversion across the board. The euro continues to shed gains from the surge earlier this month. A fall below 131.90 triggered profit-taking, and the latest rally came out to be a dead cat bounce after it was capped by this support-turned-resistance. A break below 130.40 (which sits over the 30-day moving average) shows fragility in market sentiment and would cause another round of sell-off. 129.20 at the base of the bullish impetus would be the next support.
    Kind Of A Small Downtrend Visible On DAX Chart

    Kind Of A Small Downtrend Visible On DAX Chart

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 21.02.2022 10:43
    The geopolitical momentum of the escalation/truce situation around Ukraine strikingly has its weekly cycles. Harsh rhetoric seems to peak at the end of the week, followed by the weekend’s relief when the sides look for ways to negotiate, giving a breath of air to global markets early in the week. This week, the same pattern applies with demand for EM currencies and European indices returning to their starting positions before Friday’s collapse. The announced talks between the Russian and US foreign ministers and the chances of a summit between Biden and Putin bring back hopes of a peaceful resolution. However, it is worth realising that the situation remains fragile, and so far, with each new cycle of this momentum, the present situation has become more dramatic. And this is visible in the dynamics of the European indices, where the DAX formed a double top in January and in February began to churn in line with the geopolitical background, maintaining a downward bias and approaching a critical support level that has been in place since last May. The pressure on the DAX to consolidate under the 15,000 mark is occurring on two fronts at once. Firstly, geopolitical tensions are reducing the traction in risky assets of the European region. In addition, fears of energy supply disruptions in the EU due to Russia form the background, with high oil and gas prices holding back the economic recovery. Secondly, the monetary policy outlook continues to be reassessed. ECB officials are talking more and more confidently about a rate hike this year and leaving the door open for such a move as early as September. If the bears manage to push the DAX below the nine-month support, we might see an acceleration of the corrective pullback that could take the index down to 14000 within the next couple of weeks. If the politicians’ rhetoric doesn’t seem to be easing, the next target for a retracement might be the 13000-area, a 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the extremes of March 2020 and November 2021.
    Technical Analysis: Moving Averages - Did You Know This Tool?

    S&P 500 Chart And Credit Markets Candles Nears Quite Low Levels

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 21.02.2022 13:33
    S&P 500 opening upswing gave way to more selling, but credit markets didn‘t lead to the downside on a daily basis. This tells me the plunge would likely be challenged shortly. As in facing a reversal attempt – it‘s that junk bonds for all the recent (and still to come) deterioration, will probably rebound a little next. Value already retraced part of Friday‘s decline – it‘s just tech that didn‘t yet react to the Treasuries reprieve. Good to have taken short profits off the table. The table is set for S&P 500 to rise, and for bonds to rally somewhat. And that wouldn‘t be the result of war tensions lifting up Treasuries, gold and oil. Red hot inflation, decelerating growth and compressing yield curve are a challenging environment, and the odds of a 50bp Mar rate hike are overwhelming, but the Fed‘s balance sheet is still rising – now within spitting distance of $9T. Sure they will take on inflation, but I continue to think that by autumn they would be forced to reverse course, and start easing. Fresh stimulus after markets protest during 1H 2022? Would be helpful for the midterms... The consumer isn‘t in a great shape as the confidence data reveal – and that‘s also reflected in the direction of discretionaries vs. staples. Inflation is pinching, and the pressure on the Fed to act, is on – its credibility is being challenged. Food inflation is high, and seeing food at home prices rising this much, is as surefire marker of coming recession as yield curve inversion is. And yield differentials are flattening around the world – quite a few central banks are more ahead in the tightening path than the Fed. Economy slowing down, stock market correction far from over (yes, in spite of the coming rebound, I‘m looking for lower lows still), and precious metals upleg underway – yes, underway, and especially our gold profits can keep rising - as I wrote on Friday: (…) With gold at $1,900 again and silver approaching $24, copper‘s fate is also brightening – the miners‘ continued outperformance is a very good sign. With crude oil taking a breather, the inflationary pressures aren‘t at least increasing, but don‘t look for the Bullard or other statements to defeat inflation – I‘m standing by the 4-5% official rate CPI data for 2022 (discussed in yesterday‘s summary). CPI might turn out even a full percentage point higher – depends upon the hedonics and substitution massaging. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 caught a little buying interest going into the long weekend – better days though look to be coming. Not a monstrous rally, but still an upswing. Credit Markets HYG is indeed basing, and will help stocks move higher next. LQD and TLT are already rising, and there is still somewhat more to come. Bonds have simply deteriorated too fast in 2022, and need a breather. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals fireworks continue – we‘re getting started, and $1,920 is the next stop. Kiss of life from the bond market reprieve comes next, on top of all the other factors I‘ve talked about recently. Crude Oil Crude oil is fairly well bid, but the war jitters are helping it out (as in staving off a bit deeper correction). As both oil and base metals are rising, inflation isn‘t likely to slow down (perhaps later in summer?) - black gold‘s uptrend isn‘t over really. Copper Copper keeps going sideways in a volatile fashion, and can be counted on to break higher – inflationary pressures aren‘t abating, and outweigh the slowing economy. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos did break down over the weekend, but the anticipated risk-on rebound fizzled out a bit too fast – as said on Friday, the bears have the upper hand now. Summary S&P 500 appears on the verge of trying to swing higher, and credit markets would be leading the charge as tech finally turns. Value had trouble declining some more on Friday already. Stock market upswing though wouldn‘t throw the precious metals bulls off balance – not too many weeks have passed since I was at the turn of the year predicting that gold (and silver with miners implied) would be the bullish surprise of 2022 – and for all the talk and preemtive tightening in the credit markets, we haven‘t yet seen the Fed move. Anyway, such a lag in moving the Fed funds rate higher, is normal these decades – we are a long way from the early 1980s when the delay between say 2-year Treasury and Fed funds rate move was some 2 months. Crude oil is likewise going to keep rising, and the same goes naturally for copper following in the footsteps. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Pinterest (PINS) Stock News and Forecast: Earnings see shares rise, but can it continue?

    Pinterest (PINS) Stock News and Forecast: Earnings see shares rise, but can it continue?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 04.02.2022 16:06
    Pinterest shares rise over 12% in the premarket on Friday. PINS stock surges down to an earnings beat on the top and bottom lines. Pinterest shares remain in a long-term downtrend. Pinterest (PINS) reported strong earnings after the close Thursday night that saw the stock move up over 18% in afterhours trading. So far, most of those gains are holding early on Friday with PINS at $27.70. This represents a gain of 13% from Thursday's close. Pinterest Stock News Earnings per share came in at $0.49 versus consensus estimates for $0.45. Revenue hit $846.7 million versus consensus estimates of $827.2 million. The shares immediately jumped on the news. (https://www.fxstreet.com/news) "We took important steps in 2021 with the launch of our foundational technology to deliver a video-first publishing platform. And, I'm proud to say that for the first time, we surpassed $2 billion in revenue for the year — growing 52% over the previous year — and reached our first full-year of GAAP profitability," said Ben Silbermann, CEO and co-founder of Pinterest. PINS was set up for outperformance and the risk-reward was clearly to the upside. PINS stock had closed the regular session on Thursday down over 10% as the read-across from Facebook saw investors dump the stock. (https://www.fxstreet.com/markets/equities) Just like Amazon, a surprise to the upside offered a better risk-reward profile, and so it proved with investors rushing to cover positions. Pinterest Stock Forecast Pinterest remains mired in a long-term downtrend. Paypal (PYPL) had been rumoured to be in discussion to acquire PINS back in October of last year. PINS shares had spiked to $65 on the rumour, but supposedly Paypal shareholders resisted and nothing ever happened. This led PINS shares on a steady downweard path ever since. The shares are down nearly 70% in the last year and 26% already this year. This move does not really do much to turn that trend around in our view. The big damage was done in the break of $32.34. That remains the bullish pivot. The first support is at $24.08. Pinterest (PINS) chart, (https://www.fxstreet.com/rates-charts/chart) 20 hourly
    Economic Calendar by FXMAG.COM - Week 21/02-25/02 - Beginning With Holiday...

    Economic Calendar by FXMAG.COM - Week 21/02-25/02 - Beginning With Holiday...

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 18.02.2022 14:11
    On Monday USA will Celebrate Presidents' Day so don't expect any announcement. Going North no sensation is expected as well as Canada celebrates Family Day. Altough North America Has A Long Weekend Ahead, Europe get down to business on normal basis. In Germany, German Manufacturing PMI (prev. 59.8) is going to be presented. Crossing the sea, Great Britain will release three important indicators - Composite PMI (54.2), Manufacturing PMI (57.3) And Services PMI (54.1). Amid other less significant events on 21th February, some time after midday Chinese  PBoC Loan Prime Rate (3.70%) is going to be announced. Getting momentum throught the first day of the week we will try to fuel ourselves on Tuesday by news from Germany and the USA as German Ifo Business Climate Index (prev. 95.7) and CB Consumer Confidence (113.8) is going to be released. In the middle of the week, on Wednesday, we will welcome New Zealand Interest Rate Decision (0.75%) and European CPI Y/Y (5.1%). On this day Japanese and Russian people will have a rest as they celebrate Emperor's Birthday (JP) and Defender of the Fatherland Day (RU). Heading to the end of the following week we will visit US, where GDP (QoQ) (6.9%) and New Home Sales (811K) are going to be released. On Friday German GDP (QoQ) (Q4) (-0.7%) will wake us up at 7 a.m. It is going to be followed by US Core Durable Good Orders (MoM) (0.6%) And Pending Home Sales (MoM) (-3.8%)   Source: Investing.com Tiime: GMT
    UK100 Price Trades Below Levels Of The Week Before, Silver Price Raised Noticeably

    UK100 Price Trades Below Levels Of The Week Before, Silver Price Raised Noticeably

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 22.02.2022 08:59
    USDCHF tests daily support The Swiss franc surges as the US-Russia stalemate boosts demand for safe haven assets. Consecutive drops below 0.9220 and then 0.9180 suggest that sellers have taken control. The greenback is heading towards January’s double bottom around 0.9110. A break below this key floor would trigger a deeper correction towards the psychological level of 0.9000. The RSI’s oversold situation may cause a temporary rebound. The support-turned-resistance at 0.9220 is the level to break to give the bulls any hope of recovery. XAGUSD bounces higher Bullion rallies over ongoing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. Silver gained momentum after a break above the supply zone at 23.90. A brief fallback found support over 23.10 which indicates solid buying interest. The price is grinding up along a rising trendline and sentiment remains upbeat as long as it stays above the congestion area near the trendline and 23.60. January’s peak at 24.70 is the target when volatility picks up again. A bullish breakout could trigger a broader reversal in the weeks to come. UK 100 struggles for support The FTSE 100 tumbles as risk appetite slips across the board. The bulls’ latest effort to push beyond 7630 turned out to be futile. A break below 7500 suggests a lack of commitment and weighs on short-term sentiment. Intraday traders have switched sides and look to fade the next bounce towards the former support. A dip below 7430 has opened the door to 7330 as the next target. Further down, the daily support at 7240 would be a major level to keep the uptrend intact in the medium term.
    Crypto Charts - BTC Monthly, Weekly, Daily Chart

    Crypto Charts - BTC Monthly, Weekly, Daily Chart

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 22.02.2022 09:33
    Bitcoin, best in play   The Covid environment brought an additional variant risk factor to the table, especially when it comes to investor psychology. Our last weekly chart book publication made a case for positioning one’s risk hedge plays this year when equity markets most likely trade in a volatile sideways range. We also spoke of a proper wealth preservation strategy, holding both bitcoin and gold within a hedged risk reduction approach for your monies. With our primary focus on risk, the next question is allocation size between bitcoin and gold. As mentioned in the intro, it feels intuitively natural to have significant exposure to the gold side from a cycle history. Yet, insurance seems essential at this time, and as such, we tend to be a bit more aggressive towards bitcoin allocations. Bitcoin, daily chart, not just yet: Bitcoin, daily chart as of February 22nd, 2022. The daily chart reflects the common notion of bitcoin trading alongside PMI numbers and the market as a whole. With the recent break of the modest bounce from the US$33,500 level up leg (yellow up-channel), no immediate low-risk entries for longer-term exposure seems in play.   Bitcoin, weekly chart, great setup, bitcoin, best in play: Bitcoin, weekly chart as of February 22nd, 2022. Nevertheless, we find now zooming out to the weekly time frame a quite interesting entry zone (white box) between the levels US$30,000 to US$34,000. We identified by stacking multiple edges that an entry near US$31,800 would provide the most low-risk entry profile. However, it will depend on how prices will arrive at these levels. As such, we encourage you to check back in our free Telegram channel.  There we post-entries, and exits for educational purposes in real-time. Bitcoin, monthly chart, amazing potential: Bitcoin, monthly chart as of February 22nd, 2022. Where matters become more transparent, and our headlines supported, is at a view of the monthly chart. The first leg up was nothing short of a 1,600% advancement. Now we have been trading for a year in a bullish up sloping sideways channel. With a possible entry at the lows of this channel, a long-term investment provides for a stellar risk/reward-ratio. The second legs are typically longer than the first legs! But that is not all; bitcoin has a higher probability of four-leg moves versus three-leg moves. Consequently, this trade could turn out to be highly profitable after some time. One aspect of risk is the relationship between the size of a potential down move of price and the size of a likely up move. We find bitcoins’ upward potential much more significant than gold for its fundamental characteristics and stellar outperforming history percentagewise. Bitcoin, best in play: Summing it up, bitcoin might not be at its lowest retracement levels yet. Still, its powerful potential in risk/reward-ratio and as an overall risk hedge makes it best in play. We share a low-risk cost averaging in strategy in our free Telegram channel. We find that allocation of funds should be more dominant towards bitcoin. In addition, holding some cash as much as money is deflating can still be a good strategy. Cash is king to purchase desired goods and vehicles, especially when those are even more depressed.    Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|February 22nd, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, bitcoin consolidation, Bitcoin correction, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, NASDAQ, quad exit, S&P 500, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments
    Credit Markets Trades Really Low, Oil Price Reaches High Levels At The Same Time

    Credit Markets Trades Really Low, Oil Price Reaches High Levels At The Same Time

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 22.02.2022 15:36
    S&P 500 is waking up to fresh European news, and holds up well. There is no panic upswing in gold and silver, but crude oil and natural gas are up the most. As the U.S. markets are to open following yesterday‘s Washington‘s Birthday holiday, let‘s bring up the key details of yesterday‘s analysis: (…) S&P 500 opening upswing gave way to more selling, but credit markets didn‘t lead to the downside on a daily basis. This tells me the plunge would likely be challenged shortly. As in facing a reversal attempt – it‘s that junk bonds for all the recent (and still to come) deterioration, will probably rebound a little next. Value already retraced part of Friday‘s decline – it‘s just tech that didn‘t yet react to the Treasuries reprieve. Good to have taken short profits off the table. The table is set for S&P 500 to rise, and for bonds to rally somewhat. And that wouldn‘t be the result of war tensions lifting up Treasuries, gold and oil. Red hot inflation, decelerating growth and compressing yield curve are a challenging environment, and the odds of a 50bp Mar rate hike are overwhelming, but the Fed‘s balance sheet is still rising – now within spitting distance of $9T. Sure they will take on inflation, but I continue to think that by autumn they would be forced to reverse course, and start easing. Fresh stimulus after markets protest during 1H 2022? Would be helpful for the midterms... The consumer isn‘t in a great shape as the confidence data reveal – and that‘s also reflected in the direction of discretionaries vs. staples. Inflation is pinching, and the pressure on the Fed to act, is on – its credibility is being challenged. Food inflation is high, and seeing food at home prices rising this much, is as surefire marker of coming recession as yield curve inversion is. And yield differentials are flattening around the world – quite a few central banks are more ahead in the tightening path than the Fed. Economy slowing down, stock market correction far from over (yes, in spite of the coming rebound, I‘m looking for lower lows still), and precious metals upleg underway – yes, underway, and especially our gold profits can keep rising - as I wrote on Friday: (…) With gold at $1,900 again and silver approaching $24, copper‘s fate is also brightening – the miners‘ continued outperformance is a very good sign. With crude oil taking a breather, the inflationary pressures aren‘t at least increasing, but don‘t look for the Bullard or other statements to defeat inflation – I‘m standing by the 4-5% official rate CPI data for 2022 (discussed in yesterday‘s summary). CPI might turn out even a full percentage point higher – depends upon the hedonics and substitution massaging. What a long quote – let‘s update it with the premarket action. S&P 500 is still waiting with its potential upsing, dollar has gone nowhere really, and precious metals look like having a bright day today. The crude oil upswing shows that markets don‘t like the geopolitical news, and are likely to behave in a risk-off way of late (Treasuries, gold and oil up benefiting most). The internals of today‘s stock market action would be telling – I recently got an interesting question touching also upon rates and real estate: Q: I read your most recent newsletter with great interest: 1. You think the Fed would start to ease this fall? In your opinion, how long would that last?  Midterm would be done soon there after so would it be a quick few months then revert back to higher rates? 2. I’m asking question #1 as it would impact real estate. 3. You anticipate a “temporary” rise in the S&P this week? Are you thinking just a few days? I noticed 10 yr is going down. A: Thank you for asking. I'll take 1 & 2 in one go - I think they would change course latest autumn. So, now hawkish and raising, then turning to easing before midterms. Let's see first the damage this tightening does, and the degree to which they then turn dovish. As regards real estate, it's slowing down, homebuilders, XLRE... Headwinds would be stiffening, rates are eating into mortgages, but those ZIP codes where immigration into is high, would do best - but the overall, total real estate isn't an appealing proposition. When markets open, there is likely to be a little SPX rally off oversold readings. Sure, they can get more oversold - that's the way it goes during bearish episodes, which is why I'm not long. The trend for now is to the downside, so I would keep predominantly looking and taking opportunities to short. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 caught a little buying interest going into the long weekend – better days though look to be coming. Not a monstrous rally, but still an upswing. Credit Markets HYG is indeed basing, and will help stocks move higher next. LQD and TLT are already rising, and there is still somewhat more to come. Bonds have simply deteriorated too fast in 2022, and need a breather. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals fireworks continue – we‘re getting started, and $1,920 is the next stop. Kiss of life from the bond market reprieve comes next, on top of all the other factors I‘ve talked about recently. Crude Oil Crude oil is fairly well bid, but the war jitters are helping it out (as in staving off a bit deeper correction). As both oil and base metals are rising, inflation isn‘t likely to slow down (perhaps later in summer?) - black gold‘s uptrend isn‘t over really. Copper Copper keeps going sideways in a volatile fashion, and can be counted on to break higher – inflationary pressures aren‘t abating, and outweigh the slowing economy. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos stopped breaking down today, and the price action smacks of joining in the modest risk-on upswing, as unbelievable as it sounds. Summary Yesterday‘s summary is valid also today – S&P 500 appears on the verge of trying to swing higher, and credit markets would be leading the charge as tech finally turns. Value had trouble declining some more on Friday already. Stock market upswing though wouldn‘t throw the precious metals bulls off balance – not too many weeks have passed since I was at the turn of the year predicting that gold (and silver with miners implied) would be the bullish surprise of 2022 – and for all the talk and preemtive tightening in the credit markets, we haven‘t yet seen the Fed move. Anyway, such a lag in moving the Fed funds rate higher, is normal these decades – we are a long way from the early 1980s when the delay between say 2-year Treasury and Fed funds rate move was some 2 months. Crude oil is likewise going to keep rising, and the same goes naturally for copper following in the footsteps. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Is It Like XAUUSD Is Supported By Everything? How Long Will The Strengthening Last?

    Is It Like XAUUSD Is Supported By Everything? How Long Will The Strengthening Last?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 22.02.2022 16:01
      The current military tensions and the Fed’s sluggishness favor gold bulls, but not all events are positive for the yellow metal. What should we be aware of? It may be quiet on the Western Front, but quite the opposite on the Eastern Front. Russia has accumulated well over 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine and makes provocations practically every day, striving for war more and more clearly. Last week, shelling was reported on Ukraine’s front line and Russia carried out several false flag operations. According to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, “the evidence on the ground is that Russia is moving toward an imminent invasion.” Meanwhile, President Biden said: “We have reason to believe they are engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in. Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine and attack Ukraine.” Of course, what politicians say should always be taken with a pinch of salt, but it seems that the situation has gotten serious and the risk of Russian invasion has increased over recent days.   Implications for Gold What does the intensifying conflict between Russia and Ukraine imply for the gold market? Well, the last week was definitely bullish for the yellow metal. As the chart below shows, the price of gold (London P.M. Fix) rallied over the past few days from $1,849 to $,1894, the highest level since June 2021; And he gold futures have even jumped above $1,900 for a while! Part of that upward move was certainly driven by geopolitical risks related to the assumed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This is because gold is a safe-haven asset in which investors tend to park their money in times of distress. It’s worth remembering that not all geopolitical events are positive for gold, and when they are, their impact is often short-lived. Hence, if Russia invades Ukraine, the yellow metal should gain further, but if uncertainty eases, gold prices may correct somewhat. To be clear, the timing of the current military tensions is favorable for gold bulls. First of all, we live in an environment of already high inflation. Wars tend to intensify price pressure as governments print more fiat money to finance the war effort and reorient their economies from producing consumer goods toward military stuff. Not to mention the possible impact of the conflict on oil prices, which would contribute to rising energy costs and CPI inflation. According to Morgan Stanley’s analysts, further increases in energy prices could sink several economies into an outright recession. Second, the pace of economic growth is slowing down. The Fed has been waiting so long to tighten its monetary policy that it will start hiking interest rates in a weakening economic environment, adding to the problems. There is a growing risk aversion right now, with equities and cryptocurrencies being sold off. Such an environment is supportive of gold prices. Third, the current US administration has become more engaged around the world than the previous one. My point is that the current conflict is not merely between Russia and Ukraine, but also between Russia and the United States. This is one of the reasons why gold has been reacting recently to the geopolitical news. However, a Russian invasion of Ukraine wouldn’t pose a threat to America, and the US won’t directly engage in military operations on Ukrainian land, so the rally in gold could still be short-lived. If history is any guide, geopolitical events usually trigger only temporary reactions in the precious metals markets, especially if they don’t threaten the United States and its economy directly. This is because all tensions eventually ease, and after a storm comes calm. Hence, although the media would focus on the conflict, don’t get scared and – when investing in the long run – remember gold fundamentals. Some of them are favorable, but we shouldn’t forget about the Fed’s tightening cycle and the possibility that disinflation will start soon, which could raise the real interest rates, creating downward pressure on gold prices. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Let‘s Try Again

    Let‘s Try Again

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 23.02.2022 15:53
    S&P 500 had a wild swings day, and didn‘t rise convincingly – credit markets didn‘t move correspondingly either. The upswing looks postponed unless fresh signs of broad weakness arrive. Yesterday‘s session didn‘t tell much either way – the countdown to the upswing materializing, is on even though tech didn‘t take advantage of higher bond prices. That can still come.VIX though reversed to the downside, and the relatively calmer session we‘re likely going to experience today, would be consistent with a modest attempt for stocks to move higher. I‘m though not looking for a monstrous rally, even though we‘re trading closer to the lower end of the wide S&P 500 range for this year than to its upper border. The 4,280s are so far holding but as the Mar FOMC approaches, we‘re likely to see a fresh turn south in the 500-strong index. For now, the talk of raising rates is on the back burner – Europe is in the spotlight.Note that the flight to safety on rising tensions (Treasuries, gold and oil up) didn‘t benefit the dollar. Coupled with the yields reprieve, that makes for further precious metals gains – the bull run won‘t be toppled if soothing news arrives. Likewise crude oil isn‘t going to tank below $90, and remain there. Commodities can be counted on to keep running – led by energy and agrifoods, with base metals (offering a helping hand to silver) in tow. As I wrote weeks ago, this is where the real gains are to be found.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 volume moved a little up, meaning the buying interest is still there – convincing signs of a trend change are though yet not apparent. Should prices prove to have trouble breaking lower over the next 1-2 days, this could still turn out a good place for a little long positon.Credit MarketsHYG continues basing, and keeps trading in a risk-off fashion, which is why I can‘t be wildly bullish stocks for now. Stock market gains are likely to remain subdued, noticeably subdued – as a bare minimum for today.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals fireworks continue, but a little reprieve is developing – nothing though that would break the bull. The run is only starting, and would continue through the rate raising cycle.Crude OilCrude oil is fairly well bid, and doesn‘t appear to be really dipping any time soon. Oil stocks are preparing for an upswing, and would remain one of the best performing S&P 500 sectors. Tripple digit oil is a question of time.CopperCopper‘s moment in the spotlight is approaching as commodities keeps pushing higher, and base metals are breaking up. All of these factors are inflationary.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos are attempting to move up today, and further gains are likely. I‘m though looking for the 50-day moving average in Bitcoin (corresponding roughly to the mid Feb lows in Ethereum) to prove an obstacle.SummaryS&P 500 didn‘t break to new lows overnight, and appears to be picking up somewhat today. The anticipated rebound might materialize later today, and would require bond participation to be credible. I‘m not looking for sharp gains within this upswing though – the correction looks very much to have further to run. It‘s commodities and precious metals where the largest gains are to be made, with the European tensions taking the focus off inflation (momentarily). The pressure on the Fed to act decisively, is though still on as various credit spreads tell – and the same goes for the compressed yield curve speaking volumes about the (precarious) state of the real economy.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Digital World Acquisition Corp Stock News and Forecast: Premarket more bullish on DWAC than regular session

    Digital World Acquisition Corp Stock News and Forecast: Premarket more bullish on DWAC than regular session

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 23.02.2022 16:05
    DWAC stock spiked 28% in Tuesday's premarket after TRUTH Social began accepting users.Tuesday's regular session, however, saw DWAC jump only half as high.Digital World Acquisition Corp's share count is expected to more than quadruple one month after merger closes.Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) stock could not compete in Tuesday's regular session with its performance in the premarket. DWAC shares exploded 28% to $108 before the markets opened on Tuesday. Once the public session got under way, however, DWAC could not even break $100. The Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicle (SPAC) slated to take former President Donald Trump's Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) public in the next month still closed up 10.2% to $92.90 on a day when most equities sold off due to tensions on the Ukraine-Russia front.Donald Trump's social media startup, TRUTH Social, began allowing app downloads on Apple devices on Sunday, February 20, which caused the price to spike on Tuesday when markets opened after the Presidents' Day holiday.Digital World Acquisition Corp Stock News: 172K waitlistedOn Tuesday, Newsweek reported that more than 172,000 accounts had been waitlisted, and other sources said many of those seeking to gain access had received error messages. Research firm Apptopia estimated there were 170,000 downloads on Monday in the US. The app was the top free download in Apple's App Store on Monday.This was good news for the most part since trouble accessing a new app due to popularity is normally a sign that it is a hit. Traders, however, began taking profits almost immediately when DWAC shares popped to $99 at the open.A steady drip of new download figures should buoy the stock in the coming days as the company has said it may take 10 days to onboard all the early adopters. The only major worry going forward is the coming share count increase. Thirty days after the merger is completed, separate shares owned by insiders, underwriters, and private investors who invested in the SPAC's separate PIPE deal (Private Investment in Public Equity) will be allowed to trade. This means that the current 37 million-odd shares will grow overnight to more than 170 million. Though this is not a standard dilution event, the increase may put downward pressure on the share price.Additionally, another 40 million "earnout" shares might be earned by company insiders and owners if the share price remains above $15, $20 or $30 a share on average in the month after the merger. Then there are the 15 million warrants that could get exercised in September 2022. By the end of the year, there could be 225 million total shares. Digital World Acquisition Corp Stock Forecast: Two top trend linesAfter opening on Tuesday at $99, the stock immediately sold down to $85.67 before rebounding throughout the rest of the day. Twice during Tuesday's session, DWAC faced resistance near $96.DWAC is trading within an ascending price channel, which gives the market confidence to hold out for higher prices. Traders should note that there are two separate possible top trend lines available to them. The first one (yellow) is the more recent trend that began on January 24. It is much steeper and takes a trajectory aimed at the 161.8% Fibonacci level at $134.90. The other (blue) began back on December 8 and takes a more conservative and gradual aim at the $120 level, which was significant during the first rally in price action back during late October.The swing highs from January 19, February 7 and 22 are all slightly higher than one another, demonstrating that and uptrend is definitely motion no matter which top trend line is preferred. Support sits at $78, $60 and $38. DWAC 1-day chart
    Stocks Fell Again – a Dip Buying Opportunity?

    Stocks Fell Again – a Dip Buying Opportunity?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 23.02.2022 15:35
      Stocks were volatile yesterday and the broad stock market fell by another 1%. Was it a final decline or just another leg within a downtrend? The S&P 500 index lost 1.01% on Tuesday, Feb. 22, as it extended its last week’s Thursday’s-Friday’s sell-off. The daily low was at 4,267.11, and the market closed slightly above the 4,300 mark. We’ve seen a lot of volatility following the U.S. President Biden’s speech on Russia-Ukraine conflict. This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.7% higher. We may see more volatility, however it looks like a short-term bottoming pattern. The nearest important resistance level is at 4,350-4,400, marked by the recent local low and some previous support levels. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,250-4,300, among others. The S&P 500 index trades within its late January consolidation, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract – Short-Term Consolidation Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. It extended the downtrend on Monday, but it managed to stay slightly above its late January local lows. For now, it looks like a short-term consolidation. It may be a bottoming pattern before an upward correction. Yesterday, we decided to open a speculative long position before the opening of the cash market. We are expecting an upward correction from the current levels (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index went below the 4,300 level yesterday, as investors reacted to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis news. The market may be trading within a short-term consolidation and we may see an attempt at reversing the downtrend. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index will likely bounce or fluctuate following its late last week’s sell-off We are maintaining our yesterday’s long position. We are expecting an upward correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Miners for Breakfast, Gold for Dessert: Bearish Fundamentals Will Hurt

    Miners for Breakfast, Gold for Dessert: Bearish Fundamentals Will Hurt

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 23.02.2022 15:59
      To the disappointment of gold bulls, the yellow metal’s upward trend will not last long. Fundamentals have already taken their toll on gold miners.  While gold remains uplifted due to the Russia-Ukraine drama, the GDXJ ETF declined for the second-straight day on Feb. 22. Moreover, I warned on numerous occasions that the junior miners are more correlated with the general stock market than their precious metals peers. As a result, when the S&P 500 slides, the GDXJ ETF often follows suit. To that point, with shades of 2018 unfolding beneath the surface, the Russia-Ukraine headlines have covered up the implications of the current correction. However, the similarities should gain more traction in the coming weeks. For context, I wrote on Feb. 22: When the Fed’s rate hike cycle roiled the NASDAQ 100 in 2017-2018, the GDXJ ETF suffered too. Thus, while the Russia-Ukraine drama has provided a distraction, the fundamentals that impacted both asset classes back then are present now. Please see below: To explain, the green line above tracks the GDXJ ETF in 2018, while the black line above tracks the NASDAQ 100. If you analyze the performance, you can see that the Fed’s rate hike cycle initially rattled the former and the latter rolled over soon after. However, the negativity persisted until Fed Chairman Jerome Powell performed a dovish pivot and both assets rallied. As a result, with the Fed Chair unlikely to perform a dovish pivot this time around, the junior miners have some catching up to do. Furthermore, while the S&P 500 also reacts to the geopolitical risks, the Fed’s looming rate hike cycle is a much bigger story. With the U.S. equity benchmark also following its price path from 2018, a drawdown to new 2022 lows should help sink the GDXJ ETF. Please see below: Source: Morgan Stanley To explain, the yellow line above tracks the S&P 500 from March 2018 until February 2019, while the blue line above tracks the index's current movement. If you analyze the performance, it's a near-splitting image. Moreover, while Morgan Stanley Chief Equity Strategist Michael Wilson thinks a relief rally to ~4,600 is plausible, he told clients that "this correction looks incomplete." "Rarely have we witnessed such weak breadth and havoc under the surface when the S&P 500 is down less than 10%. In our experience, when such a divergence like this happens, it typically ends with the primary index catching down to the average stock," he added. As a result, while a short-term bounce off of oversold conditions may materialize, the S&P 500's downtrend should resume with accelerated fervor. In the process, the GDXJ ETF should suffer materially as the medium-term drama unfolds.  To that point, the Fed released the minutes from its discount rate meetings on Jan. 18 and Jan. 26. While the committee left interest rates unchanged, the report revealed: “Given ongoing inflation pressures and strong labor market conditions, a number of directors noted that it might soon become appropriate to begin a process of removing policy accommodation. The directors of three Reserve Banks favored increasing the primary credit rate to 0.50 percent, in response to elevated inflation or to help manage economic and financial stability risks over the longer term.” For context, the hawkish pleas came from the Cleveland, St. Louis, and Kansas City Feds. Moreover, the last time Fed officials couldn’t reach a unanimous decision was October 2019. As a result, the lack of agreement highlights the monetary policy uncertainty that should help upend financial assets in the coming months. As evidence, the report also revealed: Source: U.S. Fed Thus, while I’ve highlighted on numerous occasions that a bullish U.S. economy is bearish for the PMs, the Russia-Ukraine drama has been a short-term distraction. However, with Fed officials highlighting that growth and inflation meet their thresholds for tightening monetary policy, higher real interest rates and a stronger USD Index will have much more influence over the medium term. To that point, IHS Markit released its U.S. Composite PMI on Feb. 22. With the headline index increasing from 51.1 in January to 56.0 in February, an excerpt from the report read: “February data highlighted a sharp and accelerated increase in new business among private sector companies that was the fastest in seven months. Firms mentioned that sales were boosted by the retreat of the pandemic, improved underlying demand, expanded client bases, aggressive marketing campaigns and new partnerships. Customers reportedly made additional purchases to avoid future price hikes. Quicker increases in sales (trades) were evident among both manufacturers and service providers.” More importantly, though: Source: IHS Markit In addition, since the Fed’s dual mandate includes inflation and employment, the report revealed: Source: IHS Markit Likewise, Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at IHS Markit, added: “With demand rebounding and firms seeing a relatively modest impact on order books from the Omicron wave, future output expectations improved to the highest for 15 months, and jobs growth accelerated to the highest since last May, adding to the upbeat picture.” If that wasn't enough, the Richmond Fed released its Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity on Feb. 22. While the headline index wasn't so optimistic, the report revealed that "the third component in the composite index, employment, increased to 20 from 4 in January" and that "firms continued to report increasing wages." For context, the dashed light blue line below tracks the month-over-month (MoM) change, while the dark blue line below tracks the three-month moving average. If you analyze the former's material increase, it's another data point supporting the Fed's hawkish crusade. Source: Richmond Fed Finally, the Richmond Fed also released its Fifth District Survey of Service Sector Activity on Feb. 22. For context, the U.S. service sector suffers the brunt of COVID-19 waves. However, the recent decline in cases has increased consumers’ appetite for in-person activities. The report revealed: “Fifth District service sector activity showed improvement in February, according to the most recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. The revenues index increased from 4 in January to 11 in February. The demand index remained in expansionary territory at 23. Firms also reported increases in spending, as the index for capital expenditures, services expenditures, and equipment and software spending all increased.” Furthermore, with the employment index increasing from 12 to 14, the wages index increasing from 41 to 46, and the average workweek index increasing from 9 to 10, the labor market strengthened in February. Likewise, the index that tracks businesses’ ability to find skilled workers increased from -21 to -19. As a result, inflation, employment and economic growth create the perfect cocktail for the Fed to materially tighten monetary policy in the coming months.  Source: Richmond Fed The bottom line? While the Russia-Ukraine saga may dominate the headlines for some time, the bearish fundamentals that hurt gold and silver in 2021 remain intact: the U.S. economy is on solid footing, and demand is still fueling inflation. Moreover, with information technology and communication services’ stocks – which account for roughly 39% of the S&P 500 – highly allergic to higher interest rates, the volatility should continue to weigh on the GDXJ ETF. As such, while gold may have extended its shelf life, mining stocks may not be so lucky. In conclusion, the PMs were mixed on Feb. 22, as the news cycle continues to swing financial assets in either direction. However, while headlines may have a short-term impact, technicals and fundamentals often reign supreme over the medium term. As a result, lower lows should confront gold, silver, and mining stocks in the coming months. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Final Target Hit on NYMEX Natural Gas!

    Final Target Hit on NYMEX Natural Gas!

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 23.02.2022 16:59
      The Natural Gas flight just landed after hitting its second and last target yesterday. The perfect trade does not exist, but this one has been developing pretty well following our flying map. In today’s edition, I will provide a trade review for Natural Gas futures (NGH22) following my last projections published on Friday Feb-11, for which the stop was also updated last Wednesday and trailed again last Thursday. Trade Plan Just to remember, our initial plan was relying on a gas market having to cope with stronger demand to fuel and increasing industrial activity after being surprised by the warming mid-February weather forecast. Hence, the projected rebounding floor (or support level) provided, which was ideal for the Henry Hub given the unyielding global demand for US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), providing a catapulting upward momentum. Then, it took a few days for the first suggested objective at $4.442 to be passed, and a few extra days for the second target located at the $4.818 level to be hit (as it was yesterday). Meanwhile, as I explained in more detail in my last risk-management-related article to secure profits, our subscribers were kindly and promptly invited to place their initial stop just below the $3.629 level (below one-month previous swing low), before receiving a couple of trading alerts suggesting they manually trail it up around the $3.886 level (around breakeven), then one more time up towards 4.180 (which corresponds to the 50% distance between initial entry and target 1), and finally to be lifted up to 4.368 optimally. Consequently, after a reconnaissance mission got close enough to target number 2, the Nat-Gas flight started running out of kerosene after passing through the first target like a fighter jet would break the sound barrier. Therefore, after getting refueled at a lower altitude (just above our highest elevation trailing stop) by a refuelling aircraft, the jet was finally ready to point and lock its last target before striking it. Here is a picture-by-picture record of that trade. First step: flight preparation on carrier ship Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, daily chart) Second step: prices catapulted and stop lifted at breakeven once the mid-point target was reached Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, daily chart) Third step: target one hit and stop dragged up Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, daily chart) Zoom to target one (4H chart): Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, 4H chart) Fourth step: mission reconnaissance to target two and refueling aircraft en route to refill the jet tank (stop trailing again) Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, daily chart) Zoom to lock final target (4H chart): Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, 4H chart) Fifth step: final strike to target two Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, daily chart) Now, let’s zoom one more time into the 4H chart to observe the recent price action all around the abovementioned steps of our flying map: Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGH22) Futures (March contract, 4H chart) As you may observe, target one is now serving as a new landing space (support) for a new ranging market cycle. That’s all, folks, for today. I hope that you enjoyed the flight with our company! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Having A Look At The Markets Considering Tensions, COVID-19 And National Banks Decisions

    How Did Markets Reacted To The Latest Events In The Eastern Europe?

    Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 24.02.2022 14:22
    The worst case scenario - Russian invasion of Ukraine - is materializing. We try to analyze its consequences for the economy and financial markets Oil price increases past $100 per barrel Russia is a key player on the energy commodities market, especially important for Europe. Situation on the oil market proves it - oil prices jumped above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014. Russia is exporting around 5 million barrels of oil each day, around 5% of global demand. Around a half of that is exported to the European Union. If the West decides to cut Russia off the SWIFT settlements system, Russian exports to the European Union could be halted. In such a scenario oil prices could jump $20-30 per barrel. In our opinion, the war risk premium included in current oil barrel prices amounts to $15-20. Europe is the main recipient of Russian oil. Source: Bloomberg, XTB Research Gold and palladium rally Conflict is the main driver of moves on the gold market. It is not the first time when gold proves to be a good store of value at times of geopolitical conflicts. Ounce of gold trades over 3% higher today, near $1,970, and just slightly over $100 below its all-time highs. Russia is an important producer of palladium, an important metal for the automotive sector. Source: Bloomberg, XTB Research Russia is a significant producer of palladium, which is a key metal in production of catalytic converters for the automotive sector. Palladium prices rallied almost 8% today. Fear means sell-off on the market Global stock markets are taking a hit not seen since 2020. However, panic is not as big as it was in early-2020. Uncertainty is the most important driver for global stock markets now as investors do not know what will come next. Correction on Nasdaq-100 futures deepened past 20% today. A big part of this drop, however, was caused by expectations of Fed tightening. DAX futures dropped around 15% since mid-January and trade near pre-pandemic highs. DE30 trades to halt decline at pre-pandemic high. Source: xStation5 Business in Ukraine is in danger It should not come as a surprise that Russian companies and companies with big exposure to Russia are the ones taking the biggest hit. Russian RTS dropped over 60% off the October 2021 high and briefly traded below 2020 lows! Polymetal International is a company worth mentioning - stock is plunging over 30% on London Stock Exchange as market fears sanctions will hit Anglo-Russian companies. Renault is also taking a hit as Russia is the second biggest market for the company. Banks with large exposure to Russia - UniCredit and Societe Generale - are also dropping hard. Even higher inflation From an economic point of view the situation is clear - military conflict will generate a new inflationary impulse. Prices of almost all commodities are trading higher, especially energy commodities. However, in case of commodity markets, a lot will depend on how conflict impacts logistics. Keep in mind that global logistics have not recovered from Covid-19 hit yet and now another negative factor is surfacing. According to the New York Fed index, global supply chains are the most tight on record. Central bankers' headache Covid-19 panic has been very short-lived, thanks to an enormous support offered by central banks. However, such an action is unlikely now. As conflict is inflationary and has a bigger impact on supply and logistics rather than demand, inflation becomes an even bigger problem for major central banks. On the other hand, quick tightening monetary policy would only magnify market turmoil. In our opinion, major central banks will continue with announced policy tightening. Risk of a 50 basis point rate hike by the Fed in March dropped but a 25 bp rate hike looks like a done deal. What's next? A key question for global markets now is - how much will the conflict escalate? An answer to this question will be a key to calming the markets. Once it is answered, calculations of impact on sanctions and speculations over changes in economic policy will begin.
    It Begins

    It Begins

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 24.02.2022 16:00
    S&P 500 reprieve that wasn‘t – the buyers didn‘t arrive, and the overnight military action sparking serious asset moves, shows that buying the dip would have been a bad idea. And it still is. Risk-on assets are likely to suffer, and I‘m not looking for a sharp, V-shaped rebound. The partial retracement seen in cryptos wouldn‘t translate to much upside in paper assets – it will likely be sold into as the bottom would take time to form. The safe haven premium seen in precious metals, crude oil and other real assets would ebb and flow, but a higher base has been established. The world has changed overnight, and recognition thereof is still pending.I think it‘s clear why I had been derisking as much as possible, wary of volatility both ways in paper assets, and betting instead on a mix of real assets. This has been hugely paying off to subscribers and readers likewise favoring gold and crude oil with some copper added for good measure.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookThis isn‘t how an S&P 500 bottom looks like – downswing continues with more volatility ahead.Credit MarketsHYG is going down again, and credit markets are turning risk-off – look for Treasuries to do relatively better next, with little impact upon stocks.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals fireworks continue, and the upswing got a poweful ally. Whatever retracement seen next, would be marginal in light of the developments.Crude OilCrude oil upswing can be counted on to continue, and oil stocks would remain among the best performing S&P 500 pockets. Black gold is though notorious for its wild volatility, and the coming days won‘t be an exception.CopperCopper upswing would take time to develop, especially now – but the breakout in base metals is on, the inflationary messaging is still there and thriving.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos aren‘t in a rally mode, but are attempting to put in a low. I don‘t think it would hold, the dust hasn‘t settled yet.SummaryS&P 500 is plunging, and attempting to base, but more selling would inevitably hit. The overnight dust hasn‘t settled yet, but the panic lows would not happen today. Even if it weren‘t for geopolitics, stocks were in rough waters for weeks already, in a serious, yields and liquidity driven correction, with a slowing real economy on top. For all the short-term focus, the buying opportunity would materialize only once the Fed turns – by autumn 2022. The best places to be in right now, are those presented below – precious metals and commodities – as inflation fires continue to rage on.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Will War Change How We Spend Or Invest Our Money?

    Will War Change How We Spend Or Invest Our Money?

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 24.02.2022 22:23
    I discussed the potential for the invasion into Ukraine with a friend over the past few days and how this new war may change the global economy. We ended up discussing the Invasion of Kuwait that took place in August 1990. At that time, as soon as the Invasion of Kuwait started, consumers almost immediately changed their spending and financial habits.Suddenly, people stopped going out to dinner after work. They stopped going out for drinks. They also stopped playing computer games and spending money on most outside entertainment (movies and movie rentals – back in the Blockbuster days). In short, consumers became fascinated by the televised war and lost focus on almost everything else.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! As the conversation progressed, we started talking about how the US Federal Reserve may suddenly find that consumers have begun pulling away from traditional spending habits and how quickly these consumer trends can alter the economic landscape. For example, nearly 60 days into the Invasion of Kuwait, my friend remembered the US economy shifted into a much slower gear, and consumers continued to stay away from more normal spending habits.If this happens in today's super-inflated world, we may see a sudden shift in inflation, retail, housing, and general consumer demand very quickly. Recently, I started receiving messages from friends and clients worldwide who are focused on the Invasion of Ukraine – a whole new generation of people who may become entranced in the televised war (again).Consumer Retail May Suffer A -60% CollapseThis XRT Weekly Chart highlights the pre-COVID support levels that may become future targets if consumer spending habits suddenly shift. XRT has already fallen nearly -32% from the recent highs. If consumers continue to move away from outside economic activities, or more common post-COVID economic activities, we may see the Retail sector continue to move lower.Housing May Contract Faster Than ExpectedReal Estate may contract to near the COVID lows if consumers shy away from chasing speculative price trends in housing. Flipping houses has become a very hot industry over the past 5+ years. Yet, suddenly larger firms like Zillow and OpenDoor started offloading their Real Estate inventory because consumer demand shifted ahead of the US Fed's proposed rate hikes in 2022. The double-whammy of rising rates and war may be similar to what happened in the US between 1993 and 1994 – a very stagnant housing market.IYR has already fallen -16.5% from the highs and may decline to levels closer to -30% (or more) before finding a bottom. Wars tend to shift economies and spending habits very quickly.What To Stay Focused On Amid All The NoiseTraders should stay keenly focused on market risks and weaknesses. I expected the conflict in Ukraine to have been priced into the US markets over the past 7+ days. However, I believe the markets were unprepared for this scale or invasion and will attempt to settle fair stock price valuation levels as the conflict continues. This is not the same US/Global market Bullish trend we've become used to trading over the past 5+ years. The market dynamics and trends are changing from what we have experienced over the past 40 years for stocks and bonds. The 60/40 portfolio is costing you money now. Traders need an edge to stay ahead of these markets trends and to protect and profit from big trends.The only way to navigate the financial markets safely, no matter the direction, is through technical analysis. By following assets and money flows, we identify trend changes and move our capital into whatever index, sector, industry, bond, commodity, country, and even currency ETF. By following the money, you become part of new emerging trends and can profit during weak stock or bond conditions.What Trading Strategies Will Help You To Navigate Current Market Trends?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Crude Oil (WTI) Doesn't Hit THAT High Levels, SPX And Credit Markets Trade Quite Low

    Crude Oil (WTI) Doesn't Hit THAT High Levels, SPX And Credit Markets Trade Quite Low

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 25.02.2022 15:56
    S&P 500 recovered the steep losses as the shock was replaced with relief over the international response. Safe haven bids largely disappeared, and can be counted on remaining pressured – this concerns precious metals and crude oil. Credit markets – for all their downswing and forcing the Fed‘s hand through higher yields – have turned risk-on yesterday, but that got reflected just in the tech upswing as value didn‘t close the opening gap. But that would happen today as money flows out of the dollar hiding, and VIX can be counted on to stay much calmer than it was yesterday, in the days to come – that‘s what I tweeted late yesterday. Today‘s inflation data (core PCE) is going to take a backseat to geopolitics as uncertainty about where these tensions could lead, is getting removed in the markets‘ mind – especially as regards the international ramifications. Good to have taken sizable gold and oil profits off the table yesterday, well before the risk premiums were gone – fresh portfolio high has been reached. Remember that in times of high volatility, dialing back your exposure, your risk, is essential to proper risk management. Please have a good look at my style of open trade and money management if you haven‘t already so as to make the most of what I‘m doing. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Now, this looks a lot more as an S&P 500 bottom – volatility appears to be staying elevated but headed down next. Neutral to bullish outlook for today but downswings are likely to be repelled. Credit Markets HYG is marking the risk-on turn clearly, and volume was also solid. Credit markets won‘t be standing in the way of stock market upswing today, I think. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals ominous lower knot would have consequences for the days to come – but we have seen upswing rejection only, not a downside reversal. When miners catch their breath again, the move higher can continue. Crude Oil Crude oil upswing has been rejected, but the long base building goes on, and black gold can be counted on to extend gains even when the dust settles down. Copper Copper upswing would take time to develop, especially now – but the breakout in base metals is on, the inflationary messaging is still there and thriving – yesterday‘s words are still true today, but I am looking for a longer base building here than in crude oil. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are turning the corner, and the worst looks to be in here as well – yesterday‘s attempt to put in a low was successful. Summary S&P 500 turned around, and the bottom appears to be in. Unless a fresh and entangling escalation materializes (not likely), the markets are willing to shake it off, and erase yesterday‘s downswing. As chips (and international response) fall where they may, the tense air is being removed as markets abhor uncertainty the most. Risk premiums are evaporating, and until the Fed and yields come back into the spotlight, the odds favor risk-on muddying through ahead in the days to follow. The inflation chickens haven‘t though come home to roost, and that has continued bullish implications for real assets. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Told You, Risk On

    Told You, Risk On

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 01.03.2022 15:45
    S&P 500 erased opening downside, not unexpectedly. Markets say we‘ve turned the corner, and while the medium-term correction isn‘t over, we‘re going higher for now. The tired performance in credit markets suggests that the pace of the upswing would indeed likely slow, but the dips are being bought – even the 4,300 overnight level held unchallenged.VIX is slowly calming down, and it wouldn‘t be a one-way ride. I hate to say it, but we‘re trading closer to the more complacent end of the volatility spectrum – that‘s though in line with my assumption of toned down price appreciation expectations that I discussed on Sunday and yesterday:(…) While we made local lows on Thursday after all, the upside momentum is likely to slow down next – this week would bring a consolidation within a very headline sensitive environment. It‘s looking good for the bulls at the moment – till the dynamic of events beyond markets changes.Inflation isn‘t wavering, and I‘m not looking for its meaningful deceleration given the events since Thursday, no. Friday is likely to mark a buying opportunity beyond oil and copper – these longs have very good prospects. Another part of the S&P 500 upswing explanation were the still fine fresh orders data – while the real economy has noticeably decelerated (and Q1 GDP growth would be underwhelming), solid figures would return in the latter quarters of 2022. That‘s also behind the gold downswing on Friday, which hadn‘t been confirmed by the miners – the very bright future ahead for precious metals is undisputable. And the same goes for crude oil as oil stocks foretell – the fresh long crude trade together with long S&P 500 one, are both solidly in the black already.Precious metals have found a floor, and aren‘t selling off either. In fact, they are looking at a great week ahead, and the same goes for crude oil followed to a lesser degree by copper. Weekend developments on the financial front triggered a rush into cryptos, and the bullish prospects I presented yesterday, are coming to fruition.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookDaily S&P 500 consolidation as the bulls did shake off the opening setback rather easily – and the same goes for the late session trip approaching 4,310s. Expecting more volatility of the current flavor, and higher prices then.Credit MarketsHYG managed to close above Friday‘s values, and the overall bond market strength bodes well for risk appetite ahead. Let‘s consolidate first, and march higher later.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are consolidating the high ground gained, miners aren‘t yielding, and silver weakness yesterday actually bodes well for the very short term. Launching pad before the next upleg.Crude OilCrude oil bears have a hard time from keeping black gold below $100. The table is clearly set for further gains – the chart can be hardly more bullish.CopperCopper is a laggard, but will still participate in the upswing. Its current underperformance as highlighten by yesterday‘s downswing, is a bit too odd, i.e. bound to be reversed.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto bulls were indeed the stronger party, and similarly to gold, it‘s hard to imagine a deep dive coming to frution. I‘m looking for the safety trade to be be ebbing and flowing, now with some crypto participation sprinkled on top.SummaryS&P 500 turnaround goes on, and we‘re undergoing a consolidation that‘s as calm as can be given the recent volatility. Credit markets and the dollar though continue favoring the paper asset bulls now, but their gains would pale in comparison with select commodities such as oil and gold‘s newfound floor. Even agrifoods look to be sold down a bit too hard, and I‘m not looking for them to be languishing next as much as they have been over the last two trading days. Cryptos upswing highlights the present global uncertainties faced – as I have written on Thursday that the world has changed, the same applies for weekend banking events being reflected in the markets yesterday.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Will S&P 500 (SPX) Go Up? On Monday It Decreased By 0.24%

    Will S&P 500 (SPX) Go Up? On Monday It Decreased By 0.24%

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 01.03.2022 15:31
      The S&P 500 went sideways yesterday, as investors hesitated following the recent rally. Will the short-term uptrend resume? The broad stock market index lost 0.24% on Monday, after gaining 2.2% on Friday and 1.5% on Thursday. The sentiment improved following the Thursday’s rebound, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty following the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict news. On Thursday, the broad stock market reached the low of 4,114.65 and it was 704 points or 14.6% below the January 4 record high of 4,818.62. And yesterday it went closer to the 4,400 level. For now, it looks like an upward correction. However, it may also be a more meaningful reversal following a deep 15% correction from the early January record high. The market sharply reversed its short-term downtrend, but will it continue the advance? This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.2% lower and we may see some more volatility. The nearest important resistance level remains at 4,400 and the next resistance level is at 4,450-4,500. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,300-4,350, among others. The S&P 500 index broke slightly above the downward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract Remains Above the 4,300 Level Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. On Thursday it sold off after breaking below the 4,200 level. Since Friday it is trading along the 4,300 mark. We are still expecting an upward correction from the current levels (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index fluctuated following the recent rally yesterday. This morning it is expected to open 0.2% lower and we may see some further volatility. Obviously, the markets will continue to react to the Russia-Ukraine conflict news. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index bounced from the new low on Thursday after falling almost 15% from the early January record high. We are maintaining our speculative long position. We are expecting an upward correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Recovers Slowly

    Intraday Market Analysis – Gold Recovers Slowly

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 02.03.2022 09:06
    XAUUSD grinds rising trendline Gold recovered after the first round of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia ended without a resolution. The precious metal found support over 1885. The rising trendline from early February indicates that the general direction is still up despite a choppy path. The previous peak at 1974 is now a fresh resistance and its breach could send the price to the psychological level of 2000. The downside risk is a fall below the said support. Then 1852, near the 30-day moving average, would be the bulls’ second line of defense. AUDUSD attempts reversal The Australian dollar steadied after the RBA warned that energy prices could flare up inflation. A break above the previous high (0.7285) shows buyers’ strong commitment despite sharp liquidation. Sentiment swiftly recovered and may attract more buying interest. An overbought RSI may temporarily limit the upside. And the bulls could be waiting for a pullback to accumulate. 0.7220 is the closest support. A bullish close above the January peak at 0.7310 could initiate a reversal in the medium-term and extend gains towards 0.7400. CADJPY bounces back The Canadian dollar clawed back losses after the Q4 GDP beat expectations. A jump above 90.70 has prompted sellers to cover their bets, opening the door for a potential reversal. 91.10 is the next resistance and its breach could propel the loonie to this year’s high at 92.00. On the downside, the psychological level of 90.00 is a key support to keep the rebound relevant. Otherwise, a drop to 89.30 would suggest that sentiment remains fragile. In turn, this would place the pair under pressure once again.
    Speaking Of Rallying Chinese Stocks, Quite Unchanged Bitcoin Price, BoE, Fed And Central Bank Of Turkey Interest Rates Decisions

    Getting Rid Of Russian Commodities Affects And Will Affect Markets

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 02.03.2022 10:04
    Brent crude prices have jumped 13% since the start of the week, trading above $110 a barrel at the time of writing. These are the highest levels since July 2014. Meanwhile, the ruble continues to retreat against the dollar and euro.  USDRUB is now trading at 106.40 (+5.5%) on the Moscow Exchange, and EURRUB is above 118 (+5%). In both cases, rates are approaching the highs set at the start of trading on Monday. As would be expected, the announced support measures from the Central Bank are softening the fall but not reversing it. The one-way movement in oil prices is since buyers in Europe are increasingly refusing to buy Russian oil, trying to find a replacement for it.  This shift in priorities is visible in the sharp widening of the spread between Urals and Brent. Historically, and without various restrictions, the spread between these grades is $2-3 in favour of the lighter Brent. Now it is more than $17 as buyers are not chartering new shipments. Canada is refusing to buy Russian oil, and the UK (which is much more dependent on energy imports) is considering options for sanctions against the industry.  The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for EU oil and gas imports restrictions. Thus, Russia has failed to fully benefit from higher prices, losing both in sales volumes and facing an actual fall in selling prices.  The potential for already announced measures destabilises the market, setting Russia up to start using energy or agricultural products as a retaliatory measure. While it is hard to imagine the world without Russian energy in the coming months - it will be as chaotic as the oil crisis in 1973, with the oil price soaring fourfold in six months of the embargo. We may see a smaller price jump but with much wider economic consequences. It is ironic that Europe and Western countries, in general, were helped by the Soviet Union. Now consumers are left to rely on the Middle East and its reserves.  Yesterday, Biden announced an agreed sale of 60m barrels to 30 countries. Still, the market reaction to these announcements indicates that the market was expecting more, and the announced volumes are not enough. It is hard to say the theoretical limit to oil's rise. The Brent price could surpass the 2012 highs of $128 in a matter of days or aim for a historical record of $147.
    Real Assets, Bonds and New Profits

    Real Assets, Bonds and New Profits

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 02.03.2022 15:49
    S&P 500 broke through 4,350s in what appears a back and forth consolidation, for now. Credit markets aren‘t leading to the downside – HYG merely corrected within the risk-on sentiment. Stocks and bonds are starting to live with the new realities, and aren‘t undergoing tectonic shifts either way no matter what‘s happening in the real world. Expect to see some chop not of the most volatile flavor next, and for the bulls to step in in the near future.What‘s most interesting about bonds now, is the relenting pressure on the Fed to raise rates – the 2-year yield is moving down noticeably, and that means much practical progress on fighting inflation can‘t be expected. Not that there was much to start with, but the expectations of the hawkish Fed talk turning into action, are being dialed back. The current geopolitical events provide a scene to which attention is fixated while inflation fires keep raging on with renewed vigor (beyond energies) – just as I was calling for a little deceleration in CPI towards the year end bringing it to probably 5-6%, this figure is starting to look too optimistic on the price stability front.Predictable consequence are strong appreciation days across the board in commodities and precious metals – let‘s enjoy the sizable open profits especially in oil and copper. I told you weeks ago that real assets are where to look for in portfolio gains – and even the modest S&P 500 long profits taken off the table yesterday, are taking my portfolio performance chart to fresh highs. I hope you‘ve been enjoying my calls, and are secure in the turmoil around. Way more profits are on the way, and I am not even discussing the lastest agrifoods calls concerning wheat and corn, for all the right reasons (just check out the key exporters overview)…Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookThis time, the S&P 500 bulls didn‘t shake off the selling pressure – the broad retreat though smacks of temporary setback. As in that the direction to the downside hasn‘t been decided yet – I‘m looking for the buyers to dip their toes here.Credit MarketsHYG downswing didn‘t attract too many sellers, and was partially bought, which means that the pendulum is ready to shift (have a go at shifting) the other way now.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are doing just great, and can be counted on to extend gains. Remember about the rate raising reappreciation that I talked in the long opening part of today‘s analysis – at central banks, that‘s where to look financially.Crude OilCrude oil bears have been taken to the woodshed, except that not at all discreetly. Let‘s keep riding this bull that had brought great profits already, for some more – as I have learned, I was a lone voice calling for more upside before last week‘s events.CopperCopper is a laggard, but still taking part in the upswing. The prior underperformance which I took issue with yesterday, was indeed a bit too odd.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto bulls are consolidating well reasoned and deserved gains, and the circumstances don‘t favor a steep downswing really. The current tight range is likely to be resolved to the upside in due course.SummaryS&P 500 turnaround is not a rickety-free ride, but goes on at its own shaky pace. Stocks are likely to consolidate today as bonds turn a little more in the risk-on side, which reflects last but not least the looming reassessment of hawkish Fed policies. That‘s where the puck is (and will increasingly be even more so as Wayne Gretzky would say) financially, and I discussed that at length in the opening part of today‘s analysis – have a good look. Precious metals and commodities already know they won‘t be crushed by any new Paul Volcker. Enjoy the profitable rides presented !Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Stocks Want to Go Higher Despite Ukraine News

    Stocks Want to Go Higher Despite Ukraine News

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 03.03.2022 15:34
    The S&P 500 index topped the 4,400 level yesterday despite the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict news. Will the uptrend continue?The broad stock market index gained 1.86% on Wednesday following its Tuesday’s decline of 1.6%, as it fluctuated following last week’s rebound from the new medium-term low of 4,114.65. It was 704 points or 14.6% below the January 4 record high of 4,818.62. So the sentiment improved recently, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty concerning the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict news. Yesterday the index went slightly above the 4,400 level and it was the highest since Feb. 17.For now, it looks like an upward correction. However, it may also be a more meaningful reversal following a deep 15% correction from the early January record high. This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.6% higher following better-than-expected Unemployment Claims number release. However, we may see some more volatility.The nearest important resistance level remains at 4,400 and the next resistance level is at 4,450-4,500. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,300-4,350, among others. The S&P 500 index broke above the downward trend line recently, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com):Futures Contract Trades Along the Local HighsLet’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. On Thursday it sold off after breaking below the 4,200 level. And since Friday it was trading along the 4,300 mark. This morning it is trading along the local highs.We are maintaining our profitable long position, as we are still expecting an upward correction from the current levels (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com):ConclusionThe S&P 500 index will likely open 0.6% higher this morning. We may see more short-term fluctuations and obviously, the markets will continue to react to the Russia-Ukraine conflict news.Here’s the breakdown:The S&P 500 index bounced from the new low on Thursday after falling almost 15% from the early January record high.We are maintaining our profitable long position.We are expecting an upward correction from the current levels.Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today!Thank you.Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care* * * * *The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Surging Commodities

    Surging Commodities

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 03.03.2022 15:55
    S&P 500 returned above 4,350s as credit markets indeed weren‘t leading to the downside. Consolidation now followed by more upside, that‘s the most likely scenario next. Yesterday‘s risk-on turn was reflected also in value rising more than tech. Anyway, the Nasdaq upswing is a good omen for the bulls in light of the TLT downswing – Treasuries are bucking the Powell newfound rate raising hesitation – inflation ambiguity is back. The yield curve is still compressing, and the pressure on the Fed to act, goes on – looking at where real asset prices are now, it had been indeed unreasonable to expect inflation to slow down meaningfully. Told you so – as I have written yesterday:(…) What‘s most interesting about bonds now, is the relenting pressure on the Fed to raise rates – the 2-year yield is moving down noticeably, and that means much practical progress on fighting inflation can‘t be expected. Not that there was much to start with, but the expectations of the hawkish Fed talk turning into action, are being dialed back. The current geopolitical events provide a scene to which attention is fixated while inflation fires keep raging on with renewed vigor (beyond energies) – just as I was calling for a little deceleration in CPI towards the year end bringing it to probably 5-6%, this figure is starting to look too optimistic on the price stability front.Predictable consequence are strong appreciation days across the board in commodities and precious metals. – let‘s enjoy the sizable open profits especially in oil and copper. I told you weeks ago that real assets are where to look for in portfolio gains – and even the modest S&P 500 long profits taken off the table yesterday, are taking my portfolio performance chart to fresh highs. Crude oil keeps rising as if there‘s no tomorrow, copper is joining in, agrifoods are on fire – and precious metals continue being very well bid. Cryptos aren‘t selling off either. Anyway, this is the time of real assets...Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 bulls are back, and I‘m looking for consolidation around these levels. The very short-term direction isn‘t totally clear, but appears favoring the bulls unless corporate junk bonds crater. Not too likely.Credit MarketsHYG performance shows rising risk appetite, but the waning volume is a sign of caution for today. Unless LQD and TLT rise as well, HYG looks short-term stretched, therefore I‘m looking for consolidation today.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are doing great, and they merely corrected yesterday – both gold and silver can be counted on to extend gains if you look at the miners‘ message. As the prospects of vigorous Fed action gets dialed back, they stand to benefit even more.Crude OilCrude oil surge is both justified and unprecedented – and oil stocks aren‘t weakening. It looks like we would consolidate in the volatile range around $110 next.CopperCopper is joining in the upswing increasingly more, and the buyer‘s return before the close looks sufficient to maintain upside momentum that had been questioned earlier in the day. The break higher out of the long consolidation, is approaching.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto buyers are consolidating well deserved gains, and the bullish flag is being formed. The sellers are nowhere to be seen at the moment – I‘m still looking for the current tight range to be resolved to the upside next.SummaryS&P 500 has reached a short-term resistance, which would be overcome only should bonds give their blessing. It‘s likely these would confirm the risk-on turn, but HYG looks a bit too extended – its consolidation of high ground gained, could slow the stock bulls somewhat. The risk appetite and „rush to safety“ in commodities and precious metals goes on, more or less squeezing select assets such as crude oil. The CRB Index upswing is though of the orderly and broad advance flavor, and does reflect the prospects of inflation remaining elevated for longer than foreseen by the mainstream.Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    S&P 500 At Tipping Point To Start A Bear Market And What You Need To See

    S&P 500 At Tipping Point To Start A Bear Market And What You Need To See

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 03.03.2022 21:38
    Is a bear market on the way? My research suggests the downward sloping trend line (LIGHT ORANGE in the Daily/Weekly SPY chart below) may continue to act as solid resistance – possibly prompting a further breakdown in the markets for US major indexes.As we've seen recently, news and other unexpected events prompt very large price volatility events in the US major indexes. For example, the VIX recently rose above 30 again, which shows volatility levels are currently 3x higher than normal levels.Increased Volatility & The Start Of An Excess Phase Peak Should Be A Clear WarningThis increased volatility in the markets, coupled with the increased fear of the US Fed and the global unknowns (Ukraine, China, Debt Levels, and others), may be just enough pressure to crush any upside price trends over the next few months. Technically, my research suggests the $445 to $450 level is critical resistance. The SPY must climb above these levels to have any chance of moving higher.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! Unless the US markets find some new support and attempt to rally back towards recent highs, an “Excess Phase Peak” pattern will likely continue to unfold throughout 2022. This unique price pattern appears to have already reached a Phase 2 or Phase 3 setup. Please take a look at this Weekly GE example of an Excess Phase Peak pattern and how it transitions through Phase 1 through Phase 4 before entering an extended Bearish price trend.Read this research article about Excess Phase Peaks: HOW TO SPOT THEN END OF AN EXCESS PHASE - PART 2SPY May Already Be In A Phase 4 Excess Peak PhaseThis Daily SPY chart highlights my analysis, showing the major downward sloping trend line, the Middle Resistance Zone, and the lower Support Zone. Combined, these are acting as a “Wedge” for price over the past few weeks – tightening into an Apex near $435~440.If the US major indexes attempt to break this downward price trend, then the price must attempt to move solidly above this downward sloping price channel and try to rally back into the Resistance Zone (near $445~$450). Unless that happens, the price will likely transition into a deeper downward price move, attempting to break below recent lows, near $410, and possibly quickly moving down to the $360 level.SPY Weekly Chart Shows Consolidation Near $435 – Possibly Starting A Phase 4 Excess PeakTraders should stay keenly aware of the risks associated with the broad US and global market decline as the Ukraine war, and other unknowns continue to elevate fear and concerns related to the global economy. In my opinion, with the current excess global debt levels, extended speculative market bubbles, and the continued commodity price rally, we may be starting to transition away from an extended growth phase and into a deeper depreciation cycle phase.My research suggests we entered a new Depreciation cycle phase in late 2019 and are already more than 25 months into a potential 9.5-year global Depreciation cycle. What comes next should not surprise anyone.Read this article about Depreciation Cycle Phases: HOW TO INTERPRET & PROFIT FROM THE RISKS OF A DEPRECIATION CYCLE Traders should stay keenly focused on market risks and weaknesses. I expected the conflict in Ukraine to have been priced into the US markets over the past 7+ days. However, I believe the markets were unprepared for this scale or invasion and will attempt to settle fair stock price valuation levels as the conflict continues. This is not the same US/Global market Bullish trend we've become used to trading over the past 5+ years. Looking Forward - preparing for a possible Bear marketMarket dynamics and trends are changing from what we have experienced over the past 40 years for stocks and bonds. The 60/40 portfolio is costing you money now. Traders need an edge to stay ahead of these markets trends and to protect and profit from big trends.The only way to navigate the financial markets safely, no matter the direction, is through technical analysis. By following assets and money flows, we identify trend changes and move our capital into whatever index, sector, industry, bond, commodity, country, and even currency ETF. By following the money, you become part of new emerging trends and can profit during weak stock or bond conditions.Want Trading Strategies that Will Help You To Navigate Current Market Trends?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets are starting to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and may start a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals.I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking the following link:   www.TheTechnicalTraders.com 
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Consolidates Gains - 04.03.2022

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Consolidates Gains - 04.03.2022

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 04.03.2022 09:19
    USDJPY tests supply areaThe Japanese yen stalled after an increase in January’s unemployment rate.The pair’s rally above the supply zone around 115.80 has put the US dollar back on track. The general direction remains up despite its choppiness. 114.40 has proved to be solid support and kept the bulls in the game.A close above 115.80 would extend the rally to the double top (116.30), a major resistance on the daily chart. Meanwhile, an overbought RSI caused a limited pullback, with 115.10 as fresh support.NZDUSD breaks resistanceThe New Zealand dollar recovers amid commodity price rallies.After the pair found support near last September’s lows (0.6530), a bullish MA cross on the daily chart suggests that sentiment could be turning around. A bullish breakout above the recent high (0.6810) would further boost buyers’ confidence and lift offers to January’s high at 0.6890.On the downside, 0.6730 is the first support if buyers struggle to gather more interest. 0.6675 would be a second layer to keep the current rebound intact.UK 100 lacks supportThe FTSE 100 slipped after the second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without much result.The index met stiff selling pressure at 7560 then fell below the critical floor at 7170. Increasingly bearish sentiment triggered a new round of sell-off to the psychological level of 7000 from last November.A deeper correction would lead to a retest of 6850, dampening the market mood in the medium-term. On the upside, the bulls must clear 7300 and 7450 to reclaim control of the direction.
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Sentiment turns as the U.S. looks to regulate cryptos

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Sentiment turns as the U.S. looks to regulate cryptos

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 03.03.2022 16:07
    Bitcoin price sees its gains being pared back a bit after more talks on regulatory crackdown out of U.S. on cryptocurrencies. Ethereum price slips further away from $3,018 after Powell's speech before Congress talked about regulating cryptocurrencies. XRP price sideways, awaiting a catalyst to go either way. Cryptocurrencies are facing some headwinds – whilst they have enjoyed more inflows of late as both Ukrainian and Russian inhabitants reverted to cryptocurrencies as an alternative means of payment to avoid sanctions – there are signs this loophole will soon be closed. During Biden's State of the Union speech the president asked for a crackdown on cryptocurrencies to close the escape route for wealthy Russians. FED chair Powell added fuel to the fire by saying that he would welcome further regulation to monitor and control cryptocurrencies better. The result is that these comments have triggered some nervousness in all significant cryptocurrency pairs. Bitcoin bulls are rejected at $44,088 with the risk of sliding back to $42,000 Bitcoin (BTC) price saw a full paring back of the losses accumulated during the Russian invasion as cryptocurrencies saw renewed cash inflow from both Russians and Ukrainians looking for alternative means of payment after both central banks had put in cash withdrawal restrictions. As Bitcoin looked to be poised for another leg higher, both Biden and Powell created some headwinds by urging for more regulatory crackdown, as it is emerging that cryptocurrencies are undermining sanctions on Russia. With this renewed negative attention towards cryptocurrencies, investors are being quick to book profits and, in the process, are pushing BTC price action to the downside. BTC price saw an initial rejection at $45,261, a level which coincides with the low of December 17, and as such triggered some profit-taking. As profit-taking continues bulls are faced with another rejection at $44,088, a level that goes back to August 06. Below that, the search for support finds nothing until $41,756 or the psychological $42,000 level near the baseline of a bearish triangle we had marked up earlier. BTC/USD daily chart As more talks are underway, a breakthrough could still happen at any moment. If that happened, it would mean that bears would fail in their attempt to squeeze out bulls and get stopped out themselves once the price pierced through $44,088 to the upside. That move would even accelerate after shooting through $45,261, with a quick rally to $48,760 and, from there, positioning Bitcoin to pop back above $50,000 next week. Ethereum bulls are defending the 55-day SMA, but support is wearing thin Ethereum (ETH) price takes another step back today after more negative connotations from FED Chair Powell in the house hearing before Congress. Next to committing to more rate hikes, Powell also drilled down on cryptocurrencies and called them a risk that needs to be prioritised with regulations. That puts greater regulation for cryptocurrencies at the top of the congressional agenda – after Ukraine, and inland inflation had pushed that bullet point further down the list. For the moment, ETH sees bulls defending the 55-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $2,880. Although it looks good to hold for now, in the past, the 55-day SMA has not built a solid reputation of being well respected. So expect a possible breach once the US session kicks in and Powell makes more negative comments on cryptocurrencies in his second day of congressional hearings, which will likely push ETH price below the 55-day SMA at $2,880, through the monthly pivot at $2,835, and down to a possible endpoint at around $2,695. ETH/USD daily chart As the situation in Russia further deteriorates with more sanctions on the shelf, residents will be forced even more to flee into cryptocurrencies to avoid any repercussions from the financial sanctions imposed. That would mean broad flux inflow throughout the coming days, with ETH price action popping above $3,018, and in the process breaking the double top of rejection from Tuesday and Wednesday. To the upside, that could see $3,391 for a test as the inflow will outweigh any bearish attempts from short sellers. XRP price testing monthly pivot to the downside as dollar strength weighs Ripple's (XRP) price is under pressure to the downside as bears are putting in their effort to break the new monthly pivot at $0.76. Bears are getting help from the other side of the asset pair by the dollar’s strength weighing on price action for a second consecutive day. With Ukraine's current tension and possible retaliation from Russia against the West, safe havens are broadly bid with the Greenback on the front foot and thus outpacing XRP’s valuation, resulting in a move lower. Expect XRP price to see an accelerated move once the monthly pivot at $0.76 gives way. With not much in the way, the road is open to drop to $0.62, with $0.70 and $0.68 as possible breaking off points where bears could see some profit-taking and attempts by bulls to halt the downturn. But the trifecta of the negative comments from both Biden and Powell joined with the safe-haven bid is too big of a force to withstand, making $0.62 almost inevitable in the coming hours or trading days. XRP/USD daily chart The only event that could turn this around is if a catalyst were to remove the safe-haven bid. That could come with a resolution of the current tension in Ukraine or surrender of the Russian army of some sort. In such an outcome, the safe-haven bid would evaporate, followed by a massive risk-on flow which would see XRP pop above $0.78 and rally to $0.88, taking out $0.84 along the way to the upside.
    Fighting Continues: Good for Ukraine... And Gold

    Fighting Continues: Good for Ukraine... And Gold

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 03.03.2022 16:10
      Kherson fell, but Ukrainians are still fighting fiercely. In the face of war, gold also shows courage – to move steadily up. The battle of Ukraine is still going on. Russian troops took control of Kherson, a city of about 300,000 in the south of Ukraine, but other main cities haven’t been captured yet. Ukrainian soldiers even managed to conduct some counter-offensive actions near the country’s capital. There is a large Russian column advancing on Kyiv, but its progress has been very slow over the last few days due to the staunch Ukrainian resistance and Russian forces’ problems with equipment, tactics, and supplies, including fuel and food. David is still bravely fighting Goliath! Of course, Russian forces still have an advantage and are progressing. However, the pace of the invasion is much slower than Vladimir Putin and his generals expected. The Ukrainians’ defense is much fiercer, while Russia’s losses are more severe. The Russian defense ministry admitted that 498 Russian soldiers have already been killed and 1,597 wounded, but the real number is probably much higher. Even if Russia takes control of other cities, it’s unclear whether it will be able to hold them. What’s more, although the West didn’t engage directly in the war, the response of the West was much stronger than Putin could probably have expected. The US and its allies supplied Ukraine with weapons and imposed severe sanctions against Putin and the Russian governing elite, as well as on Russia’s economy and financial system. For instance, the West decided to exclude several Russian banks from SWIFT and also to freeze most of Russian central bank’s foreign currency reserve assets. Additionally, many international companies are moving out of Russia or exporting their products to this country, adding to the economic pressure. The ruble plummeted, as the chart below shows.   Implications for Gold What does the ongoing war in Ukraine mean for the precious metals market? Well, the continuous heroic stance of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian defenders is not only heating up the hearts of all freedom-lovers, but also gold prices. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal has soared to about $1,930, the highest level since January 2021. As a reminder, until recently, gold was unable to surpass $1,800. Thus, the recent rally is noteworthy. The war is clearly boosting the safe-haven demand for gold. Another bullish driver is rising inflation. According to early estimates, euro area annual inflation soared from 5.1% in January to 5.8%, and the war is likely to add to the inflationary pressure due to rising energy prices. Both Brent and WTI oil prices have surged above $110 per barrel. Last but not least, I have to mention Powell’s appearance before Congress. In the prepared testimony, he said that the Fed would hike the federal funds rate this month, despite the war in Ukraine: Our monetary policy has been adapting to the evolving economic environment, and it will continue to do so. We have phased out our net asset purchases. With inflation well above 2 percent and a strong labor market, we expect it will be appropriate to raise the target range for the federal funds rate at our meeting later this month. This sounds rather hawkish and, thus, bearish for gold. However, Powell acknowledged that the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain. The near-term effects on the U.S. economy of the invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing war, the sanctions, and of events to come, remain highly uncertain. Making appropriate monetary policy in this environment requires a recognition that the economy evolves in unexpected ways. We will need to be nimble in responding to incoming data and the evolving outlook. Hence, the war in Eastern Europe could make the Fed more dovish than expected at a time when inflation could be higher than forecasted before the war outbreak. Such an environment should be bullish for the gold market. However, there is one important caveat. The detailed analysis of gold prices shows that they declined around the first and second rounds of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian diplomats in anticipation of the end of the conflict. However, when it became apparent that the talks ended in a stalemate, gold resumed its upward move. The implication should be clear: as long as the war continues, the yellow metal may shine, but when the ceasefire or truce is agreed, we could see a correction in the gold market. It doesn’t have to be a great plunge, but a large part of the geopolitical premium will disappear. Having said that, the war may take a while. I pray that I’m wrong, but the slow progress of the Russian invasion could prompt Vladimir Putin to adopt a “whatever it takes” stance. According to some experts, he is already more emotional than usual, and when faced with the prospects of failure, he could become even more brutal or irrational. We already see that Russian troops, unable to break the Ukrainian defense in open combat, siege the cities and bomb civilians. Hence, the continuation or escalation of Russia’s military actions could provide support for gold prices. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Back to Risk-Off

    Back to Risk-Off

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 04.03.2022 15:50
    S&P 500 consolidation isn‘t turning out well for the bulls as 4,300 can be easily broken again if I look at credit markets‘ posture. Treasuries just aren‘t sliding no matter the Fed‘s ambiguity on inflation, let alone markets sniffing out rate hike ideas getting revisited. Still, tech gave up opening gains, and closed on a weak note while commodities and precious metals maintained high ground, and the dollar continued rising.The odds are stacked against paper market bulls, and as I had been telling you weeks ago already, this is the time of real assets outperformance. In this sense, miners‘ leadership is a great confirmation of more strength to come, of inflation to continue… Everyone‘s free to make their own opinion after the State of the Union address.On the bright side, the flood of recently closed series of trades spanning stocks, precious metals, oil and copper, has resulted in sharp equity curve gains – and more good calls are in the making, naturally:Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is facing a setback, which could turn a lot worse if the sentiment turn continues. Odds are it would, and we would see some selling going into the weekend.Credit MarketsHYG refused to extend opening gains, and the message is clear, and also a reaction to the Fed‘s pronouncements. Treasuries though are more careful in the tightening prospects assessment – risk-off in bonds and the dollar continues.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are doing great, and are likely to continue rising no matter what the dollar does. There is no good reason for a selloff if you look around objectively. Miners are confirming, the upleg is underway.Crude OilCrude oil upswing isn‘t yet done, it would be premature to say so. It seems though that the time of volatile chop and new base building can continue – oil stocks are the barometer.CopperCopper outperformance leaves me a bit cautious – the advance is likely to slow down and get challenged next. It was a good run, and the red metal isn‘t at all done in the medium-term.Bitcoin and EthereumCrypto downswing is reaching a bit farther than I would have been comfortable with. The buyers are welcome to step in on good volume, but I‘m not expecting miracles today or through the weekend.SummaryS&P 500 bulls are losing the initiative, and neither credit markets nor the dollar favor a turnaround today. Treasuries rising in spite of the Fed‘s messaging are also casting a clear verdict, and the yield curve compression continues. The risk-off sentiment that is getting an intermezzo here and there, is likely to rule unless the Fed makes a profound turn before the Mar FOMC. And given the inflation dynamics with all the consequences beyond economics, that‘s unlikely to happen. Markets are thus likely to continue fearing the confluence of events till...Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Shiba Inu price is back in a downtrend holding a potential 17% correction

    Shiba Inu price is back in a downtrend holding a potential 17% correction

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 04.03.2022 16:07
    Red flags for Shiba Inu as three bearish strikes are putting SHIB on track for a 17% loss. Markets, in general, are moving into hibernation mode to overcome the rising tensions in Ukraine.Expect the downtrend to continue until the floor is reached at around $0.00002100.Shiba Inu (SHIB) price action is under the scrutiny of bears as bulls have given away their upper hand and are falling over each other to get out of SHIB price action as it tanks for a third consecutive day. With three bearish signals on the technical front and failed peace talks again between Russia and Ukraine, the background looks set for more downturns to come. From the opening price today, SHIB price action is set to correct another 17% before the current intermediary floor is reached for a test of $0.00002100.SHIB price action is going along with global markets and sees safe-haven bids outweigh the upside potentialShiba Inu price action is under siege by bears after a series of bearish coups overtook price action. On Wednesday, the first negative signal came from a false break and bull trap, at $0.00002707 and the monthly pivot. Bulls broke above but got washed out of their positions by bears, pushing price action below the 55-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at $0.00002600. The SMA in its turn again triggered a rejection at the top side on Thursday with bulls being squeezed out of their positions.The pain for SHIB bulls looks far from over as in early morning trading during the ASIA PAC session, strike three was delivered with a break below the low of yesterday, leading to price action dangling above an abyss of around 17%. The first and only real solid support to the downside is at around $0.00002100, with the green ascending trendline holding five solid tests proving that it is a line in the sand where bulls will engage in full force to uphold price action from falling further. The psychological $0.00002000 should add to the strength of the level, but an eventful weekend could see a further crackdown towards $0.00001883 at the monthly S1 support level.SHIB/USD daily chartAs said in the introductory statement, all this results from the Ukraine situation and global markets further going into safe-haven mode. All it would take are just some flairs of positive news alluding to a solution in Ukraine that would trigger a quick and smooth turnaround back towards $0.00002800. With that move, not only would the red descending trend line at the top side be broken, but as well the 78.6% Fibonacci level would come into play, opening the door for more upside to come.
    Fed’s Tightening Cycle: Bullish or Bearish for Gold?

    Fed’s Tightening Cycle: Bullish or Bearish for Gold?

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 04.03.2022 16:14
    This month, the Fed is expected to hike interest rates. Contrary to popular belief, the tightening doesn't have to be adverse for gold. What does history show?March 2022 – the Fed is supposed to end its quantitative easing and hike the federal funds rate for the first time during recovery from a pandemic crisis . After the liftoff, the Fed will probably also start reducing the size of its mammoth balance sheet and raise interest rates a few more times. Thus, the tightening of monetary policy is slowly becoming a reality. The golden question is: how will the yellow metal behave under these conditions?Let’s look into the past. The last tightening cycle of 2015-2019 was rather positive for gold prices. The yellow metal rallied in this period from $1,068 to $1,320 (I refer here to monthly averages), gaining about 24%, as the chart below shows.What’s really important is that gold bottomed out in December 2015, the month of the liftoff. Hence, if we see a replay of this episode, gold should detach from $1,800 and go north, into the heavenly land of bulls. However, in December 2015, real interest rates peaked, while in January 2016, the US dollar found its local top. These factors helped to catapult gold prices a few years ago, but they don’t have to reappear this time.Let’s dig a bit deeper. The earlier tightening cycle occurred between 2004 and 2006, and it was also a great time for gold, despite the fact that the Fed raised interest rates by more than 400 basis points, something unthinkable today. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal (monthly average) soared from $392 to $634, or more than 60%. Just as today, inflation was rising back then, but it was also a time of great weakness in the greenback, a factor that is currently absent.Let’s move even further back into the past. The Fed also raised the federal funds rate in the 1994-1995 and 1999-2000 periods. The chart below shows that these cases were rather neutral for gold prices. In the former, gold was traded sideways, while in the latter, it plunged, rallied, and returned to a decline. Importantly, just as in 2015, the yellow metal bottomed out soon after the liftoff in early 1999.In the 1980s, there were two major tightening cycles – both clearly negative for the yellow metal. In 1983-1984, the price of gold plunged 29% from $491 to $348, despite rising inflation, while in 1988-1989, it dropped another 12%, as you can see in the chart below.Finally, we have traveled back in time to the Great Stagflation period! In the 1970s, the Fed’s tightening cycles were generally positive for gold, as the chart below shows. In the period from 1972 to 1974, the average monthly price of the yellow metal soared from $48 to $172, or 257%. The tightening of 1977-1980 was an even better episode for gold. Its price skyrocketed from $132 to $675, or 411%. However, monetary tightening in 1980-1981 proved not very favorable , with the yellow metal plunging then to $409.What are the implications of our historical analysis for the gold market in 2022? First, the Fed’s tightening cycle doesn’t have to be bad for gold. In this report, I’ve examined nine tightening cycles – of which four were bullish, two were neutral, and three were bearish for the gold market. Second, all the negative cases occurred in the 1980s, while the two most recent cycles from the 21st century were positive for gold prices. It bodes well for the 2022 tightening cycle.Third, the key is, as always, the broader macroeconomic context – namely, what is happening with the US dollar, inflation, and real interest rates. For example, in the 1970s, the Fed was hiking rates amid soaring inflation. However, in March 1980, the CPI annul rate peaked, and a long era of disinflation started. This is why tightening cycles were generally positive in the 1970s, and negative in the 1980s.Hence, it seems on the surface that the current tightening should be bullish for gold, as it is accompanied by high inflation. However, inflation is expected to peak this year. If this happens, real interest rates could increase even further, creating downward pressure on gold prices. Please remember that the real federal funds rate is at a record low level. If inflation peaks, gold bulls’ only hope will be either a bearish trend in the US dollar (amid global recovery and ECB’s monetary policy tightening) or a dovish shift in market expectations about the path of the interest rates, given that the Fed’s tightening cycle has historically been followed by an economic slowdown or recession.Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today!Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Bitcoin (BTC) To Hit $100k In A Few Years' Time?

    Bitcoin (BTC) To Hit $100k In A Few Years' Time?

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 07.03.2022 09:05
    With a sharp decline over the weekend, Bitcoin wiped out the initial gains, gave away the positions to bears after the third straight week of gains. On Saturday and Sunday, there were drawdowns to $34K on the low-liquid market. So the rate of the first cryptocurrency fell to $38K with a 3.8% loss. However, over the past 24 hours, BTC has reached $39,000 while Ethereum has lost 4.5%. Other leading altcoins from the top ten decline from 2% (XRP) to 6.8% (LUNA). According to CoinMarketCap, the total capitalization of the crypto market decreased by 3.8%, to $1.71 trillion. The bitcoin dominance index sank from 42.9% on Friday to 42.3% due to the sale of bitcoin over the weekend. The cryptocurrency fear and greed index is at 23 now, remaining in a state of "extreme fear". Looking back, in the middle of the week, the index had a moment in the neutral position. The FxPro Analyst team mentioned that the sales were triggered by reports that the BTC.com pool banned the registration of Russian users. Cryptocurrencies do not remain aloof from politics, and they are weakly confirming the role of an alternative to the banking system now, supporting EU and US sanctions against Russia, and showing their own initiative. The news appeared that Switzerland would freeze the crypto assets of the Russians who fall under the sanctions. In the second half of the week, bitcoin lost almost all the growth against the backdrop of a decline in stock indices. Although, last week started on a positive wave: BTC added almost $8,000 (21%) since previous Monday, but couldn't overcome the strong resistance of mid-February highs at around $45,000 and the 100-day moving average. Speaking about the prospects, pressure on all risky assets will continue to be exerted by the situation around Ukraine, where hostilities have been taking place for two weeks. Worth mentioning that the world-famous investor and writer Robert Kiyosaki said that the US is “destroying the dollar” and called for investing in gold and bitcoin. At the same time, the founder of the investment company SkyBridge Capital (Anthony Scaramucci) is confident that bitcoin will reach $100,000 by 2024. At the moment, he has invested about $1 billion in BTC. Plis, a group of American senators is developing a bill that opens access to the crypto market for institutional investors. And one more news to consider: the city of Lugano in Switzerland has recognized bitcoin and the leading stablecoin Tether (USDT) as legal tender.
    Russia-Ukraine Tensions Persist. At The Same Time US EIA Energy Outlook And Japanese GDP Are Released

    Russia-Ukraine Tensions Persist. At The Same Time US EIA Energy Outlook And Japanese GDP Are Released

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 07.03.2022 14:51
    As we wrote on Friday, this week is not full of major events, but still there are some which definitely worth a follow. The most interesting ones are coming later this week, but tomorrow… Economic Calendar by FXMAG.COM - 08/03/2022 Europe: The day begins with the release of German Industrial Production (MoM), which previously amounted to -0.3% GDP of Euro zone (YoY and QoQ) are released at 10 a.m. Previous values were accordingly 4.6% and 0.3% USA: At 1:30 p.m. Bureau of Economic Analysis releases Exports (prev. 228.10B), Imports (308.90B) And Trade Balance of January (-80.70B) After a few hours “break” EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook indicator is released what seems to be crucial. Crude Oil situation in recent days is very, very dynamic as sanctions affect supplies. Japan: The latter major event tomorrow is the release of Japanese GDP (YoY) (5.4%) which takes place at the eleventh hour - 11:50 p.m.  Data: Investing.com Time: GMT
    Is It Too Late To Begin Adapting To Higher Volatility In The Market?

    Is It Too Late To Begin Adapting To Higher Volatility In The Market?

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 07.03.2022 22:18
    Now is the time for traders to adapt to higher volatility and rapidly changing market conditions. One of the best ways to do this is to monitor different asset classes and track which investments are gaining and losing money flow. Knowing what the Best Asset Now is (BAN) is critical for consistent growth no matter the market condition.With that said, buyers (countries, investors, and traders) are panicking as the commodity Wheat, for example, gained more than 40% last week.‘Panic Commodity Buying’ in Wheat – Weekly ChartAccording to the US Dept. of Agriculture, China will hold 69% of the world’s corn reserves, 60% of rice and 51% of wheat by mid-2022.Commodity markets surged to their largest gains in years as Ukrainian ports were closed and sanctions against Russia sent buyers scrambling for replacement supplies. Global commodities, commodity funds, and commodity ETFs are attracting huge capital inflows as investors seek to cash in on the rally in oil, metals, and grains.How does the Russia – Ukraine war affect global food supplies?The conflict between major commodity producers Russia and Ukraine is causing countries that rely heavily on commodity imports to feed their citizens to enter into panic buying. The breadbaskets of Ukraine and Russia account for more than 25% of the global wheat trade and nearly 20% of the global corn trade.Last week, it was reported that many countries have dangerously low grain supplies. Nader Saad, an Egypt Cabinet spokesman, has raised the alarm that currently, Egypt has only nine months’ worth of wheat in silos. The supply includes five months of strategic reserves and four months of domestic production to cover the bread needs of 102 million Egyptians. Additionally, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s economic minister, said on Thursday (3/3/22) that his country should keep “a low profile” regarding the conflict in eastern Europe, given that Israel imports 50 percent of its wheat from Russia and 30 percent from Ukraine.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!The longer-term potential for much higher grain prices exists, but it’s worth noting that Friday’s close of nearly $12.00 a bushel for wheat is not that far away from the all-time record high of $13.30, recorded 14-years ago. According to Trading Economics, wheat has gone up 75.08% year-to-date while other commodity markets like Oats are up a whopping 85.13%, Coffee 74.68%, and Corn 34.07%.How are other markets reacting to these global events?Year-to-date comparison returns as of 3/4/2022:-9.18% S&P 500 (index), -7.49% DJI (index), -15.21% Nasdaq (index), +37.44% Exxon Mobile (oil), +20.08% Freeport McMoran (copper & gold), -20.68% Tesla (alternative energy), -24.49% Microstrategy (bitcoin play), -40.51% Meta-Facebook (social media)As stock holdings and 401k’s are shrinking it may be time to re-evaluate your portfolio. There are ETFs available that can give you exposure to commodities, energy, and metals.Here is an example of a few of these ETFs:+53.81% WEAT Teucrium Wheat Fund+41.79% GSG iShares S&P TSCI Commodity -Indexed Trust+104.40 UCO ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil+59.32% PALL Aberdeen Standard Physical Palladium SharesHow is the global investor reacting to rocketing commodity prices and increasing market volatility?We can track global money flow by monitoring the following 1-month currency graph (www.finviz.com). The Australian Dollar is up +4.25%, the New Zealand Dollar +3.72%, and the Canadian Dollar +0.30% vs. the US Dollar due to the rising commodity prices like metals and energy. These country currencies are known as commodity currencies.The Switzerland Franc +0.96%, the Japanese Yen +0.35%, and the US Dollar +0.00% are all benefiting from global capital seeking a safe haven. As volatility continues to spike, these country currencies will experience more inflows as capital comes out of depreciating assets and seeks stability.We also notice that capital outflow is occurring from the European Union-Eurodollar -4.55% and the British Pound -2.22% due to their close proximity (risk) to the Russia - Ukraine war.www.finviz.comGlobal central banks will need to begin raising their interest rates to combat high inflation!Due to the rapid acceleration of inflation, the US Federal Reserve may have been looking to raise interest rates by 50 basis points at its policy meeting two weeks from now. However, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the FED may become more cautious and consider raising interest rates by only 25 basis points on March 15-16.What strategies can help you navigate current market trends?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals are starting to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.Now is the time to keep your eye on the ball!I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    Crude Oil Climbs High. Is It Enough to Enjoy a Better View?

    Crude Oil Climbs High. Is It Enough to Enjoy a Better View?

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 07.03.2022 16:45
      The threat of sanctions caused a stir in the markets: WTI spiked above $130 and Brent is nearing the $140 mark. Where is crude oil going next? A possible Western embargo on Russian oil caused oil prices to soar again on Monday, as stock markets feared persistent inflation and a consequent economic slowdown. On the US dollar side, the continued rally of the greenback has propelled the dollar index (DXY) towards higher levels, as it is now approaching the three-figure mark ($100), even though it has not had a huge impact on crude oil, other petroleum products, or any other commodities in general. What we rather witness here is the greenback’s safe haven effect attracting investors, much like gold would tend to act in a “store of value” role. US Dollar Index (DXY) CFD (daily chart) On the geopolitical scene, Russia-Ukraine peace talks will be resumed today in Brest (Belarus) at 14:00 GMT, while another meeting is already scheduled at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Thursday in Turkey. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba will talk there in the presence of the Turkish foreign minister. We might therefore expect some de-escalation in the Black Sea basin this week if the two parties involved were able to reach an agreement after further negotiations. WTI Crude Oil (CLJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) Brent Crude Oil (BRNK22) Futures (May contract, daily chart) RBOB Gasoline (RBJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) Regarding natural gas, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) 2022 report, suggesting that even with non-hydro renewable sources set to rapidly grow through 2050, oil and gas-derived sources should still remain the top energy sources to fuel most of the United States. The agency is forecasting a rise in the production of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – which mainly comes from shale gas – by at least 35%! In summary, the threat of sanctions has already wiped out almost all Russian oil – at least 7% of global supply – from the world oil market. In the weeks or months to come, we can see sanctions on Russian oil exports create a boomerang effect on European economies, decreasing world market supply, increasing prices for industry, as well as even more rising expenses, and thus cost of living through a ripple effect. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    USDCAD Trades Higher, EURGBP Nears 0.83, S&P 500 (SPX) Fell A Little

    USDCAD Trades Higher, EURGBP Nears 0.83, S&P 500 (SPX) Fell A Little

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 08.03.2022 09:29
    USDCAD breaks higher The US dollar bounces back as traders pile into safer currencies at the expense of commodity assets. The previous rally above the supply zone at 1.2800 has prompted sellers to cover. Then a follow-up pullback saw support over 1.2600, a sign of accumulation and traders’ strong interest in keeping the greenback afloat. A breakout above 1.2810 could pave the way for an extended rise to last December’s high at 1.2950, even though the RSI’s situation may briefly hold the bulls back. 1.2680 is a fresh support in case of a pullback. EURGBP bounces back The euro recoups losses as shorts cover ahead of the ECB meeting. The pair’s fall below the major floor (0.8280) on the daily chart further weighs on sentiment. The lack of support suggests that traders’ are wary of catching a falling knife. The RSI’s double-dip into the oversold area has led to profit-taking, driving the price up. However, the rally could turn out to be a dead cat bounce if the bears fade the rebound in the supply zone around 0.8360. 0.8200 is a fresh support when momentum comes back again. SPX 500 struggles to rebound The S&P 500 extended losses as investors are wary of a global economic downturn. On the daily chart, a brief rebound has met stiff selling pressure on the 30-day moving average (4410). In fact, this indicates that the bearish mood still dominates after the index fell through 4250. Buyers have failed to hold above 4230, leaving the market vulnerable to another round of sell-off. 4110 is the next stop and a bearish breakout could lead to the psychological level of 4000. 4320 is now the closest resistance ahead.
    XAUUSD Chart And Bitcoin Charts - BTC/USDT And Bitcoin Vs Gold Chart

    XAUUSD Chart And Bitcoin Charts - BTC/USDT And Bitcoin Vs Gold Chart

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 08.03.2022 10:21
    Bitcoins image boost   In times of war, unfortunately, other news is quickly overshadowed temporarily. Gold, monthly chart, cup and handle: Gold in US Dollar, monthly chart as of March 7th, 2022. One significant factor is the gold bullish monthly chart with its cup and handle price formation. The larger time frame of the related market plays a substantial role in inter-market analysis. Gold, leading wealth preservation “insurance” for your money in inflationary times, should be on a bitcoin trader/investor’s radar. We find a bullish tone in gold to support possible bitcoin price increases.     Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, monthly chart, bitcoin is cheap: Bitcoin versus Gold in USD, monthly chart as of March 8th, 2022. An additional welcoming factor can be found in the monthly chart of the bitcoin relationship towards gold. Presently, around 20 ounces buy you one bitcoin, while in the last quarter of last year, the same bitcoin cost you instead 37 ounces of gold. Consequently, those who have exited a fiat currency system or those who constructively hedge their wealth preservation portfolio might have a greater focus on bitcoin currently as on gold; it is cheaper. Bitcoin, weekly chart, still a couple weeks: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 8th, 2022. A look at a weekly bitcoin chart shows temporary weakness in a general up slope near an entry zone. The last two weeks provided for substantial income-producing trading through partial profit-taking. Bitcoin had delivered a 32% range from US$34,322 to US$45,400. Unfortunately, there was no directional follow-through beyond this point, and bitcoin has yet again retraced substantially. Currently, Bitcoin is hovering right above a low-risk entry zone again, and we are hawkishly looking out for low-risk entries. A look into the past shows that it took bitcoin ten weeks to turn around in scenario A. Our timing prognosis is another two weeks now before we see possibly fast advancements. Bitcoins image boost: Some think of chocolate when thinking of Switzerland, and indeed this news is sweet to the bitcoin community. Bitcoins’ last step to gain momentum is widespread adoption. News, like the 10% increase in GDP since El Salvador’s declaration of bitcoin being accepted legal tender, is impressive. Yet, it is still met with doubt due to either political or economic situations of countries that have adopted bitcoin so far. With a central money mecca now representing progressive bitcoin use and old history of a conservative, strong financial stability image backing such behavior, widespread mass doubt can be swayed towards more bitcoin adaptation.   Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 8th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Gold Tries to Hold Above $2000 - Hard Landing Ahead?

    Gold Tries to Hold Above $2000 - Hard Landing Ahead?

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 08.03.2022 16:02
      Gold has hit $2,000 but is still struggling to maintain that historical level. It has already tried 8 times - will the ninth attempt succeed? Many indications make this doubtful. Gold is attempting to break above the $2,000 milestone, and miners are trying to break above their declining resistance line. Will they manage to do so, and if so, how long will the rally last? Yesterday, gold didn’t manage to close above the $2,000 level and it’s making another attempt to rally above it in today’s pre-market trading. However, will it be successful? Given the RSI above 70 and the strength of the current resistance, it’s doubtful. In fact, nothing has changed with regard to this likelihood since yesterday, so what I wrote about it in the previous Gold & Silver Trading Alert remains up-to-date: Gold touched $2,000 in today’s pre-market trading, which is barely above its 2021 high and below its 2020 high. Crude oil is way above both analogous levels. In other words, gold underperforms crude oil to a significant extent, just like in 2003. Interestingly, back in 2003, gold topped when crude oil rallied about 40% from its short-term lows (the late-2002 low). What happened next in 2003? Gold declined, and the moment when crude oil started to visibly outperform gold was also the beginning of a big decline in gold stocks. That makes perfect sense on the fundamental level too. Gold miners’ share prices depend on their profits (just like it’s the case with any other company). Crude oil at higher levels means higher costs for the miners (the machinery has to be fueled, the equipment has to be transported, etc.). When costs (crude oil could be viewed as a proxy for them) are rising faster than revenues (gold could be viewed as a proxy for them), miners’ profits appear to be in danger; and investors don’t like this kind of danger, so they sell shares. Of course, there are many more factors that need to be taken into account, but I just wanted to emphasize one way in which the above-mentioned technical phenomenon is justified. Back in 2003, gold stocks wiped out their entire war-concern-based rally, and the biggest part of the decline took just a bit more than a month. Let’s remember that back then, gold stocks were in a very strong medium- and long-term uptrend. Right now, mining stocks remain in a medium-term downtrend, so their decline could be bigger – they could give away their war-concern-based gains and then decline much more. Mining stocks are not declining profoundly yet, but let’s keep in mind that history rhymes – it doesn’t repeat to the letter. As I emphasized previously today, back in 2003 and 2002, the tensions were building for a longer time, and it was relatively clear in advance that the U.S. attack was going to happen. This time, Russia claimed that it wouldn’t attack until the very last minute before the invasion. Consequently, the “we have to act now” is still likely to be present, and the dust hasn’t settled yet – everything appears to be unclear, and thus the markets are not returning to their previous trends. Yet. However, as history shows, that is likely to happen. Either immediately, or shortly, as crude oil is already outperforming gold. The above chart features the GDXJ ETF. As you can see, the junior miners moved to their very strong resistance provided by the declining resistance line. This resistance is further strengthened by the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement, and the previous (late-2021) high. This means that it’s particularly strong, and any breakout here would likely be invalidated shortly. Given the clear sell signal from the RSI indicator, a turnaround here is even more likely. I marked the previous such signals to emphasize their efficiency. When the RSI was above 70, a top was in 6 out of 7 of the recent cases, and the remaining case was shortly before the final top, anyway. This resistance seems to be analogous to the $2,000 level in gold. By the way, please note that gold tried to break above $2,000 several times: twice in August 2020; twice in September 2020 (once moving above it, once moving just near this level); once in November 2020 (moving near this level); once in January 2021 (moving near this level); once in February 2022 (moving near this level). These attempts failed in each of the 7 cases mentioned above. This is the eight attempt. Will this very strong resistance break this time? Given how much crude oil has already soared, and how both markets used to react to war tensions in the case of oil-producing countries, it seems that the days of the rally are numbered. Moving back to the GDXJ ETF, please note that while gold is moving close to its all-time highs, the junior miners are not doing anything like that. In fact, they barely moved slightly above their late-2021 high. They are not even close to their 2021 high, let alone their 2020 high. Instead, junior mining stocks are just a bit above their early-2020 high, from which their prices were more than cut in half in less than a month. In other words, junior miners strongly underperform gold, which is a bearish sign. When gold finally declines – and it’s likely to, as geopolitical events tend to have only a temporary effect on prices, even if they’re substantial – junior miners will probably slide much more than gold. One of the reasons is the likely decline in the general stock market. I recently received a question about the impact the general stock market has on mining stocks, as the latter moved higher despite stocks’ decline in recent weeks. So, let’s take a look at a chart that will feature junior mining stocks, the GLD ETF, and the S&P 500 Index. Before the Ukraine crisis, the link between junior miners and the stock market was clear. Now, it's not as clear, but it’s still present. Juniors only moved to their late-2021 highs, while gold is over $100 above those highs. Juniors underperform significantly, in tune with the stock market's weakness. The gold price is still the primary driver of mining stock prices – including junior mining stocks. After all, that’s what’s either being sold by the company (that produces gold) or in the properties that the company owns and explores (junior miners). As gold prices exploded in the last couple of weeks, junior miners practically had to follow. However, this doesn’t mean that the stock market’s influence is not present nor that it’s going to be unimportant going forward. Conversely, the weak performance of the general stock market likely contributed to junior miners’ weakness relative to gold – the former didn’t rally as much as the latter. Since the weakness in the general stock market is likely to continue, and gold’s rally is likely to be reversed (again, what happened in the case of other military conflicts is in tune with history, not against it), junior miners are likely to decline much more profoundly than gold. Speaking of the general stock market, it just closed at the lowest level since mid-2021. The key thing about the above chart is that what we’ve seen this year is the biggest decline since 2020, and the size of the recent slide is comparable to what we saw as the initial wave down in 2020 – along with the subsequent correction. If these moves are analogous, the recent rebound was perfectly normal – there was one in early 2020 too. This also means that a much bigger decline is likely in the cards in the coming weeks, and that it’s already underway. This would be likely to have a very negative impact on the precious metals market, in particular on junior mining stocks (initially) and silver (a bit later). All in all, it seems that due to the technical resistance in gold and mining stocks, the sizable – but likely temporary (like other geopolitical-event-based-ones) – rally is likely to be reversed shortly. Then, as the situation in the general stock market deteriorates, junior miners would be likely to plunge in a spectacular manner. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Positive News From Europe Supports (BTC) Bitcoin Price - Is $40.000 Coming?

    Positive News From Europe Supports (BTC) Bitcoin Price - Is $40.000 Coming?

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 08.03.2022 16:05
    Bitcoin price action sees bulls storming out of the gate, with BTC bouncing off a $38,073 historical pivot. BTC price set to tick $39,780 intraday in a range-trading profile. Expect to see more upside, should BTC continue its rally from positive signals out of Ukraine, and punch through the 55-day SMA. Bitcoin price action is back on the front foot today as global markets surf positive news of a ceasefire and fresh round of talks between Russia and Ukraine. The lift in positive sentiment spilled over into cryptocurrencies and saw positive prints across the board. Bitcoin was no different, with the price up 2.30% for the day at the time of writing and a possible tick of over 4% profit going into the U.S. session this evening. Bitcoin sees bulls taking over in ceasefire setback for bears Bitcoin price action is whipsawing between $45,000 to the upside and $34,000 to the downside, in a bandwidth that has been drawn since January. With global markets remaining stressed and on edge, today is set to give a sigh of relief and blow off some steam out of the pressure cooker that is Ukraine. Expect to see further decompression going into the U.S. session as this positive news gets picked up and translated into another round of bullish uplift for the cryptocurrency. BTC price is set to tick $39,780 and will try to break the high of last weekend. But bulls will immediately face another level of resistance, with the 55-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) around $40,250, and the $40,000 level in the way. Add to that the monthly pivot at $41,000 – so within a $1,000 – and there are three bearish elements capable of cutting short any attempts for further upside if no additional relief catalysts are added to the current headlines. BTC/USD daily chart Over the weekend, a ceasefire was already tried but failed after just a few minutes. Should that be the case again, expect this to break the fragile trust that has been in place now since recent talks yesterday. Expect BTC price action to be pushed back to $38,073 a drop of around 4%.
    Ukraine’s Defense Shines ‒ and So Does Gold

    Ukraine’s Defense Shines ‒ and So Does Gold

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 08.03.2022 17:37
      Russian forces have made minimal progress against Ukraine in recent days. Unlike the invader, gold rallied very quickly and achieved its long-awaited target - $2000! Nobody expected the Russian inquisition! Nobody expected such a fierce Ukrainian defense, either. Of course, the situation is still very dramatic. Russian troops continued their offensive and – although the pace slowed down considerably – they managed to make some progress, especially in southern Ukraine, by bolstering air defense and supplies. The invaders are probably preparing for the decisive assault on Kyiv. Where Russian soldiers can’t break the defense, they bomb civilian infrastructure and attack ordinary people, including targeting evacuation corridors, to spread terror. Several Ukrainian cities are besieged and their inhabitants lack basic necessities. The humanitarian crisis intensifies. However, Russian forces made minimal ground advances over recent days, and it’s highly unlikely that Russia has successfully achieved its planned objectives to date. According to the Pentagon, nearly all of the Russian troops that were amassed on Ukraine’s border are already fighting inside the country. Meanwhile, the international legion was formed and started its fight for Ukraine. Moreover, Western countries have recently supplied Ukraine with many hi-tech military arms and equipment, including helicopters, anti-tank weapons, and anti-aircraft missiles, which could be crucial in boosting the Ukrainian defense.   Implications for Gold What does the war in Ukraine imply for the precious metals? Well, gold is shining almost as brightly as the Ukrainian defense. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal has surged above $1,980 on Monday (March 7, 2022), the highest level since August 2020. What’s more, as the next chart shows, during today’s early trading, gold has soared above $2,020 for a while, reaching almost an all-time high. In my most recent report, I wrote: “as long as the war continues, the yellow metal may shine (…). The continuation or escalation of Russia’s military actions could provide support for gold prices.” This is exactly what we’ve been observing. This is not surprising. The war has increased the safe-haven demand for gold, while investors have become more risk-averse and have continued selling equities. As you can see in the chart below, the S&P 500 Index has plunged more than 12% since its peak in early January. Some of the released funds went to the gold market. What’s more, the credit spreads have widened, while the real interest rates have declined. Both these trends are fundamentally positive for the yellow metal. Another bullish driver of gold prices is inflation. It’s already high, and the war in Ukraine will only add to the upward pressure. The oil price has jumped above $120 per barrel, almost reaching a record peak. Higher energy prices would translate into higher CPI readings in the near future. Other commodities are also surging. For example, the Food Price Index calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has soared above 140 in February, which is a new all-time high, as the chart below shows. Higher commodity prices could lead to social unrest, as was the case with the Arab Spring or recent protests in Kazakhstan. Higher energy prices and inflation imply slower real GDP growth and more stagflationary conditions. As a reminder, in 2008 we saw rapidly rising commodities, which probably contributed to the Great Recession. In such an environment, it’s far from clear that the Fed will be very hawkish. It will probably hike the federal funds rate in March, as expected, but it may soften its stance later amid the conflict between Ukraine and the West with Russia and elevated geopolitical risks. The more dovish Fed should also be supportive of gold prices. However, when the fighting cools off, the fear will subside, and we could see a correction in the gold market. Both sides are exhausted by the conflict and don’t want to continue it forever. The Russian side has already softened its stance a bit during the most recent round of negotiations, as it probably realized that a military breakthrough was unlikely. Hence, when the conflict ends, gold’s current tailwind could turn into a headwind. Having said that, the impact of the conflict may not be as short-lived this time. I'm referring to the relatively harsh sanctions and high energy prices that may last for some time after the war is over. . The same applies to a more hawkish stance toward Russia and European governments’ actions to become less dependent on Russian gas and oil. A lot depends on how the conflict will be resolved, and whether it brings us Cold War 2.0. However, two things are certain: the world has already changed geopolitically, and at the beginning of this new era, the fundamental outlook for gold has turned more bullish than before the war. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Consolidates Gains - 09.03.2022

    Intraday Market Analysis – USD Consolidates Gains - 09.03.2022

    John Benjamin John Benjamin 09.03.2022 08:47
    USDJPY breaks higherThe Japanese yen softened after weaker-than-expected GDP in Q4. Despite choppiness in recent price action, confidence in the greenback remains high.A failed attempt at the supply zone (115.80) suggests a lack of momentum, but a swift bounce off 114.65 reveals strong enough buying interest.A bullish breakout would lead to the double top at 116.35. Its breach could end the two-month-long consolidation and trigger an extended rally towards January 2017’s highs around 118.00. 115.40 is fresh support.AUDUSD seeks supportThe Australian dollar stalls as commodity prices consolidate. The rally above 0.7310, a major supply area, has weakened selling pressure and put the pair on a bullish reversal course.The Aussie’s parabolic ascent and an overbought RSI prompted short-term buyers to take profit. As the RSI swings back into the oversold zone, the bulls may see the current fallback as an opportunity to stake in.0.7380 is a fresh resistance and 0.7250 is the immediate support. Further below 0.7170 is a critical level to keep the rebound valid.UK 100 sees limited bounceThe FTSE 100 struggles as the UK plans to ban Russian energy imports.On the daily chart, a break below the demand zone (6850) wiped out 11-months worth of gains and signaled a strong bearish bias. The RSI’s oversold situation may cause a temporary rebound, but a bearish MA cross could attract more selling interest.The liquidation is yet to end as medium-term buyers scramble for the exit. 7200 is a fresh resistance and 7450 is a major supply zone. A drop below 6800 may lead to 6500.
    Ringing the Bell

    Ringing the Bell

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 09.03.2022 16:03
    S&P 500 once again gave up intraday gains, and credit markets confirmed the decline. Value down significantly more than tech, risk-off anywhere you look. For days without end, but the reprieve can come on seemingly little to no positive news, just when the sellers exhaust themselves and need to regroup temporarily. We‘re already seeing signs of such a respite in precious metals and commodities – be it the copper downswing, oil unable to break $130, or miners not following gold much higher yesterday. Corn and wheat also consolidated – right or wrong, the market seeks to anticipate some relief from Eastern Europe.The big picture though hasn‘t changed:(…) credit markets … posture is very risk-off, and the rush to commodities goes on. With a little check yesterday on the high opening prices in crude oil and copper, but still. My favorite agrifoods picks of late, wheat and corn, are doing great, and the pressure within select base metals, is building up – such as (for understandable reasons) in nickel and aluminum. Look for more to come, especially there where supply is getting messed with (this doesn‘t concern copper to such a degree, explaining its tepid price gains).And I‘m not talking even the brightest spot, where I at the onset of 2022 announced that precious metals would be the great bullish surprise this year. Those who listened, are rocking and rolling – we‘re nowhere near the end of the profitable run! Crude oil is likely to consolidate prior steep gains, and could definitely continue spiking higher. Should it stay comfortably above $125 for months, that would lead to quite some demand destruction. Given that black gold acts as a „shadow Fed funds rate“, ......its downswing would contribute to providing the Fed with an excuse not to hike in Mar by 50bp. After the prior run up in the price of black gold that however renders such an excuse a verbal exercise only, the Fed remains between a rock and hard place, and the inflationary fires keep raging on.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is reaching for the Feb 24 lows, and may find respite at this level. The upper knot though would need a solid close today (above 4,250) to be of short-term significance. Remember, the market remains very much headline sensitive.Credit MarketsHYG clearly remains on the defensive, but the sellers may need a pause here, if volume is any guide. Bonds are getting beaten, and the outlook remains negative to neutral for the weeks ahead. Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals keep doing great, but a pause is knocking on the door. Not a reversal, a pause. Gold and silver are indeed the go-to assets in the current situation, and miners agree wholeheartedly.Crude OilCrude oil is having trouble extending gains, and the consolidation I mentioned yesterday, approaches. I do not think however that this is the end of the run higher.CopperCopper is pausing already, and this underperformer looks very well bid above $4.60. Let the red metal build a base, and continue rising next, alongside the rest of the crowd.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos upswing equals more risk appetite? It could be so, looking at the dollar‘s chart (I‘m talking that in the summary of today‘s analysis).SummaryEvery dog has its day, and the S&P 500‘s one might be coming today or tomorrow. It‘s that the safe havens of late (precious metals, commodities and the dollar) are having trouble extending prior steep gains further. These look to be in for a brief respite that would be amplified on any possible news of deescalation. In such an environment, risk taking would flourish at expense of gold, silver and oil especially. I don‘t think so we have seen the tops – precious metals are likely to do great on the continued inflation turning into stagflation (GDP growth figures being downgraded), and commodities are set to further benefit from geopolitics (among much else).Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    ECB Interest Rate Decision Is Incoming. US Core CPI And Initial Jobless Claims Are Released Tomorrow As Well – Economic Calendar by FXMAG.COM - 10/03/2022

    ECB Interest Rate Decision Is Incoming. US Core CPI And Initial Jobless Claims Are Released Tomorrow As Well – Economic Calendar by FXMAG.COM - 10/03/2022

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 09.03.2022 16:21
    As we wrote in the weekly calendar on previous Friday, the 10th March will be dominated with European Union’s events. However, it’s good to follow news from the USA, as Core CPI And Initial Job Claims are released as well. Events’ data is courtesy of Investing.com European Union So, EU Leaders meet at 10 a.m., what’s the first major event of the day. The Summit is followed by releases of Deposit Facility Rate, ECB Marginal Lending Facility, Interest Rate Decision And Monetary Policy Statement. All of these releases take place at 12:45 p.m. Then, after a short break, ECB will speak to media (1:30 a.m.) USA US Core CPI (prev. 0.6%) And Initial Jobless Claims Are Released (215K) are presented at the same time – 1:30 a.m. Japan Half an hour before midnight investors might focus on Japanese indicators. At 11.30 p.m. Household Spending (MoM And YoY) are released. What’s more? BSI Large Manufacturing Conditions is presented twenty minutes later. This one amounted to 7.9 previously. Brazil For those interested in LATAM markets – you’re welcomed to follow news from Brazil as at the midday Retail Sales (YoY and MoM) are released. Source: Investing.com Time: GMT
    How You Can Minimize Trading Risk & Grow Capital During A Global Crisis

    How You Can Minimize Trading Risk & Grow Capital During A Global Crisis

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 09.03.2022 22:39
    To minimize trading risk and grow capital during a global crisis is somewhat hinged on the answers to speculative questions. How long will the Russia – Ukraine war last? How high is the price of oil and gas going to go? How quickly will central banks raise interest rates to counter high inflation? What assets should I put my money into? Knowing what the Best Asset Now (BAN) is, is critical for risk management and consistent growth no matter the market condition!‘BUY THE DIP’ or ‘SELL THE RALLY’? - DJI Weekly ChartAs of 3/8/22, YTD returns are: DJIA -10.20%, S&P 500 -12.49%, Nasdaq 100 -18.70%The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded as high as 36952.65 on January 5, 2022The DJIA put in a Covid 2020 Low of 18213.65 on March 23, 2020. When you double the price of this significant low, you get a price of 36427.30, which the DJIA reached on November 4, 2021. This was precisely 591 calendar days from the 2020 low. The 200% level seems to have capped the bull rally. If, in fact, this is the top and the start of a bear market, we should experience high volatility both up and down. However, the highs and lows should be lower as the market begins to trend lower. The volatility will also continue to increase as the market deflates and continues to lose capital.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! It appears this scenario may very well coincide with the fundamental current events of high inflation, central banks unable to add stimulus, having to raise their interest rates, and current/future geopolitical events.What-To-Do Before the Storm Hits“Have A Plan and Stick-To-Your-Plan”There are some basic strategies or practices that professional traders utilize to minimize trading risk and grow capital. Here are a few ideas:Bull/Bear Markets – In an upmarket, you should buy the dips. In a down market, you should do the opposite and sell the rallies. Rallies in a down 'bear' market tend to be very fast and short-lived.Diversification – Don't have your eggs in too many baskets. It is better to navigate thru a storm by focusing your resources specifically rather than generally.Leverage – Reduce leverage, position size, or know how you will respond to different percentage losses or gains. Understand what your investment objective is as well as your tolerance for risk. If you're having trouble sleeping at night, you should reduce your holdings to the place where you are comfortable.Leverage is a mathematical equation, and it does not have to be 1x, 2x, etc. It can also be 0.75x, 0.50x, etc. You get to decide what's best for you and your family. Leverage is also a double-edged sword! Be careful, especially when the markets are on edge and volatile.Where is the Institutional Money Going?The global currency market, otherwise known as Forex or FX, is the largest market in the world. According to the BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey, published on December 8, 2019, by the Bank for International Settlements, it has an average daily transactional volume of $6.6 trillion.By tracking global money flow, we can get a pretty good idea of where the smart money is going. For now, let’s see what has happened during the last 6-months.According to www.finviz.com, we notice that the US Dollar, despite its Covid stimulus spending spree, was the preferred currency. However, the Eurodollar has seen substantial outflows decreasing by -7.60%, which is entirely understandable with the Russia – Ukraine War at their doorstep.Global central banks ponder how quickly to raise interest rates in order to curb high inflation!According to TradingEconomics, the current global interest rates by major country are: United States 0.25%, Japan -0.10%, Switzerland -0.75%, Euro Region 0.00%, United Kingdom 0.50%, Canada 0.50%, and Australia 0.10%.The US Federal Reserve may have been looking to raise interest rates by as much as 50 basis points at its next policy meeting. However, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the FED may become more cautious and consider raising interest rates by only 25 basis points on March 15-16. We need to pay close attention to this high-impact market event.What strategies can help you minimize trading risk and grow capital?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Minimizing risk in order to grow your capital must remain a primary focus for all investors and traders. Now is the time to keep your eye on the ball!I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    EURUSD Rallies, GBPUSD Moves Up A Little, USOIL Goes Back To "Normal" (?) Levels

    EURUSD Rallies, GBPUSD Moves Up A Little, USOIL Goes Back To "Normal" (?) Levels

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 10.03.2022 08:43
    EURUSD bounces back The euro rallies on news that the EU may issue a joint bond to fund energy and defense. The pair found bids near May 2020’s lows (1.0810). An oversold RSI on the daily chart prompted sellers to take profit, easing the downward pressure. A rally above the immediate resistance at 1.0940 and a bullish MA cross may improve sentiment in the short term. However, buyers will need to clear the support-turned-resistance at 1.1160 before they could hope for a meaningful rebound. 1.0910 is the support in case of a pullback. GBPUSD inches higher The sterling claws back losses as risk appetite makes a timid return across the board. Following a three-month-long rebound on the daily chart, a lack of support at 1.3200 and a bearish MA cross shows strong selling pressure. A bounce-back above 1.3200 may only offer temporary relief as sellers potentially look to fade the rebound. 1.3350 is a key hurdle that sits along the 20-day moving average. 1.3080 is fresh support and its breach could trigger a new round of sell-off below the next daily support at 1.2880. USOIL breaks support WTI crude tumbled after the UAE said consider boosting production. The parabolic climb came to a halt at 129.00 and pushed the RSI into an extremely overbought condition on the daily chart. A bearish RSI divergence suggested a loss of momentum and foreshadowed a correction as traders would be wary of chasing the rally. A fall below 115.00 led buyers to bail out, triggering a wave of liquidation. 105.00 is the next support and a breakout could bring the price back to 95.00 near the 30-day moving average.
    DAX (GER 40) Has Lost About 3% Over last 24 hours. Mercedes (MBG), Delivery Hero (DHER) And BMW Have Decreased.

    DAX (GER 40) Has Lost About 3% Over last 24 hours. Mercedes (MBG), Delivery Hero (DHER) And BMW Have Decreased.

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 10.03.2022 14:39
    Five-day DAX Price Chart shows it went up after a significant decline few days ago. However, today’s daily chart shows there’s a small downtrend and many companies have decreased since yesterday. Significantly affected - two major automotive industries and Delivery Hero. All of presented charts are courtesy of TradingView.com GER 40 has caught the ‘ground level’, but still trades Ca. 8% lower than before warfare in the Eastern Europe as chart shows: But what about last 24 hours what triggers us mostly? A decline amounts to ca. 3%. Many of stocks have decreased by these three – BMW, MBG And DHER have done it significantly. Mercedes-Benz AG has declined by almost 6% BMW has neared the -7% level. Delivery Hero (DHER) has plunged by almost 6.5%, have a look at the chart below: Source: TradingView.com, Investing.com, Capital.com
    Not Passing Smell Test

    Not Passing Smell Test

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 10.03.2022 16:01
    S&P 500 tech driven upswing makes the advance a bit suspect, and prone to consolidation. I would have expected value to kick in to a much greater degree given the risk-on posture in the credit markets. The steep downswing in commodities and precious metals doesn‘t pass the smell test for me – just as there were little cracks in the dam warning of short-term vulnerability at the onset of yesterday, the same way there are signs of the resulting downswing being overdone now.And that has consequences for the multitude of open positions – the PMs and commodities super bull runs are on, and the geopolitics still support the notion of the next spike.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 turned around, and the volume isn‘t raising too many eyebrows. However, the bulls should have tempered price appreciation expectations, to put it politely...Credit MarketsHYG turned around, but isn‘t entirely convincing yet. We saw an encouraging first step towards risk-on turn that requires that the moves continue, which is unlikely today – CPI is here, and unlikely to disappoint the inflationistas.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals downswing looks clearly overdone, and I continue calling for a shallow, $1,980 - $2,000 range consolidation next. This gives you an idea not to expect steep silver discounts either. Miner are clear, and holding up nicely.Crude OilCrude oil downswing came, arguably way too steep one. Even oil stocks turned down in spite of the S&P 500 upswing, which is odd. I‘m looking for gradual reversal of yesterday‘s weakness in both.CopperCopper has made one of its odd moves on par with the late Jan long red candle one – I‘m looking for the weakness to be reversed, and not only in the red metal but within commodities as such.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos are giving up yesterday‘s upswing – they are dialing back the risk-on turn and rush out of the safe havens of late.SummaryThe S&P 500 dog indeed just had its day, but the price appreciation prospects are not looking too bright for today. With attention turning to CPI, and yesterday‘s „hail mary decline aka I don‘t need you anymore“ in the safe havens of late (precious metals, crude oil, wheat, and the dollar to name just a few) getting proper scrutiny, I‘m looking for gradual return to strength in all things real (real assets) – it‘s my reasonable assumption that the markets won‘t get surprised by an overwhelmingly positive headline from Eastern Europe at this point. Focusing on the underlying fundamentals and charts, I don‘t think so we have seen the real asset tops – precious metals are likely to do great on the continued inflation turning into stagflation (GDP growth figures being downgraded), and commodities are set to further benefit from geopolitics (among much else).Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    NZDUSD Trades Higher, XAGUSD Nears $25.50-26 Range, US 30 Chart Shows Fluctuations

    NZDUSD Trades Higher, XAGUSD Nears $25.50-26 Range, US 30 Chart Shows Fluctuations

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 11.03.2022 07:40
    NZDUSD consolidates gains The New Zealand dollar inched higher supported by roaring commodity prices. A break above the daily resistance at 0.6890 has put the kiwi back on track in the medium term. A bullish MA cross on the daily chart suggests an acceleration to the upside. As sentiment improves, the bulls may see the current consolidation as an opportunity to accumulate. A close above 0.6920 would extend the rally to 0.7050. 0.6800 is the first support and 0.6730 over the 30-day moving average a key demand zone. XAGUSD seeks support Silver consolidates amid ongoing geopolitical instability. A bearish RSI divergence suggests a deceleration in the rally. A tentative break below 25.40 has prompted some buyers to take profit. While sentiment remains optimistic, a correction might be necessary for the bulls to take a breather. The psychological level of 25.00 is a major demand zone. Its breach could send the precious metal to 24.30 which sits on the 30-day moving average. A rally above 26.90 could propel the price to last May’s highs around 28.50. US 30 struggles for buyers The Dow Jones 30 turned south after talks between Russia and Ukraine stalled again. A rebound above 34000 has provided some relief. Nonetheless, enthusiasm could be short-lived after the index gave up all recent gains. The prospect of a bear market looms if this turns out to be a dead cat bounce. A fall below 32300 could trigger another round of liquidation and push the Dow to a 12-month low at 30800. On the upside, 33500 is the first resistance. The bulls will need to lift offers around 34100 before they could attract more followers.
    S&P 500 – Should We Buy the Dip? - 10.03.2022

    S&P 500 – Should We Buy the Dip? - 10.03.2022

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 10.03.2022 15:40
      Stock prices remain very volatile, as the Ukraine conflict keeps dominating headlines. Will the market reverse its downtrend? The S&P 500 index gained 2.57% on Wednesday, Mar. 9, as it retraced some of the recent decline. The broad stock market’s gauge got back to the 4,300 level after bouncing from its Tuesday’s low of 4,157.87. On Feb. 24 the index fell to the local low of 4,114.65 and it was 704 points or 14.6% below the January 4 record high of 4,818.62. There’s still a lot of uncertainty concerning the ongoing Ukraine conflict. This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 1.3% lower and we may see further consolidation. The nearest important resistance level is now at 4,300, and the next resistance level is at 4,350-4,400, among others. On the other hand, the support level remains at 4,150-4,200. The S&P 500 index continues to trade above the recently broken downward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract – More Consolidation Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. Recently it broke below the short-term consolidation. On Tuesday it fell to around 4,150, before bouncing back to the 4,200-4,250 level. We are still maintaining our long position, as we are expecting an upward correction from the current levels (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index bounced yesterday, but this morning it is expected to open lower. We will likely see some more news-driven volatility. For now, it looks like an upward correction but it may also be a more meaningful upward reversal. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index retraced some of the recent decline, but we may see more volatility. We are maintaining our long position. We are expecting an upward correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    UK100 (FTSE 100) 24H Chart: Top 3 Losers: Coca-Cola HBC (CCH), FRES (Fresnillo PLC) And Associated British Foods (BF)

    UK100 (FTSE 100) 24H Chart: Top 3 Losers: Coca-Cola HBC (CCH), FRES (Fresnillo PLC) And Associated British Foods (BF)

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 11.03.2022 11:42
    It would be good to end this week with some positive news like stock rally. In general UK100 perform quite well, but one popular brand has lost ca. 1.5% over last 24 hours. All charts are courtesy of TradingView.com Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) Chart Fresnillo (FRES) Has Plunged deeper – the loses amount to ca. 3% Associated British Food (ABF) chart also shows a decline. The price has declined by ca. 1.5% as CCH has done Source: TradingView.com
    Price Of (SHIB) Shiba Inu In Times Of Inflation And The Conflict

    Price Of (SHIB) Shiba Inu In Times Of Inflation And The Conflict

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 11.03.2022 13:37
    Shiba Inu price action sees volume wearing thinner due to investors remaining sidelined as peace talks in Ukraine stall. SHIB bulls are a bit puzzled about what to do next as global worries on inflation and Ukraine are dampening any upward potential in SHIB price action. Expect to see the price go sideways to lower today, heading into the weekend. Shiba Inu (SHIB) price action has not been in a sweet spot for investors this week. With whipsawing price action and bears still sitting on lucrative gains, investors got burned several times on false breakouts and mixed signals coming from both the markets and price action in SHIB. Expect a large number of funds to stay sidelined as more peace talks get underway, but Russia’s stance of not wanting to meet Ukraine halfway, suggest those talks are likely to end in failure rather than success. Shiba Inu price reveals that bulls are not taking chances as new peace talks have no chance of succeeding Shiba Inu price action is on a slow downward burn after bulls got tempted in to what looked like a relief rally but instead turned out to be a full-fledged bull trap, squeezing bulls out of their positions, paring back all the gains accrued, and even making a new low for the week this morning. With the Relative Strength Index flatlining, it looks as if SHIB’s balance between bears and bulls is in gridlock as bulls do not want to engage without a clear positive catalyst, and bears are sitting on a pile of profits that they do not want to offload at the current levels. It will take either a breakthrough in peace talks or another catalyst to form some counterweight against the forecast of stagflation and further deterioration in Ukraine that is at the moment directing price action in Shiba Inu. SHIB price will test the new lows for this week and looks set to drop to the green ascending trend line near $0.00002108, which falls roughly in line with the low of February 24. Depending on how the US dollar behaves, expect to see some movement to the upside, but nowhere near the high of yesterday, so relatively muted below $0.00002400. Expect SHIB price action to go into the weekend within that price range, awaiting any headlines that could set the tone for next week. SHIB/USD daily chart If a breakthrough is made on some front, or some economic data opens a window of relief, expect to see a pop above $0.00002400, breaking the high of yesterday and opening up more upside towards $0.00002533, which is the 55-day Simple Moving Average (SMA). SHIB price action would print a new high for the week with this. As the red descending trend line is in the near vicinity, expect possible bulls to try and reach out to that level, near $0.00002636, for a test and possible break to the upside if the positive sentiment only gains traction going into the weekend.
    Natural Gas: When A Trade Plan Provides Consecutive Wins

    Natural Gas: When A Trade Plan Provides Consecutive Wins

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 11.03.2022 16:24
    From time to time, we may want to consider volatility as an ally. After all, why would highly volatile markets necessarily mean more losing trades?The first target was hit – BOOM! Today – just before the weekend – it is time to bank some profits from my recent trade projections (provided on March 2). Since then, the trade plan has provided our dear subscribers with multiple bounces to trade the NYMEX Natural Gas Futures (April contract) in various ways, always depending on each one’s personal risk profile.The first possibility is the swing trading with trailing stop method explained in my famous risk management article.Trade entry triggered on Tuesday, March 8 (firm rebound on yellow band), stop lifted once price extends beyond mid-point (median) price between first target and entry, thus ending at $4.607 (black dotted line), given the market closed at its daily high of $4.704 (purple dotted line) that same day and assuming you entered that long trade at $4.550 (top of the yellow band). That was a quick one that lasted only a couple hours for the day traders who closed their trades at the regular market close (two candles later, see below chart). For the swing traders, the win-stop was triggered the next day (Wednesday) on the following pull-back. Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, hourly chart)The second option is to scale the rebounds with fixed targets (active or experienced traders).This method consists of “riding the tails” (or the shadows). To get a better grasp of this concept, let’s zoom out on a 4H-chart so you can see the multiple rebounds of the price characterized by the shadows (or tails) of candlesticks, where a crowd of bulls are placing buy orders around that yellow support zone, therefore squeezing bears by pushing prices towards the upside (like some sort of rope pulling game). This trading style often requires stops to be tighter with some profit-to-risk ratio greater than 1.5 (with usually fixed targets). Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, 4H chart)Third possibility: position trading. This is probably the most passive trading style, as it would suit everyone’s busy timetable (and be the most rewarding). This is usually the one we privilege at Sunshine Profits since it allows us to provide trade projections some time in advance for our patient sniper traders to lock in their trading targets and take sufficient time to assess the associated risk with each projection as part of a full trade plan (or flying map).Let’s zoom out again to spot our first target getting hit today on a daily chart so we can have an overall view of the next target to be locked in while lifting our stop to breakeven (entry), previous swing low ($4.450) or using an Average True Range (ATR) ratio as some of you may like to use:Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart)That’s all folks for today. Have a great weekend!Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today!Thank you.Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist* * * * *The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Gold Likes Recessions - Could High Interest Rates Lead to One?

    Gold Likes Recessions - Could High Interest Rates Lead to One?

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 11.03.2022 16:52
    We live in uncertain times, but one thing is (almost) certain: the Fed’s tightening cycle will be followed by an economic slowdown – if not worse.There are many regularities in nature. After winter comes spring. After night comes day. After the Fed’s tightening cycle comes a recession. This month, the Fed will probably end quantitative easing and lift the federal funds rate. Will it trigger the next economic crisis?It’s, of course, more nuanced, but the basic mechanism remains quite simple. Cuts in interest rates, maintaining them at very low levels for a prolonged time, and asset purchases – in other words, easy monetary policy and cheap money – lead to excessive risk-taking, investors’ complacency, periods of booms, and price bubbles. On the contrary, interest rate hikes and withdrawal of liquidity from the markets – i.e., tightening of monetary policy – tend to trigger economic busts, bursts of asset bubbles, and recessions. This happens because the amount of risk, debt, and bad investments becomes simply too high.Historians lie, but history – never does. The chart below clearly confirms the relationship between the Fed’s tightening cycle and the state of the US economy. As one can see, generally, all recessions were preceded by interest rate hikes. For instance, in 1999-2000, the Fed lifted the interest rates by 175 basis points, causing the burst of the dot-com bubble. Another example: in the period between 2004 and 2006, the US central bank raised rates by 425 basis points, which led to the burst of the housing bubble and the Great Recession.One could argue that the 2020 economic plunge was caused not by US monetary policy but by the pandemic. However, the yield curve inverted in 2019 and the repo crisis forced the Fed to cut interest rates. Thus, the recession would probably have occurred anyway, although without the Great Lockdown, it wouldn’t be so deep.However, not all tightening cycles lead to recessions. For example, interest rate hikes in the first half of the 1960s, 1983-1984, or 1994-1995 didn’t cause economic slumps. Hence, a soft landing is theoretically possible, although it has previously proved hard to achieve. The last three cases of monetary policy tightening did lead to economic havoc.It goes without saying that high inflation won’t help the Fed engineer a soft landing. The key problem here is that the US central bank is between an inflationary rock and a hard landing. The Fed has to fight inflation, but it would require aggressive hikes that could slow down the economy or even trigger a recession. Another issue is that high inflation wreaks havoc on its own. Thus, even if untamed, it would lead to a recession anyway, putting the economy into stagflation. Please take a look at the chart below, which shows the history of US inflation.As one can see, each time the CPI annul rate peaked above 5%, it was either accompanied by or followed by a recession. The last such case was in 2008 during the global financial crisis, but the same happened in 1990, 1980, 1974, and 1970. It doesn’t bode well for the upcoming years.Some analysts argue that we are not experiencing a normal business cycle right now. In this view, the recovery from a pandemic crisis is rather similar to the postwar demobilization, so high inflation doesn’t necessarily imply overheating of the economy and could subsidy without an immediate recession. Of course, supply shortages and pent-up demand contributed to the current inflationary episode, but we shouldn’t forget about the role of the money supply. Given its surge, the Fed has to tighten monetary policy to curb inflation. However, this is exactly what can trigger a recession, given the high indebtedness and Wall Street’s addiction to cheap liquidity.What does it mean for the gold market? Well, the possibility that the Fed’s tightening cycle will lead to a recession is good news for the yellow metal, which shines the most during economic crises. Actually, recent gold’s resilience to rising bond yields may be explained by demand for gold as a hedge against the Fed’s mistake or failure to engineer a soft landing.Another bullish implication is that the Fed will have to ease its stance at some point in time when the hikes in interest rates bring an economic slowdown or stock market turbulence. If history teaches us anything, it is that the Fed always chickens out and ends up less hawkish than it promised. In other words, the US central bank cares much more about Wall Street than it’s ready to admit and probably much more than it cares about inflation.Having said that, the recession won’t start the next day after the rate liftoff. Economic indicators don’t signal an economic slump. The yield curve has been flattening, but it’s comfortably above negative territory. I know that the pandemic has condensed the last recession and economic rebound, but I don’t expect it anytime soon (at least rather not in 2022). It implies that gold will have to live this year without the support of the recession or strong expectations of it.Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today!Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    Intraday Market Analysis – The Canadian Dollar Recovers

    Intraday Market Analysis – The Canadian Dollar Recovers

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 14.03.2022 07:50
    USDCAD struggles for supportThe Canadian dollar surged after a sharp drop in February’s unemployment rate. A break above the recent peak at 1.2875 has consolidated the US dollar’s lead.The RSI’s repeatedly overbought condition has led to some profit-taking. As the indicator swung into the oversold area, a pullback attracted bargain hunters in the demand zone between 61.8% (1.2700) Fibonacci retracement level and 1.2680.A rally above 1.2840 may resume the rally and send the pair to December’s high at 1.2960.EURJPY attempts reversalThe euro continues upward after the ECB left the door open to an interest rate hike. A pop above 128.60 has prompted sellers to reconsider their bets.However, traders can expect strong bearish pressure in the supply zone around 129.20. This level overlays with the 20-day moving average, making it a congestion area.An overbought RSI has tempered the initial comeback and the bulls need to consolidate their positions before they could push further. 126.50 is key support and 124.40 a second line of defense to keep the pair afloat.UK 100 bounces backThe FTSE 100 recoups losses as Britain’s GDP beat expectations in January. The rebound has gained traction after it broke above 7200.After a brief pause, the index met buying interest over 7050 and a bullish MA cross indicates an acceleration to the upside. Sentiment remains cautious from the daily chart perspective though and the bears could be waiting to sell into strength.7450 at the origin of the latest sell-off is a major hurdle as its breach could turn the mood around. Otherwise, there could be a revision of 6800 soon.
    Blockchain Gaming - Where NFT, RPG And Layer 2 Meet

    Apple Co-Founder Speaks Of The Future Of Bitcoin Price

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 14.03.2022 08:42
    Bitcoin has decreased over the past week by 0.9%, ending it at around $38,700. Yesterday, the decline continued, bringing the price to 38500. Ethereum lost 0.7% in 24 hours and added 1.5% in a week. Other leading altcoins from the top ten show mixed dynamics over 24 hours: from a decline of 3.8% (XRP) to a rise of 3.3% (Terra). According to CoinMarketCap, the total capitalization of the crypto market decreased by 14% in 24 hours, to $1.72 trillion. The Bitcoin Dominance Index fell 0.1% to 42.4%. The FxPro Analyst Team emphasized that the Cryptocurrency fear and greed index added 2 points in a day to 23 and remains in "extreme fear" condition. In the first half of the past week, the first cryptocurrency tried to strengthen, testing five-day highs near $42,600. Later, BTC lost all gains, again being thrown back to support near $38,000. Pressure on all risky assets continues to be exerted due to the situation in Ukraine. One of the Apple founders, Steve Wozniak, said that bitcoin would reach $100,000, which will be facilitated by the general interest in cryptocurrency. At the same time, he has a negative attitude towards altcoins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has again rejected applications from the NYSE Arca and Cboe BZX Exchanges to create spot bitcoin ETFs due to non-compliance with US exchange law. El Salvador has announced that it will postpone the issuance of bonds in bitcoins in connection with the events in Eastern Europe. The received funds were planned to be used for the construction of the "Bitcoin City". Visiting the UAE, Russians massively sell cryptocurrency for billions of dollars. Earlier, FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized that the United States has vast experience in tracking cryptocurrencies, and Russia will not be able to use them to circumvent sanctions.  
    Credit Markets Keeps Downward Move, S&P 500 (SPX) Trades Lower Than Usual, Bitcoin (BTC) Price Is... Quite Stable (Sic!)

    Credit Markets Keeps Downward Move, S&P 500 (SPX) Trades Lower Than Usual, Bitcoin (BTC) Price Is... Quite Stable (Sic!)

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 14.03.2022 13:09
    S&P 500 bulls again missed the opportunity, and credit markets likewise. Not even the virtual certainty of only 25bp hike in Mar is providing much relief to the credit markets. Given that the real economy is considerably slowing down and that recession looks arriving before Q2 ends, the markets continue forcing higher rates (reflecting inflation). In a risk-on environment, value and cyclicals such as financials would be reacting positively, but that‘s not the case right now. At the same time, equal weighted S&P 500 (that‘s RSP) hasn‘t yet broken below its horizontal support above $145, meaning its posture isn‘t as bad as in the S&P 500. Should it however give, we‘re going considerably below 4,000. That‘s why today‘s article is titled hanging by a thread. Precious metals and commodities continue consolidating, and the least volatile appreciation opportunity presents the red metal. And it‘s not only about copper – crude oil market is going through supply realignment, and demand is not yet being destroyed on a massive scale. Coupled with the long-term underinvestment in exploration and drilling (US is no longer such a key producer as was the case in 2019), crude oil prices would continue rising on fundamentals, meaning the appreciation pace of Feb-Mar would slow down. Precious metals would have it easy next as the Fed is bound to be forced to make a U-turn in this very short tightening cycle (they didn‘t get far at all, and inflation expectations have in my view become unanchored already). Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bears won the day, and Nasdaq remains in a sorry state. 4,160s are the line in the sand, breaking which would accelerate the downswing. Inflation is cutting into the earnings, and stocks aren‘t going to like the coming Fed‘s message. Credit Markets HYG didn‘t keep at least stable – the pressure in the credit markets is ongoing, and the stock market bulls don‘t have much to rejoice over here. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals downswings are being bought, and are shallow. The sellers are running out of steam, and the opportunity to go somewhat higher next, is approaching. Crude Oil Crude oil is stabilizing, but it may take some time before the upswing continues with renewed vigor. As for modest extension of gains, we won‘t be disappointed. Copper Copper had one more day of fake weakness, but the lost gains of Friday would be made up for next – and given no speculative fever here to speak of, it would have as good lasting power as precious metals. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos remain undecided, but indicate a little breathing room, at least for today. Still, I wouldn‘t call it as risk-on constellation throughout the markets. Summary S&P 500 is getting in a precarious position, but the internals aren‘t (yet) a screaming sell. Credit markets continue leading lower, and the risk-off positioning is impossible to miss. Not even financials are able to take the cue, and rise. It‘s that the rise in yields mirrors the ingrained inflation, and just how entrenched it‘s becoming. No surprise if you were listening to me one year ago – the Fed‘s manouevering room got progressively smaller, and the table is set for the 2H 2022 inflation respite (think 5-6% year end on account of recessionary undercurrents) to be superseded with even higher inflation in 2023, because the Fed would be forced later this year to turn back to easing. Long live the precious metals and commodities super bulls! Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Tuesday's EUR/USD Analysis: Chaotic Movements on 30M Chart

    DAX (GER 40) Has Increased By Ca. 3% Since Friday. Deutsche Bank (DBK), Porsche (PAH3) And Volkswagen (VOW3) Have Gained The Most

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 14.03.2022 15:53
    It’s a quite good day for German most popular index. Charts - courtesy of TradingView.com There are three brands which should be definitely satisfied as shortly before markets closes… Deutsche Bank (DBK) has gone ca. 7.4% up: Porsche (PAH3) has added ca. 6%: Volkswagen has increased by ca. 5.2% Source: TradingView.com  
    Apple Stock News and Forecast: AAPL likely to see more supply chain disruptions, $120 price target

    Apple Stock News and Forecast: AAPL likely to see more supply chain disruptions, $120 price target

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 14.03.2022 15:57
    AAPL stock closed lower on Friday as fears over Ukraine escalation hit.Apple is likely to see more supply chain disruptions due to Chinese lockdowns.Inflation will also cause significant headaches for Apple's top brass.Apple's stock (AAPL) closed lower on Friday as initial optimism on peace talks was quickly washed away by reports of an escalation of the Russian conflict in Ukraine. The market closed lower for the Nasdaq and S&P 500, and most sectors were dragged lower. Apple was not immune to the selling pressure. Apple Stock NewsApple did stage a mid-week product release called Peak Performance. The company unveiled a lower-cost iPhone and some other products in the Mac and IPad space, but the show failed to generate much investor enthusiasm as geopolitical events remain dominant. The analyst community was reasonably impressed with the launch though with Loup stealing the show as they slapped a $250 price target on Apple."Apple remains our Top Pick in IT Hardware given durable fundamentals, predictable cash flows, additional 2022 product launches, and platform stability in an otherwise uncertain and volatile market backdrop," Morgan Stanley said as they put a $210 price target on the stock.However, we note the situation in China over the weekend where lockdowns are back in the cards as the country tries to contain the latest covid surge. According to Reuters, Foxconn has had to close its Shenzen factory, and that will be a hit to Apple's supply chain. The closure is expected to be brief, but the situation is fluid. Assuming this is the Omicron variant, then it is extremely transmissible compared to earlier versions where China was able to contain the circus using strict lockdowns. This is not a good look for Apple.Apple Stock ForecastApple stock is now likely to break the key support at $153.17 today as the market will take the lockdown news negatively. But more importantly, breaking this support at $153.17 means Apple will also break the 200-day moving average, which is set just above at $153.60. This adds yet more negative momentum to the picture. The move will likely slow as there is a lot of volume down here as we can see from the volume profile bars on the right of the chart. It does bring $138.31 as the next target though. The declining Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) are confirming the bearish trend.Apple chart, daily
    Increase Of Whales Wallets And California's Digital Financial Assets Law

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Crypto markets in disarray

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 14.03.2022 15:57
    Bitcoin price loses momentum as it slides back into consolidation along the $36,398 to $38,895 demand zone. Ethereum price slides below a symmetrical triangle, hinting at a move below $2,000. Ripple price remains bullish as bulls eye a retest of $1 psychological level. Bitcoin price continues to tag the immediate demand area, weakening it. Despite the sudden bursts in buying pressure, BTC seems to be in consolidation mode. Ethereum price has triggered a bearish outlook while Ripple price shows signs of heading higher. Also read: Gold Price Forecast: Lower lows hinting at a steeper decline Bitcoin price moves with no sense of direction Bitcoin price dips into the $36,398 to $38,895 demand zone for the fourth time without producing any higher highs. This price action is indicative of a consolidation and is likely to breach lower. A daily candlestick close below $36,398 will invalidate the demand zone and knock BTC to retest the weekly support level at $34,752, which is the last line of defense. A breakdown of this barrier will open the path for bears to crash Bitcoin price to $30,000 or lower. Here, market makers will push BTC below $29,100 to collect liquidity resting below the equal lows formed in mid-2021. BTC/USD 1-day chart While things look inauspicious for Bitcoin price, a strong bounce off the said demand zone that retests the weekly supply zone, ranging from $45,550 to $51,860, will provide some relief for bulls. Ethereum price favors bears Ethereum price action from January 22 to March 4 created three lower highs and higher lows, which, when connected via trend lines, resulted in a symmetrical triangle formation. This technical formation forecasts a 26% move obtained by measuring the distance between the first swing high and swing low to the breakout point. On March 6, ETH breached below, signaling a bearish breakout, which puts the theoretical target at $1,962. A breakdown of the weekly support level at $2,541 is vital; a breakdown of this barrier will expedite the move lower. ETH/USD 1-day chart Regardless of the recent onslaught of bearishness, Ethereum price needs to produce a daily candlestick close above $3,413 to invalidate the bullish thesis. Such a development will also open the possibility of kick-starting a potential uptrend. https://youtu.be/-U0QTf_NwnI Ripple price maintains its bullish momentum Ripple price traverses a bull flag continuation pattern, a breakout from which hints at a continuation of the uptrend. This technical formation contains an impulsive move higher followed by a consolidation in the form of a pennant. The 55% rally between February 3 and 8 formed a bullish flag pole continuation pattern, and the consolidation that ensued in the form of lower highs and higher lows created the pennant. Together, the bullish setup forecasts a 31% ascent for XRP price, obtained by adding the flag pole’s height to the breakout point from the pennant. On March 11, Ripple price broke out from the pennant, signaling the start of the 31% uptrend to $1. So far, the retest seems to be holding up well, so investors can expect the remittance token to continue its journey higher to the $1 psychological level. XRP/USD 1-day chart A daily candlestick close below the immediate demand zone, ranging from $0.689 to $0.705, will create a lower low and invalidate the bullish thesis for Ripple price. In such a case, XRP has the twelve-hour demand zone, extending from $0.546 to $0.633 to support any residual selling pressure. https://youtu.be/rCFQmMHWJZ4
    Are Current Market Cycles Similar To The GFC Of 2007–2009?

    Are Current Market Cycles Similar To The GFC Of 2007–2009?

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 14.03.2022 16:14
    Soaring real estate, rising volatility, surging commodities and slumping stocks - Sound Familiar?This past week marked the 13th anniversary of the bottom of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007-2009. The March 6, 2009 stock market low for the S&P 500 marked a staggering overall value loss of 51.9%.The GFC of 2007-09 resulted from excessive risk-taking by global financial institutions, which resulted in the bursting of the housing market bubble. This, in turn, led to a vast collapse of mortgage-back securities resulting in a dramatic worldwide financial reset.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! IS HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF?The following graph shows us that precious metals and energy outperform the stock market as the ‘Bull’ cycle reaches its maturity. The stock market is always the first to lead, the second being the economy, and the third, being the commodity markets. But history has shown that commodity markets can move up substantially as the stock market ‘Bull’ runs out of steam.The current commodities rally in Gold began August 2021, Crude Oil April 2020, and Wheat in January 2022. Interestingly we started seeing capital outflows in the SPY-SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF in early January 2022, and the DRN-Direxion Daily Real Estate Bull 3x Shares ETF starting back in late December 2021.LET’S SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STOCK AND COMMODITY MARKETS IN 2007-2008SPY - SPDR S&P 500 TRUST ETFFrom August 17, 2007 to July 3, 2008: SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust depreciated -20.12%The State Street Corporation designed SPY for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Stock Index. According to State Street’s website www.ssga.com, the Benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, comprises selected stocks from five hundred (500) issuers, all of which are listed on national stock exchanges and span over approximately 24 separate industry groups.DBC – INVESCO DB COMMODITY INDEX TRACING FUND ETFFrom August 17 2007 to July 3, 2008: Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund appreciated +96.81%Invesco designed DBC for investors who want a cost-effective and convenient way to invest in commodity futures. According to Invesco’s website www.invesco.com, the Index is a rules-based index composed of futures contracts on 14 of the most heavily traded and important physical commodities in the world.BE ALERT: THE US FEDERAL RESERVE POLICY MEETING IS THIS WEEK!In February, the inflation rate rose to 7.9% as food and energy costs pushed prices to their highest level in more than 40 years. If we exclude food and energy, core inflation still rose 6.4%, which was the highest since August 1982. Gasoline, groceries, and housing were the most significant contributors to the CPI gain. The consumer price index is the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households.The FED was expected to raise interest rates by as much as 50 basis points at its policy meeting this week, March 15-16. However, given the recent world events of the Russia – Ukraine war in Europe, the FED may decide to be more cautious and raise rates by only 25 basis points.HOW WILL RISING INTEREST RATES AFFECT THE STOCK MARKET?As interest rates rise, the cost of borrowing becomes more expensive. Rising interest rates tend to affect the market immediately, while it may take about 9-12 months for the rest of the economy to see any widespread impact. Higher interest rates are generally negative for stocks, with the exception of the financial sector.WILL RISING INTEREST RATES BURST OUR HOUSING BUBBLE?It is too soon to tell exactly what the impact of rising interest rates will be regarding housing. It is worth noting that in a thriving economy, consumers continue buying. However, in our current economy, where the consumers' monthly payment is not keeping up with the price of gasoline and food, it is more likely to experience a leveling off of residential prices or even the risk of a 2007-2009 repeat of price depreciation.THE POTENTIAL FOR OUTSIZED GAINS IN A BEAR MARKET ARE 7X GREATER THAN A BULL MARKET!The average bull market lasts 2.7 years. From the March low of 2009, the current bull market has established a new record as the longest-running bull market at 12 years and nine months. The average bear market lasts just under ten months, while a few have lasted for several years. It is worth noting that bear markets tend to fall 7x faster than bull markets go up. Bear markets also reflect elevated levels of volatility and investor emotions which contribute significantly to the velocity of the market drop.WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE CURRENT MARKET TRENDS?Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24 months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe we are seeing the markets beginning to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into metals, commodities, and other safe havens.IT'S TIME TO GET PREPARED FOR THE COMING STORM; UNDERSTAND HOW TO NAVIGATE THESE TYPES OF MARKETS!I invite you to learn more about how my three Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    EURUSD Has Climbed A Bit, DAX (GER40) Has Moved Up Slightly, AUDUSD Chart Shows A Small Downtrend

    EURUSD Has Climbed A Bit, DAX (GER40) Has Moved Up Slightly, AUDUSD Chart Shows A Small Downtrend

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 15.03.2022 08:02
    EURUSD struggles to rebound The US dollar bounces across the board as the Fed may possibly raise interest rates on Wednesday. The pair found support near May 2020’s lows around 1.0800. The RSI’s oversold condition on the daily chart prompted the bears to take some chips off the table, alleviating the pressure. 1.1110 is a fresh resistance and its breach could lift offers to 1.1270. In fact, this could turn sentiment around in the short term. Failing that, a break below 1.0830 could trigger a new round of sell-off towards March 2020’s lows near 1.0650. AUDUSD lacks support The Australian dollar slipped after dovish RBA minutes. The pair continues to pull back from its recent top at 0.7430. A drop below the demand zone at 0.7250 further puts the bulls on the defensive. The former support has turned into a resistance level. 0.7170 at the origin of a previous breakout is key support. An oversold RSI may raise buyers’ interest in this congestion area. A deeper correction could invalidate the recent rebound and send the Aussie to the daily support at 0.7090. GER 40 attempts to rebound The Dax 40 edges higher as Russia and Ukraine hold a fourth round of talks. The index bounced off the demand zone (12500) from the daily chart, a sign that price action could be stabilizing. The supply zone around the psychological level of 14000 sits next to the 20-day moving average, making it an important hurdle. A tentative breakout may have prompted sellers to cover. 14900 would be the target if the rebound gains momentum. On the downside, 13300 is fresh support, and 12720 is the second line of defense.
    Have Stocks Reached the Bottom?

    Have Stocks Reached the Bottom?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 15.03.2022 14:44
      The S&P 500 index extended its Friday’s decline yesterday, but it remained within a week-long volatile consolidation. Is this a medium-term bottoming pattern? The broad stock market index lost 0.74% on Monday, Mar. 14, after its Friday’s decline of 1.3%. The market bounced from the short-term resistance level of 4,300 and it extended a volatile consolidation following the early March sell-off from the 4,400 level. Last week on Tuesday it reached the local low of 4,157.87 and then we’ve seen a rebound to the 4,300 level. Yesterday the S&P 500 came back below the 4,200 level again. The market is closer to the Feb. 24 local low of 4,114.65. It was 704 points or 14.6% below the January 4 record high of 4,818.62 then. There’s still a lot of uncertainty concerning the ongoing Ukraine conflict. This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.5% higher following lower than expected Producer Price Index release. The market will be waiting for the important tomorrow’s FOMC Statement release, and we may see some further consolidation. The nearest important resistance level is now at around 4,200. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,100-4,150. The S&P 500 index continues to trade slightly above the recently broken downward trend line, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract Trades Along the Previous Lows Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. Today it is bouncing from the 4,140 level. It’s a support level marked by the previous local low. The support level is also at 4,100. We are still maintaining our long position, as we are expecting an upward correction from the current levels (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index will likely bounce this morning following better-than-expected producers’ inflation data release. The market may extend its volatile consolidation and we may see more uncertainty, as investors will be waiting for the Wednesday’s FOMC Statement release. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index will likely bounce this morning, but we may see some more short-term uncertainty. We are maintaining our long position (opened on Feb. 22). We are still expecting an upward correction from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    (XAUUSD) Price Of Gold And Price Of Silver (XAGUSD) Decreases...

    (XAUUSD) Price Of Gold And Price Of Silver (XAGUSD) Decreases...

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 15.03.2022 14:12
      In line with predictions, gold is ceasing to benefit from war-fueled uncertainty. Meanwhile, silver faked another breakout. Could it be more bearish?  Last week’s powerful, huge-volume reversal in gold was likely to be followed by declines. It was – but that’s just the beginning. Yesterday’s $24 decline might seem significant on a day-to-day basis, but compared to last week’s enormous reversal, it’s really tiny. The modest extent of yesterday’s decline is by no means bullish – my emphasis on the small size of the decline so far should be viewed as an indication that much more is likely on the horizon. Besides, gold was down by about $20 in today’s pre-market trading. As I wrote yesterday, gold’s breakout above $2,000 was officially invalidated, and given the weekly reversal, it seems that the war-uncertainty-based rally is over. The decisive move below 70 in the RSI indicator after it was trading above 70 clearly confirms that the top is already behind us. Just like it was in 2020 and 2021 when similar things happened, history appears to have rhymed. On Friday, I wrote the following: Gold’s move of $0.40 (yes, forty cents) above $2,000 is not important as the breakout above this level was just invalidated the previous day. Technically, this is another attempt to break above this level, which is likely to be invalidated based on what we see in today’s pre-market trading. The fact that I would like to emphasize today is that this kind of small rebound after the initial slide is common and perfectly normal for gold. We saw exactly the same thing right after gold’s 2020 top and after its 2021 top, and also two more times in 2021 (as marked on the above chart). This means that yesterday’s upswing is not particularly bullish. It’s a normal post-top reaction. Lower gold values are to be expected. Silver declined yesterday, and it closed the day below its late-2021 high. In other words, the breakout above this level was invalidated. This is a strong bearish confirmation from the white metal. The white metal just invalidated the move above its 61.8% Fibonacci retracement. That’s bearish on its own, but let’s keep in mind that it happened right after silver outperformed gold. Last Tuesday, the GDXJ ETF was up by less than 1%, gold was up by 2.37%, and silver was up by 4.57%. Silver’s outperformance and miners’ underperformance is what we tend to see right at the tops. That’s exactly what it was – a top. Silver declined profoundly, and the attempt to break above its 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level will soon be just a distant (in terms of price) memory. On a medium-term basis, silver was simply weak relative to gold, but we saw short-term outperformance. In short, that was and continues to be bearish. As far as silver’s big picture is concerned, please note that it also provides us with a confirmation of the analogy between 2012 and now. At the turn of the year in 2011/2012, there was a cyclical turning point in silver, and we saw a sizable decline in silver shortly thereafter. The same happened in 2021, after silver’s cyclical turning point. Back in 2012, silver declined more or less to its previous lows and then rallied back up, but it didn’t reach its previous top. It more or less rallied to its 50-week moving average and then by about the same amount before topping. Recently, we saw exactly the same thing. After the initial decline, silver bottomed close to its previous lows, and most recently it rallied to its 50-week moving average and then by about the same amount before topping – below the previous high. Thus, the situation is just like what it was during the 2012 top in all three key components of the precious metals sector: gold, silver, and mining stocks. We have a situation in the general stock market that points to an even quicker slide than what we saw in 2012-2013. If stocks slide sharply and significantly just like in 2008, then the same fate may await the precious metals sector – just like in 2008. In this case, silver and mining stocks (in particular, junior mining stocks) would be likely to fall in a spectacular manner. All the above was confirmed by silver’s invalidation of its breakout above the late-2021 high. Not only has the medium-term outlook been bearish, but now the short-term outlook for silver is bearish too. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    XAUUSD Decreases, Russia-Ukraine Conflict Remains, Fed Decides

    XAUUSD Decreases, Russia-Ukraine Conflict Remains, Fed Decides

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 15.03.2022 14:13
      It seems that the stalemate in Ukraine has slowed down gold's bold movements. Will the Fed's decision on interest rates revive them again?  The tragedy continues. As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said yesterday, “Ukraine is on fire and being decimated before the eyes of the world.” There have already been 1,663 civilian casualties since the Russian invasion began. What is comforting in this situation is that Russian troops have made almost no advance in recent days (although there has been some progress in southern Ukraine). They are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to offer staunch resistance across the country. So, it seems that there is a kind of stalemate. The Russians don’t have enough forces to break decisively through the Ukrainian defense, while Ukraine’s army doesn’t have enough troops to launch an effective counteroffensive and get rid of the occupiers. Now, the key question is: in whose favor is time working? On the one hand, Russia is mobilizing fighters from its large country, but also from Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh. The invaders continue indiscriminate shelling and air attacks that cause widespread destruction among civilian population as well. On the other hand, each day Russian army suffers heavy losses, while Ukraine is getting new weapons from the West.   Implications for Gold How is gold performing during the war? As the chart below shows, the recent stabilization of the military situation in Ukraine has been negative for the yellow metal. The price of gold slid from its early March peak of $2,039 to $1,954 one week later (and today, the price is further declining). However, please note that gold makes higher highs and higher lows, so the outlook remains rather positive, although corrections are possible. On the other hand, gold’s slide despite the ongoing war and a surge in inflation could be a little disturbing. However, the reason for the decline is simple. It seems that the uncertainty reached its peak last week and has eased since then. As the chart below shows, the CBOE volatility index, also called a fear index, has retreated from its recent peak. The Russian troops have made almost no progress, the most severe response of the West is probably behind us, and the world hasn’t sunk into nuclear war. Meanwhile, the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are taking place, offering some hope for a relatively quick end to the war. As I wrote last week, “there might be periods of consolidation and even corrections if the conflict de-escalates or ends.” The anticipation of tomorrow’s FOMC meeting could also contribute to the slide in gold prices. However, the chart above also shows that credit spreads, another measure of risk perception, have continued to widen in recent days. Other fundamental factors also remain supportive of gold prices. Let’s take, for instance, inflation. As the chart below shows, the annual CPI rate has soared from 7.5% in January to 7.9% in February, the largest move since January 1982. Meanwhile, the core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, surged from 6.0% to 6.4% last month, also the highest reading in forty years. The war in Ukraine can only add to the inflationary pressure. Prices of oil and other commodities have already soared. The supply chains got another blow. The US Congress is expanding its spending again to help Ukraine. Thus, the inflation peak would likely occur later than previously thought. High inflation may become more embedded, which increases the odds of stagflation. All these factors seem to be fundamentally positive for gold prices. There is one “but”. The continuous surge in inflation could prompt monetary hawks to take more decisive actions. Tomorrow, the FOMC will announce its decision on interest rates, and it will probably hike the federal funds rate by 25 basis points. The hawkish Fed could be bearish for gold prices. Having said that, historically, the Fed’s tightening cycle has been beneficial to the yellow metal when accompanied by high inflation. Last time, the price of gold bottomed out around the liftoff. Another issue is that, because of the war in Ukraine, the Fed could adopt a more dovish stance and lift interest rates in a more gradual way, which could be supportive of gold prices. The military situation in Ukraine and tomorrow’s FOMC meeting could be crucial for gold’s path in the near future. The hike in interest rates is already priced in, but the fresh dot-plot and Powell’s press conference could bring us some unexpected changes in US monetary policy. Stay tuned! If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    The Bitcoin Market Is Now Developing The Corrective Cycle To The Downside

    Bitcoin Price Charts: BTC/XAUUSD And BTCUSDT - 15/03/22

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 15.03.2022 14:39
    Bitcoin is needed as an alternative   The weakened US-Dollar and the present unexpected climate seems not being fully reflected in bitcoin´s price. Consequently, bitcoin prices could soar in the not too distant future. Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart, bottom building: Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart as of March 15th, 2022. A phenomenon in times of crisis is that individuals look for absolutes or extremes to resolve difficult circumstances. We instead advocate a more principle-based process of solving problems, an approach of choices. Regarding wealth preservation, this would mean gold and silver alongside bitcoin. The daily chart of the bitcoin/gold-ratio shows the bottom building after a downtrend. Currently, one can purchase a bitcoin for twenty ounces of gold. Nearly half as much as five months ago. Indeed, an opportunity to rotate one’s precious metal holding partially into a cheap bitcoin acquisition.     Bitcoin, monthly chart, in waiting position: Bitcoin in USD, monthly chart as of March 15th, 2022. War inherently divides nations, and that does not mean limiting only the ones directly in conflict with each other. It is this divide that, in addition, fuels the competition for each nation to be first in their digital currency release. Sanctioned countries have limited access to the US-Dollar. Consequently, they are highly motivated to create an alternate payment method. The monthly chart is not showing this fundamental support for bitcoin. Early signs of a triangle show that we find likely to break to the upside. Slow stochastic indicator reading (A) shows that the last time around at these levels, a strong up move followed. Similar to the yellow CCI turbo line-level reading (B). Before such a move, we witnessed a quick price spike down (C), which would be no surprise. Bitcoin, weekly chart, bitcoin as an alternative is needed: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 15th, 2022. Zooming into the weekly time frame, we can make out the battle between bulls and bears in more detail. Over the last three weeks, prices were rejected above the POC (point of control = high volume node, where our volume profile analysis ranges over the previous fifteen months). As well, price behavior is reflecting the war climate’s uncertainty. At the same time, the bulls have held steady any attempt of the bears trying to push prices below US$37,500. Hence, we should see a substantial move once trading snaps out of this “magnet trading” to the high-volume node. Bitcoin, daily chart, gains and volatility: Bitcoin in USD, daily chart as of March 15th, 2022. The daily chart of bitcoin above describes how we see the future unfold. We anticipate the price to reach all-time highs within the upcoming month. Unfortunately, not in bitcoins typical swing trading manner. We foresee a choppy, volatile market. Consequently, short and midterm trading will be challenging. Stepping up in time frame is a helpful approach to avoid the noise. Bitcoin is needed as an alternative: Governments will try to keep their monopolies and power. However, we don’t think that the adoption of a digital dollar by the masses will not be that easy. We find this especially true to be in a highly transitory time of rapid changes and many challenges. Typically, multiple propaganda waves through media have bridged such doubt but might have lost some of its trustworthiness. Consequently, bitcoin has a fair chance for mass adoption just as well. It already has a history and carries inherent features of freedom that people might long for more than anticipated.   Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 15th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    USDCHF Nears 0.940 Levels, EURGBP Keeps Its "Stability", USOIL Is Like A Benchmark For Geopolitical Situation

    USDCHF Nears 0.940 Levels, EURGBP Keeps Its "Stability", USOIL Is Like A Benchmark For Geopolitical Situation

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 16.03.2022 08:11
    USDCHF breaks major resistance The US dollar continues upward as the Fed is set to increase its interest rates by 25bp. The rally sped up after it cleared the daily resistance at 0.9360. The bullish breakout may have ended a 9-month long consolidation from the daily chart perspective. The rising trendline confirms the optimism and acts as an immediate support. Solid momentum could propel the greenback to April 2021’s high at 0.9470. Buyers may see a pullback as an opportunity to jump in. 0.9330 is the closest support should this happen. EURGBP tests key resistance The sterling found support after a drop in Britain’s unemployment rate in January. A break above the daily resistance at 0.8400 has prompted sellers to cover, easing the downward pressure. Sentiment remains downbeat unless buyers push the single currency past 0.8475. In turn, this could pave the way for a reversal in the weeks to come. Otherwise, the bears might double down and drive the euro back into its downtrend. A fall below 0.8360 would force early bulls to liquidate and trigger a sell-off to 0.8280. USOIL drops towards key support WTI crude falls back over a new round of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine. Previously, a bearish RSI divergence indicated a loss of momentum as the price went parabolic. Then a steep fall below 107.00 was a sign of liquidation. Buyers continue to unwind their positions as the price slides back to its pre-war level. The psychological level of 90.00 is an important support on the daily chart. An oversold RSI may attract buying interest in this demand zone. 105.00 is the first resistance before buyers could regain control.
    Snowball‘s Chance in Hell

    Snowball‘s Chance in Hell

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 16.03.2022 15:40
    S&P 500 is turning around, and odds are that would be so till the FOMC later today. The pressure on Powell to be really dovish, is on. I‘m looking for a lot of uncerrtainty and flexibility introduction, and much less concrete rate hikes talk that wasn‘t sufficient to crush inflation when the going was relatively good, by the way.As stated yesterday:(…) The rising tide of fundamentals constellation favoring higher real asset prices, would continue kicking in, especially when the markets sense a more profound Fed turn than we saw lately with the 50bp into 25bp for Mar FOMC. Make no mistake, the inflation horse has left the barn well over a year ago, and doesn‘t intend to come back or be tamed.Not that real assets including precious metals would be reversing on a lasting basis here – the markets are content that especially black gold keeps flowing at whatever price, to whatever buyer(s) willing to clinch the deal. Sure, it‘s exerting downward pressure on the commodity, but I‘m looking for the extraordinary weakness to be reversed.We‘re seeing such a reversal in commodities already, and precious metals have a „habit“ of joining around the press conference. Yesterday‘s performance of miners and copper, provides good enough a hint.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 upswing looks like it can go on for a while. Interestingly, it was accompanied by oil stocks declining – have we seen THE risk-on turn? This looks to be a temporary reprieve unless the Fed really overdelivers in dovishness.Credit MarketsHYG is catching some bid, and credit markets are somewhat supporting the risk-on turn. Yields though don‘t look to have put in a top just yet, which means the stock market bears would return over the coming days.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals are looking very attractive, and the short-term bottom appears at hand – this is the way they often trade before the Fed. I‘m fully looking for gold and silver to regain initiative following the cautious and dovish Fed tone.Crude OilCrude oil didn‘t test the 50-day moving average, and I would expect the bulls to step in here – after all, the Fed can‘t print oil, and when they go dovish, the economy just doesn‘t crash immediately...CopperCopper is refusing to decline, and the odd short-term weakness would be reversed – and the same goes for broader commodities, which have been the subject of my recent tweet.Bitcoin and EthereumCryptos aren‘t fully risk-on, but cautiously giving the bulls benefit of the doubt. Not without a pinch of salt, though.SummaryS&P 500 bulls are on the (short-term) run, and definitely need more fuel from the Fed. Significant dovish turn – they would get some, but it wouldn‘t be probably enough to carry risk-on trades through the weekend. The upswing is likely to stall before that, and commodities with precious metals would catch a fresh bid already today. This would be coupled with the dollar not making any kind of upside progress to speak of. The true Fed turn towards easing is though far away still (more than a few months away) – the real asset trades are about patience and tide working in the buyers favor. The yield curve remains flat as a pancake, and more stagflation talk isn‘t too far...Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Bitcoin price undergoes sharp fade as bulls storm out of the gate

    Bitcoin price undergoes sharp fade as bulls storm out of the gate

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 16.03.2022 16:28
    Bitcoin price action jumped 7% but fell back sharply in European trading.BTC price action looks to be set to jump above $41,756.61 once the US session kicks in.Expect to see a further continuation of this price jump throughout the week as long as positive signals come from the ongoing talks in Russia.Bitcoin (BTC) price action is performing a countercyclical move this morning as Asian bulls storm out of the gate on positive-speak from the Chinese government. From now on into the European session, gains are still present but have faded slightly. Expect to see a subsequent round of wins coming in during the US session and going further into this week as long as positive signals are communicated independently from both sides in Ukraine and Russia peace talks.Bitcoin price sees bulls swimming against the tideBitcoin price action seems to have awakened many investors who fell asleep staring at their television screen for the past three weeks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As they pulled out their money and went long cash, cryptocurrencies dried up a bit and were left to the mercy of bears. Today a few bears will be licking their wounds as bulls have gone in for a push higher as more positive signals come from both Ukraine and Russia on talks, and markets are getting used to the war headlines as everything looks to be priced in. BTC price action technically got rejected to the upside at $41,756.61, the base of a bearish triangle that formed a few weeks ago. Expect this fade in early trading to provide a window of opportunity for European and American bulls to join the rally and ramp up the price above $41,756.61, where a close above will be key this evening. If trading can start on Thursday with an opening price above $41,756.61, expect to see another leg higher by tomorrow evening, near $44,088.73 and even $45,261.84 by Friday.BTC/USD daily chartThe risk could be that the current fade, after the rejection at $41,756.61, could topple into a deeper loss if bears push the price below the opening price. This would trigger panic amongst bulls that got in and will have them remember the same scenario that happened exactly one week ago on Wednesday with a false breakout and a full paring back, and even eking out further losses the day after. Expect bulls to exit instantly once BTC price action prints red numbers, and this to spiral into a setback for BTC price towards $38,703.32 or even $36,709.19.
    Oil Prices Keep Falling. Is It Time to Get Long on Black Gold?

    Oil Prices Keep Falling. Is It Time to Get Long on Black Gold?

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 16.03.2022 16:43
      Crude oil continues to decline due to lowered demand, and the petrodollar seems threatened, losing interest. What is the best strategy to take now?  Oil prices kept falling this week, driven by potential progress in Ukraine-Russia talks and a potential slowdown in the Giant Panda’s (China) economic growth due to epidemic lockdowns in some regions where a surge of Omicron was observed. As I mentioned in my previous article, India considers getting Russian crude oil supplies and other commodities at a reduced price by settling transactions through a rupee/rouble payment system. Meanwhile, we keep getting rumors – notably reported by The Wall Street Journal – that Saudi Arabia and China are also currently discussing pricing some Saudi oil exports directly in yuan. The Chinese are actively seeking to dethrone the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and this latest development suggests that the petrodollar is now under threat. US Dollar Currency Index (DXY) CFD (daily chart) The recent correction in crude oil, happening just seven days after reaching its 14-year highs, might show some signs that the conflict in Ukraine will slow down consumption. On the other hand, if Iranian and Venezuelan barrels flooded the market, we could see crude oil, petroleum products, and distillates turning into new bear markets. WTI Crude Oil (CLJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) Brent Crude Oil (BRNK22) Futures (May contract, daily chart) RBOB Gasoline (RBJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) That’s all folks for today – happy trading! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    XAUUSD After Fed Decision, NZDUSD And CADJPY Climbs

    XAUUSD After Fed Decision, NZDUSD And CADJPY Climbs

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 17.03.2022 08:15
    XAUUSD stabilizes Gold struggles as the Fed maps out aggressive tightening. The precious metal has given up all its gains from the previous parabolic rise, which suggests a lack of commitment to support the rally. The price is testing the origin of the bullish breakout at 1907 which coincides with the 30-day moving average. An oversold RSI attracted some buying interest. 1961 is the hurdle ahead before a rebound could materialize. Further down, 1880 is key support on the daily chart and its breach could reverse the course in the weeks to come. NZDUSD attempts rebound The New Zealand dollar found support from a rebound in commodity prices. The pair saw solid bids in the demand zone around 0.6725 and right over the 30-day moving average. A bullish RSI divergence showed a deceleration in the pullback, which would have caught buyers’ attention in this congestion area. A close above 0.6800 has prompted short-term sellers to cover and leave the door open for a rebound. 0.6870 is the last major resistance and a bullish breakout could propel the kiwi past the recent peak at 0.6920. CADJPY breaks key resistance The Canadian dollar shot higher after February’s CPI beat expectations. A break above last October’s high at 93.00 could be an ongoing signal to end a 5-month long consolidation. The RSI’s double top in the overbought area may temporarily hold the bulls back. As sentiment turns overwhelmingly upbeat, buyers may be eager to jump in at a discounted price. The supply-turned-demand zone near 91.60 is an important level to safeguard the breakout. The psychological level of 94.00 could see resistance.
    Binance Academy: Non-fungible Tokens: $69 Millions For An NFT!? NFT - What Is It?

    Non-fungible Token Of Instagram!? Bitcoin (BTC) Trades Quite High

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 17.03.2022 08:53
    Instagram will implement NFT in a couple of months, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg said. Despite the loud statement, it should be noted that all of Zuckerberg's projects related to digital assets previously failed and did not find wide support from the digital community. The head of Meta has a good sense of trends of social networks, augmented reality or metaverses, and in the latter two, there are more and more fast-growing projects. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is up nearly 4% over the past 24 hours to $41K. Ethereum added 4.7% to $2.75K, while Terra is out of the range, losing 0.6% in 24 hours, and other leading altcoins from the top ten add from 3.5% (XRP) to 9.8% (Avalanche). The total capitalization of the crypto market, according to CoinMarketCap, grew by 4% over the day, to $1.82 trillion. The Bitcoin Dominance Index rose 0.2 points to 42.8%. The crypto-currency index of fear and greed added 3 more points in a day, to 27, moving from extreme anxiety to just fear. The FxPro Analyst Team mentioned that demand for bitcoin was supported by it rising for the second day in a row. It was helped by the strengthening of stock indices and the weakening of the dollar. On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve raised rates by 0.25%, but the comments made by market participants seemed softer than expected, which caused the dollar to fall. According to Glassnode, $1.2 billion worth of bitcoin was withdrawn from the Coinbase crypto exchange in just a week. This is the largest net outflow since July 2017, which signals the mood of investors for long-term storage of the asset. Despite the positive dynamics in recent days, Bitcoin has been trading in a sideways range between $37K and $42K for almost the entire month of March, unable to choose a further direction. Since the last days of February, there has been a solid support line on the declines under $38K. And this is bullish strength, reflecting that long-term buyer interest has migrated from $30K to $38K due to inflation and geopolitical tensions. Such a migration of the level of interest to long-term buyers fully reflects the price jump, which is the actual depreciation of the value of fiat currencies.
    The release of Chinese GDP, Bank of Canada interest rate decision and more - InstaForex talks the following week (part I)

    Hang Seng Index (HSI) Has Increased Significantly Yesterday

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 17.03.2022 13:08
    THE SHANGHAI COMPOSITE INDEX HAS DROPPED MORE THAN 40% FROM ITS PEAK IN JUST 2 ½ MONTHS! China Stocks: This morning bottom pickers around the globe are snatching up what they believe to be “bargain basement priced stocks” as the Hang Seng Index gained 9.1% during today’s March 16, 2022 trading session. It was the best day for the HSI since the 2008 financial crisis as the Chinese government pledged to support markets. Tensions are running high as Chinese nickel giant Tsingshan Holding Group, the world’s biggest producer of nickel used in stainless steel and electric-vehicle batteries was sitting on $8 billion in trading losses. According to the Wall Street Journal on March 9, 2022 “The London Metal Exchange suspended the nickel market early last Tuesday, the first time it had paused trading in a metal contract since the collapse of an international tin cartel in 1985. The decision followed a near doubling in prices over a few hours.” ETFs CAN BE USED SPECIFICALLY FOR SEASONS AND DIRECTION! According to Statista www.statista.com on January 11, 2022, the assets managed by ETFs globally amounted to approximately 7.74 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020. With more than 8,000 ETFs to choose from, you can find just about any flavor you need or are looking for. A Kondratieff Wave is a long-term economic cycle that consists of four sub-cycles or phases that are also known as Kondratieff Seasons. This theory was founded by Nikolai D. Kondratieff 1892-1938 (also spelled “Kondratiev”), a communist Russia-era economist who noticed agricultural commodities and metals experienced long-term cycles. The following graph illustrates both the inflation cycle as well as the best investments for each season. The Kondratieff Seasons act as a general guide and each investment has their own specific bull or bear market cycle. ETFs CAN OFFER YOU PROTECTION AND AGILITY IN A BULL OR BEAR MARKET!  The following ETFs are not a recommendation to buy or sell but simply an illustration to emphasize the utilization of selecting an ETF for capital protection or potential appreciation in either a rising ‘BULL’ or falling ‘BEAR’ market. YINN – DIREXION DAILY FTSE CHINA STOCKS BULL 3X SHARES ETF From February 17, 2021, to March 14, 2022 the Direxion Daily FTSE China Bull 3x Shares ETF ‘YINN’ lost -90.78%. Target Index: The FTSE China 50 Index (TXINOUNU) consists of the 50 largest and most liquid public Chinese companies currently trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as determined by the FTSE/Russell. Constituents in the Index are weighted based on total market value so that companies with larger total market values will generally have a greater weight in the Index. Index constituents are screened for liquidity, and weightings are capped to limit the concentration of any one stock in the Index. However, one cannot directly invest in an index. According to Direxion’s website www.direxion.com, Leveraged and Inverse ETFs pursue leveraged investment objectives, which means they are riskier than alternatives that do not use leverage. They seek daily goals and should not be expected to track the underlying index over periods longer than one day. They are not suitable for all investors and should be utilized only by investors who understand leverage risk and who actively manage their investments. YANG – DIREXION DAILY FTSE CHINA STOCKS BEAR 3X SHARES ETF From February 17, 2021, to March 14, 2022, The Direxion Daily FTSE China Bear 3x Shares ETF gained +418.38%. The rates of return shown for the YINN and YANG ETFs are not precise in that they are an estimation as displayed on a chart utilizing the charts measurement tool to emphasize my talking point. Sign up for my free Trading Newsletter to navigate potential major market opportunities! ALERT: THE US FEDERAL RESERVE INTEREST RATE WAS RASIED A QUARTER POINT! In February, the inflation rate rose to 7.9% as food and energy costs pushed prices to their highest level in more than 40 years. If we exclude food and energy, core inflation still rose 6.4%, which was still the highest since August 1982. Gasoline, groceries, and housing were the biggest contributors to the CPI gain. The FED was expected to raise interest rates by as much as 50 basis points. However, investors are speculating that due to the Russia – Ukraine war, the FED may be more cautious and raise rates by only 25 basis points. WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS with US and CHINA STOCKS? Learn how I use specific tools to help me understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24 months, I expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. I believe we are seeing the markets beginning to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern start to drive traders/investors into metals, commodities, and other safe-havens. UNDERSTAND HOW TO NAVIGATE OUR VOLATILE MARKETS! GET READY, GET SET, GO -I invite you to learn more about how my three ETF Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    Interaction Between Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) And Fed's Interest Rate Decision

    Interaction Between Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) And Fed's Interest Rate Decision

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 17.03.2022 16:07
      The Fed will want to keep inflation under control, and that could have miserable consequences for gold and miners. Will we see a repeat from 2008?  The question one of my subscribers asked me was about the rise in mining stocks and gold and how it was connected to what was happening in bond yields. Precisely, while short-term and medium-term yields moved higher, very long-term yields (the 30-year yields) dropped, implying that the Fed will need to lower the rates again, indicating a stagflationary environment in the future. First of all, I agree that stagflation is likely in the cards, and I think that gold will perform similarly to how it did during the previous prolonged stagflation – in the 1970s. In other words, I think that gold will move much higher in the long run. However, the market might have moved ahead of itself by rallying yesterday. After all, the Fed will still want to keep inflation under control (reminder: it has become very political!), and it will want commodity prices to slide in response to the foregoing. This means that the Fed will still likely make gold, silver, and mining stocks move lower in the near term. In particular, silver and mining stocks are likely to decline along with commodities and stocks, just like what happened in 2008. Speaking of commodities, let’s take a look at what’s happening in copper. Copper invalidated another attempt to move above its 2011 high. This is a very strong technical sign that copper (one of the most popular commodities) is heading lower in the medium term. Yes, it might be difficult to visualize this kind of move given the recent powerful upswing, but please note that it’s in perfect tune with the previous patterns. The interest rates are going up, just like they did before the 2008 slide. What did copper do before the 2008 slide? It failed to break above the previous (2006) high, and it was the failure of the second attempt to break higher that triggered the powerful decline. What happened then? Gold declined, but silver and mining stocks truly plunged. The GDXJ was not trading at the time, so we’ll have to use a different proxy to see what this part of the mining stock sector did. The Toronto Stock Exchange Venture Index includes multiple junior mining stocks. It also includes other companies, but juniors are a large part of it, and they truly plunged in 2008. In fact, they plunged in a major way after breaking below their medium-term support lines and after an initial corrective upswing. Guess what – this index is after a major medium-term breakdown and a short-term corrective upswing. It’s likely ready to fall – and to fall hard. So, what’s likely to happen? We’re about to see a huge slide, even if we don’t see it within the next few days. In fact, the outlook for the next few days is rather unclear, as different groups of investors can interpret yesterday’s developments differently. However, once the dust settles, the precious metals sector is likely to go down significantly. Gold is up in today’s pre-market trading, but please note that back in 2020, after the initial post-top slide, gold corrected even more significantly, and it wasn’t really bullish. This time gold doesn’t have to rally to about $2,000 before declining once again, as this time the rally was based on war, and when we consider previous war-based rallies (U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, U.S. invasion of Iraq, Russia’s invasion of Crimea), we know that when the fear-and-uncertainty-based top was in, then the decline proceeded without bigger corrections. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    S&P 500 (SPX) - It Looks Like Fed Decision Was Needed To Go Up

    S&P 500 (SPX) - It Looks Like Fed Decision Was Needed To Go Up

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 17.03.2022 15:57
    S&P 500 reversed the pre-FOMC decline, and turned up. The upswing didn‘t fizzle out after the conference, quite to the contrary, the credit markets deepened their risk-on posture. I guess stocks are buying the story of 7 rate hikes and balance sheet reduction in 2022 a bit too enthusiastically. Not gonna happen, next quarter‘s GDP data would probably be already negative. Yet Powell says that the risk of recession into next year isn‘t elevated – given the projected tightening, I beg to differ. But of course, Powell is right – it‘s only that we won‘t see all those promised hikes, let alone balance sheet reduction starting in spring. Inflation would retreat a little towards year‘s end (on account of recessionary undercurrents and modest tightening), only to surprise once again in 2023 on the upside. I already wrote so weeks ago – before the East European events. There wouldn‘t enough time to celebrate the notion of vanquishing inflation. For now, stocks can continue the bullish turn – just as commodities and precious metals aren‘t asking permission. The FOMC is over, and real assets can rise, including the badly beaten crude oil. Made a good decision to keep adding to the commodities positions at much lower prices (or turning bullish stocks around the press conference). Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 upswing looks like it can go on for a while. It was driven by tech, participating more enthusiastically than value. The conditions are in place for the rally to continue, and it‘s likely that Friday would be a better day than Thursday for the bulls. Credit Markets HYG is catching quite some bid, and credit markets have turned decidedly risk-on. It also looks like a sigh of relief over no 50bp hike – the stock market rally got its hesitant ally. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals upswing can return – and this correction wasn‘t anyway sold heavily into. Needless to say how overdone it was if you look at the miners. $1950s would be reconquered easily. Crude Oil Crude oil bottom looks to be in, and $110s are waiting. Obviously it would take more than a couple of days to return there, but we‘re on the way. Copper Copper is rebounding, and even if other base metals aren‘t yet following too enthusiastically, $4.70 isn‘t far away. Coupled with precious metals returning to more reasonable values, the red metal would continue trending higher. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are leaning risk-on, and the bulls will close this weekend on a good note. Today‘s price action is merely a consolidation in a short-term upswing. Summary S&P 500 bulls got enough fuel from the Fed, and the run can continue – albeit at a slower pace. Importantly, credit markets aren‘t standing in the short-term way, but I think they would carve out a bearish divergence when this rally starts topping out. I‘m not looking for fresh ATHs, the headwinds are too stiff, but as stated within today‘s key analysis, the tech participation is a very encouraging sign for the short-term. The dollar indeed didn‘t make any kind of upside progress to speak of yesterday – and as I have also written at length in yesterday‘s report, the pre-FOMC trading pattern in real assets can be reversed now. Long live precious metals, oil and copper gains! Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    GBPUSD Almost Full Recovered After BoE's Decision, USDJPY Doesn't Fluctuate Significantly, S&P 500 (SPX) Is Not So Far From 4400.00

    GBPUSD Almost Full Recovered After BoE's Decision, USDJPY Doesn't Fluctuate Significantly, S&P 500 (SPX) Is Not So Far From 4400.00

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 18.03.2022 07:58
    GBPUSD attempts to rebound The British pound stalled after the BOE failed to secure a unanimous vote for higher rates. A bullish RSI divergence suggests exhaustion in the sell-off, and combined with the indicator’s oversold condition on the daily chart, may attract buying interest. A tentative break above 1.3190 led some sellers to take profit. The bulls will need to push above the 1.3250 next to the 20-day moving average to get a foothold. On the downside, the psychological level of 1.3000 is a critical floor to keep the current rebound valid. USDJPY takes a breather The Japanese yen struggles as the BOJ pledges to stick with stimulus. Sentiment turned extremely bullish after the pair rallied above December 2016’s high at 118.60. The RSI went overbought on both hourly and daily charts, and the overextension could refrain buyers from chasing bids. Trend followers may be waiting to buy at pullbacks. 117.70 is the first level to gauge buying interest and 116.80 is the second line of support. A rebound above 119.00 would extend gains beyond the psychological level of 120.00. SPX 500 tests resistance The S&P 500 bounced higher after Russia averted a bond default. Price action has stabilized above last June’s lows around 4140 where a triple bottom indicates a strong interest in keeping the index afloat. A previous attempt above 4350 forced sellers to cover but hit resistance at 4420. A bullish close above this key level on the daily chart could trigger a runaway rally. 4590 would be the next target when sentiment turns around. Otherwise, a lack of conviction from the buy-side would send the index to test 4250.
    Despite Ultra-Hawkish Fed’s Meeting, Gold Jumps

    Despite Ultra-Hawkish Fed’s Meeting, Gold Jumps

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 17.03.2022 17:29
      The FOMC finally raised interest rates and signaled six more hikes this year. Despite the very hawkish dot plot, gold went up in initial reaction. There has been no breakthrough in Ukraine. Russian invasion has largely stalled on almost all fronts, so the troops are focusing on attacking civilian infrastructure. However, according to some reports, there is a slow but gradual advance in the south. Hence, although Russia is not likely to conquer Kyiv, not saying anything about Western Ukraine, it may take some southern territory under control, connecting Crimea with Donbas. The negotiations are ongoing, but it will be a long time before any agreement is reached. Let’s move to yesterday’s FOMC meeting. As widely expected, the Fed raised the federal funds rate. Finally! Although one Committee member (James Bullard) opted for a bolder move, the US central bank lifted the target range for its key policy rate only by 25 basis points, from 0-0.25% to 0.25-0.50%. It was the first hike since the end of 2018. The move also marks the start of the Fed’s tightening cycle after two years of ultra-easy monetary policy implemented in a response to the pandemic-related recession. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate from 1/4 to 1/2 percent and anticipates that ongoing increases in the target range will be appropriate. It was, of course, the most important part of the FOMC statement. However, the central bankers also announced the beginning of quantitative tightening, i.e., the reduction of the enormous Fed’s balance sheet, at the next monetary policy meeting in May. In addition, the Committee expects to begin reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities at a coming meeting. It’s also worth mentioning that the Fed deleted all references to the pandemic from the statement. Instead, it added a paragraph related to the war in Ukraine, pointing out that its exact implications for the U.S. economy are not yet known, except for the general upward pressure on inflation and downward pressure on GDP growth: The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is causing tremendous human and economic hardship. The implications for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain, but in the near term the invasion and related events are likely to create additional upward pressure on inflation and weigh on economic activity. These changes in the statement were widely expected, so their impact on the gold market should be limited.   Dot Plot and Gold The statement was accompanied by the latest economic projections conducted by the FOMC members. So, how do they look at the economy right now? As the table below shows, the central bankers expect the same unemployment rate and much slower economic growth this year compared to last December. This is a bit strange, as slower GDP growth should be accompanied by higher unemployment, but it’s a positive change for the gold market. What’s more, the FOMC participants see inflation now as even more persistent because they expect 4.3% PCE inflation at the end of 2022 instead of 2.6%. Inflation is forecasted to decline in the following years, but only to 2.7% in 2023 and 2.3% in 2024, instead of the 2.3% and 2.1% seen in December. Slower economic growth accompanied by more stubborn inflation makes the economy look more like stagflation, which should be positive for gold prices. Last but not least, a more aggressive tightening cycle is coming. Brace yourselves! According to the fresh dot plot, the FOMC members see seven hikes in interest rates this year as appropriate. That’s a huge hawkish turn compared to December, when they perceived only three interest rate hikes as desired. The central bankers expect another four hikes in 2024 instead of just the three painted in the previous dot plot. Hence, the whole forecasted path of the federal fund rate has become steeper as it’s expected to reach 1.9% this year and 2.8% next year, compared to the 0.9% and 1.6% seen earlier. Wow, that’s a huge change that is very bearish for gold prices! The Fed signaled the fastest tightening since 2004-2006, which indicates that it has become really worried about inflation. It’s also possible that the war in Ukraine helped the US central bank adopt a more hawkish stance, as if monetary tightening leads to recession, there is an easy scapegoat to blame.   Implications for Gold What does the recent FOMC meeting mean for the gold market? Well, the Fed hiked interest rates and announced quantitative tightening. These hawkish actions are theoretically negative for the yellow metal, but they were probably already priced in. The new dot plot is certainly more surprising. It shows higher inflation and slower economic growth this year, which should be bullish for gold. However, the newest economic projections also forecast a much steeper path of interest rates, which should, theoretically, prove to be negative for the price of gold. How did gold perform? Well, it has been sliding recently in anticipation of the FOMC meeting. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal plunged from $2,039 last week to $1,913 yesterday. However, the immediate reaction of gold to the FOMC meeting was positive. As the chart below shows, the price of the yellow metal rebounded, jumping above $1,940. Of course, we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from the short-term moves, but gold’s resilience in the face of the ultra-hawkish FOMC statement is a bullish sign. Although it remains to be seen whether the upward move will prove to be sustainable, I wouldn’t be surprised if it will. This is what history actually suggests: when the Fed started its previous tightening cycle in December 2015, the price of gold bottomed out. Of course, history never repeats itself to the letter, but there is another important factor. The newest FOMC statement was very hawkish – probably too hawkish. I don’t believe that the Fed will hike interest rates to 1.9% this year. And you? It means that we have probably reached the peak of the Fed’s hawkishness and that it will rather soften its stance from then on. If I’m right, a lot of the downward pressure that constrained gold should be gone now. If you enjoyed today’s free gold report, we invite you to check out our premium services. We provide much more detailed fundamental analyses of the gold market in our monthly Gold Market Overview reports and we provide daily Gold & Silver Trading Alerts with clear buy and sell signals. In order to enjoy our gold analyses in their full scope, we invite you to subscribe today. If you’re not ready to subscribe yet though and are not on our gold mailing list yet, we urge you to sign up. It’s free and if you don’t like it, you can easily unsubscribe. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care
    Gold Is Showing A Good Sign For Further Drop

    Can Disinflation Support A Decline Of Price Of Gold?

    Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 18.03.2022 15:13
      Inflation continues to rise but may soon reach its peak. After that, its fate will be sealed: a gradual decline. Does the same await gold?If you like inviting people over, you’ve probably figured out that some guests just don’t want to leave, even when you’re showing subtle signs of fatigue. They don’t seem to care and keep telling you the same not-so-funny jokes. Even in the hall, they talk lively and tell stories for long minutes because they remembered something very important. Inflation is like that kind of guest – still sitting in your living room, even after you turned off the music and went to wash the dishes, yawning loudly. Indeed, high inflation simply does not want to leave. Actually, it’s gaining momentum. As the chart below shows, core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 6.0% over the past 12 months, speeding up from 5.5% in the previous month. Meanwhile, the overall CPI annual rate accelerated from 7.1% in December to 7.5% in January. It’s been the largest 12-month increase since the period ending February 1982. However, at the time, Paul Volcker raised interest rates to double digits and inflation was easing. Today, inflation continues to rise, but the Fed is only starting its tightening cycle. The Fed’s strategy to deal with inflation is presented in the meme below. What is important here is that the recent surge in inflation is broad-based, with virtually all index components showing increases over the past 12 months. The share of items with price rises of over 2% increased from less than 60% before the pandemic to just under 90% in January 2022. As the chart below shows, the index for shelter is constantly rising and – given the recent spike in “asking rents” – is likely to continue its upward move for some time, adding to the overall CPI. What’s more, the Producer Price Index is still red-hot, which suggests that more inflation is in the pipeline, as companies will likely pass on the increased costs to consumers. So, will inflation peak anytime soon or will it become embedded? There are voices that – given the huge monetary expansion conducted in response to the epidemic – high inflation will be with us for the next two or three years, especially when inflationary expectations have risen noticeably. I totally agree that high inflation won’t go away this year. Please just take a look at the chart below, which shows that the pandemic brought huge jumps in the ratio of broad money to GDP. This ratio has increased by 23%, from Q1 2020 to Q4 2021, while the CPI has risen only 7.7% in the same period. It suggests that the CPI has room for a further increase. What’s more, the pace of growth in money supply is still far above the pre-pandemic level, as the chart below shows. To curb inflation, the Fed would have to more decisively turn off the tap with liquidity and hike the federal funds rate more aggressively. However, as shown in the chart above, money supply growth peaked in February 2021. Thus, after a certain lag, the inflation rate should also reach a certain height. It usually takes about a year or a year and a half for any excess money to show up as inflation, so the peak could arrive within a few months, especially since some of the supply disruptions should start to ease in the near future. What does this intrusive inflation imply for the precious metals market? Well, the elevated inflationary pressure should be supportive of gold prices. However, I’m afraid that when disinflation starts, the yellow metal could suffer. The decline in inflation rates implies weaker demand for gold as an inflation hedge and also higher real interest rates. The key question is, of course, what exactly will be the path of inflation. Will it normalize quickly or gradually, or even stay at a high plateau after reaching a peak? I don’t expect a sharp disinflation, so gold may not enter a 1980-like bear market. Another question of the hour is whether inflation will turn into stagflation. So far, the economy is growing, so there is no stagnation. However, growth is likely to slow down, and I wouldn’t be surprised by seeing some recessionary trends in 2023-2024. Inflation should still be elevated then, creating a perfect environment for the yellow metal. Hence, the inflationary genie is out of the bottle and it could be difficult to push it back, even if inflation peaks in the near future. Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today! Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    What Is Going On Financial Markets Today? Russia Will Not Resume Deliveries Of Gas

    "Boring" Bitcoin (BTC) And Gaining S&P 500 (SPX). Crude Oil Price Chart Shows A Green Candle At The Right Hand Side,

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 18.03.2022 15:50
    S&P 500 extended gains, and the risk appetite in bonds carried over into value rising faster than tech. Given the TLT downswing though, it‘s all but rainbows and unicorns ahead today. Not only that quad witching would bring high volume and chop, VIX itself doesn‘t look to slide smoothly below 25 today. Friday‘s ride would be thus rocky, and affected by momentum stalling in both tech and value. Real assets though can and will enjoy the deserved return into the spotlight. With much of the preceding downswing being based on deescalation hopes (that aren‘t materializing, still), the unfolding upswing in copper, oil and precious metals (no, they aren‘t to be spooked by the tough Fed tightening talk) would happen at a more measured pace than had been the case recently. Pay attention to the biting inflation, surrounding blame games hinting at no genuine respite – read through the rich captions of today‘s chart analyses, and think about reliable stores of real value. And of course, enjoy the open profits. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 looks likely to consolidate as the 4,400 – 4,450 zone would be tough to overcome, and such a position relative to both the moving averages shown, has historically stopped quite a few steep recoveries off very negative sentiment readings. Credit Markets HYG is likely to slow down here, as in really stall and face headwinds. The run had been respectable, and much of the easy gains happened already yesterday. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals upswing did indeed return – and the miners performance doesn‘t hint at a swift return of the bears, to put it mildly. The path to $1950s is open. Crude Oil Crude oil bottom was indeed in, and the price can keep recovering towards $110s and beyond. No, the economy isn‘t crashing yet, monetary policy isn‘t forcing that outcome, and the drawing of petroleum reserves is a telltale sign of upside price pressures mounting. It‘ll be an interesting April, mark my words. Copper Copper is duly rebounding, and not at all overheated. The move is also in line with other base metals. My yesterday‘s target of $4.70 has already been reached – I‘m looking for a measured pace of gains to continue. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are taking a small break, highlighting the perils of today. The boat won‘t be rocked too much. Summary S&P 500 bulls made the easy gains already yesterday, and today‘s session is going to be volatile, even treacherous in establishing a clear and lasting direction (i.e. choppy), and the headwinds would be out there in the plain open. These would come from bonds not continuing in the risk-on turn convincingly rather than commodities and metals surging head over heels. Both tech and value would feel the heat as VIX would show signs of waking up (to some degree). Today‘s session won‘t change the big picture dynamics of late, and I invite you to read more in-depth commentary within the individual market sections of today‘s full analysis. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Natural Gas Hits Its Final Target. The Luck of St. Patrick’s Day?

    Natural Gas Hits Its Final Target. The Luck of St. Patrick’s Day?

    Sebastian Bischeri Sebastian Bischeri 18.03.2022 17:14
      St. Patrick’s Day is historically considered among the best trading days. Apparently, judging by the results, it may have brought some luck to natural gas. If you are interested in looking at the stats, an article by Market Watch summed them up. The second target hit – BOOM! Yesterday, on St. Patrick's Day, the opportunity to bank the extra profits from my recent Nat-Gas trade projections (provided on March 2) finally arrived. That trade plan has provided traders with multiple bounces to trade the NYMEX Natural Gas Futures (April contract) in various ways, always depending on each one’s personal risk profile. To get some more explanatory details on understanding the different trading ways this fly map (trading plan) could offer, I invite you to read my previous article (from March 11). To quickly sum it up, the various trade opportunities that could be played were as follows (with the following captures taken on March 11): The first possibility is swing trading, with the trailing stop method explained in my famous risk management article. Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, hourly chart) The second option consisted of scalping the rebounds with fixed targets (active or experienced traders). I named this method “riding the tails” (or the shadows). Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, 4H chart) The third way is position trading – a more passive trading style (and usually more rewarding). Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) The chart below shows a good overall view of NYMEX Natural Gas hitting our final target, $4.860: Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, daily chart) Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGJ22) Futures (April contract, 4H chart) As you can see, the market has provided us with multiple entries into the same support zone (highlighted by the yellow band) – even after hitting the first target, you may have noticed that I maintained the entry conditions in place – after the suggestion to drag the stop up just below the new swing low ($4.450). The market, still in a bull run, got very close to that point on March 15 by making a new swing low at $4.459 (just about 10 ticks above it). Before that, it firmly rebounded once more (allowing a new/additional entry) and then extended its gains further away while consecutively hitting target 1 ($4.745) again. After that, it finally hit target 2 ($4.860)! That’s all folks for today. It is time to succesfully close this trade. Have a great weekend! Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    ECB's Dovish Shift: Markets Anticipate Softer Policy Guidance

    Major Forex Pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, EURGBP Affected By Interest Rates Decisions – The Week On Markets By FXMAG.COM

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 18.03.2022 19:17
    Fed raised interest rate by 25bps so did Bank of England. Data shows that these events haven’t hit major Forex pairs so hard so let’s verify the theory. EUR/USD – A ca. 1.2% Gain The chart shows the week began without significant fluctuations until the Fed decision on March 16th. Immediately after the announcement of the key monetary policy indicator a huge declined stopped the strengthening Euro. The pair even neared the 2% gain level, but during the week has declined again slowly ending it near +1.2%. GBP/USD – Two announcements correlation The week hadn’t began too positively for British pound, but the following days had put GBP back on track to a ca. 1% gain after significant declines shortly after Fed and BoE decisions on accordingly Wednesday and Thursday. EUR/GBP – A ca. 1% Increased Corrected Naturally Fed’s announcement didn’t affect the single currency and British bound heavily, but the Bank of England’s fuelled EUR/GBP almost 1% jump which had been gradually corrected in the following days leaving the pair almost unchanged compared to the 14th March. USD/PLN – exotic pair with interesting outlook There’s no doubt PLN has strengthened throughout the week even if Fed announced the raise of interest rate. The stronger outlook of PLN is surely caused by the previous week’s tightening of monetary policy. EUR/PLN – PLN gained ca. 1.5% Global factors makes the pais with PLN the most interesting ones as another shows a significant loss of Euro To Polish zloty. The following week might bring next tempting fluctuations so let’s keep an eye on this pair.
    The Week On Markets: Bitcoin Has Added 10%! Price Of Gold Decreased, But It Could Be Worse.

    The Week On Markets: Bitcoin Has Added 10%! Price Of Gold Decreased, But It Could Be Worse.

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 18.03.2022 20:15
    BTC/USD Bitcoin has added a lot over that week. A 10% gain has remained despite the fact Fed raised interest rate. Gold Gold plunged after the Fed decision, but didn’t crash ending the week with a not so big decline. S&P 500 SPX rally was caused, among others, by Chinese stocks which are said to be back in the game. UK 100 (FTSE 100) The British had its ups and downs this week, but all in all gained ca. 4% at the end of the day (week!)
    Potential recovery to approx. US$2,000

    Potential recovery to approx. US$2,000

    Florian Grummes Florian Grummes 20.03.2022 10:13
    Starting at a low of US$1,780 on January 28th, gold went up rapidly US$290 within less than six weeks, reaching a short-term top at US$2,070. Since that high on March 8th, however, gold prices fell back even faster. In total, gold plunged a whooping US$175 to a low of US$1,895 in the aftermath of last week’s FOMC meeting. A quick bounce took prices back to around US$1,950, but the weekly close at around US$1,920 came in lower.This volatile roller coaster ride is truly not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, gold has done well this year, and, despite a looming multi-months correction, it might now be in a setup from which another attack towards US$2,000 could start in the short-term.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of March 19th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, weekly chart as of March 19th, 2022.On the weekly chart, gold prices have been rushing higher with great momentum. For five consecutive weeks, the bulls were able to bend the upper Bollinger band (US$1,963) upwards. However, the final green candle closed far outside the Bollinger bands and looks like a weekly reversal. Consequently, if gold has now dipped into a multi-month correction, a retracement back to the neckline of the broken triangle respectively the inverse head & shoulder pattern in the range of US$1,820 to US$1,850 would be quite typical and to be expected. In this range, the classic 61.8% retracement of the entire wave up (from the low at US$1,678 on August 9th, 2021, to the most recent blow off top at US$2,070) sits at US$1,827.79. The weekly stochastic oscillator has not yet rolled over, but weekly momentum is overbought and vulnerable.In total, the weekly chart shows a big reversal and therefore no longer supports the bullish case. However, it could still take some more time before a potential correction gains momentum.  Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of March 19th, 2022.Gold in US-Dollar, daily chart as of March 19th, 2022.While the weekly chart may just be at the beginning of a multi-month correction, the overbought setup on the daily chart has already been largely cleared up by the recent steep pullback. Despite Friday’s rather weak closing, the odds are not bad that gold might very soon be turning up again. However, gold bulls need to take out the pivot resistance around US$1,960 to unlock higher price targets in the context of a recovery. The potential Fibonacci retracements are waiting at US$1,962, US$2,003 and US$2,028. Hence, gold could bounce back to approx. US$2,000, which is a round number and therefore a psychological resistance.On the other hand, if gold fails to move back above Thursday’s high at US$1,950, weakness will increase immediately and significantly. In that case, bulls can only hope that the quickly rising lower Bollinger Band (US$1,861) would catch and limit a deeper sell-off. But since the stochastic oscillator has reached its oversold zone, bears might have a hard time pushing gold significantly below US$1,900.Overall, the daily chart is slightly oversold, and gold might start a bounce soon. Conclusion: Potential recovery to approx. US$2,000After a strong rally and a steep pullback, the gold market is likely in the process of reordering. While the weekly timeframe points to a correction, the oversold daily chart points to an immediate bounce. Given these contradictory signals, investors and especially traders are well advised to exercise patience and caution in the coming days, weeks, and months. If gold has entered a corrective cycle, it could easily take until the early to mid-summer before a sustainable new up-trend might emerge.Alternative super bullish scenarioAlternatively, and this of course is still a possible scenario, the breakout from the large “cup and handle” pattern is just getting started. In this very bullish case, gold is in the process of breaking out above US$2,100 to finally complete the very large “cup and handle” pattern, which has been developing for 11 years! Obviously, the sky would then be the limit.To summarize, gold is getting really bullish back above US$2,030. On the other hand, below $US1,895 the bears would be in control. In between those two numbers, the odds favor a bounce towards US$1,960 and maybe USD$2,000.Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on our gold model, precious metals and cryptocurrencies you can also subscribe to our free newsletter.Disclosure: Midas Touch Consulting and members of our team are invested in Reyna Gold Corp. These statements are intended to disclose any conflict of interest. They should not be misconstrued as a recommendation to purchase any share. This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting.By Florian Grummes|March 19th, 2022|Tags: Gold, Gold Analysis, Gold bearish, Gold bullish, gold chartbook, Gold consolidation, gold fundamentals, Gold sideways, precious metals, Reyna Gold|0 Commentshttps://www.midastouch-consulting.com/gold-chartbook-19032022-potential-recovery-to-approx-us2000About the Author: Florian GrummesFlorian Grummes is an independent financial analyst, advisor, consultant, trader & investor as well as an international speaker with more than 20 years of experience in financial markets. He is specialized in precious metals, cryptocurrencies and technical analysis. He is publishing weekly gold, silver & cryptocurrency analysis for his numerous international readers. He is also running a large telegram Channel and a Crypto Signal Service. Florian is well known for combining technical, fundamental and sentiment analysis into one accurate conclusion about the markets. Since April 2019 he is chief editor of the cashkurs-gold newsletter focusing on gold and silver mining stocks. Besides all that, Florian is a music producer and composer. Since more than 25 years he has been professionally creating, writing & producing more than 300 songs. He is also running his own record label Cryon Music & Art Productions. His artist name is Florzinho.
    Price Of Crude Oil And Price Of Gold Crosses Each Other

    Price Of Crude Oil And Price Of Gold Crosses Each Other

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 21.03.2022 12:14
    Gold has remained in a one-and-a-half per cent range since last Thursday. The correction from a peak of $2070 to values below $1900 caused a brief aftershock, but it was not sustained. Gold has now stabilised above the peaks of May and June last year and is currently searching for further meaningful momentum. For short-term traders, gold has taken a back seat as markets try to assess the impact of disrupted supply chains and the amount of supply shortfall in raw materials and food. At the same time, medium-term traders should not lose sight of the fact that the current situation will not allow central banks to act adequately. As a result, the supply of fiat money will increase faster than the supply of commodities. In other words, we should expect greater tolerance for higher inflation from the CBs. In addition, governments should also be expected to provide financial support to the economy. In practice, that means more money supply and a higher level of public debt to GDP. And that is another disincentive for monetary policy, which is negative for the currency. It is also favourable for gold, which is used as protection against capital depreciation. Oil is gradually becoming the opposite of gold. After bouncing back to the trend support level of the last four months, Brent got back above $100 reasonably quickly and is adding 4% on Monday, trading at $109. Speculative demand for oil is picking up again amid discussions of a Russian energy divestment, which could be the agenda for the EU leaders and Biden meeting later this week. In addition, the US oil supply has been slow to rise, with data on Friday showing that the number of working oil drilling rigs declined a week earlier. Oil producers appear to be cautious about demand prospects with record fuel prices and are in no hurry to flood the market. This will fuel prices in the short term but is becoming an increasing drag on the economy in the medium term. Locally, we also risk suggesting that Europe will once again make it clear that it cannot substitute Russian energy, preferring to focus on sanctions against other sectors. And that could prove to be a dampening factor for oil later in the week. Oil prices above 110 still look unsustainably high, and a range with support at $85 looks more adequate for the coming months.
    AUD/USD Touches 9-Month Low as Australian Job Growth Slips

    DAX (GER 40) Has Gone Up Slightly. BMW, BAYN And DBK Have Added The Most

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 21.03.2022 14:55
    German Index doesn’t shock investors with significant fluctuations despite the fact many countries interact with persistent conflict between Russia and Ukraine. DAX opened only a bit lower than it closed on Friday, March 17th and seems to end the day without any major move. As before we highlight below three companies which have gained the most during today’s session. BMW Bavarian automotive company is today’s leader, as until now it has gained over 2%. BAYN - Bayer Well-known brand associated with medicaments until now has gained over 2% DBK – Deutsche Bank One of the most recongizable banks of the world has gained ca. 2% until now Charts: courtesy of TradingView.com Source: TradingView.com
    The (SPX) S&P 500 Price Way Up Likely To Make Many "WOW!"

    The (SPX) S&P 500 Price Way Up Likely To Make Many "WOW!"

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 21.03.2022 14:19
      The S&P 500 extended its short-term uptrend on Friday after breaking above the early March local high. Will we see some profit-taking action soon? The broad stock market index gained 1.17% on Friday following its Thursday’s advance of 1.2%. Stocks extended their rally and since last Monday’s low of around 4,162, the index has already gained over 300 points. The market accelerated higher after the Wednesday’s FOMC interest rate hike. There’s still a lot of uncertainty concerning the ongoing Ukraine conflict, however, investors were jumping back into stocks despite that geopolitical uncertainty. This morning the S&P 500 index is expected to open 0.1% lower. We may see a consolidation or some profit-taking action following the mentioned 300-point rebound from the last Monday’s low. The nearest important resistance level is at around 4,500. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,400-4,415, marked by the previous local high. The S&P 500 index trades just below its early February consolidation, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract Broke Above the Previous High Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. On Friday it broke above the early March local highs of around 4,400. It’s the nearest important support level right now. We may see a correction following the recent run-up. However, there have been no confirmed negative signals so far. We are maintaining our profitable long position from the 4,340 level, as we are still expecting a bullish price action in the near-term (our premium Stock Trading Alert includes details of our trading position along with the stop-loss and profit target levels) (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion Stocks extended their uptrend once again on Friday, as the S&P 500 index broke above the previous local high. It rallied over 300 points from its last Monday’s local low, so we may see a consolidation or some profit-taking action soon. This morning the broad stock market’s gauge is expected to open 0.1% lower. The war In Ukraine is still a negative factor for the markets. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index rallied over 300 points from the last Monday’s local low; we may see a correction at some point. We are maintaining our profitable long position. We are still expecting an advance from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Chart of the Week - Gold Miners vs Energy Producers - 20.04.2022

    Why Is The Current Crude Oil Price Higher Than Only Few Days Ago? Russia And Ukraine Still Waging War, Kremlin Says Sanctions (If Applied) Will Seriously Impact Europe

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 21.03.2022 15:08
    Sanctions keep affecting the supply diversification. It’s not sure how will the following days shape so civilians, investors and big companies are following, we may say, indefinite fluctuations of Brent and WTI. The price has increased by ca. 20% since the beginning of the war on February 24th. As the chart below shows the price was interacting with the news about crude oil inventories, testimonies of countries’ leaders and all the communication. Crude Oil Price Chart – 24/02-21/03 Today crude oil has gained ca. X% opening higher as the war goes on and there’s no significant signal that it’s coming to an end. Ukrainians don’t surrender in Mariupol and, according to Bloomberg, Kremlin says that consequences of sanctions will seriously impact Europe. Crude Oil Price Chart 21/03/22 – [UPDATE: 14:05 GMT] It’s not sure what can we expect from the following days. A thing we can be sure of is that we should follow the Crude Oil Inventories release on Wednesday. Follow us on Twitter to check the markets’ reaction and don’t miss a thing! Source: Investing.com, Bloomberg.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com
    Blackberry Stock Price & News: BB bounces as company says Jarvis to be rolled out

    Blackberry Stock Price & News: BB bounces as company says Jarvis to be rolled out

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 21.03.2022 16:05
    Blackberry stock is back trending on retail investment sites after a long break.BB stock was one of the old meme stock favorites from last year.The stock also catches a major investment bank upgrade on Monday.Blackberry shares are back. The BB ticker is once again trending all over social media and retail trading sites after quite a long hiatus in the wilderness. That's break to you and me but my editor likes the fancy words! But Blackberry (BB) is definitely back. It was one of the original stocks caught up in the frenzy of short squeeze speculation last year but dropped off most people's attention lists as the stock was unable to push on and gave up all of its gains. BB stock fell from $20.17 in June 2021 to $5.80 in February 2022. Also read: AMC stock starts Monday with more gainsBlackberry (BB) stock news: Announces 13 channel partners for Jarvis 2.0Blackberry was the go-to business phone in the early 2010 decade before being totally outmaneuvered by the emergence of the smartphone. Holding a Blackberry was a sign that you had made it in the business world but the company and phone went the way of Nokia, totally demolished by Apple and other smartphone makers. But both companies Blackberry and Nokia have struggled along with varying degrees of success. Blackberry caught some renewed attention on Monday as it announced its Jarvis 2.0 testing tool will be offered by 13 partners to companies in the Asia Pacific region. “Asia-Pacific is at a tipping point in how it protects infrastructure and industries against growing IoT security threats as digital automation continues to advance,” said Dhiraj Handa, vice president of BlackBerry QNX for the Asia-Pacific region. Jarvis is a testing tool that allows companies to look for potential branches of security in their systems. "BlackBerry® Jarvis® 2.0 is a software composition analysis and static application security testing solution that is designed to analyze binaries within complex embedded systems. It lets you identify security vulnerabilities in products that have software from multiple sources, without the need for source code. It’s a powerful tool that provides you insights into your binaries and helps you catch potential security issues with the click", from Blackberry. This is timely given the heightened security and hacker issues surrounding many systems and companies are spending increasing amounts of their IT budgets on security issues. Blackberry (BB) stock forecastThis certainly reads positively but it is early days in the process. BB stock price has recovered but remains in a powerful downtrend. The recent spike up to the 50-day moving average is encouraging but only a break of $9.47 would really get momentum back towards bulls. Breaking above $48.50 is the first target and would put BB back in a neutral stance. Above $9.47 BB stock is bullish. The first resistance is the 50-day moving average at $7.41. Blackberry (BB) chart, daily
    S&P 500 (SPX) Up, Crude Oil Up, Credit Markets Up, Bitcoin Price Oops...

    S&P 500 (SPX) Up, Crude Oil Up, Credit Markets Up, Bitcoin Price Oops...

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 21.03.2022 15:37
    S&P 500 did really well through quad witching, and the same goes for credit markets. 4-day streak of non-stop gains – very fast ones. Short squeeze characteristics in the short run, makes me think this rally fizzles out before the month ends – 4,600 would hold. We‘re likely to make a higher low next, and that would be followed by 4-6 weeks of rally continuation before the bears come back with real force again. July would present a great buying opportunity in this wild year of a giant trading range. As I wrote yesterday: (…) The paper asset made it through quad witching in style - both stocks and bonds. The risk-on sentiment however didn't sink commodities or precious metals. Wednesday's FOMC brought worries over the Fed sinking real economy growth but Powell's conference calmed down fears through allegedly no recession risks this year, ascribing everything to geopolitics. Very convenient, but the grain of truth is that the Fed wouldn't indeed jeopardize GDP growth this year - that's the context of how to read the allegedly 7 rate hikes and balance sheet shrinking this year still. Not gonna happen as I stated on Thursday already. Such are my short- and medium-term thoughts on stocks. Copper remains best positioned to continue rising with relatively little volatility while crude oil isn‘t yet settled (its good times would continue regardless of the weak volume rally of last two days, which is making me a little worried). Precious metals are still basing, and would continue moving higher best on the Fed underperforming in its hawkish pronouncements. No way they‘re hiking 7 times this year and shrinking balance sheet at the same time as I wrote on Thursday – Treasury yields say they‘ll take on inflation more in 2023. 2022 is a mere warm-up. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is now past the 4,400 – 4,450 zone, and hasn‘t yet consolidated. This week would definitely though not be as bullish as the one just gone by – the bulls will be challenged a little. Credit Markets HYG eked out more gains, but the air is slowly becoming thinner. As the sentiment turns more bullish through no deep decline over the coming few days, that‘s when junk bonds would start wavering. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals aren‘t turning down for good here – I think they‘re deciphering the Fed story of hiking slower than intended, which in effect gives inflation a new lease on life. Not that it was wavering, though. More upside in gold and silver to come. Crude Oil Crude oil is rising again, but look for a measured upswing that‘s not free from headwinds. While I think we would climb above $110 still, I‘m sounding a more cautious note given the decreasing volume – I would like to see more conviction next. Copper Copper is behaving, and would continue rising reliably alongside other commodities. It‘s also the best play considering downside protection at the moment. Bitcoin and Ethereum Bitcoin isn‘t recovering Sunday‘s setback – but the Ethereum upswing bodes well for risk taking today, even that doesn‘t concern cryptos all too much. Summary S&P 500 has a bit more to run before running into headwinds, which would happen still this week. Credit markets are a tad too optimistic, and rising yields would leave a mark especially on tech. Value, energy and materials are likely to do much better. Crude oil is bound to be volatile over the coming weeks, but still rising and spiking – not yet settled. Copper and precious metals present better appreciation opportunities when looking at their upcoming volatility. Within today‘s key analysis, I‘ve covered the path of stocks, so do have a good look at the opening part. Finally, cryptos likewise paint the picture of risk-on trades not being over just yet. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    Central Banks in the 21st Century: Independence, Credibility, and Interest Rate Challenges

    UK100 (FTSE 100) Added Ca. 0.5%. Who Gained? AAF, AAL And BP In Focus. The Latter Linked With Rising Crude Oil Price

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 21.03.2022 19:11
    The most popular British index begins the week in a delicate manner. The amplitude is not that high and we’re to wait a bit longer for more exciting fluctuations. Antofagasta, BP and Anglo American all companies linked with commodities and they all rise. These stock prices fluctuate mostly as the global situation seems to be unsure with the tensions between Russia and Ukraine keep going on. BP and Shell gains as crude oil price increase so expect next uptrends coming, as the 'black gold' keeps rising. UK 100 Chart [UPDATE: 17:30 GMT] BP – British Petroleum Gained Ca. 4%  AAF – Antofagasta Added Over 8% AAL – Anglo American PLC Increased By Over 7% Data/Source: Investing.com, TradingView.com
    Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Stock Tops $500,000

    Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Stock Tops $500,000

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 21.03.2022 21:44
    A subscriber asked us recently where he should be putting his money and how to limit losses in his retirement portfolio. He expressed frustration as he watched Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway stock going up, but at the same time, the stock indices going lower and many of his previously favored stocks experiencing substantial losses! This conversation naturally piqued our curiosity. We decided to look into this for him and, at the same time, share our findings with our subscribers.Berkshire Hathaway stock traded at an all-time record high price of $520,654.46. At a stock price of $512,991, Berkshire’s market capitalization is $756.23 billion. Last year, Berkshire generated a record $27.46 billion of operating profit, including gains at Geico car insurance, the BNSF railroad, and Berkshire Hathaway Energy.BERKSHIRE vs. S&P 500 BENCHMARKWarren Buffett, age 91 (known as the ‘Sage of Omaha’), is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is considered by many to be the most successful stock investor in the world and, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaire List, has a personal net worth that exceeds $120 billion USD.Very few can compete with his long-term track record. Since 1965, Berkshire has provided +20% average annual returns, almost double the +10.2% average annual returns for the S&P 500 Stock Index benchmark. The 2022 year-to-date comparison is:BRK.A Berkshire Hathaway +14.53%; SPY SPDR ETF -6.36%; FB Facebook -35.64%However, according to Buffett’s own humility, he has endured years of underperformance and has had his share of bad stock picks. When Buffet was asked about drawdowns at one of Berkshire’s annual meetings, he stated, “Unless you can watch your stock holdings decline by 50% without becoming panic-stricken, you should not be in the stock market.” According to www.finance.yahoo.com, the five biggest percentage losses for Berkshire have been:1974 -48.7%, 1990 -23.1%, 1999 -19.9%, 2008 -31.8%, and 2015 -12.5%.WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE ‘BUFFETT INDICATOR’?The Buffett Indicator, as dubbed by Berkshire shareholders, is the ratio of the total United States stock market valuations (the Wilshire 5000 stock index) divided by the annual U.S. GDP. The indicator peaked at the beginning of 2022 and remains near all-time highs even though many stocks are well off their record levels.This historical chart of the Buffett Indicator was created by www.currentmarketvaluation.com. Doing quantitative analysis, we learn that the indicator is more than 1.6 standard deviations above the historical average, which suggests the market is over-valued and, in time, will fall back to its historical average.Berkshire Hathaway At Fibonacci Resistance!On March 18, 2022, Berkshire hit an all-time high price of $520,654. The Fibonacci resistance level of 2.618 or 261.8% of the March 23 low of $239,440 is $520,196. As shown on the daily chart, Berkshire also met resistance at the 2.618 standard deviations of the quarterly Bollinger Band.THE BENCHMARK: S&P 500 SPY ETFThe S&P 500 Index is the industry standard benchmark when comparing investment returns. It’s worth noting that as Berkshire reached the Fibonacci 2.618 resistance, the SPY found support at the Fibonacci 1.618 of the SPY March 23, 2020 low.Central banks have begun to tighten credit by raising interest rates for the first time since 2018, attempting to bring fast-rising energy, food, and housing prices under control. More time is needed to determine the full impact that rising global interest rates will have on current markets.However, on the chart below, we can see that the SPY put in a major top around 480 and, for the time being, has found support around 420 (the Fibonacci 1.618 level). Considering the increased market volatility and that we are now entering a cycle of higher interest rates, it would not surprise us to see the SPY eventually break below 420.It is worth noting that when a market makes a top after a prolonged bull-market, we usually experience distribution. Distribution with volatility results from large institutions beginning to liquidate their holdings while smaller retail investors are trying to buy stocks on sale. In other words, the retail investors are buying the dip hoping to get a bargain, while the institutional investors are selling the rally hoping to be liquidated and/or go short. It is a battle that retail investors will eventually lose!It is important to understand we are not saying the market has topped and is headed lower. This article sheds some light on some interesting analyses that you should be aware of. As technical traders, we follow price only, and when a new trend has been confirmed, we will change our positions accordingly. We provide our ETF trades with subscribers to our newsletter, and surprisingly, we have just entered five new trades.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity!WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS? Learn how we use specific tools to help us understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, we expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. We believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern begin to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.GET READY, GET SET, GO - We invite you to learn more about how my three ETF Technical Trading Strategies can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    Hawkish Fed „Surprise“

    Hawkish Fed „Surprise“

    Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 22.03.2022 15:55
    S&P 500 wavered but is bound to get its act together in the medium term. Powell‘s statements shouldn‘t have stunned the bulls, but they did – the mere reiteration of the tightening plans coupled with remarks on the need to stamp out aggressive inflation before it‘s too late (anchored inflation expectations, anyone? I talked that in the run up to the Sep 2021 P&G price hikes and how the competition would be following in a nod to high input costs, with heating job market on top of the commodities pressure pinching back then already), sent stocks and bonds down.Add the recession fears that were assuaged during the Wednesday‘s conference, and you get the S&P 500 bulls having to dust off after Monday‘s setback. Given how early we‘re in the tightening cycle, and that the real economy isn‘t yet breaking down no matter what‘s in the pipeline geopolitically as regards various consequences to commodities, goods, services and money flows, the stock market bulls are still likely to take on the 4,600 as discussed already.Only this time, the upswing would be accompanied by a more measured and balanced commodities upswing, joined in by precious metals. Great profits ahead and already in the making.Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com).S&P 500 and Nasdaq OutlookS&P 500 is consolidating above 4,400, and the relative strength in value as opposed to tech, is boding well – the bulls are pushing their luck a bit too hard as a further TLT decline would pressure growth stocks.Credit MarketsHYG is getting under pressure again, but its decline would be uneven in the short run – as in I‘m looking for quite some back and forth action. First, higher in taking on yesterday‘s selling.Gold, Silver and MinersPrecious metals aren‘t turning lower in earnest – the miners‘ leadership bodes well for further gains, and is actually a very good performance given the hawkish Fed „surprise“ (surprise that wasn‘t, shouldn‘t have been).Crude OilCrude oil strength returning is a very good omen for commodities bulls broadly, and the rising volume hints at return of bullish spirits. The upswing is far from over – look how far black gold got on relatively little conviction, and where oil stocks trade at the moment.CopperCopper is acting strongly, and the downswing didn‘t entice the bears much. The path of least resistance remains higher, and the red metal isn‘t yet outperforming the CRB Index. Great pick for portfolio gains with as little volatility as can be.Bitcoin and EthereumBitcoin went on to recover the weekend setback – Ethereum upswing presaged that. They‘re both a little stalling now, but entering today‘s regular session on a constructive note. I‘m looking for modest gains extension.SummaryS&P 500 is bound to recover from yesterday‘s intraday setback – the animal spirits and positive seasonality are there to overcome the brief realization that the Fed talks seriously about tightening and entrenched inflation. While not even the implied readiness to hike by 50bp here and there won‘t cut it and send inflation to the woodshed, let alone inflation expectations, the recession fears would be the next powerful ally of stock market bears. For now though, we‘re muddling through generally higher (I‘m still looking for a tradable consolidation of last week‘s sharp gains), and will do so over the coming several weeks. The real profits are to be had in commodities and precious metals, as I had been saying quite often lately… Enjoy!Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
    US Dollar (USD) Amid Fed's Rhetoric And Tomorrow’s Powell Speech. EUR/USD, GBP/USD And USD/JPY In Focus

    US Dollar (USD) Amid Fed's Rhetoric And Tomorrow’s Powell Speech. EUR/USD, GBP/USD And USD/JPY In Focus

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 22.03.2022 18:48
    The last raise of Fed’s interest rate seems to be tip of the iceberg as hawkish rhetoric is vivid in following Jerome Powell’s testimonies. Inflation is still here and according to Investing.com Goldman Sachs predicts that Fed’s next moves are 50bps raises in the two following months. As we’re waiting for tomorrows midday (GMT) which is the time Fed Chairman speaks, let’s review how have most traded, dollar-based pairs traded over last 24 hours. EUR/USD Morning declines appear to be only temporary, USD has weakened in the afternoon and slightly decreased as the pair gained 0.1% until now. GBP/USD The pair has gained ca. 0.6% and can be threated as a ‘trailer’ of the dollar strengthening later this week. USD/JPY After today’s news about Russian-Japanese end of negotiations considering official truce of World War II (!) and ongoing hawkish Fed’s rhetoric Japanese yen has weakened and the pair has gained ca. 1.1% USD/PLN Exotic pair shows an interesting performance once again after an increase of over 0.4% USDPLN has decreased by over 0.5% as the pair seems to be affected by many factors as the country lies close to Ukraine and had its interest rate increased two weeks ago. Source/Data: Investing.com, TradingView.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com
    Binance Academy summarise year 2022 featuring The Merge, FTX and more

    Shiba Inu (SHIB), Dogecoin (DOGE) And… PancakeSwap (CAKE) – Daily Crypto Price Report

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 22.03.2022 21:11
    In the new series we focus on some interesting, meme and other… non-typical coins. Today we highlight fluctuations of popular SHIB, DOGE and tasty PancakeSwap. PancakeSwap (CAKE) Price has risen by 5% today what’s probably not so surprising as it seems to be very activating project with loads of announcements on Twitter. Dogecoin (DOGE) The project which is, let’s say, “supported” by Elon Musk keeps arousing interest. Price has risen by ca. 2% until now. The price has reached but declined suddenly… Shiba Inu (SHIB) Another iteration of Doge-inspired coin has declined recently as well, ranging between 2-3% gain at the time I’m writing. Source/Data: TradingView.com, coinmarketcap.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com
    CZK: Koruna's Resilience Amid Global Influences - 16.08.2023

    Price Of Gold, Silver And Crude Oil Price Ahead Of Powell Speech And Amid Ongoing Russia-Ukraine War

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 23.03.2022 00:28
    All the markets’ old boys like crude, gold and silver are still vulnerable for the mix of the factors shaping the prices. Naturally, stocks seems to be more dynamic as the recent events show. China stocks have been fluctuating recently as, among others, COVID-19 and negotiations with the USA were topping the headlines. Global sanctions affect WTI/BRENT price – the supplies from Russia are about to be limited in Europe so the price is to rise again. Going back to gold - Hawkish rhetoric of Fed keeps precious metals investors uncertain. There’s no doubt safe-haven must be watched all the time to decide if it’s the best moment to sell or buy. Crude Oil – WTI Luckily crude oil price has decreased by 3% over last 24 hours and it’s probably ‘waiting’ for the next significant geopolitical updates. According to Reuters, some countries of the EU are still hesitating to stop importing crude oil from Russia. Gold – XAUUSD Yes, price of gold has decreased by almost 1%, but… it could be worse as Powell doesn’t hesitate to present hawkish comments. Silver – XAGUSD Silver price chart shows a significant decline which has helped it to decrease by 1.7% over last day. As wrote above, Powell testimony will let us visualise a more detailed outlook. Source/Data: Reuters, TradingView.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com
    The Bitcoin Market Is Now Developing The Corrective Cycle To The Downside

    March 22nd, 2022, Crypto Chartbook

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 22.03.2022 19:44
    Bitcoin´s time to go   Trying to pick tops and bottoms is honorable and a desirable goal. Nevertheless, there needs to be other insurances and principles in place. If an ideal spot passes or the market doesn’t provide for a low-risk entry or enough liquidity for an exit, one still needs alternate tools to participate in the market. Our quad exit strategy allows for position building and market participation that consistently extracts monies from the markets. Bitcoin, daily chart, keep calm and keep trading: Bitcoin in USD, daily chart as of March 22nd, 2022. Precision trading gets even more difficult in wartimes, when frequent and conflicting news events jolt prices alternating up and down. The daily chart above shows these jolts over the last three weeks of wartime. We can identify three low-risk long trade entry opportunities (green up arrows on double bottom price scenarios) and one short trading one (red downward arrow at a double top price formation). Our quad exit strategy takes on each of these trades a partial initial profit to mitigate risk, which allows the remainder position size to be the market’s money at risk only.     Bitcoin, weekly chart, pushing up: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 22nd, 2022. Zooming out to larger time frames is another way to avoid noise and see a trading scenario more clearly, and, as such, find “go times” with more accuracy. This weekly chart illustrates that entries and exits are rather entry zones (red and green boxes) versus a precise price level. The trader’s goal is to exploit within such a zone a low-risk entry spot on a lower time frame to get positioned. Regarding bitcoin, we find overall price behavior to be up sloping over the last twelve months, a bullish notion. And we find a high likelihood for the momentary entry zone (green box to the right of the chart). In other words, we are right now in a price zone where its Bitcoin´s time to go. Bitcoin, monthly chart, March closing price: Bitcoin in USD, monthly chart as of March 22nd, 2022. Suppose we further remove ourselves from the noise by electing a higher timeframe. In that case, we find a pat situation on the monthly chart, pat not for a more significant edge for prices to go higher up but for timing on when to enter the markets. Our statistics show that it will be essential on what price level the month of March will be closing. With a close above current levels (white line), we will enter a bullish buy zone. Yet, if prices decline from here in the last nine days of this month, the probabilities of an immediate price advance rapidly decline. Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart, Bitcoin´s time to go: Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart as of March 22nd, 2022. An additional benefit quiet charting provides in turbulent times is to think outside the box. While all noise points toward the most heated issues, finding a trading opportunity elsewhere might be best. In our previous chart book release, we exploited a great go time for bitcoin. Last week, we provided entry points (green up arrows) for rotating one’s gold into bitcoin. Using our quad exit strategy, the trader who wanted to not expose his money to a volatile fiat currency trading world could profit near ten percent on his first fifty percent of position size. We are now placing the stop for the remainder position size to breakeven entry levels. Bitcoin´s time to go: In war, the first casualty is the truth. Under stress, our minds insist on reason, clarity, precise calls for action. Unfortunately, even the best-informed brightest minds can’t find reliable data in times of war since the distortion field of media around the world is at a level where lies and propaganda outweigh facts and truth.  Luckily, a trader can, in these times, rely more heavily on charts. Charts always encompass the sum of opinion. Charts are consistently working as a reliable source to trade from.  The psychological aspect is hugely beneficial since a consistent bombardment of news and everybody’s opinion can get quickly exhausting.  Reduce news data consumption at a time when calm and levelheadedness is the most powerful tool for wealth creation and preservation, and the “go time” will reveal itself nearly effortlessly.     Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 22nd, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, Gold, Gold bullish, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    Gold To Go Head To Head With Fed And Inflation

    Gold To Go Head To Head With Fed And Inflation

    Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 23.03.2022 15:17
      The Fed's hawkish alerts seem like a voice in the wilderness to gold investors. However, a carefree attitude can backfire on them – in just a few months. An epic battle is unfolding across the financial markets as the Fed warns investors about its looming rate hike cycle and the latter ignores the ramifications. However, with perpetually higher asset prices only exacerbating the Fed's inflationary conundrum, a profound shift in sentiment will likely occur over the next few months. To explain, I highlighted in recent days how the Fed has turned the hawkish dial up to 100. Moreover, I wrote on Mar. 22 that it's remarkable how much the PMs' domestic fundamental outlooks have deteriorated in recent weeks. Yet, prices remain elevated, investors remain sanguine, and the bullish bands continue to play.  However, with inflation still rising and the Fed done playing games, the next few months should elicit plenty of fireworks. For example, with another deputy sounding the hawkish alarm, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said on Mar. 22: "Inflation has persisted for long enough that people are starting to wonder how long it will persist. I'm already focused on letting make sure this doesn't get embedded and we see those longer-term inflation expectations drift up." As a result, Daly wants to ensure that the "main risk" to the U.S. economy doesn't end up causing a recession. Please see below: Source: Reuters Likewise, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard reiterated his position on Mar. 22, telling Bloomberg that “faster is better,” and that “the 1994 tightening cycle or removal of accommodation cycle is probably the best analogy here.” Please see below: Source: Bloomberg   Falling on Deaf Ears To that point, while investors seem to think that the Fed can vastly restrict monetary policy without disrupting a healthy U.S. economy, a major surprise could be on the horizon. For example, the futures market has now priced in nearly 10 rate hikes by the Fed in 2022. As a result, should we expect the hawkish developments to unfold without a hitch? Please see below: To explain, the light blue, dark blue, and pink lines above track the number of rate hikes expected by the Fed, BoE, and ECB. If you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the light blue line has risen sharply over the last several days and months. For your reference, if you focus your attention on the material underperformance of the pink line, you can see why I’ve been so bearish on the EUR/USD for so long. Also noteworthy, please have a look at the U.S. 2-Year Treasury yield minus the German 2-Year Bond yield spread. If you analyze the rapid rise on the right side of the chart below, you can see how much short-term U.S. yields have outperformed their European counterparts in 2021/2022. Source: Bloomberg/ Lisa Abramowicz More importantly, though, with Fed officials’ recent rhetoric encouraging more hawkish re-pricing instead of talking down expectations (like the ECB), they want investors to slow their roll. However, investors are now fighting the Fed, and the epic battle will likely lead to profound disappointment over the medium term. Case in point: when Fed officials dial up the hawkish rhetoric, their “messaging” is supposed to shift investors’ expectations. As such, the threat of raising interest rates is often as impactful as actually doing it. However, when investors don’t listen, the Fed has to turn the hawkish dial up even more. If history is any indication, a calamity will eventually unfold.  Please see below: To explain, the blue line above tracks the U.S. federal funds rate, while the various circles and notations above track the global crises that erupted during the Fed’s rate hike cycles. As a result, standard tightening periods often result in immense volatility.  However, with investors refusing to let asset prices fall, they’re forcing the Fed to accelerate its rate hikes to achieve its desired outcome (calm inflation). As such, the next several months could be a rate hike cycle on steroids.  To that point, with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell dropping the hawkish hammer on Mar. 21, I noted his response to a question about inflation calming in the second half of 2022. I wrote on Mar. 22: "That story has already fallen apart. To the extent it continues to fall apart, my colleagues and I may well reach the conclusion we'll need to move more quickly and, if so, we'll do so." To that point, Powell said that “there’s excess demand" and that "the economy is very strong and is well-positioned to handle tighter monetary policy." As a result, while investors seem to think that Powell’s bluffing, enlightenment will likely materialize over the next few months. Please see below: Source: Reuters Furthermore, with Goldman Sachs economists noting the shift in tone from “steadily” in January to “expeditiously” on Mar. 21, they also upped their hawkish expectations. They wrote: “We are now forecasting 50bp hikes at both the May and June meetings (vs. 25bp at each meeting previously). The level of the funds rate would still be low at 0.75-1% after a 50bp hike in May, and if the FOMC is open to moving in larger steps, then we think it would see a second 50bp hike in June as appropriate under our forecasted inflation path.” “After the two 50bp moves, we expect the FOMC to move back to 25bp rate hikes at the four remaining meetings in the back half of 2022, and to then further slow the pace next year by delivering three quarterly hikes in 2023Q1-Q3. We have left our forecast of the terminal rate unchanged at 3-3.25%, as shown in Exhibit 1.” Please see below: In addition, this doesn’t account for the Fed’s willingness to sell assets on its balance sheet. For context, Powell said on Mar. 16 that quantitative tightening (QT) should occur sometime in the summer and that shrinking the balance sheet “might be the equivalent of another rate increase.” As a result, investors’ lack of preparedness for what should unfold over the next few months has been something to behold. However, the reality check will likely elicit a major shift in sentiment.  In contrast, the bond market heard Powell’s message loud and clear, and with the U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield hitting another 2022 high of ~2.38% on Mar. 22, the entire U.S. yield curve is paying attention. Please see below: Source: Investing.com Finally, the Richmond Fed released its Fifth District Survey of Manufacturing Activity on Mar. 22. With the headline index increasing from 1 in February to 13 in March, the report cited “increases in all three of the component indexes – shipments, volume of new orders, and number of employees.” Moreover, the prices received index increased month-over-month (MoM) in March (the red box below), while future six-month expectations for prices paid and received also increased (the blue box below). As a result, inflation trends are not moving in the Fed’s desired direction. Please see below: Source: Richmond Fed Likewise, the Richmond Fed also released its Fifth District Survey of Service Sector Activity on Mar. 22, nd while the headline index decreased from 13 in February to -3 in March, current and future six-month inflationary pressures/expectations rose MoM. Source: Richmond Fed The bottom line? While the Fed is screaming at the financial markets to tone it down to help calm inflation, investors aren't listening. With higher prices resulting in more hawkish rhetoric and policy, the Fed should keep amplifying its message until investors finally take note. If not, inflation will continue its ascent until demand destruction unfolds and the U.S. slips into a recession. As such, if investors assume that several rate hikes will commence over the next several months with little or no volatility in between, they're likely in for a major surprise. In conclusion, the PMs declined on Mar. 22, as the sentiment seesaw continued. However, as I noted, it's remarkable how much the PMs' domestic fundamental outlooks have deteriorated in recent weeks. Thus, while the Russia-Ukraine conflict keeps them uplifted, for now, the Fed's inflation problem is nowhere near an acceptable level. As a result, when investors finally realize that a much tougher macroeconomic environment confronts them over the next few months, the shift in sentiment will likely culminate in sharp drawdowns. Thank you for reading our free analysis today. Please note that the above is just a small fraction of today’s all-encompassing Gold & Silver Trading Alert. The latter includes multiple premium details such as the targets for gold and mining stocks that could be reached in the next few weeks. If you’d like to read those premium details, we have good news for you. As soon as you sign up for our free gold newsletter, you’ll get a free 7-day no-obligation trial access to our premium Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. It’s really free – sign up today. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFAFounder, Editor-in-chiefSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care * * * * * All essays, research and information found above represent analyses and opinions of Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. Opinions and analyses are based on data available to authors of respective essays at the time of writing. Although the information provided above is based on careful research and sources that are deemed to be accurate, Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA and his associates do not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the data or information reported. The opinions published above are neither an offer nor a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. Mr. Radomski is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Przemyslaw Radomski's, CFA reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Przemyslaw Radomski, CFA, Sunshine Profits' employees and affiliates as well as members of their families may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    (MCO) Crypto.com Price Rises As The Company Is Presented As A Sponsor Of An Important Sport Event

    (MCO) Crypto.com Price Rises As The Company Is Presented As A Sponsor Of An Important Sport Event

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 23.03.2022 15:52
    Crypto.com token set a stable base and rallied 12% to clear a crucial hurdle at $0.41. If CRO manages to stay above this barrier, a retest of $0.45 seems likely. A breakdown of $0.41 could trigger a correction to $0.37 or lower. Crypto.com token has set up pools of liquidity at the range low and high of recent run-up. This technical outlook creates ambiguity with directional bias, but the recent announcement indicates a bullish move is likely. The company’s Twitter account posted that it will be a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. A blog post further elaborated that Crypto.com will be the “exclusive cryptocurrency trading company” sponsoring the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. This move from the establishment is not unseen in the crypto industry with FTX partnering with major Major Baseball League, Mercedes, eSports teams and so on. The sponsorship will allow Crypto.com to garner branding exposure from within and outside the tournament’s stadiums. Crypto.com token at make-or-break point Crypto.com token fell nearly 20% between March 2 and 7, setting up a range that extends from $0.45 to $0.37. This downswing set a boundary and CRO bulls respected it and created a double bottom at $0.37, triggering then a recovery rally. So far, the Crypto.com token has managed to flip the 50% retracement level at $0.41 and is at the time of writing hovering above it. A continuation of this bullish momentum could see CRO heading back to the range high and perhaps higher. Interested investors can wait for a retest of the $0.41 barrier to enter a long position and book profits at $0.45. In some cases, the run-up could push the Crypto.com token to $0.47 especially if the buying pressure increases. CRO/USDT 4-hour chart Although things are looking favorable to bulls, a breakdown of the $0.41 support level will trigger a move in the opposite direction. If Crypto.com token produces a four-hour candlestick close below $0.37, it will invalidate the bullish thesis. This development could see Crypto.com token slide lower to retest the stable support level at $0.36.
    The US Has Again Benefited From Military Conflicts In Other Parts Of The World, The Capital From Europe And Other Regions Goes To The US

    EUR/USD Loses 0.15%, GBP/USD Loses 0.35%, USD/JPY Gains 0.35%! You Hawkish Fed! Dollar Strengthens!

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 23.03.2022 20:27
    Yesterday we were following forex pairs with dollars. Everybody follows dollar index (DXY) to check market’s reaction to Fed rhetoric which is verbalised by Jerome Powell (Chairman) again. Next rate hikes are highly expected. EUR/USD Chart GBP/USD Chart USD/JPY Chart USD/PLN Chart - exotic pair has gained this time, dollar seems to feel better Source/Data: Investing.com, Goldman Sachs, TradingView.com
    What Will Be The Impact Of Rising Rates On Stocks & Commodities?

    What Will Be The Impact Of Rising Rates On Stocks & Commodities?

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 23.03.2022 21:33
    Investors and traders alike are concerned about what investments they should make on behalf of their portfolios and retirement accounts. We, at TheTechnicalTraders.com, continue to monitor stocks and commodities closely due to the Russia-Ukraine War, market volatility, surging inflation, and rising interest rates. Several of our subscribers have asked if changes in monitor policy may lead to a recession as higher rates take a bigger bite out of corporate profits.As technical traders, we look exclusively at the price action to provide specific clues as to the current trend or a potential change in trend. We review our charts for both stocks and commodities to see what we can learn from the most recent price action. Before we dive into that, let’s review the various stages of the market; with special attention given to expansion vs. contraction in a rising interest rate environment which you can see illustrated below.PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR STOCK PORTFOLIOWe are keeping an especially close eye on the price action of the SPY ETF. The current resistance for the SPY is the 475 top that happened around January 6, 2022. This top was 212.5% of the March 23, 2020, low that was put in at the height of the Covid global pandemic.The SPY found support in the 410 area at the end of February. If you recall (or didn't know), 410 was the Fibonacci 1.618 or 161.8% percent of the Covid 2020 price drop. Now, after experiencing a nice rally back, of a little over 50%, we are waiting to see if the rally can continue or if rotation will occur, sending the price back lower.COMMODITY MARKETS SURGEDThe commodity markets experienced a tremendous rally due to fast-rising inflation, especially energy, metals, and food prices.The GSG ETF price action shows that we recently touched 200%, or the doubling of the April 21, 2020, low. Immediately following, similar to the SPY, the GSCI commodity index promptly sold off only to then find substantial buying support at the Fibonacci 1.618 or 161.8 percent of the starting low price of the bull trend. Resistance for the GSG is at 26, and support is 21.A STRENGTHENING US DOLLARThe strengthening US dollar can be attributed to investors seeking a safe haven from geopolitical events, surging inflation, and the Fed beginning to raise rates. The US Dollar is still considered the primary reserve currency as the greatest portion of forex reserves held by central banks are in dollars. Furthermore, most commodities, including gold and crude oil, are also denominated in dollars.Consider the following statement from the Bank of International Settlements www.bis.org ‘Triennial Central Bank Survey’ published September 16, 2019: “The US dollar retained its dominant currency status, being on one side of 88% of all trades.” The report also highlighted, “Trading in FX markets reached $6.6 trillion per day in April 2019, up from $5.1 trillion three years earlier.” That’s a lot of dollars traded globally and confirms that we need to stay current on the dollars price action.Multinational companies are especially keeping a close eye on the dollar as any major shift in global money flows will seriously negatively impact their net profit and subsequent share value.The following chart by www.finviz.com provides us with a current snapshot of the relative performance of the US dollar vs. major global currencies over the past year:KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, AND APPLICATION ARE NEEDEDIt is important to understand that we are not saying the market has topped and is headed lower. This article is to shed light on some interesting analyses of which you should be aware. As technical traders, we follow price only, and when a new trend has been confirmed, we will change our positions accordingly. We provide our ETF trades to our subscribers, and somewhat surprisingly, we entered five new trades earlier this week, two of which have now hit their first profit target levels. Our models continually track price action in a multitude of markets, asset classes, and global money flow. As our models generate new information about trends or a change in trends, we will communicate these signals expeditiously to our subscribers and to those on our trading newsletter email list.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS? Learn how we use specific tools to help us understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, we expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. We believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern begin to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.We invite you to join our group of active traders and investors to learn and profit from our three ETF Technical Trading Strategies. We can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    The Interest Rate Cut Will Not Affect The Ruble (RUB)

    Russian Roubles (RUB) As A Way To Pay For The Gas?

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 23.03.2022 15:55
    The Russian rubles adds more than 3% to the dollar, trading around 100 on news that "so-called unfriendly countries" will have to pay for gas in rubles. Impulsively (as the Russian currency market remains extremely illiquid), the USDRUB dropped below 95. This is indeed positive news for the Russian currency as it increases demand. But is it such a significant step? All exporters are now obliged to convert at least 80% of their foreign currency earnings into rubles. On the foreign exchange side, buying gas for rubles raises the bar to 100% for Gazprom and several other smaller exporters, but not for all jurisdictions (about 70% of total gas exports). For the balance of supply and demand of the ruble, this is a much less strong move than the initial order to convert 80% of all foreign exchange earnings into rubles. The news itself carries more of an emotional message for the markets. Still, the initial optimism could correct very quickly and is unlikely to be the mainstay for a sustained rally in the rubles. It also looks like an attempt to jab the USA, as selling energy for dollars has often been referred to as the basis of the reserve status of the USD in recent months. A secondary effect was the inversion of the spread between the USDRUB exchange rate on the Moscow Exchange and in Forex. Previously, in early March, USDRUB was traded up to 10 rubles less in Russia than abroad (though the spread diminished over time). Now USDRUB is settling at 98 on FX versus 100.4 on MOEX. Another secondary effect is a rise in oil prices of more than 5% since the start of the day, as some buyers will try to use the remaining alternative to gas, which can still be bought with dollars. Among the adverse effects, albeit in the medium term, it is worth pointing out that the switch to ruble settlements will accelerate a pullback of Russian gas by Europe, reducing export revenues, which has been a guarantee of ruble stability and a driver of economic growth.
    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Cryptos on the front foot as rebound turns into new uptrend

    Top 3 Price Prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: Cryptos on the front foot as rebound turns into new uptrend

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 24.03.2022 16:22
    Bitcoin price set to touch $45,000 by tomorrow if current tailwinds keep supporting price action. Ethereum price set to rally another 12%, with bulls targeting $3,500.00XRP price undergoes consolidation as the next profit level is $0.90.Bitcoin price, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies are enjoying a calm week with tailwinds finally able to thrive without constant interruption from headlines about Ukraine or Russia. Markets are also starting to adjust to the situation, with no immediate or significant movements anymore triggered by headlines coming out. Expect to see more upside with several possible cryptocurrencies eking out the best week of the year thus far.Bitcoin price has a defined game plan with $44,088 as the target for today and $45,261 by the weekendBitcoin (BTC) price is on the front foot for a third consecutive day as the rally turns into a broader uptrend. The crucial thing will be to see where BTC price will close this week, as bears need to get weakened with several short squeezes and breakouts running stops from short-sellers. Despite being elevated, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is still not near the 'overbought' level, providing enough incentive for bulls and investors to keep buying BTC price action.BTC price is set to hit $44,088.73 today, the level of the March 03 highs. If that is gained – and given the current tailwinds – markets will start to expect Bitcoin to eke out new highs for the month with still a week to go. This additional bullish element should help conclude a daily close above $44,088.73. A support test on that same level will trigger new inflows from investors and provide the needed juice to pump price action up to $45,261.84, topping $45,000.00.BTC/USD daily chartA tail risk comes from the big joint meeting today in Brussels, with Biden meeting NATO, the G7 and E.U. leaders. An embargo on gas is on the table and could roil markets if the E.U. decides to walk away from Russian gas supplies, opening up the possibility of further Russian retaliation in Ukraine. That would make global markets move back to risk-off mode, with Bitcoin price dropping back to support at $39,780.68, and intersecting with the green ascending trend line. Ethereum price targets $3,500 after bulls force a daily close above $3,018.55Ethereum (ETH) price is performing a 'classic long' trading plan today after bulls pushed a daily close above $3,018.55. With price action in ETH opening slightly above this level, this morning, the price has faded slightly back towards that same $3,018.55 level to find support and offer the opportunity for new bulls and investors to enter the market. Ethereum price will move back to the upside and continue its rally, which is currently looking more and more like an uptrend that could continue over a broader time frame.ETH price will therefore need to find support around $3,018.55 as the fade will need to be kept in check, as too large a fade could spook investors. Seeing as the current favourable tailwinds are quite broadly present in global markets, expect to see another uplift towards $3,200 and $3,391.52 depending on the number of new positive headlines acting as additional accelerators. With those moves, at least new highs for March will be printed and possibly for February, depending on how steep the rally can continue.ETH/USD daily chartThe risk for Ethereum price is that price action slips back below $3,018.55. That could open the door for bears to jump in again and run price action back to $2,835.83, which is the low of March 21 and the monthly pivot. An additional fail-safe system is the 55-day Simple Moving Average at $2,808.84 as an additional supportive factor to take into account.https://youtu.be/wgpCSH70SIQXRP price undergoes consolidation as the bullish breakout hits $0.90Ripple's (XRP) price has bears and bulls being pushed towards each other as the bodies of the candles from the past two sessions grow very thin. This points to bulls and bears fighting it out and neither yet having the upper hand. Bears are defending the area above $0.8390 from bulls running to $0.8791, and bulls are trying to defend their support at $0.7843. With lower highs and higher lows, the stage is set for a breakout that, seeing the current tailwinds, will probably favour bulls, and result in a quick move towards $0.8791.XRP price is thus set to print new highs for March. With the stock markets having their best performing week for this year, expect to see even more tailwinds spilling over to cryptocurrencies and bulls targeting $0.9110. At that level, bulls will run into the 200-day SMA which will possibly be the halting point of the current uptrend as investors will need to reassess the situation before they advance. Where global markets are at that point and how far off a peace treaty is between Russia and Ukraine will determine if bulls will advance towards $1.00 in XRP price.XRP/USD daily chartAlthough several statements suggest it is unlikely, should Putin be backed further into a corner, the use of nuclear weapons could cast a dark shadow on markets. Expect a massive drop in equities and cryptocurrencies with those headlines coming out, where XRP price will fall towards $0.7843 or even $0.7600. In the first case, the historic pivotal level will provide support and further down, the monthly pivot is set to intertwine with the 55-day SMA, which should be enough to catch any falling-knife action. https://youtu.be/ZWrKMd2CiL8
    Russia's Active Production Cuts Could Be Grounds For A Bullish Shock

    Oil Has Increased By 20%! How Have Crude Oil Price Fluctuated Since The Beginning Of The Russia-Ukraine War? It’s Over $112 Now…

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 24.03.2022 15:45
    While everybody was wondering about the end of the COVID-19 pandemy and Russia invaded Ukraine what started affecting the markets. Obviously natural gas and crude oil price are volatile recently. EU leaders accompanied by Joe Biden discuss outlooks and most probably next sanctions. As we wrote in the report about natural gas price the rise started to confuse the world few days after the invasion. It seems that all sanctions and fail of ceasefire negotiations made the crude oil price rise gain momentum. In the middle of March prices got back to the levels of the beginning of the month, but aggressive rhetoric of Russia made BRENT and WTI trading higher again. Let’s have a look at the Crude Oil Price monthly chart (courtesy of TradingView.com) 5-days chart (courtesy of TradingView.com) of Crude Oil Price shows a significant rise in recent days Data/Source: TradingView.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com
    Price Of Gold Nears $45k As Many Authorities Are Speaking Of Crypto

    Price Of Gold Nears $45k As Many Authorities Are Speaking Of Crypto

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 25.03.2022 08:52
    Bitcoin is trading above $44.1K on Friday, gaining 2.4% over the past day and 8.2% over the week. Increased inquiry for BTC Yesterday, the first cryptocurrency was in demand during the Asian and American sessions. The current values of BTC are consolidating in the area of 2-month extremes. In contrast to the previous test of these levels, this time, we see a smooth rise in the rate, indicating that the bulls still have some momentum. Also, over the past 24 hours, Ethereum has gained 2.4%, while other leading altcoins from the top ten have strengthened from 0.5% (XRP) to 7.4% (Solana). The exception is Terra, which is shedding 1.8%, correcting part of its gains in the first half of the week. According to CoinMarketCap, the total crypto market capitalization increased by 2.3% to $2 trillion. The Bitcoin Dominance Index rose 0.1 percentage points to 41.8%. The Fear and Greed Cryptocurrency Index added another 7 points to 47 and ended up in the neutral territory. Cardano leads the last week in terms of growth among top coins (+39%) as Coinbase added the possibility of staking cryptocurrency with a current estimated annual return of 3.75% per annum. Countries assess the risks of cryptos Credit Suisse reported that Bitcoin doesn't pose a threat to the banking sector as an alternative to fiat money and banking services. The CEO of BlackRock, one of the world's largest investment companies, noted that military actions in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia will increase the popularity of cryptocurrencies and accelerate their adoption. Despite the rally in global stocks over the past two weeks, financial conditions in the debt markets continue to deteriorate due to rising interest rates and inflation. Largely because of this, El Salvador has postponed the issuance of bitcoin bonds in anticipation of more favorable conditions. Since very active steps to raise key rates are expected in the next year and a half, and Bitcoin is far from the highs, it is unlikely that such bonds will be issued soon. The Bank of England intends to tighten supervision of cryptocurrencies due to the financial risks that their adoption carries. However, the Central Bank urged commercial banks to exercise maximum caution when dealing with these extremely volatile assets.
    Is There Any Gold in Virtual Worlds Like Metaverse?

    Is There Any Gold in Virtual Worlds Like Metaverse?

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 25.03.2022 12:15
    Imagine all the people… living life in the Metaverse. Once we immerse ourselves in the digital sphere, gold may go out of fashion. Or maybe not?Do you already have your avatar? If not, maybe you should consider creating one, as the Metaverse is coming! What is the Metaverse? It is a digital, three-dimensional world where people are represented by avatars, a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection, the next evolution of the internet, “extended reality,” and the latest buzzword in the marketplace since Facebook changed its name to Meta. If you still have no idea what I’m talking about, you can watch this or just Spielberg’s Ready Player One.The idea of personalities being uploaded online is an intriguing concept, isn’t it? In this vision, people meet with others, play, and simply hang out in a digital world. Imagine friends turning group chats on Messenger or WhatsApp into group meetups in the Metaverse of family gatherings in virtual homes. Ultimately, people will probably be doing pretty much everything there, except eating, sleeping, and using the restroom.Sounds scary? For people in their 30s and older who were fascinated by The Matrix, it does. However, this is really happening. The augmented reality technology market is expected to grow from $47 billion in 2019 to $1.5 trillion in 2030, mainly thanks to the development of the Metaverse. China’s virtual goods and services market is expected to be worth almost $250 billion this year and $370 billion in the next four years.In a sense, it had to happen as the next phase of the digital revolution. You see, we now experience much of life on the two-dimensional screens of our laptops and smartphones. The Metaverse moves us from a flat and boring 2D to a 3D virtual universe, where we can visualize and experience things with a more natural user interface. Let’s take shopping as an example. Instead of purchasing items on Amazon, customers could enter a virtual shop, see and touch all products in 3D, and buy whatever they wanted (actually, Walmart launched its own 3D shopping experience in 2018).OK, we get the idea, but why does Metaverse matter, putting aside sociological or philosophical issues related to transferring our minds into the digital world? Well, it might strongly affect every aspect of business and life, just as the internet did earlier. Here are a couple of examples. Famous brands, like Dolce & Gabbana, are designing clothes and jewelry for the digital world. Some artists are giving concerts in virtual reality. You could also visit some museums virtually, and instead of taking a business trip, you can digitally teleport to remote locations to meet with your co-workers’ avatars.Finally, what does the Metaverse imply for the gold market? Well, it’s difficult to grasp all the possible implications right now. However, the main threat is clear: as people immerse deeper and deeper into the digital world, gold could become obsolete for many users. Please note that cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are and will continue to be widely used as payment methods in the Metaverse.However, there are some caveats here. First, the invention and spread of the internet didn’t sink gold. Actually, the internet enabled gold to be widely traded by investors all over the world. Just take a look at the chart below. Although gold was in a bear market in the 1990s and struggled during the dot-com bubble, it rallied after the bubble burst.Second, the digital world didn’t kill the analog reality. Despite digital streaming of music, vinyl record sales soared last year, reaching a record high in a few decades. The development of the Metaverse could trigger a similar backlash and a return to tangible goods like gold.Third, some segments of the Metaverse look like bubbles. Maybe I’m just too old, but why the heck would anybody spend hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars to buy items in the virtual world? These items include virtual real estates (CNBC says that sales of real estate in the metaverse topped $500 million last year and could double this year), digital pieces of art or even tweets (yup, the founder of Twitter sold the first tweet ever for just under $3 million)! It does not make any sense to me, as I can right-click and download a copy of the same digital files (like a PNG file of a grey pet rock) for which people pay thousands and millions of dollars.Of course, certain items could increase the utility of the game or virtual experience, but my bet is that at least some buyers simply speculate on prices, expecting that they will be able to resell these items to greater fools. When this digital gold rush ends – and given the Fed’s tightening cycle, it may happen in the not-so-distant future – real gold could laugh last.Thank you for reading today’s free analysis. We hope you enjoyed it. If so, we would like to invite you to sign up for our free gold newsletter. Once you sign up, you’ll also get 7-day no-obligation trial of all our premium gold services, including our Gold & Silver Trading Alerts. Sign up today!Arkadiusz Sieron, PhDSunshine Profits: Effective Investment through Diligence & Care.
    S&P 500 Has Been Moving Up For A While. What's Next?

    S&P 500 Has Been Moving Up For A While. What's Next?

    Paul Rejczak Paul Rejczak 28.03.2022 15:55
      Stocks extended their short-term uptrend on Friday, but this week we may see some more uncertainty and a possible profit-taking action. The S&P 500 index gained 0.53% on Friday following its Thursday’s advance of 1.4%. The broad stock market’s gauge extended its short-term uptrend after breaking above the 4,500 level. It gained over 380 points from the Mar. 14 local low of around 4,162. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. However, we may see another correction and a profit-taking action at some point. There’s still a lot of uncertainty concerning the ongoing Ukraine conflict, but investors were recently jumping back into stocks despite that geopolitical uncertainty. This morning the index is expected to open virtually flat after an overnight advance followed by its retracement. The nearest important resistance level is at around 4,550-4,600, marked by the previous local highs. On the other hand, the support level is at 4,400-4,450. The S&P 500 index trades closer to its January-February local highs along the 4,600 level, as we can see on the daily chart (chart by courtesy of http://stockcharts.com): Futures Contract Remains Above the 4,500 Level Let’s take a look at the hourly chart of the S&P 500 futures contract. It is trading close to the new local high. Potential resistance level is at around 4,585, marked by the previous highs. There have been no confirmed negative signals so far. We are maintaining our profitable long position from the 4,340 level, as we are still expecting a bullish price action in the near-term. However, to protect our gain, we decided to move the stop-loss (take profit) and price target levels higher. (our premium Stock Trading Alert includes details of our trading position along with the stop-loss and profit target levels) (chart by courtesy of http://tradingview.com): Conclusion The S&P 500 index will likely open virtually flat this morning. However, the futures contract retraced its overnight advance, so we may see more uncertainty and a potential profit-taking action. The war In Ukraine remains a negative factor for the markets. The global markets will also be waiting for this Friday’s monthly jobs data release. Here’s the breakdown: The S&P 500 index extended its uptrend on Friday; this morning the futures contract retreated from its new local high. We are maintaining our profitable long position (opened on Feb. 22 at 4,340), but we moved stop-loss (take profit) and price target levels higher. We are still expecting an advance from the current levels. Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Stock Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today! Thank you. Paul Rejczak,Stock Trading StrategistSunshine Profits: Effective Investments through Diligence and Care * * * * * The information above represents analyses and opinions of Paul Rejczak & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Paul Rejczak and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Rejczak is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading his reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Paul Rejczak, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    Crypto trading volume exceeds $100 billion in 24 hours as bulls flock to the market

    Crypto trading volume exceeds $100 billion in 24 hours as bulls flock to the market

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 28.03.2022 16:34
    Proponents noted a 63.07% spike in the total transaction volume of cryptocurrencies across exchanges. Coinmarketcap data reveals a month-on-month increase of 4.75% in crypto trading volume. Bitcoin price crossed $47,000, fueled by $200 million shorts liquidated across exchanges. Bitcoin price is rallying, fueled by a frenzy of massive short liquidations on crypto exchanges. Proponents believe bulls have flocked to the market, as transaction volume exceeded $100 billion. Bitcoin price pushes past $47,000 in recent rally Bitcoin price crossed key resistance to hit a high above $47,000 in a rally fueled by the liquidation of millions of short positions. Analysts at the crypto intelligence platform Santiment observed a massive liquidation of shorts across exchanges at 1 pm and 6 pm UTC across crypto exchanges on March 27, 2022. Analysts argue that Bitcoin’s recent price rally to $47,000 was a response to liquidation in large quantities over the weekend. The average funding rate entered the long zone, where uncertainty among market participants increased. Therefore, analysts conclude that Bitcoin shorts have fueled the asset’s ongoing rally. Bitcoin and altcoin shorts liquidatedColin Wu, a Chinese journalist, reported a spike in the total transaction volume of cryptocurrencies, exceeding $100 billion over the past 24 hours. Wu referred to data from Coinmarketcap and observed a 63.07% increase in crypto transaction volume compared to March 26, 2022. The total crypto market value now exceeds $2.12 trillion. Historically, analysts have witnessed high transaction activity when large wallet investors flock to the market or scoop up crypto. Bloomberg analysts argue that Bitcoin looks overbought, compared to its 50-day Moving Average. Bitcoin price crossed key resistance at $45,000 in the current rally, erasing its losses for the year. FXStreet analysts have evaluated Bitcoin price and predicted the start of a new uptrend in the asset, as it crossed the $45,000 level.
    Tesla Stock News and Forecast: Shareholders to vote on TSLA stock split

    Tesla Stock News and Forecast: Shareholders to vote on TSLA stock split

    FXStreet News FXStreet News 28.03.2022 16:34
    Tesla stock surges on news of a potential stock split dividend.TSLA is up at $1,066 of +5.6% in Monday premarket trading.Tesla stock has rallied sharply from early March lows.Tesla stock (TSLA) is back to the top of the social media chatter on Monday, usurping GameStop and AMC in the process. The stock is surging this morning on news of a potential stock split dividend. Tesla previously did a 5-for-1 stock split back in August 2020, and other companies have followed suit, notably Amazon. This makes it easier for retail investors to own the stock when it has a more affordable share price.Tesla Stock News: Stock split imminent?Tesla's board of directors has already approved the plan to split the shares for a stock dividend and will put it to a vote of the shareholders. The news was well-received by retail shareholders who tend to be more active in the premarket than other holders. A stock dividend is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of receiving cash, shareholders receive new shares in the company. This means companies do not use up cash to fund the dividend. Stock dividends are usually dilutive to earnings per share (EPS) as more shares are in issue after the event. Tesla is up nearly 6% before the open. It is not all plain sailing though for the EV giant as more Chinese covid lockdowns are announced. Tesla will close its Shanghai giga plant for at least a day on the back of lockdowns in the city. Tesla Stock ForecastA powerful rally with the next target now set at $1,210. This would set up Tesla's (TSLA) stock to break to all-time highs. Currently, on the longer-term time horizon, the narrative is still bearish with a series of lower highs and lower lows. So breaking $1,210 turns Tesla bullish on all time horizons. Naturally, it is already bullish in the short term after last week's strong rally. Holding above $945 is the key pivot for medium and long-term traders. TSLA 20-hour chartThere is a short-term pivot at $1,000, with high volume at this level. Below sees a volume gap to $945, the key as mentioned above. Tesla chart, 15-minute
    Who Benefits Most From the Russia-Ukraine War?

    Who Benefits Most From the Russia-Ukraine War?

    Finance Press Release Finance Press Release 28.03.2022 17:25
    With the unrest in the Black Sea basin, it appears that there are two more cross-trade wars in the world. These are about energy and currency.Crude oil prices, down most of Friday, finally ended the week higher after a huge fire broke out at oil facilities in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following attacks by Yemeni rebels.The great winner of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is undoubtedly the United States, which now seems to be taking advantage of Europe’s moment of weakness.The latter is indeed currently switching its energy supplies from Russian natural gas (pipeline-transported) to the much more polluting and much more expensive US shale gas. The reasons are much higher extraction (fracking) and transportation costs since it requires additional processes such as liquefaction/degasification and the deployment of more port terminals that are able to provide such steps – also much more energy-consuming – linked to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supplies.(Source: ResearchGate.net)By doing so, the European Union is going to increase its dependence on the US whilst a new and stronger block (including Asia) emerges on the east side.As a result, we have already started to witness dedollarisation in international trade, with the petroyuan set to dethrone the heavily-printed petrodollar.No wonder that the US dollar supply surge has ended up triggering uncontrollable and probably still underestimated inflation. As a result, this monetary virus is spreading through the global economy at a faster pace than any other variant! WTI Crude Oil (CLK22) Futures (May contract, daily chart) Henry Hub Natural Gas (NGK22) Futures (May contract, daily chart)“Inflation is like toothpaste. Once it's out, you can hardly get it back in again. So, the best thing is not to squeeze too hard on the tube.” – Dr Karl Otto PöhlThat’s all folks for today. Happy trading!Like what you’ve read? Subscribe for our daily newsletter today, and you'll get 7 days of FREE access to our premium daily Oil Trading Alerts as well as our other Alerts. Sign up for the free newsletter today!Thank you.Sebastien BischeriOil & Gas Trading Strategist* * * * *The information above represents analyses and opinions of Sebastien Bischeri, & Sunshine Profits' associates only. As such, it may prove wrong and be subject to change without notice. At the time of writing, we base our opinions and analyses on facts and data sourced from respective essays and their authors. Although formed on top of careful research and reputably accurate sources, Sebastien Bischeri and his associates cannot guarantee the reported data's accuracy and thoroughness. The opinions published above neither recommend nor offer any securities transaction. Mr. Bischeri is not a Registered Securities Advisor. By reading Sebastien Bischeri’s reports you fully agree that he will not be held responsible or liable for any decisions you make regarding any information provided in these reports. Investing, trading and speculation in any financial markets may involve high risk of loss. Sebastien Bischeri, Sunshine Profits' employees, affiliates as well as their family members may have a short or long position in any securities, including those mentioned in any of the reports or essays, and may make additional purchases and/or sales of those securities without notice.
    5% for the US 10-Year Treasury Yield: A Realistic Scenario

    Releases This Week: Australian Retail Sales, US Crude Oil Inventories And Nonfarm Payrolls – Economic Calendar By FXMAG.COM – 29/03-1/04/22

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 28.03.2022 17:13
    So Monday has been a silent prologue to the week which is packed with loads of releases from around the world. In the following days the EU Retail Sales, US Crude Oil Inventories And Initial Job Claims Go Public. What’s highlighted among mentioned? Chinese Manufacturing PMI, the US Nonfarm Payrolls and Unemployment Rate. Tuesday At 1:30 a.m. Retail Sales (MoM) indicator is released. The previous value hit 1.8%. In the afternoon we should follow the US releases so the CB Consumer Confidence and JOLTs Job Openings published at 3 p.m. Wednesday The day ‘begins’ quite late as ADP Nonfarm Employment Change is released at 1:15 p.m. This indicator previously amounted to 475K. Fifteen minutes later it’s time for two indicators: GDP (prev. 7%) and highly awaited Crude Oil Inventories releases which takes place at 3:30 p.m. Thursday Don’t fall asleep or wake up early on Thursday! At night (2:30 a.m. Chinese Manufacturing PMI goes public). At 7 a.m. British GDP is released followed by German Unemployment Change release almost two hours later. At 1:30 there are two indicators published – the US Initial Jobless Claims (187K) and Canadian GDP (0%) Friday The last working day of the week seems so be a long day. There are nine major releases planned beginning with Japanese Tankan Large Manufacturers and Non-Manufacturers Indices (Q1) presented at 0:50 a.m. Quarter to 3 a.m. it’s time for the release of Caixin Manufacturing PMI. We can have a nap afterwards as the next important announcement takes place at 8:55 a.m. Half past nine British Manufacturing PMI (55.5) is released followed by the EU CPI (YoY) (5.9%) half an hour later. At 1:30 p.m. in the US two indicators are released – Nonfarm Payrolls and Unemployment Rate. The week ends with ISM Manufacturing PMI released at 3 p.m. Data/Source: Investing.com Economic Calendar Time: GMT+1
    Volatility Retreats As Stocks & Commodities Rally

    Volatility Retreats As Stocks & Commodities Rally

    Chris Vermeulen Chris Vermeulen 28.03.2022 21:32
    The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) is a real-time index. It is derived from the prices of SPX index options with near-term expiration dates that are utilized to generate a 30-day forward projection of volatility. The VIX allows us to gauge market sentiment or the degree of fear among market participants. As the Volatility Index VIX goes up, fear increases, and as it goes down, fear dissipates.Commodities and equities are both showing renewed strength on the heels of global interest rate increases. Inflation shows no sign of abating as energy, metals, food products, and housing continues their upward bias.During the last 18-months, the VIX has been trading between its upper resistance of 36.00 and its lower support of 16.00. As the Volatility Index VIX falls, fear subsides, and money flows back into stocks.VIX – VOLATILITY S&P 500 INDEX – CBOE – DAILY CHARTSPY RALLIES +10%The SPY has enjoyed a sharp rally back up after touching its Fibonacci 1.618% support based on its 2020 Covid price drop. Money has been flowing back into stocks as investors seem to be adapting to the current geopolitical environment and the change in global central bank lending rate policy.Resistance on the SPY is the early January high near 475, while support remains solidly in place at 414. March marks the 2nd anniversary of the 2020 Covid low that SPY made at 218.26 on March 23, 2020.SPY – SPDR S&P 500 ETF TRUST - ARCA – DAILY CHARTBERKSHIRE HATHAWAY RECORD-HIGH $538,949!Berkshire Hathaway is up +20.01% year to date compared to the S&P 500 -4.68%. Berkshire’s Warren Buffet has also been on a shopping spree, and investors seem to be comforted that he is buying stocks again. Buffet reached a deal to buy insurer Alleghany (y) for $11.6 billion and purchased nearly a 15% stake in Occidental Petroleum (OXY), worth $8 billion.These acquisitions seem to be well-timed as insurers and banks tend to benefit from rising interest rates, and Occidental generates the bulk of its cash flow from the production of crude oil.As technical traders, we look exclusively at the price action to provide specific clues as to the current trend or a potential change in trend. With that said, Berkshire is a classic example of not fighting the market. As Berkshire continues to make new highs, its’ trend is up!BRK.A – BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. - NYSE – DAILY CHARTCOMMODITY DEMAND REMAINS STRONGInflation continues to run at 40-year highs, and it appears that it will take more than one FED rate hike to subdue prices. Since price is King, we definitely want to ride this trend and not fight it. It is always nice to buy on a pullback, but the energy markets at this point appear to be rising exponentially. The XOP ETF gave us some nice buying opportunities earlier at the Fibonacci 0.618% $71.78 and the 0.93% $93.13 of the COVID 2020 range high-low.Remember, the trend is your friend, as many a trader has gone broke trying to pick or sell a top before its time! Well-established uptrends like the XOP are perfect examples of how utilizing a trailing stop can keep a trader from getting out of the market too soon but still offer protection in case of a sudden trend reversal.XOP – SPDR S&P OIL & GAS EXPLORE & PRODUCT – ARCA – DAILY CHARTKNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, AND APPLICATION ARE NEEDEDIt is important to understand that we are not saying the market has topped and is headed lower. This article is to shed light on some interesting analyses of which you should be aware. As technical traders, we follow price only, and when a new trend has been confirmed, we will change our positions accordingly. We provide our ETF trades to our subscribers, and somewhat surprisingly, we entered five new trades last week, four of which have now hit their first profit target levels. Our models continually track price action in a multitude of markets, asset classes, and global money flow. As our models generate new information about trends or a change in trends, we will communicate these signals expeditiously to our subscribers and to those on our trading newsletter email list.Sign up for my free trading newsletter so you don’t miss the next opportunity! Furthermore, successfully trading is not limited to when to buy or sell stocks or commodities. Money and risk management play a critical role in becoming a consistently profitable trader. Correct position sizing utilizing stop-loss orders helps preserve your investment capital and allows traders to manage their portfolios according to their desired risk parameters. Additionally, scaling out of positions by taking profits and moving stop-loss orders to breakeven can complement ones’ success.WHAT STRATEGIES CAN HELP YOU NAVIGATE The CURRENT MARKET TRENDS? Learn how we use specific tools to help us understand price cycles, set-ups, and price target levels in various sectors to identify strategic entry and exit points for trades. Over the next 12 to 24+ months, we expect very large price swings in the US stock market and other asset classes across the globe. We believe the markets have begun to transition away from the continued central bank support rally phase and have started a revaluation phase as global traders attempt to identify the next big trends. Precious Metals will likely start to act as a proper hedge as caution and concern begin to drive traders/investors into Metals and other safe-havens.We invite you to join our group of active traders and investors to learn and profit from our three ETF Technical Trading Strategies. We can help you protect and grow your wealth in any type of market condition by clicking on the following link: www.TheTechnicalTraders.com
    Indonesia's Inflation Slips, Central Bank Maintains Rates Amidst Stability

    Intraday Market Analysis – JPY Struggles For Bids

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 29.03.2022 08:40
    USDJPY seeks support The Japanese yen recouped some losses after a drop in February’s unemployment rate. The pair surged to August 2015’s high and the psychological level of 125.00. An overwhelmingly overbought RSI may cause a pullback if short-term buyers start to unwind their bets. As the market mood stays upbeat, trend followers could be waiting to jump in at a discount. 122.20 is the closest level if the greenback needs to gather support. A break above the current resistance would propel the pair to new highs above 127.00. AUDUSD hits major resistance The Australian dollar stalls as caution prevails ahead of major economic data. The rally slowed down at last October’s peak at 0.7550. A combination of profit-taking and fresh selling weighs on the Aussie. The bulls may see a pullback as an opportunity to accumulate in hope of a new round of rally. 0.7400 from the latest bullish breakout would be key support should this happen. On the upside, an extended rally could propel the pair to last June’s highs around 0.7770 and pave the way for a reversal in the medium-term. US 100 to test major resistance Growth stocks rose amid a sell-off in the bond market. Short-term sentiment remains bullish after a series of higher lows which indicates sustained buying interest. The Nasdaq 100 is heading to the daily resistance at 15050. A bearish RSI divergence suggests a deceleration in the rally, foreshadowing a potential retracement. 14600 is the support and its breach may trigger a sell-off towards 14200 which sits at the base of the recent breakout. A close above the said hurdle may put the index back on track in the weeks to come.
    Bitcoin has become a leading indicator of investor sentiment

    Bitcoin has become a leading indicator of investor sentiment

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 29.03.2022 08:51
    BTC is up 4% on Monday, ending the day around $48K, and corrected by about 1% to $47.5K on Tuesday morning. Ethereum was up 1.8% in the last 24 hours to $3.4K. Terra is a leader of the day According to CoinMarketCap, the total capitalization of the crypto market increased by 1% over the day, to $2.15 trillion. The Bitcoin dominance index fell by 0.1 points to 42.1%. The crypto-currency index of fear and greed rose by 11 points over the day, to 60, and moved from neutral level to the "greed" grade. On Tuesday, the index dropped to 56 points. Among the leading altcoins, Terra soared by 10%, Doge corrected by 2%. In most others, there is a slight correction in the growth of the last days, but they are in positive territory over the last day. Bitcoin continued to rise on Monday after it broke through the strong resistance of the February highs around $45K in the previous evening. By the end of the day, BTC has renewed the highs of early January above $48K, having won back the decline since the beginning of the year. Bitcoin is correlating with S&P500 The growth of the first cryptocurrency rested on the 200-day moving average ($48.2K). Confident consolidation above it promises to strengthen and expand the growth of the entire crypto market and breathe fresh impetus into the growth of bitcoin. In December, we saw a false break, but then the price levels were higher, and corrective sentiment intensified in the stock markets. Now Bitcoin is growing along with the rise of stock indices and often even acts as a leading indicator of investor sentiment. According to Arcane Research, BTC's correlation with the S&P 500 stock indicator recently hit a 17-month high. According to CoinShares, institutions invested $193 million in crypto funds last week, and it was the most significant amount in three months. Glassnode believes that the Bitcoin trend has already changed to bullish, as evidenced by the increase in the number of addresses accumulating BTC.
    The Bitcoin Market Is Now Developing The Corrective Cycle To The Downside

    Bitcoin (BTC) Price Charts - Daily, Monthly, BTC/GOLD - 29/03/22

    Korbinian Koller Korbinian Koller 29.03.2022 11:35
    Bitcoin wins the race   While Russia accepts hard currencies like gold, a move like this shows that the efficient attributes of bitcoin come to the forefront in times of crisis and are accepted for large business transactions between nations. Bitcoin, daily chart, price breakout: Bitcoin in USD, daily chart as of March 29th, 2022. Shortly after, president Putin confirmed this new way of doing business. In addition, China and Russia agreed to a thirty-year contract in the gas sector, transacted in Euros. We can see that we find ourselves in times of currency warfare and that it is essential to pay close attention to where and in what form we store our values. The daily chart above reflects this recent news in a price advance of bitcoin from US$37,567 to US$47,701. A 28% advance in just two weeks. Bitcoin broke through the sideways range, and this week shall show whether this breakout will be a successful one or not. In this case, the bulls have their odds much in favor over the bears.     Bitcoin, weekly chart, price left the station: Bitcoin in USD, weekly chart as of March 29th, 2022. We have now left the entry zone (green box) compared to last week’s chart book and the published weekly chart. While the crowd now chases a trade, struggling with the typical inefficiencies of volatility breakouts (bad fills, slippage, being late), we are established in our positioning with the sum of 9 accumulated runners. The runners being the last 25% of each initial position. A fully de-risked or more precisely no-risk venture (see quad exit)! Looking at the weekly chart, we find the resistance distribution zones at around US$49,650 and US$52,430. We place additional entries if the price returns to the entry box top. Bitcoin, monthly chart, if March closes strong: Bitcoin in USD, monthly chart as of March 28th, 2022. The price has entered the confirmed buy zone from a monthly perspective. The dual chart shows the progression from last week’s anticipation to this week’s chart book release. Should prices within this week stay within the green box, all-time frames are in alignment. A picture of a confirmed bullish bitcoin trend. It is a rare occurrence and confirmation for larger time frame traders and a call to look for low-risk entries, if no sufficient exposure is at play yet. Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart, Bitcoin wins the race: Bitcoin/Gold-Ratio, daily chart as of March 28th, 2022. Another split-screen view of a chart (a daily chart of the bitcoin/gold ratio) shows the progression of last week’s chart book publication and the situation right now. We had a triangle breakout last week and a substantial advance since then. The suggested rotation out of gold and into bitcoin was/is a successful one. The overall move was 30% in just two weeks. One can use this relationship as well to indicate bitcoins’ recent gain in strength and direction. Bitcoin wins the race: Change is never accepted lightly. We typically resist change and prefer an existing state of affairs as human beings. Nevertheless, we find ourselves in less than average circumstances with a worldwide pandemic, a never-ending war, and a general divide in opinions. Russia’s recent move towards approval of bitcoin shows that when the rubber meets the road, what works and is practical in times of crisis and need, wins the race. While governments around the globe feverishly try to get their electronic payment systems developed, bitcoin already finds its use spreading, and successfully so.    Feel free to join us in our free Telegram channel for daily real time data and a great community. If you like to get regular updates on precious metals and cryptocurrencies, you can also subscribe to our free newsletter. Disclosure: This article and the content are for informational purposes only and do not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Midas Touch Consulting. By Korbinian Koller|March 29th, 2022|Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin bounce, Bitcoin bullish, Bitcoin consolidation, bitcoin/gold-ratio, crypto analysis, crypto chartbook, DeFi, low risk, quad exit, technical analysis, trading education|0 Comments About the Author: Korbinian Koller Outstanding abstract reasoning ability and ability to think creatively and originally has led over the last 25 years to extract new principles and a unique way to view the markets resulting in a multitude of various time frame systems, generating high hit rates and outstanding risk reward ratios. Over 20 years of coaching traders with heart & passion, assessing complex situations, troubleshoot and solve problems principle based has led to experience and a professional history of success. Skilled natural teacher and exceptional developer of talent. Avid learner guided by a plan with ability to suppress ego and empower students to share ideas and best practices and to apply principle-based technical/conceptual knowledge to maximize efficiency. 25+ year execution experience (50.000+ trades executed) Trading multiple personal accounts (long and short-and combinations of the two). Amazing market feel complementing mechanical systems discipline for precise and extreme low risk entries while objectively seeing the whole picture. Ability to notice and separate emotional responses from the decision-making process and to stand outside oneself and one’s concerns about images in order to function in terms of larger objectives. Developed exit strategies that compensate both for maximizing profits and psychological ease to allow for continuous flow throughout the whole trading day. In depth knowledge of money management strategies with the experience of multiple 6 sigma events in various markets (futures, stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds) embedded in extreme low risk statistical probability models with smooth equity curves and extensive risk management as well as extensive disaster risk allow for my natural capacity for risk-taking.
    USDCHF - Swiss Franc Strengthens, XAUUSD Rebounces, Will UK100 Start To Gain Consequently?

    USDCHF - Swiss Franc Strengthens, XAUUSD Rebounces, Will UK100 Start To Gain Consequently?

    Jing Ren Jing Ren 30.03.2022 07:41
    USDCHF tests support The US dollar edged lower as traders ditched its safe-haven appeal. The pair met strong support at 0.9260 over the 30-day moving average. A break above the immediate resistance at 0.9340 prompted short-term sellers to cover their positions, opening the door for potential bullish continuation. A break above 0.9370 could bring the greenback back to the 12-month high at 0.9470. 0.9260 is major support in case of hesitation and its breach could invalidate the current rebound. XAUUSD struggles for support Gold struggles as risk appetite returns amid ceasefire talks. A fall below 1940 forced those hoping for a swift rebound to bail out. On the daily chart, gold’s struggle to stay above the 30-day moving average suggests a lack of buying power. Sentiment grows cautious as the metal tentatively breaks the psychological level of 1900. A drop below 1880 could make bullion vulnerable to a broader sell-off to 1850. An oversold RSI attracted some bargain hunters, but buyers need to lift offers around 1940 before they could expect a rebound. UK 100 heads towards recent peak The FTSE 100 continues upward as Russia promises to de-escalate. A bullish close above the origin of the February sell-off at 7550 has put the index back on track. Sentiment has become increasingly upbeat over a series of higher highs. The lack of selling pressure would send the index back to this year’s high at 7690. A bullish breakout may resume the uptrend in the medium term. As the RSI shot into the overbought zone, profit-taking could drive the price down temporarily and 7460 would be the closest support.
    USD/JPY: Japanese Authorities Signal Intervention Amid Rapid Currency Appreciation

    Awaiting British GDP, German Unemployment Change And The US Initial Jobless Claims – Economic Calendar By FXMAG.COM – 31/03/22

    Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 30.03.2022 16:05
    Some of crucial releases are behind us, but there is more to come! Tomorrow China, Great Britain, the USA, Germany and Canada have their economic indicators released so don’t miss a thing! Night-morning – 31/03/22 The day begins with the release of Chinese Manufacturing PMI indicator which previously hit 50.2 This one is released at 2:30 a.m. Four and half hours later we move to Great Britain to follow the announcement of GDP (QoQ and YoY). The Quarter on Quarter one reached 1% previously and Year on Year hit 6.5% At 8:55 a.m. German Unemployment Change goes public (prev. -33K). Afternoon – 31/03/22 Shortly after midday (1:30 p.m.) the US Initial Jobless Claims and Canadian GDP are announced. The previous values amounted to 187K and 0% respectively. Source/Data: Investing.com Economic Calendar
    What Moves GBPUSD? GDP, Inflation And BoE In Focus

    What Moves GBPUSD? GDP, Inflation And BoE In Focus

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 31.03.2022 09:28
    On Thursday morning, another pack of upbeat statistics from the UK supports the British pound. Final GDP data for the fourth quarter showed a gain of 1.3%, revised up from the previous estimate of 1.0%. The balance of payments deficit at 7.3 bln was the lowest in 11 years. Separately, Nationwide reported that the price of houses rose 1.1% YoY in March and accelerated to 14.3% YoY, the fastest pace since 2004. This is another factor favouring the Bank of England’s stance on tightening monetary policy to prevent the credit bubble and curb inflation from spiralling further out of control. Such data suggests less outflow of currency from the country and points to solid fundamentals in the economy to withstand further monetary policy tightening to combat inflation, which is positive for GBP. Earlier, the Bank of England showed that it could implement policy tightening ahead of the US Fed, which is positive for the GBPUSD and suggests the potential for a sustained reversal of the pair to long-term growth. The technical picture is also on the bullish side. GBPUSD has corrected around 40% of the rally from the lows at the start of the pandemic from May 2021 to March 2022, which fits into the Fibonacci retracement. Resilience at current levels opens up the potential for further long-term strengthening to 1.6000.
    UK Budget: Short-term positives to be met with medium-term caution

    COT Currency Speculators raised British Pound Sterling bearish bets for 10th week

    Invest Macro Invest Macro 15.05.2022 14:26
    By InvestMacro | COT | Data Tables | COT Leaders | Downloads | COT Newsletter Here are the latest charts and statistics for this week’s Commitment of Traders (COT) data published by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The latest COT data is updated through Tuesday May 10th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. All currency positions are in direct relation to the US dollar where, for example, a bet for the euro is a bet that the euro will rise versus the dollar while a bet against the euro will be a bet that the euro will decline versus the dollar. Highlighting the COT currency data this week was the rise in bearish bets for the British pound sterling currency futures contracts. Pound speculators have raised their bearish bets for a tenth consecutive week this week and for the eleventh time out of the past twelve weeks. Over the past ten-week time-frame, pound bets have dropped by a total of -79,261 contracts, going from -337 net positions on March 1st to a total of -79,598 net positions this week. The deterioration in speculator sentiment has now pushed the pound net position to the most bearish standing of the past one hundred and thirty-seven weeks, dating back to September 24th of 2019. Pound sterling sentiment has been hit by a recent slowing economy as the UK GDP declined by 0.1 percent in March after flat growth in February. Also, weighing on the UK economy is the war in Ukraine that has sharply raised inflation in the country (and elsewhere) and which could see the UK economy with the lowest growth rate among G7 countries in 2023, according to the IMF. Overall, the currencies with higher speculator bets this week were the Euro (22,907 contracts), US Dollar Index (1,705 contracts), Bitcoin (315 contracts) and the Mexican peso (2,102 contracts). The currencies with declining bets were the Japanese yen (-9,660 contracts), Australian dollar (-13,198 contracts), Brazil real (-1,010 contracts), Swiss franc (-1,856 contracts), British pound sterling (-5,785 contracts), New Zealand dollar (-6,386 contracts), Canadian dollar (-14,436 contracts), Russian ruble (-263 contracts) and the Mexican peso (2,102 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each Commodity where strength index is current net position compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme OI Strength = Current Open Interest level compared to last 3 years range Spec Strength = Current Net Speculator level compared to last 3 years range Strength Move = Six week change of Spec Strength Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend May-10-2022OIOI-IndexSpec-NetSpec-IndexCom-NetCOM-IndexSmalls-NetSmalls-Index USD Index 57,556 84 34,776 86 -37,174 13 2,398 43 EUR 705,046 84 16,529 40 -43,026 64 26,497 18 GBP 264,594 80 -79,598 17 95,245 86 -15,647 23 JPY 247,278 87 -110,454 1 124,927 97 -14,473 24 CHF 51,282 37 -15,763 40 29,819 69 -14,056 16 CAD 151,009 31 -5,407 38 2,939 67 2,468 35 AUD 153,209 47 -41,714 46 47,126 54 -5,412 39 NZD 56,235 56 -12,996 49 16,874 56 -3,878 7 MXN 153,858 28 16,725 34 -20,866 64 4,141 61 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 61,450 55 40,778 90 -42,031 10 1,253 79 Bitcoin 10,841 57 703 100 -789 0 86 15 Open Interest is the amount of contracts that were live in the marketplace at time of data. US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 34,776 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 1,705 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 33,071 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 42.8 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 86.6 3.2 8.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.2 67.8 4.5 – Net Position: 34,776 -37,174 2,398 – Gross Longs: 49,864 1,837 4,970 – Gross Shorts: 15,088 39,011 2,572 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.3 to 1 0.0 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 85.8 12.8 42.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 6.6 -3.4 -19.3   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 16,529 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 22,907 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -6,378 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 40.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 63.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.3 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 32.4 53.3 12.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.0 59.4 8.3 – Net Position: 16,529 -43,026 26,497 – Gross Longs: 228,230 376,043 84,921 – Gross Shorts: 211,701 419,069 58,424 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 40.1 63.8 18.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -1.5 1.2 0.9   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -79,598 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -5,785 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -73,813 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.2 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 11.1 79.6 7.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 41.2 43.6 13.5 – Net Position: -79,598 95,245 -15,647 – Gross Longs: 29,469 210,627 20,157 – Gross Shorts: 109,067 115,382 35,804 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 1.8 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 16.6 86.0 23.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -28.5 25.6 -7.7   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -110,454 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -9,660 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -100,794 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 96.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 24.0 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.5 86.2 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 49.2 35.7 13.9 – Net Position: -110,454 124,927 -14,473 – Gross Longs: 11,196 213,084 19,811 – Gross Shorts: 121,650 88,157 34,284 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 2.4 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.8 96.6 24.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.1 0.0 16.7   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -15,763 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -1,856 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -13,907 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 39.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 69.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.5 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.2 74.6 16.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 40.0 16.5 43.5 – Net Position: -15,763 29,819 -14,056 – Gross Longs: 4,727 38,258 8,271 – Gross Shorts: 20,490 8,439 22,327 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 4.5 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.8 69.2 15.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.7 8.0 -7.6   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -5,407 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -14,436 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 9,029 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 38.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 66.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 34.7 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 25.6 49.8 21.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 29.2 47.9 20.1 – Net Position: -5,407 2,939 2,468 – Gross Longs: 38,679 75,215 32,880 – Gross Shorts: 44,086 72,276 30,412 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 38.3 66.9 34.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -4.0 14.5 -29.0   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -41,714 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -13,198 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -28,516 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 46.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 54.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 39.2 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 24.1 59.9 13.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 51.3 29.1 16.7 – Net Position: -41,714 47,126 -5,412 – Gross Longs: 36,869 91,731 20,131 – Gross Shorts: 78,583 44,605 25,543 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 2.1 to 1 0.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 46.2 54.0 39.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.3 4.7 -34.4   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -12,996 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -6,386 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -6,610 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 49.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.4 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 27.0 68.5 3.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 50.1 38.5 10.8 – Net Position: -12,996 16,874 -3,878 – Gross Longs: 15,203 38,541 2,216 – Gross Shorts: 28,199 21,667 6,094 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.8 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 49.5 56.4 7.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -20.4 26.0 -54.4   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 16,725 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 2,102 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 14,623 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 34.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 64.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 60.6 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 41.5 53.1 4.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.7 66.7 1.5 – Net Position: 16,725 -20,866 4,141 – Gross Longs: 63,921 81,735 6,467 – Gross Shorts: 47,196 102,601 2,326 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 34.5 64.1 60.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 10.6 -10.1 -3.5   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 40,778 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -1,010 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 41,788 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 90.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 79.4 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 79.5 15.4 5.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.1 83.8 3.0 – Net Position: 40,778 -42,031 1,253 – Gross Longs: 48,835 9,454 3,070 – Gross Shorts: 8,057 51,485 1,817 – Long to Short Ratio: 6.1 to 1 0.2 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 90.5 10.3 79.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -1.8 3.5 -20.6   Russian Ruble Futures: The Russian Ruble large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 7,543 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -263 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 7,806 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bearish with a score of 31.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 69.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.9 percent. RUSSIAN RUBLE Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 36.6 60.6 2.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 0.5 94.7 4.7 – Net Position: 7,543 -7,150 -393 – Gross Longs: 7,658 12,679 593 – Gross Shorts: 115 19,829 986 – Long to Short Ratio: 66.6 to 1 0.6 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.2 69.1 23.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -15.6 16.7 -18.8   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 703 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 315 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 388 net contracts. This week’s current strength score (the trader positioning range over the past three years, measured from 0 to 100) shows the speculators are currently Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.9 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 81.1 2.1 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 74.6 9.4 8.3 – Net Position: 703 -789 86 – Gross Longs: 8,789 227 989 – Gross Shorts: 8,086 1,016 903 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.2 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 100.0 0.0 14.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 19.0 -24.9 -13.6   Article By InvestMacro – Receive our weekly COT Reports by Email *COT Report: The COT data, released weekly to the public each Friday, is updated through the most recent Tuesday (data is 3 days old) and shows a quick view of how large speculators or non-commercials (for-profit traders) were positioned in the futures markets. The CFTC categorizes trader positions according to commercial hedgers (traders who use futures contracts for hedging as part of the business), non-commercials (large traders who speculate to realize trading profits) and nonreportable traders (usually small traders/speculators) as well as their open interest (contracts open in the market at time of reporting).See CFTC criteria here.
    USD Outlook: Fed's Push for Higher Rates and Powell's Speech at Jackson Hole Symposium

    What To Look Out For In The Markets Today - This Weeks Highlighted Economic Calendar Events

    Rebecca Duthie Rebecca Duthie 27.06.2022 14:13
    Summary: Various Central Bank representative speakers are due. GDP data due to be released on Monday. This week is busy for the market in terms of news and release of data This week is a very busy day for the global markets as many calendar events are due including; European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde, Bank of Englands (BOE) Gov Bailey and Federal Reserve Chairperson Jermone Powell all due to speak. The markets will watch these speakers and look for any clues regarding the future of monetary policy, interest rates and recession concerns. In addition to central bank announcements, there are many economic data releases due today that the markets will be watching closely as they will give an indication of the current economic situation, if it has worsened or improved. These economic data released include: US Pending Home Sales (MoM) for May, US Core Durable Goods Orders (MoM) for May, CB Consumer Confidence for June, Australian Retail Sales Data, US Crude Oil Inventories, China’s June Manufacturing PMI, German Unemployment Change for June, US Initial Jobless Claims, Some of the more prominent 3 star events include US GDP (QoQ) data for Q1, UK GDP (QoQ) data for Q1, UK GDP (YoY) data for Q1, Canadian GDP (MoM) data for April. Sources: investing.com
    Asia morning bites - 16.05.2023

    In Japan, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Hit 0.5% QoQ, But It's Expected To Decrease In Q3 Because Of Inflation And Covid

    ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2022 08:29
    Japan's real GDP growth accelerated in the second quarter as Covid-19 restrictions eased. As expected, domestic demand, including private consumption and investment, led the recovery Domestic demand is leading Japan's recovery 0.5% Quarter-on-quarter   Lower than expected 2Q GDP rose 0.5% QoQ sa (vs revised 0.0% in 1Q) GDP grew 0.5% QoQ seasonally-adjusted in the second quarter, slightly missing the market consensus of 0.6%, while first quarter GDP was revised up from -0.1% to 0.0%. Private consumption, which accounts for about 60% of Japan's output, increased by 1.1%. Although the pent-up demand seems to have eased as the initial reopening effect fades, private consumption is highly likely to be the growth engine for the rest of the year. Inventory contributed negatively to the second quarter growth but the inventory cycle will likely turn favourable for the current quarter's growth as global supply chain bottlenecks are expected to improve.  Meanwhile, exports increased 0.9% in the second quarter, mainly due to solid demand from the US and EU. However, the contribution of net exports remained flat, as high commodity prices for imports offset most of the positive contribution from exports. Future outlook and the BoJ 2Q GDP was slightly below the market consensus, but 1Q GDP was revised up, thus we keep the annual GDP growth unchanged. However, we expect GDP growth to slow this quarter due to high inflation and the re-emergence of new Covid cases. The Bank of Japan will remain accomodative as downside risks to a recovery increase while there are no clear signs of demand-driven inflation. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Bank of Japan Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    In The US Q3 GDP May Reach 3%, But The Question Is What To Expect From Q4

    In The US Q3 GDP May Reach 3%, But The Question Is What To Expect From Q4

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.08.2022 09:03
    A rebound in manufacturing and industrial output, coupled with a decent performance from the consumer sector and net trade and inventories being less of a drag support our view of 3%+ GDP growth in 3Q. However, the housing market, a weaker external environment, higher rates and deteriorating business surveys suggest tougher times ahead US industrial production for July exceeded consensus Industrial output bounces back on strong manufacturing The US July industrial production report has posted a very respectable 0.6% month-on-month gain versus the 0.3% consensus. Manufacturing led the way with a 0.7% increase as auto output jumped 6.6%, but even excluding this key component output was up 0.3%. Mining also rose 0.7% with oil and gas output jumping 3.3% MoM as high prices spurred drilling activity. Meanwhile utilities were a surprise drag, falling 0.8% MoM. US industrial output levels Source: Macrobond, ING Strong 3Q, but outlook for 4Q looks tougher This report provides more evidence that 3Q GDP should be good. We strongly suspect that consumer spending will be lifted by the cash flow boost caused by the plunge in gasoline prices and decent employment gains, trade will be supportive too, inventories less of a drag and now we know that manufacturing is rebounding. Putting this altogether we think 3% annualised growth is firmly on the cards. The worry is what happens in 4Q. Yesterday’s NY Empire manufacturing survey was awful and points to much weaker orders and activity later in the year.  We will be closely looking to see if this is replicated in the Philly Fed (Thursday), Richmond Fed (August 23rd) and others later in the month. Even if it is seen as an aberration there are plenty of reasons to expect weaker activity towards year end. A China slowdown and recession in Europe will weigh heavily while ongoing increases in interest rates and a deteriorating outlook for the housing market will also act as a major headwind. Residential construction worries mount... In that regard, today’s other main macro report, US housing starts, fell 9.6% MoM in July to 1,446k annualised versus the 1,527k consensus. This is the weakest reading since February 2021 with yesterday's plunge in NAHB home builder confidence suggesting further falls in construction activity is likely. Housing starts and home builder sentiment Source: Macrobond, ING   We will get existing and new home sales numbers over the next seven days with further weakness expected in both due to high prices and a doubling of mortgage rates hurting affordability and crushing demand. We also expect supply to continue increasing, which will put downward pressure on prices at a time when home builders continue to struggle to find workers and the legacy of high material costs. Direct residential construction will provide a major headwind for economic growth over the next 6-12 months, but it will also have knock-on effects for key retail sectors such as furniture, furnishings and building supplies given the strong correlation with housing transactions. Read this article on THINK TagsUS Recession Manufacturing Housing Construction Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Kuroda Stayed On The Sidelines And The Yen Responded With Losses

    Japanese Exports Exceeded Expectations Hitting 19%

    ING Economics ING Economics 18.08.2022 09:45
    Japan’s trade deficit widened in July as imports surged due to high commodity prices while forward looking core machinery orders rebounded in June. Today's data supports our view that GDP will likely continue to rise in the current quarter led by investment, but at a slower pace than the previous quarter Source: Shutterstock 19.0% Exports Year-on-year Higher than expected Imports grew faster than exports, deepening the trade deficit in July Exports rose 19.0% year-on-year in July (vs 19.4% in June), a bit higher than the market consensus of 17.6%. Auto exports to the US and semiconductor exports to China were particularly strong. Meanwhile, imports jumped 47.2% in July (vs 46.1% in June), also above the consensus forecast of 45.5%, mainly led by the high cost of commodities. Still, as global oil prices have dropped since June, we expect the trade deficit to narrow, with import growth decelerating. Also, auto exports are expected to improve as the production of other major automakers continues to increase. Thus, the contribution of net exports to GDP will likely record a small gain in 3Q (vs 0.0% in 2Q). Trade deficit widened in July Source: CEIC Core machinery orders rebounded slightly in June A leading indicator of capital spending, core machinery orders rose 0.9% month-on-month seasonally-adjusted in June (vs -5.6% in May), slightly missing the market consensus of 1.0%. In the second quarter, core machinery orders rebounded firmly by 8.1% quarter-on-quarter sa (vs -3.6% in the first). Thus, we expect Capex investment to improve in the rest of this year, with growth momentum slowing gradually. Auto and electrical machinery orders increased as global supply bottlenecks and China lockdowns eased while semiconductor manufacturing equipment orders fell for the first time in three months. Read this article on THINK TagsJapan trade Core machine orders Capex Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Netherlands: Wow! Dutch GDP Exceeded Expectations Growing By 2.6%!

    Netherlands: Wow! Dutch GDP Exceeded Expectations Growing By 2.6%!

    ING Economics ING Economics 18.08.2022 10:07
    Dutch GDP rose significantly in the second quarter of this year, up by 2.6% from the previous quarter; it's much stronger than expected. The service sector rebounded particularly well but there was growth in all the main expenditure items. However, the outlook for the second half of the year is negative 'Staff wanted' says this sign at a restaurant in Maastricht, but the economic outlook for the Netherlands is negative 2.6% Dutch GDP growth rate 2Q22 (QoQ) Better than expected Growth supported by expansion of all main expenditure items These are good growth figures for the Netherlands; all expenditures, except inventories, rose. Investment provided the largest contribution to growth; gross capital formation expanded by 5.2% compared with the first quarter. Expenditure volumes rose thanks to a massive increase in transport equipment (37.2%), which had a lot of rebound potential due to earlier supply chain issues. Investment in non-residential buildings (3.7%), ICT equipment (3.2%), machinery & other equipment (2.6%), intangible assets (2.1%) and housing (1.5%) increased. Investment in infrastructure fell (-1.3%) and stock-building also contributed negatively (-0.2% GDP contribution). Household consumption rose 0.9%, particularly because of high spending at the beginning of the quarter. While consumption of services and durable were still expanding, food consumption volumes fell due to higher prices and increased visits to restaurants and bars. It was the first quarter without significant lockdown measures, which mostly ended in  January 2022. Government consumption expanded by 0.1%. Despite still elevated worldwide supply chain disruptions, Dutch exports grew by a decent 2.7%. Goods exports expanded by 2.7%, with both domestically produced goods exports and re-exports showing a positive development. Service exports, such as those driven by incoming foreign tourism, expanded by 2.8%, but remember that this is a rebound from the previous low levels we saw due to the pandemic.  The overall net contribution of international trade to GDP growth was positive (1.2%-point) in the second quarter, because of a long-standing trade surplus and the fact that imports (1.6%) showed weaker growth than exports. The import of services fell by -2.5%. Strong sectorial performance From a sectoral perspective, the value-added growth figure was strongest in the small energy supply sector (8.8% quarter-on-quarter growth). ICT (6.2%), specialised business services (4.5%), semi-public services (3.6%), trade, transport & hospitality (3.6%), water utilities (2.0%), manufacturing (1,2%) also expanded, while output was rather stable in financial services (-0.1%) and agriculture (-0.2%) and value-added contracted in mining & quarrying (i.e. oil & gas, -3.5%). While detailed seasonally adjusted data for subsectors is not available, it seems reasonable to assume that bars & restaurants, travel and recreation, and culture had even more substantial growth than the energy supply sector, given the rebound potential these sectors still had. Outlook less positive The fact that the second-quarter GDP figures were very strong does not mean that the outlook is bright. We maintain that growth will be negative in the coming quarters. Consumers will increasingly be affected by higher prices for energy and food, resulting in cuts to the consumption of other items. Last month we observed the first signs of weakening demand in the value of transactions by ING consumers and the latest figures only seem to confirm that. On top of that, gas prices have risen even further in the past few weeks. Consumer confidence figures have been at record lows for some time, while business sentiment indicators only started to drop recently. While composite indicators are still holding up reasonably well, the balance of business expectations of the economic climate in the next three months has reached its lowest level since the third quarter of 2013, bar the Covid period, according to a survey for the third quarter (mostly executed in July). On a positive note, investment expectations for the current year only fell a little and remained net positive in the third quarter. So we are currently forecasting a mild technical recession for the Dutch economy as our base case. A still very tight labour market, high amounts of Covid-related savings and expansionary fiscal policy in the medium term may somewhat limit the dip in the real economy caused by higher prices. That said, further cuts in energy supplies from Russia are a downward risk scenario that could push energy prices higher still further and put even more pressure on spending and GDP. We’re seeing the first signs of weaker demand Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Consumption Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Italian headline inflation decelerates in January, courtesy of energy

    Italy - Q3 GDP May Not Decline Thanks To Tourism

    ING Economics ING Economics 26.08.2022 14:07
    The deterioration is more marked in manufacturing and less so in services, which are benefiting, alongside retailers, from a prolonged tourism-related re-opening effect. We expect Italy to avoid a quarter-on-quarter GDP contraction in the third quarter of the year, but not in the fourth quarter We think the Italian economy will avoid a GDP contraction in the third quarter, mainly on the back of a protracted tourism-related re-opening effect   Qualitative evidence continues to point to a deterioration of the economic environment over the third quarter. This is what confidence data for August are telling us, with some exceptions. Manufacturers more downbeat This is more apparent in the manufacturing sector, where confidence fell two points between July and August, the lowest reading since last February. The fall in confidence was more marked for intermediate and investment goods, where orders are softening and inventories of finished goods are increasing, but with only a limited bearing on production expectations. Consumer goods were less affected, though. Here, the softer deterioration in orders did not prevent a soft improvement in production expectations. Retailers substantially more upbeat, likely reflecting an ongoing re-opening effect In a way, the detail in the manufacturing survey shows that in the midst of the summer, the re-opening effect which had likely strongly affected 2Q22 growth data (we will know the details next week) was still at work in 3Q22. This seems confirmed by other parts of the business survey, more specifically by the sharp increase in retailer confidence, which reached pre-Covid levels in August. Tourism businesses happy about current activity levels Confidence held up better in the service sectors, where the headline index lost only half a point. The re-opening effect is still at play there too, but some warning signals are starting to emerge, in particular in the tourism sector (where we still lack official data on arrivals for 3Q22). Here, judgements about current turnover are even improving, but the evaluation of orders is softening and expectations about future orders are dropping. Comforting rebound in consumer confidence The idea that the re-opening effect might have continued over the summer is finally supported by another bit of good news coming from the consumer front: the rebound of consumer confidence is back to June’s level. The absolute level of the index remains very low (close to 2020 lows), but August’s rebound signals that the deterioration did not accelerate over the summer. The resilience of the labour market (helped by tourism-related hirings) and the strong measures put in place by the government to limit the impact of gas and electricity price shocks on households’ balance sheets have very likely supported consumers’ spirits. Italy might avoid a GDP contraction in 3Q22 All in all, today’s confidence report supports our view that over 3Q22, the Italian economy will temporarily manage to avoid a GDP contraction, mainly on the back of a protracted tourism-related re-opening effect. However, as the summer season is over, we suspect that both services and manufacturing will act as a drag on growth, bringing GDP growth into negative territory both in 4Q22 and 1Q23. As far as 2022 is concerned, we confirm our forecast of a 3.3% average GDP growth. Read this article on THINK TagsItaly GDP Italy Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia Morning Bites: Inflation Data in Focus, FOMC, ECB, and BoJ Meetings Ahead

    HUF And PLN Come Under Fire Next Week! Central Bank Of Hungary Decides On Interest Rate, Poland Releases Its GDP

    ING Economics ING Economics 26.08.2022 15:04
    We're expecting a 100bp rate hike from Hungary's central bank next week, as well as some strong growth figures in Turkey In this article Hungarian central bank set to hike by another 100bp Turkey: Expect strong second-quarter growth despite initial signs of a slowdown Source: Shutterstock Hungarian central bank set to hike by another 100bp We expect the Hungarian central bank to continue with decisive tightening by implementing another 100bp rate hike next week. Based on our updated inflation outlook, we expect additional measures alongside the hike sooner rather than later too, which could help to reduce excess liquidity and therefore improve monetary transmission, supporting the forint. We might see the first steps in that direction as soon as next week's rate-setting meeting. Besides that, we will get more detail on the stronger-than-expected second quarter GDP growth figure, with consumption and investment activity likely to be in the driver’s seat. August manufacturing PMI will remain elevated given order books are full and companies are still able to pass rising costs onto consumers. Turkey: Expect strong second-quarter growth despite initial signs of a slowdown Based on early indicators, we think the Turkish economy put in another strong performance in the second quarter, with 6.5% YoY growth. However more recently there have been initial signs of a slowdown relative to the first half of the year. We expect economic activity to lose momentum in the second half for a few key reasons. Firstly, a higher risk premium in financial markets and growing macro-stability risks could weigh on domestic demand. Secondly, there's a likely loss of momentum in exports given the slowdown in the eurozone. Finally, we're seeing continued cost pressures, tighter global financial conditions, and a challenging local regulatory environment, putting pressure on the corporate sector. Key events in EMEA next week Source: Refinitiv, ING TagsTurkey Hungary EMEA Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    South Korea Hopes To Achieve Carbon Neutrality By 2050

    Asia: Korean Industrial Production Decreases By 1.3%, GDP Is Expected To Fall

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2022 08:18
    July data for industrial production was significantly worse than expected with industry-wide declines and weak orders. We don’t expect growth to contract in the current quarter, but the likelihood of a negative quarter is growing.  Source: Pexels -1.3% Industrial production %MoM, sa Worse than expected All-industry industrial production index dropped -0.1% MoM sa in July (vs 0.8% in June) Manufacturing production fell -1.3% MoM in July while June data was revised down to 1.7% (vs preliminary 1.9%). Automotive production rose (1.1%) for the second month but was more than offset by declines in semiconductors (-3.4%) and related equipment (-3.4%). For semiconductors, inventory accumulation was quite large as shipments were worse than production, thus the near-term production cycle looks quite negative. Combined with weak semiconductor equipment orders, the downturn of semiconductors could be longer than expected. On the other hand, the automotive sector is expected to catch up with production gaps for a while as global supply chain problems fade. Services rose 0.3% in July (vs -0.2% in June) and almost all major service sub-sectors gained. Hotels/restaurants, leisure, and transportation were all strong as reopening effects on consumer services remained supportive. But real estate services fell for a second month, reflecting the recent weakness in that market. All industry production fell due to weak manufacturing and construction Source: CEIC Retail sales and investment dropped in July Retail sales fell -0.3% MoM, for the fifth straight month of decline as high inflation strained goods consumption. For investment, domestic machinery orders were down, posing downside risks for the investment outlook for the second half of the year. Construction completions declined in July, but orders data remained positive, suggesting that the underlying recovery story for construction remains valid. The decline of machinery orders paints a cloudy picture for investment Source: CEIC Construction should remain solid until the year-end Source: CEIC Outlook for third-quarter GDP and BoK policy The weak start to the third quarter poses downside risks to GDP. We expect GDP to slow to 0.2% QoQ this quarter (vs 0.7% in 2Q22), but the likelihood of a negative quarter is growing. If GDP does contract this quarter, it will complicate the BoK’s policy actions towards the year-end. After hearing from the Bank of Korea last week, we think that they will raise policy rates three more times, in October, November and next February as CPI inflation will likely remain above 5% until early next year. But with hard activity data giving a gloomy outlook for the rest of the year, the BoK's strong commitment to curb inflation may be toned down in the coming months.   Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Investment Industiral production Bank of Korea Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Kuroda Stayed On The Sidelines And The Yen Responded With Losses

    Japanese GDP Is Expected To Grow! Industrial Production Rose!

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2022 08:26
    Today's monthly activity data is positive with both industrial production and retail sales improving, suggesting that the moderate economic recovery will continue this quarter – posing an upside risk to the current quarter's GDP Industrial production rose unexpectedly in July by 1.0% month-on-month 1.0% Industrial Production %MoM, sa Higher than expected Industrial production and retail sales improved in July Industrial production rose unexpectedly by 1.0% month-on-month, seasonally-adjusted (vs -0.5% market consensus), following a 9.2% surge in June.  Output forecasts for August and September also improved suggesting that solid production is likely to continue this quarter. By industry, automobile production and shipments improved. Keeping up with the production setbacks will normalise in a few months, but the solid gain for two consecutive months shows that the global supply bottleneck is fading and pent-up demand remains strong. Meanwhile, weak production of electronic components and devices suggests that global semiconductors are entering a downcycle for the second half of this year. Meanwhile, retail sales edged up 0.8% in July (vs -1.4% in June), which was also better than the market consensus of 0.3%. Household consumption remained strong despite the resurgence of Covid cases and high inflation. General merchandise and apparel fell, but more importantly, motor vehicles continued to rise firmly by 4.4% (vs 5.2% in June) for the second month in a row.  Separately, the consumer confidence index rose to 32.5 in August (vs 30.2 in July). Consumers showed a positive outlook as overall livelihood, income growth, employment, and willingness to buy durable goods advanced for the first time in three months.   Today’s reports signal that the Japanese economy continues to recover, mostly due to catch-up production gaps and the reopening effect. Industrial production rose in July for the second month in a row Source: CEIC Outlook for 3Q GDP and Bank of Japan policy The recent data releases from Japan are positive. Labour market conditions appear to have tightened while the growth outlook for the current quarter is also promising as monthly activity data and survey data have improved more than expected. Currently, we expect third-quarter GDP to grow 0.3% quarter-on-quarter sa (vs 0.5% in 2Q22), but an upside revision is on the way after confirming PMI and core machinery orders in two weeks. As for inflation, if the Japanese yen continues to weaken, hitting the 140 handle, then inflation could climb up to 3.0% year-on-year by year-end. We believe the recent positive outcomes are not good enough for the Bank of Japan to change its policy stance yet as it believes the recovery is still very fragile. On the other hand, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda pledged over the weekend to maintain the easing policy to support growth. Thus, we expect the Bank of Japan to stay pat at its September meeting.  Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Industrial Production Consumer confidence Bank of Japan Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Turkish Central Bank Cut Its Policy Rate by150bp | Credit Suisse Outflows Benefit UBS

    Turkey: Second Quarter's GDP Of Grew 7.6%. Consumption Demand Level Did Its Bit

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2022 11:13
    Second-quarter GDP reflected strong consumption demand and continuing support from external demand. However, we see momentum loss in activity in the second half of this year on the back of deteriorating purchasing power and a less supportive global backdrop Household consumption in Turkey remains robust   Second-quarter GDP in Turkey was 7.6% on a year-on-year basis, close to the market consensus (7.5%) and higher than our call (6.5%). The breakdown of year-on-year growth reveals continuing support from private consumption and net exports despite a marked drop in consumer confidence and a less supportive global backdrop with geopolitical challenges and the increasing tightening stance of global central banks, while investment activity has remained relatively subdued. The Turkish Statistical Institute also revised 2021 growth from 11% to 11.4% and first-quarter GDP expansion to 7.5% from 7.3%. Quarterly growth (%, YoY) Source: TurkStat, ING   The second-quarter GDP figure translates into a quarter-on-quarter growth rate of 2.1% after seasonal adjustments, showing significant acceleration over the first quarter at 0.7% which was the lowest quarterly reading since the first half of 2020. Like the first quarter, sequential performance is mainly attributable to private consumption and net exports, while capital formation and stock depletion were drags. On the demand side, private consumption has maintained its strong pace with 22.5% YoY growth and turned out to be the major driver with a 13.6ppt contribution to the headline GDP expansion in the second quarter of 2022. The breakdown reveals a balanced outlook with strong support from both goods and services. This shows a continuation of robust household consumption driven by negative real rates, leading to fewer savings and supporting the consumption appetite. Investment appetite on the other has remained relatively subdued in comparison to the strong performance realised last year, likely attributable to policy steps introduced to put a break on commercial TRY loan growth. Accordingly, 2Q investment growth stood at 4.7% YoY, translating into +1.2ppt contribution to the headline. In the breakdown, strength in machinery and equipment investments – which was up by 17.8% with a sequence of positive readings since the last quarter of 2019 – attracts attention, while construction investments have remained in the negative territory. A closer look at the data shows that public consumption added 0.2ppt to the headline, inventory build-up shaved more than 10.0ppt off growth, while net exports raised the headline growth by +2.7ppt, the biggest contribution after household consumption. This is attributable to continuing strength in exports up by 3.9% YoY, despite 1.1% YoY growth in imports. In the sectoral breakdown, all sectors with the exception of construction and agriculture lifted the headline growth signalling a continuation of a broad-based strength in economic activity. Among positive drivers, services, once again, was the biggest contributor, pulling the second-quarter performance up by 4.2ppt, followed by industry at 1.7ppt as indicated by industrial production data and the financial sector at 1.3ppt. Drivers of growth (ppt contribution) Source: TurkStat, ING   Overall, 2Q GDP reflected strong consumption demand and continuing support from external demand which were also the major drivers in recent quarters. However, we see momentum loss in activity in the second half of this year on the back of deteriorating purchasing power, concerns about policy sustainability, as well as a less supportive global backdrop with tightening global central bank policies and elevated geopolitical risks. Accordingly, we look for around 4.0% YoY growth this year, from 11.4% last year. Read this article on THINK TagsTurkey Investments GDP External Demand Domestic Demand Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Monitoring Hungary: Glimmering light at the end of the tunnel

    Hungary: Retail Sales Hit 4.3%, What Leaves Investors With Mixed Feelings

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.09.2022 15:14
    Behind the solid headline retail sales figure, we see some worrying developments. In our assessment, the economy is getting closer to a technical recession Shoppers in Budapest 4.3% Retail sales (year-on-year, wda) ING forecast 5.1% / Previous 4.5% Worse than expected July Retail sales looks not that bad, but... If we look at things superficially, the July retail sales performance in Hungary looks quite good. It shows a 4.3% year-on-year growth rate (adjusted for working days), which is only a tad slower than the headline figure from the previous month. However, as soon as we dig a bit deeper into the data, we see some red flags and signs of weakness. First and foremost, the month-on-month growth in retail sales was only 0.5%. The only good thing we have to say about this is that it is at least positive after three months of continuous decline. But is also says a lot about the yearly index, which was able to remain strong because of the base effect and not due to the strong monthly performance. Breakdown of retail sales (% YoY, wda) Source: HCSO, ING   After checking the detailed data, today’s release on retail sales paints a rather gloomy picture. Retail sales turnover in the food sector decreased by roughly 0.1% on a monthly basis and also showed an annual drop. This is quite a bad reading in light of the fact that consumers with the highest marginal propensity to consume (i.e. pensioners), received their pension supplement in July. But even this was not enough to boost the volume of food shop turnover, so it can still be said that ever-rising prices are increasingly restraining the consumption of households. A similar phenomenon can also be observed in the sales volume of non-food stores. Turnover in this segment fell by 0.25% compared to the previous month, even though the news was full of stories about households rushing to the shops to replace non-energy-efficient appliances as the government announced changes to the utility bill support scheme. Moreover, sales people have echoed that demand has increased sharply for alternative heating devices in order to reduce gas consumption. It seems that either these effects have not yet been reflected in the July statistics or, despite the boost in demand, households have already closed their purses and cancelled shopping for non-essential major goods and cut fast-moving consumer good spending. Retail sales volume in detail (2015 = 100%) Source: HCSO, ING   Only the turnover of fuel retailers was able to increase on a monthly basis in July. In essence, this one item ensured that retail turnover did not shrink continuously for four months. This, therefore, paints a rather gloomy picture, especially as we know that the increase in fuel sales may be a one-time effect as the government announced a reduced range of beneficiaries of the fuel price cap from 1 August. Many people who use a company car for private purposes will have to buy fuel at a much higher market price from August, so the last chance to buy fuel at administered prices came in July, giving an extra boost to fuel demand. In addition to all of this, it is also quite telling that in all the sub-sectors, the turnover of second-hand shops increased the most, which once again highlights the increase in the price sensitivity of consumers and the transformation of shopping habits. Retail sales and consumer confidence Source: Eurostat, HCSO, ING Q3 begins with reduced consumption? Based on today's retail statistics, we can say that although the main indicator does not reflect this, the underlying processes and detailed data already show a strong slowdown in consumption at the beginning of the third quarter. Households continue to adapt to higher inflation, and in the coming months the effect of budget tightening (e.g. the changes in the utility bill support scheme) may further strengthen this. Although it is still too early to make a judgment, the probability that the volume of GDP will show a quarter-on-quarter decrease in the July-September period has clearly increased. Our silver lining here would be that during the summer, services can help the expansion of consumption to a greater extent. Instead of buying things, consumers are focusing their spending on experiences, which is not measured by retail sales data. Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Hungary Households Consumption Consumer confidence Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    USD/JPY: Japanese Authorities Signal Intervention Amid Rapid Currency Appreciation

    The AUD/USD Currency Pair Trading At Its Lowest Level Since Two Years, Hang Seng Index Was Flat

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 07.09.2022 09:54
    Summary:  Good news to the US economy spells bad news to the bond markets and equities. Crude oil prices stumble on restricted movements in the city of Guiyang in China, while the Newcastle Coal price moves to its own beat roaring to a brand new record high. With this in light, Australian GDP data will be a focus today with Australian coal exports hitting $100 billion. USDJPY at record highs again, so what's next for that FX pair, plus why to watch the AUDUSD. Plus what to expect from the Bank of Canada today, and NIO earnings. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  Good news to the economy is bad news to the bond markets and the stock market.  The solid ISM Services data removed the little remaining hope of a soft landing from the mind of bond traders and pushed up yields and the higher bond yield in turn dragged down the stock markets.  After the end of the reporting season and companies headed for the blackout period, stock traders spent their days mulling over what the Fed is going to do next and turned deeper into the belief that the summer rally might end up being a bear market rally and decided to trim long positions amid low liquidity and lack of retail participation. The unfolding of an energy crisis across the pond in Europe added to the negative sentiment.    S&P500 was down 0.4% and Nasdaq100 declined 0.7% on Tuesday. Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY:xnas) tumbled 18.4% following the news that the company’s CFO committed suicide, the announcement of firing 20% of its workforce and selling 12 million of new shares.  U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) After the much strong than expected ISM Services prints, treasuries were sold off, 2-year yields +12bps to 3.5%, 10-year yields +16bps to 3.35%; 30-year yields +16bps to 3.50%. The money market curve is pricing in over a 70% chance of a 75bp hike at the September FOMC and a terminal rate of about 3.90%. The long-end of the curve was also pressured by the announcement of 19 investment grade new issues with a total amount over USD35 billion.   Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) A-Shares in the mainland markets noticeably outperformed shares traded in the Hong Kong bourse.  CSI300 surged almost 1% but Hang Seng Index was flat. The escalated natural gas price in Europe cast doubts on the resilience of the European chemical industry to maintain its output level of basic chemicals and encouraged expectations of Chinese basic chemical makers to export more to Europe. The A-share basic chemical space gained over 3%.  Increases in lithium carbonate prices caused a rise in the share prices of lithium miners.  The National Energy Administration released a consultative paper that encourages the development of the national electric grid to enable the taking up of more solar power onto it.  The non-ferrous metal names gained after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued draft guidelines on reaching the stage of intelligent manufacturing for the non-ferrous metal industry by 2025.  Intelligent manufacturing is solve optimization problems in production by utilizing real-time data analysis, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.   Shares of Chinese property developers listed in Hong Kong surged after Guangzhou R&F (02777:xhkg) sold a hotel for RMB550 million and CIFI (00884:xhkg) sold a Hong Kong site.  These asset disposals stirred up optimism about improving the balance sheet and liquidity of Chinese developers, Country Garden (02007:xhkg) +9.3%, Longfor (00960:xhkg)+5.8%, and China Resources Land (01109)+4.5%. Electric vehicle manufacturers rebounded from 1% to 3%, bringing the industry’s week-long meltdown in share prices to a halt.Newcastle Coal prices hit new record highsAs Europe is facing an energy crisis this winter, it will need to increase energy imports. So, in anticipation of such a scenario, this might explain why the Australian coal price trades at a record, along with the futures price. We already know the UK importing is Australian LNG, so consider Australian coal could be heading to Europe more broadly next. Australian energy supply is already likely to run low in 2023, which also supports coal prices running higher. But for coal companies, their earnings and free cash flow will likely increase. Coal companies have been the best performers in global equities this year, after delivering the most earnings growth, with some companies like Whitehaven Coal (WHC) seeing 1,500% earnings growth YoY. Coal loaded at Australia’s Newcastle port hit $436.71, an all-time high. And triple the price this time last year. Coal futures prices are $463, implying the coal price will move up.USDJPY at record highs againA run higher in US yields, with 30-year yields touching 3.5%, underpinned a further move lower in the Japanese yen. USDJPY inched higher to 143.55 this morning in Asia, printing a fresh 24-year high. The market is challenging the Bank of Japan’s yield-cap policy yet again, and with no resistance in sight, the move and volatility is set to rise further. While the FX weakness alone may not be enough for the BOJ to pivot in order to maintain its credibility, higher oil prices and weakness in yen is spelling immense trouble on the inflation story as well. That could feed some pressure from the government on the BOJ policy.    The offshore yuan weakened to 6.98 At the back of the spreading of pandemic lockdowns and the strong U.S. dollar, USDCNH rose to 6.9800 and is set to challenge the 7 handle. USDCNY fixing will be on watch today, as a sharp depreciation of the currency is unlikely to be accepted just ahead of the 20th party congress that starts on October 16.  Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Demand concerns seemed to take over the supply issues yet again with China’s lockdowns extending further. The city of Guiyang joined Chengdu in restricting movement by the public amid renewed outbreaks of COVID-19. WTI futures slumped below $87/barrel while Brent dropped below $93. Global demand slowdown concerns also picked up after rate hikes this week. The Reserve Bank of Australia announced a 50bps rate hike on Tuesday, with Bank of Canada expected to go today and European Central Bank on the cards for tomorrow. A fresh surge in dollar also weighed on commodity prices.    What to consider? US ISM services in further expansion While the S&P services index continued to signal weakness with a 43.7 revised print for August, the ISM services on the other hand expanded further to 56.9 from 56.7 in July and came in above expectations. Business activity accelerated to 60.9 from 59.9, while the prices paid component remained elevated at 71.5, in contrast to the decline we saw to 52.5 for the manufacturing sector. New orders rose to 61.8 from 59.9 and employment rose into expansionary territory at 50.2 from 49.1.  China’s exports in August are expected to have slowed China’s exports in August would probably come in weaker (Bloomberg consensus: 13% YoY vs 18.0% YoY in July) as container throughput data suggested. The resurgence of pandemic control restrictions, production disruptions due to power rationing, and a high base last year could have contributed to the deceleration.  Economists are expecting China’s imports in August to slow (Bloomberg consensus: 1.1% vs 2.3% in July). South Korea’s August export data released last week showed a 5.4% YoY decline in total exports and a 3.4% YoY decline in chip exports to China.  Slower commodity inflation could have depressed China’s import growth as well in August. Australian economic growth data is a big focus today down under. If weaker than expected AUD could weaken Australian economic growth is expected to show 1% growth q/q in the second quarter and 3.5% y/y. GDP will likely get a boost from record commodity exports (which will likely account for 1% of GPD YoY), record retail sales, and a pickup in overseas travel. However, construction costs and hampered residential construction activity could weigh on the headline GDP figure. AUDUSD is on watch with the currency pair trading at its lowest level since June 2020. If the figures today are better than expected, we could see a knee-jerk short-term rally up. However, over the medium to longer term, the fundamentals support the USD moving up and the AUD potentially continuing to lose out with the favored FX currency, the USD gaining momentum and strength amid the energy crisis and Fed hawkishness. The technical indicators suggest the AUDUSD could also retest the March 2020 low of 0.61380, which is the currency pairs lowest level in 19 years. Australia’s Reserve Bank rose rates 0.5% to 2.35%, but it will do little to slow inflation The RBA hiked rates by 0.5% as expected yesterday, in a bid to stave off inflation, taking Australia’s official cash rate to 2.35%. The only thing that the RBA has slowed after hiking rates 1.75% so far since May is the property market. Property prices have seen their biggest drop since the 80’s and construction made its biggest decline since 2016. This is a credit concern as Australia has one of the highest debt levels in the world (debt to GPD is 126%). If the RBA keeps rising rates as they suggest, debt-to-income levels could hit GFC highs. The RBA’s rate hikes have done nothing to slow inflation, and coal prices, which are the biggest contribution to Australian CPI. What you need to consider, is how can the RBA's hikes fix the commodities supply/demand imbalance. We also think coal momentum is likely to rise in anticipation of demand picking up with peak energy season around the world, and Europe is likely to tap on Australia's shoulder for energy.   Australia’s trade surplus surged up for the 13th month, propelled by coal exports  Australia’s trade surplus rocked up to A$18.3bn in the June quarter, bolstering Australia’s balance on goods and services to A$43.1bn, which is the highest level on record. This was fueled by commodity exports and Australia’s trade balance (exports less imports) rising to a record after commodity exports hit a record high, with coal exports exceeding A$100bn annually for the first time. Bank of Canada to hike rates today After a July rate hike of 100bps, Bank of Canada meets again today. The consensus is calling for a 75bps rate hike to bring rates to a restrictive territory, given that inflation continues to run well above target and economic demand is holding up well. The pace of tightening is however likely to slow down in October, and so the messaging will be key to watch at today’s meeting.  NIO earnings ahead While the earnings release date for NIO has been moved around multiple times it should be final now so tomorrow one of China’s largest EV-makers will report Q2 earnings. Investors will focus on the Q3 outlook for revenue growth and margins in order to gauge when NIO can break even on its operations. California’s blackout threat worsens, and the state keeps nuclear power on standby  Amid a massive heatwave and wildfires sweeping the state, power use in California has hit an all-time high and officials have again warned residents to prepare for rolling blackouts. We first wrote about this on Monday but now the state’s grid operator issued another round of warnings, calling on consumers to limit energy demand while the state issued a level-2 energy emergency alert. Officials expect to ratchet the emergency warning up to level 3, which would mean blackouts are imminent. The prospect of outages underscores how grids are becoming vulnerable amid extreme weather as they transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.   For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – September 6, 2022 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Hungary: Budget deficit jumps above full-year cash flow target by ca. 10%

    What Next With The Hiking Cycle In Central And Eastern Europe?

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2022 10:38
    In Central and Eastern Europe, the hiking cycle is coming to an end. in the Czech Republic, we're not expecting any further rate rises. Poland should deliver some fine-tuning, and expect the rate of interest rate hikes to slow in Romania and Hungary. That said, peak inflation is yet to come so risks abound In this article Poland: NBP turning dovish, but the peak in inflation is yet to come Czech Republic: CNB is comfortable with the end of the hiking cycle   Click to scroll down Hungary: The first signs of the winds of change Romania: Hiking cycle nears peak Poland: NBP turning dovish, but the peak in inflation is yet to come Poland's GDP growth in the second quarter surprised to the downside, reaching 5.5% YoY vs 8.5%YoY in the first three months. The sequential slowdown of 2.1% Quarter-on-Quarter (seasonally adjusted) was the second worst in the last few decades, only coming in deeper during the pandemic in early 2020. We think the data exaggerates the magnitude of the economic slowdown in the last quarter and the sharp sequential slide was also caused by statistical revisions. Still, the numbers mark a turning point in activity and the possible beginning of a technical recession in 2022. July activity figures present a similar picture, with industrial and construction, production, and retail sales surprising on the downside; the backdrop of this data shows the economy is losing momentum. The previous growth engines in manufacturing slowed, and seasonally adjusted retail sales indicate that the consumption boom is fading. Now we see indicators such as the PMI index fall well below 50 and consumer sentiment is worse than during the pandemic. The influx of some 2 million Ukrainian refugees supports the sale of necessities, but growth in durable goods is weakening.  After stabilising during the summer, August CPI figures show inflation pressures are resuming in all categories. Most worrisome is the sequential growth of core inflation, which spiked again after the June-July slowdown. This matches our non-consensus view that CPI should reach its new peak later this year and into next, reaching just below 20% YoY. The energy price shock is largely to blame and the government is preparing offsetting measures but sustaining those is perhaps prohibitively expensive.  The 2023 budget draft presents a sector deficit of 4.4% of GDP almost in line with our forecast and about 4.5% in 2022. We see revenue estimates as reasonable, but worry spending may be higher given the energy crisis. Also, locally funded investment projects may replace the EU Recovery Plan, so raising borrowing needs or the deficit.  Overall, the fiscal stimulus in 2023 should be comparable to over 3% of GDP we estimate for 2022, thus we see an upside risk for the 2023 deficit and higher borrowing needs than planned. Still, Poland seems to be somewhere between Hungary (where pre-election fiscal expansion was very high) and the Czech Republic, which delivered orthodox monetary and fiscal consolidation in 2022. Poland's Monetary Policy Committee switched to a dovish tone, but the governor withdraw from his opinion of 'one 25bp hike and done'. We downgraded our terminal rate forecast from 8.5 to 7.5%, which is a bit higher than consensus but matches market pricing. We still think that the risk of persistent inflation is high, but the government should mask inflation with additional extraordinary measures and fiscal stimulus would still be directed to households. The economic slowdown would make the MPC less prone to hike, but still recent CPI data from Poland and elsewhere support our view that the energy shock has to pass through to prices and the CPI peak is still ahead of us.  GDP growth in the CEE region (%QoQ) Source: Macrobond, ING Czech Republic: CNB is comfortable with the end of the hiking cycle Second-quarter Czech GDP had shown a slight increase instead of the expected economic contraction; the second estimate brought another upward revision. The main reason for the positive surprise is the rise in inventories, while consumption fell slightly. So, the outlook for the second half of the year has not changed significantly and the slowing economy is confirmed by both leading indicators and monthly data. Inflation surprised to the downside in July for the first time since last May, mainly due to energy prices and the unclear fix/float mix of household contracts. This may imply a slower pass-through of energy prices into CPI, but we still expect inflation to peak around 20% in the coming months. On the fiscal side, upward pressure on wages and household energy cost subsidies remain, but the government's actions to date do not pose a material risk to our forecast of a government deficit of 4.1% of GDP. Moody's, unsurprisingly, downgraded the Czech Republic's rating outlook from stable to negative in early August following Fitch's earlier decision. We do not expect a downgrade in ratings unless there is a complete cut-off of gas supplies from Russia. On the monetary policy side, the CNB remains in 'wait-and-see' mode. Our forecast remains unchanged, i.e. no interest rate hike. Although the economic picture is slightly better, surprisingly low inflation has created a solid buffer for the new board to remain dovish in the months ahead. Moreover, the depreciation pressure on the koruna has eased, so we do not see unsustainable intervention costs as a risk for the coming months either. The koruna should hold at current levels near the intervention band of 24.60-24.70 EUR/CZK. Hungary: The first signs of the winds of change In general, economic activity in Hungary is doing OK despite the plethora of challenges, which is represented well by the 6.5% year-on-year GDP growth in the second quarter. However, the first red flags have already popped up. The volume of retail sales has been on a downward trajectory for three months, a phenomenon which was last seen during 2008-2009 and in 2012. Hungary fell into recession in both periods. Real wage growth is still holding up (+3.3% YoY in June), but it is slowing quickly. The continued acceleration in inflation (13.7% in July) and the expected peak at 22% means a meaningful deterioration in real disposable incomes in the coming months. Finally, the unemployment rate increased for the first time in six months in June, though the labour market has remained extremely tight. Against this backdrop, we expect a technical recession in Hungary during the second half of the year. Its impact will mostly be felt in the 2023 average GDP growth (1.0-1.5%), as the strong first half in 2022 will keep this year’s economic performance elevated. However, any economic wobble shouldn’t frighten the National Bank of Hungary and we see the central bank continuing its fight against inflation with interest rate hikes and more. A 14% terminal rate might prove to be enough in our view if the upcoming rate hikes are accompanied by measures which actively tighten excess liquidity in the financial system. This combination could give a temporary boost to the still vulnerable local currency, but the real story of the forint can be found elsewhere, i.e. the gas and EU story. A satisfying conclusion in both (or at least in the Rule-of-Law debate) could free up the forint’s hidden potential. Romania: Hiking cycle nears peak Despite high-frequency indicators pointing to a small quarterly growth for second quarter GDP, the flash data again surprised strongly to the upside. Second quarter GDP expanded by 2.1% versus the previous quarter, dashing speculation about an ongoing recession. Corroborating this with the even stronger 5.1% quarterly growth from the first quarter and assuming no significant data revisions going forward, we can safely say that even a stagnant economy in the second half of 2022 would still take real GDP growth to 7.0% in 2022. On the inflation front, starting in the fourth quarter of this year the inflation profile will start descending gradually and the central bank estimates it will enter the target band (1.5%-4.5%) by the end of its two-year forecast horizon. This is in line with our forecast, though the recent spike in energy prices might complicate things again. We see the year-end inflation rate at 13.6% in 2022 and 7.0% in 2023. The relative stabilisation of the inflation trend will most likely incentivise the National Bank of Romania to reduce its hiking pace further. With two more policy meetings this year, the pace of tightening is likely to soften to 50 basis points in October and 25 basis points in November, taking the key rate to 6.25% by year-end. However, the broad monetary conditions might not fully reflect the remaining tightening steps. As we move ahead into the second half of 2022 the liquidity picture could improve a bit as the government should speed up its spending if it were to stick to its 5.8% of GDP budget deficit target. As of the end of July, the budget deficit stood below 2.0% of GDP, hence there’s almost 4.0% of GDP to spend (approximately RON55bn) in the remaining five months of 2022. Source: https://think.ing.com/articles/central-banks-look-for-a-peak-in-the-hiking-cycle/?utm_campaign=September-01_central-banks-look-for-a-peak-in-the-hiking-cycle&utm_medium=email&utm_source=emailing_article&M_BT=1124162492 Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    For What It Is Worthy To Pay Attention Next Week 23.01-29.01

    New Zealand: Very Volatile Data And Future Decision Of The Reserve Bank Of New Zealand Forecast

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 16.09.2022 12:21
    Economist at UOB Group Lee Sue Ann reviews the latest GDP figures in New Zealand. Key Takeaways “GDP rose by 1.7% q/q in 2Q22, in contrast to the 0.2% q/q fall in 1Q22, and higher than expectations for a print of +1.0% q/q. Compared to the same period one year ago, GDP rose by 0.4% y/y, following a revised 1.0% y/y print in 1Q22 (1.2% y/y previously), and also more than expectations of 0.0% y/y.” “Data is still very volatile and is likely to stay that way for the next couple of months, with offsetting effects due to the normalisation and recovery from lingering COVID-19 disruptions against softer domestic demand from higher interest rates. This will set the scene for slower growth towards the end of the year and into 2023. We have thus lowered our GDP forecast for growth in 2022 to 1.8% from 2.4% previously and to 1.8% for 2023, from 3.0% previously.” “Still, this is unlikely to deter the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) from further increasing borrowing costs to tackle inflation. The next RBNZ meeting is on 5 Oct, where we are pencilling in a 50bps hike in the OCR from 3.00% to 3.50%.”
    Inflation Rising Again In The Eurozone, Positive GDP In The Great Britain

    Inflation Rising Again In The Eurozone, Positive GDP In The Great Britain

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 30.09.2022 14:17
    Stock markets are bouncing back on Friday, although I don’t think anyone is getting excited by the moves which pale in comparison to the losses that preceded them. This looks like nothing more than a dead cat bounce after a steep decline over the last couple of weeks as investors have been forced to once again accept that interest rates are going to rise further and faster than hoped. Double-digit eurozone inflation Inflation in the eurozone hit 10% in September ahead of schedule, with markets expecting a jump to 9.7% from 9.1% in August. In normal circumstances that may have triggered a reaction but these are anything but normal. Markets are still pricing in a more than 70% chance of a 75 basis point rate hike from the ECB next month with an outside chance of 1%. The euro is slightly lower following the release which also showed core inflation rising a little higher than expected to 4.8%. Sterling recovers as the UK is revised out of a potential recession We’re seeing the third day of gains for the pound which has now recovered the bulk of the losses sustained after the “mini-budget” a week ago. This is not a sign of investors coming around the new Chancellor’s unfunded tax-cutting, but rather a reflection of the work done since to calm the market reaction. That includes the emergency intervention from the BoE, talk of measures to balance the cost of the tax cuts, reported discussions with the OBR and rumoured unrest within the Tory party. We’ll have to see what that amounts to and sterling could certainly react negatively again to inaction or the wrong action. GDP data this morning brought some good news, although as far as positive updates go, this is surely towards the more insignificant end. The UK is not in recession after the second quarter GDP was revised up from -0.1% to +0.2%. While all positive revisions are welcome, the technical recession wasn’t really significant in the first place. The important thing was that the UK is struggling to grow and facing a probable deeper recession down the road and today’s revision doesn’t change that. ​ Disappointing Chinese surveys China’s PMIs highlighted the widening gulf between the performance of state-owned firms versus their private competition. It goes without saying that being backed by the state in uncertain times like this carries certain advantages and that has been evident for some time. Private firms have been more sensitive to Covid restrictions and have therefore been heavily hampered this year. Still, even with those state-backed benefits, the headline PMI was far from encouraging rising to 50.1 and barely in growth territory. With the non-manufacturing PMI also slipping from 52.6 to 50.6, it’s clear that the economy still faces enormous headwinds and the global economy stalling around it will only add to them. BoJ ramps up bond purchases amid higher yields The Bank of Japan ramped up bond purchases overnight as it continues to defend its yield curve control thresholds in volatile market conditions. Rising global yields have forced the central bank to repeatedly purchase JGBs in order to maintain its target. There has been a growing expectation that the BoJ could tweak its 0% target or widen the band it allows fluctuations between in order to ease the pressure on the currency but that’s not been forthcoming, with the MoF instead intervening in the markets for the first time since 1998. The intervention doom loop continues. RBI rate hike and credit line The Reserve Bank of India hiked the repo rate by 50bps to 5.9% on Friday, in what will likely be one of its final tightening measures in the fight against inflation. The decision was widely expected and followed shortly after by guidance to state-run refiners to reduce dollar buying in spot markets through the use of a $9 billion credit line. The strength of the dollar is posing a risk to countries around the world, as we’ve seen very clearly in recent weeks as mentioned above, and measures like this will seek to alleviate those pressures. Much more will be needed to make any significant difference though. A period of stability is what bitcoin needs It’s been a very choppy week in bitcoin which has failed to make a sustainable run in either direction despite attempts at both. Perhaps we are seeing a floor forming a little shy of the early summer lows around $17,500, although that will very much depend on risk appetite not plummeting once more which it very much has the potential to do. I keep using the word resilience when discussing bitcoin and that has very much remained the case. It did also struggle to build on the rally earlier this week, even hold it into the end of the day, so perhaps a period of stability is what it needs. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar: www.marketpulse.com/economic-events/ This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.
    Eurozone: Spanish Gross Domestic Product jumped much less than in August

    Eurozone: Spain - International Tourism Before The Pandamic Vs Now | Spanish GDP Expectations

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.10.2022 12:04
    The recovery in Spanish tourism seems to be slowing down. While the number of international visitors in July was still at 92% of its pre-pandemic levels, this dropped to 87% in August Tourists in Benidorm, Spain International tourism at 87% of pre-pandemic levels in August The gloomy economic outlook and the uncertain geopolitical situation now seem to be slowing down the recovery of the Spanish tourism sector. In August, Spain welcomed 8.8 million international tourists, equivalent to 87% of its pre-pandemic level. In July, 9.1 million international tourists visited Spain, which then corresponded to 92% of its pre-pandemic level. Also, total expenditures by international tourists, corrected for inflation, dropped to 85% of pre-pandemic levels in August, from 88% in July. These figures show that it will probably take another year for international tourism to return to pre-pandemic levels. The slowdown in domestic tourism was even greater than that of foreign tourism. The number of hotel stays booked by residents fell to 101% of pre-pandemic levels in August, from 107% in July. International tourists entering Spain, in % of pre-Covid levels Tourism will still support economic activity in 3Q but outlook is weaker As tourism is an important economic sector in Spain, contributing 14% to total GDP in 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, a sustained recovery is an important factor for economic growth. The tourism sector has held up much better than the rest of the economy so far. Although the recovery appears to be slowing, tourism will still continue to support Spanish economic activity in the third quarter of 2022. However, the new figures also show that the contribution of tourism to Spain's economic growth is likely to fall in the coming months as the eurozone heads towards recession. In the second quarter, Spain's economy still grew by 1.5% on a quarterly basis, thanks to strong growth in domestic demand and the revival of tourism. However, the third quarter looks set to be weaker than the second. The latest manufacturing PMI released last Friday showed that factory activity contracted in September due to high inflation and a falling number of new orders. The PMI index fell to 49.0 last month from 49.9 in August, staying below the 50.0 mark that separates growth from contraction. Also, consumer confidence fell again in September which does not bode well for consumption in the third quarter. For the third quarter, we expect a slowdown in the economy followed by a slight contraction in the fourth quarter. Year-on-year growth would then reach 4.3% over the full year. For 2023, we expect growth between 0 and 1% as the energy crisis will continue to weigh on the outlook. Read this article on THINK TagsTourism Spain GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Italy: ING Economics expect quarter-on-quarter GDP in the fourth quarter may contract by 0.2%

    ING Economics: Italy - Even If In Q3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Will Avoid A Decline, Q4 May Be Worse

    ING Economics ING Economics 11.10.2022 18:27
    Volatile August production data should be taken with a pinch of salt as underlying developments continue to point to more accentuated weakness over 4Q22, when industry will very likely be confirmed as a drag on growth Car production line in Turin, Italy   According to Istat data, Italy's seasonally-adjusted industrial production increased a surprisingly strong 2.3% month-on-month in August (from an upwardly revised 0.5% in July). The working day adjusted measure posted a 2.9% year-on-year change (from -1.3% YoY in July). "August effect" possibly at play, in 3Q22 industry should remain a drag on GDP growth The broad aggregate breakdown shows that consumer and investment goods were the main drivers of the acceleration while the production of energy contracted. To be sure, this is a positive reading, but it should be taken with a pinch of salt, as the August release is often affected by marked volatility due to firm closures and their impact on seasonal adjustments. In order to get a sense of the underlying developments, we look at the moving quarter and note that over the June-August period, production contracted by 1.2% from the previous three months. Confidence and PMI data point to a deterioration in September While the August reading can still be partially interpreted as evidence that Italian industry continues to be relatively more resilient to international supply chain disruptions and to ballooning energy prices, we expect the picture to get gloomier over the coming months. The manufacturing PMI has been in contraction territory since July and business confidence plunged in September, with the expected production subcomponent down to levels not seen since November 2020. The set of measures recently put in place by the outgoing government to weather the energy inflation shock will help limit the damage for businesses but is unlikely to stop industry from becoming a drag on growth in both 3Q22 and 4Q22. The European Central Bank's tightening mode will not make things any easier over the next few months, possibly weighing on the investment component. A GDP contraction could still be avoided in 3Q22, not in 4Q22 After today’s reading we are mildly comforted in our view that the Italian economy might manage to avoid a contraction in 3Q22 (we expect a minor 0.1% GDP expansion) but remain convinced that this will not be possible in 4Q22, when we project a 0.5% quarter-on-quarter contraction, which should mark the start of a recession. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    FX Daily: Asymmetrical upside risks for the dollar today

    "Overall, the outlook remains tough for EM sovereign debt, but a lot of bad news is already priced in."

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.10.2022 13:47
    This week’s IMF World Economic Outlook painted a bleak picture of slowing global growth and elevated risks of crises, but also highlighted a few areas of resilience for emerging markets The IMF this week cut its forecast for world growth next year 1 Downward revisions point to a worsening global growth outlook, but EM growth set to be more resilient In this week’s World Economic Outlook, the IMF downgraded its forecast for global GDP growth in 2023 to 2.7%, from 2.9% expected in July and 3.6% in April. While a downward revision was largely expected by the market, the latest report does add to the generally gloomy picture on global activity and stagflationary concerns. Excluding Covid and the Global Financial Crisis (2020 and 2009), next year is set to be the weakest for global growth since 2001. When combined with elevated inflation, tightening financial conditions and geopolitical risks, there appears to be little on the surface to get excited about in terms of the backdrop for risk assets. The downward revision of growth forecasts for advanced economies is the clear driver of the weaker outlook for 2023, in particular for the eurozone. The impacts of the European energy crunch are already starting to be felt across the continent. As a group, advanced economy growth for next year is now forecast at 1.1%, the weakest since 1982, (again excluding the GFC and Covid years). Global GDP growth over time Source: IMF WEO October 22, Macrobond, ING   However, emerging market growth, while weak and well below the ‘boom’ years of the mid-2000s and early 2010s, is forecast to be more resilient at 3.7%, above the level seen in 2019. This is also stronger than a number of EM crisis years in the 1990s and early 2000s. As a result, the growth ‘advantage’ for EM over developed markets is set to pick up in both 2023 and 2024 to levels last seen in 2016. This should offer at least some optimism for EM investors, although the spillover effects on growth and external accounts for countries with close ties to the eurozone, in particular, will have to be monitored. 2 Europe under pressure but plenty of regional dispersion across EM Unsurprisingly, EM Europe is the region with the weakest growth outlook, given the well-documented dependence on Russian energy flows. The IMF’s forecast for EM Europe has also weakened further since July (in orange below), despite a slight upgrade in the growth outlook for Russia. In contrast, the growth forecast for the largely commodity-exporting Middle East and Central Asia has actually improved since July. Asia remains a key driver of EM growth, although somewhat unusually is expected to be driven less by China and more by the likes of India and the ASEAN-5 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) in both 2022 and 2023. IMF's 2023 growth forecasts Source: IMF WEO, Macrobond, ING   When breaking down the more granular data by country, which is released in the April and October WEO updates, the deterioration in outlook over the past six months is clear. The few bright spots where the growth forecast has improved (above the diagonal line below) include energy exporters such as Oman and Trinidad & Tobago. The effect of financial crisis is clear on Sri Lanka, Eastern Europe’s Poland and Hungary have seen some of the biggest downgrades and even commodity-dependent Chile and Brazil have fairly dim outlooks. April vs October IMF WEO growth forecasts by country (2023) Source: IMF WEO, Macrobond, ING 3 Further downside risks are unusually elevated Along with forecasting a continued slowing of the global economy in 2023, the IMF was clear to highlight that “risks to the outlook remain unusually large and to the downside.” The Fund sees a 25% chance of global growth falling below 2% in 2023, while Chief Economist Pierre Olivier Gourinchas was quoted as saying there is a 15% chance of growth falling below 1%. Potential triggers for such a downside scenario could include monetary or fiscal policy missteps, further energy and food price shocks, a Covid-19 resurgence or a worsening of China’s property sector crisis. Within these scenarios, the IMF continued to highlight concerns over the potential for further widespread emerging market debt distress on the back of tighter financial conditions. We would highlight the combination of government FX-denominated debt and large net fuel imports to GDP as specific EM sovereign vulnerabilities in the current environment, shown in the below chart. EM sovereign FX debt & fuel imports Source: S&P, World Bank, IMF, National Sources, Macrobond, ING   In response to these vulnerabilities, we expect further IMF support for EM countries will be needed. The below chart shows net IMF lending to EM by year, broken down by type of programme. 2020 saw a surge in emergency lending (Rapid Credit Facility/Rapid Financing Instrument) in response to the Covid crisis, but the focus now is likely to shift back to more traditional programmes which require policy conditionality. Net IMF lending by year Source: IMF, Macrobond, ING   The IMF has already announced the new Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), which can be used to top-up existing programmes, along with further rapid lending to help deal with food shocks. North Macedonia has recently secured a €530mn deal and we see the potential for similar deals for Morocco and Serbia in the near term, while the likes of Egypt and Ghana are high-profile sovereigns that have been in IMF talks recently. The IMF remains a key backstop and policy anchor for EM sovereigns struggling with debt distress. Overall, the outlook remains tough for EM sovereign debt, but a lot of bad news is already priced in. Asian sovereigns such as Indonesia and the Philippines look set to remain resilient in terms of growth momentum and could surprise to the upside. Longer-term EM issuers such as South Africa and Mexico have fairly low vulnerabilities to energy imports or FX-denominated debt and could therefore be more resilient even if growth is somewhat disappointing. And energy exporters such as the Gulf nations are set to benefit in terms of growth and external accounts from current elevated fuel prices, offering EM investors something of a safe haven within the asset class. The overarching theme is that the outlook for emerging markets offers plenty of variation.  Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    A Better-Than-Expected US GDP Read, Nvidia Extends Rally

    The US Economy Expects Growth (GDP) In The Last Quarter (Q3)

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 23.10.2022 11:51
    The American economy, like many others in the world, is struggling with serious economic problems. The threat of recession also appears from the perspective of the world's largest economy. To find out the scope and scale of the problem, you should take a look at the gross domestic product (GDP). On Thursday, will be review of the results for the value added created through the production of goods and services in a country during the last quarter (Q3). Real GDP The U.S. economy is expected to grow  from the first half of the year, but most Americans are unlikely to notice anything. This time it is expected to break above zero and hit 2.1%.The latest US GDP figures are likely to be supported by a narrowing trade gap as the US imports fewer goods as demand slows down. Although the newest numbers are likely to look like improvements on paper, economists say they don’t reflect major changes in the economy. America’s return to growth stands in sharp contrast to other major economies, including Europe and the United Kingdom, which are either already in recession or almost. We can expect that along with strong GDP results, the strength of the dollar (USD) will also increase. This is because high GDP reflects a higher pace of production, indicating a greater demand for the country's products. Increased demand for a country's goods and services often translates into increased demand for the domestic currency. The appreciating dollar will affect the rates of the main currency pairs, and thus the next hawkish actions of central banks. Previous data Real gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.6%. annually in the second quarter of 2022, after a decrease of 1.6%. in the first quarter. The decline in the second quarter was the same as previously estimated in the "second" estimate published in August. The decline in real GDP reflected declines in private inventory investment, fixed housing investment, federal government spending, and state and local government spending, which were partially offset by increases in exports and consumer spending. Import increased, which is a subtraction in the GDP calculation (Table 2). The decline in private stock investment was due to a decline in retail trade (mainly "other" grocery stores). The decline in fixed residential investment was due to a decline in 'other' structures (in particular real estate brokers' commissions). Economists and data Many economists say a recession in 2023 is almost inevitable as the Federal Reserve continues to aggressively raise interest rates in hopes of slowing the economy enough to control inflation. But for now, the economy remains strong in many ways. Unemployment, at 3.5 percent, many Americans are receiving increases, and corporate investment and consumer spending remain high. On the one hand, good data, on the other hand, of the Fed's actions and the opinions of economists do not give any credible outlook for the future. Therefore, it is necessary to observe changes in the monetary policy and their impact on the key indicators of the country. GDP Price Index On the same day, the GDP Price Index will be published along with the real gross domestic product (GDP). Although the US economy recorded strong growth in GDP Price Index in the first half, it is expected that in the third quarter the reading will be much lower than recently. The expected level is 5.3% against the previous 9.1%. Persistent inflation continues to weigh heavily on both economic growth and household budgets. Source: investing.com The GDP Price Index measures changes in the prices of goods and services produced in the United States, including those exported to other countries. Source: bea.gov, Investing.com
    Upcoming Corporate Earnings Reports: Ashtead, GameStop, and DocuSign - September 5-7, 2023

    Growth In China's Trade Balance. Significant Declines In Major Sectors Of Europe And Great Britain

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 24.10.2022 12:20
    China is making up for its situation with overdue reports. Today, the market is mainly focused on PMI results from various sectors and various countries. Positive results from China From 3:30 a.m. CET to 4:00 a.m. CET, China released a ton of reports. Most of them show positive results. The results for exports are positive, with Chinese esports falling from 18.0% in August to 7.1%. This was a drastic decline and it also fell to 5.7%, but was higher than expected (4.1%). The trading result was also high despite a 0.3% rise in Imports. The balance rose from 79.39B to 84.74B. Because imports continued and exports were higher than expected. Such significant growth is good for the Chinese economy. The growth of the economy confirms the positive result of GDP for the third quarter (Q3). The core GDP increased from 0.4% to 3.9%, and the quarterly (QoQ) from a negative level of -2.7% to 3.9%. The production sector has also grown significantly. The current reading of the unit is at the level of 6.3%. Which means that this sector has grown once again. One of the negative signals from the Chinese economy is the unemployment rate. It was expected to fall by 0.1% but increased from 5.3% to 5.5%. French PMI The readings from France were not that positive. The Purchasing Managers Index for the manufacturing sector turned out to be positive. The indicator recorded a slight increase by 0.3%. The current reading is at 47.4 against the forecast 47.1. There has been a decline in the serivices sector. True, the decline was expected, but the current result has not met expectations. Currently, the Services PMI for France is 51.3. It fell from 52.9 and the projected decline was at 51.5. European PMI’s For the European Union region, PMI indicators fell. Services PMI fell as expected to 48.2 against previous reading at 48.8. This is a slight decrease, but has an impact on the currency position. Meanwhile, the Manufacturing PMI index dropped significantly from the level of 48.4 to the level of 46.6. Given the current situation in the euro zone, declines were expected. German PMI For the same sectors as Europe and France, Germany published its PMI. Contrary to France, Services PMI was positive, ie higher than expected (44.7) and reached the level of 44.9. The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index for Germany dropped significantly from 47.8 to 45.7. In both cases, these were declines as expected. The difference is that at some point it was higher than expected. UK PMI The United Kingdom, like the rest of the old continent, has published reports on the Services and Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index. Both readings were lower than expected. Similarly to the above-mentioned regions (Germany, France, EU), declines were forecast. In the UK, Services PMI dropped from 50.0 to 47.5 and manufacturing from 48.4 to 46.6. Today's readings show a significant deterioration in these sectors, which negatively affects the exchange rate of the British currency (GBP). USA PMI America, like countries on the old continent, will publish PMI reports in the afternoon (15:45 CET). The US also expects a decline, but less significant. For Services PMI it is expected to drop from 49.3 to 49.2. A drop of 0.1 will not significantly affect the appearance of the currency and the sector. In contrast, the manufacturing sector is expected to drop by 1.0. The last reading of the indicator was at 52.0. Speeches Two important speeches are scheduled for today. The first one will take place at 16:15 CET. David Ramsden, member of the Bank of England, will speak. In the present situation of the UK, his speech can give concrete indications on the way forward in the field of motor policy. The next and last speech of the dishes will be from the American overseas. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen is set to speak at 17:00 CET. She speaks frequently on a broad range of subjects and her speeches are often used to signal administration policy shifts to the public and to foreign governments. Summary: From the above information, we can conclude that the situation is generally very unfavorable. And the European Union and the United Kingdom may face a severe recession. Other regions of the world, despite the deteriorating situation, are doing much better than the countries of the old continent. 3:51 CET Chinese Exports 3:52 CET Chinese Imports 3:53 CET Chinese Trade Balance 4:00 CET Chinese GDP 4:00 CET Chinese Unemployment Rate 9:15 CET France Services And Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index 9:30 CET German Services and Manufacturing PMI 10:00 CET European Services and Manufacturing PMI 10:30 CET UK Services and Manufacturing PMI 15:45 CET U.S. Services And Manufacturing PMI 16:15 CET MPC Member Ramsden Speaks 17:00 CET U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen Speaks Source: https://www.investing.com/economic-calendar/
    Assessing the 50-50 Risk: USD's Outlook and Market Expectations for a June Fed Hike

    A Soft Landing In The United States Is Still Possible?

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 25.10.2022 08:54
    Summary:  In today's edition, we focus on the pace of U.S. credit growth and whether or not it indicates an imminent risk of a U.S. recession. To put it simply, credit growth is stabilizing at a very right level which is not normally consistent with a recession. Other credit aggregates we monitor, such as the credit impulse, are oriented north too. It is currently running at 4.5 % of GDP - this is the highest level since 2011. Click to download this week's full edition of Macro Chartmania composed of more than 100 charts to track the latest macroeconomic and market developments. All the data are collected from Macrobond and updated each week. A majority of market participants believe a soft landing in the United States is an unlikely scenario. Based on the latest credit data, this is still possible though. In the below chart, we show the evolution of commercial and industrial loans and leases. This is an important category of assets that commercial banks report on their balance sheets. This has been published on a quarterly basis by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) since 1947. The latest data for the third quarter was out a few days ago. Commercial and industrial loans and leases are still growing at a strong pace, running at 17.3 % year-over-year in Q3. The last peak was in Q2 2020 – immediately in the aftermath of the outbreak. Growth was without any historical precedent at 88.3 % year-over-year. But the circumstances were out of the ordinary. At Saxo Bank, we also measure the growth of credit using credit impulse. This is a larger aggregate which measures the flow of new credit issued by the private sector as a percentage of GDP (see the chart in today’s Macro Chartmania). It is heading north at 4.5 % of GDP. Both indicators (commercial and industrial loans and leases and credit impulse) are used to predict a recession. When both are in a contraction, this usually ends up in a recession. As you can see, the current credit growth is not consistent with an imminent recession. We believe that the release of the first estimate of the Q3 U.S. GDP on 27 October will confirm the U.S. economy is rather resilient, despite growing concerns about inflationary pressures (the economist consensus expects GDP growth to reach 2.4 %). In our view, the resilient U.S. economic outlook (especially if we compare with the eurozone) and the continued strong inflow of credit in the economy should give the U.S. Federal Reserve enough room for maneuver to hike interest rates in November and beyond. We believe that the central bank will hike rates by 0.75-point next month. Fed officials could also start debating whether and how to slow the pace of increases after that, but more to take into consideration hidden financial risks (notably on the U.S. bond market) rather due to concerns about an imminent recession.  Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/chart-of-the-week-strong-us-credit-growth-25102022
    The Price Of USD/JPY Pair Has To Fight With The Resistance Level

    The Divergence Between The Fed And BoJ Policies Is Not Favorable For The USD/JPY Pair

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 27.10.2022 13:59
    Thursday's economic docket highlights the release of the Advance third-quarter US GDP report, scheduled at 12:30 GMT. The world's largest economy is expected to have expanded by a 2.4% annualized pace during the third quarter. This would mark a sharp reversal from the 0.6% fall in the previous quarter and the 1.6% decline registered in the first three months of the year. Economists at Société Générale offer a brief preview of the key macro data and write: “We calculate a 3% gain for real GDP, the key economic release of the week. We think that it could be even higher. What does that do for recession calls? Temporary reconsideration is our answer. Companies are becoming more conservative as compensation pressures build.” How Could it Affect USD/JPY? Ahead of the release, the emergence of some US dollar buying assists the USD/JPY to rebound swiftly from the vicinity of the 145.00 mark, or a nearly three-week low touched earlier this Thursday. A stronger GDP print will pour cold water on expectations that the Fed will soften its hawkish stance amid signs of a slowdown in the US economy. This, in turn, will lift bets for more aggressive Fed rate hikes in future and provide a fresh lift to the greenback, setting the stage for some meaningful upside for the major. Conversely, a weaker reading would add to growing market worries about a deeper economic downturn and prompt fresh selling around the buck. That said, a big divergence in the monetary policy stance adopted by the Fed and the Bank of Japan might continue to act as a tailwind for the USD/JPY pair. Investors might also refrain from placing aggressive bets ahead of the BoJ meeting on Thursday, suggesting that the immediate market reaction is more likely to be limited. Key Notes   •  US Q3 GDP Preview: Dollar bears to retain control on weak GDP print   •  US GDP Preview: Forecasts from eight major banks, strong rebound to break two quarters of negative growth   •  USD/JPY bounces off multi-week low, finds decent support ahead of 145.00 mark About US GDP The Gross Domestic Product Annualized released by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis shows the monetary value of all the goods, services and structures produced within a country in a given period of time. GDP Annualized is a gross measure of market activity because it indicates the pace at which a country's economy is growing or decreasing. Generally speaking, a high reading or a better-than-expected number is seen as positive for the USD, while a low reading is negative.      
    EUR/USD Pair: The Bulls Might Remain Inclined To Be Back In Control

    German QoQ, YoY Q3 GDP Beat Market Expectations

    Rebecca Duthie Rebecca Duthie 28.10.2022 10:32
    Summary: Q3 GDP for Europe's largest economy came in higher than expected. The German economy is now predicted to contract by 0.3% in 2023. The initial market reaction in the wake of the release of this data. German QoQ, YoY GDP figures Both the QoQ and YoY Q3 GDP for Europe's largest economy came in higher than expected, beating market expectations. The QoQ reading for German inflation in Q3 came in at 0.3%, beating the market forecast of 0.2%. Q3 YoY GDP, which was originally forecasted at 0.7%, came in at 1.1%. According to a prediction from the Ifo Institute in Munich, the German economy will decrease in 2023, primarily as a result of rising inflation eating away at private consumer spending. According to a statement released by the research firm on Monday, the biggest economy in Europe is now predicted to contract by 0.3% in 2023 rather than grow by an expected 1.6% in 2022. As energy suppliers raise prices to offset rising procurement costs brought on by decreasing Russian gas supplies, inflation is expected to increase to 9.3% in 2023, with the number peaking at about 11% in the first quarter in particular. Despite the GDP reading, which in theory should indicate bullish signals for the German economy, when compared to Ifo's previous prediction, the forecast is "much" lower. While inflation expectations were elevated by 6 percentage points, real GDP estimates were reduced by 4 percentage points. According to Ifo, the German economy will be primarily driven by manufacturing in the ensuing quarters as ongoing supply chain restrictions start to loosen as a result of slowing global growth. An increase in interest rates will also increase the cost of financing for enterprises in the construction industry, which will have an adverse effect on the sector as a whole. Initial market reaction The initial market reaction for the EUR/GBP currency pair saw the Euro weaken against the GBP, and the EUR/USD currency pair also weakened below parity, The DAX Index also dropped in the wake of the release of the GDP data. According to Ifo, the German economy won't "return to normal" until 2024, when growth will be 1.8% and inflation will be 2.5%. Ifo identified a number of risks to its prediction, including changes in energy prices, issues with the supply chain, and limitations on public life brought on by a projected rise in Covid-19 cases. Sources: investing.com
    Upcoming Corporate Earnings Reports: Ashtead, GameStop, and DocuSign - September 5-7, 2023

    Forecasts Of The Situation In The Eurozone Are Not Very Good

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 30.10.2022 10:48
    At the beginning of the week, the European Union will share the most important indicators. Europe faces a difficult and uncertain geopolitical and economic outlook. Inflation remains too high for a long time. Actions in the field of montage policy do not bring the expected results. However, the fight against inflation is expected to be painful. High interest rates can reduce demand, investment and employment, causing the economy to slow. The ECB seems determined to overcome these fears and fulfill the bank's main mandate of price stabilization, a goal that has turned into a difficult struggle in the Ukrainian war and the energy crisis. Core CPI The change in the price of goods and services purchased by consumers, excluding food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco is expected to reach level of 4.8%. The fight against inflation continues. And the situation of the eurozone does not seem to be getting better. The geopolitical situation, which is the war in Ukraine, which directly affects the member states, still threatens the economic situation. The base CPI indicator also shows this significantly as it has been growing significantly since May. The expected level of 4.8% is the result of the previous reading, so we can believe that the actions of the European central bank may have eased the situation. CPI Although the core CPI remains below 5%, the Eurozone Consumer Price Index is expected to rise to 10.2%. The Baltic countries continue to be the hardest hit; Estonia in particular is experiencing the highest levels of inflation in the eurozone. Such a high level is significantly influenced by the situation of energy prices. It is obvious that as a result of the war in Ukraine difficulties have arisen in Euroland with energy. There is no sign of an improvement in the energy crisis, as Russia said in September that it would not fully resume gas supplies to Europe until the West lifts sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.The central banks of the member states are doing what they can to fight inflation. The ECB has the greatest impact on the fight against inflation. The ECB tries to bring the inflation level back to stabilization. Following in the footsteps of its counterparts elsewhere in the world, in July, the European Central Bank raised interest rates by more than expected amounts for the first time in 11 years as it pursues persistently high inflation. Everything is going up: electricity, diesel, vegetables, the Internet, hotels, flights, and now interest rates as well. The only question is whether such a state of affairs leads to a recession in the euro area. Source: investing.com GDP The surprisingly positive forecast is for gross domestic product, which is expected to reach 1.0%. Despite the positive data, it should be expected that the worst is still to come. Some economists are of the opinion that a recession is already in Europe. Recession in the eurozone now appears likely as a result of the deepening gas crisis. Economic activity in the euro area declined even more in October, and Germany, the EU's largest economy, appears to be headed towards a recession. Higher interest rates tend to mean a decline in economic activity as credit becomes more expensive and consumer spending decreases. Source: investing.com
    Rates Spark: Italy's Retail Bonds and Their Impact on Government Funding

    Learn what are retail sales and the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 29.10.2022 09:55
    At the beginning of each month there are reports on changes in individual sectors, e.g. Services PMI, Manufacturing PMI. When telling you what the individual sectors are, the question arises what PMI is? Retail sales also appear in reports, but why is it so important for a given economy?   Retail Sales Retail sales are a key macroeconomic indicator that tracks consumer demand for finished goods. Shows total sales, percentage change, and year-over-year sales change. Retail sales data is reported by all grocery and retail stores. They are divided into several different categories including (but not limited to):   Shops with clothing and clothing accessories Pharmacies and drugstores Grocery stores and drinks Electronics and household appliances stores Furniture stores Gas stations New car dealers   Seasonality affects retail sales. The fourth quarter - the months October to December - tends to have the highest level of sales, partly due to the holiday shopping season. The most seasonal retail sectors include electronics, sporting goods, e-commerce and apparel. Higher inflation causes the prices of most goods and services to rise sharply. As a result, consumers tend to limit overall spending or prioritize needs and choose inflation-proof purchases.   The exact measure of retail sales is extremely important in assessing the economic condition. This is due to the fact that consumer spending or personal consumption expenditures constitute a significant part of GDP.    Moreover, the Retail Sales Report helps analysts and investors to gauge the health of the economy and any possible inflation pressures. Higher sales are good news for retail shareholders as it means higher returns. Similar to GDP, this indicator is often broken out into various industries so more detailed analysis can provide information on the economy.   Check out how the retail sales looks like on an example: Inflation In Eurozone Higher Than Forecast | Retail Sales Reports| FXMAG.COM   The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) According to the Dictionary of Economics, the purchasing managers index (PMI) is a measure of the prevailing direction of economic trends in manufacturing. The PMI is based on a monthly survey of supply chain managers across 19 industries, covering both upstream and downstream activity.   Speaking otherwise, it is a measure of economic activity based on how many of purchases in individual industries, claims that there has been an increase in activity in the last month.   The main advantage of the PMI is the forward indicator as it is published on the first day of the month after the survey was conducted. This helps to provide a more updated picture of the economic situation than the quarterly indices. The disadvantage is that PMI indices focus only on a given sector, which may not give a complete picture. While PMIs have their limitations as economic indicators, they are likely to continue to be closely watched.    Leading PMI is a number from 0 to 100. A PMI above 50 indicates an increase compared to the previous month. A PMI reading below 50 indicates a contraction and a reading of 50 indicates no change. The further from 50, the greater the level of change. The PMI index is calculated as:   PMI = (P1 * 1) + (P2 * 0.5) + (P3 * 0) Where: P1 = percentage of responses reporting improvement P2 = percentage of responses reporting no change P3 = percentage of responses reporting worsening   It is also considered a good indicator of economic activity. Economists consider output growth as measured by the PMI to be a good indicator of industrial production, for which official statistics are released later. Many countries' central banks also use the index to make decisions about interest rates.   The PMI index also points to corporate profits. Growth in the enterprise affects the attractiveness of the company on the market. The decline is analogous to the growth. As a result, it is closely watched by both investors and bond markets.   In sum, the PMI seems to be a good, although not perfect, indicator of a country's current economic condition.   This index was presented on a practical example: Forecasts To Decrease. Russia PMI index has already fallen| FXMAG.COM   Source: The Dictionary of Economics
    Kiwi Faces Depreciation Pressure: RBNZ Expected to Hold Rates Amidst Downward Momentum

    Economic terms you should know: Gross Domestic Product and interest rates explained by FXMAG.COM

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 24.10.2022 10:19
    In the world of economics, we use many indicators to describe the situation of a farm. A lot of these are important, but GBP is really essential. Recently, the situation of the economies and markets has been influenced by interest rates. But what exactly can we learn from these data, decisions?   What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? We often Hear that some economy is expecting growth, but what does that mean? Read more: The US Economy Expects Growth (GDP) In The Last Quarter (Q3) | FXMAG.COM By definition, gross domestic product is the monetary value of all finished goods and services produced in a country during a specified period. GDP is an economic snapshot of a country that is used to estimate the size of an economy and its rate of growth. GDP can be calculated in three ways using expenditure, production or income. It can be adjusted for inflation and population to provide deeper insight.     What do we learn from GDP? It gives us some idea of where the national economy is going we can determine whether the economy is developing and how fast. It is thanks to this that we can learn about a recession or the growth or stagnation of farmhouses. Governments and other entities such as central banks can adjust their actions by knowing the results. If growth slows, they can introduce expansionary monetary policy to try to stimulate the economy. If the pace of growth is solid, they can use monetary policy to slow things down and try to fight off inflation. Moreover, it enables analysts to compare countries economically. However, it should not be treated as a hard economic indicator, because there are many gaps in this method of "measuring the economy". Since GDP is a direct indicator of the health and growth of an economy, companies can use GDP as a guide in their business strategy.   There are also types of GDP. The main ones are: Nominal GDP is an assessment of economic production in an economy that includes current prices in its calculation. All goods and services counted in nominal GDP are valued at the prices that those goods and services are actually sold for in that year. Real GDP is an inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the number of goods and services produced by an economy in a given year, with prices held constant from year to year to separate out the impact of inflation or deflation from the trend in output over time. GDP per capita is a measurement of the GDP per person in a country’s population. Per-capita GDP shows how much economic production value can be attributed to each individual citizen.   When a central bank lends money - what is interest rate? Interest rate is the amount a lender charges a borrower and is a percentage of the principal—the amount loaned. The interest rate also applies to the amount earned in the bank or the cashier from the deposit account. The interest rates charged by banks depend on many factors, such as the state of the economy. A country's central bank sets the interest rate each bank uses to determine the APR range it offers. When the central bank sets interest rates high, the cost of debt goes up. The high cost of debt discourages people from taking loans and slows down consumer demand. So it helps against inflation, but it is negative for borrowers because the cost of debt rises and sometimes it can be difficult to pay off. In the situation of some households, this state of affairs can cause financial problems, such as indebtedness to friends or elsewhere, and directly affects the standard of living.     Stimulating economies On the other hand, economies are often stimulated during periods of low interest rates because borrowers have access to cheap loans. Because the savings rate is low, companies and individuals are more likely to spend and buy more risky investment instruments such as stocks. This spending fuels the economy and injects capital markets. Simply put, for economies interest rates are crucial because they help stimulate their growth and also help in times of high inflation. Sources: Dictionary Of Economics And Commerce
    Equity Markets Rise, VIX at 12 Handle After ECB Rate Hike and US Economic Resilience

    ING Scenarios For The Growth Of Economy And Inflation

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.11.2022 08:35
    The bullish and bearish case for energy prices and what those scenarios would mean for the major economies Three scenarios for the global economy and energy prices Last month we set out a series of scenarios for the energy market and the major economies we cover. Since then the renewed collapse in gas prices for immediate delivery, as well as the rapid turnaround in political and market sentiment towards the UK, shows why it makes sense to stress test assumptions and central forecasts. What follows is an overview of what underpins our base case, alongside both an upside and downside scenario for growth, inflation and central bank policy. Three scenarios for energy prices Source: Macrobond, ING Three scenarios for the US economy   Source: Macrobond, ING Three scenarios for the eurozone economy Source: Macrobond, ING Three scenarios for the UK economy Source: Macrobond, ING Three scenarios for China's economy   Source: Macrobond, ING TagsEnergy crisis Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Bank Of England Will Probably Be Unable To Avoid A Significant Easing Of Policy

    U.K. GDP Is Projected To Decline, Recession Is On The Horizon?

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 06.11.2022 10:53
    The outlook for Britain’s economy is very challenging. Slowing economic growth and a changing fiscal policy are a major concern for the British. Previous data and expectations of downward Monthly GDP changes suggest a downward trend. After the reading in September, the GDP M/M index returned to the level of zero. It is expected to decline from -0.3% to -0.4%. As shown by the data, for a significant part of the year the monthly change was weak, even negative. Source: investing.com The quarterly change of the index, despite the fact that it is currently in a positive position, it is expected that the next reading will be negative. the downward trend in GDP q / q continues and has recently reached the level of 0.2%, the current expectations are at -0.5% The annual change is also in a downward trend. GDP Y / Y is expected to reach 2.1%. Since the end of 2021, it has been at a low level of less than 10%, but despite several positive and quite high readings this year, the British economy shows signs of weakening. The official data about the indicator will be announced on Friday, November 11. Source: investing.com Generla outlook The Bank of England's forecasts are particularly difficult to put together, given the government's as yet unclear fiscal strategy. The Bank of England forecast last month that Britain would slip into a recession at the end of 2022 and not come out of it until early 2024. Food and energy prices have jumped, in part because of the Ukraine war, which has left many households facing hardship and started to drag on the economy. A recession is defined as when a country's economy shrinks for two three-month periods - or quarters - in a row. Typically, companies make less money, pay falls and unemployment rises. This means the government receives less money in tax to use on public services such as health and education. The unemployment rate is now at its lowest in 50 years, but is expected to rise to almost 6.5%. The forecast predicts an increase in the unemployment rate and a decline in household income. It is a picture of a painful economic period in which the UK is doing worse than the US and the euro area. Recession For most people, economic growth is good. It usually means there are more jobs. Companies are more profitable and can pay employees and shareholders more. The higher wages and larger profits seen in a growing economy also generate more money for the government in taxes. When the economy shrinks, all these things go into reverse. This is signal that recession is coming. However, the pain of a recession is typically not felt equally across society, and inequality can increase. Some people may lose their jobs, and unemployment could rise. Graduates and school leavers could find it harder to get their first job. Others may find it harder to be promoted, or to get big enough pay rises to keep pace with price increases. The results are already visible after the recent decisions of the Bank of England. Higher loan costs are already affecting households. Home buyers with tracking or floating rate mortgages will immediately feel the pain of an interest rate hike. These are just a few simple examples, but a recession can have long-term consequences for the citizen and the economy as a whole. Source: investing.com
    UK Budget: Short-term positives to be met with medium-term caution

    Sunak (UK Prime Minister) May Have Won Back Investor Confidence

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.11.2022 11:34
    Prospects of fiscal tightening, limited energy support, and sky-high mortgage rates look set to reduce the size of the UK economy by roughly 2% over several quarters In this article The new prime minister has succeeded in calming markets Energy support to become less generous A recession looks inevitable Source: Shutterstock The new prime minister has succeeded in calming markets The appointment of Rishi Sunak as the new UK prime minister heralds a very different fiscal approach to his predecessor. Promises of debt sustainability have succeeded in stabilising financial markets, and both the pound and gilt yields have gone full circle since the mid-September ‘mini budget’. The political risk premium, as measured by the spread between German and UK 10-year yields, has narrowed back, although it is still wider than it was before the Conservative leadership contest started in July. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news stops. Sunak may have tentatively won back investor confidence, but he’ll need to find savings worth roughly £30-40bn/year to convince the independent Office for Budget Responsibility that debt won’t rise across the medium-term as a percentage of GDP. With very limited scope to cut day-to-day spending, we suspect he’ll have to chop back public investment plans and potentially also look at increases to personal taxes. Energy support to become less generous None of this will be good for growth, though the impact will be dominated by a decision to make the government’s flagship energy support programme less generous from April 2023. Under existing plans, the average household energy bill is capped at £2,500 for two years, but the government has signalled this will become more targeted. Aside from adjusting income tax rates, the only obvious way of doing this would be to make a distinction between those on welfare support and those that aren’t. One scenario could see most consumers move back to paying the Ofgem-regulated price from April. The cost of fixing household energy bills has collapsed Source: Refinitiv, Ofgem, ING calculations   Under that sort of policy, we'd expect most households to pay on average £3,300 in FY2023 for energy, without any government support. As the chart shows, the sharp fall in gas prices means that estimate has halved since August. But that would still leave the average household paying close to 10% of their disposable income on energy. Alongside that, mortgage rates look set to fall fairly gradually, against a backdrop of stubbornly high Bank of England expectations and a greater premium from lenders for high loan-to-value products. With roughly a third of mortgages fixed for two years, millions of homeowners look set to lock-in these higher rates. The two-year fixed rate recently peaked at 6.5%. A recession looks inevitable All of this suggests a recession is now inevitable, and we’ve once again downgraded our GDP forecasts. We now expect the size of the economy to shrink by roughly 2% over four quarters, concentrated in the first half of 2023. Admittedly these forecasts are still heavily contingent on how the government adjusts its energy support. If gas prices begin to rise, particularly for winter 2023/24 contracts, then the government will be under heavy pressure to once again extend its energy support to all households beyond April next year. TagsUK fiscal policy Energy crisis
    The German Purchasing Managers' Index, ZEW Economic Sentiment And More Ahead

    The ECB Should Consider The Interests Of All EU Members

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 15.11.2022 08:00
    The EUR/USD currency pair moved very calmly on Monday. We admit that we expected a noticeable correction on the first trading day of the week and throughout the week, but so far, our calculations have yet to be justified. So far, there is a clear upward trend for the euro/dollar pair, and, from a technical point of view, everything now speaks in favor of further growth of the euro currency. Recall that on the 24-hour TF, the price managed to overcome all the important lines of the Ichimoku indicator, so finally, we can witness a reversal of the long-term downward trend. At the same time, the "foundation" and geopolitics can break the entire "raspberry" of the European currency at any moment. After all, it is not the euro that is growing but the dollar that is falling. Let's read more: the dollar has been growing for almost two years, and traders have been busy buying American currency. And now they are reducing purchases, reducing the demand for the dollar, so the pair is growing, but this does not mean that the demand for the euro currency is growing. COT reports If we talk about the demand for a particular currency, it is best to turn to COT reports. However, they do not give a clear answer to what is happening in the minds of traders and investors. The net position on the euro among professional traders has long been "bullish," and the euro currency began to grow only in the last couple of weeks. Moreover, according to the logic of things, this "bullish" position should increase for the European currency to continue growing. Or it should decline against the US dollar. As we can see, there are certain reasons for the pair's growth in the future, but they still need to look more convincing as the factors for the growth of the US dollar at the beginning or middle of this year. We rely on technical analysis when we make forecasts and recommendations, so now we need to look more toward purchases. But at the same time, we must keep in mind that the current growth of the euro is quite doubtful from a fundamental background point of view. The EU inflation report will be quite formal. Industrial production The current week began with the publication of a report on industrial production in the EU. It turned out to be slightly better than predicted, which could support the euro on Monday. However, this is different from the scale of inflation or central bank meetings, so count on a long and strong market reaction. Let's go through the other events of the week in Europe. GDP The second estimate of the GDP report for the third quarter will be published today. The market is waiting for a slowdown in the growth rate of the European economy to 0.2% q/q. Still, in principle, all indicator estimates do not have much significance for the market. Some reactions may follow this report, but it is too "stretched" in time to "see" a reaction to it. Recall that three estimates are always published for GDP, which rarely differs much from each other. And in any case, the market is more interested in the ECB's monetary policy, which directly impacts GDP. The speech of ECB President  Thus, a much more important event will be the speech of ECB President Christine Lagarde on Wednesday. The ECB seems to have decided to raise the rate "to the bitter end" or at least "significantly" to lower inflation in the Eurozone as much as possible. This is good news for the euro, but the market needs to understand to what level the regulator will be ready to raise the key rate. We have already said earlier that not all member countries of the alliance can bear the high cost of borrowing relatively smoothly for their economies. The ECB should consider the interests of all EU members, so the rate will not rise to 5%, as, for example, in the USA. EUR/USD Christine Lagarde can refute this assumption or confirm it. She may want to do this, but her comments may dissuade traders from continuing to buy the euro currency (if they even have a place to be). So far, the euro is growing more on the fact that the Fed will stop raising its rate in a few months, and since traders had plenty of time to work out all the tightening of monetary policy, now the actions of the ECB, which is behind schedule from the Fed, are more important. The average volatility of the euro/dollar currency pair over the last five trading days as of November 15 is 168 points and is characterized as "high." Thus, we expect the pair to move between 1.0177 and 1.0513 on Tuesday. The reversal of the Heiken Ashi indicator downwards signals a new round of downward correction. Nearest support levels: S1 – 1.0254 S2 – 1.0132 S3 – 1.0010 Nearest resistance levels: R1 – 1.0376 R2 – 1.0498 R3 – 1.0620 Trading Recommendations: The EUR/USD pair continues to move north. Thus, we should stay in long positions with targets of 1.0498 and 1.0513 until the Heiken Ashi indicator turns down. Sales will become relevant again by fixing the price below the moving average line with targets of 1.0010 and 0.9888. Explanations of the illustrations: Linear regression channels – help to determine the current trend. The trend is strong if both are directed in the same direction. The moving average line (settings 20.0, smoothed) – determines the short-term trend and the direction in which trading should be conducted now. Murray levels are target levels for movements and corrections. Volatility levels (red lines) are the likely price channel in which the pair will spend the next day, based on current volatility indicators. The CCI indicator – its entry into the oversold area (below -250) or into the overbought area (above +250) means that a trend reversal in the opposite direction is approaching.       Relevance up to 01:00 2022-11-16 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/327095
    Monitoring Hungary: Glimmering light at the end of the tunnel

    Hungary Expect A Positive Zero GDP Growth On Average In 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.11.2022 14:37
    The Hungarian economy continued its slowdown during the third quarter of this year. We expect further weakness in the coming couple of quarters as negative impacts amplify the drag on growth -0.4% GDP growth in Q3 (QoQ) ING forecast -1.0% / Previous 0.8% Real GDP drops on a quarterly basis Quarterly-based GDP growth in the third quarter of 2022 came in negative, matching the widespread market expectation that economic activity would falter in the second half of the year. The -0.4% quarter-on-quarter growth was weaker than the market consensus but better than ING’s forecast of -1.0%. As this was a flash release by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, we haven’t seen any detailed data yet, thus we won't be able to identify the source of the better-than-forecast figure. We will make this assessment when the detailed data is released on 1 December. However, the Statistical Office highlighted in its press release that industry (mostly car manufacturing and electronics) and services were among the most significant contributors to the 4% year-on-year GDP growth in the third quarter, while agriculture was a major drag. Hungarian GDP growth Source:HCSO, ING Hungary heads towards a technical recession The two biggest difficulties Hungary is facing – higher energy bills and increasing unemployment – didn't fully impact the economy in the third quarter. Nonetheless, the 0.4% quarter-on-quarter drop in real GDP means that we’ve already seen the first leg of the expected technical recession in Hungary. We expect the drop to continue in the fourth quarter mainly due to falling consumption and shrinking investment activity. Real wage growth reached negative territory in September, while new mortgages also dropped. Households have needed to cope with the loss of purchasing power due to rising energy bills since September. In the corporate sector – both in manufacturing and services – we see companies going out of business or reducing working hours due to skyrocketing energy costs. Big data also suggests the economy has been on a downtrend, which will show up in fourth quarter GDP data. In our view, GDP will fall around 1.0-1.5% on a quarterly basis in the last quarter of 2022. On the plus side, export activity was widely supported via car and electronics manufacturing and tourism as well. Despite monetary tightening, the slow transmission of higher interest rates translated into solid lending activity, on average, during the third quarter. This was probably a last-minute run from borrowers to secure (relatively) low interest rate funding before rates rise and the banking sector starts tightening non-rate related lending conditions significantly. Only minor tweaks to our GDP outlook With the slightly more positive third-quarter data than we expected, we have made a slight upward revision to 2022 GDP growth. We now see this year’s average performance being close to but below 5%. Our updated take on next year’s performance reflects the impact of the base effect and a slightly stronger negative carry-over effect. We expect a positive zero (0.1-0.2%) GDP growth on average in 2023. This forecast assumes that Hungary will be able to close the Rule of Law procedure and meet much-needed milestones to get EU transfers, which will start supporting the real economy during late 2023. TagsOutlook Hungary GDP growth GDP Economic activity   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Metals Update: SHFE Aluminium Inventories Hit 5-Year Low Amid Optimism in Steel Production and Gold's Bullish Sentiment Grows

    What Is Public Debt And Can It Be Paid Off?

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 05.11.2022 12:37
    Everyone has heard of public debt. However, few associate it with a personal economic situation. Debts, which represent over a trillion, seem abstract and far removed from real life. Public Debt By definition of economic dictionaries, public debt covers nominal debt of public finance sector entities, determined after eliminating financial flows between entities belonging to this sector (consolidated gross debt), incurred for the following reasons: securities for cash benefits only (except for equity securities), loans (including securities whose marketability is limited), loans, deposits accepted, maturing liabilities (ie liabilities with expired maturities that have not been past due or redeemed). From a practical point of view, public debt is the total liabilities of the public finance sector - the government, local governments and extra-budgetary funds. The fastest growth in public debt is caused by wars and deep economic crises. In both cases, there is a sharp decline in economic activity (and with it a drop in income) and a simultaneous increase in expenditure. The effect may be a collapse of public finances. Indebtedness of the state and local governments allows to avoid cuts in expenses and raising taxes. However, you cannot cover the budget deficit indefinitely with credits or loans. The lack of real control of expenditure inevitably leads to a situation in which servicing the public debt becomes so expensive that it is necessary to take out new credits and loans for the settlement of liabilities from previous years. A negative consequence may be insolvency at the level of a local government unit or even the entire state. When an individual goes bankrupt, its debts are taken over by the state treasury. However, if a state goes bankrupt, there is no one to take over its obligations. In such situations, the government tries to find money to service the public debt. For this purpose, it may, inter alia, raise taxes, freeze wages in the public sector, lower social spending. Such actions influence the situation of the economy and thus the citizens. When the Public Finance Crisis occurs, this is the moment when every citizen realizes that public debt is directly related to his private finances. The quality of life and the level of social security are falling sharply. Most countries are in debt. Some of them could pay off public debts. To this end, they should cut expenses for many years, resign from issuing debt securities (e.g. treasury bonds) and allocate all surpluses to debt repayment. However, a consistently pursued policy of tightening the belt would in a short time lead to a slowdown in the pace of economic development and, as a result, to a reduction in the standard of living. Properly serviced public debt does not have to negatively affect the state of the economy. Its relation to GDP is of key importance. Budget deficit One of the factors of public debt is the budget deficit. By definition, it is current expenditure that exceeds the amount of income earned on standard operations. In order to correct its country's budget deficit, the government may reduce some spending or increase income-generating activities. Both the level of taxation and expenditure affect the government's budget deficit. The deficit can be the result of: low GDP, an increase in government subsidies, an increase in social spending or tax cuts. The government can work to reduce the budget deficit by using a fiscal policy toolkit to promote economic growth, for example by cutting government spending and raising taxes. Budget deficits affect individuals, businesses and the economy as a whole. As the government takes steps to reduce the deficit, spending on social programs may be cut. It may also affect infrastructure improvements. Source: Textbook On Macroeconomics, Dictionary Of Economic
    According to Franklin Templeton, small-cap companies, which could be positively affected by factors related changes in manufacturing, have potential

    What is de-globalization? How has impact of global trade changed through the years?

    Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 18.11.2022 13:42
    Originally published in Stephen Dover’s LinkedIn Newsletter Global Market Perspectives. Follow Stephen Dover on LinkedIn where he posts his thoughts and comments as well as his Global Market Perspectives newsletter. No one can deny the significance of the today’s globalized economy. From our homes and offices, we can order an unimaginable array of goods and services from nearly every country in the world, delivered to our doorstep and enjoyed at our leisure. However, this was not always the case. In the millennia prior to the US Civil War, incessant human strife—as well physical limits on transportation and communication—kept nations, civilizations and economies apart. However, the half century between the end of the US Civil War and the start of the first World War saw the rise of a globalized economy. Moving forward, the period from 1914 to 1945 experienced two world wars separated by the Great Depression, which shattered humanity’s first try at globalization. It was only in 1945 under American hegemony that the second great era of globalization rebooted. This wave of globalization accelerated for almost four decades and gained powerful momentum with China’s emergence into the world economy in the early 1980s. The fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany reinforced this trend with the opening of communist countries after 1989. Today, the buzzword is de-globalization. It is defined as the movement toward a less- interconnected world—one with groups of nation states replete with fresh barriers to the free movement of goods, services, capital and labor dominating once again. There are a variety of reasons that this narrative has taken hold, but to best explore whether this is truly the path we are on, an understanding of how we got here is needed. What drives globalization? We see three forces that drive globalization. The first is the ability to shorten distances in both transport and communication. The second is the commitment of nation states to establish and adhere to rules, standards and safeguards that ensure that goods, services, capital and labor can move relatively freely across borders. The third is the incentive of firms and consumers to push the boundaries of what is possible in the ever-present quest for profits and pleasure. First, consider the role of technology in connecting the world. Globalization could not emerge until modern sailing vessels, roads, railroads and air travel made worldwide transportation both feasible and affordable. In similar fashion, the telegraph, undersea cables, phones, radio—and more recently the internet and satellites—made instantaneous communication over great distances possible. Globalization required the emergent technologies of the 19th century and their refinements thereafter to shorten transportation and communication distance. Second, globalization requires the participation of nation states, willingly or otherwise. The first waves of globalization began with European colonization and empires, culminating in Britain’s dominance as the global naval power in the 19th and early 20th centuries. World wars shattered that dominance, with global hegemonic leadership shifting to the United States in 1945. Yet, in contrast to 19th century experience, the globalized economy of the past 75 years was codified in law, treaties and international standards that eventually spawned willing cross-border trade, finance, transportation, travel and, to a lesser degree, immigration. The second great era of globalization was an agreed framework, not one imposed by empire. The superstructure of modern globalization was the Bretton Woods institutions, including the General Agreement on Trades and Tariffs (GATT, which then morphed into the World Trade Organization), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and a host of other international and governmental organizations. Together, these organizations established the legal, security, business and everyday norms of global economic and financial engagement. Third, given the technological means to globalize as well as the legal, political and security assurances to do so, it was all-but inevitable that profit and consumption motives would complete the task. In the six decades from the late 1940s until the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008, growth in world trade and cross-border financial transactions easily outpaced the growth rate of the global economy (see chart below). Profit-driven firms and consumer desires to acquire more goods at lower cost caused globalization to explode in less than a generation. In the process, more people worldwide were lifted out of famine, poverty and destitute living conditions than in any previous era of human history. Global Trade as a Percentage of Global GDP 1970–2020 Sources: World Bank, Macrobond. As of December 2020. See www.franklintempletondatasources.com for additional data provider information. What is the future of globalization? As the chart also clearly demonstrates, the positive era of more rapid world trade than gross domestic product (GDP) growth ended around the time of the GFC in 2008. Since then, trade growth has lagged world income growth. The adoption of multi-lateral trade agreements was one of the driving forces of postwar globalization. But the last of the big trade openings was in 2001, when China was admitted into the World Trade Organization. Despite considerable efforts, little progress has since been made, notwithstanding significant opportunities for trade gains in agriculture or services. That is one key reason why, over the past two decades, global trade growth has slowed below the pace of world GDP growth. And as surveys suggest,1 popular support for globalization has fallen sharply in the past decade in various countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom. In academia and policymaking, fresh challenges have also arisen to the free trade principles of comparative advantage and mutual gain David Ricardo first articulated some 200 years ago. Strategic trade theory, which considers how firms with increasing returns to scale, can gain vast market power and create large domestic economic benefits. Search, social media and telecommunications offer examples. Look no further than California’s Silicon Valley. Strategic trade theory has underpinned a shift in policy attitudes away from free trade and in the direction of promoting, subsidizing and even protecting the industries of the future, such as artificial intelligence or alternative forms of energy. It is safe to say that the case against free trade, if not for outright protectionism, has found support in the corridors of academia that has spilled over into the policymaking arena. Lastly, immigration has been a major casualty of the rise of populism. Physical walls at borders have been erected along the borders of the United States and parts of Europe, while virtual barriers limit the allocation of visas and work permits nearly everywhere. Are non-economic factors reimagining globalization? Challenges to globalization also reflect national security concerns. US postwar leadership has been replaced with strategic rivalry, visible on the battlefields of Ukraine and at the political pulpits in Beijing and Washington. US restrictions on high-end computer chip manufacturing technology are the latest example of how national security is impeding globalization. Strategic competition even extends to accounting rules, which are helping to reverse US listings of Chinese public companies. Overall, the tendency to replace economics with national security is further undermining cross border investment, trade and capital flows. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and rise of geopolitical tensions have all called into question reliance on long and vulnerable supply chains with “just in time inventories,” which had been one of the great efficiency pillars of modern globalization. Perhaps before long, the widespread adoption of labor-saving technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence or 3D printing may further erode reliance on low-wage manufacturing as the driver for rising international trade and finance. The end of the China boom is another factor slowing globalization. China’s evolution from low-cost producer to middle-income country has reduced its comparative advantage in supplying the world with cheap manufactured goods. So far, however, no other country (e.g., India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, or Turkey) has been able to follow in China’s footsteps. Only Vietnam and Bangladesh have partly filled the void China’s exit from low-end manufacturing created. In other words, the new low-cost producer to replace China as the next global manufacturing hub has yet to emerge on a significant scale, an outcome which shares blame for the slowing pace of global trade growth this century. Finally, the re-regulation of the financial services industry after the GFC had both global and distinctly national elements, both of which created fresh obstacles to cross-border financial flows; for example, via high bank capital requirements on riskier credit exposures. Globalization is down but not out Three conclusions emerge. First, globalization is down but not out. The data are clear—an era of super-charged cross-border growth in trade and capital flows has ended. However, there has been no generalized decline in international economic activity. Rather, its growth rate has slowed. In that sense, genuine de-globalization is not yet broadly underway. Second, of the factors responsible for globalization, the one now failing is political commitment. Populism, nationalism, financial re-regulation and national security concerns have usurped economics as the priorities of international relations. At fault is not technological progress nor diminished desires to profit and consume. Rather, political opposition to further liberalize and to actively promote some back-sliding have been responsible for the slowing pace of globalization over the past 15 years. Third, for all the concern about too much dependence on China or discussion of reshoring manufacturing back to the United States or Europe, the reality is different. The world is not yet shifting the nexus of production back within national borders. As the demand for goods surged when economies were reopened in 2021 and in early 2022, China’s exports boomed,2 revealing that global supply chains remain intact and integral to the functioning of the world economy. In the same sense, it is premature to believe that regionalization is replacing globalization yet. The United States has applied tariffs to its USMCA (the US, Mexico, Canada Agreement that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement) neighbors and the European Union (EU) since 2016. The United Kingdom famously opted to leave the EU that same year. Whether the USMCA, the EU, or Mercosur (the South American trade bloc), past success stories in expanding regional trading links have recently run smack into the populist brick wall that opposes virtually all forms of trade liberalization. Even the Transpacific Partnership (TPP), set up to deepen links among Pacific rim countries, remains essentially frozen following the US withdrawal in 2017 under the Trump Administration and great reluctance among many of the remaining TPP countries to onboard China. Simply put, regionalization appears no easy substitute for flagging globalization. That said, declarations of the death of globalization are premature. As noted above, a slowdown in global trade growth has been underway for more than a decade, but not an accelerating rate. The system of international production and trade seems to be trending toward one that is more resistant to supply interruptions—“just in case” replacing “just in time”—but that is much more efficient than “every country on its own.” But it is true that globalization needs popular support to thrive, and that support has unambiguously evaporated. Understanding the global political winds will be critical in deciphering what path globalization will ultimately take. Stephen Dover, CFAChief Market Strategist,Franklin Templeton Institute Endnotes Source: Pew Research Center. In U.S. and UK, Globalization Leaves Some Feeling ‘Left Behind’ or ‘Swept Up’, October 5, 2020.  Source: CNBC. “China’s export growth gains steam despite weakening global demand.” August 7, 2022.   WHAT ARE THE RISKS? All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Stock prices fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and dramatically, due to factors affecting individual companies, particular industries or sectors, or general market conditions. Bond prices generally move in the opposite direction of interest rates. Thus, as prices of bonds in an investment portfolio adjust to a rise in interest rates, the value of the portfolio may decline. Investments in foreign securities involve special risks, including currency fluctuations, economic instability and political developments. Investments in emerging market countries involve heightened risks related to the same factors, in addition to those associated with these markets’ smaller size, lesser liquidity and lack of established legal, political, business and social frameworks to support securities markets. Such investments could experience significant price volatility in any given year.
    German Export Weakness In The Fourth Quarter Suggests That Recession Fears Are Real

    German Economy Can Avoid Recession? GDP Forecast

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 19.11.2022 11:26
    Europe is facing an energy crisis, rampant inflation and a clear economic slowdown. Germany as the main and largest economy in Europe and the European Union attracts the attention of not only tourists but also investors. General outlook A drop in energy imports from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring in Germany, driving inflation to its highest level in more than 25 years, while fueling fears of a potential gas shortage this winter, even with storage facilities nearly full. All leading indicators point to a further weakening of the economy in the fourth quarter, with no improvement in sight. The prices of consumer goods and services are rising at a double-digit rate in Germany, according to the latest data from the local statistical office. CPI inflation rose to 10.4% in October, exceeding economists' forecasts. Inflationary pressures actually extend throughout the economy. The almost record high inflation in Germany, as in the whole of Europe, was to a large extent caused by a sharp increase in fuel and energy prices (by 43% y/y against 43.9% in September and 35.6% in August). Food prices also accelerated (to 20.3% against 18.7%). Prices of services increased even faster than in previous months (4.0% against 3.6%). In addition, the pressure on price increases was reduced by the reduction of the VAT rate on gas from 19% to 7%. October flash PMIs for Germany are worse than market expectations. Manufacturing PMI falls to 45.1 in October, lowest since May 2020. Manufacturers saw a deepening decline in new orders due to growing concerns about the economic outlook and high energy costs. Any result below 50 points (neutral level) suggests a recession of the economy. PMI indices show what GDP may look like soon. The economy continued to thrive despite challenging global economic conditions: broken supply chains, rising prices and war in Ukraine. GDP forecast The German economy can surprise GDP growth in the third quarter. However, this does not mean that the country will avoid a recession. Estimate of third-quarter German GDP growth came in at 0.3% quarter-on-quarter, from 0.1% QoQ in the second quarter. It is too early to be optimistic about the country's economic prospects next year, despite the expected GDP growth. The official results will be published on Friday, 25 November. Source: investing.com Recession? Despite not the best forecasts, Germany defends itself against a decline in GDP. This does not mean that the country will avoid recession in the future. Even though the weather has brought some relief to the German economy as rainfall has raised water levels and warm October weather has delayed the start of the heating season, a gradual recession continues. Businesses and households are increasingly suffering from higher energy bills and persistently high inflation adjusting consumption and investment. The war in Ukraine probably marked the end of a very successful German business model: importing cheap (Russian) energy and raw materials, while exporting high-quality products to the world, benefiting from globalization. The country is now forced to accelerate its green transition, restructure its supply chains and prepare for a less globalized world. Such a change can be time-consuming and moreover generate more costs. A sharp decline in German production will help drag the EU into recession this winter. Production across the EU is expected to fall in the current quarter and the first three months of 2023, with Germany experiencing one of the largest drops in activity. Production is important for the German economy and its decline has a significant impact on the economic situation. Source: investing.com
    FX: The Gap Versus The FX spot Rate In Poland Is Already The Largest In The CEE Region

    Poland: Slowing Retail Sales And Deteriorating GDP Growth Are Connected

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2022 12:41
    Retail sales slowed visibly at the beginning of 4Q fitting into the broad picture of a slowing economy. High inflation is undermining real disposable income despite one off pension payments and tax cuts as wage growth fails to keep pace with price growth. In the face of deteriorating GDP growth, the MPC is unlikely to resume its hiking cycle anytime soon   Retail sales of goods rose by just 0.7% year-on-year in October (ING: 3.8%; consensus: 3.2%), following a 4.1% YoY increase the month before. The weakness in sales was broad-based last month. The steepest declines were reported in fuel (-20.5% YoY), while the largest increase was in clothing and footwear (14.3% YoY). Growth in food sales (2.4% YoY) was also lower than in previous months.   Since May this year, wage growth in the corporate sector has been failing to keep pace with retail price growth (the exception being July, when high one off payouts in mining and energy temporarily boosted earnings). With relatively stable employment growth, this is translating into declines in the real wage fund. This is generating pressure on consumer spending as the resulting gap in real incomes cannot be offset by one off pension benefits and tax cuts. At the same time, households have largely consumed the savings accumulated during the pandemic. Falling real wages translate into weaker demand Retail sales of goods (real) and real wage bill in enterprise sector, % YoY Source: GUS, ING.   The beginning of 4Q22 signalled a further downturn in the Polish economy. We have seen slower industrial production growth and weak retail trade data. The fact that construction continued to expand and was hardly hit by higher costs and a collapse in mortgage loans, is of little consolation given the fact that it was boosted by favourable weather conditions in October this year. In annual terms, GDP growth in 4Q22 will be lower than in 3Q22, and we expect a decline in 1Q23.   Given that a significant part of current inflation was driven by rising costs, the emergence of a negative output gap will have a limited impact on the pace of price growth. In 2023, we expect still high core inflation and double-digit growth in consumer prices (CPI). Given the MPC's sensitivity to developments in the real economy, the likelihood that it will resume its tightening cycle (which has been 'paused') is negligible in the coming months. Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    French strikes will cause limited economic impact

    France: The Economic Picture Is Deteriorating

    ING Economics ING Economics 24.11.2022 11:59
    In November, the French business climate remained stable and above its long-term average, depicting a very different situation than the PMI indicators. We continue to believe that the economic picture is deteriorating Business climate and PMI moving in opposite directions The business climate in France remained stable in November at 102, above its long-term average. The economic situation deteriorated somewhat in industry, construction and services, but improved in wholesale trade. Industrial order books and the expected demand in services are deteriorating, while inflationary pressures seem to be building up. The data is surprising as it contrasts sharply with the PMI indices for November, released yesterday. The composite PMI for France fell below the 50 threshold for the first time since February 2021, which is synonymous with a contraction in economic activity, standing at 48.8. While the index for the manufacturing sector continued the descent that began in June, reaching 49.1, it is the evolution in the services sector that is noteworthy: for the first time in 20 months, the index fell into contraction territory, to 49.4. The PMI thus indicates that high inflation and reduced purchasing power have put an end to the growth in the services sector that had been made possible by the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. This marks the end of the support of services to French economic growth, which should lead to a contraction of GDP in the fourth quarter. In terms of inflation, the situation portrayed by the PMI indices is also fundamentally different from that which has emerged from the business climate indicator: according to the PMI indices, inflation in purchase prices and in prices paid has fallen to its lowest point in nine months, although still well above its long-term average. The decline is even more marked in the manufacturing sector. Although still very high, inflationary pressures seem to be reducing. Uncertain outlook With two indicators that are supposed to depict the same situation evolving in such different ways, it is difficult to draw clear conclusions in terms of forecasts for the French economy. While the more optimistic will probably prefer to believe in the business climate, the PMI indices seem to have been better at predicting French economic activity in recent months. We continue to believe that the French economic outlook is marked by weakening domestic and foreign demand, declining new businesses and uncertainty. The momentum in activity provided by the services sector seems to have ended and industry does not seem ready to become the new engine of growth. The labour market is beginning to show the first signs of weakness, which should result in slower employment growth. As a result, GDP growth is expected to be weaker in the fourth quarter than it was in the third. For 2023, we still fear a small GDP contraction for the year as a whole. TagsPMI GDP France Eurozone Business climate Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    A Better-Than-Expected US GDP Read, Nvidia Extends Rally

    The Outlook For The US Economy | US GDP Ahead

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 26.11.2022 18:26
    Internationally, governments face a difficult challenge: supporting their citizens at a time when prices are rising dramatically, especially for necessities such as food and fuel, which have been deeply affected by the war in Ukraine. The Outlook The outlook for the global economy heading into 2023 has worsened, according to multiple recent analyses, as the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to hamper trade, especially in Europe, and as markets await a more complete reopening of the Chinese economy after months of destructive COVID-19 lockdowns. In the United States, signs of a tightening labor market and a slowdown in economic activity fueled fears of a recession. Globally, inflation picked up and business activity, particularly in the euro area and the UK, continued to decline. In June, inflation rose to a 40-year high of 9.1% and remained at 7.7% in October, well above the Fed's target of 2% a year. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and his associates responded by raising interest rates from near zero in March to a range of 3.75% to 4%, with signaling indicators likely to exceed 5% for the first time since 2007. 2.6% in Q3 Gross domestic product in the US in the third quarter of 2022 increased by 2.6 percent. quarter-on-quarter (annualized), according to preliminary data from the Department of Commerce. This reading is higher than market expectations, as an increase of 2.4% was expected. This result was presented at the end of October (27.10.22) and this gave the Federal Reserve room to raise interest rates further. Forecast Expectations for the next reading are even more positive. GDP is expected to reach 2.7%. Source: investing.com How it is calcuated? The US uses a different way than European countries to compare GDP. They annualize their data, i.e. they convert short-term data as if they were to apply to the whole year, e.g. the monthly value is multiplied 12 times, and the quarterly value 4 times. For example, if GDP growth in a given quarter was 1%. compared to the previous quarter, the annualized growth rate was - to put it simply - slightly more than 4%. This means that we cannot directly compare data on GDP dynamics in the US to that recorded in European countries that publish data on economic growth dynamics without annualization. Recession? There is currently no recession in the US as it was not declared by the NBER, although the country entered a technical recession in the second quarter of 2022 with a second consistent quarter of negative GDP growth. However, there are several factors pointing to a growing likelihood of a recession in the coming months. Painful inflation can often persist without pushing the economy into recession. On the other hand, the actions of the US Federal Reserve (Fed), which sticks to a 2% price increase target, are increasingly likely to push the US into recession. Fed economists said it was a virtual coin toss as to whether the economy would grow or plunge into recession in 2023. Central bank staff cited rising pressure on consumer spending, trouble abroad and higher borrowing costs as short-term headwinds. Among the forecasts of a recession in the United States, there seems to be a growing consensus on its occurrence. However, there are some discrepancies as to how deep and how long it will be. Source: investing.com
    Belgium: Core inflation rises, but the peak is near

    Belgians Are Looking For Savings To Cope With The Rising Cost Of Living

    ING Economics ING Economics 29.11.2022 11:27
    A new ING survey on a representative panel shows that nine in ten Belgians are reducing their energy consumption and six in ten are even saving on daily expenses. Over the next six months, they plan to step up their efforts. Online spending is also under pressure, even more so than in other countries. This will adversely impact economic activity In this article High inflation prompts six in ten Belgians to save on daily expenses Four in ten Belgians see energy bill more than doubling in last six months Decline in online purchases for all spending categories Belgians are much more cautious than their neighbours when it comes to budgeting Belgian economy dives into the red     High inflation prompts six in ten Belgians to save on daily expenses Belgians are looking for savings to cope with the rising cost of living. An international ING survey, conducted in early November in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, Poland, Turkey and Spain, shows that almost six in ten Belgians are saving on fresh food and groceries (see chart 1). A slight majority of Belgians also cut their clothing expenses. The Belgian urge to save is also slightly higher than in Germany for most product categories. While in Belgium, 58% already save on daily expenses, in Germany this is 'only' 50%. Remarkably, about half of Belgians also cut back on their spending on catering, travel and leisure activities, sectors that benefited greatly from the end of the pandemic. Compared to the results of the same survey in March 2022, the number of households cutting back on their consumption has risen sharply. In addition, many households plan to reduce their spending further in the coming months. While this was only 44% in March, 57% of Belgians say they are already saving on daily expenses and 60% expect to do so in the next six months. More and more Belgians are cutting back on their spending Due to rising prices, I try to save on... (% of respondents) ING consumer survey November 2022 Four in ten Belgians see energy bill more than doubling in last six months The extreme caution of households is obviously due to the energy crisis. According to the survey, the energy bill has more than doubled for four out of ten Belgians over the last six months. For almost one in ten, it has increased more than fivefold. In this context, the number of households taking measures to save energy and try to reduce the impact of the price increase has risen sharply, from 77% in March to 86% today. More than six out of ten Belgians say they are cutting back on heating, while four out of ten respondents say they are more economical with the use of electrical appliances, such as dishwashers (see chart 2). Six in ten Belgians turn down heating In what ways do you try to reduce your energy bills? (% of respondents) ING consumer survey November 2022 Decline in online purchases for all spending categories During the pandemic, Belgians appeared to be very active online shoppers, but the unusually sharp increase during the pandemic seems to be normalising somewhat. Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents say they have been buying online less often since the end of the pandemic, compared to only 15% who say they are buying online more often. When asked whether they expect to spend more online during the holidays than last year, one in four Belgians (25%) said they would spend less. The survey results show that the decline is mainly due to a general deterioration in the economic climate and not to consumers buying more in physical shops since the relaxation of health restrictions. Indeed, the percentage of respondents saying they spend relatively more in physical shops than online (21%) is balanced by the percentage saying they buy relatively more online than in physical shops (23%). Moreover, a significant proportion of the households also say they plan to further reduce their online purchases in the coming year. For instance, only 9% of respondents plan to buy more clothes online in the coming year, while 28% plan to buy less (see chart 3). Although the decline seems stronger for electronics and clothing, the trend is clearly felt across all product categories. It is therefore likely that the decline in online spending will be widespread in the coming months. No sector seems to be able to escape the economic downturn. Lots of families plan to further cut online budgets next year Do you plan to purchase more online in the coming months (% of respondents)? ING Consumer Survey November 2022 Belgians are much more cautious than their neighbours when it comes to budgeting The share of households planning to reduce their online spending is significantly higher in Belgium than in the Netherlands and Germany, and this is true for almost all product categories (see chart 4). While, for example, 28% of Belgian respondents said they would like to buy fewer clothes and shoes online, this is only 14% in the Netherlands and 23% in Germany. Although Belgians' purchasing power is much better protected compared to other eurozone countries thanks to the automatic indexation of wages, the crisis seems to have a greater impact on consumption patterns in Belgium than in other countries. Belgians seem much more cautious and willing to economise more to get through this difficult period. More Belgians cut online budget than neighbouring countries Do you plan to buy less online in the coming months (% of respondents)? ING Consumer Survey November 2022 Belgian economy dives into the red Belgians are massively looking to save money to cope with the rising cost of living. This will have an impact on economic growth in Belgium. The Belgian economy has already contracted slightly (-0.1%) in the third quarter, and this is expected to continue in the coming quarters. We expect economic growth to be negative in 2023. The full study is available in Dutch and French. TagsGDP Eurozone Energy crisis Consumption Belgium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    RBA Pauses Rates, Australian Dollar Slides 1.3% on Economic Concerns; ISM Manufacturing PMI Expected to Remain Negative

    Switzerland Gross Domestic Product (GDP) And Spanish CPI Fell Sharply

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 29.11.2022 12:09
    Markets await the release of the EU CPI, but before that event we are looking at the CPI reports in Germany and Spain. From North America there are also reports from both the USA and Canada. Switzerland Gross Domestic Product Switzerland Gross Domestic Product fell again. This time it was a drastic drop from 2.2% to 0.5%. On the other hand, the quarterly change in this indicator was higher than the previous reading. GDP Q/Q increased from 0.1% to 0.2%, but was lower than expected (0.3%). Spanish CPI At the beginning of the day, the inflation report from Spain appeared. The readings turned out to be lower than expected and also down compared to previous readings. CPI Y/Y dropped from 7.3% to 6.8%. Natmosiat CPI from month to month fell by as much as 0.6% and reached the level of 6.6%. Growth was expected in both cases. A decrease in this indicator may suggest an improvement in the situation, i.e. prices are not rising but have started to fall. Another reading may confirm this direction. Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, is the same as CPI, but with a joint basket of products for all Eurozone member countries. The HICP also fell to 6.6%. German CPI The German CPI report is yet to come. CPI Y/Y is expected to maintain its previous level of 10.4%. On the other hand, CPI M/M will fall from 0.9% to -0.2%. As for the German HICP, it is expected to fall in both cases, ie year-on-year and month-on-month. The HICP M/M is expected to reach a horizontal 0.1% and if confirmed, it will be lower than the previous one by 1%. HICP Y/Y is expected to decline slightly by 0.3%. The previous reading was 11.6%. Canada GDP Canada's Gross Domestic Product report comes out today. The monthly change in GDP is expected to be at the same level as last time, ie 0.1%. This may mean that the Canadian economy is stagnating. Source: investing.com On the other hand, the quarterly change shows that the goposadraka is shrinking as it is expected to fall from 0.8% to 0.4%. Speeches Today, markets and traders are also waiting for speeches from the ECB and from the UK. Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the European Central Bank has already given speeches. This speech took place at 9:10 am CET. The next speech from the European Central Bank is scheduled for 14:30 CET. Isabel Schnabel, member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank, is set to speak. Two speeches are also scheduled from the Bank of England. The first will take place at 13:25 CET. Dr Catherine L Mann, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England, will speak. The next speech is scheduled for 16:00 CET. This time will be Bank of England (BOE) Governor Andrew Bailey. Bailey has more influence over sterling's value than any other person. Traders scrutinize his public engagements for clues regarding future monetary policy. CB Consumer Confidence The level of consumer confidence in economic activity expects a drop from 102.5 to 100.0 It is a leading indicator as it can predict consumer spending, which plays a major role in overall economic activity. Higher readings point to higher consumer optimism. But this time pessimistic sentiment is expected, once again. The last worsening took place in October and it may happen again this time. Summary: 9:00 CET                Spanish CPI (YoY) 9:00 CET                Switzerland Gross Domestic Product 9:10 CET                ECB's De Guindos Speaks 13:35 CET                BoE MPC Member Mann 14:00 CET                German CPI (Nov) 14:30 CET                Canada GDP 14:30 CET                ECB's Schnabel Speaks  16:00 CET                BoE Gov Bailey Speaks 16:00 CET                CB Consumer Confidence   Source: https://www.investing.com/economic-calendar/
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    Eurozone: The Recession Is Becoming More Apparent

    ING Economics ING Economics 29.11.2022 12:26
    The economic sentiment indicator increased slightly in November from 92.7 to 93.7, mainly due to a consumer rebound. The overall picture continues to show a mild recession, but also more signs of slowly fading inflation pressures The service sector saw the indicator for recent demand deteriorate further in November     The eurozone economy continues to show clear signs of recession. While consumers became slightly more upbeat – but still at depressed levels – in November, industry and services still showed signs of contracting activity. Industry sentiment decreased from -1.2 to -2 in November, the lowest reading since January last year. Businesses reported a sharp decline in recent production trends as new orders continue to drop. Production expectations slightly improved, perhaps as supply chain problems are easing. Nevertheless, with orders still in decline, it is hard to predict a swift turnaround in production. The service sector also saw the indicator for recent demand deteriorate further in November, although modestly. The retail sector noticed a slight improvement in recent demand and overall we see that the service sector has become slightly more upbeat about the months ahead. Overall, it looks like the current environment is one that is in line with a mild recession occurring. We often hear from the European Central Bank (ECB) that a mild recession is not enough to bring inflation down sustainably, but it is important to take this together with the easing supply side problems that the economy has faced recently. Signs of a changing inflation picture are slowly becoming more apparent. Energy prices have moderated somewhat, which is helping headline inflation readings for November stay on the low side. But easing supply-side pressures, lower wholesale energy prices, weakening demand and higher volumes of stock are also causing businesses to become somewhat less keen to increase prices, according to this survey. In industry and retail, in particular, we clearly see a lower number of businesses that are keen to increase selling prices in November. While these are only the first signs that inflation is set to moderate, they are very important to the ECB. We think the ECB will opt for a 50bp rate hike in December as the recession is becoming more apparent and inflationary pressures are cautiously easing. TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Melbourne Institute Inflation Gauge For Australia Rose More Than Expected

    Asia: October CPI Data For Australia Surprised

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.11.2022 08:13
    China stocks bouyed by more thoughtful approach to zero Covid; production data from Korea and Japan disappoint; Australian inflation data surprises on the downside; Powell tonight!  In this article Macro Outlook What to look out for: Fed Speakers and US jobs report   shutterstock Macro Outlook Global markets: Chinese stocks made strong gains yesterday as a scheduled announcement on the recent Zero-Covid measures promised a less draconian approach in the future. Among the various measures noted, one was more pressure on the elderly to get vaccinated, which could be one route out of Zero-Covid, though there is a long way to go yet before this happens. The Hang Seng Index gained 5.24%, and the CSI 300 rose 3.09%. Daily symptomatic case numbers are currently hovering at a little under 4,000, where they have been since recording 4,010 on 23 November. US stocks were less upbeat. Both the NASDAQ and S&P500 made small losses on the day, perhaps taking defensive positions ahead of today’s speech by Fed chair, Jerome Powell, which we expect will be one of the more hawkish speeches to date. US equity futures also look slightly jittery.  US Treasury yields are edging higher too. The 2Y Treasury yield is up 3.5bp over the last 24 hours and there was a bigger 6.3bp rise from the 10Y bond which now yields 3.744%. European bond yields fell yesterday by about 6bp on average, probably helped by some lower inflation numbers. The EURUSD exchange rate pulled back a little further to 1.0323 on the combination of slightly higher risk aversion and yield differential swings. The AUD is actually slightly stronger than this time yesterday at 0.6674, but recent direction has been weaker after a big upswing. Cable performed much the same bi-directional move and is little changed in net terms at 1.1944 from a day ago, and the same goes for USDJPY which is currently trading at 138.75.  Asian currencies had a mixed performance in the last 24 hours. The CNH and CNY have both strengthened following the reassurances given on Zero-Covid policies, and that probably helped drag along the THB and TWD for smaller gains. The MYR held up the bottom of the table, variously blamed by newswires on profit taking and lower crude oil prices.   G-7 Macro: Germany’s inflation rate for November, fell to 10.0% from 10.4% in October (11.3% from 11.6% on a harmonised basis). Though as the linked note here suggests, inflation may not yet have peaked in Germany, so the drop in yields may prove short-lived.  Eurozone November inflation data is released later today and the harmonised inflation rate is due to decline to 11.3% YoY from 11.8%. In the US, the ADP survey provides the first and least unreliable indicator for Friday’s payrolls release. JOLTS job openings and layoffs data adds some nuance to last month’s employment numbers, but don’t actually tell us much new, and are unlikely to be market moving. The same goes for the second release of US 3Q22 GDP data. Industrial Production in October from South Korea and Japan were weaker than expected, reflecting signs of a global demand slowdown. Korea: Industrial production (IP) plunged -3.5% MoM sa in October, lower than the market expectation of -1.0% (vs a revised -1.9% in September).  All industry IP dropped -1.5% MoM sa in October, falling for the fourth consecutive month, and the contraction even intensified in October.  Meanwhile, retail sales (-0.2%) and facility investment (0.0%) outcomes were also sluggish as interest rate hikes and the gloomy outlook for the overall economy weighed on activity. Today’s weak outcomes support our view that GDP in the current quarter will contract, and that the ongoing trucker strike will put more strain on economic activity, at least in the current quarter. In addition, as the effect of the rate hikes to date have begun to have a more full-fledged impact on economic activity along with weak external demand conditions, the Bank of Korea probably only has limited room for further rate hikes. Japan: Industrial production fell -2.6% MoM sa in October (vs -1.7% in September, market consensus: -1.8%), recording a second monthly drop.  After the economy contracted in the third quarter, this weak start to the current quarter signals a cloudy outlook. Australia: Monthly October CPI data for Australia surprised with a much lower rate of inflation than the market had been expecting (Consensus 7.6%, ING f 7.8%). Headline inflation in October dropped back from 7.3% in September to only 6.9%YoY. The core trimmed mean inflation rate also edged slightly lower to 5.3% YoY from 5.4%, and against expectations for further increases. Lower-than-expected food prices were responsible for about 0.1pp of the decline. But the bigger share was attributable to a drop in the prices for holiday travel and accommodation. We don’t believe these lower inflation figures have any substantial ramifications for Reserve Bank (RBA) policy, which we believe will continue to increase at a 25bp per meeting pace into next year. But it does make us more comfortable with our 3.6% cash rate peak call. India: 3Q22 GDP data for India is out later today. We don’t disagree with the consensus 6.2%YoY figure, which is a sharp drop back from the 13.5%YoY base-effect driven 2Q number, with the latest number being a much better reflection of underlying economic growth. We still look for India to grow by about 6.3%YoY for the full calendar year 2022, but may have to adjust this view in the light of any surprises from today’s data.   What to look out for: Fed Speakers and US jobs report US Conference board consumer confidence (29 November) South Korea industrial production (29 November) Japan industrial production (29 November) Fed’s Williams and Bullard speak (29 November) China PMI manufacturing and non-manufacturing (30 November) Bank of Thailand policy meeting and trade (30 November) India GDP (30 November) US ADP employment and pending home sales (30 November) Fed’s Bowman speaks (30 November) South Korea 3Q GDP and trade (1 December) Regional PMI (1 December) China Caixin PMI (1 December) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 December) US personal spending, initial jobless claims and ISM manufacturing (1 December) Fed’s Cook, Bowman, Logan, Barr and Powell speak (1 December) South Korea CPI inflation (2 December) Fed’s Evans speaks (2 December) US non-farm payrolls (2 December) TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Spanish economy picks up sharply in February

    Spaniards Are Looking To Save On Energy Consumption

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.11.2022 10:33
    Falling inflationary pressures and energy prices that are well below their peak levels led to a cautious rise in consumer confidence in November. However, this is not enough to prevent a contraction in the fourth quarter Inflation and high energy prices are forcing 40% of Spaniards to cut their daily expenses Spanish consumers slightly more upbeat, but still at depressed levels Spanish consumer confidence rose to -28.7 in November, from -31.6 in October, as published by the Ministry of the Economy and Finance this morning. A faster-than-expected fall in inflation and energy prices that are well below their peak levels is providing some relief for consumers. As reported yesterday, the Spanish inflation rate fell in November for the fourth month in a row and is now already four percentage points below its July peak level. The fall is likely to continue as price pressures higher up the production chain are starting to ease. Both commodity prices, freight costs for transport, and factory prices have already decreased considerably. Energy prices have also moderated somewhat since the end of the summer. Despite this, the index remains at recessionary levels. Inflation and energy prices force four in ten Spaniards to cut daily expenses Despite the improvement, the negative economic impact of high inflation and energy prices remains in place. A new ING survey on a representative panel conducted by IPSOS in early November shows that almost four in ten Spaniards are saving on daily expenses, like fresh food and groceries. More than half of Spaniards are also cutting back on restaurant visits, travel, and leisure activities to cope with the rising cost of living. With high energy prices, Spaniards are also looking to save on energy consumption. Almost half of the respondents say they are more economical with the use of electrical appliances, such as dishwashers, while a third say they are cutting back on heating. Many Spaniards are cutting back on their spending Due to rising prices, I try to save on... (% of respondents) ING consumer survey November 2022 Not out of the danger zone yet The Spanish economy has already slowed significantly in the third quarter and is likely to contract in the fourth quarter. The cost-of-living crisis leads households to consume less, which slows down economic activity. The less tight energy markets and a faster-than-expected drop in inflationary pressures are likely to ease the winter contraction, allowing Spain to narrowly avoid a recession. However, the overall outlook for next year remains subdued. Some favourable factors, such as mild weather and lower liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand from China, have brought some relief this year, but the situation remains very precarious. Next year will be a lot harder to replenish gas supplies, given the reduction in Russian supply. A strong recovery in China is also likely to put strong pressure on the oil and gas market, which could cause another jump in energy prices. The resulting loss of competitiveness of European businesses, together with ECB interest rate hikes that will not take full effect until 2023, will limit Spain’s growth potential next year. Therefore, we expect the Spanish economy to grow by less than 1% next year. TagsSpain GDP Eurozone Consumption Consumer confidence Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    India: Reserve Bank hikes and keeps tightening stance

    India: Trouble Has Been Stored Up For The Final Quarter Of The Year

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.12.2022 09:13
    3Q22 GDP rose at a 6.3%YoY pace, slightly exceeding market expectations and keeping growth for the full year on track to exceed 6%, which would make India one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia  Shutterstock 6.3%YoY 3Q22 GDP 6.2% expected  Higher 2022 growth on track to exceed 6% Although down from the 13.5%YoY growth rate achieved in 2Q22, that growth rate had been achieved almost entirely through base effects. The 6.3%YoY growth achieved in 3Q22 had a much stronger provenance, deriving from a solid 3.5%QoQ gain from the previous quarter. This means that with only very conservative growth assumptions for the final quarter of this calendar year, India should be on track to exceed 6% growth for the year as a whole and possibly for the fiscal year too.  India GDP by expenditure (YoY%) CEIC, ING Outperforming its peers India is well placed to outperform many of its Asian peers in the short term, given its very low trade dependency on China compared to the rest of the region. It may also be capitalising on some of China's current problems, offering an alternative destination for foreign investment as multinational firms look to spread their supply chain risks while remaining in the region.  Would do even better with broader based industrial growth The breakdown of GDP by expenditure components shows strength across the board in the main domestic demand components. Consumer spending and capital investment both grew at more than a 10%YoY pace, with only government spending spoiling the picture. Though that in itself may be no bad thing considering the October fiscal deficit figures, which were considerably higher than the same period last year. This suggests that a little government restraint over the end of the year might well be warranted. Export growth was also strong, though overall GDP was pulled down by a large drag from imports, and the net trade contribution dragged the overall GDP growth total down by a massive 4.3 percentage points.  Still, there is little in this GDP breakdown that suggests trouble has been stored up for the final quarter of the year, so we remain optimistic about the eventual tally. About the only cause for complaint with the 3Q22 GDP print was that on a gross value-added basis, the contribution remains heavily concentrated on the service sector, with a small contribution from agriculture, but a drag from industry. India could do with broadening its economic base, as this will also likely lessen the drag from net exports and allow for an even faster rate of growth in the future.        Policy and market implications There are two main policy implications from this: The first is that with growth holding up well, this provides the Reserve Bank of India more room to manoeuvre to raise policy rates and control inflation. That said, rates have already risen a long way, and inflation shows signs of turning lower, so this is probably a benefit that isn't actually needed.  On the fiscal front, today's October fiscal deficit figures do suggest that fiscal policy might be an area to finesse a little over the turn of the year, and in doing so, might help lessen the inflow of imports too, which could help prop up the INR  - though the rupee has had quite a decent day today, declining to 81.43 against the USD.  In short, there is nothing much wrong with Indian GDP growth, and still scope for further improvement with well-targeted policy measures.  TagsRBI policy rates India GDP India economy Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Korea: Consumer inflation moderated more than expected in February

    The Bank Of Korea Will Likely Consider Easing Policies

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.12.2022 10:16
    Due to a weaker-than-expected export outcome in November, the downside risks to GDP this quarter have increased. The Bank of Korea (BoK) is likely to slow down its hiking pace next year due to the sharp deterioration of real activity data   -14.0 Exports % YoY  Lower Trade deficit widened again due to soft exports in November Exports fell for a second consecutive month (-14.0% YoY in November vs -5.7% in October), and were weaker than the market consensus of -11.2%. By export items, automobiles (31.0%), petroleum (26.0%), and batteries (0.5%) grew, while semiconductors (-29.8%), and petrochemicals (-26.5%) dropped sharply. By destination, exports to the US (8.0%), the Middle East (4.5%), and the EU (0.1%) continued to increase. Yet, inter-regional exports continued to decline, with exports to China (-25.5%) and ASEAN (-13.9%) down. We believe that catch-up demand in the auto sector will persist for a while with lifting supply constraints. However, the outlook for IT investment and consumption is cloudy. We interpret the sluggish exports to China and ASEAN as being more strongly related to global IT demand rather than necessarily to regional demand. China's lockdown itself should work against Korea's exports, but what's more worrisome is that the final demand for IT seems to be falling very quickly.  Meanwhile, imports rose 2.7% YoY in November (vs 9.9% in October) with continued increases in commodities (27.1%). As a result, the trade deficit widened to -USD7.0bn in November (vs -USD6.7bn in October).  Exports contracted for a second straight month in November CEIC November manufacturing PMI rebounded but remains below the neutral level November's manufacturing PMI improved to 49.0 (vs 48.2 in October), but stayed in the contraction zone for a fifth consecutive month. Sluggish semiconductor performance appears to be driving weak output and orders, which means that semiconductor activity is likely to remain sluggish in the near future.   Manufacturing PMI suggests soft manufacturing activity ahead CEIC GDP outlook The Bank of Korea released its revised report on 3QGDP this morning as well. Headline growth of 0.3%QoQ was unchanged from the advance estimate, but the details have changed slightly. By expenditure, private consumption (1.7% vs 1.9% advance) and construction (-0.2% vs 0.4% advance) were lowered, while facility investment was revised up to 7.9% (vs 5.0% advance) as machinery and transportation investment increased. 3QGDP growth was mainly led by domestic demand components, but consumption and facility investment are likely to weaken due to interest rate hikes. Construction, which already contracted last quarter, is struggling with the ongoing tight financial conditions and sluggish real estate market. Meanwhile, China's weak PMI (48.0 official manufacturing) and strict corona policy mean that Korea's exports will face strong headwinds in the coming months. Making things worse, the nationwide truckers' strike is adding an additional burden on the economy. Considering the sluggish October IP outcomes yesterday and dismal exports this morning, the downside risk for the current quarter’s GDP forecast (-0.1% QoQ) has substantially increased. GDP outlook is likely to be revised down Bank of Korea, INGBank of Korea releases bi-annual %YoY growth forecasts. ING estimated the quarterly growth figures based on the bi-annual forecasts. The Bank of Korea will slow down its hiking pace next year Consumer price index (CPI) inflation data for November will be released tomorrow. We expect inflation to decelerate to 5.1% YoY (vs 5.7% in October) mainly due to falling gasoline and fresh food prices. Although base effects will also work to calm inflation in the coming months, we see additional signs of inflation slowing further. The recently released data signals a sharp deterioration in the economy in the current and subsequent quarters. We, therefore, expect the BoK to deliver its last hike this cycle in February. Beyond the first quarter, the BoK will likely adopt a wait-and-see stance, together with hawkish comments. But if we are right about contracting growth and inflation falling to around 3% in 1H23, then the BoK will likely consider easing policies in 2H23. Financial market updates Korea's equity market and the Korean won are rallying on the back of relatively dovish remarks from Jerome Powell last night. The KRW recorded its best performance in the region for a month. We think that the KRW will likely strengthen further by the year-end, but we still have to be cautious in the next quarter. We expect further widening of the yield gap between the US and Korea and uncertainties in China to extend into the next quarter, which together with a weak trade performance, could adversely affect the won.  TagsKorean trade GDP Exports Bank of Korea Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Rates Reversal: US Long Yields on the Rise as Curve Dis-Inverts

    Increases In European And Chinese Manufacturing PMI

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 01.12.2022 12:36
    At the beginning of the last month of the year, and thus the last month of the quarter, a lot of reports appear. The focus today is on the Manufacturing PMI reports. Japan Capital Spending The change in the overall value of capital investment made by companies in Japan has increased significantly. The current reading is at 9.8%, an increase of 5.2%. Australia Private New Capital Expenditure The change in the total inflation-adjusted value of new capital expenditures made by private businesses dropped significantly from 0.0% to -0.6%. So new capital expenditures made by private businesses have decreased and this may affect the economic situation of the country. UK Nationwide HPI The National House Price Index shows that the average change in house prices across the country has slowed year-on-year and month-on-month. Nationwide HPI (YoY) dropped from 7.2% to 4.4% while MoM fell below zero at -1.4%. This monthly decline was significant as it was expected to rise from -0.9% to -0.3%. To put it simply, the average houses dropped significantly in the analyzed periods. This study is carried out by the National Housing Association. Retail Sales Reports published by two countries of the old continent show a significant decrease. In Germany, M/M retail sales fell from 1.2% to -2.8%. Which shows that the German economy is not in good shape and retailers are exposed to financial difficulties because fixed costs such as rent and energy bills will not change, and if they sell less they may not earn. In Switzerland, the situation is similar to Germany, but the decline was larger. Sales fell from 2.6% to -2.5%. Growth was expected, and a significant fall may affect the condition of the country's currency (CHF). Switzerland Consumer Price Index In Switzerland, inflation remained at the previous level of 3.0%. However, there was a change in CPI M/M. CPI M/M fell from 0.1% to 0.0% In the monthly change, we can expect a return to the level below zero, ie deflation. Source: investing.com Speeches There won't be many speeches today. The first one took place at 7:00 CET and was addressed by a member of the Bank of Japan, Governor Haruhiko Kuroda. Traders watch his speeches closely as they are often used to drop subtle hints regarding future monetary policy and interest rate shifts. Speeches by members of the European Central Bank attract further attention. At 9:00 CET, Andrea Enria, Chair of Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank, spoke. Further speeches will take place in the second part of the day. At 17:45 CET, Philip R. Lane, member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank will speak, followed by a speech at 18:30 CET Frank Elderson, member of the Executive Board and Vice-Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank. These speeches may give clues to the future of the eurozone's monetary policy. Manufacturing PMI The main report from the European, American and Chinese economies today is the Manufacturing PMI. In China, the report appeared first. The current reading is positive, the current level is 49.4 and is higher than the previous one (49.2) and also higher than expected (48.9). In Europe, the first report came from Spain and was positive. In Spain, it rose from 44.7 to 45.7. In Italy it also rose to 48.4. France and Germany also saw growth, but it was lower than those economies expected. In France, the current readings showed a level of 48.3, and an increase to 49.1 was expected. In Germany, a larger increase to 46.7 was also expected, but the readings showed a level of 46.2. In all countries of the European Union and the euro area, there was an increase in the PMI index, and thus also for the EU Manufacturing PMI. For the Eurozone, it increased from 46.4 to 47.1. And similarly to the main economies (Germany and France) of this region, a larger increase was expected to the level of 47.3 Also in the UK there was an increase in the Manufacturing PMI. The current level of 46.5 is higher than the expected (46.2) and the previous reading (46.2). We have to wait until 16:00 CET for the reading from the United States, but it is expected that the U.S. The ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index will drop to 49.8 from the previous reading of 50.2. EU Unemployment Rate The unemployment rate fell slightly in the EU from 6.6% to 6.5%. Brazil GDP (YoY) (Q3) Brazil's economy expects GDP growth from 3.2% to 3.7%. US Core PCE Price Index Report about the changes in the price of goods and services purchased by consumers for the purpose of consumption, excluding food and energy will also appear today. It is expected to fall from 0.5% to 0.3%. The Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index measures price change from the perspective of the consumer. It is a key way to measure changes in purchasing trends and inflation. Initial Jobless Claims The weekly report on the number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time during the past week will also appear today. The last reading was very negative and showed a significant increase in the number of people applying for this insurance (240K). This reading is expected to be better and drop to 235K. Summary: 0:50 CET Japan Capital Spending (YoY) (Q3) 1:30 CET Australia Private New Capital Expenditure (QoQ) (Q3) 2:45 CET Caixin Manufacturing PMI 7:00 CET BoJ Governor Kuroda Speaks 8:00 CET UK Nationwide HPI 8:00 CET German Retail Sales 8:30 CET Switzerland Retail Sales 8:30 CET Switzerland Consumer Price Index 9:00 CET ECB's Enria Speaks 9:15 CET Spanish Manufacturing PMI 9:45 CET Italian Manufacturing PMI 9:50 CET French Manufacturing PMI 9:55 CET German Manufacturing PMI 10:00 CET EU Manufacturing PMI 10:30 CET UK Manufacturing PMI 11:00 CET EU Unemployment Rate 13:00 CET Brazil GDP (YoY) (Q3) 14:30 CET US Core PCE Price Index 14:30 CET Initial Jobless Claims 16:00 CET ISM Manufacturing PMI 17:45 CET ECB's Lane Speaks 18:30 CET ECB's Elderson Speaks Source: Economic Calendar - Investing.com
    Sterling Slides as Market Anticipates Possible Final BOE Rate Hike Amidst Weakening Consumer and Housing Market Concerns

    What Is A Recession And What Are Its Consequences?

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 03.12.2022 18:09
    The media are scaring about economic recession, which should inevitably appear as a consequence of persistently high inflation and a radical increase in the main interest rates. Even in private conversations, you can often hear that many other countries in the world are threatened with recession. What is this? Definition In the economic literature, there is also a definition of recession as a decrease in GDP in two consecutive quarters, where annual dynamics in individual quarters are used to qualify the state of recession without removing the impact of price changes and the impact of seasonal factors. According to John R. Meyer and D. H. Weinberg, a recession is "a period of decline in the general activity of the economy, having a wide impact on various areas of economic life, which lasts at least a year". The terms recession, crisis and depression are synonymous and often used interchangeably. Economists who study business cycles consider the first two terms to be synonymous. After World War II, the term "recession" was often used instead of the term "crisis" (which was initiated by the NBER). However, it is believed that this is mainly due to psychological reasons (less negative reception of "recession"). On the other hand, "depression" is in practice a deeper phenomenon, defined as long-term and very severe recessions. Types Recession is often compared by researchers to the letters of the alphabet, which corresponds to the appearance of this stage on the business cycle chart, and at the same time helps to visually determine its duration and course. Recession types: "V" - the most common type: quick exit from the collapse, return to the growth rate before the recession in no longer than the period of falling into it, "W" - after reaching the bottom of the cycle, the economy quickly recovers, only to collapse again (often deeper) and only after the "second bottom" go into recovery mode, "U" - rapid entry of the economy into a recession, followed by a slowdown in further decline and remaining at a low level of development, it usually takes several years to return to the rate of economic growth before the recession "L" - after reaching the lowest level, the economy is unable to return to a higher growth rate, inverted letter "L" - a relatively quick, but short-lived recovery of the economy is interrupted by a long-term phase of stagnation. In practice From the point of view of economics, recession is a macroeconomic phenomenon that involves a significant slowdown in economic growth. In general, a recession leads to a decline in domestic production, employment, investment and real wages. Instead of growing, the country's GDP is decreasing. Mainly, the recession is visible from the side of entrepreneurs, where it manifests itself as disturbances in financial liquidity, downtime in production due to the lack of orders or materials needed for its implementation. At the level of individuals, i.e. natural persons who do not run a business, recession means higher unemployment and lower wages as well as impoverishment of the society. During a recession, the average citizen begins to spend less, which results in a decline in consumption across the country. Causes The causes of a recession can be very different. The most common causes of recessions include bad monetary policy and excessive state interference in the economy, and in particular in the financial system. War and natural disasters also have an impact on the occurrence of recessions. Consequences The most serious effect of the recession is the decline in gross domestic product (GDP). There is also a decrease in the value of goods and services. GDP decreases, which leads to negative economic growth. Among other, equally serious consequences related to the occurrence of recession, the following can also be distinguished: lowering real wages and incomes in society; decrease in capital expenditures; increase of unemployment; reduction in the level of labor productivity and growth rate; lowering consumer demand. At the same time, along with the decreasing demand for consumer goods, a recession most often leads to a slowdown in price growth, and thus to a reduction in inflation. What comes after a recession? Many experts consider the recession to be the first phase of the economic cycle. According to this theory, a recession is followed by a depression, i.e. low levels of output, prices, interest rates, and employment. How to prevent? When anticipating a recession, stabilization (anti-recession) policy tools can be used, e.g. lowering taxes on enterprises (thus increasing the amount of investment in durable goods), reducing social spending (to stop the budget deficit from growing) or lowering interest rates (assuming that appropriate mix). During the beginning of the recession phase, it is possible to temporarily increase budgetary accidents, influence the weakening of the national currency exchange rate (which allows for a temporary increase in the competitiveness of export goods) or increase the protection of the internal market against the influx of imported goods, in a situation where it does not violate international agreements. Thanks to stabilization policy tools and properly conducted fiscal and monetary policy, recession can be prevented or mitigated. Source: Begg D., Fischer S., Dornbusch R. (1997) Ekonomia. Makroekonomia
    European Markets Await Central Bank Meetings After Strong Dow Performance

    The Phases Of The Business Cycle - Economic Growth And Stagnation

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 03.12.2022 18:39
    Over the years, we have been able to observe how the phases of the business cycle, their length, nomenclature, as well as their classification have changed. The division into smaller and larger cycles (crisis, depression, recovery, boom) has gone down in history, and the classic business cycle consists of two phases: decline (recession) and growth (expansion). Growth is positive, while recession is the opposite. Economic growth Economic growth is nothing more than the process of increasing the production of goods and services in a given country and over a certain period of time (e.g. per year). Economic growth includes those elements of the economy that we can measure (e.g. production, income, employment). The measures of economic growth are gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national product (GNP). Economic growth does not guarantee that all citizens will benefit from it. It happens that some social groups fare better, while others are poorer. For this reason, GDP per capita (GDP per capita) is considered an important measure of economic growth. This indicator is calculated by dividing a country's GDP by its population. Economists distinguish four driving forces of economic growth: labor supply, capital (physical, financial and human), natural resources and technology. Stagnation Simply put, stagnation is a state of the economy in which, in the long term, the volume of production, income of business entities, investment outlays and trade remain at a relatively constant, usually relatively low level, which is usually accompanied by a high level of unemployment. Stagnation may concern the entire economy as well as one indicator (e.g. investments, exports, demand, consumption). This term characterizes an economy in which, first of all, the rate of growth slowed down, and only as a consequence an increase in unemployment. It is characterized by a low level of prices and general economic activity. Economic stagnation - what does it mean? The concept of economic stagnation is understood as a weakening of the pace of development or even a lack of economic growth. It is a situation in which in a given economy an increase in the number of unemployed people can be observed, a decrease in the level of consumption and a decrease in the capital that companies invest in the development of their activities. This state of affairs is also a serious burden for the public sector. The decline in business activity translates into layoffs. This means that the state must allocate more resources to unemployment benefits and other forms of assistance during the economic downturn. Stagflation Stagflation is a macroeconomic phenomenon that describes the occurrence of inflation and economic stagnation at the same time. Then we are dealing with high inflation and low growth and/or economic slowdown. In addition, stagflation occurs when the economy is in recession and the cost of living continues to rise. All this, however, has a negative impact on the life of society. Causes One of the main causes of stagflation is a negative supply shock. It causes an increase in prices on the market and a reduction in raw materials, which in turn causes an economic crisis. Stagflation may also be caused by a break in supply chains, lack of energy resources, and thus a sharp increase in their prices. What are the effects of stagflation? Stagflation is considered by economists to be a highly negative economic phenomenon. Its effect is primarily an increase in unemployment in the country, a reduction in the production of raw materials, a general increase in prices, and as a result, a decrease in the value of the national currency. Source: Begg D., Fischer S., Dornbusch R. (1997) Ekonomia. Makroekonomia
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    Final PMIs, Revised GDP, CPI And Retail Sales Ahead

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 04.12.2022 10:16
    EU There are a number of economic releases on the calendar next week but it’s almost entirely made up of tier two and three data. That includes final PMIs, revised GDP and retail sales.  The most notable events for the EU over the next week are speeches by ECB policymakers ahead of the last meeting of the year a week later – including President Lagarde on Monday and Thursday – and the final negotiations on the Russian oil price cap as part of a package of sanctions due to come into force on Monday. UK  Compared with the soap opera of the last few months, next week is looking pretty bland from a UK perspective. A couple of tier two and three releases are notable including the final services PMI, BRC retail sales monitor and consumer inflation expectations. I’m not convinced any will be particularly impactful, barring a truly shocking number. Russia The most notable economic release next week is the CPI on Friday which is seen moderating further to 12% from 12.6% in October, potentially allowing for further easing from the CBR a week later. South Africa Politics appears to be dominating the South African markets at the moment as efforts to impeach President Cyril Ramaphosa go into the weekend. The rand has seemingly been very sensitive to developments this week, with the prospect of a resignation appearing to trigger sharp sell-off’s in the currency and the country’s bonds. Under the circumstances, that could bring weekend risk for South African assets depending on how events progress over the coming days.  On the data front, next week brings GDP on Tuesday and manufacturing production on Thursday.  Turkey Ordinarily, especially these days, inflation releases are widely followed but that is less the case for a country and central bank that has such little interest in it. Official inflation is expected to ease slightly, but only to 84.65% from 85.51% in October, hardly something to celebrate. The central bank has indicated that its easing cycle will now pause at 9% so perhaps another reason to disregard the inflation data. Switzerland A quieter week after one of repeated disappointment on the economic data front. Whether that will be enough to push the SNB into a slower pace of tightening isn’t clear, although it has repeatedly stressed the threat of inflation and need to control it. The meeting on 15 December remains this months highlight while next week has only unemployment on Wednesday to offer. China The PBOC announced on 25 November its decision to cut the reserve requirement ratio for banks by 25 basis points, lowering the weighted average ratio for financial institutions to 7.8% and releasing about 500 billion yuan in long-term liquidity to prop up the faltering economy.   In response to the various property crises that have emerged in the real estate sector over the past year or so, i.e. debt defaults by real estate companies, mortgage suspensions leading to unfinished buildings, and real estate-related non-performing loan crises, the Chinese government has issued a new 16-point plan. Focus next week will be on the Caixin services PMI, trade data, CPI release and the protests. China’s strict zero-Covid measures are hammering growth and the public is clearly becoming increasingly frustrated. It will be a fine balance between managing protests and easing Covid-zero measures to support growth in a country not used to the former. India The RBI could potentially bring its tightening cycle to a close next Wednesday with a final 35 basis point hike, taking the repo rate to 6.25%. While the outlook remains cloudy given the global economic outlook, there is some reason to be optimistic. The tightening cycle may soon be at an end, the economy exited recession in the last quarter and Indian stock hit a record high this week, something of an outlier compared with its global peers. Australia & New Zealand Recent figures show that inflation (YoY) in Australia rose to 7.3% in the third quarter, compared to the target range of 2%-3%. The RBA began to weaken their hawkish stance in the past two months, raising rates by just 25 basis points each time to bring the official rate to 2.85%. The market is currently expecting a 25 basis point rate hike next week as well. Also worth noting is Australia’s third quarter GDP trade balance figures. New Zealand inflation (YoY) surged 7.2% in the third quarter, compared to the RBNZ’s inflation target range of 1%-3%. Previously, the RBNZ had been raising rates by 50 basis points but that changed last month as they ramped it up with a 75 basis point hike. The current official rate is now 4.25%. Japan The Japan Tokyo CPI rose by 3.8% year-on-year in November, up from 3.5% in October and the 3.6% expected. Ex-fresh food and energy it increased by 2.5%, up from 2.2% and above the 2.3% expected. Japan’s manufacturing PMI fell to 49.4 in November, the worst in two years, with both new export orders and overall new orders declining and falling below 50 for the fifth consecutive month, which alines with the unexpected 0.3% fall in Japanese GDP in the third quarter. Japan department store sales rose 11.4% year-on-year in October, down from 20.2% in September.    The poor PMI and retail sales data may have reinforced the BOJ’s view that domestic demand is weak and CPI inflation is largely input and cost driven and, therefore, unsustainable. The central bank will likely continue to pursue an accommodative monetary policy, especially in light of the current poor global economic outlook. Final GDP for the third quarter is in focus next week, with the quarterly figure expected to be negative meaning the economy may be in recession. Lots of other releases throughout the week but the majority, if not all, are tier two and three. Singapore Singapore’s CPI for October was 6.7% (YoY), below expectations of 7.1% and the 7.50% reading. GDP for the third quarter (YoY) was 4.1%, below expectations of 4.2% and 4.40% previously. On the quarter, it was 1.1% down from 1.50%. Next week the only release of note is retail sales on Monday. Economic Calendar Saturday, Dec. 3 Economic Events ECB President Lagarde chairs a roundtable on “The Global Dimensions of Policy Normalization” at a Bank of Thailand conference Sunday, Dec. 4 Economic Data/Events Thailand consumer confidence OPEC+ output virtual meeting ECB’s Nagel and Villeroy appear on German television Monday, Dec. 5 Economic Data/Events US factory orders, durable goods orders, ISM services index Eurozone Services PMI Singapore Services PMI Australia Services PMI, inflation gauge, job advertisements, inventories China Caixin services PMI India services PMI Eurozone retail sales Japan PMI New Zealand commodity prices Singapore retail sales Taiwan foreign reserves Turkey CPI European Union sanctions on Russian oil are expected to begin ECB President Lagarde gives a keynote speech on “Transition Towards a Greener Economy: Challenges and Solutions” ECB’s Villeroy speaks at a conference of French banking and finance supervisor ACPR in Paris ECB’s Makhlouf speaks in Dublin EU finance ministers meet in Brussels The US Business Roundtable publishes its CEO Economic Outlook survey Tuesday, Dec. 6 Economic Data/Events US Trade Thailand CPI RBA rate decision: Expected to raise Cash Rate Target by 25bps to 3.10% Australia BoP, net exports of GDP Germany factory orders, Services PMI Japan household spending Mexico international reserves South Africa GDP Georgia’s US Senate runoff The first-ever EU-Western Balkans summit is held in Albania Goldman Sachs Financial Services conference Wednesday, Dec. 7 Economic Data/Events US Trade MBA mortgage applications China reserves, Trade Australia GDP, reserves Eurozone GDP Canada central bank (BOC) rate decision: Expected to raise rates by 25bps to 4.00% India central bank (RBI) rate decision: Expected to raise rates by 25bps to 6.15% Poland central bank rate decision:  Expected to keep rates steady at 6.75% Singapore reserves Germany industrial production Japan leading index BOJ’s Toyoaki Nakamura speaks in Nagano EIA crude oil inventory report Foreign policy forum is held in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov speaks at a foreign policy forum in Moscow. Thursday, Dec. 8 Economic Data/Events US initial jobless claims Australia trade Indonesia consumer confidence Japan GDP, BoP Mexico CPI New Zealand heavy traffic index South Africa current account, manufacturing production ECB President Lagarde speaks at the European Systemic Risk Board’s sixth annual conference SNB’s Maechler participates in a panel discussion ECB’s Villeroy speaks at the Toulouse School of Economics European Defence Agency holds its annual conference in Brussels Friday, Dec. 9 Economic Data/Events US PPI, wholesale inventories, University of Michigan consumer sentiment China CPI Russia CPI  China PPI, aggregate financing, money supply, new yuan loans Japan M2 New Zealand card spending, manufacturing activity Spain industrial production Thailand foreign reserves, forward contracts Portuguese PM Costa, Spain PM Sanchez, and French President Macron attend a meeting in Spain Sovereign Rating Updates United Kingdom (Fitch) EFSF (Moody’s) ESM (Moody’s) Netherlands (Moody’s) Saudi Arabia (Moody’s) This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Why India Leads the Way in Economic Growth Amid Global Slowdown

    Concepts Worth Knowing - Gross Investment And Depreciation

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 04.12.2022 11:41
    Investments in the vast majority of cases are implemented through the purchase of services and goods by enterprises. Of course, they will be implemented much less often by state institutions or households. Gross investment Gross investment - includes the production of new capital goods and the improvement of existing capital goods, e.g. construction of roads, bridges, buildings and structures, purchase of machinery, technical equipment and tools, means of transport, purchase of product manufacturing licenses. Investments are most often implemented through the purchase of goods and services by enterprises. Less often, however, they are implemented by households and state institutions. The ratio of depreciation to gross investment shows whether a given country has carried out investments at a level allowing for the replacement of the used part of the assets. Gross investments vs. net investments Gross Investments = Net Investments + Depreciation The term of gross investments is closely related to net investments, which are gross investments less the depreciation value of the existing capital stock. Depreciation is an economic reflection of the process of using up the existing stock of fixed capital, more precisely - it reflects the equivalent of using up the capital stock in a given period. The consumption of the stock of physical capital means that some of the goods produced in the economy (i.e. capital goods) should be used to replace the used capital. To sum up - a part of the total investments (ie gross investments) must be allocated to the replacement of the used capital stock in sizes corresponding to depreciation. The remainder of the investment (i.e. net investment) can be used to augment the existing capital stock. Gross investment and measures of production Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Product are measures of production that include gross investment. Due to the difficulties in estimating depreciation on a macroeconomic scale, GNP and GDP are more often used in economic analyses, despite the fact that Net National Product (national income) better reflects the income generated in the economy. Depreciation The term depreciation refers to an accounting method used to allocate the cost of a tangible or physical asset over its useful life. Depreciation represents how much of an asset's value has been used. It allows companies to earn revenue from the assets they own by paying for them over a certain period of time. Assets such as machinery and equipment are expensive. Instead of realizing the entire cost of an asset in year one, companies can use depreciation to spread out the cost and match depreciation expenses to related revenues in the same reporting period. This allows a company to write off an asset's value over a period of time, notably its useful life. Companies take depreciation regularly so they can move their assets' costs from their balance sheets to their income statements. There are many types of depreciation, including straight-line and various forms of accelerated depreciation. Using the straight-line method is the most basic way to record depreciation. It reports an equal depreciation expense each year throughout the entire useful life of the asset until the entire asset is depreciated to its salvage value. The declining balance method is an accelerated depreciation method. This method depreciates the machine at its straight-line depreciation percentage times its remaining depreciable amount each year. Because an asset's carrying value is higher in earlier years, the same percentage causes a larger depreciation expense amount in earlier years, declining each year. The double-declining balance (DDB) method is another accelerated depreciation method. After taking the reciprocal of the useful life of the asset and doubling it, this rate is applied to the depreciable base—its book value—for the remainder of the asset’s expected life. Thus, it is essentially twice as fast as the declining balance method. Source: Begg B., (2007) Macroeconomy
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    How High May Be Rate Hike By Bank Of Canada? | Japan GDP Ahead

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 04.12.2022 18:43
    On Wednesday, two goposaraku may catch the attention of investors. The Bank of Canada will announce its monetary policy decisions and Japan will announce its GDP data. Bank Of Canada’s decision The Bank of Canada is expected to conclude a historic year marked by high inflation and aggressive monetary policy tightening with one more interest rate hike on Wednesday. In the wake of inflation soaring this year, the Bank of Canada has raised its key rate six times in a row since March in a race to curb inflation expectations before they are no longer anchored. After raising the main interest rate by a historical full percentage point in July, the Bank of Canada limited the scale of interest rate hikes. Forecasts call for the central bank to raise its key interest rate, which is currently 3.75 percent, by a quarter or a half of a percentage point. After raising its key rate by a historic full percentage point in July, the Bank of Canada has tapered the size of its rate hikes. In September, it announced a three-quarter percentage point rate hike, followed by half a percentage point in October. Now, the end of the rate hike cycle appears to be near. Canada’s economy grew more quickly than expected in the third quarter. Statistics Canada announced that Canada’s gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 2.9 per cent in the quarter. But preliminary October data released by Statistics Canada at the same time showed that the economy didn’t grow at all that month. That could give the Bank of Canada a reason to dial back its rate-raising campaign. That shows the Bank of Canada’s rate hikes are already having a significant impact on Canadian households ability to spend money. Japan GDP The world’s third biggest economy has struggled to motor on despite the recent lifting of Covid curbs, and has faced intensifying pressure from red-hot global inflation, sweeping interest rate increases worldwide and the Ukraine war. The unexpected decline reflects the impact of the Japanese currency on the economy and shows that the road to a sustainable post-pandemic recovery is long, with further risks clouding the outlook. Politicians will be hoping the government's latest economic stimulus package will help boost growth in the coming months. The reopening of Japan's borders also creates the prospect of a renewed increase in the spending of foreign tourists attracted by a country that has become much cheaper to travel around. The Bank of Japan maintains the view that the economy needs further support and that inflationary pressures require robust wage growth for price increases to be sustainable and beneficial to the economy. To ease the impact on households and businesses, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month proposed an economic stimulus package that includes help to cut energy costs and cash benefits for childcare. Japan's gross domestic product quarter-on-quarter in Q3 is expected to be the same as November's reading, i.e. it will stay at -0.3% Source: investing.com The economy fell in the third quarter for the first time in a year. GDP fell by 1.2% y/y. Typical suspects were the factors driving the decline in GDP - weak global growth and rising inflation, plus a weak yen. The GDP Y/Y result is now expected to reach a horizontal -1.1%. Source: investing.com, boc.com
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    The Retail Environment Remains Very Tricky In Near Term

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.12.2022 13:43
    A weak start to the fourth quarter as the retail correction continues. Expect the trend to continue with real wage growth still negative   The declining trend in retail sales continued at the start of the fourth quarter after a brief uptick in September. The drop of 1.8% month-on-month was broad-based. We saw declines for both food and non-food retail trade with only fuel sales ticking up. We saw a broad-based decline by country, too. Germany and France both experienced drops of almost 3% while the Netherlands saw a small dip. Spain was the exception among bigger countries with an increase of 0.4%. The peak in sales was in the fourth quarter last year but we’ve seen a correction since. This is because of slowing demand related to the large purchasing power squeeze Europeans are experiencing, as well as the shift in the consumer's preference from goods to services since the economy reopened post-Covid lockdowns. The retail environment remains very tricky for the months ahead. We don’t expect an immediate recovery as real wages remain deep in negative territory. Inventories in retail were depleted in 2021 as shortages and high demand resulted in a struggle to keep the shelves filled for retailers. Now this situation is quickly reversing. Retailers have been stocking up as supply-side problems have been fading, but demand has also quickly started to fade. That has resulted in quickly filled storage sites and uncertainty about whether sales will live up to expectations in the holiday period. The number of retailers that expects to raise prices fell in November. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
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    The Reserve Bank Of Australia Raised The Interest Rate At Its Last Meeting

    Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 06.12.2022 10:26
    The Bank of Australia seems to be a fairly conservative central bank, which does not surprise with big interest rate hikes, but raises them systematically. This time was no different at the last meeting of the year. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised the interest rate by 25 basis points to 3.1% at its last meeting in 2022, matching market forecasts. The move marked the eighth consecutive rate hike, raising borrowing costs to levels not seen since November 2012, with the central bank announcing further increases as inflation in Australia is too high, tradingeconomics reports. The widely expected decision means the central bank has raised interest rates since May to 3 percentage points, the sharpest annual tightening of monetary policy since 1989. The committee reiterated that the interest rate is not a predetermined rate, as the size and timing of future increases will continue to be determined by incoming data. The council added that inflation in Australia will peak at around 8% this year, before weakening in 2023 and reaching just above 3% in 2024. Policymakers have reaffirmed their commitment to bringing inflation to target and will do whatever is necessary to achieve this. Source: Conotoxia MT5, AUDUSD, Daily Australian dollar exchange rate after the decision From mid-October to today, the AUD has strengthened against the USD by almost 9%. Today, after the decision, the AUDUSD exchange rate rose to 0.6723, which may represent an increase of 0.4% since the beginning of the day. Thus, higher and higher peaks and higher and higher lows could be observed on the chart of the described currency pair, which may be characteristic of a potential uptrend. From the point of view of technical analysis, only overcoming the vicinity of 0.6640 could lead to the formation of a new low within the recent upward structure. Interest rate hikes the cause of recession? Fitch thinks so As reported by BBN, Fitch Ratings once again lowered its global economic growth forecast for next year, citing the intensification of interest rate hikes by central banks, as well as the worsening trend in China's real estate market. Fitch lowered its growth forecast by 0.3 percentage points to 1.4% for 2023, while seeing the U.S. economy with slight GDP growth. Chinese growth, on the other hand, is expected to rise 2.8% this year and 4.1% in 2023. The eurozone economy is also expected to grow slightly, thanks to the easing of the energy crisis. The rating agency also said that central banks in the US and Europe will continue to raise interest rates above initial estimates. At the same time, a recession could be expected in the Eurozone and the UK this year, and in the US in the second half of 2023, the agency added. Source: Conotoxia MT5, US500, Weekly Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75,21% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
    France: ING expects economy to grow by 2.5% on average this year, but taking inflation and other headwinds into consideration, 2023 figure may go below the line

    France: ING expects economy to grow by 2.5% on average this year, but taking inflation and other headwinds into consideration, 2023 figure may go below the line

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.12.2022 10:47
    In October, the goods trade balance deficit narrowed for the first time since the end of 2020, thanks to a marked improvement in the energy balance. Although the goods trade balance is still at extremely low levels, the current situation cannot really be considered worrying beyond the energy trade Improvement in the trade balance In October, France's goods trade balance improved for the first time since the end of 2020, thanks to a marked improvement in the energy balance. Well-filled gas reserves allowed France to reduce its gas imports in October. In addition, electricity imports were lower, in volume, but especially in price, thanks to the sharp decrease in electricity prices in the markets. The trade balance in goods now stands at €-12.2bn compared to €-17.2bn in September. The non-energy trade balance also improved in October to €-5bn from €-6.6bn in September, with exports falling less than imports. Stronger underlying trends Overall, although the trade balance deficit is often seen as an alarming signal of the state of the French economy, the current situation cannot really be considered worrying beyond the specific situation of the energy trade. In fact, the deterioration of the French external position in recent months is entirely energy-related and the underlying trends are rather solid. Since the beginning of the year, French exports have been more dynamic than in neighbouring countries, thanks to the strong rebound in sales of transport equipment abroad, but also due to the surge in agricultural exports, including wheat. The war in Ukraine has allowed France to generate a large agricultural surplus. At the end of the third quarter, French exports were up by 20% compared to before the pandemic (in value) and France's share of world demand has stabilised. In addition, alongside the deficit in the balance of goods, the balance of services is usually in surplus in France and should remain so in the coming months. Read next: To Simplify The Organization, Pepsico Will Lay Off Thousands Of Workers At The Headquarters In The USA | FXMAG.COM A worsened economic outlook After months of widening deficits, this improvement can be seen as good news for the contribution of foreign trade to economic growth. This could be positive in the fourth quarter and limit the risk of a significant contraction in GDP. Given the weakness of household consumption, we expect a slight contraction in GDP in the fourth quarter, which would see French GDP growing by 2.5% on average over the year 2022. For 2023, we fear that GDP will show a slightly negative figure for the whole year, due to the context of inflation which deteriorates purchasing power, higher rates which slow down investment, deteriorated economic sentiment, and a weaker global environment. Given energy price developments in November and the first few days of December, the goods trade balance could widen further in the coming months, but underlying trends in the goods and services balance could continue to improve. Read this article on THINK TagsTrade balance GDP France Exports Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
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    China Expect A Quarter-On-Quarter Improvement In GDP

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.12.2022 11:34
    China has eased its Covid-19 measures further, while a Politburo meeting yesterday pinpointed growth as the policy direction going forward. But we are not overly optimistic about either of these announcements leading to a significant uptick in economic growth People line up to show their health QR codes to get their routine Covid-19 throat swabs at a testing site. Authorities are beginning to ease some restrictions in Beijing Relaxed Covid measures China announced today that it is further relaxing its Covid-19 measures. Two policies have caught our attention. The first is that many people will not need to test anymore. Only those working in high-risk positions and located in elderly homes, hospitals, child care and primary schools will need proof of a negative test before going to their workplace. Other institutions can determine if they need specific Covid measures in place. Otherwise, residents do not need to provide Covid test results and a green code. The second policy of note is that Covid positive patients with less severe symptoms can quarantine at home instead of staying in isolation facilities. Politburo meeting focuses on growth Besides easing Covid measures, the government also highlighted how growth was the focus of yesterday's Politburo meeting. Most of the contents of the meeting notes focused on growth, including advocating active fiscal stimulus, and pointing out that the economy should leverage consumption and infrastructure to expand domestic demand. It also mentioned policies for self-reliance technology. When it comes to monetary policy, the wording is prudence and focus. This matches our forecasts of no more cuts in policy rates but increasing quotas for re-lending programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises and construction of uncompleted homes. Our views Taking both announcements into consideration, our views are that: Moving from isolation facility quarantine to home quarantine will not increase retail sales significantly. Fewer Covid tests will reduce the fiscal deficit, and should enhance resident mobility by no longer requiring the green code, particularly for cross-location residents. The use of public transportation and services, in general, should increase. Cross-location mobility should also increase given travellers no longer need to show a green code on transportation. This gives a higher chance that resident mobility for the Chinese New Year will increase, which is positive for retail sales, catering and leisure travel. But the expected lower categorisation of Covid from Category A (which also includes the bubonic plague and cholera) to Category B (which includes SARS, AIDS and so on) or even C (influenza, leprosy, mumps etc) was not mentioned at all. This means Covid measures will still be in place until the government is comfortable that Covid cases won't drag on the healthcare system, especially ICU. Fiscal spending will be the sole government-supportive tool. This includes finishing uncompleted homes (to be accompanied by a re-lending programme from the People's Bank of China) and increasing spending on both physical infrastructure and software-type infrastructure. The latter should focus on the aim of self-reliance advance technology in the long term. Consumption should recover in 2023 but there might not be any big jump as wage growth in the manufacturing sector could be sluggish given the risk of recession in the US and Europe in the first half of next year. In short, economic growth in December and January will not be overly impressive, though we expect a quarter-on-quarter improvement in GDP from -0.4% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of this year to 3.4% YoY in the first quarter of 2023. Read this article on THINK TagsPolitburo meeting GDP Covid China Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    FX Daily: Upbeat China PMIs lift the mood

    Easing Restrictions Could Be Key To China's Economic Recovery

    Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 07.12.2022 11:43
    Protests in the streets, but also the worsening economic situation, may be causing Chinese authorities to decide to make concessions on restrictions related to Covid-19. China was the last country with a firm regime against those infected. Now comes the easing of restrictions. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange's Hang Seng 50 index has risen more than 30 percent since its low, with the iShares MSCI China A ETF up 17 percent since the end of October. This may have to do with an attempt to discount a move away from lockdowns in China and an improved outlook for the local economy along with seemingly attractive company valuations. Chinese authorities have already signaled to ease restrictions in the form of allowing people without a negative test result to use public infrastructure like transportation or supermarkets. Moving with a valid negative result was previously mandatory. As Bloomberg reported, China is expected to announce a further relaxation of Covid control measures today - including allowing some infected people to quarantine their homes as a nationwide policy, according to people familiar with the matter. In addition, Chinese economic data may indicate that a change in direction is needed. Source: Conotoxia MT5, CNYA, Weekly China's trade surplus fell to $69.84 billion in November 2022 from $71.7 billion in the same month the previous year, well below market forecasts for a surplus of $78.1 billion, according to tradingeconomics. It was the smallest trade surplus since April, due to weakening global and domestic demand. Exports fell 8.7% year-on-year for the second consecutive month, due to weakening foreign demand caused by high inflation and supply disruptions. Imports, on the other hand, fell at a faster pace of 10.6%, for the second month in a row, due to weakening domestic demand as a result of widespread restrictions related to the epidemic. Hence, easing restrictions could be key to China's economic recovery, and senior Chinese officials are debating an economic growth target, Bloomberg reported. For next year, it is expected to be around 5%, according to people familiar with the discussion, as Beijing shifts gears to support economic recovery. Given recession forecasts for the eurozone, the UK or a slight recession in the US in 2023, China appears to be coming out on top in expectations of a GDP rebound next year. Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75,21% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
    China: PMI positively surprises the market

    Asia Market: The CNY Made Further Gains Yesterday, Japan GDP Contracted

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.12.2022 08:52
    All is fairly quiet on the data front...but bond markets are still rallying...some suggest that this has gone too far... Source: shutterstock Macro and markets outlook - bonds the star of the show Global Markets: US equities registered further small declines yesterday and equity futures are setting us up for further declines today. Chinese stocks have also steadied after their recent return of optimism. Bond markets were far less humdrum. 2Y US treasury yields fell 11bp while 10Y yields fell 11.5bp to 3.417%. There was no substantial market-moving data out yesterday, nor Fed comments to explain this. One possibility is that bonds are simply making room to rise at next week’s FOMC meeting. Peak Fed funds implied rates are only pricing in 4.195% in June. And that seems almost 10bp too low, as we still look for a further 50bp of tightening after next week’s 50bp hike. Some newswire stories today suggest that the recent bond rally has become overbought. Charts lend some support to this suggestion. The EURUSD exchange rate pushed back up above 1.05 yesterday, mainly on the back of the further declines in US bond yields. Other G-10 currencies have also gained against the USD. Otherwise, it was a mixed day for Asian FX. The PHP was the best-performing currency on the day. Seasonal remittances, stock inflows and a reaction to the drop in the October unemployment rate to 4.5% are all vying as the catalyst to explain these outsize moves, which have left the USDPHP rate at 55.47. Manila is off today for a public holiday. The CNY also made further gains yesterday and is now 6.97. But it wasn’t such good news across the board in Asia. The KRW, THB and IDR all lost ground on the day. G-7 Macro: With the exception of the final revision of 3Q22 Japanese GDP, it is a very quiet day for G-7 Macro. Some articles today are highlighting the University of Michigan inflation expectations figure due out tomorrow as being the next big challenge for markets, suggesting that it may stall. I’d be surprised if it had much effect either way. It usually doesn’t.   China: The government has eased Covid measures further, while a Politburo meeting on 6th December pinpointed growth as the main policy initiative going forward. But we are not overly optimistic about either of these announcements leading to a significant uptick in economic growth. Even if there was a decrease in mobility restrictions before the Chinese New Year, many consumers may avoid crowded places. As such, we do not expect a sizeable jump in consumption in 1Q23. Australia: October trade data due at 0830 SGT is forecast to show a slowdown in export and import growth, but deliver a small contraction of the trade surplus to about AUD12bn. This is unlikely to have much impact on the AUD. Japan: The final 3Q22 GDP revision showed a slightly smaller revision than initially. GDP contracted by 0.2%QoQ (-0.3% previously). A slightly smaller drag from net trade (-0.6pp vs -0.7pp) and a small boost from inventories (0.1pp from -0.1pp) seem to have been enough to overcome a weaker consumer spending figure (0.1%YoY down from 0.3%).  What to look out for: Not a lot! Japan: Final revision of 3Q22 GDP data - already released Australia: October Trade data Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang Downplayed Russia’s Invasion Into Ukraine

    Putin Has Now Warned That The Ukraine Conflict Could Go On For A Long Time

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 08.12.2022 09:17
    Summary:  U.S. bond yields plunged on a softer revision of the Unit Labor Cost, WSJ Nick Timiraos’ article on decelerating in housing cost inflation, and Putin’s nuclear threat. U.S. equities were modestly lower on their fifth day of decline. Profit-taking selling in Hong Kong and China stocks after the release of the Politburo meeting readout and 10 additional measures to ease pandemic control policy saw the Hang Seng Index down 3.2% What’s happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (NAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) skid again. Campbell Soup boils up S&P 500 fell for the fifth session and briefly breached its 100-day moving average again before bouncing off the low to close slightly above it. S&P 500 was 0.2% lower and Nasdaq 100 was down 0.5% on Wednesday. Eight of the 11 sectors within the S&P 500 declined, with healthcare, consumer staples, and real estate the only sectors advancing. Market sentiment was depressed by the recessionary signals sent out from the bond markets and Putin’s warning of the rising threat of nuclear war. Tesla (TSLA:xnas) dropped 3.2% on reports of cutting prices in China and the U.S. markets. Campbell Soup (CPB:xnys) surged 6% after reporting earnings beating analyst estimates due to strong gross margins. State Street (STT:xnys) jumped 8.2% after announcing a share buyback. US treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) fell on a softer unit labor cost print, Putin’s nuclear threat and WSJ Nick Timiraos article U.S. treasuries were well bid throughout the session, with yields falling by around 11bps across most parts of the curve. The 2-year was 11bps richer to settle at 4.26% and the 10-year yield fell 11bps to 3.42%. The Q3 unit labor cost was revised down to 2.4% from the previously reported 3.5%. The softer data provided somewhat of a relief to investors who had been concerned about wage inflation might slow the Fed from downshifting rate hikes in 2023. In addition, in his latest article, the Wall Street Journal’s Nick Timiraos, citing street economists, said the deceleration in rental increases in new apartment leases may mean “the end is in sight for one of the biggest sources of inflation” that Fed Chair Powell specifically pointed out as being important to watch in his recent Brookings Institution speech. Adding fuel to the rally in treasuries was the flight to safety bids following Putin’s threat of nuclear war. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HIZ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) sold the new Covid-19 containment measures news Buy the rumor and sell the news in play yesterday in the Hong Kong and mainland China equity markets. After a lackluster morning session, Hong Kong and mainland China stocks rallied in the early afternoon after investors took note of the no mention of dynamic zero-Covid and a more balanced tone towards economic growth in the readout of the politburo meeting and the release by the Chinese health authorities of additional 10-measures to further fine-tune and ease China’s Covid-19 containment strategy. The markets nonetheless reversed soon afterward and tanked 3.2% as “sell the news” profit-taking came in. Southbound monies had a net outflow from Hong Kong back to the mainland of over HKD5 billion, of which HKD1.9 billion was selling the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong (02800:xhkg). Chinese developers were among the biggest losers following the second share placement in a month from Country Garden (02007:xhkg), with China Resources Land (01109:xhkg) down 5.3%, COLI (00688:xhkg) down 6.2%, Longfor (00960:xhkg) down 12.1%, and Country Garden down 15.5%. Selling was also aggressive in mega-tech names and saw Alibaba (09988:xhkg) down 5.3%, Tencent (00700:xhkg) down 3.7%, and Meituan (03690:xhkg) down 3.6%. The three leading Chinese airlines listed in Hong Kong, however, outperformed and gained by 2% to 6%. In economic data, China’s exports in November declined 8.7% (in USD terms) in November from a year ago, weaker than expectations. CSI 300 was down 0.3%. Australia’s share market holds six month highs, gold stocks charge, Australia's trade surplus beats expectations The Australian benchmark index, the ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) opened 0.3% on Thursday, but holds six month high territory. As for the best performers in the ASX200, clean metal small cap miner Chalice (CHN) rose 12% after drilling confirmed it found new sulphide minerals in Western Australia. CHN would typically be classed as higher risk company as its doesn’t earn income, which is why its share are suffering while interest rates are rising. CHN shares are down 35% YTD. Gold stocks are looking interesting as recessionary calls get louder- gold generally outperforms in a recession. Evolution Mining (EVN) shares are up 5%, continuing to rally it in uptrend and have gained 61%, moving EVN shares up off their 5-year low. In the larger end of town, BHP shares broke higher but profit taking turned its break higher into loss. BHP shares are up 26% this year, with the major miner, along with RIO and Fortescue doing well of late after the iron ore (SCOA) price picked up 7% this month, with China easing restrictions. On the downside, engineering company Downer (DOW) plunged 31% to $3.31, which is its lowest level since April 2020 after Downer downgrading its outlook and flagging irregularities in utilities business. The AUDUSD slides on AU exports falling more in October, and imports sinking; supporting RBA remaining dovish On the economic news front, Australia’s trade surplus fell in October, but less than expected. This reflects that Australia is earning less income as demand for commodities has fallen from its peak, ahead peak energy season and China easing restrictions. The Australian surplus fell from $12.4 billion to $12.2 billion (when the market expected the surplus to fall to $12 billion flat). In October, exports surprisingly fell 1%, vs market expectations they'd rise 1%, while imports fell 1%. This supports the RBA keeping rates low, as such after the data was released, the AUDUSD immediately fell. FX: USD weakens on lower yields The US dollar weakness extended further on Wednesday as US 10-year yields plunged to fresh lows since mid-September breaking below the 3.50% support. There were some concerns on wage pressures as US Q3 Unit Labor Costs were revised lower to 2.4% (prev. 3.5%, exp. 3.1%), which pushed back on some of the wage-price spiral fears while still remaining elevated. GBPUSD pushed above 1.22 and EURGBP is testing the 0.86 handle. NZDUSD came back in sight of 0.64 even as AUDNZD recovered from 1.0532 lows printed after Australian Q3 GDP data came in beneath expectations. The Japanese yen gained on lower US yields, but gains were restrained by commentary from BoJ's Nakamura who reiterated Governor Kuroda, noting it is premature to tweak policy now as service prices remain low and he is not sure now is the right timing to conduct a review of the policy framework. Crude oil (CLZ2 & LCOF3) prices pressured by demand concerns Oil posted its fourth straight day of losses, erasing all of the gains of this year. While demand concerns are rising with the aggressive global tightening seen this year, supply side has remained volatile. US crude inventories fell by a less-than-expected 5.19 million barrels last week, as exports didn't repeat their prior performance. Distillate stocks rose by more than 6 million barrels and gasoline supplies climbed by 5.3 million barrels amid weak demand. Still, the bigger factor is that the short-term technical traders appear to be in control of the oil market currently. WTI plunged to lows of $72/barrel while Brent went to sub-$78 levels. Gold (XAUUSD) higher on China’s central bank purchases Gold’s safe-haven appeal has come back in focus with China joining the long list of other countries who have been strong buyers of bullion. The PBoC added 32 tons to its holdings in November, the first increase in more than three years. This brings it total gold reserves to 1980 tons. This is also potentially a step towards our outrageous prediction on a new reserve asset, as speculations mount that China, Russia and several other countries could be looking to move away from USD reserves. Gold prices gained over 1%, and helped drag the rest of the sector higher as well. Industrial metals like Copper and Nickel also pushed higher due to the weaker US dollar.   What to consider? Putin’s nuclear threat sours risk sentiment Following drone attacks on three Russian air bases that Moscow blamed on Kyiv, Putin has now warned that the Ukraine conflict could go on for a long time and nuclear tensions have also risen because of it. He also did not clearly stay away from pledging that Russia will not be the first to use nuclear weapons, and rather said that Russia will defend itself and its allies “with all the means we have if necessary. The irresponsible talks on nuclear weapons is a sign that Putin is getting desperate with Ukraine gaining military grounds, and his actions will be key to watch. Risk sentiment likely to be on the back foot today, and food prices as well Uranium will be in focus. Japan Q3 GDP continues to show contraction The final print of Japan’s Q3 GDP was released this morning and it was slightly better than the flash estimate of -1.2%, but still showed a contraction of -0.8% annualized sa q/q. Stronger than expected growth in exports and a build of inventories led to the upward revision, private consumption was slower than previously expected at just 0.1% q/q. Lower oil prices and the return of inbound tourists may further aid the Japanese economy, but slowdown in global demand will continue to underpin a weakness in exports. Eurozone Q3 GDP grew more than initially forecasted The final estimate of the Eurozone Q3 GDP shows an increase to 0.3% versus prior 0.2%. Growth fixed capital formation was the biggest contributor to growth (0.8 percentage point) behind household spending (0.4 percentage point). The contribution from government expenditure was negligible on the period. This shows that households and companies are rather resilient despite the negative economic environment and inflation across the board. Based on the latest PMI for November (the last estimate was published on Monday), we expect a small GDP contraction in the eurozone in Q4. This would be marginal (probably minus 0.1%). Bank of Canada hiked 50bps and signalled the next move will be data dependent Bank of Canada hiked policy rate by 50bps to 4.25%, in line with market expectations but higher than the market pricing of 25bps. The central bank signalled the next move will be data dependent by saying that the “Governing Council will be considering whether the policy needs to rise further to bring supply and demand back into balance and return inflation to target.” Still, there was a slight hawkish tilt as the Bank said that the BoC will consider if future rate hikes are necessary to bring supply and demand back into balance and return inflation to target, which means there is potential for more rate hikes after a temporary pause. The Politburo says China will continue to “optimize” its pandemic control measures The Chinese Communist Party ended a politburo meeting that focused on economic policies for 2023 and anti-corruption works in the party on Tuesday. The readout of the meeting released on Wednesday makes no mention of the “dynamic zero-Covid” policy. Instead, it says that China will strive to better coordinate pandemic prevention and control with socioeconomic development and continue to optimize the country’s pandemic control measures. The readout does not reiterate the warning on the property sector and the rhetoric of “housing is for living in, not for speculation” but instead pledges to “be vigilant of large economic and financial risks and strive to prevent systemic risks.” Overall, the readout from the Politburo meeting seems to confirm the policy shift to gradually easing pandemic control measures and supporting the property to the extent of preventing it from causing systemic risks to the financial system and the economy. The readout emphasises stability by the utmost important priority for 2023 and the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party over economic policies as well as economic activities of the country. The readout also pledges to continue the anti-corruption campaign and enhance the governance of  the Chinese Communist Party. China issued 10 additional measures to ease Covid-19 containment practices China’s National Health Commission issued 10 additional measures to further fine-tune and relax the country’s pandemic prevention and control practices. The crux of these new measures are to further reduce the scope and length of lockdowns and quarantines and restrict the use of PCR tests. While these are important relaxation to the current practices, especially in reducing the unit of movement restriction to as narrow as floor or even apartment as opposing to the whole block or community and making quarantine-at-home the default option instead of centralised quarantine. Nonetheless, in comparison with the high expectations in recent days, these measures may be considered a bit underwhelming and do not provide a more definite roadmap of exiting the use of lockdown.  China’s exports shrank 8.7% Y/Y in November In USD terms, China’s exports declined 8.7% Y/Y in November, much weaker than the -3.9% consensus estimate and -0.3% in October. The fall in exports was broad-based across destinations, U.S.  down 3.8% Y/Y, European Union down 9.3% Y/Y, and Japan down 4.6%. Exports to ASEAN slowed to a 7.7% growth in November from 19.7% in October. Imports, falling by 10.6% Y/Y, also below expectations. Some outperforming stocks to watch Generally, there are always outperformers in markets, even when times are tough. A hot scoop for you is that that Campbell Soup shares popped 6% higher on Wednesday, gapping up to $56.18. Its shares are now 15% off their record high that it hit in 2016. That year, the Syrian war escalated, Trump was elected, and there was a string of terror attacks around the world. And amid war talks now escalating this year Campbell Soup shares entered an uptrend, gaining 45% from last November. If recessionary talks and Russia war concerns linger, you might expect this company to continue to benefit. It has free cash flow, and consistent rising profit growth. Another stock that did well overnight was General Mills, rising 2% to an all time high, $87.50 after the wheat price jumped 3% overnight on supply concerns returning. We mentioned General Mills as a company to watch in our Five Stocks to Watch video. Despite the wheat price falling 19% from September after supply returned to the market, General Mills has been able to grow its quarterly profit and free cash flows.      For our look ahead at markets this week – Read/listen to our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast. Source: Market Insights Today: Putin’s nuclear warning; China reopening trade is fading – 8 December 2022 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    It Was Possible That Tesla Would Move Closer To Resistance

    Another Margin Loan With Tesla Shares Is Considered, Gold Traded Higher, US Treasury Yields Dropped

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 08.12.2022 09:32
    Summary:  Risk sentiment steadied in the US yesterday as US treasury yields fell further, with the market seemingly increasingly convinced that inflation is set to roll over quickly next year, allowing the Fed to begin cutting rates in the second half of the year and beyond. The 10-year treasury yield fell below the important 3.50% level while gold rose. Sentiment in Europe is a bit more downbeat as frigid weather spikes energy prices.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) S&P 500 futures closed right on the 100-day moving average yesterday to the lowest close since 10 November washing away most of the gains delivered post the surprise inflation report back in November. The equity market is finding itself in limbo for the rest of the year with no clear narrative to build a direction on. Downside risks are related to the war in Ukraine and higher interest rates if the market begins to doubt itself on the Fed pivot. Upside risks are mostly related to momentum building in Chinese equities and the government seems to strengthen the policy trajectory of reopening society. The 3,900 level in S&P 500 futures is still the key level to watch on the downside. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HIZ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index rallied strongly, up 2.8% and recovering most of the loss from yesterday. The 10 additional fine-tuning measures to ease pandemic containment may be underwhelming relative to the high expectations. However, when reading together with the readout of the Politburo, an overall direction of a gradual and now seemingly determined loosening of restrictions seems to have taken hold. Omitting the language of “housing is for living in, not for speculation” and pledging to “be vigilant of large economic and financial risks and strive to prevent systemic risks” point to conditional support to the property sector when socioeconomic and financial stability are at stake. Technology names led the advance. Hang Seng TECH Index surged 5.6% with Bilibili being the top gainer within the index. Alibaba, Meituan, and Tencent climbed 5%-6%. Shares of China online healthcare platforms, China education services providers, China consumption, and Macao casino operators were other top performers. USD slightly lower again on steady risk sentiment and decline in treasury yields The USD softened yesterday as risk sentiment trade sideways and, more importantly, as US treasury yields fell all along the curve, taking the 10-year Treasury benchmark yield below the important 3.50% chart point. The USD will likely struggle unless the market begins to reprice its rising conviction that inflation will allow a significantly lower Fed Funds rate in 2024 and beyond and/or risk sentiment rolls over badly as the market prices an incoming recession and not a soft landing. The key event risks for the balance of this calendar year are next Tuesday’s US November CPI print and the FOMC meeting the following day. Somewhat surprisingly, the new lows in US yields have yet to drive USDJPY to new lows: that pair recently traded below 134.00 but trades this morning well clear of 136.00. Gold (XAUUSD) bounces with focus on recession and PBoC buying Gold traded higher on Wednesday as the dollar weakened and US Treasury yields slumped (see below) and the yield curve inversion reached a new extreme on rising recession fears, and after China joined the lengthy list of other countries who have been strong buyers of bullion. The PBoC added 32 tons to its holdings in November, the first increase in more than three years. This brings its total gold reserves to 1980 tons. This is also potentially a step towards our outrageous prediction on a new reserve asset, as speculations mount that China, Russia and several other countries could be looking to move away from USD reserves. Friday’s US producer price report may provide the next round of price volatility. Key resistance at $1808 with support below $1765 and $1735. Crude oil (CLF3 & LCOG3) pressured by demand concerns Oil posted its fourth straight day of losses on Wednesday, erasing all the gains of this year, before bouncing overnight as China edges toward reopening. While demand concerns are rising with the aggressive global tightening seen this year, the supply side has remained equally volatile. US crude inventories fell by a less-than-expected last week as exports slowed and production reached 12.2m b/d. In addition, distillate stocks rose by more than 6 million barrels as demand on a four-week rolling basis slumped to the lowest level since 2015. Short-term technical traders are in control as the overall level of participation continues to fall ahead of yearend. US 10-year treasury benchmark plunges through 3.50% (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) US treasury yields dropped at the long end of the yield curve, with the 10-year benchmark dipping well below 3.50%, a key chart- and psychological point. The yield curve inverted to a new extreme for the cycle as the market is pricing that inflationary risks are easing and for the Fed to begin cutting interest rates by late next year. What is going on? New deep coal mine in UK the first to be approved in 30-years The new coking coal mine in Cumbria was approved by levelling-up secretary Michael Gove and will employ approximately 500 people and will cost £165 million to develop. Coking coal is used in steel-making, unlike thermal coal used for power stations. Musk may pledge more Tesla shares to avoid debt spiral Elon Musk and his advisors are considering another margin loan with Tesla shares as collateral to swap with more expensive debt carrying high interest rates ($3bn at 11.75% interest rate) issued during the Twitter takeover. These considerations underscore the increased risk in Elon Musk’s investments, including Tesla. EZ Q3 GDP grew more than initially forecasted The final estimate of the EZ Q3 GDP shows an increase to 0.3 % versus prior 0.2 %. Growth fixed capital formation was the biggest contributor to growth (0.8 percentage point) behind household spending (0.4 percentage point). The contribution from government expenditure was negligible during the period. This shows that households and companies are rather resilient despite the negative economic environment and inflation across the board. Based on the latest PMI for November (the last estimate was published on Monday), we expect a small GDP contraction in the eurozone in Q4. This would be marginal (probably minus 0.1 %). Putin’s nuclear threat sours risk sentiment Following drone attacks on three Russian air bases that Moscow blamed on Kyiv, Putin has now warned that the Ukraine conflict could go on for a long time and nuclear tensions have also risen because of it. He also did not clearly stay away from pledging that Russia will not be the first to use nuclear weapons, and rather said that Russia will defend itself and its allies “with all the means we have if necessary. The irresponsible talk on nuclear weapons is a sign that Putin is getting desperate with Ukraine gaining military grounds, and his actions will be key to watch. Risk sentiment likely to be on the back foot today, and food prices as well Uranium will be in focus. MondoDB shares rally 23% on earnings The database provider delivered Q3 earnings that surprised the market with revenue at $334mn vs est. $303mn and adjusted EPS of $0.23 vs est. $0.17, but more importantly MongoDB raised its fiscal guidance on revenue to $1.26bn vs est. $1.20bn. Japan Q3 GDP continues to show contraction The final print of Japan’s Q3 GDP was released this morning and it was slightly better than the flash estimate of -1.2%, but still showed a contraction of -0.8% annualized seasonally adjusted q/q. Stronger than expected growth in exports and a build of inventories led to the upward revision, private consumption was slower than previously expected at just 0.1% q/q. Lower oil prices and the return of inbound tourists may further aid the Japanese economy, but slowdown in global demand will continue to underpin a weakness in exports. Bank of Canada hiked 50bps and signaled the next move will be data dependent Bank of Canada hiked policy rate by 50bps to 4.25%, in line with market expectations but higher than the market pricing of 25bps. The central bank signaled the next move will be data dependent by saying that the “Governing Council will be considering whether the policy needs to rise further to bring supply and demand back into balance and return inflation to target.” Still, there was some “hawkish optionality” as the Bank said that the BoC will consider if future rate hikes are necessary to bring supply and demand back into balance and return inflation to target, which means there is potential for more rate hikes after a temporary pause. Canadian two-year rates were a basis point or two lower after considerable intraday volatility and near the lows for the cycle. US consumer food giants’ Campbell Soup and General Mills shares surge Campbell Soup shares popped 6% higher on Wednesday, gapping up to $56.18 after the company reported stronger quarterly earnings than expected. Its shares are now 15% off their record high that it hit in 2016. Campbell Soup shares are up 45% from last November. Another stock that did well overnight was General Mills, rising 2% to an all-time high of 87.50 after the wheat price jumped 3% on supply concerns returning. Despite the wheat price falling 19% from September, General Mills has been able to grow its quarterly profit and free cash flows. What are we watching next? What is the playbook for the pricing of the coming “landing”? There are several different paths from here, the one the market is least prepared for is one that shows resilient US economic growth and higher than expected inflation in coming months. But even if data does continue to prove the market’s strong conviction that inflation is headed lower and that growth will soften, will markets price some version of a soft landing or will fears of a “standard” recession cycle begin to weigh on risk sentiment as credit spreads widen and asset prices drop on fears of rising unemployment and falling profits? Until this week, financial conditions have been easing sharply and credit markets look complacent, so there is little fear priced in. After a wild year of volatility, large macro players may be unwilling to place large bets on the direction for markets until we have rolled into the New Year. Earnings to watch Today’s US earnings focus is Broadcom, Costco, and Lululemon. With a market value of $200bn, Broadcom is the most important earnings release for market sentiment and analysts remain bullish with a revenue growth expected at 20% y/y for the quarter that ended in October. Today:  Broadcom, Costco, Lululemon, Chewy Friday: Oracle Corp, Li Auto Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Hungary Nov. CPI 1200 – ECB President Lagarde to speak 1200 – Mexico Nov. CPI 1330 – US Weekly Initial Jobless Claims 1400 – Poland National Bank Governor Glapinski press conference 1430 – EIA's Weekly Natural Gas Storage Change Report 0130 – China Nov. PPI/CPI Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – December 8, 2022 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    US Stocks Extend Rally Amid Optimism Over Fed's Monetary Policy

    The Euro Benefited From The Weakening Of The US Dollar, A Potential Downside Risk For The Australian Dollar Over The Next Few Weeks

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 08.12.2022 14:14
    The euro stabilized against the US dollar on Thursday and the U.S. dollar clawed back some of the previous day's declines, as the market weighs in on the Fed's rate hike path. The euro benefited from the weakening of the US dollar The Australian dollar against the US currency fell sharply the 10-year Treasury note has fallen almost continuously EUR/USD was unable to overcome its late-June high EUR/USD hit a five-month high earlier this week but was unable to overcome its late-June high of 1.0615. The pair's mood remains bearish today. Compared to the previous day, the EUR/USD pair has fallen and is trading around 1.0469. The euro gained overnight after better-than-expected euro-wide GDP data showed an increase of 0.3% q/q in the third quarter instead of the expected 0.2%. This may indicate that the economic slowdown in Europe may not be as serious as previously feared. The European Central Bank will review its policy on 15 December. The broader weakness of the US dollar also helped strengthen the euro. GBP/USD The pound fell 0.3% against the dollar to $1.2175 and fell 0.35% against the euro. Sterling falls as falling UK house prices add to recession fears. The UK is facing a winter of strikes as rail workers, teachers and nurses demand better wages as the cost of living soared, exacerbated by rising energy costs after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. What's more, the prospects for next year are equally bleak. The UK economy could contract in the coming months. AUD/USD- commodity prices have a negative impact The Australian dollar against the US currency fell sharply this week. Currently, the pair is trading at mid-September levels. From The Australian Dollar (AUD) perspective, commodity prices have a negative impact on the currency coupled with yesterday's weaker GDP data. This morning started positively for the Australian dollar with a better-than-expected trade balance for October, but today the main focus will be on the US labor market data. If the reports turn out to be positive for the dollar, they will bring bears for the AUD/USD pair. Most recently, the Australian dollar got support from the easing of COVID restrictions in China, but that has since dissipated due to the rising number of COVID cases causing concern. The RBA's decision on interest rates also failed to support the Aussie. Overall, the current fundamental headwinds facing the AUD outweigh the US Dollar, which could suggest a potential downside risk for the Australian Dollar over the next few weeks. JPY is weaker The Japanese Yen is slightly weaker so far today despite GDP there narrowly beating forecasts. Annualised GDP was -.08% for the third quarter instead of -1.1% anticipated. The Japanese yen (JPY) which is highly sensitive to shifts in U.S. Treasury yields, fell 0.2% to 136.82. Instead the dollar-yen pair jumped. Currently, the pair is trading around 136.8130. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note has fallen almost continuously since hitting a 15-year high in late October. The Bank of Japan's ultra-loose monetary policy at a time when other central banks around the world are aggressively raising interest rates has made the yen the weakest major currency in the world in recent months. As a result, the USD/JPY exchange rate increased. However, according to some experts, the yen may rise against the US dollar next year. Source: finance.yahoo.com, dailyfx.com, investing.com
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    A Slowdown In The Pace Of Rate Increases By The ECB May Be Coming

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 11.12.2022 18:52
    The European Central Bank meets next Thursday and looks set to slow the pace of aggressive interest rate hikes as inflationary pressures finally show signs of abating. Read naxt: FX: Movement Of Major Currency Pairs This Week| FXMAG.COM Forecast The ECB has already raised its main lending rate by 2% since July in three separate increases. The ECB is due to meet again on December 15 amid expectations that rate will be increased again. Comments from ECB officials this week saying inflation was probably close to its peak have bolstered expectations that the central bank is likely to slow its pace of interest-rate increases to half a point from 75 basis points previously, on December 15. Markets anticipate a 50 basis point, or half point, rate hike after two straight increases of 75 basis points each, slowing the pace of tightening. Recent comments from ECB officials wouldn’t lead one to believe that a pace decrease is in sight but market participants are still leaning towards a smaller rise, with 55bps priced in, after 75bps hikes in September and October. The dovish emphasis came from the October meeting minutes which highlighted the progress that had been made from removing the accommodative policies. In its October decision, the ECB said "substantial progress" had been made in withdrawing policy accommodation and the lags involved in the transmission of the earlier tightening measures. But the ECB is likely to stay hawkish and investors will also look for clues on where the deposit rate is going. Deutsche Bank economists see the terminal rate at 3%, with risks skewed to the upside. The ECB meeting coming after the Fed, so some may question whether the Fed’s decision will have an impact at all. Data A sharp slowdown in inflation in the US in October and the eurozone in November has encouraged investors to believe the worst may be over in terms of price pressures, causing global yields to drop sharply in recent weeks. Germany's 10-year bond yield, seen as the benchmark for the eurozone, rose one basis point to 1.8%, while the Irish and French 10-year yields traded at around 2.3%. Many investors say the sharp drop in eurozone yields has gone too far, given that annual inflation is still running at 10% and that the ECB is set to raise rates to at least 2% next week. Eurostat said area inflation rose 10% in the year to November, which is a decline on October's 10.6% and lower than the consensus expectation amongst economists for a reading of 10.4%. Excluding food, fuel, alcohol and tobacco, inflation is at 5% and pipeline pressures remain abundant. Closely-watched business activity data points to a mild recession and latest forecasts should show how the ECB views the coming slowdown. In September, it forecast 0.9% eurozone growth in 2023, a significant downgrade from its June prediction. Recent reports have shown that employment rose slightly and the GDP Y/Y and GDP Q/Q readings turned out to be higher than expected. GDP Y/Y increased to 2.3% against the expected 2.1%, while GDP Q/Q increased by 0.1% to 0.3%. A positive GDP reading may influence the ECB's decision. Retail sales in Europe continue to fall. It came down to -2.7% in October, which is far worse than the expected. EUR/USD Euro exchange rates would be set to benefit if the European Central Bank (ECB) defies expectations next week by hiking 75 basis points, an outcome some economists say is likely. A 50bp move would therefore be a neutral outcome for the Euro to Dollar exchange rate. Source: investing.com, ecb.europe.eu
    BRICS Summit's Expansion Discussion: Impact on De-dollarisation Speed

    Big Week Ahead: Focus For This Week Will Still Be The US CPI And The Fed Decision

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 12.12.2022 09:19
    Summary:  Big week ahead keeping investors on edge as US CPI is likely to soften but the PPI release from Friday has awakened the case for an upside surprise. Focus quickly turns to the last FOMC meeting of the year with 50bps rate hike widely priced in but significant wage pressures laying the case for higher-for-longer. We discuss what to watch in the updated dot plot and Chair Powell’s press conference, and how it can move the markets. Even the middle of December doesn’t seem to be getting any quieter yet, and this week brings a host of Tier 1 economic data and a flurry of central bank meetings that can cause considerable volatility. In addition, we have the China reopening momentum extending further, and hopes of more stimulus measures especially for the property sector. Geopolitics is also taking another turn as Putin continues to threaten the use of nuclear and also risk of a production cut in crude oil is seen as a response from Russia to the G7 price cap that was set last week. It is unlikely that we will get a quiet end to the year. The bigger focus for this week will still be the US CPI (scheduled for release on Tuesday 13 Dec at 9:30pm SGT), where investors are starting to get nervous about an upside surprise especially after Friday’s November PPI report that was above expectations broadly. The market reaction to that PPI report was erased quickly, but that may not be the case for CPI. We can expect a moderation this week on the back of easing supply chain pressures, stable gasoline prices and holiday discounts from retailers to clear inventories. However, the Cleveland Fed CPI model suggests upside risks vs. consensus expectations with a 7.5% Y/Y print for headline and 6.3% Y/Y for the core (vs. consensus of 7.3% Y/Y and 6.1% Y/Y respectively). We believe the narrative really needs to shift from peak inflation to how low inflation can go and how fast it will reach there? Consensus expects 0.3% M/M for both the headline and the core – anything lower than that can cause the markets to rally but will also provoke the Fed to send in a stronger message the following day to convey its message of avoiding premature easing. The Fed meeting next day (Thursday 15 Dec 3am SGT) is broadly expected to deliver a 50bps rate hike, which will mean cumulative hikes of 425bps this year. It is unlikely that the CPI print from a day before could change that. While this is a step down from the four consecutive 75bps rate hikes seen in the last few month, more important for the markets will be to watch for: How high do the terminal rate expectations go? Anything above 5% is still a bearish surprise for the markets, but the dot plot will have to show terminal rates to be in the 5.25-5.50% area to sound a hawkish alarm. If the dot plot signals a peak rate of 4.9%, it could signal to the markets that the Fed is starting to get worried about recession and may soon pause or pivot. Is the decision unanimous? Most of the Fed members recently have conveyed a very similar message. But any split votes, with the more hawkish members Bullard and Powell still preferring a 75bps rate hike, could be a hawkish surprise. Inflation and GDP growth outlook Any signs of upside risks to inflation from China’s reopening or easing financial conditions could be interpreted as hawkish. On the other hand, if the Fed talks about the lag effect of policy rate hikes, that will likely sound dovish. It will also be key to watch how Fed views the incoming data and its thoughts on recession concerns. Powell’s press conference How strong a pushback we get on 2023 rate cuts priced in by the markets. Could Powell open the door to a further step down to 25bps from February? Does he still see the risk of over-tightening to be less severe than the risks of under-tightening?   What to watch? US Dollar USD reversed sharply lower after the softer October CPI print, after a strong 5-month run from the greenback. The positioning is far more balanced now, with the biggest pullback risk seen in sterling which has been one of the biggest gainers (after the NZD) in the G-10 basket since the November 10 release. A more dovish turn by the markets could make EURUSD breach 1.06 resistance and bring 1.08 in focus, while USDJPY could break below the 200-dma at 135.16. S&P500 and NASDAQ100 S&P500 failed to break above the trendline resistance around 4,100 earlier this month but broke below trendline support at 3,992 last week. Next key support level for S&P500 is at 3,906 before 3,900 comes into view. A dovish surprise could bring a break above 4,000 again. Meanwhile, bear trend for NASDAQ100 could resume if it closes below 11,450. Source: Macro Insights: Pivotal week ahead with US CPI and Fed meeting on the radar | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    FX Daily: Upbeat China PMIs lift the mood

    China’s New Aggregate Financing Increased Less Than Expected | Tesla And Rivian Shares Fell

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 13.12.2022 09:09
    Summary:  U.S. equities had a broad-based rally ahead of the CPI data with energy leading the gains. USDJPY bounced, approaching 138, as US yields moved higher. Crude oil prices rose snapping a 5-day losing streak amid supply worries from Keystone pipeline. Traders took profits in Hong Kong and Chinese stocks, selling Chinese property, technology and EV names. All eyes on November US CPI now where a softer print is generally expected but room for an upside surprise remains. What’s happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (NAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) advanced ahead of the CPI report Softer prints in the one, three, and five years ahead inflation expectation numbers in the New York Fed’s Consumer Expectations Survey on Monday boosted risk-on sentiments ahead of the release of the most watched CPI report on Tuesday. The S&P500 bounced from its 100-day moving average, gaining 1.4%. All 11 sectors of the benchmark advanced, with energy, utilities, and information technology leading the gains. Valero Energy, surging 5.2%, was the best performer in the S&P500. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose 1.2%. Tesla (TSLA:xnas) shed 6.3%, falling to the stock’s lowest level in two years on concerns about suspending output in stages at his Shanghai factory ahead of the Lunar New Year and Musk pledged more Tesla shares for margin loans. US Treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) rose after a weak 10-year notes auction In a thin-volume session ahead of the CPI report on Tuesday and the FOMC on Wednesday, yields on Treasuries were 1bp to 3bps higher. The auction of USD32 billion of 10-year notes, awarded at 3.625%, 3.7bps cheaper than at the time of the auction, was the worst since 2009.  The one, three, and five years ahead consumers’ inflation expectations in the New York Fed’s Consumer Expectations Survey fell to 5.2%, 3%, and 2.3% in November from 5.7%, 3.1%, and 2.4% respectively in October. The yields on the 2-year notes and 10-year notes added 3bps each to 4.38% and 3.61% respectively. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HIZ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) consolidated ahead of key events Ahead of two key events, the FOMC meeting in the U.S. and the Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) in China, investors in Hong Kong and mainland Chinese stocks took profits and saw the Hang Seng Index 2.2% lower and the CSI300 sliding 1.1%. Chinese property developers and management services, technology, and EV stocks led the charge lower. Country Garden Services (06098:xhk) tumbled 17% after the property services company’s Chairman agreed to sell more than HKD5 billion worth of shares at a 10.9% discount. Longfor (00960:xhkg), The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped by 4%, with Meituan (03690:xhkg) declining by 7%. Li Auto (02015:xhkg) tumbled 12% after reporting larger losses and a large gross margin miss. In A shares, property and financials stocks were top losers while pharmaceuticals gained. FX: USDJPY heading to 138 ahead of US CPI release The US dollar remained supported ahead of the big flow of key data and central bank meetings later in the week. The modest run up higher in US Treasury yields, along with higher oil prices, brought back some weakness in the Japanese yen. USDJPY reached in sight of 138 and the US CPI release today will be key for further direction. EURUSD remained capped below the key 1.06 handle, but a break of that if it was to happen will open the doors to 1.08. NZDUSD eying a firmer break above 0.64 but would possibly need help from CPI for that. Crude oil (CLF3 & LCOF3) prices gain further on China’s easing while Keystone pipeline remains shut Crude oil prices rose on Monday after a week of heavy losses on demand concerns and fading China reopening. Prices were underpinned by further easing of China’s restrictions despite concerns earlier in the week from a rapid surge in cases. Despite reports that the Keystone pipeline was being partially reopened, it remains completely shut on Monday which suggests a potential drop in storage levels at Cushing, Oklahoma, the WTI delivery hub. WTI futures rose to $74/barrel, while Brent touched $78.50. The market awaits news from Russia on whether it will make good on its threat to cut supply to price cap supporters, while the focus will also turn to US CPI today and the FOMC decision tomorrow, as well as the oil market reports from OPEC and IEA.   What to consider? Stronger UK GDP growth but clouded energy outlook, expect more volatility Some respite was seen in UK’s growth trajectory as October GDP rose 0.5% M/M after being down 0.6% M/M last month’s due to the holiday for Queen’s funeral and a period of national mourning. However, the UK may already be in a recession and the outlook remains clouded which suggests there isn’t enough reason for Bank of England to consider anything more than a 50bps rate hike this week. Energy debate continues to run hot and create volatility in gas prices, after weaker wind generation led to talks of refiring the reserve coal plants, but the request was cancelled later on Monday as wind generation rose. The situation continues to highlight the vulnerability of the energy infrastructure due to lack of baseload, and a bigger test probably lies ahead in 2023. Focus will be on energy companies amid the cold snap in the northern hemisphere with coal plants on standby. Agriculture commodities also a focus Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) is expected to have a positive day of trade on Tuesday, as well as Japan’s market, while other Asia futures are lower. In Australia, consumer and business confidence are due to be released. In equites, focus will be on energy commodities and equities, given weather forecasts show a deep chill is descending on the northern hemisphere, and threatening to erode heating fuel stockpiles. Natural gas futures surged, while Oil rose 3% $73.17 a barrel. Energy stocks to watch include Australia’s Woodside, Beach Energy and Santos, Japan’s Japan Petroleum Exploration, Eneos, JGC, Chiyoda and Hong Kong-listed PetroChina, CNOOC and China Oilfield Services. Separately, coal futures are also higher, with Asia set to face a coal winter, and coal plants were previously asked to be on high alert in the UK, with snow blanketing parts of the UK. For coal stock to watch, click here. Separately, wheat prices rose 2.8% on expectations supply could wane; so keep an eye on Australia’s wheat producers GrainCorp, and Elders. Elsewhere, Australian beef output is poised to ramp up in the first half of next year, as the herd continues to rebuild. Australia’s Rural Bank agriculture outlook expects increased slaughter rates, and beef production to rise 5% in the first half, (mind you that’s well below average). So keep an eye on Elders, which helps sell and buy livestock, and Australian Agricultural Co – Australia’s largest integrated cattle and beef producer. EV car makers dominate headlines; revving up competition, despite concerns demand could soften Tesla shares fell 6.3% Monday, to its lowest level since November 2020, making it the worst performer by market cap. TSLA shares have fallen about 54% this year. TSLA is reportedly suspending output at its Shanghai electric car factory in stages, from the end of the month, until as long as early January, amid production line upgrades, slowing consumer demand and Lunar New Year holidays. Most workers on both the Model Y and Model 3 assembly lines won’t be required in the last week of December. Rivian shares also fell 6.2% on reports its scrapping plans to make electric vans in Europe with Mercedes. Instead, Rivian will focus on its own products. While Mercedes-Benz says it will continue to pursue the electrification of its vans and its shares closed almost flat in Europe. VW shares were also lower in Europe, despite it announcing plans to increase market share in North America to 10% by 2030 from 4%. VW wants to produce more electric SUV models in the US; and produce ~90,000 VW’s ID.4 model in 2023 in America. NY Fed consumer expectations survey shows slowing inflation, but.. NY Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations indicated that respondents see one-year inflation running at a 5.2% pace, down 0.7 percentage point from the October reading. Expectations 3yrs ahead fell to 3.0% from 3.1% and expectations 5yrs ahead fell to 2.3% from 2.4%. However, it is worth noting that inflation expectations remain above fed’s 2% target and unemployment and wage data was reportedly steady. Softer US CPI to offer mixed signals and considerable volatility Last month’s softer US CPI report was a turning point in the markets and inflation expectations have turned markedly lower since then. Consensus is looking for another softer report in November, with headline rate expected at 7.3% YoY, 0.3% MoM (from 7.7% YoY, 0.4% MoM) while the core is expected to be steadier at 6.1% YoY, 0.3% MoM (from 6.3% YoY, 0.3% MoM). While the case for further disinflationary pressures can be built given lower energy prices, easing supply constraints and holiday discounts to clear excess inventory levels, but PPI report on Friday indicated that goods inflation could return in the months to come and wage inflation also continues to remain strong. Easing financial conditions and China’s reopening can be the other key factors to watch, which could potentially bring another leg higher in inflation especially if there is premature easing from the Fed. Shelter inflation will once again be key to watch, which means clear signs of inflation peaking out will continue to remain elusive. China’s aggregate financing and RMB loans weaker than expectations In November, China’s new aggregate financing increased less than expected to RMB1,990 billion (Bloomberg consensus: RMB2,100bn) from RMB908 billion in October. The growth of total outstanding aggregate financing slowed to 10.0% Y/Y in November from 10.3% in October. New RMB loans also came in weaker than expected at RMB1,210 billion (Bloomberg consensus: RMB1,400bn; Oct: RMB615.2bn). Despite the push from the authorities to expand credits, loan growth remained muted as demand for loans were sluggish. Japan and the Netherland joining the U.S. in restricting semiconductor equipment exports to China According to Bloomberg, Japan and the Netherland have agreed in principle with the U.S. to join the latter in restricting the exports of advanced chipmaking machinery and equipment to China. The decisions have yet to be confirmed but it is expected that announcements will be made in the coming weeks.     Detailed US CPI and FOMC Preview – read here. Sign up for our Outrageous Predictions 2023 webinar - APAC edition: Wed, 14 Dec, 11.30am SGT For our look ahead at markets this week – Read/listen to our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast. Source: Market Insights Today: US CPI day, expect considerable volatility – 13 December 2022 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Corn Prices Recorded Their Biggest Weekly Gain, Gold Demand In India May Suffer A Temporary Setback

    The USDA On Friday Cut The Global Supply Outlook For Corn

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 13.12.2022 09:24
    Summary:  Risk sentiment rebounded yesterday, even as US treasury yields rose further and closed at their highest level in more than a week. Markets are on tenterhooks ahead of the US November CPI print later today as traders recall the explosion higher in risk sentiment in the wake of the October CPI release last month, where the reaction function may have been about extreme short-term option exposure as anything else. The same volatility risk is present over today’s release. What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equity markets rebounded yesterday even as US treasury yields edged higher on the day, as traders nervously recall the heavy volatility around the US CPI releases of recent months, particularly the October CPI release on November 10, which saw an explosion higher in US equities of over 5% on the day after softer-than-expected numbers. Today’s release is complicated by the upcoming FOMC meeting tomorrow. The key downside area for the S&P 500 Index remains 3900-10 the cash index, with the equivalent area around 11,430 in the Nasdaq 100 Index. A sharp rise in the VIX yesterday despite the positive session suggests traders are scrambling to protect themselves with short-term options over the key event risks of the coming couple of days, which aggravates the volatility risk further. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HIZ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index advanced 0.4% after Hong Kong lifted all travel restrictions for visitors arriving the city and relaxed the QR code scanning requirements for residents.  Local Hong Kong catering and retailer stocks surged 5% to 12%. In A-shares, the CSI300 index was little changed. Lodging, tourism and catering stocks outperformed. FX: USDJPY teased 138 ahead of US CPI release The US dollar was mostly sideways ahead of the big flow of key data and central bank meetings later in the week, but a run-up in US treasury yields and higher oil prices yesterday drove a weaker JPY across the board again, with USDJPY nearly reaching 138.00 before pulling back slightly. The US dollar is set to key off the US CPI release today. EURUSD remained capped below the key 1.06 handle, where a break above, for example, on soft data and an indifferent FOMC meeting on Wednesday, possibly opening the doors to 1.08. Crude oil (CLF3 & LCOG3) Crude oil trades higher for a second day after last week's heavy losses on demand concerns. Prices were underpinned by further easing of China’s restrictions despite concerns earlier in the week from a rapid surge in cases. Despite reports that the Keystone pipeline was being partially reopened, it remains completely shut on Monday which suggests a potential drop in storage levels at Cushing, Oklahoma, the WTI delivery hub. The market awaits news from Russia on whether it will make good on its threat to cut supply to price cap supporters, while the focus will also turn to US CPI today and the FOMC decision tomorrow, as well as monthly oil market reports from OPEC today and IEA Wednesday. First level of resistance in Brent at $80.50 and $75 in WTI. Gold (XAUUSD) and silver (XAGUSD) await CPI report Both metals trade steady while awaiting today’s key US CPI print and tomorrow’s FOMC meeting. Having been rejected on a couple of occasions above $1800, the outcome of these will likely determine whether the metal will break higher to signal a strong start to 2023 or whether investors will book some profit ahead of the quiet period before year-end. In such a case, the current strength of the market will be tested with focus on support at $1765 and not least $1735. Silver meanwhile trades near an eight-month high with half an eye on copper as the potential driver for additional strength. US 10-year treasury benchmark rebounds further (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) In a thin-volume session ahead of the CPI report on Tuesday and the FOMC on Wednesday, yields on Treasuries closed the day higher, with the US 10-year benchmark closing 4 bps up to 3.61% and nearly 10 bps above intraday lows. The auction of USD 32B of 10-year notes, awarded at 3.625%, 3.7bps cheaper than at the time of the auction, was the worst since 2009.  The one, three, and five years ahead consumers’ inflation expectations in the New York Fed’s Consumer Expectations Survey fell to 5.2%, 3%, and 2.3% in November from 5.7%, 3.1%, and 2.4% respectively in October. What is going on? Stronger UK GDP growth but clouded energy outlook, expect more volatility Some respite was seen in UK’s growth trajectory as October GDP rose 0.5% M/M after being down 0.6% M/M last month’s due to the holiday for Queen’s funeral and a period of national mourning. However, the UK may already be in a recession and the outlook remains clouded which suggests there isn’t enough reason for the Bank of England to consider anything more than a 50bps rate hike this week. Energy debate continues to run hot and create volatility in gas prices, after weaker wind generation led to talks of refiring the reserve coal plants, but the request was cancelled later Monday as wind generation rose. The situation continues to highlight the vulnerability of the energy infrastructure due to lack of baseload, and a bigger test probably lies ahead in 2023. NY Fed consumer expectations survey shows slowing inflation, but... NY Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations indicated that respondents see one-year inflation running at a 5.2% pace, down 0.7 percentage point from the October reading. Expectations 3yrs ahead fell to 3.0% from 3.1% and expectations 5yrs ahead fell to 2.3% from 2.4%. However, it is worth noting that inflation expectations remain above the Fed’s 2% target and unemployment and wage data was reportedly steady. Corn (ZCH3) advances following biggest clear-out of longs since 2019  Corn futures in Chicago trade higher for a third day, as dry and hot weather conditions in Argentina, an important Southern Hemisphere producer, stresses the crop. In addition, the USDA on Friday cut the global supply outlook for corn due to a smaller crop in Ukraine, and from where supply could slow after Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have affected cargo loading at the Black Sea ports. Renewed support for corn emerged just after money managers in the week to December 6 sliced their corn net long by 37% to 120k lots, lowest since Sept 2020 and biggest one-week reduction since March 2019. Novozymes shares in focus following acquisition news Yesterday should have been a celebration day for Novozymes shareholders according to management as the enzymes manufacturer announced a $12.3bn acquisition of food flavouring manufacturer Chr. Hansen. However, Novozymes shares traded down 15% so the shares will be in focus this morning. The main question is whether regulators will allow the two companies to merge given their respective size and possible market power in the food ingredients business. What are we watching next? US November CPI to likely to trigger considerable volatility Last month’s softer US CPI report was a turning point in the markets and inflation expectations have turned markedly lower since then. Consensus is looking for another softer report in November, with the headline rate expected at 7.3% YoY, 0.3% MoM (from 7.7% YoY, 0.4% MoM in October) while the core, ex-Food & Energy reading is expected to show a steady rise of 6.1% YoY and 0.3% MoM (from 6.3% YoY, 0.3% MoM in October). While a case can be made for further disinflationary pressures, given lower energy prices, easing supply constraints and holiday discounts to clear excess inventory levels, the PPI report on Friday indicated that goods inflation could return in the months to come and wage inflation also remains strong. Easing financial conditions and China’s reopening can be the other key factors to watch, which could potentially bring another leg higher in inflation especially if there is premature easing from the Fed. Shelter inflation will once again be key to watch, which means clear signs of inflation peeking out will continue to remain elusive. Several central bank meetings this week The U.S. Federal Reserve (Wednesday), the Bank of England (Thursday) and the European Central Bank (Thursday) are expected to hike interest rates by 50 basis points each this week. Less than two weeks ago, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said a December rate-hike slowdown is likely. But the hawkish tone should remain based on the latest Non Farm Payroll and Producer Prices reports which indicated that inflation remains high and broad-based. In the eurozone, this is a done-deal that the central bank will hike rates by 50 basis points. Pay attention to the updated economic forecasts (Is a recession the new baseline for 2023?) and to any indication regarding the expected quantitative tightening process. In the United Kingdom, the money market overwhelmingly believes (78%) that the Bank of England will hike its rate by 50 basis points to 3.5% this week. Only a minority (22%) foresees a larger increase, to 3.75%. Earnings to watch This is a quiet period in the earnings season, though a couple of interesting names are reporting this week, with former high-flyer Adobe up on Thursday. Adobe has something to prove as the US software company has seen a negative share price reaction on its past five earnings releases. Trip.com, China's leading online travel agency, reports on Wednesday and investors will judge the result on the company's outlook for Q4 and ideally 2023 as China's reopening is raising the expected travel demand in China for 2023. Read more here. Tuesday: DiDi Global Wednesday: Lennar, Trip.com, Nordson, Inditex Thursday: Adobe Friday: Accenture, Darden Restaurants Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 1000 – Germany Dec. ZEW Survey 1030 – UK Bank of England Financial Stability Report 1100 – US Nov. NFIB Small Business Optimism 1330 – US Nov. CPI 2230 – Australia RBA Governor Lowe to Speak 2350 – Japan Q4 Tankan Survey 0005 – New Zealand RBNZ Governor Orr before Parliamentary Committee 2130 – API's Weekly Crude and Fuel Stock Report During the day: OPEC’s Monthly Oil Market Report Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – December 13, 2022 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Serious liquidity crisis? According to Franklin Templeton, a massive, but unlikely deposit flight from Credit Suisse would have to happen

    An Economic Slowdown In Switzerland Next Year Is Expected By The Government

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 13.12.2022 10:02
    In its latest economic forecasts, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said on Tuesday, the government expects the country's economic growth to slow next year but is unlikely to enter a recession. Key takeaways However, the energy situation in Europe is likely to remain tense with gas and electricity prices running high. Furthermore, high international inflation and the tightening of monetary policy are likely to curb demand. Swiss government forecasts 2022 CPI at +2.9% (vs +3.0% in prior projections). The Swiss government anticipates that the Consumer Price Index will +1.5% in 2024. Swiss government sees 2024 CPI at +1.5%. Sees 2023 CPI at +2.2% (previous forecast was +2.3%). 2022 GDP growth forecast at +2.0% (previously +2.0%). 2023 GDP growth forecast at +1.0% (previously +1.1%). 2024 GDP growth forecast at +1.6%.  
    The German Purchasing Managers' Index, ZEW Economic Sentiment And More Ahead

    The Outlook For The Eurozone Manufacturing Industry Remains Bleak

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.12.2022 12:59
    Production fell by 2% in October with declines across the board in the large countries. As the positive effects of easing supply-side issues fade, the outlook remains bleak for the winter months A factory in the Netherlands   Industrial production has started the quarter poorly, although we have to note that this is a volatile data series. As we have noted in recent months, Ireland continues to impact the overall figure with huge swings in production on a monthly basis, but October also saw consistent declines among the largest economies: -0.9, -2.6 and -1% in Germany, France and Italy, respectively. Overall, the trend in production is stagnant at the moment as production has moved more or less sideways since late 2020. Industry is dealing with slowing new orders but at the same time, is seeing some relief from easing supply-side problems. That dampens the negative impact on production to a degree as this results in some catch-up production. This has resulted in a rebound in car manufacturing in recent months, for example. Although October saw a small decline in production, car manufacturing is up 25% since March. From here on, the outlook for the manufacturing industry remains bleak. The slowing trend in new orders is set to continue as goods consumption is experiencing a broad correction at the moment. At the same time, energy prices have increased again, which will continue to dampen the performance in energy-intensive industries. As post-pandemic effects fade, expect weaker production figures over the winter months. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    The China’s Covid Containment Continued To Negatively Impact The Output At The End Of 2022

    In China Retail Sales Fell Even Further Last Month Due To Covid

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.12.2022 10:13
    China's activity data shows that retail sales shrank further last month due to Covid, and production grew at a slower pace amid weak external demand. This is likely to continue in December as Covid cases climb and the issue of labour shortages affects economic activity. But we believe that the Chinese New Year could bring some growth for retail sales Activity data shows slower economic growth Activity data points to worse-than-expected economic growth in November in terms of retail sales, industrial production and property investment. Home prices fell less than expected, which hints at a possible bottom for home prices. But this bottom may last for several months as Covid cases climb. Retail sales led the slump China's retail sales fell 5.9% year-on-year in November from a 0.5% YoY drop in October. It was the worst performing indicator in November; bear in mind that the government only eased Covid measures on 7 December. As such, it was quarantine that limited retail sales activity. All categories experienced yearly contraction except medicines and food. This pattern might improve slightly as residents bought train and air tickets for Chinese New Year travel within the country. But the overall situation could be worse in December as there were fewer Covid tests and therefore the reported number of Covid cases should be less than the number of infections in China. This could mean labour shortages and retail sales could therefore be adversely affected. Read next: From the fundamental point of view, these facts may become a game changer, sending the EUR/USD pair to the parity level | FXMAG.COM   Industrial production mostly affected by external environment Industrial production grew at only 2.2% year-on-year in November after a 5.0% rise in October. Looking at the details of industrial production, we observe that export-related industries, namely integrated circuits (-15.2% YoY), smartphones (19.8%) and microcomputing equipment (-27.9%) experienced a deeper contraction than other industries. Industries for domestic consumption experienced more growth than their export peers. New energy vehicles grew 60.5% YoY in November. Metals also grew between 7% YoY to 10% YoY, indicating that construction activity should have picked up for unfinished home projects. This is also confirmed by the data on residential property completion.   Fixed asset investment focus more on equipment Fixed asset investment grew 5.3% YoY year-to-date in November compared to 5.8% a month ago. Most of the items grew steadily. Equipment investment continued to outpace the rest and grew faster in November (41.4%YoY YTD in November vs 39.7% in October). This highlights that China has invested more on equipment, partly echoing the government's call for investment in technology and partly servicing its own needs for equipment as the US continues to call for stopping advanced equipment exports to China. December could continue to be bad Activity data in December may not be a lot better with Covid cases climbing. Parts of the labour force could be sick, and this could affect labour-intensive industries. However, we do not expect there to be a shut down of ports as these have contingent plans in place after the lockdowns back in March to May. Land logistics could be affected by labour shortages. As the peak export season has passed, the impact on the export-related supply chain should be mild. As it comes nearer to the Chinese New Year, manufacturing activity could be slower in December and January.  Retail sales in December may be higher in December due to travel activity over the Chinese New Year.  Read next: Given the peculiarities of the US labor market and the high labor mobility, the acceptable unemployment rate is considered to be 5.0%| FXMAG.COM In short, the economy is slowly picking up but it is difficult to be optimistic about growth in the fourth quarter of 2022 and first quarter of next year. We maintain our GDP forecasts at -0.4% YoY and 3.4% YoY, respectively. Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Industrial production GDP Fixed asset investments China Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    French strikes will cause limited economic impact

    The Picture Of The French Economy Looks Stable From The Point Of View Of The Business Climate Indicator

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.12.2022 10:37
    Business sentiment remained stable in December and is still above its long-term average. If this is confirmed by the other indicators, it could mean that the French economy will escape the contraction of activity in the fourth quarter. The recovery after the winter is likely to be sluggish The business climate in France remained stable in December for the fourth consecutive month   The business climate in France remained stable in December, at 102, for the fourth consecutive month. It remains above its long-term average. Stability can be seen in the service sector, industry, and construction. While the assessment of order books, especially foreign ones, continues to deteriorate, the production outlook seems to have improved slightly, and the assessment of past production rebounds. In addition, sentiment is improving in the retail sector, thanks to an increase in order intentions. Employment sentiment rebounded in December to 111 from 107 in November, as companies still seem ready to hire. Business leaders' opinions on price expectations for the next few months are once again on the rise, signalling that inflationary pressures are far from easing in France. Overall, the picture painted by the business climate indicator is one of stability for the French economy in the fourth quarter of 2022. If this were to be confirmed by the other indicators, it could mean that the French economy escapes the contraction in activity in the fourth quarter, or even grow slightly. However, the sharp deterioration in the PMI indices in November and the significant contractions in industrial production and consumption in October make us cautious about the stabilisation signal sent by the business climate. The probability of a recession this winter remains high. Read next: Given the peculiarities of the US labor market and the high labor mobility, the acceptable unemployment rate is considered to be 5.0%| FXMAG.COM Beyond the recession, the question of recovery after the winter is very important. We believe that the recovery will be sluggish. Indeed, household purchasing power is still deteriorating. Energy prices are likely to remain high throughout 2023 and the winter of 2023/2024 holds a major supply risk. Public finances, which have largely mitigated the impact of the economic shock, are likely to be less generous, which will slow the recovery. Finally, rising interest rates will have an increasing impact on the most interest-sensitive sectors. Ultimately, we expect sluggish economic growth in all four quarters of 2023, leading to stagnant GDP for the year as a whole. Inflation will rise again in early 2023, before falling very gradually. Changes to the tariff shield, which was implemented by the government to freeze gas prices amid rising costs, mean energy bills will rise by 15% in 2023 compared to 4% in 2022, leading to a sharp rise in inflation. As many more general price revisions can only take place once a year, food and service inflation is expected to rise sharply in the first quarter. French inflation should therefore be higher in 2023 than its average level in 2022. We expect 5.8% on average for the year, compared to 5.3% in 2023.   Read next: From the fundamental point of view, these facts may become a game changer, sending the EUR/USD pair to the parity level | FXMAG.COM Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP France Eurozone Business climate Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Azerbaijan’s External Trade Benefited From 2022 Geopolitical Turmoil Through Higher Oil And Gas Prices

    Azerbaijan’s External Trade Benefited From 2022 Geopolitical Turmoil Through Higher Oil And Gas Prices

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.12.2022 08:05
    Benefitting from geopolitical turmoil The momentum of post-Covid recovery is gradually fading for Azerbaijan, but the country has two tactical strengths: gas and fiscal reserves. With the EU headed to lose Russia as a supplier of 150bcm of gas annually, the vast Shakh-Deniz is a big asset. Also, the country has some fiscal space for providing more support to the household income. Azerbaijan’s strong external and fiscal position should make it easy to place Eurobonds at the end of 2023, which are needed to refinance existing debt anyway. The risks to the local markets are coming from locally driven stories, such as long-standing tensions with Armenia, high inflationary risks driven by import-dependency, as well as a small and highly dollarized local banking sector. Activity slowing, but gas and budget policy offer support GDP showed 5.6% YoY growth in 9M22 but has moderated since 3Q22 due to maturing oil fields and declining household income. On the bright side, the fuel sector should remain supported by growing gas production, as gas supply to the EU is set to double to 10-12bcm in 2022 vs 2021 and could increase to 20bcm by 2027 if the EU were to guarantee this demand, giving Azerbaijan confidence to commit to vast capex. Meanwhile, the non-fuel sector may get fiscal support as the current c.US$75/bbl breakeven leaves room for generosity. Support on Karabakh may increase from 2.3-2.4% to 2.8-3.0% of GDP in 2023, while direct support to low-income households may rise from the current 11-12% to 14% of GDP, leaving the non-oil deficit at a sizeable 26-28% of non-oil GDP but still well covered by oil revenues. Current account supported by geopolitics The geopolitical turmoil of 2022 has created favorable conditions for Azerbaijan’s external trade through higher oil and gas prices and additional demand for gas volumes from the EU, partially offsetting the supply that used to come from Russia. The current account is set expand from 15% to 21% of GDP in 2022 and may remain close to those levels in 2023 assuming a favorable house view on oil. A sizeable 30-40% of it will be used to gain sovereign FX assets. Meanwhile, a US$1.0-1.2bn Eurobond placement is planned for end2023 to refinance the debt maturing in early 2024. This is likely to be met with demand given the country’s solid financial position. On the other hand, the stable net FDI outflow of 2-4% of GDP remains a sign of the challenging investment climate. Inflation close to peaks, but local risks are still high Azerbaijan is no exception to the post-Covid global inflationary trend, with CPI accelerating from 3-5% in 2020 to 15%+ currently. The pass-through of global trends into local CPI could be amplified due to high import-dependency of local consumption. Around 25-30% of local retail trade is imported, and food self-sufficiency is low. As a result, even though current CPI feels like a peak, average CPI should remain in low double digits in 2023, and upward risks to year-end expectations are high. Downside to the key rate is limited as CPI is well above the target range of 2-6%. Monetary transmission is restrained by the small banking sector, pegged FX, and high dollarization of deposits of around 49-51% in 2021-22. Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Price Stability Criteria Is Obviously Not On Track For Bulgaria

    The Price Stability Criteria Is Obviously Not On Track For Bulgaria

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.12.2022 08:22
    An almost wasted year Far from saying “we told you so”, our previous Directional Economics piece on Bulgaria pointed out that the “zero tolerance” to corruption policy promised by the Continuing the Change party would hit a wall rather quickly. The government coalition lasted for only six months. Another inconclusive snap election took place in October 2022, with the next one due to take place in March 2023. We expect the political uncertainty to persist over the medium term and believe that this will postpone by at least one year the 2024 self-imposed euro adoption target, but this would be the most benign outcome in our view. After four general elections in 18 months, an understandable ‘politics fatigue’ on the part of the electorate might validate more extremist parties. Meanwhile, the interim government(s) are likely to remain fiscally responsible, though the outlook starts to become somewhat foggier Not a bad year but slowdown follows Given the very robust growth in 1H22 when the economy advanced by over 4.0%, and the flash 3Q22 GDP showing a 3.2% expansion, it will be rather difficult for the Bulgarian economy to close 2022 with a real GDP growth below 3.0%. For 2023, however, the outlook turns rather grim as the contraction in disposable income due to high inflation will start to yield more pronounced negative results in consumption. Moreover, the anticipated eurozone contraction will mean more subdued export demand, which will hit the economy in 1H23. Increased absorption of EU funds will be one of the few opportunities to offset these developments, but without a stable government to deliver straight-through implementation, our 1.4% GDP growth estimate for 2023 looks quite reasonable. The peak is behind, but inflation will remain high While it could be subject to a degree of flexibility from the EU when assessing euro adoption, the price stability criteria is obviously not on track for Bulgaria. We believe that inflation has peaked (at 18.6% in September 2022) and a gradual slowdown is to follow. Single-digit inflation could be seen as early as late-2Q23, but the subsequent pace of the slowdown looks a lot less steep which means that inflation could still stabilise well above the three best performing EU member states. This assumes household protection measures remain fully in place in 2023 and partially in 2024. Phasing out the support measures earlier would lift the inflation profile by up to 4ppt, depending on the exact specifications of the support measures. Read the article on ING Economics K Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Croatia: The Recovery From The Pandemic Was Extremely Fast, Mainly Due To The Impact Of A Good Tourist Season

    Croatia: The Recovery From The Pandemic Was Extremely Fast, Mainly Due To The Impact Of A Good Tourist Season

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.12.2022 08:22
    Eurozone and Schengen accession For many generations of Croatians, 1 January 2023 will be a day to remember. After years of painstaking efforts to recover from the 2008-09 deep recession and put public finances back on track, the country will join the eurozone in a relatively solid economic shape. Somewhat overshadowed by the eurozone accession, joining the Schengen area will also be a major milestone, with the potential to further boost Croatia’s exports of goods and especially services. Essentially, on 1 January 2023, Croatia’s EU integration story will be complete, with no other major milestones to be achieved in the coming years. In the short term, we believe that despite already being largely reflected in current ratings, the Eurozone and Schengen accession could bring another one notch upgrade from at least one agency. What a comeback this was Unlike the aftermath of the 2008-09 crisis when it took six years for the Croatian economy to resume growth, the post-pandemic recovery has been extremely fast. As usual, a strong tourist season made quite a difference, but tourism revenues in 2022 have dwarfed the record 2019 levels by some 30% to 40% despite a slightly lower number of tourists. This was due partly to inflation but also to the qualitative improvements in the sector which is now able to tap into more premium public. Looking to 2023, the outlook is influenced by an expected slowdown in the eurozone which will affect the demand for goods and services. Nevertheless, public investments should act as a backstop for a flattening private consumption, hence we maintain our 1.6% GDP growth estimate for 2023. Getting back on track The revised official targets for the fiscal balance point to a 1.6% of GDP deficit in 2022 and 2.3% in 2023, which given the current macro assumptions seem to be sensible estimates. An important aspect is how well the support measures for households will work in practice. In theory, their cost (estimated at around 5% of GDP) will be largely offset by revenues from EU funds and energy companies. Combined with the lower GDP growth and some remaining public sector arrears, it could mean that risks for exceeding the deficit next year are skewed to the upside. Nevertheless, primary deficits remain under control and with GDP growth still holding on, the overall debt position should continue to improve. Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Overall Picture Is Positive For The Czech National Bank

    Czech Republic: Minfin Approved An Increase In The State Budget Deficyt, For Next Year, The Plan Expects A Deficit Of CZK295bn

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.12.2022 08:23
    Deepest economic contraction in CEE In our view, the Czech economy entered recession in 3Q, mainly due to a fall in household demand. Within the CEE region, we expect the deepest economic contraction in the Czech Republic. Moreover, the level of leading indicators is the main downside risk to our forecasts. Nevertheless, the labour market remains tight and, were it not for government measures, inflation would rise further. Core inflation accelerated again in October and is proving more persistent. The Czech National Bank last hiked rates in June and we do not expect further monetary tightening despite the board's mention of risks. We see a reversal in monetary policy, an end to FX intervention and rate cuts likely before the end of the first half of next year. Fiscal policy incorporates plans for consolidation for next year, but still far from the levels of the pre-Covid years. Macro digest According to the second release, the Czech economy grew by 1.7% YoY and contracted by 0.2% QoQ in the third quarter and thus, in our view, started a period of recession. The main reason for the contraction was lower household consumption, which has fallen for the fourth quarter in a row. The fall in disposable income is limiting demand, especially for durable goods. On the other hand, the contribution of investment to growth is still positive but the smallest since the beginning of last year. The contribution of the foreign balance also turned positive for the first time since the beginning of last year. Looking ahead, for 1H23 we expect the QoQ pace of economic contraction to deepen, with the economy stagnating in 3Q23 and only returning to visible growth in 4Q23. The labour market remains a strong anchor of the Czech economy. Unemployment has risen only marginally from historic lows in 2019 and we do not expect it to exceed 3% in the coming years. Nominal wage growth will remain near record highs at just below 8% YoY but will not turn positive in real terms until 3Q23 at the earliest. The picture indicated by the leading indicators is the main risk to our forecasts. The PMI is deep in recession territory and only slightly above the record low levels of the Covid years. The PMI points to a sharp decline in output and new orders and rising cost pressures. A CZSO survey shows that shortages of materials and equipment are the main barrier to growth for a third of businesses, while insufficient demand is a major obstacle for a quarter. Consumer confidence bounced back from a low in November, probably due to government measures, but remains near record lows. Inflation fell from 18.0% to 15.1% while the CNB expected 17.4% YoY in October. The surprise can be explained by the government's measures to tackle high energy prices. On the other hand, core inflation accelerated sharply again from 0.3% to 1.2% MoM, almost back to the mid-year peak. In annual terms, it thus remained almost unchanged for the fifth month in a row at 14.6%, above the CNB’s forecast. Moreover, the central bank itself admits that government measures have cut 3.5ppt off inflation, implying actual inflation at 18.6% YoY, which would indicate a new record high. Looking ahead, we expect inflation to remain at similar levels until the end of the year and the change in government measures in January to have a similar effect on CPI as current measures had. Barring a surprise upwards repricing in January, the peak in inflation should be over and we expect the first single-digit numbers in the second half of the year. However, core inflation is still surprising to the upside and proving more persistent, which we think will lead to a slower decline. Only slow consolidation of public finances MinFin approved an increase in the state budget deficit in November to CZK375bn (5.5% of GDP), reflecting new government measures including the saving tariff and revised tax revenues. For next year, the plan expects a deficit of CZK295bn. In both cases, we remain on the optimistic side with a slightly lower deficit in our forecast due to traditionally underestimated tax revenues. However, the pace of fiscal consolidation is still far from the preCovid years. On the other hand, municipalities are running record budget surpluses, which improves the overall public finance picture. We expect a deficit of 4.6% for this year and 3.2% of GDP for next year. Given the strong nominal GDP growth, government debt will remain below 45% of GDP. In our view, the risk of a downgrade remains. Hiking cycle is over, attention turns to the first cut The Czech National Bank halted the hiking cycle in August and although the board still mentions risks that could lead to additional interest rate hikes, we turn our attention to the first interest rate cut next year. We see the current board as more dovish than the previous one and therefore see the possibility of a decision to cut before the end of the second quarter given the downturn in the economy, the risks of a deeper recession and inflation heading into single-digit territory. The CNB still sees the equilibrium interest rate at 3% which, with a record strong koruna, currently indicates very tight monetary conditions in the eyes of central bankers. In the meantime, we expect continued FX interventions to defend the koruna, which we think are likely to continue during 1Q next year. Mortgage market frozen, companies financing in euros The volume of new mortgages has remained stagnant for the past three months after a strong fall in 2Q22. Year-on-year, the volume of new mortgages is down 80%. This is due to the significant rise in interest rate but also the frontloading effect last year before the CNB tightened mortgage lending rules and implemented further key rate hikes. New CZK loans to corporates have fallen by 40% this year, but some of the corporate sector is responding to the current situation of high koruna rates by switching to FX financing. The share of euro-loans in total new loans to businesses has thus reached twothirds in recent months. However, even taking FX loans into account, this year's new lending to corporates has been falling, responding to monetary policy tightening. Deepest current account deficit since 2003 The trade balance has deteriorated significantly in recent months, mainly due to higher energy prices and import growth. We have seen an improvement on the export side in recent months, but we do not expect a quick return to positive levels. Also contributing to the CA deficit is the involvement of Ukrainian immigrants, whose wages are reflected as payments to non-residents. In addition, dividend outflows abroad have increased significantly in recent months, reaching the highest volume on record when looking at a rolling 3M sum. Thus, we expect a current account deficit of 5.1% of GDP for this year, essentially the worst result since 2003. For next year, we expect the trade balance to improve and energy prices to normalise, which should lead to the deficit falling to 3.5% of GDP. FX The CZK market has been under the control of the CNB since midMay with the intention to "prevent excessive fluctuations of the koruna". According to official figures, the central bank spent €25.5bn (16% of FX reserves) to defend the koruna from May to September. According to our estimates, the CNB may not have been active in the market in October and November given the EUR/CZK level has remained well below the intervention level of 24.60-70. The CNB is thus in a very comfortable situation, and we expect this regime to continue at least until the end of 1Q next year. If current market conditions persist and the CNB is not forced to intervene significantly, we believe 2Q23 will be an opportunity to end this regime, which should allow the koruna to weaken slightly towards EUR/CZK 25.0, however, we expect the koruna to strengthen again in the second half of the year due to the economic recovery and the EUR/USD turnaround. Market attention in recent months has been focused on the koruna only during the CNB meetings, building short positioning in view of the end of the central bank intervention regime. However, we expect this decision later than most. Fixed income The CNB is sticking to the rhetoric of "no change or rate hike" and "higher rates for longer" and, in our view, it is too early to reverse this mood on the markets. However, market rates have fallen from levels above the CNB's forecast to well below it in recent weeks. Currently, the market sees the first rate cut in four months and a near return to the equilibrium level of 3.00% in two years, while the CNB forecast expects the key rate to still be above 4.50% at the end of 2024. Overall, we view current market valuations as too aggressive in terms of rate cuts. In addition, despite the recent move, the long end of the IRS curve is still lagging behind core rates, according to our model, which points to higher levels. The June peak of the CNB hiking cycle and the upward revision of the state budget disrupted the traditional seasonality in CZGB issuance and unusually boosted supply in recent months, which we believe led to significant cheapening in ASW. For next year, we expect only slightly lower gross CZGB supply, but on a net basis it is almost half the volume of the Covid years. Thus, in our view, CZGBs have a lot of room to normalise in relative terms against the IRS curve. In addition, CZGBs can benefit relative to their regional peers from stable FX, a relatively low twin deficit and a politically stable situation domestically and with the EU. In nominal terms, we think current yields are in rather expensive territory, but in relative terms we see a lot of room for normalisation. Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Monitoring Hungary: Glimmering light at the end of the tunnel

    Hungary’s Trade Balance Of Goods Has Been On A Downtrend Because Of Energy Crisis

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.12.2022 08:35
    Bullish in every aspect Although Hungary is still facing a trifecta of challenges, the technical recession during late-2022 and early-2023 will provide a tailwind to tackle the issues. We expect inflation to gradually descend from its early-2023 peak, reaching single-digit territory by the end of the year if price caps are extended. At the same time, negative net real wage growth and tighter monetary and fiscal policies will keep domestic demand muted. The latter will be driven by postponed public investment spending and windfall taxes. Retreating consumption and lower investment activity reduces the country’s import need, which is also supported by a spreading awareness of energy usage. Improving external balance and diminishing net external financing need will boost the relative attractiveness of Hungarian assets, especially the forint. We are bullish in every aspect Macro digest After the post-Covid led rebound in 2021, this year started on a strong footing. GDP growth came in at 7.3% YoY during the first half of 2022. Despite all the challenges presented by the war and resultant energy crisis, Hungarian economic activity was boosted by rising domestic demand. A key source of this was the government’s pre-election spending spree during the first quarter. As this positive momentum of re-opening and fiscal easing starts to fade and the challenge of rising energy bills and extreme inflation starts to bite, the economy’s quarterly based performance is beginning to slump. The two biggest difficulties Hungary is facing – higher energy bills and increasing unemployment – didn't fully impact the economy in the third quarter. Nonetheless, the 0.4% quarter-on-quarter drop in real GDP means that we’ve already seen the first leg of the expected technical recession in Hungary. We expect the drop to continue in the fourth quarter mainly due to falling consumption and shrinking investment activity. Real wage growth reached negative territory in September, while lending activity also dropped. In the corporate sector, we see companies going out of business or reducing working hours due to skyrocketing energy costs. Big data also suggests the economy has been on a downtrend. But despite the weak second half, the strong first half will save the year: we see 2022 GDP growth at around 4.8%. When it comes to the 2023 outlook, the negative carry-over effect, the ongoing fiscal and monetary tightening and the shrinking purchasing power of households will take their toll. We expect 0.1% GDP growth on average in 2023, followed by a marked rebound in 2024 as Hungary will have access to EU funds, boosting investment activity. Headline inflation moved to 21.1% YoY in October, the highest reading since 1996. 58% of the price pressure is from the food, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco sectors. This is due to a combination of a weather-related supply-side shock in agriculture, the high costsensitivity to energy in the food industry and the transmitted tax changes affecting food products and retailers. In the short run, we expect further increases in CPI, though the peak might be near. Negative real wage growth, thus decreasing aggregate demand, is reducing the pricing power of corporates. Price expectations of retailers have also started to drift lower, pointing to an impending turnaround in inflation. The peak could be around 23% (if price caps are extended), followed by a gradual slowdown during the first half of 2023 and a more rapid normalisation in the second half of next year. However, the full-year average in 2023 could be higher – around 16.7% - than the average in 2022, which we forecast to come in at 14.4%. Fiscal consolidation is on the way During the first half of 2022, there was a major fiscal spending spree, not necessarily unrelated to the April general election. As the energy crisis deepened, the government introduced significant fiscal tightening during the second half of this year. Against this backdrop, we don’t see an issue with the 6.1% of GDP deficit target. Indeed, it might be even better due to the higher nominal GDP. Fiscal consolidation will continue in 2023 via limited investment spending and temporary windfall tax revenues. Shrinking nominal financing need and strong nominal GDP growth will help reach the Maastricht deficit criteria by 2024. Expected EU funds inflow will significantly help the budget, especially the sum of €5bn related to the 2014-2020 Cohesion Fund, which is due by mid-2024 Central bank keeps its hawkish “whatever it takes” stance The recent monetary policy setup lies on three pillars. The 13% base rate will remain unchanged for a long period, ensuring structural price stability. In the meantime, monetary tightening will continue with liquidity measures. Roughly half (c.HUF5bn) of the excess liquidity is tied up in long-term facilities like the 2-month deposit and the required reserve. The other half sits in the one-day quick deposit facility at 18% and one-day FX swap facility at 17%, as parts of the third pillar. These are to stabilise financial markets. We see the gradual convergence of the effective (18%) rate to the base rate in parallel with a permanent improvement in both external and internal risks. Timing wise, this means a reversal of the “whatever it takes” hawkish stance might start only in the first quarter of 2023. Labour market shows resilience under stress The unemployment rate has started to rise as companies are operating under severe stress. However, the move from a nearrecord low 3.2% to 3.6% in 3Q22 is nowhere near to a collapse. A high level of orders keeps manufacturers optimistic and in need of labour. By contrast, in the services sector, where energy and labour account for a greater part of costs, companies have reduced working hours, laid off employees or gone out of business. Due to this duality, we expect the unemployment rate to peak at only around 4.5% during mid-2023. With an above 20% inflation, we see tough negotiations between employers and employees about next year’s salaries. In our view, real wage growth – reaching practically zero in 3Q – will turn negative and remain so until the end of next year The worst in current account deficit might soon be over Due to the energy crisis, Hungary’s trade balance of goods has been on a downtrend. But we see light at the end of the tunnel. With the changes in the utility bill support scheme, households have started to be more aware of their energy usage. Companies have spent more on energy efficiency lately. Hungary has already secured its gas supply throughout the winter. This means less pressure on the external balance from an energy import view going forwards. With falling consumption and a reduction in investment activity by households and the public sector, import needs will retreat as well in the coming quarters. However, this improvement comes too late, so we see an 8.4% of GDP deficit in 2022 with a slight improvement in the balance to –6.8% of GDP next year. FX (with Frantisek Taborsky, EMEA FX & FI Strategist) When it comes to the Hungarian forint, we believe it is more likely to be moved by non-monetary events and shocks in the short run. The government's conflict with the EU over the rule of law has entirely dominated the market and will remain a major issue at least until the end of this year, in our view. We expect a positive outcome on the rule of law issue and an unlocking of the potential of the forint, which has lost by far the most in the CEE region this year. As some form of positive outcome of this story seems to be priced in already, and also market positioning seems to have flipped to a slightly longer view in recent weeks, in our view, the EU story has become asymmetric for the HUF. So instead of a jump in forint strength, we expect a gradual drift lower below 400 EUR/HUF next year. However, our strong conviction regarding a positive outcome for Hungary makes the forint our currency of choice in the CEE4 space. Moreover, in our view, Poland will take the baton of major market attention from Hungary next year with its ongoing conflict with the EU, looming elections, expansionary fiscal policy and a central bank trying in vain to end the hiking cycle. On the other hand, we believe that the period of emergency NBH meetings is over, that the EU story is coming to an end, fiscal policy is pointing to tangible consolidation and that the current account deficit should come under control. Fixed income (with Frantisek Taborsky, EMEA FX & FI Strategist If the forint remains under control, we see more room for normalisation of the short end of the IRS curve. On the other hand, the long end should decline to a lesser extent also due to the support of core rates, resulting in bull steepening. However, the timing of NBH policy normalisation remains a risk and low liquidity of the market may be painful. On the HGBs side, we see favourable supply conditions and ASW levels have finally returned to normal territories. The AKK's focus on the long end of the curve and basically zero issuance in the shortend maturity bucket supports our steepening bias. However, we see that the EU story is more about FX trades and the FI market is still struggling. Therefore, we see better value in other countries in the region for now but believe HGB's time will come soon, and we remain constructive in our views. On the back of a tough year for Hungary’s external bonds, we see current valuations as attractive given optimism of some improvement in the key areas of EU funds, fiscal policy, energy issues and the external balance. We think spread levels on the nation’s euro-denominated bonds in particular have room to compress versus regional and rating peers. This preference should be supported by expectations that near-term external issuance is likely to be in dollars rather than euros. Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Soft PMIs Are Further Signs Of A Weak UK Economy

    Is The UK At Risk Of A Long-Term Recession? GDP Is Forecast For Economic Contraction

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 17.12.2022 20:29
    The economy has contracted in three months as soaring prices hit businesses and households, and the UK is projected to head into recession. The short-term outlook remains grim as consumers continue to grapple with the brunt of high inflation. Final GDP The final UK gross domestic product reading for the third quarter is likely to confirm that the UK economy contracted in the three months leading up to September. GDP is forecast to drop below zero to -0.2 percent. The 0.5% decline in household spending was one of the main obstacles in Q3. Meanwhile, monthly estimates suggest that GDP fell by 0.6% in September, partly due to the public holiday associated with the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. From an economic point of view, a level below zero suggests an incipient recession. In his autumn statement last month, Mr Hunt said the UK was already in recession. This is expected to be officially confirmed early next year when the October-December economic figures are released. Read next: Forex Market Week Sum Up:The Overall Picture Of Major Currency Pairs Is Bearish| FXMAG.COM Source: investing.com The overview of UK economy UK consumers are tightening their belts as business activity contracted for a fifth consecutive month, according to new figures that suggest the economy has entered a prolonged recession. UK retail sales fell by 0.4 percent between October and November. Meanwhile, a closely watched private sector health monitor, S&P Global's Preliminary UK Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), rose to 49 in December from 48.2 in November. Despite the increase, the reading was below 50 for the fifth month in a row, indicating that most companies reported a decline. Purchases of non-food items and fuels also fell, with only food sales recording an increase from October to November. Consumer inflation fell slightly to 10.7 percent last month from a 41-year high of 11.1 percent in October. External demand also remained subdued in December and overall new export orders declined. Over the past three months, economic activity in the UK has slowed across all major sectors, including manufacturing, construction and services. The data fueled fears that the economy had already entered a long recession. Not only the recession is a problem - strikes In 2016, the British economy – like other large economies – was negatively affected by high inflation and falling real wages. In Britain, conflicts between governments and economic failures have exacerbated these problems. The UK faces more strikes over pay and working conditions this month and into the New Year. Some 40,000 train and rail workers will walk out on Tuesday in a series of strikes. Royal Mail workers will also continue industrial action this week with strikes What next? The economy is projected to contract for at least the rest of the winter and possibly longer. On the other hand, there is hope that inflation is close to its peak, which may mean that the Bank will be able to limit the increase in the cost of credit. But the question is not whether the economy will go into a recession, but how deep and how long that recession will be. When a country is in recession, it is a sign that its economy is doing badly. During a downturn, companies typically make less money and the number of people unemployed rises. Graduates and school leavers also find it harder to get their first job. Source: investing.com
    Analysis Of The CAD/JPY Commodity Currency Pair - 06.02.2023

    The Bank Of Japan Will Remain Unchanged, Can Canada's Economy Face A Recession?

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 18.12.2022 09:10
    Economies today face a litany of challenges they have not faced in the last decade: Putin's war in Ukraine, record-breaking inflationary pressures, looming global recession and the struggle to stay ahead of the ongoing climate crisis. The banks are doing what they can to slow down inflation, but not the Bank of Japan. His decision may remain unchanged. Meanwhile, geopolitical uncertainty, the threat of further disruption to the global supply chain and higher interest rates remain key risks to Canada's economic growth. Bank of Japan Japan's benchmark interest rates have been among the lowest in the world for decades. Part of the yen's recent strength stems in part from talk that the BoJ may change its yield-curve control policy now that consumer price inflation has surged to 3.7% - an eight-year high. However, such a move seems unlikely. Japan's central bank has pledged to pursue an "over-inflation" policy and appears to have no intention of curbing its extremely loose monetary policy. Inflation in Japan is low compared to rates in other developed economies, which allows the country's central bank to keep interest rates very low. Although the Bank of Japan has raised its inflation forecast for 2022 to 2.9%, down from its previous forecast of 2.3%, it is expected to keep its key short-term interest rate at -0.1% and maintain the 0% cap for its 10-year bond yield at this month's meeting. During his decade in office, Kuroda, seeking to push inflation to 2%, introduced massive asset purchase and YCC, an elaborate program that combined a negative short-term target rate and a 0% cap on 10-year bond yields. In addition to the global supply pressure caused by the war in Ukraine and the pandemic, the collapse of the yen triggered a sharp increase in the cost of imported raw materials and ultimately household goods, making Kuroda and its currency-deprecating low interest rates the target of public outcry As Japan's massive pile of debt makes an abrupt interest rate hike too costly, the BoJ will tread carefully and explain the shift as a gradual move towards normalizing emergency stimulus - rather than full monetary tightening, they said. But policymakers also know they are running out of time to deal with the huge costs of the Bank of Japan's relentless defense of its 0% yield cap, such as declining bond market liquidity, crushed bank margins and a devastating yen sell-off. BOJ officials are now preparing the theoretical basis for future policy change, releasing research into whether firms and households will finally shake off their deep-seated reluctance to raise prices. Any apparent shift in BoJ thinking, even if it does not lead to an immediate change in monetary policy, could trigger a massive sell-off in Japanese bonds, with significant implications for global markets. Canada GDP The Canadian economy is moving closer to a recession in 2023. Early signs of easing inflationary pressures raise the odds that the slowdown will be "mild" by historical standards. Unemployment fell to a record low in the summer (at least since 1976) and only slightly increased since then. The US economy is also expected to plunge into recession in 2023, which will take a toll on Canadian exports. Price growth is still well above the central bank's targets, but increases have been smaller and less widespread in recent months. The crisis in the global supply chain, which largely contributed to the initial rise in inflation, is weakening. Commodity prices remain high but have fallen after a sharp rise earlier this year when Russia invaded Ukraine. Withholding interest rate hikes will not prevent a recession in Canada in the coming year. A mild deterioration of the economic situation is probably already certain in the light of the current restrictive level of interest rates. GDP is expected to stay at 0.1%, but neither rising nor falling suggests stagnation, which could lead to a mild recession. Source: investing.com
    FX Daily: Upbeat China PMIs lift the mood

    Chinese Policies Will Be Tilted To Support Research And Production Of Technology Services And Products

    ING Economics ING Economics 19.12.2022 08:41
    he two-day Central Economic Work Conference focuses support on consumer spending, and on technology Source: istock Growth is the top priority for 2023 The key takeaway from the Work Conference is that the government wants growth via domestic consumption, and this will be the top priority in 2023. Sectors to benefit from policy support There are quite a few sectors to benefit from next year's policies. New-energy car and elderly services will enjoy preferential policies. At the same time, the government knows that technology is important for growth. As such, policies will be tilted to support research and production of technology services and products. This relates to the work conference's emphasis on protecting private enterprises' legal rights. Combining the two policies implies that platform technology companies may face fewer hurdles in 2023. The two key differences next year will be living with Covid and supporting real estate developers. The first of these is already in progress. The latter is tricky. The government's intention is not to let the real estate sector increase financial risk. But too much policy support for developer's financing could end up with another round of over-leverage. Aggressive fiscal stimulus and moderate monetary easing The main tools for growth will be fiscal stimulus and stable monetary policies. We expect there will be a fiscal deficit of around 8% of GDP next year. But monetary policy will be similar to this year, meaning that there could be a couple of RRR cuts, rolling over a re-lending program to help SMEs and the real estate sector, together with a couple of 10bp cuts in 7D reverse repo as well as the 1Y medium lending facility rate. More solid policies will be announced in March This Central Economic Work Conference usually prepares the groundwork for the March Government Work Report. By then, we should see more concrete policies applying the themes we see in this Work Conference. But in the mean time, the economy is struggling to recover from rising Covid cases. Residents have been cautious about going to crowded places though air and train tickets for the Chinese New Year are in demand. We expect that economic recovery from now until March will be bumpy.  Our GDP forecasts is -0.4%YoY for 4Q22, 2.06% for the whole of 2022 and 4.3% for 2023. Read this article on THINK TagsGovernment policies Consumption China Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    The China’s Covid Containment Continued To Negatively Impact The Output At The End Of 2022

    China’s Macroeconomic Policy Frameworks For 2023, Focus On Domestic Consumption

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 19.12.2022 09:10
    Summary:  At the annual Central Economic Work Conference held last week, the Chinese leadership emphasized policy priorities as being economic stability and high quality of development. Fiscal and monetary policies will be rolled out to support growth but will be measured. Industrial policies are aimed at promoting development as well as national security and focus on addressing the weak links and bottlenecks of the country’s supply chain. The most notable positive development from the meeting is a shift to a conciliatory stance towards the private sector and a pledge to support internet platform companies. The Central Economic Work Conference sends a conciliatory message to the private sector The Chinese Communist Party held its annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) on Dec 15 and 16 to formulate China’s macroeconomic policy frameworks for 2023. The most important new message sent from the readout of the CEWC is a shift to a more conciliatory stance towards the private sector and in particular the internet platform companies. The CEWC removes last year’s “preventing the disorderly growth and expansion of capital” from its readout this year and instead says the authorities will “support the development of the private sector and private enterprises” and pledges “support to platform enterprises in leading development, creating employment, shining in competing globally”. It goes on to call for thorough implementation of the legal and institutional equal treatment of private enterprises and state-owned enterprises and protection of the rights of private enterprises and entrepreneurs according to the law. The CEWC instructs ranks and files of the Communist Party to provide assistance to private enterprises in resolving issues.On Sunday, two days after the conclusion of the CEWC, the Party Secretary of the Zhejiang province, who came to the office this month, paid a visit to Alibaba’s campus. He was the most senior-ranked official to visit the e-commerce giant since the Chinese authorities started cracking down on the allegedly monopolistic power of Alibaba ad some other Chinese internet giants. Prioritizing domestic consumption The CEWC prioritizes the stimulation of domestic consumption at the top position in its plan to expand aggregate demand. It pledges to roll out more fiscal policies to increase the income of the rural population and support household consumption spending on the improvement in housing conditions, new energy vehicles, and elderly care services. Speeding up technological innovation to boost development as well as national security The crux of industrial policy is to speed up technological innovation to address deficiencies and bottlenecks in key industrial supply chains. It reiterates the importance to develop energy and mineral resources and increase food production. On the new economy front, the CEWC highlights the focus on new energy, artificial intelligence, biomanufacturing, green technology, and quantum computing. Industrial policies are positioned as an instrument to address development as well as national security considerations. Supporting the property sector in the context of financial stability The CEWC places the discussion of supporting the property sector within the section of “effectively resolving significant economic and financial risks” and frames the policy discussion in that context. It puts the rhetoric of “housing is for living in, not for speculation”, which was missing in the statement from the recent Politburo meeting, back to the readout of the CEWC this time. The focus of the supportive measures to the property sector is to pre-emptively prevent systemic risks in the financial sector and local government debt crises. The CEWC insists on cleaning up and prohibiting increases in housing inventories. Macroeconomic adjustment and stability over pursuing high growth While the shift in the stance to be more private sector-friendly is pro-growth in essence, the CEWC emphasizes that growth must be of high quality and the overarching focus for 2023 was on macroeconomic adjustment and stability. Development must be in adherence to the new development paradigm that aims at the transformation to a high-value-added economy. Fiscal policies will be “proactive” and monetary policies will be “steady, forceful, and targeted”. At the same time, policies must be steady and give utmost importance to stability. In other words, while both fiscal and monetary policies will be expansionary, they will likely be measured. Growth is on a best-effort basis The CEWC pledges to “do its best to achieve the economic development goals from 2023”. It refrains from using the more committal words of “must” or “shall” and signals that the achievement of economic development goals will be on a best-effort basis. GDP growth rate is not the most important consideration for 2023. In the taxonomy of dialectic that is at the core of the communist methodology, the primary contradictions highlighted at the CEWC are pandemic control and economic development, quality and quantity in economic development, supply-side reform and aggregate demand management, and domestic circulation and international circulation. It is the aim of the Chinese leadership to navigate and strike a balance among each pair of these contradictions. While there are no massive waves of economic stimuli to come, the conciliatory stance towards the private sector is a positive development Investors may find the lack of commitment to more and larger-scale stimulus policies underwhelming and even disappointing. Nonetheless, the shift to a conciliatory stance towards the private sector and not reiterating the traffic-light approach to regulate the technology sector will contribute to economic growth as well as reduce risk premiums for investing in Chinese stocks. On balance, the outcome from the CEWC tends to be positive for investing in China.  Source: China Update: The Chinese authorities are expressing a more conciliatory stance towards the private sector | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    Labor Problems In The EU Are Unlikely To Disappear Despite The Expected Recession

    ING Economics ING Economics 19.12.2022 12:57
    This report finds that tight labour markets ahead of a recession cause employment to fall less than normal. So, given that we expect a shallow recession in the eurozone, labour shortages are not going to disappear in all countries and sectors, and modest upward pressure on wages is set to stay A Labour Day rally in France earlier this year   The European Commission has joined the long list of organisations now expecting a recession to happen in the eurozone this winter. Only a few optimists seem to be holding out and expect the economy to avoid recession altogether. To us, the evidence is adding up to a modest recession with two quarters of negative growth and a very shallow recovery. From an unemployment perspective, most seem to expect that the impact will be relatively small given that labour markets are currently exceptionally tight. Despite that, we do see hiring intentions falling, and some countries have noticed small increases in unemployment already. So the question to answer is, does a tight labour market at the start of a recession actually matter for the employment outcome during the recession? We think it does; here's why.  Expect unemployment to increase as recession starts As an economy enters recession, we see an increase in unemployment. When looking back at the six previous eurozone recessions since the 1970s, we find that this has been the case. As you can see in the chart below, the increase in unemployment generally starts when the recession begins but drags on much longer. 2020 is the exception as furlough schemes and an exceptionally quick recovery resulted in a break with the trend, three quarters after the start of the recession. Unemployment increases in times of recession Source: Eurostat, The Area Wide Model, ING Research   The furlough scheme safety net seems unlikely to be used to the extent it was during the pandemic as governments reign in support and because the nature of the downturn is different. Also, labour markets are already exceptionally tight at the moment, which means that a certain amount of labour turnover will be welcomed as a relief to some. Without a government response, but with very tight labour markets at the start of this downturn, the question is whether companies will engage in labour hoarding; keeping people on the payroll to make sure that they have good workers available when the downturn ends because it’s so hard to find workers in this economy. In times of labour shortages, recessions have a smaller labour market impact A marginal labour market impact of the upcoming recession seems to be the consensus view, also iterated by the European Commission in its autumn forecast: “The unemployment rate is thus projected to increase only marginally from a historic low”. We take some comfort from past episodes regarding this call. Analysing downturns by country and sector in the eurozone since 2006, we find that high labour shortages at the start of a downturn resulted in a smaller negative impact on employment. This finding is statistically significant, indicating that in general, we can expect a weaker decline in employment because we now see current high labour shortages. As the two charts below indicate, we find a flatter relationship between GDP and employment in downturns that were preceded by high vacancy rates (so high labour shortages). So it looks like businesses indeed engage in labour hoarding in times of very tight labour markets. The employment response to a decline in output is smaller when labour shortages are high Source: Eurostat, ING Research calculations   To arrive at this conclusion, we use quarterly vacancy rates, gross value-added, and employment data by eurozone country and sector, which gives us a large dataset in which ample downturns occur. We identify periods of high labour shortages as vacancy rates that are in the highest 10% of vacancy rates across sectors and countries at that time. For downturns, we use periods of at least two quarters of consecutive declines in gross value added. The employment response is one that we measure both coincidentally and with four quarters of lags. We stopped the sample of data used in the fourth quarter of 2019 because of the impact of furlough schemes, which likely distorted the relationship. We have tried slightly different models, of which most show a statistically significant impact of high vacancy rates on employment. Results from our panel data regression show that employment behaves differently in recessions when vacancy rates are high Labour shortages are therefore unlikely to disappear despite an expected recession Taking the previous exercise into account, this means that a modest increase in unemployment is to be expected given the already mild recession that we forecast for the eurozone over the course of the winter months. While that is set to cool the labour market somewhat, the question is whether this will be enough for shortages to disappear. That seems doubtful at this point. The unemployment rate fell to a new historic low of 6.5% in October despite the economy slowing quite dramatically. It looks like the countries and sectors with particularly hot labour markets could remain tight despite the economy contracting over the winter and experiencing just a mild recovery. Don’t forget that demographics also weigh more and more on potential labour supply, which means that shortages are set to become more structural anyway. The fact that the upcoming recession is unlikely to cool the market much means that structural shortages will likely be quite visible over the coming years. With unemployment at record lows now, shortages are set to become more structural Source: Eurostat, ING Research Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia Morning Bites: Inflation Data in Focus, FOMC, ECB, and BoJ Meetings Ahead

    Poland: Domestic Manufacturing Once Again Confirms Solid Resilience To External Shocks

    ING Economics ING Economics 20.12.2022 13:39
    Industrial output rose 4.6% year-on-year in November (consensus: 2.2%; ING: 0.7%), following an increase of 6.6% in October (revised). Power generation turned out stronger than we expected while the decline in manufacturing production is gradual, which is consistent with the recent improvement in economic indicators in Germany and the eurozone   European industry has been supported by the better availability of components amid improvements in supply chains in recent months as well as reduced concern about possible gas shortages due to favourable weather conditions at the beginning of the heating season in Europe. As a result, domestic industries with a large share of production for export - (1) machinery and equipment, (2) electrical equipment, (3) automobile manufacturing - performed solidly. This does not change the fact that the performance of industry is expected to deteriorate in the coming quarters. Industrial output (month-on-month, SA) Solid activity amid improving euro area leading indicators   Further disinflation is evident in producer prices. PPI slowed to 20.8% YoY in November from 23.1% YoY in October. On a monthly basis, the PPI index declined for the first time since August 2020. Prices in the energy supply section increased on a MoM basis after two months of marked declines. Energy prices are now about 60% higher than a year ago. In manufacturing, the deepest year-on-year price decline was in the production of coke and refined petroleum products (-7.6% YoY). Prices also fell in the production of metals and electronics. The end of the year looks relatively favourable for domestic manufacturing, which is entering the slowdown quite gently, accompanied by a decline in inflationary pressures, although PPI inflation remains high. Domestic manufacturing once again confirms solid resilience to external shocks. Tomorrow's retail sales data will provide a better assessment of the health of the service sector in 4Q22. We currently forecast GDP growth in the current quarter of around 2.5% YoY. Read this article on THINK TagsPoland industrial production Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Poland’s external imbalance narrowing amid slowing trading dynamics

    Poland: Forecast That GDP Growth May Amount To Around 2.5% y/y In 4Q22

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.12.2022 12:33
    Retail sales rose 1.6% year-on-year in November, broadly in line with our forecast (1.5%) and better than market expectations (0.3%). Sales continue to rise for necessities such as clothing and footwear (18.9% YoY), pharmaceuticals (6.1% YoY) and food (4.8% YoY), to which the Ukrainian refugees probably contribute Shoppers at the Poznan City mall in Poland   Seasonally-adjusted retail sales were 2.0% higher in November than in October. Consumers are very cautious about buying durable goods, resulting in declines in sales of furniture and household appliances (-7.6% YoY), and motor vehicles, motorcycles and parts (-6.4% YoY), among others. This is consistent with low consumer confidence. An additional factor curbing the propensity to spend is the high level of prices. This is arguably the key element behind the persistent decline in fuel sales (-14.4% YoY in November), which has continued for many months. Retail sales YoY dynamics source: GUS   Inflation continues to reduce real disposable income, as indicated by the continued decline in real wages. Despite this, we continue to see increases in sales of goods, and the YoY consumption growth rate likely remained positive in the fourth quarter. We estimate that it grew around 0.5-1% YoY in the fourth quarter, remaining close to the 0.9% YoY pace recorded in the third quarter. This is still a good result considering that 3Q showed a strong deceleration (a drop in the annual pace from 6.4% to 0.9% YoY), and 4Q21 also provided a high base, making it difficult to record positive growth in 4Q22. The statistical office confirmed that spending by refugees from Ukraine is being treated as resident spending and is included in the consumption data. At the same time, we know that some workers from Ukraine are not included in labour market statistics. This means that household disposable income may be underestimated. This calls for a cautious approach to data on household savings and the true situation in the household sector may differ from that recorded in the official data. If the real savings rate remains positive despite high inflation, it could support consumption in 2023. November high-frequency data suggests strong economic resilience to shocks, as consumption continues to grow and the slowdown is gradual. We estimate GDP growth in 4Q22 at around 2.5% YoY, which means we could see economic growth of around 5% for all of 2022. The resilience of the economy to the shocks we have seen at the end of 2022 is a good proxy for GDP in 2023, where we see growth around 1% YoY, i.e. slightly above consensus. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    UK Budget: Short-term positives to be met with medium-term caution

    Britain’s GDP Rate Increased And Has A Positive Effect On The GBP

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 22.12.2022 09:43
    The UK economy contracted by 0.3% on the quarter in the three months to September of 2022 vs. -0.2% prior, the final revision confirmed on Thursday. The market expected a reading of -0.2% in the reported period. On an annualized basis, Britain’s GDP rate increased by 1.9% in Q3 vs. 2.4% registered in the first estimate while missing 2.4% expectations. Meanwhile, the UK Q3 Current Account arrived at £-19.402 when compared to the £-33.224B expected and the second quarter’s £-35.086B. The country’s Total Business Investment data for Q3 came in at 1.3% QoQ and -2.5% YoY. FX implications GBP/USD was last seen trading at 1.2115, retreating from daily highs of 1.2135, still up 0.25% on the day. The Pound Sterling remains unimpressed by the mixed UK data dump. About the UK GDP The Gross Domestic Product released by the Office for National Statistics is a measure of the total value of all goods and services produced by the UK. The GDP is considered a broad measure of the UK's economic activity. Generally speaking, a rising trend has a positive effect on the GBP, while a falling trend is seen as negative (or bearish).  
    Oanda Podcast: US Jobs Report, SVB Financial Fallout And More

    Goldman Sachs Said The US Economy Could Avoid A Recession

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 23.12.2022 08:00
    Although macroeconomic data are improving after the Fed's sharp increase in interest rates, signs are showing that the biggest blow to the economy is yet to come. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has stressed several times that the full impact of this year's rate hike remains to be seen, so it is not clear whether there will be a recession or not, and if there is, they are not sure if it will be deep or not. Nevertheless, the Fed said real GDP will hit 0.5% in 2023, the PCE index will slow to 3.1% and the federal funds rate will peak at 5.1%. Big banks have already anticipated what is going to happen next year, with some considering a soft landing as their best case scenario. Goldman Sachs said the US economy could avoid a recession since there are good reasons to expect positive growth in the coming quarters. They forecast core inflation to slow to 3% next year, the unemployment rate to rise by 0.5%, and the US economy to grow by 1%. However, the bank noted an obvious downside risk with a recession probability of 35% next year. Morgan Stanley predicts that the US economy will break out of recession, but the landing wil not be soft as "job growth slows significantly and the unemployment rate continues to rise". Risks are also present because of interest rates, which will remain elevated for most of the year. Credit Suisse believes the US will be able to avoid an economic slowdown next year as inflation slows and the Fed pauses its rate hikes. The bank forecasts the US economy to grow by 0.8% in 2023. JPMorgan is the one that warned that a recession is very likely next year due to the over-tightening of central banks. Similarly, the Bank of America predicts a recession in the first quarter of 2023, with GDP falling by 0.4%. It predicts unemployment to rise to 5.5% by 2024, and inflation to fall to 3.2%. UBS also predicts a recession, citing high interest rates and near-zero growth in the US next year and in 2024. Wells Fargo expects a recession in the third quarter next year as a sharp rise in rates hurts demand. Capital Economics expects a moderate recession in the US next year and the Fed to be forced to cut rates by the end of 2023. According to their forecasts, GDP will grow by 0.2% over the next year and core inflation to slow to 3.2%. Relevance up to 09:00 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/330522
    Market Focus: European Data Releases, ECB Survey, US FOMC Minutes, and UK Bond Supply

    The Kiwi (NZD) Saw A Sharp Further Run To The Downside Yesterday, The EUR/GBP Pair Tests The Highs

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 23.12.2022 14:26
    Summary:  After Q3 GDP data revision that reminds us that the UK is in the vanguard for economies lurching into recession, sterling has lurched into a new slide and is even threatening a break down versus the euro as EURGBP tests the highs since the Truss-Kwarteng mini-budget sterling wipeout. Elsewhere, a plunge in the kiwi is likely down to position squaring and rebalancing ahead of year end after a remarkable recent run. Today's Special Edition Saxo Market Call podcast: Investors' Wish List for 2023.  FX Trading focus: Sterling stumbles after weak GDP, Kiwi longs take profit. Last important US data point of the year up today: November PCE inflation. The latest Q3 UK GDP revisions suggest the economy is weakening even more quickly than previously thought last quarter, as growth was revised down to -0.3% QoQ from -0.2% previously, and the Private Consumption figures was revised to -1.1% QoQ vs. -0.5% previously. The combination of a Bank of England that wants to soft-pedal further tightening and the promises of fiscal austerity from the Sunak-Hunt duo are a powerful negative for sterling as we look ahead into the New Year, which will likely bring relative UK economic weakness even if our thoughts that  recession fears for next year globally are over-baked for the first two and even three quarters. The FX fundamentals are entirely the opposite for the euro, as the ECB attempts a maximum hawkish stance as it recognizes the risks that the fiscal impulse can keep inflationary pressures elevated from here. The two-year yield spread is close to its highest since October of last year. Chart: EURGBPA weak GDP revision yesterday didn’t appear to be the proximate trigger for sterling’s latest lurch lower, but does remind us of the relative weakness of the UK outlook and the combination of a heel-dragging BoE (on further tightening) and austere fiscal picture could set up further declines in the weeks and months. Worth noting that the key EURGBP is pushing on the top side of the range established since the volatile days surrounding the Truss-Kwarteng mini-budget announcement. A hold above 0.8800 could lead to a test of the higher end of the range since the 2016 Brexit vote above 0.9200. A higher euro is straightforward if ECB maintains its hawkish stance as the EU fiscal impulse is far stronger from here. The wildcard for the euro side of the equation is the usual existential one of peripheral spreads and whether these stay orderly if yields resume their rise next year. Source: Saxo Group Elsewhere, the kiwi saw a sharp further run to the downside yesterday with no proximate identifiable trigger. AUDNZD traded all the way to 1.0719 before backing off to below 1.0650 at one point this morning. I suspect that this was an extension of the position squaring after a the remarkable run higher in the kiwi over the last two months, driven both by relative RBNZ hawkishness, but in particular by RBA (and arguably BoC), sparking heavy flows in AUDNZD just after the pair had traded almost to a decade high on hopes for a Chinese reopening boosting the outlook for Australia. The current reality on the ground in China is even worse than during the zero Covid tolerance days, but we know that the Arguably, recent record low consumer confidence readings in New Zealand suggest that the RBNZ will need to climb down from its hawkishness, at least in relative terms to its peers, going into next year. After an incredible slide in AUDNZD and rally in NZDCAD, I suspect we will see powerful mean reversion in the coming three months in those pairs. It feels like USD traders have checked out for this year. Hard to tell if today’s US November PCE inflation data can generate any excitement on a soft print after the soft CPI print earlier this month generated a lot of fuss that quickly faded on the very same day. A more interesting development would be a slightly hot core set of PCE core readings than expected today (the month-on-month core reading expected at +0.2% and year-on-year expected to have decelerated sharply to 4.6% from 5.0% in October. EURUSD has traded within a 100-pip range for more than a week and the 1-month implied volatility has recently plumbed lows (around 7.50%) not seen since the beginning of this year and would probably be lower still had not the Bank of Japan roiled markets this week. But the USD will have a hard time ignoring any further slide in risk sentiment to close out the year. And the beginning of the calendar year is nearly always interesting for new themes and often for demarcating key highs or lows for the year. Consider the following from the last six years of the EURUSD trading history: 2022: High for the year in EURUSD posted in February, but that high was only a few pips above the 1.1483 high water mark of January. Low for year posted in September 2021: High for the year was in January, on the third trading day of the year, low in late November 2020: Exceptional pandemic year, low for year posted in March, high in December 2019: High for quite year posted on January 10, low on October 1 2018: High for year posted in February, but highest daily close not above intraday high in January. Low posted in November 2017: Low for year in January, high in September (December high less than a figure from September high water mark) Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strength.The JPY still sits with a strong positive reading, but has yet to “trend” after the huge one-day move this week – a few more days of lack of movement and questions marks would begin to flourish around its status. Elsewhere, note the NZD going full circle and now broadly outright weak after its status as king of the G10 as recently as less than two weeks ago. Gold posted a sharp reversal yesterday. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.Note that the weakness in risk sensitive currencies like SEK, NZD, AUD & GBP are seeing those edging into a downtrend versus the US dollar – worth watching for a deepening of these moves if risk assets continue south into the New Year. The EURCHF bears watching if the pair can take out 0.9900-0.9950 as currently the pair is caught in a very tight range. NZD is rolling over in many pairings. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights 1330 – Canada Oct. GDP 1330 – US Nov. PCE Inflation 1330 – US Nov. Flash Durable Goods Orders 1500 – US Dec. Final University of Michigan Confidence   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/forex/fx-update-sterling-and-kiwi-stumble-as-year-winds-down-23122022
    Solid Wage Growth in Poland Signals Improving Labor Market Conditions

    Saxo Bank And JP Morgan's Negative Views On The Outlook For British Economic Growth

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.12.2022 08:03
    Signs of a painful contraction in the British economy continue to accumulate, causing analysts to doubt whether the currency can extend or even maintain the recent rebound against the dollar. The options market is also showing paranoia, with traders still pessimistic over the long term. The pound sterling jumped from its lowest level ever in September, driven by the government changes that followed the ill-fated term of Liz Truss as the country's prime minister, in addition to the collapse of the dollar. Despite this, the pound sterling still recorded a decline rate of 11% in 2022, to achieve its worst year since the vote to leave Britain from the European Union "Brexit" in 2016. Opportunities for gains next year may be limited by diverging central bank policies, as the Bank of England looks increasingly pessimistic in comparison to other central banks. Moreover, the U.K. economy continues to falter, the budget deficit is skyrocketing, and double-digit inflation has led to the steepest drop in living standards on record, leading to curbs in spending and the worst economic turmoil in decades. The housing market also looks vulnerable to a sharp correction. "The UK is at the forefront of economies teetering on the verge of collapse," said John Hardy, Head of FX Strategy at Saxo Bank. He explained that the pound sterling "could witness further declines in light of the combination of the Bank of England's slowdown towards the increasing tightening of monetary policy and the austere financial situation." The pound bounced back from losses caused by efforts for a broadly funded tax cut in two weeks, but it took more than two months to reverse risks for a year to pre-budget levels. The slow recovery of this gauge, which tracks market sentiment broadly, shows that traders remain deeply pessimistic towards the long-term GBP and that the recovery in the spot market was more based on positioning than outright growth. The latest data from the Futures Trading Commission showed leveraged funds switching to short positions on the British pound in the week ending December 13, after being long positions previously, while asset managers held short positions. JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts expect the pound to fall to $1.14 at the end of the first quarter, from around $1.21 now, citing their "particularly negative views" on the outlook for British economic growth. And the looming local elections in May could stir up more political uncertainty. Strategists polled by Bloomberg expect the pound to fall to $1.17 in the first quarter before recovering slightly to $1.21 by the end of 2023. Relevance up to 14:00 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/330788
    German Export Weakness In The Fourth Quarter Suggests That Recession Fears Are Real

    German Export Weakness In The Fourth Quarter Suggests That Recession Fears Are Real

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.01.2023 08:45
    Exports continue to weaken, suggesting that recession fears are real German exports continue to weaken   German export weakness continues. German exports (seasonally and calendar-adjusted) decreased by 0.3% month-on-month in November, from -0.6% MoM in October. On the year, exports were up by more than 13% but this is in nominal terms and not corrected for high inflation. Imports also decreased, by 3.3% month-on-month, from -2.4% MoM in October. As a result, the trade balance widened to €10.8bn. The ongoing weakness in exports in the fourth quarter suggests that recession fears are real. Near-term outlook anything but rosy Trade is no longer a growth driver but has instead become a drag on German economic growth. Since the second quarter of 2021, the growth contribution of net exports has actually been negative. In the past, the current weakness of the euro would at least have brought some smiles to German exporters’ faces. Like almost no other, German exports have often seen an asymmetric reaction to exchange rate developments. The negative impact of a stronger currency is cushioned by inelastic demand and high product quality, while the full price impact of a weaker currency normally adds to export strength. But not this time. Export order books have continued to weaken significantly in recent months as the global economic slowdown, high inflation and high uncertainty leave a clear mark. The near-term outlook is anything but rosy. It could take at least until next spring before relief in global supply chains and a rebounding global economy revive German exports. Read this article on THINK TagsGermany GDP Export Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Despite The Improvement In The Outlook Due To Falling Energy Prices, The Economic Environment In Britain Remains Difficult

    The Bank Of England Urgently Needs To Tame Stubbornly High Inflation

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 04.01.2023 15:05
    Before the end of the year, we asked InstaForex about UK economy, which is expected to decrease significantly, as we approach the end of the year. Let's have a look how do they see the near future of the UK economy and what would BoE consider as a gauge ahead of next interest rate decision. Although the UK GDP for the third quarter turned out to be noticeably worse than expected, the reading was still relatively positive. In annual terms, economic expansion contracted to 1.9% from 4.0%. However, a 2.0% economic growth is quite acceptable for Western countries. At first glance, it might seem that the British economy remains stable. However, in quarterly terms, it shrank by 0.3%. It indicates that the economy is gradually sliding into a recession. Notably, analysts have been predicting such a scenario for a long time. The energy crunch has considerably crippled the eurozone economy as well as the British one. The EU managed to fill its storage sites and avoid fuel shortages. However, it would hardly help it in the future. Even after some stabilization, energy prices soared by two or three times compared to last year. Such sharp price swings adversely affect the European economy. The manufacturing sector is bearing the brunt. Production costs have risen dramatically. Manufacturers are forced to reduce the profit margin to boost their market competitiveness. However, this move leads to a bigger extension of the payback period. However, in the EU,  the payback period is almost the longest one in the world. A few years ago, the payback period of individual industrial enterprises could stretch to 50 years. It made investments in the European economy less attractive.  Over such a long time, investors will only be able to return the invested funds, abandoning hopes for any profit. Recently, the situation has become even worse. It will inevitably lead to an increase in unemployment and a reduction in tax revenues.  Thus, many European manufacturers, including British ones, are now mulling over options for moving industrial production to other regions with lower energy costs and cheap labor. It will inevitably lead to an increase in unemployment and a reduction in tax revenues. In turn, governments will have to deal with worsening social policy, e.g. payments of pensions and benefits.  The situation is extremely challenging. However, those problems appeared a long time ago. The energy crisis and other economic woes have just exposed those cracks.  Things are getting worse due to the Bank of England’s monetary policy stance. It is adamant when it comes to rate increases. As a result, the borrowing costs are rising, which further extends the payback period. Such a problem is quite acute for those who are opening new enterprises or are going to modernize the existing ones.  Even if British companies decide to keep firms and staff, it will be difficult for them even to repair equipment. As for its upgrade, it would seem an attainable goal. Naturally, such companies will quickly lose market competitiveness and lower their production volumes. It will be a rather long and painful downturn.  Read next: Bitcoin: As for the price levels, one should pay attention to the level of $18,000 that has been recently hit. Probably, this level may well serve a starting point for buyers in case the price holds above it on a daily chart | FXMAG.COM The only thing the Bank of England can do is to reduce borrowing costs The Bank of England urgently needs to tame stubbornly high inflation. According to the latest data, inflation slowed to 10.7% from 11.1%. However, it is too early to talk about a steady decline in consumer prices. In June, inflation also dropped to 9.9% from 10.1%. Shortly after, it climbed again. Moreover, its rise was facilitated by supply chain disruptions and production cuts.That is, demand is constantly growing despite the shortage of goods. This is the main reason for an uptick in consumer prices. To some extent, the problem can be resolved at least partially by increasing the output volume. However, this option looks unlikely given the high cost of investment in the industrial sector.  The only thing the Bank of England can do is to reduce borrowing costs. Besides, the watchdog is not responsible for all other issues such as legislation and taxes. Judging by the results of the last meeting, the regulator may start lowering interest rates. Additionally, speculators were surprised that two of the nine board members voted for a rate cut. The Bank of England tries to act preemptively Once inflation starts to decline confidently, the Bank of England will stop the key interest rate hike. Then, after a small pause, it is likely to loosen its monetary policy. It is quite possible that the first key rate cut will take place as early as the first part of 2023. Notably, the BoE was among the first central banks that launched monetary policy tightening. In general, the economic situation in both the US and Europe is almost the same. On both sides of the Atlantic, most structural problems are identical. The Bank of England tries to act preemptively, whereas the European Central Bank and the Federal Reserve are closely monitoring the effect of these actions. If the result is not negative, they immediately take almost the same measures. At least in the last few years, the situation has been developing according to this scenario. There is no wonder. The fact is that the Bank of England is managing a large economy, but it cannot be compared with the economies of the US and the European Union. In other words, the Fed and the European Central Bank have weightier responsibilities. Any unwise decision may lead to alarming global consequences. Apart from inflation, central banks should also take into account the labor market condition. The Bank of England does not have difficulties with this issue. In the UK, the unemployment rate is 3.7%. In the last few months, it has been rising, thus approaching its usual level of 4.0%. This, in turn, provides the BoE with another reason to cut its benchmark rate, especially if the unemployment rate slightly exceeds 4.0%. This is likely to happen when the BoE sees a steady slowdown in inflation. It is highly likely that in early 2023, the Bank of England will raise the key interest rate once more. This time, analysts expect a 25-basis-point rise to 3.75% from 3.5% aimed at reinforcing progress in combat against inflation. At the second meeting of the year, the key rate will remain unchanged so that the regulator can analyze the effect of its previous decisions. At the following meeting, which is scheduled for May 11, the central bank may cut the benchmark rate to 3.5% from 3.75%. All the following cuts will be more moderate compared to the hikes in 2022. They are likely to be limited by rather high inflation and fears that it may resume surging amid a rapid drop in interest rates. It is highly possible that by the end of the year, the key interest rate will be lowered just to 3.0%. Could such measures support the UK economy? The UK is unlikely to avoid a recession. The fact is that the US is expected to slip into a recession, thus negatively affecting the European economy. However, the loosening of monetary policy may cushion the possible impact. Nevertheless, the Bank of England is unable to alter the situation considerably. It simply has no tools to affect structural economic problems. Thus, the regulator has only a minor influence on expenses in the industrial sector. It can settle just the financial component of the issue, which is of minor importance. The Bank of England can postpone the relocation of enterprises outside the United Kingdom, thus allowing the government to take effective steps if it decides to take this opportunity. 
    Hungarian inflation peak is behind us

    Hungary: The Fuel Trade Was The Only Sector That Did Not Have A Poor Trading Record

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.01.2023 10:44
    Despite the positive headline reading for November retail sales, the overall consumption picture is bleak Vehicles line up to be fueled at a gas station in Budapest, Hungary 0.6% Volume of retail sales (YoY) Consensus 1.8% / Previous 0.6% Worse than expected   November retail sales data were a bad surprise for those who were hoping for the usual year-end shopping frenzy. The mediocre 0.6% year-on-year growth in the volume of retail sales in November is a result of a 0.15% month-on-month performance, which is pretty poor.  When it comes to the details, we can’t see any major surprises, at least not in the month-on-month developments. On a monthly basis, food retailing practically stagnated. And this is despite the fact the pensioners (who have the highest level of propensity to consume) got a significant lump sum payment as the government by law needed to match pension growth with inflation, retrospectively. So it's evident that consumers have been adapting to the new reality of galloping food prices. Breakdown of retail sales (% YoY, wda) Source: HCSO, ING   Regarding non-food retailers, we see a similar story as households reduced demand for non-essential goods. Sales volume in non-food stores shrank by 0.4% on a monthly basis causing a 2.3% year-on-year drop. And this performance comes in a month earmarked by the month-long Black Friday sales period. While sales events aren't as frequent and strong as they used to be, the dropping purchasing power of households is impacting non-food retailers. The two segments where we saw some positive developments were clothing (due to seasonal factors) and second-hand goods shops as consumers hunt for bargains. With weak performance in food and non-food retailing, this leaves us with only one sector which saw growth: fuel retailing. Drivers were queuing in long lines to fill up gas tanks as rumours started to swirl in November that the government might be ready to scrap the fuel price cap. As a result, the month-on-month fuel sales growth came in at 2.9%, in volume. The government phased out the fuel price cap in mid-December, so fuel retailing should post a strong December as well. However, this doesn’t change the underlying picture, which is that without fuel retailing, consumption is falling. Retail sales volume in detail (2015 = 100%) Source: HCSO, ING   As real wage growth will drop further into negative territory during the next few months (with further rising inflation), we see retail sales continuing to fall. As soon as car users begin to adapt to the market prices, fuel consumption will fall significantly, while extreme food price inflation and the move away from non-essential purchases will be a major drag on growth in retail sales. Against this backdrop, we expect a significant slump in consumption during the fourth quarter of 2022. This will be a major drag on GDP growth and after the third quarter’s negative quarter-on-quarter reading, we see a repetition of a downturn in the last quarter of 2022. This means Hungary falling into a technical recession in the fourth quarter. A subpar performance at the year-end will create a negative carry-over effect and the possible continuation of this poor performance during the first quarter will translate into a stagnation-like economic performance in 2023 as a whole. Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Hungary Households GDP Consumption Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Soft PMIs Are Further Signs Of A Weak UK Economy

    The U.K. Economy Is In Trouble, Fall Of GDP Is Expected!

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 08.01.2023 19:48
    A difficult year ahead for the global economy is set to hit some countries harder than others. Inflation was one of the biggest macroeconomic themes in 2022 and it is likely to remain so in 2023. Inflation also contributes to gross domestic product. In Great Britain, this indicator does not look optimistic, and its upcoming reading may turn out to be crucial for the economy this year. The Bank of England has said the country is on track for a prolonged recession, as households struggle to keep up with the soaring costs of food, energy and other basic essentials. Economists opinion Around four-fifths of economists say the UK will experience a much longer recession than its peers. They predict a difficult year 2023 and a potential return to normal by 2024. The UK will face one of the worst recessions and weakest recoveries in the G7 in the coming year, as households pay a heavy price for the government’s policy failings, some economists say. A large proportion of experts expect the UK to fall behind its peers, with gross domestic product already contracting and expected to continue to do so for most or all of 2023. The result is expected to be an increasingly steep decline in household income as higher credit costs add to the pain already caused by soaring food and energy prices. In its macro forecast for 2023, Goldman Sachs forecast a 1.2% decline in UK real GDP over the course of the year, well below all other major G-10 economies. ING pointed out that GDP figures have been somewhat discrepant recently, partly due to the Queen's funeral in September last year. But the economy is clearly weakening and ING expects a negative monthly result in November, after an artificial rebound in October after September's extra day off. Inflation Throughout the last year, the Bank of England has been raising interest rates in an attempt to cool down rampant inflation. This resulted in an increase in interest rates from 0.25% to 3.5%. The cost of borrowing in the UK has increased dramatically, affecting the ability of businesses to borrow money, but also the cost of mortgage payments for millions of Britons. As mortgage repayments increase, household disposable income decreases. Disposable income is also affected by inflation as the cost of goods and services increases. The Office for National Statistics reported last month that Britain's inflation rate was 10.7% in November, down from a 40-year high of 11.1%. GDP Economic activity has slowed sharply in recent months as consumers tighten their belts in response to soaring living costs, while business investment has slumped amid concerns over the strength of the UK and global economy. Last month, GDP showed that the UK economy contracted at a rate of -0.3% in the last quarter. This reinforces speculation that the UK is facing a long recession. When it comes to forecasts for quarterly or year-on-year results, there are no forecasts, but a contraction is to be expected given the prevailing economic conditions. The Pound (GBP) on FX market Based on the current outlook, investors can expect a difficult year ahead for the pound, with the value of sterling coming under significant pressure if the economies of its major counterparts continue to outperform the UK. During the last recession, the pound fell to 1.05 to the euro and 1.14 to the dollar. Cable (GBPUSD) was trading at 1.14 Source: investing.com
    Polish Inflation Declines in July, Paving the Way for September Rate Cut

    UK’s November GDP Will Likely Signal The Start Of Recession, The Q4 Earnings Season Starts Next Week

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 09.01.2023 08:37
    Summary:  Volatility back in focus this week with US CPI on the radar, after jobs report showed a strong headline but softening wage growth. Economic concerns in the US are increasing but it still isn’t enough for the Fed to shift focus from inflation which is likely to remain about three times the Fed’s 2% target, and Fed Chair Powell’s comments this week will also be key. China’s December CPI is expected to come in modestly higher, with PPI less negative as well. Australia’s November CPI will key for further direction in AUDUSD. UK’s November GDP will likely signal the start of an incoming official recession, and Q4 earnings season kicks off with bank earnings in focus this week.         US CPI remains the most key data point to watch, Fed Chair Powell speaks as well There is enough reason to believe that we can get some further disinflationary pressures in the coming weeks. Economic momentum has been weakening, as highlighted by the plunge in ISM services last week into contraction territory, particularly with the forward-looking new orders subcomponent. An unusually warm winter has also helped to provide some reprieve from inflation pains. Bloomberg consensus forecasts are pointing to a softening in headline inflation to 6.5% YoY, 0.0% MoM (from 7.1% YoY, 0.1% MoM prev) while core inflation remains firmer at 5.7% YoY, 0.3% MoM (from 6.0% YoY, 0.2% MoM). Still, these inflation prints remain more than three times faster than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. Fed officials have made it clear they expect goods price inflation to continue to ease, expecting another big drop in used car prices. But officials are seemingly focused on services ex-housing which remains high. So even a softer inflation print is unlikely to provide enough ammunition for the Fed to further slow down its pace of rate hikes. Fed Chair Jerome Powell this week as well, and his tone will be key to watch. Volatility on watch if US CPI sees a big surprise The last two months have shown that big swings in US CPI can spark significant volatility in the equity markets, given the large amounts of hedging flows and short-term options covering. With a big focus on CPI numbers again this week, similar volatility cannot be ruled out. Volume might be thin still this week as many are still on holidays, so moves in equities could be amplified in either direction. Meanwhile, FX reaction to CPI has been far more muted, but some key levels remain on watch this week. A higher-than-expected CPI print could keep expectations tilted towards a 50bps rate hike again in February, while a miss could mean expectations of further slowdown in Fed’s tightening pace to 25bps in February could pick up which can be yield and dollar negative. EURUSD looks stretched above 1.0650 and key levels to watch will be 1.0500, while USDJPY needs to close below 130.38 to extend the downturn further. USDCNH remains key to watch as well as it gets closer to test 6.8000 amid China reopening and easing in property sector. AUDUSD is also flashing a bullish signal after breaking above the key 0.69 this morning with China reopening momentum underpinning. The Aussie dollar flags a bullish signal, crossing a key level. Could inflation add to the rally? After the US dollar suffered its longest streak of weekly falls in two months, the commodity currency - the Aussie dollar broke above its 200-day moving average, which is seen by some as a bullish sign with the Aussie dollar (AUDUSD) trading at two-month high of 0.69 US cents. What's also supporting the currency is that China’s reopening is expected to add considerably to Australia’s GDP. There’s a potential 0.5% addition to GDP in a year once Chinese students and tourists return. Plus there is likely to be an extra boost to GDP from the anticipated pick up in commodity buying from China. Extra hot sauce could even come from China potentially buying Australian coal again. JPMorgan thinks over the next two years, Aussie GDP will grow 1% alone thanks to inbound Chinese students and holiday makers likely returning. The next catalyst for the currency is inflation, CPI data out on Wednesday Jan 11. Core or trimmed CPI is expected to have risen from 5.3% YoY to 5.5% YoY. If CPI come in line with expectations, or above 5.3% YoY, you might also think the AUD rally could be supported.  China’s CPI expected modestly higher, PPI less negative Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had a median forecast of China’s December CPI at an increase of 1.8% Y/Y, edging up from 1.6% in November, mainly due to base effects, as food prices are likely to be stable and higher outprices in the manufacturing sector might be offset by a fall in services prices. PPI in December is expected to be -0.1% Y/Y, a smaller decline from -1.3% Y/Y in November, benefiting from base effects. The decline in coal prices was likely to be offset by an increase in steel prices. Growth in new RMB loan and aggregate financing expected to slow in China The Bloomberg survey consensus is forecasting a modest decline in new RMB loans to RMB1,200 billion in December from RMB1,210 billion in November despite the Chinese authorities have been urging banks to lend to the real estate sector. New aggregate financing is expected to slow to RMB1,850 billion from RMB1,990 billion, primarily dragged by a decline in bond issuance from local governments. UK November GDP to signal an incoming recession UK’s monthly GDP numbers are due this week, and consensus expects a contraction of 0.3% MoM in November from +0.5% MoM previously which was boosted by the favourable M/M comparison vs. September, which was impacted by the extra bank holiday for the Queen’s funeral. The economy is clearly weakening, and another quarter of negative GDP print remains likely which will mark the official start of a recession in the UK. Start of the US earnings season The Q4 earnings season starts next week with major US banking earnings most notably from Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup. Analysts remain muted on US banks with earnings expected to show another quarter of negative earnings growth compared to a year ago. For the overall Q4 earnings season we expect to see more industries experiencing margin compression than industries experiencing expanding margins. This will continue to be a headwind for earnings growth. Analysts did not see the margin compression coming in Q3 and judging from current estimates they have not materially revised down their expectations. That means that the Q4 earnings season and beyond could be paved with more disappointments. The list below shows the most important earnings releases next week. Tuesday: Albertsons Thursday: Fast Retailing, Seven & I Friday: DiDi Global, Aeon, Bank of New York Mellon, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, UnitedHealth, BlackRock, Delta Air Lines, First Republic Read next: The U.K. Economy Is In Trouble, Fall Of GDP Is Expected!| FXMAG.COM Key economic releases & central bank meetings this week Monday 9 January U.S. Manheim used vehicle index (Dec) Germany Industrial production (Nov) Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence (Jan) Eurozone Unemployment rate (Nov) Japan: market closed for holiday Tuesday 10 January France Industrial production (Nov) Japan Tokyo-area CPI (Dec) Fed's Bostic speaks in a moderated discussion Fed's Daly interviewed in WSJ Live event Fed Chair Powell speaks at Riksbank event Wednesday 11 January Australia retail sales (Nov) Australia CPI (Nov) U.S. MBA mortgage applications (Jan 6) Thursday 12 January Australia trade (Nov) U.S. CPI (Dec) China CPI & PPI (Dec) Fed's Harker discusses the economic outlook Friday 13 January U.S. U of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (Jan, preliminary) Eurozone: Industrial production (Nov) UK: Monthly GDP (Nov) Japan: Money supply (Dec) China: Imports, exports and trade balance During the week: China: Aggregate financing, new RMB loans, money supply (Dec) Source: Saxo Spotlight: What’s on the radar for investors & traders for the week of 9-13 Jan? US/China/Australia inflation, UK GDP and the start of Q4 earnings season | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    German labour market starts the year off strongly

    The New Year Started On A More Optimistic Footing For The German Economy

    ING Economics ING Economics 09.01.2023 11:06
    Industrial activity in November provided more evidence that the economy did not fall off a cliff in the fourth quarter but was not strong enough to avoid a contraction either   German industrial production increased by 0.2% month-on-month in November, from a downwardly revised -0.4% MoM in October. On the year, industrial production was down by 0.4%. Production in the energy-intensive sectors increased by 0.2% MoM and is now down by almost 13% compared with November last year. While production in the energy sector increased by 3% MoM, activity in the construction sector weakened by 2.2% MoM. Glass half full or half empty? Today's industrial production data brings back the old question of whether the glass is half full or half empty. To some, the current stagnation means that German industry is holding up better than feared. To others, it is only filled order books at the start of the war in Ukraine and the backlog of orders that prevented more severe damage to industrial production. In any case, industrial production is still some 4% below its pre-pandemic level. Almost three years after the start of the pandemic. The former growth engine of the German economy is stuttering and improvement is not really in sight. Despite the recent return of optimism as illustrated by improving sentiment indicators, the sharp drop in new orders, the inventory build-up in recent months, the lagged impact of high energy prices and potential supply chain frictions as a result of China’s Covid policies all bode ill for the short-term outlook. Still, the New Year started on a more optimistic footing for the German economy. The mild temperatures almost seem to have ended the energy supply crisis, at least for now. National gas reserves have increased again, and consumption is clearly below historical averages. However, the question is how sustainable the safety net of warmer temperatures and fiscal stimulus can be. Even at the risk of being perceived as the boy who cried wolf, the short period in early December when a real winter spell pushed gas consumption more than 10% above historical averages illustrates how deceptive the optimism at the start of the year could be. Let’s not forget that the German economy is still facing a series of challenges which are likely to weigh on growth this year: energy supply in the winter of 2023/24, changing global trade with more geopolitical risks and changes to supply chains, high investment needs for digitalisation and infrastructure and an increasing lack of skilled workers. While the warm weather should actually ring alarm bells in terms of climate change, it is a welcome surprise for the economy. However, the warm weather does not simply blow away all economic problems. Solid construction sector too little to avoid recession Today’s industrial production data was the last hard macro data before the German statistical office releases its first estimate of fourth-quarter growth. Remember that in the third quarter, soft data plunged like a stone although actual GDP growth surprised to the upside. This time around, it looks as if hard data will be catching up. So far, and compared with the third quarter, retail sales, exports and industrial production all point to a mild contraction in the economy. Only the construction sector seems to be in growth territory. Despite the latest improvements in confidence indicators, available hard data still suggests that the economy’s slide into recession has continued. Read this article on THINK TagsIndustrial propduction Germany GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Riksbank's Potential Rate Hike Amid Economic Challenges: Analysis and Outlook

    Unemployment In Eurozone Was Unchanged From October At 6.5%

    ING Economics ING Economics 09.01.2023 12:41
    The eurozone unemployment rate was unchanged in November despite economic conditions pointing to contraction. This leaves the labour market historically strong, but also makes it a key risk for second-round inflation effects for the ECB   November 2022 was another strong month for eurozone labour markets. Unemployment was unchanged from October at 6.5%, the lowest rate since the data series began in 1998, with many of the larger countries seeing the rate decline, such as France, Italy and Spain, however large increases in Austria and Portugal offset these developments. Overall, the resilient labour market is a positive for Europeans who are already seeing incomes come under pressure due to high inflation. This dampens the negative economic consequences of the inflation shock. With a mild recession as the most likely economic outcome for this winter, there is some cooling of the labour market to be expected. Still, with a labour market this tight, it is unlikely that unemployment will run up enough to make labour shortages a thing of the past. That makes this a key risk for the ECB at the moment. While inflation expectations are fairly well anchored right now, chances of higher trending wage growth remain an upside risk to inflation for this year. While there is no evidence of a wage-price spiral so far, the ECB has taken a hawkish turn and will remain worried about wage growth rising further anyway. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Eurozone   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Polish Inflation Declines in July, Paving the Way for September Rate Cut

    The UK GDP Data Is Likely To Show A Decrease

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 13.01.2023 08:20
    Today, January 12, Thursday, the US dollar dropped significantly once more. Let me remind you that last Friday, reports on the unemployment rate, the labor market, and business activity were released in the United States for the first time in 2023. 223 thousand people were employed, the unemployment rate declined to 3.5%, and the ISM index unexpectedly went below the 50.0 level. Generally speaking, the only ISM index that is detrimental to the dollar is the one for the services sector. The remaining news is all favorable in my opinion, but the demand for the US dollar is still down significantly. The demand for the dollar was steady at the start of this week, but today data on inflation in the United States was released, which did not appear to startle the market but sparked a strong reaction. The market anticipated a decrease in the consumer price index of 6.5% y/y, which exactly happened. The market also anticipated a 5.7% y/y decline in the base index. There were no additional significant occurrences today. The demand for US dollars nonetheless decreased It turns out that although both results from the same report were almost exactly in line with predictions, the demand for US dollars nonetheless decreased, preventing both instruments from starting (or continuing) to build the correction portion of the trend. It is vital to note that the subsequent activities of central banks, in this case, the Fed, are more significant than inflation itself. Michelle Bowman, one of the FOMC's voting members, recently predicted that the rate will increase because inflation is still too high. At a Florida event, Bowman stated, "I believe we can cut inflation without a big economic slump as the jobless rate continues at its historic lows. Other FOMC members had previously argued for the continuation of monetary policy tightening. However, the market appears to be responding that all interest rate increases have already been fully absorbed by the US dollar's constantly declining demand. The rate is anticipated to climb to a maximum of 5.5% by the market, though it may be lower following today's inflation report The recession in the UK has reportedly already started It is important to keep in mind that the demand for the currency is supported by a tighter monetary policy. Therefore, as expectations for the rate decline, so does the demand for the currency. Therefore, from a wave perspective, I continue to anticipate the development of downward trend sections. Despite their significant length and complexity, the market indicates that it is willing to build upward segments. Only figures on British GDP, European and British industrial production, and the American University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index are available this week. The recession in the UK has reportedly already started, thus the most significant GDP data is likely to show a decrease. If this is the case, it would be difficult to predict that the GDP will increase over a single month. The MACD is indicating a "down" trend I conclude that the upward trend section's building is about finished based on the analysis. As a result, given that the MACD is indicating a "down" trend, it is now viable to contemplate sales with targets close to the predicted 0.9994 level, or 323.6% per Fibonacci. The potential for complicating and extending the upward portion of the trend remains quite strong, as does the likelihood of this happening. The building of a downward trend section is still assumed by the wave pattern of the pound/dollar instrument. According to the "down" reversals of the MACD indicator, it is possible to take into account sales with objectives around the level of 1.1508, which corresponds to 50.0% by Fibonacci. The upward portion of the trend is probably over, however, it might yet take a lengthier shape than it does right now. Relevance up to 16:00 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/332164
    The German economy underperformed in the Q4 of 2022, GDP declined

    The Adverse Effects From The War And The Energy Crisis Will Be A Drag On The German Economy

    ING Economics ING Economics 13.01.2023 11:45
    The German economy grew by 1.9% in 2022. This implies a stagnating, not contracting, economy in the fourth quarter. Will the widely-predicted recession simply fail to materialise? We remain doubtful. Avoiding the worst does not suggest the economy is doing well. The economy has just returned to its pre-pandemic level   Same procedure as every year. The German statistical office just released a first estimate for GDP growth in 2022, without having any single hard data point for the month of December. According to this first estimate, the German economy grew by 1.9% year-on-year, from 2.6% in 2021. Definitely not bad for a year with lockdowns and a war. However, to put things in perspective: the German economy has only just returned to its size of late 2019. Three years of crisis have not passed by unnoticed. First estimate points to stagnation not contraction in fourth quarter The most important element of this annual growth rate is what it means for fourth quarter growth. According to the statistical office, the German economy stagnated in the fourth quarter, after growing by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter. In the past, these implied estimates for the final quarter were very accurate. However, at the current juncture, the economic performance in December could have been more volatile and disruptive than in the past; think of the weather impact, longer Christmas breaks and stronger-than-expected impact from the energy crisis on consumption and production. We think that this estimate for the fourth quarter will still be revised somewhat. In any case, today’s data shows that for the entire year 2022, the catch-up effect after the end of lockdowns, both for consumption and production, outweighed the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine. In the final months of the year, fiscal support also cushioned the downswing. Avoiding the worst doesn't mean that growth will rebound strongly Looking ahead, the post-lockdown catch-up is over and will not support economic activity in 2023. The adverse effects from the war and the energy crisis are likely to prevail and will be a drag on the economy. Weakening new industrial orders since February last year and weak consumer confidence are just two of many reasons for more trouble ahead for the German economy. Still, the New Year started on a more optimistic footing for the German economy. The mild temperatures almost seem to have ended the energy supply crisis, at least for now. National gas reserves have increased again, and consumption is clearly below historical averages. While the warm weather should actually ring alarm bells in terms of climate change, it is a welcome surprise for the economy. That said, the weather is far from predictable and the economic safety net is built on fiscal stimulus. More generally, let’s not forget that the German economy is still facing a series of challenges which are likely to weigh on growth this year and beyond: energy supply in the winter of 2023/24, changing global trade with more geopolitical risks and changes to supply chains, high investment needs for digitalisation and infrastructure and an increasing lack of skilled workers. Today's data suggests that the widely-predicted recession might not happen. We remain very cautious. The sheer fact that the German economy avoided the worst, unfortunately, does not mean that all of the economic problems have disappeared. Read this article on THINK TagsGermany GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Polish Inflation Declines in July, Paving the Way for September Rate Cut

    The UK Economy Is Sputtering, GDP For November Outperformed With a 0.1% Gain

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 13.01.2023 12:54
    The British pound is slightly higher on Friday. GBP/USD is trading at 1.2234, up 0.24%. The pound has enjoyed a solid week, with gains of 1.2%. US inflation drops again US inflation continues to decline and slowed for a sixth straight month in December. Headline CPI fell to 6.5%, down from 7.1% and matching the estimate. The drop was driven by lower prices for gasoline as well as new and used vehicles. Core CPI showed a similar trend, dropping from 6.0% to 5.7%, which matched the forecast. Inflation is coming down slowly and remains much higher than the Fed’s 2% target, as any Fed member will be quick to point out. Still, it’s clear that inflation is on the right path as the impact of the Fed’s aggressive tightening cycle is being felt in the economy. The inflation data came in as expected, but the markets were nonetheless delighted and the US dollar sustained losses across the board on Thursday. The Fed was also pleased that inflation continues to downtrend. After the inflation release, Fed member Harkins said he supports a 25-basis point hike at the February meeting and expects rates to rise “a few more times this year”, with a 25-bp pace being appropriate. This sounds like an acknowledgment that inflation has peaked, although we won’t be hearing the “P” word from any Fed official, for fear of the markets going overboard and loosening conditions, which would complicate the fight against inflation. Other Fed members have come out in support of a 25-bp hike in February and the CME’s FedWatch has pegged the odds of a 25-bp increase at 93%. Barring some unforeseen event, a 25-bp hike looks like a done deal. In the UK, GDP for November outperformed, with a 0.1%, gain, above the forecast of -0.2% but weaker than the October read of 0.5%. The broader picture is not pretty, with GDP falling by -0.3% in the three months to November. The UK economy is sputtering and the Bank of England has its work cut out as it must continue raising rates, despite the weak economy, in order to curb high inflation. The BoE meets next on February 2nd.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD tested support at 1.2192 earlier in the day. The next support level is 1.2017 There is resistance at 1.2290 and 1.2366 This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Kiwi Faces Depreciation Pressure: RBNZ Expected to Hold Rates Amidst Downward Momentum

    The UK Economy Is Still Under Immense Strain, The Bank Of Korea May Be The First To End Raising Rates

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 13.01.2023 14:48
    It’s been another lively week in financial markets and one in which investors have become increasingly hopeful that 2023 won’t be as bad as feared. In a way, the week started with the jobs report the Friday before as it was this that enabled the enthusiasm to build. The labour market has been a major barrier to optimism as the Fed was never going to pivot quickly unless there were signs in the labour market that slack was building and wages cooling. We’re now starting to see that. That optimism has been compounded by the first monthly inflation decline in two and a half years and further sharp annual declines in both the headline and core readings. While the final hurdle to 2% may be the most challenging, there’s no doubt we’re heading in the right direction and the threat of entrenched inflation has greatly receded. Now it’s over to corporate America to potentially spoil the party as the enthusiasm on inflation is not yet matched to the economic outlook. We haven’t seen mass layoffs yet but a number of firms, starting in the tech space but spreading further, have warned of large redundancies in the coming months. The fourth quarter earnings season may bring investors back down to earth with a bang. The start of the year has been fantastic but the rest of it will still be very challenging. More bleak Chinese trade data That’s very evident in the Chinese trade data, as it has in the data of other major trading nations in recent months. Imports and exports both slumped again, albeit to a slightly lesser degree than expected. The drop in imports reflects the Covid adjustment which is likely weighing on demand and the local economy. Exports is a global issue, with those to the US and EU sliding the most, reflecting the challenging economic environment. That may not improve in the near term but there will be a hope that it could in the second half of the year. Can UK avoid recession? The optimists may put to some of the recent data as an indication of some resilience in the economy but I’m not convinced. Take the UK, for example. It may not be in a technical recession after all, with spending around the World Cup enabling a better performance in November, delivering growth of 0.1% after a 0.5% gain in October. Aside from the fact that December could be worse as a result, or some of those gains could be revised out, those numbers don’t change the reality of the cost-of-living crisis and if accurate, it more likely reflects shifted spending patterns as opposed to a more willing consumer. A recession may be delayed but the economy is still under immense strain. The end of the tightening cycle The Bank of Korea may be among the first central banks to bring its tightening cycle to an end, after raising the Base Rate by 25 basis points before removing reference to the need to hike further. This was replaced with a commitment to judge whether rates will need to raise rates depending on multiple factors including incoming data. I think most others won’t be far behind, with in most cases the end coming at some point in the first quarter. All we have to contend with then is the economic consequences of the tightening. BoJ under pressure to abandon YCC And then there’s the anomaly out there. I’m not talking about the CBRT which I just can’t take seriously and that’s saying something at the moment. The Bank of Japan shocked the markets in December by widening its yield curve control buffer around 0% and it’s been paying the price ever since. Another unscheduled bond buying overnight occurred on the back of the 10-year JGB breaching 0.5%, as investors bail on Japanese debt on the belief that the YCC tool is being phased out and will be abandoned altogether before long. This makes the meeting next week all the more interesting. Revival underway? The risk rally over the last week has even lifted bitcoin out of its pit of despair. It goes without saying that it’s been a tough few months for cryptos but the lack of recent contagion in the space, or new revelations, and the risk rebound in broader markets has lifted it off its lows to trade at its highest level since the FTX scandal erupted. It’s trading at $19,000 and traders may harbour some hope of a move back above $20,000, a level once deemed a disturbing low but now potentially representing a sign of a revival. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar: www.marketpulse.com/economic-events/ This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.
    The Results Of The March Meeting Of The Bank Of Japan Are Rather Symbolic

    Inflation Hasn't Peaked Yet In Japan And Is Likely To Hit 4.0% In Early 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.01.2023 10:07
    We expect Japan's GDP growth to slow in 2023 but to remain above its potential rate, supported by an accommodative macro policy environment. The near-term outlook is bleak due to high inflation and weak global demand conditions In this article Japan: At a glance 3 calls for 2023 Normalisation of Bank of Japan policy – a long and tough road ahead Wage growth is key to watch Fiscal policy is supporting growth   Inflation hasn't peaked yet in Japan and is likely to hit 4.0% in early 2023 Japan: At a glance After a slight contraction (-0.2% quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted) in the third quarter of 2022, we expect GDP to rebound (0.6%) in the fourth quarter. A stronger yen and more relaxed border controls are likely to improve trade conditions, plus the fiscal stimulus programme will support a fourth-quarter recovery. However, the rebound should be limited as cost-push inflation puts pressure on corporate margins and household spending. We expect GDP to grow by 1.0% year-on-year in 2023, slightly lower than the 1.2% growth we expect for 2022. Weakening demand from the US, EU, and China will hurt exports and manufacturing, while limited wage growth will slow private consumption in the first quarter. Inflation hasn't peaked yet in Japan and is likely to hit 4.0% in early 2023, but it will soon decelerate back to the 2% range in the second quarter. Fiscal policy will continue to support the recovery while monetary policy will reduce the extent of accommodation, but at a slower pace than the market currently expects.  GDP and inflation outlooks CEIC, ING estimates 3 calls for 2023 1Normalisation of Bank of Japan policy – a long and tough road ahead The Bank of Japan's (BoJ's) unexpected decision to broaden its yield curve control band in December has paved the way for policy normalisation. But the path forward will face many challenges. A cloudy growth outlook early in the year could prevent the new central bank governor from taking immediate action, while cost-push inflation is likely to begin to subside in the second quarter. In our view, wage growth will rise more slowly than the 3% sought by the BoJ. Considering these factors, we believe the new governor will first adjust the BoJ's forward guidance in the second quarter and then call for a policy review in the third quarter. We also believe that revisiting inflation targets could be a consideration. Eventually, we expect the BoJ to lift the mid-point target for the 10Y Japanese government bond (JGB) from 0% to 0.25% in early 2024. If GDP recovers to pre-pandemic levels sooner than we expect, the timing could be moved up to the end of 2023. We also expect the BoJ to raise its short-term policy interest rate from -0.1% to 0.0% in the second quarter of 2024. That supports our view that the JGB yield curve will flatten by about 15 basis points and thus the 10Y JGB yield will come down to the 0.30-0.35% range by the year-end.  2Wage growth is key to watch We expect the job market to tighten in the short term as hospitality and tourism-related employment continues to rise, benefiting from the government's travel subsidy programme and the return of inbound travel. However, manufacturing jobs will likely decrease, mainly due to sluggish exports. Although the government offered incentives for wage increases this year, we anticipate that actual wage growth will be less than 3%. Base salaries may pick up, reflecting high inflation, but most of it is expected to be offset by a reduction in bonuses and other incentives as corporate earnings are likely to be squeezed. It is also questionable whether wage growth of 3% can be sustained in the upcoming years.  3Fiscal policy is supporting growth The second FY22 supplementary budget of 29 trillion yen (5.5% of GDP) will boost near-term growth, providing energy subsidies, maternity and childcare-related support, and vocational training support. In addition, the Cabinet approved a draft budget of 114.4 trillion yen for FY23, which is a 6.3% year-on-year rise from FY22's original budget. However, most of the positive impact of fiscal policy will be concentrated at the end of 2022 and early 2023. The budget rise in FY23 is mainly due to a large increase in defence spending (26.3% YoY), thus its policy impact on the real economy should be limited. In addition, if the government raises taxes and cuts other programmes to finance defence spending, it could hurt private consumption and result in a sudden drop in approval ratings.  Japan forecast summary table CEIC, ING estimates TagsWage growth Japanese inflation GDP Fiscal Stimulus Japan Bank of Japan
    The Bank of Korea Is Likely To Respond With A Rate Cut In The Second Half Of 2023

    The Bank of Korea Is Likely To Respond With A Rate Cut In The Second Half Of 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.01.2023 10:17
    Despite an anaemic start to 2023, we expect conditions to improve in the second half of the year as global demand begins to pick up and the deleveraging cycle comes to an end In this article South Korea: At a glance 3 calls for 2023 Deleveraging will be painful Exports to lead a recovery in the second half of the year The Bank of Korea to turn dovish as inflation subsides     Korea's housing market is cooling as mortgage rates rise South Korea: At a glance South Korea's economy has deteriorated considerably since the start of the fourth quarter of 2022, with exports, manufacturing and service activity tumbling sharply. Consequently, we believe that fourth-quarter GDP will contract. With such an anaemic start to 2023, we expect the annual growth rate for Korea to decelerate to only 0.6% year-on-year in 2023 from 2.6% in 2022. Both external and domestic demand is likely to weaken further, especially in the first half of 2023, and painful deleveraging is expected to hurt short-term growth given high levels of private sector debt.  Inflation has clearly peaked and inflation expectations have fallen to around 3% and are expected to decelerate further. The accumulated pressure to raise utility and public service fees will add upward inflationary pressures, but most of these are expected to be offset by falling housing prices, global oil prices, and a stronger Korean won. Due to asset price adjustment and the higher debt service burden, the Bank of Korea (BoK) is likely to respond with a rate cut in the second half of 2023. GDP and inflation outlooks CEIC, ING estimates 3 calls for 2023 1Deleveraging will be painful House prices have already declined significantly in 2022, but we expect prices to fall by another 10% in 2023 and remain stagnant throughout the year. Given the sharp rise in unsold units in major cities, it may take a while for the recovery to take hold in the residential housing market. The government will continue to soften real estate measures and lending conditions, but higher interest rates will not enable home buyers to return to the housing market quickly. Historically it usually takes two to three years to complete a downcycle. Deleveraging for corporates is also likely, and construction and real estate developers will suffer the most. The financial crunch in the corporate debt market has now subsided due to the government's response, but it is expected to come back to the surface as corporate bond issuance increases at the beginning of the year and high interest rates continue.       2Exports to lead a recovery in the second half of the year Despite the poor export performance in the fourth quarter of 2022, annual exports grew 6.1% year-on-year in 2022. However, in 2023 we expect exports to decline by about -7.0%, given the weakness of global demand and unfavourable price effects. We believe the downcycle for semiconductors will continue until the third quarter of 2023 and China's reopening could add a negative impact on Korea's exports in the first half of 2023, with a surge of Covid-19 patients, the risk of new variants, and supply chain disruptions. However, we expect exports to rebound quite meaningfully in the latter part of the year with the US and EU's economy bottoming out and China's situation normalising, which should lead the overall GDP growth in the second half of 2023. 3The Bank of Korea to turn dovish as inflation subsides   We expect the terminal interest rate to peak at 3.50% and the Bank of Korea to enter an easing cycle in the third quarter of 2023. Given that the current policy rate is at 3.25%, our call for an additional 25bp hike in February will be the final destination for the current tightening cycle. Despite a reduction in gasoline tax subsidies and higher public service charges, base effects will anchor headline CPI to around 4% in the first quarter of 2023. We expect the Bank of Korea to maintain its hawkish stance throughout the first half of 2023 as inflation is still likely to far exceed its 2% target, and uncertainties over utility bill hikes and the resulting secondary effects from these are still high. But, as the real economic activity contracts and deleveraging continues, the BoK's policy priority is expected to shift toward supporting growth.   South Korea forecast summary table CEIC, ING estimates TagsSouth Korea KRW Korea GDP Korea CPI Bank of Korea Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Indonesia Inflation Returns to Target, but Bank Indonesia Likely to Maintain Rates Until Year-End

    Indonesia’s Trade Sector Has Seen Momentum Fade

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.01.2023 10:23
    Indonesia benefited from the commodity boom in 2022 but may not be able to bank on this next year In this article Indonesia: At a glance 3 Calls for 2023 Slowing trade momentum to keep FX pressured Tinkering with central bank charter a positive or a negative? Jokowi’s last full year in office ahead of early 2024 election    Shutterstock Share Indonesia: At a glance Growth in 2022 will likely average 5.3% year-on-year but momentum is slowing as the commodity boom fades and inflation accelerates. Forecasts by Bank Indonesia (BI) indicate GDP growth should settle between 4.7-5.5% YoY next year. Household spending was one solid factor behind the growth engine due in part to relatively well-behaved domestic inflation in the first half of the year. Relatively less pronounced price pressures allowed BI the space to delay rate adjustments until the second half of 2022, which also supported growth. By the second half of the year, price pressures finally caught up with Indonesia as headline inflation breached the central bank’s upper bound target of 4%.  Indonesia’s trade sector has also seen momentum fade as commodity prices have normalised after surging due to the war in Ukraine. This development will also be worth watching in the coming months.  Growth and inflation outlook Badan Pusat Statistik and ING estimates 3 Calls for 2023 1Slowing trade momentum to keep FX pressured Indonesia was one of the few countries that benefited from the commodity price boom in 2022, translating to record trade surpluses. This resulted in the current account also reverting to positive territory, which in turn provided robust support to the Indonesian rupiah (IDR). The relative stability of the IDR helped limit price pressures early in 2022 which in turn allowed the central bank to postpone rate hikes to the latter half of 2022. With commodity prices moderating and expected to slide further, we could see Indonesia’s trade surplus diminish or even move into deficit territory in 2023. The loss of this previous support suggests that the IDR will likely remain pressured for much of next year, especially if financial outflows continue. A weaker IDR in 2023 could also translate to additional rate hikes by the central bank early next year.  2Tinkering with central bank charter a positive or a negative? The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on fiscal balances led to some central banks resorting to quasi-budget financing in addition to quantitative easing. Bank Indonesia (BI) was one of the more active central banks in terms of providing support to fiscal counterparts with BI purchasing government bonds in the primary market. This temporary scheme was termed a “burden-sharing arrangement” and was permitted via Presidential decree. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo promised to wind down such operations after the pandemic, but Indonesia’s lawmakers passed fresh legislation to make the quasi-central bank financing a permanent fixture for BI.  The use of “burden sharing” during Covid-19 raised eyebrows when first implemented but was justified given the fallout from the pandemic. The passage into law could call into question central bank independence, which in turn could cause some anxiety in the bond markets and the currency. 3Jokowi’s last full year in office ahead of early 2024 election  President Joko Widodo enters his last full year in office next year as he is not eligible to take up a third term as President. Indonesia holds presidential elections in February 2024. Jokowi appears to have made a veiled endorsement for his successor by suggesting that Indonesians vote for a candidate with “white hair” and “wrinkles”. Opinion polls currently have three front runners: Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and former defence minister Prabowo Subianto.  It will be interesting to see how Jokowi spends the last 14 months of his term as he could still pass key legislation given his control over the house of representatives. Key legislative bills include the New Capital City (NCC) law and a new penal code. In particular, the NCC could positively impact growth potential as amendments could bring in a fresh round of investment given the capital-intensive requirements to move the capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.  Jokowi, on the other hand, may become more involved in the campaign by explicitly endorsing one of the three front runners - a move which could distract him from passing amendments to existing laws or drafting fresh legislation.        Indonesia summary forecast table Badan Pusat Statistik and ING estimates TagsIndonesia GDP IDR Bank Indonesia
    Philippines’ central bank hikes rates after blowout CPI report

    Philippines: The Potent Mix Of Resurgent Demand, Currency Depreciation And Elevated Commodity Prices Have All Contributed To A Pickup In Price Pressures

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.01.2023 12:44
    Philippine growth received a nice boost from 'revenge' spending but we don't think that will continue in 2023 In this article Philippines: At a glance 3 Calls for 2023 Revenge spending to fade by 2Q 2023 after savings depletion BSP policy stance up in the air but high inflation to persist Debt to GDP ratio still an issue. Wealth fund pushed by new administration   Shutterstock Philippines: At a glance The Philippine economy benefited from election-related spending in the first half of 2022 on top of pent-up demand after mobility restrictions were finally relaxed. Lockdowns in the country were particularly long (almost two years) which may be contributing to 'revenge' spending, which appeared to be quite robust at the end of 2022. Household consumption remained solid despite surging prices and rising borrowing costs. In particular, spending on items such as air travel, restaurants and hotels and recreation has now registered at least four quarters of double-digit growth giving more credence to the reopening story. Meanwhile, the potent mix of resurgent demand, currency depreciation and elevated commodity prices have all contributed to a pickup in price pressures. As a result, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has been busy, hiking rates by 350bp in 2022. BSP Governor Felipe Medalla has been particularly worried about the peso’s weakness given its impact on inflation but we could see an eventual reversal in policy stance as early as the first quarter of 2023.      Growth and inflation outlook Philippine Statistics Authority and ING estimates 3 Calls for 2023 1 Revenge spending to fade by 2Q 2023 after savings depletion Pent-up demand explained the better-than-expected growth numbers from the Philippines recently, but we need to ask the following questions: how much longer will this last? And more importantly, how are households funding these purchases amidst multi-year high inflation? In the past, surging prices resulted in a sharp cutback in spending, however, the reopening story appears to be more compelling, at least for now.  Robust spending is likely supported by improving labour market conditions. However, we believe that the recent run of spending may also be funded by a drawdown in savings.  The most recent BSP consumer expectations survey showed a decline in the number of households able to set aside savings. This could explain why consumption remains strong despite the twin headwinds of surging prices and rising borrowing costs.    With savings likely depleted to fund an extended run of spending, we expect households to eventually move to rebuild savings by the second quarter of 2023. As households shift a portion of their income back to savings, household spending should fade, resulting in the much-anticipated pullback in consumption, with GDP growth potentially slowing to below 5.0 YoY%.    2 BSP policy stance up in the air but high inflation to persist Although the current BSP governor has expressed his preference to match any Federal Reserve policy adjustment from here on, Governor Medalla is set to retire by July 2023.  Thus, we can expect the BSP to maintain a 100bp differential with the Fed but only until mid-2023. After that, we believe that the policy direction and the pace of any adjustment by the BSP next year will be largely dependent on who President Marcos appoints to head the central bank. And his choice for this post will be a key point to watch next year. Regardless of who will sit as the BSP governor, inflation will likely stay stubbornly high in 2023. Inflation is expected to peak by the end of 2022 at around 8.2% YoY and then only grind lower throughout 2023. Price pressures are spread across the CPI basket with nearly 60% of the items experiencing inflation above 4% YoY suggesting price pressures are well entrenched. Thus, we forecast 2023 full-year inflation to settle at 5.4%.    3 Debt to GDP ratio still an issue. Wealth fund pushed by new administration The current government debt-to-GDP ratio remains elevated (62.5%) and should remain above 60% for the next four years. The government expects this ratio to slip below 60% by 2026 suggesting that tight fiscal space will be the norm in the medium term. This would mean that government outlays will only have a limited ability to support growth should the economy face headwinds and this could in turn cap growth prospects for the Philippines. Given the tight fiscal space, the new administration is pushing for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund (SWF) to help attract foreign investors and generate fresh revenues. The proposed SWF hopes to attract foreign investors for big-ticket infrastructure projects. If successful, the SWF would help bring in foreign currency to help stabilise the currency and boost capital formation although we need to wait for more details on how the fund would operate. Philippines summary forecast table Philippine Statistics Authority and ING estimates TagsPhilippines inflation Philippines GDP Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Singapore's non-oil domestic exports shrank 20.6% year-on-year

    Singapore: Inflation And Rapid Tightening From Global Central Banks Forced Aggressive Action From the Monetary Authority of Singapore

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.01.2023 12:49
    The projected global downturn will impact Singapore. Will the return of tourists cushion the blow? In this article Singapore: At a glance 3 Calls for 2023 Singapore GST implementation to keep inflation elevated, slow growth Slowing global trade to dent growth momentum further Return of tourist arrivals to provide counterbalance to global headwinds   Shutterstock Singapore: At a glance Singapore managed to record respectable growth in 2022, supported by an improvement in global trade and robust domestic consumption, but momentum is now fading. The sharp uptick in inflation and supply disruptions caused by China’s repeated lockdowns due to Covid have been key factors for the moderation in growth momentum.  Surging inflation and rapid tightening from global central banks worked against the economy, which in turn forced aggressive action from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The rise in price pressures was so pronounced it warranted tightening from the MAS at two non-policy meetings, on top of action during both scheduled meetings.   Meanwhile, industrial production and exports have been weighed down by softer demand from China and the rest of the world. While multi-year high inflation likely capped household spending, resurgent visitor arrivals may have provided a lift to department store sales.  Growth and inflation outlook Singapore Department of Statistics and ING estimates 3 Calls for 2023 1 Singapore GST implementation to keep inflation elevated, slow growth The planned increase in Singapore’s goods and services tax (GST) was pushed through on 1 January 2023. Previously delayed due to the pandemic, the GST rises from 7% to 8% in 2023 and should impact both the inflation outlook and growth momentum next year. The latest inflation forecasts from the MAS incorporate the scheduled GST increase, with core inflation expected to settle between 3.5% to 4.5% for the year. Relatively high inflation should cap household consumption next year as overall economic activity is set to slow due to global factors. Furthermore, given that core inflation will likely stay well above the MAS’s core inflation target of 2%, we also believe that the central bank will be forced to retain tight financial conditions to help bring inflation back to target. The backdrop of tight financial conditions coupled with high inflation should weigh on growth, and we expect full-year growth to settle at 2.5% year-on-year in 2023.        2 Slowing global trade to dent growth momentum further Expectations for a recession in the US and Europe have sparked concern about slowing global trade for the past few months. Rapid fire rate hikes from major central banks and stubbornly high inflation all point to a sharp slowdown in growth around the world which should reduce overall demand for goods and services.    Early signs that this development may be impacting Singapore surfaced late in 2022 with non-oil domestic exports (NODX) falling sharply, by more than 14% YoY last November.  Some were pinning their hopes on the much-anticipated economic reopening by China, however, with China's recent surge in cases, we remain sceptical that we will see any benefits from this anytime soon, or on the scale that was previously expected. What we can be sure of is the projected recession in the US and most of Europe which will definitely send ripples through the ASEAN export supply chain. Singapore will likely feel the impact of the slowdown in global trade and this factors into our modest growth projection for 2023.         3 Return of tourist arrivals to provide counterbalance to global headwinds Singapore’s growth momentum appears challenging given the projected slowdown in global trade. But one brighter spot for the economy is the return of foreign visitor arrivals.  In November, Singapore recorded 816,758 visitor arrivals, a little more than half the number it used to receive prior to Covid-19 but still more than the 330,059 visitors received for all of 2021. The influx of tourists boosted the services sector with hotels, restaurants and department stores benefiting from their return.  With most countries having fully relaxed border controls by now and with more people now more open to travel, we can expect a sustained increase in visitor arrivals for Singapore next year. The recovery in visitor arrivals will be even more pronounced if China can overcome its current Covid surges and its population resumes international travel again in large numbers. The projected global slowdown could blunt the impact of tourism to some extent, but if Singapore were to receive more visitors in 2023 than it did in 2022, we could expect a decent boost from the resurgent services sector to act as a counterweight to softer domestic demand and slowing global trade.      Singapore summary forecast table Singapore Department of Statistics and ING estimates TagsSingapore GDP SGD MAS Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    India: Reserve Bank hikes and keeps tightening stance

    India: Inflation Has Shown Clear Signs Of Peaking Out

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.01.2023 16:42
    Proactive policy in 2022 leaves India in a good position to benefit from easier conditions in 2023. India's lesser reliance on trade with China also provides a buffer, while a rethink on global bond market inclusion for government securities could see substantial capital inflows In this article India: At a glance 3 calls for 2023 Nearing peak rates Global bond market inclusion India to benefit from FDI inflows   Shutterstock India: At a glance India’s economy is bucking the global trend, showing signs of strength in the third quarter of 2022 as the annual growth rate slightly beat expectations to grow at 6.3%YoY. That leaves GDP on track to grow by 6.3% for the full calendar year of 2022 and a bit less than 6% for the fiscal year 2022/23. While GDP remains relatively robust, inflation has shown clear signs of peaking out. The latest inflation print for November came in at just 5.88%YoY below the Reserve Bank of India’s target and materially lower than the policy repo rate (currently at 6.25%) following a 35bp rate hike in December. The INR remains one of the region's weaker currencies and has not held on to earlier gains in November and December. India GDP and inflation outlooks CEIC, ING estimates 3 calls for 2023 1 Nearing peak rates Rates are close to a peak and will come down before the end of the year. Now that policy rates are positive in real terms (which will continue as the high inflation tide recedes), we're confident that the peak will be close even without further hikes from the RBI. There also remains a chance that we may already have seen it. The next rate decision doesn't take place until 8 February and could still be influenced by an additional inflation release on 12 January. With inflation in India likely closing in on 4-5% by the middle of the year, we believe the central bank could start to tentatively take back some of its tightening before the end of 3Q23. 2 Global bond market inclusion Indian bonds will be included in global indices in 2023. Both JP Morgan and FTSE Russell kept Indian bonds on their watch list for inclusion in 2022 and are expected to make a decision on inclusion early this year. Key reasons for excluding Indian government bonds from their indices in 2022 include tax treatment for foreign investors, which the government has not seemed in any hurry to change its stance on. Lengthy settlement of INR bond transactions which takes place onshore is not helping, although moving settlement to Euroclear is not a deal-breaker given that neither Chinese nor Indonesian bonds are settled there. Adding Indian government bonds to these indices will fill a gap left by the exclusion of Russian bonds. At stake for India is an estimated $40bn of capital inflows that will help pay for the current account deficit and support the INR. 3 India to benefit from FDI inflows India will continue to climb the rankings of foreign direct investment destinations in 2023, even as the external economic outlook darkens and China re-opens. India is increasingly being seen as an alternative destination for investment following policy measures designed to ease FDI inflows and promote the manufacturing industry, as well as investment issues in China (trade wars, tech wars, zero-Covid etc). India is the only economy in Asia to offer the potential for scalability, which was one of the main attractions of China. Its younger population and growing middle class also make it a sizable end-market for sales, in addition to being a site for export production. India forecast summary table CEIC, ING estimates TagsINR Indian bonds India investment India economy Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The RBA Raised The Rates By 25bp As Expected

    Australia: GDP Growth Is Expected To Slow To A Sub-2% Pace In 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.01.2023 16:48
    While parts of the Australian economy, in particular the labour market, remain robust, there are already clear signs that the economy is slowing, and it should slow further in 2023. That at least will provide some scope for a relaxation of monetary policy as inflation is also showing signs of peaking out In this article Australia: At a glance 3 calls for 2023 GDP growth to be less than 2% in 2023 House prices will fall from their 2022 peaks Cash rates close to peak and could fall   istock Australia: At a glance The Australian economy is slowing down. In the third quarter of 2022, the GDP growth rate dropped to 0.6% quarter-on-quarter. And even though that still leaves the year-on-year growth rate looking very robust at 5.9%, most of that is due to base effects, and that growth rate will drop sharply in the fourth quarter of 2022. Inflation also appears to have peaked, with the new monthly CPI series showing inflation dropping below 7%. House prices too have been falling rapidly in the last quarter as the Reserve Bank of Australia has increased the cash rate to squeeze out inflation. Business investment remains depressed thanks to the higher rate environment and weak external backdrop, and while the trade surplus remains impressive, it is no longer adding to growth. The Australian dollar (AUD) has been moving in line with broader US dollar (USD) trends and is showing signs of strengthening again.   GDP and inflation outlooks CEIC, ING estimates 3 calls for 2023 1 GDP growth to be less than 2% in 2023 GDP growth should fall below 2% for the full year. After projected growth of around 3.6% for 2022, GDP growth is expected to slow to a sub-2% pace in 2023. The household sector is running out of room to keep spending growing in the face of higher inflation and much more subdued nominal wage growth. Households are also running out of room to smooth spending by reducing savings, as savings rates have already fallen sharply from their pandemic peaks and the falling values of real assets (property) will also weigh on their balance sheets. Large discrete mortgage re-sets will probably not do too much damage, as many households are already making overpayments, but this will cause problems for some. 2 House prices will fall from their 2022 peaks House price growth should drop to nearly -10% YoY. In year-on-year terms, median Australian house price growth has already fallen from its pandemic stimulus-induced peak rate of 25.0% YoY, to just 1.1% YoY in 3Q22. Further small quarterly declines in the first and second quarters of 2023 will all but ensure that the annual rate of house price growth falls to close to -10% YoY at its most negative, delivering a full-year decline of just over 7%. Prices should stabilise by the end of 2023, but it may be closer to the end of 2024 before house prices are recording positive year-over-year growth rates again. 3 Cash rates close to peak and could fall Cash rates will peak at only 3.6% and will start to be reduced before the end of the year, in our view. The cash rate target was raised a further 25bp in December and now stands at 3.1%. We are calling for a peak rate of only 3.6%, in other words, after only another two rate hikes of 25bp each. This forecast derives from our assumptions of more slowdowns in GDP growth, further declines in consumer price inflation, worsening negative house price growth, and the discrete impacts of rate hikes on mortgage payments. Rates ending the year lower than their forecast peak will lessen the subsequent re-set impact in early 2024 and sow the seeds for a broader recovery.  Australia forecast summary table CEIC, ING estimates TagsRBA rate policy Australian inflation Australia economy AUD Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    US Nonfarm Payrolls Disappoint: Impact on Dollar and EUR/USD Analysis

    Analysis Suggests That Markets Usually Trough Around The Same Time As The Macroeconomic Data

    Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 15.01.2023 17:28
    Is the growth pause discounted already? The current economic environment is shaped by the experiences and actions of the past year (or three). It was ever thus, but that doesn’t lessen the importance of this observation. The outlook for growth, as foretold by leading indicators of activity, remains downbeat (see Exhibit 1). This reflects the cumulative tightening of monetary policy that the leading central banks have already made, and the further hikes that undoubtedly will be delivered in the early part of 2023. It also incorporates the hit to consumers’ confidence from costofliving effects — a result of wage gains, large though they have been in many economies, failing to keep up with the surge in inflation seen in 2022. All of this is further complicated by the lingering economic effects of COVID 19 and the very real consequences of China moving away from its zero-- COVID policy. But is the likely pause in developed market growth already discounted by financial markets? The signs of a slowdown have been building for a while, as we have discussed in Allocation Views in recent months. This has resulted in us continuing to anticipate a high probability that many developed economies will experience a recession in the coming year. In some, such as the United Kingdom, they may already be in recession, according to our analysis. Indeed, certain market commentators are describing this as “the most highly anticipated recession in history.” However, in the case of the United States in particular, where more lagging measures of activity remain robust, it doesn’t feel like recession. Indeed, corporate earnings expectations do not seem to fully reflect an impending recession. It is important to note that this is mainly because the US economy is not yet in recession. The lagging indicator in data from The Conference Board shown above reflects the ongoing strength of the labor market, which remains a focus of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and continues to support the policy response which will see further rate hikes. But history suggests the cumulative effect of tighter policy will be felt in the end and see coincident measures (a proxy for reported gross domestic product growth) weaken further. Eventually, even the lagging indicators should confirm that a recession has happened. This is important for our outlook for risk assets, as our analysis suggests that markets usually trough around the same time as the macroeconomic data — within a few months of each other. Markets can and do recover before the end of a recession, but it seems unlikely that they would trough before its onset.   Inflation has peaked Part of the reason that financial markets have fared better in recent weeks, and led some market participants to anticipate an end to the Fed’s hiking cycle, is that it is seems increasingly clear that inflation has passed its peak. This statement may require a few caveats. Clearly, in the case of the United States, it is only six months since annual measures of Consumer Price Index inflation reached the highest level seen in many decades. Given the lopsidedness of that “decades to months” comparison, it is too early to say that any form of secular peak has been reached. As we discussed in last month’s Allocation Views, we anticipate ongoing inflation will remain above its previous trend level during the next business cycle. However, the postpandemic phase is likely to allow more of the imbalances that drove inflation to its 2022 high to be reversed. We continue to see silver linings to the supplychain bottleneck clouds that were dominating the discussion a year ago (see Exhibit 2).  With labor markets tight — especially in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom — wage pressures remain the dominant concern of policymakers. So long as job openings remain elevated and employers struggle to fill vacancies with appropriately skilled applicants, broad measures of inflation will be slow to normalize. These pressures are particularly acute in the service sector, where productivity gains can be harder to come by and automation is more problematic. As a result, central bankers continue to have a laser focus on developments in employment and the labor force. Even as we become more certain that inflation has peaked, it is too early to sound the “all clear” from a policymaker’s perspective. With labor markets tight — especially in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom — wage pressures remain the dominant concern of policymakers. So long as job openings remain elevated and employers struggle to fill vacancies with appropriately skilled applicants, broad measures of inflation will be slow to normalize. These pressures are particularly acute in the service sector, where productivity gains can be harder to come by and automation is more problematic. As a result, central bankers continue to have a laser focus on developments in employment and the labor force. Even as we become more certain that inflation has peaked, it is too early to sound the “all clear” from a policymaker’s perspective. Policy remains a headwind Developed market central banks’ policy objectives remain clear. Their resolve to keep inflation expectations anchored appears to have been stiffened by the period of uncomfortably high inflation during the last two years. We have talked about a singular focus on fighting inflation and a willingness to accept the collateral damage caused by higherthananticipated interest rates, in the form of slower growth and potentially higher unemployment, in the years ahead. However, in the past month, the last outlier has started to move in the same direction as its peers. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) surprised the markets by recalibrating its yield curve control policy, widening the range within which the benchmark 10 year government bond yield would be constrained. Although this is not directly a precursor to rate hikes, it has been taken as an indication of the direction of travel. If wage pressures in Japan rate policy. continue to build, the BoJ may eventually move away from its zero Despite what we view as a clear restatement of policy imperative by central banks, markets continue to discount a pivot toward easier monetary policy in the year ahead, by the Fed and others. This has fueled a bear-- market rally in stocks and the riskier parts of the bond market. With the Western central banks all confirming that they are indeed likely to slow the pace of future rate hikes (though they protest that this is not in any way the same as confirming the market view that easing is just around the corner), government bonds have also joined the “feel good” party. Taken together with the prospects for a slimming of central bank balance sheets, expected central bank hikes will moderate negative real rates and sustain restrictive conditions. Although fiscal policy is responding to energy costs in some countries, especially in Europe, it will be slow to sway dovish in others, leaving it more differentiated across economies. However, the anticipated shift in global policy is still quite hawkish. Overall, this sees our final theme complete a set of three unambiguously negative drivers for markets, even as it evolves to downplay the pace of hikes but emphasize “Policy to Remain Restrictive” we move through 2023. Equity valuations have moderated (the multiples of earnings at which stocks trade have fallen considerably), but the levels of anticipated earnings per share remain close to their peak. This appears to underplay ongoing concerns around economic growth, inflation, and likely policy responses that continue to weigh on investor sentiment and to support us remaining more cautious in our view of stocks, rather than becoming bolder. We moved to trim our toplevel allocation preference for equities early last year and took advantage of the ebbs and flows of sentiment that occurred to progressively temper our view. We enter 2023 with an allocation preference away from stocks, which we have retained in recent months as we do not see a sustained rally at this stage. Over the next few quarters, we anticipate that a nimble investment management style will continue to be required, and we look for assets that offer some protection if a less favorable scenario were to be realized. We are more attracted to the yields available in highquality government bonds. Although we still see attractive longerterm return potential for stocks and believe they should earn their equity risk premium over time (see Exhibit 3), we struggle to find a strong argument supporting an equity preference at this time.
    UK Budget: Short-term positives to be met with medium-term caution

    The UK Economy Expects A Slightly Fall In Inflation, Expected To Fall By 0.1%

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 15.01.2023 18:56
    UK economic data will be released next week. Wednesday will be a particularly special day, as CPI results will be released. Previous data The UK inflation rate fell in November 2022 from its previous record high in October. The measure of price growth across the UK economy fell from a 41-year high of 11.1% to 10.7%. This is a key indicator to understand how severe the ongoing cost of living crisis has become. This seems to confirm the predictions of the Bank of England and other economists that the inflation crisis has reached its peak. There are many factors that contribute to high product prices. Soaring energy costs are a key factor. Demand for oil and gas was higher as life returned to normal after Covid. At the same time, the war in Ukraine meant that fewer raw materials were available from Russia, putting further pressure on prices. The war also reduced the amount of grain available, driving up food prices. Source: investing.com Predictions For now, the focus shifts to the UK in the coming week. UK CPI will be released on Wednesday. They are expected to fall slightly again to 10.6%. The base indicator is estimated at 6.2% y/y, which means maintaining the previous level. Bank of England The Bank of England has a target of keeping inflation at 2%, but the current rate is more than five times higher. Its traditional response to rising inflation is to raise interest rates.When people have less money to spend, they buy fewer things, reducing the demand for goods and slowing down price increases. In December, the Bank raised interest rates for the ninth time in a row, lowering the main interest rate to 3.5%. Inflation and wages Lower inflation does not mean prices will go down. It just means they stop growing so fast.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which assesses the government's economic plans, predicts that inflation will fall to 3.75% by the final quarter of 2023, well below half of current levels. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said halving inflation by the end of 2023 is one of five key commitments. But it is unclear whether he will announce new policies to achieve this, or if he is simply relying on earlier interventions.Wage increases for many people have not kept up with rising prices. This is despite wage growth at the fastest pace in more than 20 years. According to official data, average wages - excluding bonuses - increased by 6.1% in the three months to October 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. But when inflation is taken into account, the average wage actually fell. Economic situation The economy grew by 0.1%, supported by demand for services in the technology sector and despite households being squeezed by rising prices. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said pubs and restaurants also boosted growth as people went out to watch football. While November's gross domestic product reading was much better than expected, the overall picture still suggests the economy is stagnating as food and energy bills soar. The Bank of England predicts that the UK has already entered its longest recession in history. Economic growth has slowed sharply in the country since October, partly due to strikes. Economists generally expect the country's economic performance to be among the worst in the developed world over the next two years.   Source: investing.com
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    The Economic Outlook For The Eurozone Appears Brighter

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 16.01.2023 13:15
    The euro is almost unchanged on Monday, trading at 1.0831. The euro is coming off a strong week, as EUR/USD rose 1.8%. Earlier in the day, the euro hit 1.0874, its highest level since April 2022. Will Eurozone inflation sink? Eurozone inflation has been dropping and slipped into single digits in December. This is a remarkable turnaround after a year in which inflation soared and constantly beat expectations after Russia invaded Ukraine. In December, the ECB projected that inflation wouldn’t fall to the 2% target until 2025, but it now appears that the target could be reached much earlier, perhaps in Q4 of 2023. One of the key drivers of higher inflation was soaring energy prices, triggered by the Ukraine war. Oil and gas prices have since fallen substantially, and a relatively warm winter in Europe and extensive efforts to diversify supplies have eased concerns of an energy crisis in Europe. The downtrend in energy prices could of course change before the winter ends, but in the meantime, inflation is dropping and the economic outlook for the eurozone appears brighter. Last week, Goldman Sachs revised upwards its 2023 GDP forecast for the eurozone from -0.1% to a small gain of 0.6%. The positive news on the inflation front is unlikely to result in any change in policy from ECB policy makers. Headline inflation fell from 10.1% to 9.2% in December, but the core rate, which is a key factor for the ECB, has been rising. The ECB has said more rate hikes are coming in 2023, a stance that was echoed by ECB member Rehn earlier today. In the US, UoM Consumer Sentiment jumped to 64.6 in December, beating the forecast of 60.5 and above the November reading of 59.7. Inflation expectations for 2023 decreased to 4.0%, down from 4.4%, although long-term expectations inched higher. Read next: USD/JPY Pair Is Trading Above 128 Again, The Testimony Of Bank Of England Governor Andrew Bailey May Have Affect On The Pound (GBP/USD)| FXMAG.COM EUR/USD Technical 1.0829 is a weak support line, followed by 1.0691 There is resistance at 1.0921 and 1.1010 This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.
    The Results Of The March Meeting Of The Bank Of Japan Are Rather Symbolic

    Japan Is Looking To Boost Its 2023 Defence Budget, Copper Fell As Signs Of Weak Demand Persist

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 17.01.2023 08:19
    Summary:  US equity and bond markets were closed on Monday for a holiday. Mainland China stocks surged 1.6% as northbound flows reached over RMB15 billion and were in net buying for the 9th day in a row. Ryan Cohen is building a stake in Alibaba. USD saw a rebound but will likely be driven by the Japanese yen in the next few days as the Bank of Japan meeting kicks off today. While China’s Q4 GDP scheduled to release today was expected to slip to 1.6% Y/Y, more than half of Chinese provinces are setting 2023 GDP growth targets at above 5.5%. The rally in industrial metals paused amid profit-taking ahead of the Lunar New Year.   What’s happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (NAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) Closed for U.S. holiday US Treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) Closed for U.S. holiday China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) gained 1.6%; Northbound net buying for the 9th day CSI300 rose 1.6%, led by brokerage, household appliances, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductor names. Northbound net buying through Stock Connect was RMB15.8 billion on Monday, the 9th day in a row of net buying for a total of around RMB80 billion. Coal miners, autos, and media stocks retraced. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index had a choppy session, rising initially to make a new recent high but failing to hold and sliding to losses in the afternoon before closing nearly flat. The news that the Chinese regulators allowed Didi to resume registration of new users failed to boost the sentiment for internet stocks. On the other hand, Meituan (03690:xhkg) slipped 3.3% as investors feared that the company’s ride-hailing business might lose market share as Didi returns. Hardware names, AAC (02018:xhkg) up 11.4%, Techtronic (00669:xhkg) up 6.2%, and Sunny Optical (02382:xhkg) up 4.0%, stood out as top performers. The automaker, Brilliance (01114:xhkg) tumbled 8.2% after announcing a special dividend of HKD0.96 per share from the disposal of its stake in Brilliance BMW below the street estimate of HK$1.5 per share. FX: USDJPY seeing a barrier at 129 USDJPY was seen fluctuating around 128.50 in the Asian morning session as Bank of Japan meeting kicks off with speculations of a further policy tweak continuing to build. GBPUSD also failed at another attempt on 1.2300 while AUDUSD returned below 0.7000 ahead of the key China activity data due today, despite January consumer confidence coming in higher at 84.3 from 80.3 previously. A break above 0.7000 could bring the tough resistance of 0.7125 in focus. NZDUSD testing a break above 0.6400. Crude oil (CLG3 & LCOH3) prices soften Crude oil prices eased on Monday with WTI falling below $79/barrel and Brent back towards $84/barrel as profit-taking emerged after the 8% rally last week. The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting began with warnings of global recession. This was aided by signs of stronger Russian supply. Seaborne crude exports soared by 30% to 3.8mb/d last week, the highest level since April. India was the biggest buyer, snapping up 33 times more crude than a year earlier. There is a lot to digest in the oil markets, with demand concerns and sanctions on Russian supply and risks of OPEC production cuts. Meanwhile, volatility in gas prices also underpins, suggesting crude oil prices can continue to see two-way price action in this quarter. US natural gas higher but European gas prices fall US natural gas settled back above $3.50, higher about 7% on Monday with risks of cold weather at the end of the month. European gas however fell sharply on a strong supply outlook. Dutch front month futures were down more than 15% as full stockpiles in China eased concerns of supply tightness in the LNG market. Chinese importers are trying to divert February and March shipments to Europe amid weak prices at home and high inventories. This is despite a cold snap expected this week. Iron ore selling eases; and respective equities hold record highs shaking off China’s accusations The key steel making ingredient, iron ore (SCOA) has fallen 5.3% from its high, including Tuesday’s 0.4% slide, which takes the price to $118.90. Still the iron ore price holds six months highs and is up 56% from its low. The pullback was triggered by China’s top economic planner, the NDRC accusing market participants of hoarding and price gouging after the iron ore price strongly rallied from October’s low in anticipation of demand picking up from China easing restrictions. Iron ore inventory levels are still lower than they were a year ago, which fundamentally supports iron ore price. And the technical indicators indicate the longer term rally could continue. The 50 day moving average is approaching the 200 day moving average. Historically when the 50DMA cross the 200 DMA buying has picked up. Also consider iron ore majors shares, BHP, Rio Tinto Fortescue are holding in record high territory, as investors remember China has made such accusations in the past of price gouging, and the iron ore price previously recovered over the medium to longer term. Brakes on Copper rally; Aluminium continues to surge higher A slight recovery in the US dollar on Monday paused the strong rally that has been seen in industrial metals so far this year. Copper fell as signs of weak demand persist. The Yangshan copper cathode premium over LME has declined to USD31.50/t, compared with the 10y average of USD72/t. Stockpiles of copper in Shanghai Futures Exchange warehouses are also higher. HG copper dipped back to $4.14 from highs of over $4.20 last week. Aluminium bucked the trend to push higher as inventories continue to fall. Expectations of stronger demand as China reopens also boosted sentiment. Rio Tinto (RIO) reported 4Q iron ore shipments of 87.3mt, +3.8% YoY vs est 86.2mt and still sees 2023 shipments of 320-335mt while mined copper output guidance raised to 650-710kt from 500-575kt previously.   What to consider? China GDP and activity data While the reopening of China from Covid containment is a highly positive development for the Chinese economy, the initial shockwave of infections could be significantly disruptive to economic activities in the near term. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg on China’s Q4 GDP growth is 1.6% Y/Y decelerated from 3.9% Y/Y in Q3. Disruption in production activities resulting from infection-induced absence from work is expected to drag the growth of industrial production to 0.1% Y/Y in December from 2.2% in November. Retail sales are expected to shrink 9% Y/Y in December, decelerating further from -5.9% Y/Y in November as dining, retailing, and deliveries were slowed by inflection. Full-year fixed asset investment is expected to come at 5%, down from 5.3% in the first 11 months of the year. More than half of provinces and municipalities in China are targeting above 5.5% GDP growth for 2023 According to China’s Securities Daily, the 28 provinces and municipalities that have released their 2023 GDP targets set them at 6% on average. Hainan is the most aggressive with a 9.5% target. According to data from the Shanghai Securities News, more than half of the 31 provinces and municipalities that have released 2023 work reports, are setting their GDP growth targets above 5.5% for 2023. Economically important provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, and Shandong set their targets at above 5%. BOE’s Bailey comments hint at relief from energy and inflation but worries about labor market The rally in cable has cooled off recently even as the decline in USD has continued. The pair is looking for direction and there may be some key catalysts to watch this week. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey spoke on Monday at the Treasury Select Committee hearing, saying that the risk premium on UK assets after the Truss government’s policy shock in September has gone. Still, confidence remains fragile, and risks also remain from China’s chaotic exit from Zero Covid, the continued fallout from the war in Ukraine and the shrinking of Britain’s labor force. Focus will now turn to economic data, with labor market data due today, CPI on Wednesday and retail sales on Friday. Any signs that labor market is cooling or CPI has topped out could mean the BOE could start to consider a slower pace of rate hikes going forward, and that could see the 200DMA in GBPUSD at 1.2000 get threatened. Japan’s military focus supports our optimistic view on the Defence equity basket Japan is looking to overhaul its security policy as geopolitical threats in the region and globally grow. PM Kishida’s G7 tour last week saw multiple deals not just with the US, but focus was also seen on enhancing military ties with Germany, Canada and France, including mutual troop access with the UK and upgrading of defence ties with Italy. The plan to build more nuclear reactors is also a step in that direction. Japan and India also held their first joint air drills as they step up military exercises with other countries amid concerns about China's assertiveness. Japan is looking to boost its 2023 defence budget substantially to a record 6.8 trillion yen, an increase of 20%. This further supports our optimistic view on our Defence equity theme basket as further deglobalization continues to suggest defence spending will remain a key focus. Activist investor Ryan Cohen built a stake in Alibaba According to the Wall Street Journal, Ryan Cohen has built a stake in Alibaba. Cohen is a Canadian investor who is know for investing and attracting a large crowd of retail investors to invest in meme-stocks such as GameStop. His buying into Alibaba may attract retail investors from North America to follow. For a look ahead at markets this week – Read/listen to our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: Market Insights Today: - China A shares see large Northbound buying, Ryan Cohen building a stake in Alibaba - 17 January 2023 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Czech National Bank Prepares for Possible Rate Cut in November

    The Latest UK CPI Figure Is Below October’s 11.1% Peak

    ING Economics ING Economics 18.01.2023 09:46
    Headline inflation has peaked but pressure from the service sector continues to build. That's likely to tip the balance for Bank of England hawks in favour of one final 50 basis point hike at the February meeting   The good news, at least, is that it seems like UK headline inflation is slowing. At 10.5% in December, the latest CPI figure is below October’s 11.1% peak. We expect this headline measure to stay roughly where it is for the next couple of months before showing more dramatic signs of easing as we approach Easter, which is when electricity/gas base effects begin to become more favourable. Last year’s near-50% increase in bills won’t be matched, and if anything it looks like the Treasury will either need to lower unit prices for consumers later this year, or scrap April’s planned increase altogether, given the recent fall in wholesale gas prices. On current policy, we expect headline inflation to fall back towards 6% by summer and to 3.5-4% by year-end. UK services inflation has risen further 'Core goods' excludes food, energy and tobacco. 'Core services' excludes air fares, package holidays and education Source: Macrobond, ING calculations   The bad news, at least as far as the Bank of England is concerned, is that its favoured ‘core services’ measure of inflation has jumped, even as goods inflation slows dramatically. At 6.8%, core services CPI (which excludes volatile components like airfares and package holidays) is materially higher than the Bank had been forecasting back in November, and reflects ongoing pressure from both wages and energy bills on service sector costs. While we suspect this is nearing a peak, it provides further ammunition for the BoE’s hawks to push for one final 50 basis point rate hike at the February meeting, putting the peak at 4% for Bank Rate (or perhaps 4.25% if the Bank adds one further 25bp hike in March). The UK's somewhat unique combination of structural worker shortages, and therefore potential for persistently higher wage growth, as well as its exposure to Europe's energy crisis, suggests the Bank of England will be less quick to cut rates than in the US, where we expect cuts later this year.  Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Bank of England: Falling Corporate Price Expectations May Signal Peak in Rate Hike Cycle

    Un Secretary General Antonio Guterres Encouraged The Transition To Green Energy At The World Economic Forum In Davos, The Chinese Economy May Surprise You Positively

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 18.01.2023 12:53
    Attention has recently focused on the World Economic Forum. Many statements were closely followed from economic to political information. Representatives of the United Nations also spoke. Un Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls for a focus on transforming into green energy. The reopening of the Chinese economy is also attracting attention, with speculation on what to expect from the reopening of the world's second largest economy. In this article: China's economy may improve The transformation of world powers into green energy Jim Cramer’s opinion China's economy may improve The reopening of the Chinese economy after several years of strict "zero-Covid" measures has lifted the mood among economists. China's GDP grew by just 3% in 2022, official figures revealed earlier this week, the second slowest growth rate since 1976 and well below the government's target of around 5.5%. However, short-term data point to a faster-than-expected recovery as pandemic measures have been phased out. Reopening has proven difficult as China has reported a massive spike in Covid cases and deaths in recent weeks. Nevertheless, how many economists are positive about the situation in the Chinese economy in the second half of the year. The situation of the Chinese economy is of particular importance for the rest of the economies. China as the second largest in the world is important for many other economies, for example for Australia with which it is related in trade. China's economy will be 'on fire' in the second half of 2023, StanChart chairman says https://t.co/fKyQs1kQpb — CNBC (@CNBC) January 18, 2023 The transformation of world powers into green energy The transformation of world powers into green energy was one of the main topics at the Davos forum. Investments in renewable energy sources may turn out to be crucial for the climate in the coming years. International constraints are increasingly putting pressure on companies to focus on policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Concern for the planet has increased in recent years, but not all countries or companies are so quick to implement ecological changes. While companies are increasingly committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions as close to zero as possible, the metrics and criteria they use are often questionable or unclear. That's why UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on business leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday to follow the rules outlined by a group of experts. The economic situation may make it difficult for companies or countries to implement these principles, but everyone must realize that it is extremely important now to take care of the climate for future generations. Davos 2023: UN chief urges 'credible' net-zero pledges or risk greenwashing https://t.co/ZF1ipes21P pic.twitter.com/U8SAGzai1z — Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) January 18, 2023 Jim Cramer’s opinion Investors often take into account the opinion of experts about assets in the stock market. Jim Cramer, like an expert, gives valuable tips. This time he expressed opinions on Boeing Co, Biohaven, Flex and more. .@JimCramer also weighed in on Biohaven, Flex and more. https://t.co/fyzGTNUd2U — Mad Money On CNBC (@MadMoneyOnCNBC) January 18, 2023
    Soft PMIs Are Further Signs Of A Weak UK Economy

    Recession Still Looks Like The Base Case For The UK Economy

    ING Economics ING Economics 20.01.2023 09:58
    Persistent falls in UK retail sales are another reminder that the UK is still entering a downturn. The good news is that lower gas prices mean the Treasury can afford to do away with April's planned increase in household energy bills, a move that would lower headline inflation by 1-1.5pp through the latter half of the year Retail sales have fallen - again British consumers spent almost 4% more on retail spending last year, but received almost 6% less for their money, accounting for the surge in UK inflation through 2022. That’s according to the latest year-on-year retail sales figures, which also showed that real-terms spending has fallen in 12 out of the last 14 months, and that December alone saw a 1% drop in expenditure. Coupled with another dip in consumer confidence released overnight, recession still looks like the base case for the UK economy. Admittedly, fourth quarter GDP is likely to come in flat, which is partly down to an artificial bounce-back in activity during October following the Queen’s funeral last September. But assuming ongoing weakness in consumer spending, coupled with some potential declines elsewhere (construction and manufacturing look vulnerable), we think first quarter GDP could see a fall in output in excess of 0.5% (Read more).  UK retail sales are down 6% year-on-year in real terms Source: Macrobond The fall in gas prices is welcome news for consumers The good news, at least, is that the squeeze on household incomes looks like it won’t be quite as bad as first feared. The recent fall in gas prices means the Chancellor can probably do away with his planned increase in energy bills in April, or failing that, can lower them again in July. Current plans would see a less generous household ‘price guarantee’ take the average annualised bill from £2500 currently (or £2100 accounting for an extra discount), to £3000 from April. When that change was envisaged last November, the average energy bill was projected to be well above that level until early 2024 in the absence of any government support. But recent falls in wholesale prices suggest that will only be the case during the second quarter. Our latest estimates, based on the regulator's pricing methodology, suggest the average annualised bill will have fallen back to roughly £2200 in the third quarter, without any government intervention at all. Energy bills should have fallen to £2200 in 3Q, without any government support The Energy Price Guarantee will currently see the average household energy bill increase from £2500 to £3000 from April Source: Macrobond, ING calculations, Ofgem   As well as improving the outlook for consumers, this is also good news for the Treasury. Suppose the government caps the average bill at £3000 in the second quarter and allows them to return to a level determined by market prices in the third. In that case, the cost in FY2023 will fall from almost £13bn to £1.5bn (excluding additional benefits/pensions payments the Treasury has committed to). If the Chancellor does away with the planned increase in unit prices altogether and keeps the average bill at £2500 in 2Q, the cost would be £4.5bn in FY2023, still well below November’s projections. Treasury looking at £11bn saving even if price guarantee is scrapped in 3Q The November figures, as well as the fixed welfare payment costings, are based on UK Treasury estimates. Our projections assume the average household energy bill increases to £3000 in April as planned, but falls back in Q3 to the standard Ofgem regulated price. Source: UK Treasury, ING calculatuons   Headline inflation should also be lower as a result. If household bills return to the default price level set by the regulator Ofgem, then we’d expect CPI to come in 1-1.5pp lower than currently forecast. For the Bank of England that’s a double-edged sword – lower headline inflation would undoubtedly please the hawks most worried about inflation expectations de-anchoring. But lower gas prices mean a less pronounced hit to economic activity, potentially justifying tighter policy. In reality, the Bank will probably lean more towards the former argument, and we still think we're close to the peak in terms of Bank Rate. That said, it looks like the combination of persistent wage pressures and higher core services inflation will unlock one more 50bp hike at the February meeting, potentially followed by a final 25bp move in March. UK inflation set to be 1-1.5pp lower if bills below £3000 government guarantee Source: Macrobond, ING calculations Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    German labour market starts the year off strongly

    The German Economy Will Still Have To Cope With The Delayed Impacts Of Last Year’s Crises

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.01.2023 10:21
    The German economy is showing some unexpected resilience, however it is a long way off displaying a strong economic recovery Olaf Scholz has served as German chancellor since December 2021   The German economy started the new year with positive news. Kind of. According to the first very tentative estimates by the statistical office, the economy avoided a contraction in the fourth quarter and ‘only’ stagnated. The positive effects of the post-lockdown rebound seem to have outweighed the negative impact of the war in Ukraine and surging energy and food prices. Even though this first estimate could still be subject to revisions, it definitely shows that the German economy has been more resilient despite a long series of crises in 2022, which threatened to push the economy into a deep recession. The reason for this resilience is not so much the structure of the economy but rather a simple policy recipe that the German government has successfully used over the last 15 years and perfected recently: fiscal stimulus. Contrary to common belief and what German governments have often preached to other European governments: in times of crisis, the government prefers outright fiscal stimulus. This was the case during the financial crisis, during the Covid-19 pandemic and now as a response to the war and the energy crisis. What German governments perfected during the pandemic and last year’s crisis is the use of big ballpark figures, hoping that eventually not all the money will have to be used. During the pandemic, outright fiscal stimulus amounted to more than 10% of GDP. Last year, after some months of hesitation, the government decided on several stimulus and price cap packages, amounting to a total of some 8% of GDP. The announcement effect and the actual money saved the economy from falling into recession, at least for now. Not falling off the cliff is one thing, staging a strong rebound, however, is a different matter. And there are very few signs pointing to a healthy recovery of the German economy any time soon. First of all, we shouldn’t forget that fiscal stimulus over the last three years stabilised but did not really boost the economy. Industrial production is still some 5% below its pre-pandemic level and GDP only returned to its pre-pandemic level in the third quarter of 2022. Industrial orders have also weakened since the start of 2022, consumer confidence, despite some recent improvements, is still close to historical lows, and the loss of purchasing power will continue in 2023. Finally, like every eurozone economy, the German economy still has to digest the full impact of the ECB rate hikes. Demand for mortgages has already started to drop and in previous hiking cycles it didn't take long before the demand for business loans also started to drop. While the German economy will still have to cope with the delayed impacts of last year’s crises, there are a few positive developments: the reopening of China could help the battered export sector, and the prospects of decreasing inflation rates could support private consumption. However, when it comes to inflation, do not forget that households will not benefit from lower gas wholesale prices but are only now confronted with the pass-through of the energy price surge of 2022. At the same time, wage growth of at least 5% year-on-year this year and another 3-4% next year as well as the pass-through of high energy prices to other sectors of the economy will leave core inflation stubbornly high. Germany’s economic outlook for this year looks complicated, to say the least, with an unprecedentedly high number of uncertainties and developments in opposing directions. And there is more. Let’s not forget that the German economy is still facing a series of structural challenges which are likely to weigh on growth this year and beyond: energy supply in the winter of 2023/24 and the broader energy transition towards renewables, changing global trade with more geopolitical risks and changes to supply chains, high investment needs for digitalisation and infrastructure, and an increasing lack of skilled workers. This long list embodies both risks and opportunities. If historical lessons from previous structural transitions are of any guidance, even if managed in the most optimal way, it will take a few years before the economy can actually thrive again. The German economy in a nutshell Thomson Reuters, all forecasts ING estimates TagsGermany GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    French strikes will cause limited economic impact

    Inflation In France Is Expected To Rise Further In The First Quarter Of 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.01.2023 10:28
    After a resilient 2022 in France, where economic activity grew by 2.6%, 2023 should be characterised by quasi-stagnation. Inflation is expected to rise further, before starting to fall in the summer of 2023 In this article 2022, a year of resilience Higher inflation in 2023 than in 2022 Near stagnation of activity in 2023 Difficult exit from "whatever it costs”   Shutterstock French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire   2022, a year of resilience In France, the year 2022 was characterised by resilience in activity despite the negative impact of the war in Ukraine and global inflation. The end of the restrictive Covid measures led activity in services to rebound significantly, while very expansionary public policies and the strength of the labour market largely supported household purchasing power, leading French GDP to grow by around 2.6% over the year. As a result of the government's policy of limiting the increase in French energy bills, French inflation remained much lower than in other European countries in 2022, averaging 5.2% (5.9% for the harmonised index). Higher inflation in 2023 than in 2022 While most European countries have already passed the peak of inflation, inflation in France is expected to rise further in the first quarter of 2023. The revision of the “tariff shield” will lead to a 15% increase in household energy bills, compared to a 4% increase in 2022. Many companies are facing the first upward revision of their energy bills since 2021. Rising production costs are expected to continue to support inflation in food and manufactured goods. In addition, the four indexations of the minimum wage to inflation in 2022 will continue to lead to increases in all wages, which will push up inflation significantly, particularly in services, in 2023. Ultimately, average inflation in 2023 will probably be higher than in 2022 (we expect 5.5% for the year, and 6.3% for the harmonised index), with a peak above 6.5% in the first quarter, before gradually declining from the summer onwards. At the end of 2023, inflation will probably still hover above 4%, a level higher than the European average. The deceleration should continue in 2024, with inflation averaging 2.6% over the year (3.5% for the harmonised index).   Near stagnation of activity in 2023 2023 should be characterised by a quasi-stagnation of the French economy in all quarters of the year. Although nominal wages per capita are expected to rise by around 6% in 2023, real purchasing power per person will remain very weak, weighing on private consumption. Given the uncertainties, the expected (albeit small) rise in the unemployment rate and the low level of household confidence, the household savings rate will probably remain high and above its historical average. Household investment in housing is likely to stall, weighed down by higher commodity prices and rising interest rates. The manufacturing sector should continue to see supply difficulties ease but will face much weaker global demand and will still be at risk of a further significant rise in global energy prices. We expect growth of 0.2% for the full year 2023 and 1.1% for 2024. Difficult exit from "whatever it costs” While in several European countries trade unions and public opinion are mobilising to demand wage increases, in France the protests are focused on pension reform. The government wants to implement reform that will, among other things, raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 in order to maintain the budgetary sustainability of the system. Although the reformed system can still be characterised as generous in comparison with its European neighbours, the unions and the political left are strongly opposed to it. The scale of the mobilisation has yet to be confirmed on the streets. After years of "whatever it costs" where the government has largely subsidised activity (in 2022 alone, 50 billion euros have been spent to protect households and companies against inflation),  fiscal sustainability has disappeared from the political debate. As a result, fiscal policy is likely to remain quite accommodative in the coming years. The deficit is expected to remain above 5% of GDP until 2025 with debt above 112%. The French economy in a nutshell TagsPublic finances Inflation GDP France Eurozone Quarterly Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Italian headline inflation decelerates in January, courtesy of energy

    In Italy Private Investment Should Remain A Positive Growth Driver In 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.01.2023 10:35
    Despite solid employment resilience, consumption looks set to decelerate in 2023. Still, together with investment, it should keep growth in positive territory In this article Gradual inflation decline, with energy fall prevailing over core stickiness Resilient employment should help limit the damage Investment still growing Fiscal discipline: a valuable political capital for upcoming negotiations   Shutterstock Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italian Minister for Finance   The jury is still out as to whether the Italian economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2022, and we currently expect to see a minor -0.1% quarter-on-quarter fall in GDP. This year will likely see a soft start, followed by a gradual recovery over the rest of the year. The growth profile will be hugely affected by developments on the inflation front and their impact on both disposable income and domestic demand. Gradual inflation decline, with energy fall prevailing over core stickiness The sharp decline in TTF natural gas prices seen over the past month (falling 60% to around 60€/MWh) should have a positive impact on the energy component of the inflation basket, creating room for positive base effects on headline inflation to unfold over the first months of 2023. The pass-through of energy price pressures is not over yet and will likely weigh on core inflation for some time. Signals from the business sector point to a decline in intentions to hike prices among manufacturers but not yet in services, suggesting that some form of reopening-induced consumption is still at work. Over the first half of the year, we expect the drop in energy inflation to outweigh the inertia in the core inflation component. This should induce a gradual decline in the headline index, which is expected to end the year above 2.5% year-on-year. Resilient employment should help limit the damage Stubborn inflation is weighing on disposable income, but the effect is less noticeable than we had expected. In the third quarter of last year, real disposable income increased by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter despite accelerating inflation, mainly thanks to surprisingly strong labour market data. In November, against a backdrop of an economic slowdown, employment confirmed its peak at pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate, admittedly a backwards-looking indicator, was stuck at a multi-year low of 7.8%. High gas storage levels, which were just below 80% full by mid-January and resulted from unusually mild weather, further reduced the chance of energy rationing this winter and limited the scope for short-term supply shocks. Still, with a modest deterioration in employment and shrinking room for substantial declines in the saving ratio (which fell to 7.1% in 3Q22, the lowest level since 4Q12 and below the pre-Covid average), we anticipate consumption will cool down over the 4Q22-1Q23 period. We then see it picking up at a moderate pace so long as inflation recedes. A short-lived and soft technical recession in the first quarter of 2023 remains our base case, but short-term upside risks are rising. Unusually high gas storage levels make energy rationing unlikely this winter AGSI+, ING Research Investment still growing Private investment should also, in principle, remain a positive growth driver in 2023. This will build on two factors: a residual drive of residential construction investment fuelled by tax incentives, and the flow of new investments linked to the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plan (RRP). Both are exposed to downside risks, though. If residential construction suffers from the impact of rising interest rates, risks to the RRP front could emerge as the balance between reforms and investments shifts towards the latter. Further adding to the issue could be involvement from local administrations, which are less equipped to manage complex projects. Fiscal discipline: a valuable political capital for upcoming negotiations The macro backdrop described above will fit into a prudent fiscal framework. The Meloni government crafted its 2023 budget with a piecemeal approach, in continuity with the Draghi government. Almost two-thirds of the €34bn budget is devoted to refinancing deficit measures designed to support (until 31 March 2023) households and businesses weathering the inflation shock. The rest is dispersed among other measures, ranging from refinancing the cut to the tax wedge (again, in continuity with the Draghi government) to extending a flat tax system for independent workers. The government aims at a 4.8% deficit/GDP target for 2023, which implies a 1.1% reduction in the structural deficit. Fiscal discipline will be a valuable political capital to be spent in upcoming negotiations on reforming the stability and growth pact. In our view, risks to this for 2023 lie on the side of a slightly higher deficit but not enough to jeopardise another decline in the debt/GDP ratio. For the second year in a row, the inflation effect (through the GDP deflator) is set to work its magic on the debt ratio.   The Italian economy in a nutshell (%YoY) Thomson Reuters, all forecasts ING estimates TagsItaly GDP Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Navigating Gold's Resilience Amidst Rising Yields and a Strong Dollar

    Dutch GDP Is Forecast To Grow By A Mediocre 0.4% In 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.01.2023 10:46
    Dutch GDP is forecast to grow by a mediocre 0.4% in 2023 and a close-to-normal 1.4% in 2024. A short and mild recession is forecast to last until the first quarter of 2023, with GDP moderately picking up during the rest of 2023. Inflation has peaked but remains high, as core inflation is still on the rise. Fiscal expansion is the main driver of growth In this article 2022 closed with another contraction, despite robust private consumption 2023 starts worse before it gets better on the back of public spending Inflation is past the peak, but remains high   Mark Rutte, prime minister of The Netherlands 2022 closed with another contraction, despite robust private consumption While inflation in the Netherlands was among the highest of its peer economies in the eurozone, Dutch domestic private consumption held up surprisingly well, even going into the fourth quarter of 2022. Although not buoyant, retail sales and domestic consumption volumes have been showing stability or even some growth. Large amounts of savings (accumulated during lockdowns, particularly in the upper half of the wealth distribution), the €190 payout households received via their energy bill in November and December, accelerating wage increases, continuing low unemployment, and the certainty provided by the energy price ceiling for 2023 seem to contribute to robustness in consumer spending at the end of 2022, despite an environment of higher core inflation and low measured consumer confidence. As such, household consumption is forecast to have continued to grow in the fourth quarter of last year. As the outlook for net trade and investment has worsened with tougher financing conditions and high input cost inflation throughout Europe, Dutch GDP is nevertheless likely to continue to contract in 4Q22. Despite contractions in the last two quarters of 2022, the annual growth figure of 4.3% for that year represents a strong expansion. This stems from the strong rebound out of lockdown in the first half of the year. 2023 starts worse before it gets better on the back of public spending Government spending will be the main driver of GDP growth in 2023, while net trade and investment will be a drag on the GDP development, and private consumption is set to only expand negligibly. Private consumption may start the year in the first quarter with a decline: as energy taxes and the VAT on energy were normalised, the €190 lump sum terminated, and the energy price ceiling was introduced as of 1 January 2023, energy costs net of taxes may de facto have risen for some households – depending on their energy consumption level and contract – and fallen for others. Still, consumer confidence is low. Falling house prices and a lower number of home sales will provide a lid on consumption growth and are a risk for weaker-than-expected consumption. As inflation will fall, private consumption is expected to expand (although sluggishly) for the year on average. It indirectly benefits – via the multiplier effect – from the increased execution of ambitious plans in the coalition agreement and is still directly supported via the energy crisis support measures and some structural policy changes. Companies are increasingly signalling a downward pressure on profitability. This, the recession in the eurozone, and the prospect of a weakened global business cycle, makes it less attractive to invest, for instance in machinery. Higher financing costs due to interest rate increases also put a brake on investment. The development of building permits, due to insufficient capacity in municipalities and due to the nature of protection policies, indicates a decline in investment in construction work in 2023. This concerns housing and commercial premises and mobility infrastructure. In 2023 there is a risk that investment in buildings will fall for the first time since 2013. Both exports and investment will benefit however from backlogs in transport equipment. Due to previous major issues in global supply chains and the resulting delays in production and delivery, there are still many orders from 2022 that will be fulfilled this year. This is particularly true for passenger cars and to a lesser extent for heavy vehicles such as trucks and busses. Without this shift in time, the outlook for exports and investment would have been worse for 2023. For vans, the prospects are somewhat weaker, while ordered vessels may not be delivered until 2024. Mild GDP decline continues into 1Q23 as private expenditures weaken, but pick up in 2023 due to government spending Expenditures* as index where 4Q2019 = 100 Macrobond, ING Research forecasts as of 4Q22*seasonally adjusted and in constant prices   Higher financing costs for businesses resulting from higher market interest rates, generally lower profit margins and the challenge of paying back deferred taxes (accumulated during the pandemic) will also contribute to more business dynamics in 2023. This will facilitate a quicker movement of labour and capital from unproductive sectors and firms towards those with more growth potential, which could be beneficial for labour productivity. The number of bankruptcies has indeed recently started to increase recently but is still far below normal rates. A normalisation should coincide with higher unemployment. Yet, we forecast only a mild uptick in joblessness. As ING research shows, when European economies enter a recession with much strain in the labour market, the subsequent increase in unemployment is more limited. This can be explained by labour hoarding: solvent firms are unwilling to let go of their skilled personnel even during a downturn, trying to avoid hiring and training costs and the loss of firm-specific knowledge. Furthermore, while the market sector may have moved in a lower gear, (semi)public sectors will take over some of the employment. Vast government spending means fiscal deficits. Inflation is keeping the debt burden limited, however. Although the budgetary process was messy lately, with the government not adhering to its own fiscal rules and seems to have more easily led to uncovered additional spending, the ability of the Dutch government to finance its debt is not a serious concern for now: the public debt-to-GDP ratio is still low by international standards. Inflation is past the peak, but remains high HICP headline inflation reached its peak in September 2022, but at a forecast of 4.5%, it's set to remain quite high in 2023. As gas prices have come down in wholesale markets and the energy price ceiling was introduced in early 2023, energy will contribute less (and in some months negatively) to inflation. Selling price expectations of non-financial businesses remain very high though. This suggests that core inflation might peak somewhere later in 2023. Earlier peaks in purchasing prices of inputs like raw materials, transportation, and energy will still be passed onto consumers, while higher labour costs will also continue to drive inflation up. The reversal of the following temporary policies will also contribute to rising prices for consumers in 2023: The energy tax (on gas and electricity) was temporarily lowered for 2022. This will be normalised in 2023. The VAT rate on energy was temporarily lowered from 21% to 9% for July-December 2022. This will be normalised in 2023. The excise duty on fuel (gasoline and diesel) was lowered temporarily to 21% for April-December 2022. This will be normalised in 2023. College tuition fees halved during the Covid-19 pandemic period and normalised in September 2022. This will drive 2023 inflation upward (+0.25% points).  Covid-inspired regulation kept a lid on the increase of rents in both the social housing sector and the liberalised sector, at least until policy changes as of 1 July 2022 and 1 January 2023. Normalisation and reforms of the policies might on average be more inflationary for 2023, although there are also some lower-income households for which the reform is beneficial (as more will be income tested).  The excise tax on a pack of cigarettes will be increased in two substantial steps, to €10. The first step in April 2023 is estimated to have a nonnegligible effect on the HICP inflation rate of +0.6% points in 2023. Inflation past peak but still high Change in harmonised index of consumer prices for the Netherlands year-on-year in % and contributions in %-points Macrobond, forecasts as of 2023 by ING Research   The expiration of the energy price cap at the start of 2024 will result in higher inflation that year. Combined with some remaining pressure in core inflation, headline inflation might still be close to 4% in 2024. The Dutch economy in a nutshell (%YoY) Macrobond, all forecasts ING Research estimates TagsNetherlands Inflation GDP Consumption Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Spanish economy picks up sharply in February

    Spanish Economy Is Expected To Do Slightly Better Than The Eurozone Average

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.01.2023 10:50
    We expect Spain's economy to grow by 0.9% this year, considerably less than in 2022, but better than most other eurozone countries. Headline inflation will fall further thanks to favourable energy effects but underlying inflationary pressures will remain high for some time In this article The strong reopening effect completely faded away in the second half of 2022 Spain likely to outperform other eurozone countries in 2023 Underlying inflationary pressures remain high Modest growth rate in 2023   Thanks to a relatively more service-oriented economy and a positive contribution from tourism, Spain is likely to outperform the eurozone average The strong reopening effect completely faded away in the second half of 2022 The Spanish economy cooled sharply in the second half of last year. Although the big drop in energy prices and cooling inflation have led to cautious optimism among companies and households, we expect the recovery to be very slow this year. Financial conditions will tighten further in 2023. The European Central Bank announced at the last policy meeting in December that interest rates still need to go significantly higher, and further 50bp rate hikes will follow. The ECB's deposit rate now sits at 2%, the level considered the neutral level where the economy is neither stimulated nor restricted. Thus, additional interest rate hikes will certainly dampen economic activity in 2023. Consumption will also remain under pressure as inflationary pressures will further erode purchasing power in 2023. Households are also very cautious about tapping into the savings accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain consumption. The current energy crisis is just prompting more precautionary savings and, moreover, the value of these savings has already been eroded by the sharp price increases. In addition, rising mortgage rates will take an extra bite out of the budget of Spanish borrowers with variable interest rates, which are the majority in Spain. On the other hand, the tight labour market will support consumption. Spain likely to outperform other eurozone countries in 2023 We expect the Spanish economy to do slightly better than the eurozone average. Spain is less dependent on gas and the economy is relatively more reliant on the service sector. A further recovery in the tourism sector will also contribute positively to growth rates. In the first 11 months of 2022, the number of international visitors was still 15% lower than in the same period in 2019. We expect the number of international visitors to continue to rise gradually and exceed pre-crisis levels by summer. Finally, the roll-out of Next Generation EU (NGEU) funds will make a positive contribution to growth rates in 2023. In addition, the housing market is also much healthier than during the financial crisis. The high number of households with variable interest rates is a risk, but for now, there are no worrying signs that the number of households unable to repay their loans is rising sharply, helped by some government measures introduced last year. A scenario similar to what was seen during the financial crisis will not be repeated. The sharp rise in interest rates and the energy crisis will likely put an end to the sharp price increases of recent years, but we expect this to be very gradual. For this year, we expect house prices to grow by about 1%. Underlying inflationary pressures remain high Spanish inflation has cooled solidly since its peak. Harmonised inflation fell to 5.5% in December from 6.7% the month before, significantly below the eurozone average of 9.2%. The fall in Spanish inflation has started much earlier and more firmly than in other eurozone countries, thanks to a host of government measures and a greater cooling of energy inflation. Electricity inflation already turned negative in October and gas inflation is also falling sharply. In late December, Spain's Sanchez government announced a new €10bn package to address the cost-of-living crisis. The new package includes a VAT cut on essential food items and a six-month rent freeze, which will further reduce inflation in the coming months. Although lower energy prices and government measures have brought some temporary relief to headline inflation, the inflationary pressures in the rest of the economy are still very high. Core inflation, excluding the more volatile food and energy prices, reached a record high of 7% in December, a strong acceleration from 6.3% in November. As a result, core inflation is now above headline inflation for the first time since the start of 2021. For 2023, we project average inflation at 3.7%. Although the headline inflation will fall further thanks to these favourable base effects for energy, it will take somewhat longer for the pace of the food price increases to moderate and for underlying inflation to resume a downward trajectory. Food inflation reached a new record high of 15.7% year-on-year in December and the feed-through of higher labour and energy costs to final food prices is likely to continue in 2023. Moreover, fertiliser exports were severely disrupted last year, which might also affect global food production in 2023 and push food prices up. Moreover, fertiliser exports were severely disrupted last year by the war in Ukraine, which could also affect global food production in 2023 and cause higher food prices. Moreover, the Iberian gas price cap also expires at the end of May, meaning gas-fired power plants will have to pay more for their gas again. This will also put upward pressure on the inflation rate. Spanish core inflation above headline inflation for the first time INE Modest growth rate in 2023 Spain experienced a very strong reopening effect after the pandemic, but this effect faded away in the second half of 2022. Tightened financial conditions and an ongoing cost of living crisis will weigh on the growth outlook in 2023. Thanks to a relatively more service-oriented economy and a positive contribution from tourism, Spain is likely to outperform the eurozone average. For 2023, we expect growth of 0.9%. The Spanish economy in a nutshell (% YOY) TagsUnemployment rate Spain Inflation GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more    
    A Better-Than-Expected US GDP Read, Nvidia Extends Rally

    A Slight Decline In U.S. GDP Is Expected

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 21.01.2023 18:57
    Outlook for the global economy is gloomy. The economic outlook for 2023 will feel different depending on where you are in the world. The world's largest economy is also struggling, and some believe it may be facing a mild recession. There is evidence that the economy is improving, and the US may nevertheless avoid a major downturn. GDP forecast Since the beginning of the first half of last year with two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, the US economy has recorded a return to positive GDP growth in Q3 at the level of 3.2%. As we look at the first iteration of Q4 GDP this week, it seems quite likely that we will see a slowdown after the strong performance in Q3. A slight decline to 2.6% is expected, although given the signs of a slowdown in consumer spending in recent months, one would think that there could be a significant risk of lowering this estimate. Source: investing.com Steven Blitz opinion According to TS Lombard's chief US economist, Steven Blitz, a recent US Federal Reserve survey of real economy companies found that the majority of respondents said they expect little or no growth in their order books and that they are already seeing the pace of growth prices in the real economy slow. He said economic activity was returning to normal levels that had previously been spurred by stimulus during the pandemic. In his opinion, at the same time as the impact of the stimulus wears off, the central bank raised interest rates, which should lower the level of aggregate demand in the economy. Positive signs for the US economy Positive signs include the declining Consumer Price Index (CPI), which fell for six consecutive months through December, signaling easing inflation. Then there is the job market, which remains strong. Negative signals for the economy Retail sales fell by 1.1% in December after a downward-adjusted fall of 1% in November. The drop was larger than expected and it was the biggest drop in 12 months. Autumn is really unsettling because we are talking about the pre-Christmas shopping season. However, sales have been reduced in part due to falling prices. Industrial production also surprised negatively, falling by 0.7% in December. November saw a decline of 0.6% and was larger than expected. The decline was mainly due to industrial production, which fell by 1.3% in December and fell by 2.5% yoy in the fourth quarter. Higher interest rates and reduced purchasing power due to inflation hurt the demand for commodities. Will the Fed slow down with rate hikes? Disinflationary pressures and widespread signs of weakening demand may prompt the Fed to further decelerate the pace of interest rate hikes. That's what Philadelphia Fed chairman Patrick Harker suggested this week, saying he's "ready for the U.S. central bank to move to a slower pace of rate hikes amid some signs that hot inflation is fading away." Dallas Fed Chairman Lorie Logan expressed a similar view. Source: investing.com
    In Austria Inflation Will Remain High In 2023

    In Austria Inflation Will Remain High In 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.01.2023 13:38
    There are two main drivers of Austria's economic activity: industry and tourism. While the current mild temperatures are benefiting industry, they are damaging ski tourism In this article Austria's economy is struggling Inflation high; consumer confidence low   Skiers in the Austrian state of Salzburgerland this month. Due to higher temperatures, there is less snow this year and the quality of the snow is worse Austria's economy is struggling In the third quarter of 2022, the Austrian economy recorded meagre growth of 0.2% quarter-on-quarter. The industrial sector in particular supported growth, while the hospitality and other services sectors had a negative impact on growth. Flash estimates for economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2022 will only be released at the end of January, but we do not expect that the Austrian economy managed to grow again – high inflation, uncertainty, and a strong dependence on exports in an environment where the global economy is slowing argue against this. Like almost every European country, Austria is feeling the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. High energy costs, high food prices and high uncertainty among companies and households are weighing on consumer and business sentiment in Austria, although leading indicators improved from low levels recently. However, the PMI for manufacturing stood at 47.3 most recently, which not only indicates a contraction of the sector but is also lower than the eurozone number. Weak business sentiment doesn’t come as a surprise, given the high dependence on Russian gas. Austria imports around 90% of its gas consumption. Prior to the war, 80% of gas imports came from Russia. In November 2022, however, the share of gas imported from Russia had dropped to roughly 40%. Inflation high; consumer confidence low Highly filled gas reserves and mild temperatures have avoided a gas supply crisis and seem to have boosted economic sentiment. Most recently, the gas storage facilities were filled at 88% capacity  a year ago, the level was about 40%. Even if the current winter seems to proceed without economic accidents, a requirement for more energy independence is a further acceleration of the green transition. The Austrian government is providing some €3bn and an additional €2.7bn will be made available for environmental funding, to promote Austria as a research and business location and for support with additional energy efficiency measures. In total, these measures correspond to 1.4% of 2021’s GDP. Consumer confidence, as measured by the European Commission’s consumer survey, was also lower in Austria than in many other eurozone countries in all three months of the fourth quarter of 2022. Inflation averaged 8.6% in Austria in 2022, and for the next 12 months, Austrians expect prices to continue to rise. We also assume that inflation will remain high in 2023, even if double-digit inflation rates should no longer appear in the statistics. Persistently high inflation is also affecting Austrian households’ propensity to save, which has increased recently, according to the OeNB's consumer survey. But it's not just Austrians who are saving more and spending less – the cost of living has also risen in neighbouring countries. As a result, many people are skipping ski vacations. According to a YouGov survey from October 2022, only 25% of Germans want to spend their skiing vacation as planned – the rest are shortening their travel time, cancelling their vacation altogether, or avoiding local gastronomy services. And what makes matters worse is that due to the mild weather and associated lack of snow, only around half of the slopes in Austria are open. After suffering from the pandemic in recent years, ski tourism is being hit by two factors this season: lower private consumption at home and abroad and the warm weather. On a more positive note, despite the difficult economic environment, we expect the Austrian labour market to remain relatively stable in 2023. Although unemployment rose to 5.6% in December 2022, we do not expect widespread waves of layoffs. This is mainly due to labour shortages, which are particularly prevalent in Austrian handcraft and hospitality companies and affect a total of 73% of Austrian businesses. Furthermore, companies and households are being supported by various government support measures. The latest example of such measures is the electricity price brake, which came into effect in December 2022. Due to those support measures, however, Austrian government debt increased recently. In the third quarter of 2022, government debt rose to €355.6bn from €333.1bn in the previous quarter. However, the debt ratio fell to 81.3%, driven by economic growth. In 2023, we expect the debt ratio to fall further, but government support coupled with only low growth from the second quarter of 2023 onwards comes at the price of a slower-than-expected decline in the debt ratio. In contrast to other eurozone countries, the warm temperatures of recent weeks do not only bring relief for Austria. They are a double-edged sword, also threatening the overly important tourism sector. In any case, 2023 will be another economically challenging year in which we expect the Austrian economy to contract slightly. The Austrian economy in a nutshell (%YoY) TagsEurozone Austria Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Irish economy Is Set Up Incredibly Well To Handle The Aftermath Of The Covid-19 Pandemic

    The Irish economy Is Set Up Incredibly Well To Handle The Aftermath Of The Covid-19 Pandemic

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.01.2023 13:48
    Ireland's economy boomed in 2022 and the same is expected this year. The country has been relatively unscathed by the energy crisis, but high inflation will weigh on household consumption In this article Structural outperformance But 2023 will see moderation Healthy government finances continue   Leo Varadkar, Ireland's Taoiseach Structural outperformance The Irish economy continued to outperform the rest of the eurozone in 2022 and is likely to do the same in 2023. We’re currently expecting the Irish economy to have grown by just under 12% in 2022. It is well known that this is in part due to multinational accounting activity, which inflates the Irish GDP growth figure. This is causing volatility in the data, which has become worse in recent times. But this is not the only reason for Ireland’s strong performance. Modified domestic demand, the preferred measure for economic activity from the Irish statistical office, is expected to have grown in the double-digits last year as a sign of an economy that is booming beyond accounting statistics. The Irish economy is set up incredibly well to handle the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and energy shock. Its main growth engines ahead of the crises were already the pharmaceutical and ICT sectors, which both profited from the pandemic and have been relatively unscathed by the energy crisis. Having comparatively few energy-intensive industries, Ireland has been able to maintain a dizzying growth pace. This has shown in the domestic labour market as unemployment has bottomed out at just above 4% at the moment and more people than ever are in work. But 2023 will see moderation For 2023, some correction can be expected as high inflation will continue to weigh on household consumption with reopening effects fading and real wages likely to remain negative for some time. Besides that, higher interest rates are set to cool off business investment, which has also been growing at a stellar pace. These factors should lead to a normalisation of economic activity after the abnormally strong 2022. Still, we expect the GDP growth rate to drop only to 3.8%, which is still far higher than the eurozone average. The housing market remains a key concern in the Irish economy. Housing supply continues to be a problem and even though interest rates rose dramatically over 2022, house prices have yet to show a peak while other European countries are cautiously experiencing a turning point for prices. With interest rates rising, housing affordability is reducing, adding to the problem. Still, some cooling in prices is not unimaginable as the ECB raises interest rates further in 2023. Healthy government finances continue From a government debt perspective, Ireland will go through an unexciting year. The government reshuffle has brought Leo Varadkar back into the position of Taoiseach but won’t see a landslide change in government spending as a result. Last year saw a huge increase in tax income, which – together with inflation – will boost government debt levels further into safe territory. For 2023 and 2024, Ireland is expected to run a budget surplus which further solidifies its already very stable fiscal position. Ireland in a nutshell TagsIreland Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Finnish Economy Is Set To Remain Under Strain Over The Course Of 2023

    The Finnish Economy Is Set To Remain Under Strain Over The Course Of 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.01.2023 13:53
    The Finnish economy is set to undergo a milder economic winter than previously expected, but structural challenges will work against a swift recovery in 2023 In this article No vigorous bounce back in the making Exporters continue to face a challenging environment A robust labour market and government support dampen inflation impact Sanna Marin has been prime minister of Finland since 2019 No vigorous bounce back in the making The Finnish economy shrank in the third quarter of 2022 and is expected to currently be in recession. This is mainly because of the energy crisis and subsequent purchasing power squeeze. Thanks to the warmer winter weather Europe is experiencing, the impact of the energy crisis is smaller than initially expected, which means that a recession in Finland is likely to be rather mild. That means the big question for 2023 is how fast Finland can recover. The Finnish economy is set to remain under strain over the course of 2023. A fast recovery seems unlikely as the current drivers of economic weakness are set to persist over the coming quarters. While inflation is expected to moderate during 2023, real wage growth is set to remain negative for quite some time to come as energy prices are expected to remain elevated. That will put pressure on consumption growth as purchasing power will remain squeezed. Exporters continue to face a challenging environment Exports are also set to remain under pressure in Finland as the main export markets are likely to experience mixed economic activity this year. Concerns about Germany and China remain significant, where weak recovery in Germany is likely to dampen external demand for Finnish products, while China remains a big uncertainty in terms of how it will recover from the current wave of Covid-19. Russia – traditionally one of the largest trade partners of Finland – is unlikely to return to that position given the sanctions in place. In the meantime, it is not just the energy crisis and Russia that provide persistent headwinds for 2023. The housing market is also cooling off on the back of the aggressive ECB rate hikes as mortgage rates rise quickly. Home sales have been on the decline since the beginning of 2022 as rates started to increase. Prices have also started to correct with December showing a 3.4% year-on-year drop. On the back of this, building activity has started to moderate. As rates are not expected to show a correction again, we expect the housing market to continue to have a dampening effect on economic activity over the course of 2023. A robust labour market and government support dampen inflation impact So no miracles are to be expected for 2023; a mild recession followed by a sluggish recovery. Still, there are positives to mention despite this environment. Like much of Europe, Finland has a very strong and resilient labour market at the moment, which is not expected to show a large surge in unemployment despite economic challenges. That means that labour shortages are likely to remain elevated in 2023 and beyond, which will keep wage pressures more significant than before the pandemic. While this is a concern from a competitiveness perspective, it also dampens the negative income impact of this winter’s downturn. From a government finance perspective, Finland has challenges ahead. Debt-to-GDP has fallen to 71.6% after peaking at 75.6% in early 2021 after government support during the pandemic caused spending to soar. The high inflation rate has been beneficial for government finances, but forecasts for 2023 and 2024 see government debt increasing again. Compensation measures for the energy crisis and increased defence spending are set to contribute to higher debt levels for Finland this year. Finland in a nutshell TagsFinland Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Greek Budget For 2023 Targets A Return To A Primary Surplus

    The Greek Budget For 2023 Targets A Return To A Primary Surplus

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.01.2023 14:02
    The end of re-opening effects will bring about softer demand as normalising fiscal policy takes away extra support. Upcoming elections will also add a pinch of political uncertainty to the mix In this article Greece's economic profile End of re-opening effect to be followed by more domestic demand uncertainty Normalising fiscal policy to help further declines in debt/GDP Elections also carry some uncertainty   Greece's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis Greece's economic profile The Greek growth profile has recently reflected developments on the inflation front. The acceleration of inflation over the summer (culminating in September's 12.1% peak) took its toll on consumption, which saw a 0.1% quarter-on-quarter contraction in the third quarter of 2022 despite generous energy subsidies. Together with a net export drag, this caused a 0.5% contraction in GDP for the third quarter of 2022. We suspect a similar pattern will follow in the fourth quarter despite confirmed fiscal support and decelerating inflation. End of re-opening effect to be followed by more domestic demand uncertainty The outlook for 2023 remains uncertain. With GDP well above pre-Covid levels, re-opening effects should now be over. Tourism receipts also returned back to their historical peak in the summer of last year, making it unlikely that we'll see further substantial gains in 2023. The recovery seen in employment was a powerful driver of consumption over 1H22 but now appears to be losing steam. Changes to real disposable income will increasingly depend on inflation developments, with inevitable side effects on consumption. Investments should, in principle, remain relatively supported thanks to the inflow of European Recovery Funds but will not be immune to persistent uncertainty surrounding the cost of projects. Employment recovery is losing steam Refinitiv Datastream Normalising fiscal policy to help further declines in debt/GDP Fiscal policy, while possibly accommodating some extra temporary support in the case of continued energy price disruptions, will take a more disciplined turn. The Greek budget for 2023 targets a return to a primary surplus, which is consistent with the fiscal overperformance of 2022 and a more optimistic GDP projection. We're currently less upbeat on growth, and although the primary surplus could be slightly missed, we see a substantial fall in the debt/GDP ratio towards the 170% level materialising nonetheless. With an average debt maturity of more than 18 years, the ongoing sharp rise in interest rates can still be accommodated in the short run without raising debt sustainability concerns. The inflation tax effect, albeit less powerful than in 2022, will still be at work. Elections also carry some uncertainty 2023 will be an election year for Greece. Legislative elections are due to be held in July, but we can't exclude the possibility of prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling Greeks to the polls a few months early. The upcoming election will be held under a purely proportional system, a shift from the previous structure, which integrated the proportional element with a majority premium and has allowed New Democracy (ND) to rule the country in isolation since 2019. The new system will make it much more complicated for any participant to obtain a parliamentary majority. According to the latest available opinion polls, ND leads with 37% of the votes, followed by Syriza (28%) and Pasok (11.5%). With these numbers, ND would be far from reaching a majority under the new system if it does not align itself with others (Pasok). Setting up a reliable coalition may turn out to be a difficult task. Add to this a campaign which might touch upon delicate issues (such as Qatargate) along with wiretapping accusations, and you get a decent mix of potential sources for political uncertainty over the second quarter. The Greek economy in a nutshell (%YoY) Thomson Reuters, all forecasts ING estimates TagsGreece Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Belgium: Core inflation rises, but the peak is near

    A Slow Recovery Of The Belgian Economy Is Likely To Take Shape In The Course Of The Year

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.01.2023 14:07
    The Belgian economy coped well with the inflation shock in 2022. Even if 2023 looks more difficult, a strong labour market should limit the damage. But in the medium term, the economy will not be able to ignore the challenges of competitiveness and public finances In this article Resilience Household income holds up Slight recession Slow recovery… ... and inflation down, but still high Competitiveness and public finances, problems for tomorrow   Shutterstock Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo attends a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan 2023 Resilience Torn between the post-Covid reopening of the economy and the negative effects of the war in Ukraine, the Belgian economy showed, like other eurozone economies, strong resilience to headwinds. For the year 2022 as a whole, GDP is expected to have grown by 3%, which puts last year's volume of activity around 3.5% above that of 2019, before the succession of negative shocks. It should be noted, however, that on the supply side of the economy, not all sectors have developed so positively: even though the figures for the fourth quarter are not yet available, it is highly likely that activity will have contracted (by around 0.3%) in the manufacturing sector in 2022. Growth is therefore essentially linked to services, and in particular to (retail) trade, which has benefited from the complete end of Covid restrictions. Household income holds up It may seem surprising that in the context of the war in Ukraine and the sharp rise in commodity and energy prices, the economy, and household consumption in particular, has shown such resilience. This is most likely linked to two factors: on the one hand, the labour market has put in one of its best performances in recent decades. Indeed, according to the latest available figures, some 100,000 jobs were created in 2022, which is exceptional for the Belgian economy. Even if these are not always fixed-term and full-time contracts, the volume of hours worked has increased (+2.7% year-on-year in the third quarter 2022). This has therefore contributed to an increase in household disposable income. On the other hand, the automatic indexation of income (wages, pensions, social benefits, etc.), itself linked to the evolution of prices, has pushed income upwards, which has enabled households to cope with the energy price shock, especially as many additional measures have been taken to mitigate its effects. These two elements combined have allowed household disposable income to rise by more than 7% in 2022, or by almost €25 billion. Consequently, despite the sharp rise in prices, households have not had to reduce their savings rate (this stood at 13.6% in the third quarter of 2022, whereas it did not exceed 12.0% on average over the three years prior to the start of the Covid), while increasing the total volume of consumption. Recent growth in compensation of employees (YoY) This has been driven by an increase in hours worked, but more by the nominal increase in hourly wages in 2022 Statbel, NBB, computation: ING Slight recession However, it is undeniable that the pace of growth slowed during the year. As mentioned above, activity even contracted in the manufacturing sector. Household and business confidence have recovered somewhat in recent months, but household confidence remains very low. On the labour market, there has also been some deterioration: although temporary unemployment (which can be used by companies that are suffering too much from the rise in energy prices) has returned to its normal level, there has been a deterioration in activity in the temporary employment sector (it has fallen by more than 11% YoY in November 2022). The number of job seekers is also up by 5% over the same period. As elsewhere, the slowdown in activity should be less pronounced than we anticipated a few months ago, thanks of course to the fall in energy prices. This is all the more true as the measures taken to combat the rise in energy bills for households will be maintained in the coming months. The manufacturing sector should also benefit from the fall in energy prices and make a positive contribution to growth. Slow recovery… Barring a sharp rise in energy prices similar to that seen in the summer of 2022, a slow recovery of the Belgian economy is likely to take shape in the course of the year. However, this will initially be hampered by more restrictive financing conditions for the economy, due to the rapid and significant increases in European Central Bank interest rates. This could weigh on construction activity in particular. Indeed, there is already a clear cooling of the housing market, with mortgage lending down by almost 25%. In addition, job creation is likely to slow down significantly this year, which will limit the growth of real household income, and therefore consumption. ... and inflation down, but still high In 2022, inflation reached almost 10%. This is quite exceptional. Of course, the direct impact of rising energy prices is largely responsible for this figure. But we should not forget that in December last year, more than 70% of the prices of goods and services included in the consumer price index had risen by at least 5% over the previous 12 months. The indirect effects of rising energy, commodity and labour costs have thus played an important role in the inflation dynamics. Thanks to the recent fall in energy prices, inflation has started to decline. It should continue to fall in the coming months, although this will probably be hampered by the desire of many companies to try to pass on the recent increases in labour costs to their sales prices. Indeed, around 500,000 workers will see their wages indexed by over 11% from this month. This is good for household income but represents a significant cost for the companies concerned. Competitiveness and public finances, problems for tomorrow In the end, therefore, despite the multiple shocks impacting the Belgian economy, it should get through the turbulent period without too much damage. This is at least the case at first sight. However, the shocks and the measures taken to deal with them will leave their mark. In other words, the legacy of multiple crises over recent years will continue to be felt.    On the one hand, it is known that the automatic indexation of wages is largely responsible for the increase in households' disposable income, and thus their ability to cope with the increase in energy bills. But it is also an equivalent cost for companies. Therefore, if wage growth (and therefore labour costs) does not reach an equivalent level in Belgium's trading partners, Belgium will lose competitiveness. As the inflation wave is huge, the wage cost differentials could be substantial. This may ultimately affect the economic recovery, in terms of jobs or income, if no measures were to be taken to correct the excessive wage handicap. On the other hand, it should be noted that the state has borne the brunt of past shocks. For example, between March 2020 and the end of 2022, more than €6 billion of additional temporary unemployment benefits were paid to counter the loss of activity linked to the shocks (mainly the Covid crisis). To this must be added aid to businesses, aid to households for energy bills (tax cuts, lump sum cheques, etc.), as well as indexation of civil servants' salaries and social benefits. In the end, the budget deficit has struggled to fall since 2020, and should still approach 5% of GDP in 2022 and 2023. It should also be added that the level of interest rates on the markets is now higher than the average financing rate of the existing debt, and the replacement of maturing debt will tend to increase the latter. No major corrective measures are currently being put in place, while the prospect of federal and regional elections in 2024 will make it increasingly difficult for the parties in the broad governing coalition to reach agreement. For the same reasons, the much-needed structural measures to reform the labour market and the pension system are also in jeopardy. The health of public finances is likely to be a drag on the economy sooner or later. Corrective measures will inevitably include tax increases or spending cuts. The question is when the pressure will be felt to take these corrective measures. This may come from the new European fiscal rules under discussion, or from a loss of creditor confidence in the financial markets. The former may still take some time to be decided, while the latter is unpredictable.  The Belgian economy in a nutshell (% YoY) Thomson Reuters, all forecasts ING estimates TagsInflation GDP growth Belgium Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The AUD/USD Pair’s Downside Remains Off The Table

    The Bullish Outlook For The AUD/USD Pair Will Depend Solely On The US Dollar

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 22.01.2023 15:21
    The AUD/USD pair has come under heavy pressure this week, following the release of the Australian labor market report. The release unexpectedly came out in the red zone, and the aussie made a new weekly low, sliding to 0.6876. However, we can say by the end of the week the bears couldn't take their successes, on Friday, the aussie regained some of the lost ground and got back to the 69th figure area. I note that the main "test" for the Aussie is yet to come – key data on inflation growth in Australia in the 4th quarter of 2022 will be published next week. If this report disappoints the AUD/USD bulls, then the implementation of bullish ambitions will have to wait: further growth of the pair will be possible only due to the weakening of the greenback. But today, all is not lost for bulls, although the "Australian Nonfarm" has significantly spoiled the fundamental background for aud/usd. Aussie lost an rally It should be noted that the Australian labor market has been a staunch ally of the aussie over the past few months. The unemployment rate gradually decreased during the first half of last year, and since June it has fluctuated in the range of 3.4% -3.5% (for comparison, we can say that the peak was recorded in October 2021 at around 5.2%). The growth rate of the number of employed has recently shown a positive trend (October and November should be especially noted in this context). Given the trends of recent months, no "trick" was expected from the December report: experts predicted a decrease in unemployment and an increase in the number of employed. However, the published release was, to put it mildly, controversial, and it is not at all surprising that the market interpreted it against the aussie. Traders focused their attention on the fact that unemployment remained at 3.5%, while according to forecasts, it should have fallen to 3.4%. The proportion of the economically active population unexpectedly dropped to 66.6% (although an upward trend was observed over the past three months). But most of all, the indicator of the increase in the number of employees was disappointing: the indicator came out at -14,600, despite the fact that experts expected to see a 27,000 increase. However, one point needs to be clarified here. The structure of this component indicates that in December the level of part-time employment significantly decreased (-32.200). While the number of full-time employees increased by 17,600, it is known that full-time positions offer a higher level of wages and a higher level of social security, compared to temporary part-time jobs. And yet, the "overall result" was against the aussie (especially since the 17,000th increase in full employment did not impress investors). Australian Nonfarm put a lot of pressure on AUD/USD. Bulls were forced to retreat from the key resistance level of 0.7000. All is not lost yet As a result of the trading week, bulls still managed to return to the area of the 69th figure. Therefore, the 0.7000 price barrier is still on the horizon. The inflation report, which will be published in Australia next week, can play a decisive role here. According to preliminary forecasts, the consumer price index in the 4th quarter will come out at around 1.8% in quarterly terms (in the 3rd and 2nd quarters, an increase of 1.8% was recorded). While in annual terms, an increasing trend can be recorded - experts predict growth to a record 7.5%. If both components of the release come out in the green zone, the Australian dollar paired with the US currency will again try to gain a foothold in the area of the 70th figure. Let me remind you that the Reserve Bank of Australia slowed down the pace of rate hikes to 25 points last fall - earlier than many central banks of the world's leading countries. Therefore, this issue was removed from the agenda a few months ago. However, in December, there were rumors on the market that the RBA might even pause in tightening monetary policy. And although representatives of the Australian central bank have repeatedly denied such intentions, the relevant rumors do not subside. And if inflation indicators in Australia show a downward trend next week, talk of a "dovish character" will again be on the agenda, especially against the backdrop of weak "Australian Nonfarm". Findings Despite the disappointing data in the labor market, it is still too early to write off the Australian dollar. A strong inflation report may well bring the aussie back to life, especially against the backdrop of a weakening greenback. If Australian inflation disappoints, then the bullish outlook for AUD/USD will depend solely on the US dollar. Given the high degree of uncertainty, before the release of the above-mentioned inflation report (Wednesday, January 25) for the pair, it is advisable to take a wait-and-see attitude.   Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/332913
    For What It Is Worthy To Pay Attention Next Week 23.01-29.01

    What It Is Worthy To Pay Attention Next Week 23.01-29.01

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 22.01.2023 15:36
    High volatility continues to rock the markets. Last week was also influenced by it, especially after new data from the US published an important report. Last Wednesday's report showed a slowdown in inflation in the country, this time in the production of various goods: the PPI fell in December (to -0.5% against the forecast of -0.1% and the previous value of +0.2%, and to 6.2% on an annualized basis against the forecast of 6.8% and the previous value of 7.3%). A week earlier, consumer inflation data had also shown another slowdown, with the annual CPI falling back to 6.5% in December from 7.1% a month earlier and the core CPI dropping to 5.7% from 6% in November. At the same time, data on some of the most important sectors of the U.S. economy show a slowdown, which is a consequence, among other things, of the Federal Reserve's tight policy. In particular, according to the data from last week, the volume of industrial production declined again (to -0.7% in December from -0.6% in November), moreover, the forecasted decline by -0.1%, and capacity utilization rate - to 78.8% from 79.4% a month earlier. Despite the fairly good labor market conditions, the aforementioned and other data put pressure on Fed policymakers to reconsider their tough approach to monetary policy parameters in the direction of easing. Raising rates as macroeconomic indicators deteriorate is an unacceptable mistake, economists say, especially since the Fed's tight monetary policy has already borne fruit - inflation is falling, though still far from the 2% target. Next week will provide new food for thought for market participants regarding the Fed's monetary policy outlook. Particular attention will be paid to Thursday's release of preliminary U.S. GDP data for Q4 2022. Growth is expected to be 2.8% (after a 3.2% increase in Q3 and a decline in the first half of the year). This data will push back the threat of a technical recession (2 consecutive quarters of GDP decline). Market participants will pay attention to the release of important macro data on both the U.S. and other major economies of the world, such as Canada, Australia, Germany, the eurozone economy, British, as well as the results of the Bank of Canada meeting (Wednesday) on the monetary policy. Monday, January 23 Australia. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) (from Commonwealth Bank of Australia and S&P Global). Services PMI (from Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Markit Economics) (preliminary releases) These reports are an analysis of a survey of 400 purchasing managers in which respondents are asked to assess relative levels of business conditions, including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories. Since purchasing managers have perhaps the most up-to-date information on company conditions, this indicator is an important indicator of the state of the Australian economy as a whole. These sectors form a significant part of Australian GDP. A result above 50 signals is seen as positive (or bullish) for the AUD, whereas a result below 50 is seen as negative (or bearish) for the AUD. Data worse than 50 is seen as negative for the AUD. Previous Values: Manufacturing PMI: 50.2, 51.3, 52.7, 53.5, 53.8, 55.7, 56.2, 55.7. Services PMI: 47,3, 47,6, 49,3, 50,6, 50,2, 50,9, 52,6, 53,2. The level of influence on the markets is medium. Tuesday, January 24 Germany. Manufacturing PMI (PMI). Composite index (PMI) of business activity (preliminary releases). This S&P Global report is an analysis of a survey of 800 purchasing managers in which respondents are asked to assess the relative level of business conditions, including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories. Since purchasing managers have perhaps the most up-to-date information on company conditions, this indicator is an important indicator of the state of the German economy as a whole. This sector accounts for a large portion of Germany's GDP. Normally, a result above 50 signals is seen as positive, or bullish for the EUR, whereas a result below 50 is seen as negative, or bearish for the EUR. Data worse than the forecast and/or the previous value will have a negative impact on the EUR. Previous values: Manufacturing PMI: 47.1, 46.2, 45.1, 47.8, 49.1, 49.3, 52.0, 54.8, 54.6, 56.9, 58.4, 59.8, Composite PMI: 49.0, 46.3, 45.1, 45.7, 46.9, 48.1, 51.3, 53.7. January forecast: 47.5 and 48.9, respectively. The level of influence on the markets (pre-release) is high. Eurozone. Manufacturing PMI Composite (preliminary release) S&P Global Manufacturing PMI (manufacturing PMI) released by S&P Global is a significant indicator of business conditions in the eurozone. A result above 50 signals is seen as positive (or bullish) for the EUR, whereas a result below 50 is seen as negative (or bearish) for the EUR. Data worse than the forecast and/or previous value will have a negative impact on the EUR. Previous values: 49,3, 47,8, 47,3, 48,1, 48,9, 49,9, 52,0, 54,8, 55,8, 54,9. Forecast for January: 49.0. The level of impact on markets (pre-release) is high. UK. Manufacturing and Services sectors (PMI) (provisional release) The PMI Manufacturing and Services Business Activity released by S&P Global is a significant indicator of British economic conditions. If the data is worse than expected and the previous value, the pound is likely to decline short-term, but sharply. Data better than the forecast and the previous value will have a positive effect on the pound. In the meantime, a result above 50 is seen as positive and strengthens the GBP, below 50 is seen as negative for the GBP. Previous values: Manufacturing PMI: 45.3, 46.5, 46.2, 48.4, 47.3, 52.1, 52.8, 54.6, 55.8, 55.2, 58.0, 57.3. Services PMI: 49,9, 48,8, 48,8, 50,0, 50,9, 52,6, 54,3, 53,4. Forecast for January: 45.0 and 49.9, respectively. The level of influence on the markets (pre-release) is high. US. S&P Global Business Activity Indices (PMI): Manufacturing, Composite and Services Economy (Preliminary Release) The S&P Global Composite PMI and Services PMI are among other monthly reports released by S&P Global and are important indicators of the health of the US manufacturing and US economy as a whole. A result above 50 is seen as positive (or bullish) for the USD, whereas a result below 50 is seen as negative (or bearish) for the USD. Readings above 50 signals an acceleration in activity, which is positive for the USD. If the indicator falls below the forecast, and especially if it is below 50, the USD may weaken sharply in the short term. Previous PMI values: 46.2, 47.7, 50.4, 52.0, 51.5, 52.2, 57.0, 59.2 in the manufacturing sector. Composite 45.0, 46.4, 48.2, 49.5, 44.6, 47.7, 52.3, 53.6, 56.0; In the services sector 44.7, 46.2, 47.8, 49.3, 43.7, 47.3, 52.7, 53.4, 55.6. The level of market impact of this S&P Global report (preliminary release) is high. However, it is still lower than the similar report from ISM (American Institute for Supply Management). The outlook for January is 46.1, 44.7 and 44.5, respectively. The level of influence on the markets (pre-release) is high. New Zealand. Consumer Price Index (CPI) (Q4) Consumer prices account for most of the overall inflation. Rising prices cause the central bank to raise interest rates to curb inflation, and conversely, when inflation declines or there are signs of deflation (this is when the purchasing power of money increases and prices of goods and services fall), the central bank usually seeks to devalue the national currency by lowering interest rates in order to increase aggregate demand. This indicator (Consumer Price Index, CPI) is key to assess inflation and changes in consumer preferences. A high reading is bullish for the NZD, while a low reading is bearish. Previous values: +2.2% (+7.2% annualized) in Q3, +1.7% (+7.3% annualized) in Q2, +1.8% (+6.9% annualized) in Q1 2022). Data better than forecast and previous values should reflect positively on NZD. Forecast for Q4: +2.4% (+7.1% YoY). The level of impact on the markets is high. Wednesday, January 25 Australia. CPI (Q4). Reserve Bank of Australia CPI, Core Inflation Trimmed mean (Q4) The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of a basket of goods and services over a certain period. CPI is a key indicator to assess inflation and changes in purchasing habits. Assessment of the inflation rate is important for the central bank management in determining the parameters of current monetary policy. A figure below the forecast/previous value can provoke weakening of the AUD, as low inflation will force the RBA governors to pursue a soft monetary policy course. Conversely, rising inflation and high inflation will pressure the RBA to tighten its monetary policy, which is seen as positive for the currency in normal economic conditions. Previous values of the index: +1.8% (+7.3% annualized) in Q3, +1.8% (+6.1% annualized) in Q2 2022, +2.1% (+5.1% annualized) in Q1 2022, +1.3% (+3, 5% annualized) in Q4, +0.8% (+3.0% annualized) in Q3, +0.8% (+3.8% annualized) in Q2, +0.6% (+1.1% annualized) in Q1 2021. Forecast for Q4 2022: +1.7% (+7.2% annualized). The level of impact on markets is high. The RBA Core Inflation - Trimmed mean - (for Q4) Released by the RBA and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It captures the movement of retail prices of goods and services, which are included in the consumer basket. The simple truncated average method takes into account the weighted average core, the central 70% of the index components. Previous index values: +1.8% (+6.1% annualized) in Q3, +1.5% (+4.9% annualized) in Q2 2022, +1.4% (+3.7% annualized) in Q1 2022, +1.0% (+2, 6% annualized) in Q4, +0.7% (+2.1% annualized) in Q3, +0.5% (+1.6% annualized) in Q2, +0.3% (+1.1% annualized) in Q1 2021. Forecast for Q4 2022: +1.9% (+6.7% annualized). The level of impact on the markets is high. Canada. Bank of Canada interest rate decision. Accompanying statement of the Bank of Canada. The interest rate level is the most important factor in assessing the value of a currency. Investors look at most other economic indicators only to predict how rates will change in the future. The country's inflation rate has accelerated to a near 40-year high (in February 2022, Canadian consumer prices rose 5.7% year-over-year after rising 5.1% in January to a 30-year high, in May to 7.7%, and already 8.1% in June). This is the highest rate since early 1983! The Bank of Canada estimates that the neutral interest rate level, at which it neither stimulates nor slows economic activity, is 2.5%. The current interest rate level is 4.25%. The Bank of Canada is widely expected to raise interest rates again at this meeting, most likely by 0.25%. In an accompanying statement, Bank of Canada policymakers will explain the decision and possibly share plans for the monetary policy outlook. The tough tone of this statement will cause the Canadian dollar to strengthen. A more softer tone may provoke weakening of the CAD. The level of impact on the markets is high. Canada. Bank of Canada Press Conference The press conference consists of 2 parts - first the prepared statement is read out and then the conference is open to questions from the press. This is one of the main methods the Bank of Canada uses to communicate with market participants about monetary policy, also giving hints about future monetary policy. It elaborates on the factors that have influenced the bank's interest rate management decision. During the press conference, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem will explain the bank's position and give an assessment of the current economic situation in the country. If the tone of his speech is firm on the monetary policy of the Bank of Canada, the CAD will strengthen in the foreign exchange market. If Macklem argues in favor of monetary policy easing, the CAD is likely to decline. In any case, during his speech high volatility in the CAD is expected. The level of influence on the markets is high. Thursday, January 26 US. Annual GDP for Q4 (Preliminary Estimate). Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (PCE Price Index). Unemployment claims. Durable goods orders. Orders of capital goods (excluding defense and aircraft) The GDP is a key indicator of the US economy. Along with labor market and inflation data, GDP data are crucial for the US central bank in determining its monetary policy. A strong result strengthens the U.S. dollar; a weak GDP report negatively affects the dollar. There are 3 versions of GDP released at monthly intervals - Preliminary, Revised, and Final. Preliminary release is the earliest and it has the biggest impact on the market. The Final release has less impact, especially if it coincides with the forecast. Previous values for the index (annualized) are: +3.2%, -0.6%, -1.6%, +6.9%, +2.3%, +6.7%, +6.3% (Q1 2021). Forecast for Q4 2022 (preliminary estimate): +2.8%. The level of impact on markets (pre-release) is high. The Core Personal Consumption Expenditure Index (or Core PCE) is the primary measure of inflation which Fed FOMC officials use as the primary indicator of inflation. The level of inflation (in addition to labor market and GDP conditions) is important to the Fed when setting its monetary policy parameters. Rising prices put pressure on the central bank to tighten its policy and raise interest rates. Price index (PCE) values that are higher than forecasted could push the U.S. dollar up, as this would hint at a possible hawkish shift in the Fed's outlook, and vice versa. Previous values are +4.7% (Q3), +4.7% (Q2 2022), +5.2% (Q1 2022), 5.0% (Q4 2021), +4.6% (Q3), +6.1% (Q2), +2.7% (Q1 2021). Forecast for Q4 2022 (preliminary estimate): +5.3%. The level of impact on markets (preliminary release) is high. Also at the same time, the U.S. Labor Department will release its weekly report on the state of the U.S. labor market with data on the number of initial and continued jobless claims. The labor market condition (together with GDP and inflation data) is a key indicator for the Fed in determining its monetary policy parameters. A result above expectations and a rise in the indicator suggests weakness in the labor market, which negatively affects the U.S. dollar. A fall in the indicator and its low value is a sign of labor market recovery and can have a short-term positive impact on the USD. The initial and continued Unemployment Claims are expected to remain at pre-pandemic lows, which is also a positive sign for the USD, indicating a stabilization of the US labor market. Previous (weekly) values for initial jobless claims data: 190,000, 205,000, 206,000, 223,000, 216,000, 214,000, 231,000, 226,000, 241,000, 223,000, 226,000, 217,000, 214,000, 226,000, 216,000, 219,000, 190,000, 209,000, 208,000, 218,000, 228,000, 237,000, 245,000. Previous (weekly) values on unemployment reapplication data: 1647k, 1634k, 1694k, 1718k, 1669k, 1678k, 1670k, 1609k, 1551k, 1503k, 1494k, 1438k, 1383k, 1364k, 1365k, 1346k, 1376k, 1401k, 1401k, 1437k, 1412k. The level of influence on the markets - from medium to high. Orders for durable goods. Orders for capital goods (excluding defense and airvraft) Durable goods are defined as hard products with an expected life of more than 3 years, such as cars, computers, appliances, and airplanes, and imply large investments in their production. This leading indicator measures the change in the total value of new orders for durable goods placed with manufacturers. Growing orders for this category of goods signal that manufacturers will increase activity as orders are filled. Capital goods are durable goods used to produce durable goods and services. Goods produced in the defense and aviation sectors of the U.S. economy are not included in this indicator. A high reading strengthens the USD, while a low reading is negative for the USD. A low reading is also negative for the USD, while a high reading is positive for the USD. Previous Durable Goods Orders Indicator: -2.1% in November 2022, +0.7%, +0.3%, +0.2%, -0.1%, +2.2% in June, +0.8% in May, +0.4% in April, +0.6% in March, -1.7% in February, +1.6% in January. Previous values for the "capital goods orders excluding defense and aircraft" indicator: +0.2% in November 2022, +0.3% in October, -0.8% in September, +0.8% in August, +0.3% in July, +0.9% in June, +0.6% in May, +0.3% in April, +1.1% in March, -0.3% in February, +1.3% in January. Forecast for December: +2.5% and 0%, respectively. The level of impact on the markets is high. Friday, January 27 U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE Core Price Index) The annual core price index PCE (excluding volatile food and energy prices) is the main inflation indicator used by Fed FOMC officials as the main indicator of inflation. The level of inflation (in addition to labor market and GDP conditions) is important to the Fed when setting its monetary policy parameters. Rising prices put pressure on the central bank to tighten its policy and raise interest rates. Core Price Index (PCE) values above the forecast could push the U.S. dollar up, as this would hint at a possible hawkish shift in the Fed's outlook, and vice versa. Previous values: +4.7% (annualized), +5.0%, +5.1%, +4.9%, +4.7%, +4.8%, +4.7%, +4.9%, +5.2%, +5.3%, +5.2% (in January 2022). Forecast for January: +0.2% (+4.6% annualized). The level of influence on the markets is medium to high. U.S. University of Michigan Consumer Confidence Index (final release) This index is a leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for most of the overall economic activity. It also reflects American consumers' confidence in the country's economic development. A high reading indicates economic growth while a low reading indicates stagnation. Generally speaking, a low reading is seen as negative (or bearish) for the USD in the short term. An increase in the indicator would strengthen the USD. The previous indicator values: 59.7, 56.8, 59.9, 58.6, 58.2, 51.5, 50.0, 58.4, 65.2, 59.4, 62.8, 67.2 in January 2022. Forecast for January: 64.6 (preliminary estimate 64.6 with a forecast of 61.6). The level of impact on markets (final release) is medium   Relevance up to 12:00 2023-01-25 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/332879
    Asia Morning Bites: Inflation Data in Focus, FOMC, ECB, and BoJ Meetings Ahead

    In Poland The GDP Outlook For 2023 Has Improved Thanks To The Falling Gas Prices

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.01.2023 13:48
    Data for December suggests that fourth-quarter and full-year GDP growth will be a bit weaker than expected. However, the economic outlook for 2023 has improved thanks to the drop in gas prices, supporting our above-consensus growth forecast of 1%   Poland's GDP outlook has improved thanks to falling gas prices Industrial output decelerates In December, production decelerated further. In year-on-year terms, the rate of growth slowed to 1% vs. 4.5% in November. This was close to expectations (ING 1.2%, consensus 1.7%). In monthly terms, output grew for a fourth consecutive month (seasonally-adjusted), up by 0.7%. Monthly declines were recorded between the second and third quarters, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Industrial output continues to slow Industrial output (% YoY) Source: GUS   Export sectors are still strong thanks to improvements in global supply chains. At the same time, heavy industry (power generation, metallurgy, chemicals) looks weaker due to high energy prices (shutdowns in the chemical industry and some steel mills due to expensive gas). Gas prices have been falling since December which should help to unlock production in some sectors, potentially adding about 0.2pp to GDP in the first quarter. However, production will be negatively affected by the high base in energy production from the first half of last year when the Polish power industry exported a lot of electricity, competing with the expensive gas from Western producers. Still, the GDP outlook for 2023 has improved thanks to falling gas prices, which significantly raises the outlook for the European and German economies - Poland's main trading partners. The net effect of these developments is positive, supporting our 1% YoY GDP forecast for 2023, which is above consensus. Construction output in contraction Construction output fell 0.8% YoY in December, compared to a 4% YoY increase a month earlier and a consensus estimate of 2.7% YoY. In October and November, production was supported by unusually warm temperatures. But this effect was no longer present in December. As a result, work related to public investment, i.e. civil engineering (up 1.4% vs 6.9% YoY a month earlier) and specialised construction works (down 1.7% after an 8.6% YoY increase in November), declined significantly. Building construction also fell for a second consecutive month (down 0.8% vs -4.2% YoY in November). The construction outlook remains negative and in fact, is likely to be one of the weakest areas in the economy this year. Infrastructure investment is suffering from a lack of EU funds and rising prices, making it difficult to execute tenders. Even accessing the Recovery Fund this year will not change this picture in 2023, as tenders and design work will need to be completed before actual construction can begin. Residential construction, meanwhile, is suffering from a slump in demand. Higher interest rates and regulatory requirements have significantly weakened the demand for credit. This has been compounded by a general deterioration in household sentiment, which discourages households from making major purchases like durable goods and housing. Developers, on the other hand, still have a very large number of apartments under construction - only recently falling below record levels. In all likelihood, projects already underway are now being completed, while new ones are not being started. Retail sales increasingly weak In December, retail sales of goods rose by merely 0.2% YoY (consensus: 1.4%; ING: 1.5%), following a 1.6% YoY increase in November (all in real terms). The trends seen in previous months are continuing. Sales of durable goods remain weak. The decline in sales of furniture, consumer electronics and household appliances deepened to double-digit levels (-10.4% YoY), while increases in total sales were driven by rising consumption of primary goods (pharmaceuticals: +7.6% YoY; food: +1.9% YoY). The strong increase in the price of necessities (food, fuel) is limiting consumers' ability to purchase other products. This is especially so against a backdrop of shrinking real household income from work. Real wages in the enterprise sector fell by 5.3% YoY in December. Retail sales remain weak Real retail sales and wages (% YoY) Source: GUS   December's goods sales performance was weak. Growth in pharmaceutical sales was buoyed by the strong wave of seasonal flu. The slightly lower magnitude of the year-on-year decline in fuel sales might have been related to concerns about price increases as VAT on gasoline and diesel was due to rise from 8% in December to 23% in January. Annual growth rates in food and clothing sales slowed markedly. Retail sales data in recent months suggest a further weakening of goods consumption in the fourth quarter after an already soft third quarter. GDP estimate for 4Q22. Slightly improved outlook for 2023 Overall, the December data was marginally weaker than expected (wages, construction output, retail sales), while industrial production slowed in line with our nowcasting models, but was marginally weaker than the trend rate. Based on that, we estimate GDP growth in 4Q22 at 2.0% YoY and for the full year at just below 5%, slightly weaker than previously expected. On the other hand, the GDP outlook for 2023 has improved thanks to the falling gas prices. This has significantly improved the forecasts for the European and German economies - Poland's main trading partners. The net effect of these developments is positive, supporting our 1% YoY GDP forecast for 2023, which is above consensus. Read this article on THINK
    Bank of Japan to welcome Kazuo Ueda as its new governor

    The BoJ Is Projecting That Inflation Will Peak At 3% In March

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 23.01.2023 14:14
    The Japanese yen has edged lower on Monday. In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 130.15, up 0.45%. The yen slipped 1.3% against the dollar last week, falling as low as 131.57 before recovering. Inflation heads higher Core CPI jumped 4.0% y/y in December, its highest level since 1981. This matched the forecast and followed a 3.7% gain in November. The usual suspects were at play, as food and energy prices rose sharply. Energy prices climbed 15.2%, while food prices were up 7.4%, the fastest pace since 1977. Core CPI has exceeded the BoJ’s 2 percent inflation target for nine straight months, as the central bank’s argument that inflation is transitory has become increasingly hard to defend.  The BoJ is projecting that inflation will peak at 3% in March, but it’s unclear why inflation will start to fall, barring a complete turnaround in energy and food prices. With wage growth lagging behind inflation, the cost of living is squeezing consumers, who are likely to cut back on consumption which will hamper economic growth. We’ll get another look at inflation on Tuesday, with the release of the central bank’s preferred inflation gauge, BoJ Core CPI. The index rose steadily in 2022, from just 0.8% in January to 2.9% in November. The consensus for December is unchanged but a reading of 3.0% or higher will put pressure on the BoJ to tighten policy, which would be bullish for the yen. The BoJ surprised the markets last week when it maintained policy settings at its monthly meeting. The non-move may have been primarily aimed as an ambush on speculators who bought yen in anticipation of the BOJ tightening policy. Still, the markets are expecting a shift in the BoJ’s ultra-loose policy, although it could occur after the new governor takes over in April. What is clear is that the BoJ will continue to command the attention of traders. The BoJ’s next meeting is on March 8th.   USD/JPY Technical There is resistance at 130.67 and 131.69 129.46 and 128.41 are providing support This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    The ECB Is Likely To Stay The Course And Hike By Another 50bp

    ING Economics ING Economics 24.01.2023 11:44
    The jump in the composite PMI from 49.3 to 50.2 indicates that the economy is performing better than expected. Businesses are experiencing fewer cost pressures than before, but selling prices remain high. For the ECB, this should seal the deal for a 50 basis point hike next week The eurozone economy was boosted in December by the mild winter weather   Sometimes you just need a bit of luck. The eurozone economy has avoided dramatic scenarios for the winter thanks to an extremely mild December in which gas storages have been depleted much less than feared. Whether this is a recession or not is almost semantics at this point. The PMI jumped above the 50 level, which indicates growth in the business economy. While the difference between -0.1 and 0.1% growth is interesting for economists, the overall sense of stagnation will likely prevail for most. More important is that improvements in the PMI were broad-based as both the manufacturing and services PMIs ticked up. New orders are still falling, but at a slower pace than before and businesses have again seen hiring increase. The latter confirms our view that labour shortages are here to stay despite the sluggish economic performance. That brings upside risk to the wage growth outlook. For inflation, the survey continues to bring good news on supply-side pressures. Input costs are rising much less rapidly than before, but for now that mainly seems to benefit corporate profitability as selling price growth is expected to remain high, according to the survey. This means that while headline inflation is set to fade more substantially over the coming months, risks to core inflation staying high remain. For the ECB, this is once again a tricky report card. Falling inflationary pressures are good news, but stubbornly high selling prices and a strong labour market performance will cause alarm bells to ring in Frankfurt. For next week’s governing council meeting, this means that the ECB is likely to stay the course and hike by another 50 basis points. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    French strikes will cause limited economic impact

    The French Economic Outlook Is Uncertain But Far From Dramatic

    ING Economics ING Economics 24.01.2023 11:48
    Today's PMI and business climate indices are the first sentiment data for French companies this year. They indicate that an economic slowdown is underway, but companies are saying it may only be short-lived. We are more cautious and believe that a near-stagnation of activity over the year as a whole is likely France's manufacturing sector is recovering but services remain a drag First glimpses of business sentiment in 2023 Since the beginning of the year, good weather and a drastic drop in global energy prices have led to widespread optimism and an upward revision of the growth outlook by consensus opinion. The question was, therefore, whether this renewed optimism was shared by the real economy and especially by companies. Today's publication of the PMI and business climate indices for January allows us to make an initial diagnosis. The manufacturing sector is recovering The composite PMI index fell slightly in January for the third consecutive month and stood at 49 compared to 49.1 in December. It is the services sector that is dragging the overall index down, given the context where the boom linked to the end of health restrictions is being brought to an end. The services PMI hit a 22-month low of 49.2 in January, down from 49.5 in December. At the same time, thanks in particular to the improvement in the global energy situation, the manufacturing sector is recovering and the index for the sector has risen above the 50 mark, reaching a 7-month high of 50.8. Overall, the PMI survey indicates a deterioration in the demand faced by French companies: new orders are falling and sales are decreasing. At the same time, companies are optimistic for the coming months. Their business and hiring prospects are improving. All in all, the PMI survey indicates that French companies are expecting an economic slowdown but that this is expected to be short-lived before we see an upturn. The surveys carried out by INSEE show a slightly more contrasted situation between the various sectors. The overall business climate remained stable at 102 in January for the fifth consecutive month, but the sectoral situation differs markedly. In wholesale trade, both the assessment of current and expected demand weakened. At the same time, industrial companies are revising upward their assessment of current demand and their outlook for the future is stable. Companies in the services sector are much more optimistic about current demand but are less positive about the overall outlook. Finally, the assessment of past and expected future sales is revised upwards by companies in the retail trade. All this data suggests the French economic outlook is uncertain but far from dramatic; it's not leaping into recession. Moreover, companies indicate that the employment outlook remains very positive in all sectors. Near stagnation of activity expected in 2023 We expect 2023 to be characterised by near-stagnation in the French economy in all quarters of the year. Given inflation, the evolution of real purchasing power will remain very weak, which will slow down the dynamism of private consumption. Given the uncertainties, the expected (albeit small) rise in the unemployment rate and the low level of household confidence, the household savings rate will remain high and above its historical average. Household investment in housing is likely to stall, weighed down by inflation, higher commodity prices and rising interest rates. In addition, industrial production should continue to see supply difficulties ease but would face much weaker global demand and would still be at risk of a further significant rise in global energy prices. We expect GDP growth to be 0.2% for the full year 2023. 2024 could see a little more dynamism thanks to a more pronounced fall in inflation, although this will remain moderate. We expect 1.1% growth in 2024. Inflation higher in 2023 than in 2022 While most European countries have already seen inflation peak, inflation in France is expected to rise further in the first quarter of 2023. The revision of the tariff shield will lead to a 15% increase in household energy bills, compared to a 4% increase in 2022. The PMI survey indicates in January that, while inflation in production costs is falling, inflation in invoiced prices is still rising. This is particularly the case for the services sector, where the prices forecast by the January INSEE survey are at their highest level since 1988, but also in retail trade. If we add to this the fact that many prices are only reviewed once a year at the beginning of the year, we can expect a clear rise in underlying inflation at the beginning of 2023. In addition, rising production costs should continue to support food and manufacturing inflation. Many companies are facing the first upward revision of their energy bills, which will push up costs. In addition, the four indexations of the minimum wage to inflation in 2022 will continue to lead to increases in all wages, which will push up inflation, particularly in services, significantly in 2023. Ultimately, average inflation in 2023 will probably be higher than in 2022 (we expect 5.5% for the year, and 6.3% for the harmonised index), but the annual profile will be fundamentally different, with a peak above 6.5% in the first quarter, then a gradual decline from the summer onwards. At the end of 2023, inflation will probably still be above 4%, a level higher than the European average. The deceleration of price developments should continue in 2024 but will still be slow, averaging 2.6% over the year (3.5% for the harmonised index).   Read this article on THINK TagsPMI Inflation GDP France Eurozone Business climate Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Rising U.S. Treasury Bond Yields Have Helped The USD/JPY Bulls

    Rising U.S. Treasury Bond Yields Have Helped The USD/JPY Bulls

    Marek Petkovich Marek Petkovich 24.01.2023 14:38
    For a long time, the Bank of Japan has been at war with financial markets, but in January decided to conclude a truce with them. Keeping the overnight rate at -0.1% and the range of the targeted yield of 10-year bonds at +/-0.5%, the BoJ offered banks a new system of lending not at a fixed, but at a floating rate secured by securities. The volume of bids at the first auction amounted to £3.13 trillion, three times the amount offered. Commercial institutions will invest the money received, including in bonds, which will stabilize the situation both in the Japanese debt market and in the USDJPY pair. Everyone needs rest. After sharp movements that first led the yen to fall to a 30-year bottom against the U.S. dollar, and then to its strengthening by 17%, the Japanese currency requires rest. A truce is the best way to ensure it, but it was not without a change in the external background here, either. Rising U.S. Treasury bond yields have allowed the USDJPY bulls to raise their heads. The prevailing market optimism about China and Europe's resilience in the face of the energy crisis suggests that the United States will be able to avoid a recession. This reduces the demand for such a reliable asset as American debt obligations and contributes to the growth of interest rates on them. It's quite possible that institutional investors, who took their net positions on the yen into positive territory for the first time since June 2021, will have to moderate their ardor. At least in the short term. Dynamics of USDJPY and speculative positions on the yen As history shows, inflation can sharply slow down to 2% only in the event of a downturn in the U.S. economy. This was the case in the 1970s, when the Fed's aggressive monetary tightening under Paul Volcker pushed the U.S. into recession. This was the case during the global economic crisis of 2008. Now the situation looks different. The U.S. labor market remains strong as a bull, and the improvement in the economies of China and the eurozone raises global risk appetite and weakens financial conditions. Risks of a rebound in inflation are increasing, and the odds of a U.S. GDP contraction are shrinking. Not surprisingly, Treasury yields are rising, contributing to USDJPY pair consolidation. Read next:South African Petrochemical Company Sasol Is Moving Away From Fossil Fuels, Germany Again Refused To Send Tanks To Ukraine| FXMAG.COM Undoubtedly, the downward trend remains in force as, sooner or later, the Bank of Japan will have to give up control of the yield curve and raise rates. All the more so given the acceleration in consumer prices in Japan to 4%, the highest mark in 41 years, and accelerating wages. Nevertheless, any asset needs a break on a long hike, so USDJPY consolidation is just what the doctor ordered. Technically, there is a steady downward trend on the daily chart of the pair, but it is too early to speak about its recovery without quotes falling below the fair value of 128.5. The rebound from the 128–128.5 convergence area can be used for buying. Unsuccessful EMA tests near 131.8 and 133.3 can be used to sell the USDJPY.   Relevance up to 11:00 2023-01-29 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/333107
    Weaker Crude Oil Prices Undermine The Loonie Pair (USD/CAD)

    A Hawkish Interest Rate Decision By The Bank Of Canada Might Strengthen The Canadian Dollar

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 25.01.2023 10:24
    USD/CAD is set to extend the downside to near the weekly low around 1.3320. Bank of Canada is expected to hike the interest rate further by 25 bps to 4.5%. The expectation of a smaller interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve is backed by escalating recession fears. USD/CAD is expected to deliver a breakdown of the Inverted Flag chart pattern that might expand volatility ahead. USD/CAD is hovering near the critical support above 1.3340 in the early European session. The Loonie asset has dropped after failing to sustain above 1.3400 and is expected to decline further to near the weekly lows around 1.3320. The major is following the footprints of the US Dollar Index (DXY), which is displaying a subdued performance. Weakness in the S&P500 futures led by a dip in Microsoft earnings due to missed estimates in the cloud business and technical glitches in the NYSE has turned investors’ risk-averse. Also, investors are restricting themselves from building full-capacity positions ahead of the United States Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data. The US Dollar Index (DXY) is struggling to sustain above the 101.50 resistance. The alpha created by the US government bonds has rebounded firmly. The 10-year US Treasury yields have scaled to near 3.47%. Bank of Canada to tighten policy further To tame stubborn inflation, the Bank of Canada (BoC) might continue to tighten its monetary policy further. Canada’s inflation has been recorded at 6.3% from its December Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which is three times more than the 2% inflation target. According to a poll from Reuters, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem’s aggressive policy tightening campaign is expected to calm down as the street sees a further interest rate hike by 25 basis points (bps) to 4.50%. Also, it conveys that the Bank of Canada will keep interest rates at 4.5% for the rest of the year, which indicates that this might be the end of further policy tightening. Canada’s headline inflation stood at 6.3% for December and is expected to remain above 2% inflation target till Q3CY2024. Factors that have kept Canada’s inflation at the rooftop are the tight labor market and supply chain bottlenecks. Upbeat employment opportunities have not provided a significant reason to producers to trim the prices of goods and services at factory gates. A higher-than-projected hawkish interest rate decision by the Bank of Canada might strengthen the Canadian Dollar. Oil price attempts a recovery from $80.00 Sheer weakness in the oil prices witnessed on Tuesday has met with demand in Wednesday morning around the critical support of $80.00. The black gold witnessed immense pressure as oil demand is expected to witness short-term pain due to extended holidays in Chinese markets for Lunar New Year celebrations. Also, the absence of chatters about supply cuts in the report from OPEC impacted the oil price. Meanwhile, the oil price has attempted a recovery amid headlines that the United States is considering refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). US President Joe Biden exploited the oil reserves to fight rising oil prices in CY2022. It is worth noting that Canada is a leading exporter of oil to the United States and a recovery in the oil price might support the Canadian Dollar. Read next: The Aussie Pair Is Above 0.70$, GBP/USD Pair Lost Its Level Of 1.24$| FXMAG.COM Contraction in US GDP might accelerate recession fears After a better-than-projected preliminary United States S&P PMI data, investors are shifting their focus toward the release of Thursday’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The street is expecting the fourth quarter GDP at 2.8% vs. the prior release of 3.2%. Investors should be aware of the fact that the US Bureau of Economic Analysis reported negative growth in the first two quarters of CY2022. And further contraction in the fourth quarter might accelerate recession fears. The rationale behind softening of economic activities is the higher interest rates by the Federal Reserve (Fed), which has trimmed the leakage of borrowings due to higher interest obligations. Apart from that, chatters about interest rate policy by the Federal Reserve are impacting the US Dollar. The street is expecting a further deceleration in the pace of policy tightening by the Federal Reserve as inflation has been softened significantly. USD/CAD technical outlook USD/CAD is forming an Inverted Flag chart pattern on an hourly scale that indicates a sheer consolidation, which is followed by a breakdown in the same. Usually, the consolidation phase of the chart pattern serves as an inventory adjustment in which those participants initiate shorts, which prefer to enter an auction after the establishment of a bearish bias. Downward-sloping 20-and 50-period Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at 1.3365 and 1.3375 respectively are acting as a major barricade for the US Dollar. Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14) is oscillating in a 40.00-60.00 range, which indicates volatility contraction
    The Outlook Of Silver: White Metal Has The Potential To Depreciate Downwards

    The Receding Market Bets On The Fed’s Hawkish Move And Chatters Surrounding The Policy Pivot Seem To Favor The Silver Buyers

    8 eightcap 8 eightcap 26.01.2023 09:00
    Silver takes offers to renew intraday low as US Dollar licks its wound ahead of the key data. Sluggish markets, China-inspired optimism put a floor under XAG/USD prices. Firmer prints of US Q4 GDP could renew hawkish Fed bets and extend latest pullback. Silver price (XAG/USD) renews intraday low near $23.75 as it adds to the weekly gains ahead of Thursday’s European session. In doing so, the bright metal drops for the first time in three days as traders stay cautious ahead of the key US data comprising the first readings of the US fourth quarter (Q4) Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It should be noted that the latest Reuters poll challenging the market optimism toward growth conditions seems to weigh on the XAG/USD price. “Global economic growth is forecast to barely clear 2% this year, according to a Reuters poll of economists who said the greater risk was a further downgrade to their view, at odds with widespread optimism in markets since the start of the year. Additionally, the downbeat performance of US equities in the last few days and anxiety ahead of the top-tier data, as well as hopes of more rate hikes, also challenge the sentiment and please the Silver buyers. Alternatively, the softer US Treasury yields and downbeat expectations from the scheduled US data keep the US Dollar on bear’s radar, which in turn put a floor under the Silver prices. It’s worth mentioning that the receding market bets on the Fed’s hawkish move and chatters surrounding the policy pivot also seem to favor the XAG/USD buyers. On the same line could be optimism in Hong Kong as the nation’s equity benchmark Hang Seng leads the Asia-Pacific gainers with above 2.0% gains by the press time even if markets in Australia, India and China are closed. The reason for the upbeat sentiment could be linked to the market chatters suggesting strong holiday spending in China, the world’s biggest commodity user. Looking forward, the US Q4 GDP is expected to ease and personal spending might also recede during the Q4, which in turn allows the Fed policymakers to go soft on their rate hike trajectory. The same could direct market players away from the US Dollar and may underpin the XAG/USD upside. Technical analysis Silver price takes a U-turn from the downward-sloping resistance line from January 16, close to $24.00 by the press time, as it drops back towards the 50-DMA support of $23.15.    
    The Bank Of Canada Paused Rates Hiking, The ADP Employment Report Had A 242K Increase In Jobs

    The Bank Of Canada Raised Interest Rates By 25bps, The EIA Data Showed An Unexpected Rise In US Crude Inventories

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 26.01.2023 09:11
    Summary:  Risk sentiment was boosted in the US afternoon session after Bank of Canada’s pause signal sparked hopes of the Fed taking a similar turn next week. This saw dollar dipping and Gold surging to fresh cycle highs. Earnings results continue to be mixed with cost cutting efforts in the limelight, but some optimism came from buyback announcements from companies like Chevron and Blackrock. Meanwhile, Tesla beat on the EPS but missed on margin and free cash flow. HK stocks return today after Lunar New Year holiday while China markets are still closed.   What’s happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (NAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) pared early losses to finish little changed On the back of the weakness in the outlook, especially a 7%-8% sequential decline in its Azure cloud computing in the current quarter, from Microsoft (MSFT:xnas), at one point in the New York morning Nasdaq 100 fell as much as 2.5% and S&P 500 slide nearly 1.7%. Stocks then spent the rest of the day climbing to recover from the morning losses. Nasdaq 100 finished the Wednesday session down only 0.3% and S&P 500 nearly unchanged. Microsoft pared early loss to close 0.6% lower. AT&T (T:xnys) jumped 6.6% on solid wireless subscription growth. Boeing (BA:xnys) plunged as much as 4.2%, following reporting a Q4 loss due to margin weakness, but pared all the loss and more, closing 0.3% higher. After the close, Tesla (TSLA:xnas) reported EPS of USD1.19, beating expectations slightly but EBITDA margin of 22.2% missing expectations. The EV giant expects to deliver about 1.8 million vehicles in 2023, in line with expectations. Tesla shares surged over 5% in extended hour trading. US Treasuries (TLT:Xmas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) richer by 1-3bps on lower UK & European yields Treasuries got a bid across the pond from stronger U.K. gilts and European government bonds which were helped by safe-haven buying on concerns of a potential escalation of the war in Ukraine as Germany and the U.S. are supplying tanks to Ukraine. Traders also took note of the Bank of Canada’s indication of a plan to pause rate hikes to assess the impact on the economy after raising its policy rate by 25bps to 4.5% on Wednesday. The 5-year auction went well with strong demand. Treasury yields fell 1 to 3 bps across the curve, with the 2-year finishing the session at 4.13% and the 10-year at 3.44% Hong Kong’s stock market back from the Lunar New Year holiday; Shanghai and Shenzhen closed Hong Kong’s stock market is resuming trading today after a 3-day long Lunar New Year Holiday while the mainland bourses remain closed for the holiday. During the first four days of the Lunar New Year holiday from Saturday to Tuesday, China’s passenger trips by road, rail, air, and water waterways reached nearly 96 million in China, about 29% higher from the same period last year. Chinese ADRs were in general firmer from their pre-holdiday closes in Hong Kong, with Alibaba (BABA:xnys; 09988:xhkg) up 1.2%, Tencent (TCEHY:xnas; 00700:xhkg) up 2.1%). JD.COM (JD:xnas; 09618:xhkg) up 0.6%, Li Auto (LI:xnas; 02015:xhkg) +6.5%, and NIO (NIO:xnys; 09866:xhkg) +7.1%. FX: Dollar downturn resumes amid expectations of a dovish Fed While a downshift in the Fed rate hike trajectory has been broadly signalled by the members of the board before the quiet period kicked off, the Bank of Canada’s pause signal has left the markets hoping for a similar turn from the Fed next week. This brought a fresh weakness in the US dollar overnight, with G10 gains led by AUD after a firmer-than-expected Q4 CPI print yesterday which would likely drive the RBA to continue to hike for now. AUDUSD hold above 0.71 with AUDNZD marching above 1.0950. GBPUSD returned back above 1.2400 as well while EURUSD is hovering near the YTD high of 1.0927 with a strong German Ifo report (read below) and hawkish rhetoric from the ECB continuing. USDJPY also back below 129.50 in the Asian morning. Crude oil (CLG3 & LCOH3) prices range-bound Crude oil prices remained firm on Wednesday after the EIA data showed an unexpected rise in US crude inventories. EIA reported a 0.5mln bbl build for US crude stocks in the latest week, marking the fifth straight build, albeit considerably less after the 8.4mln bbl build for the prior week, and on the lighter side of analyst expectations for a 1mln bbl build. Meanwhile, a weaker dollar and sustained positive signals from China reopening underpinned as well. WTI continued to find bids at $79.50 while Brent was supported around $85.50 with eyes on the December high of $89.40. Gold (XAUUSD) pushes to fresh 9-month highs; eyes on 1950 The weakness in the dollar amid expectations of a Fed downshift to a smaller rate hike next week continues to push Gold prices higher. The yellow metal surged to 1949.20 overnight, the highest levels since April 2022. A dovish hike by the Bank of Canada last night has set up the markets for a similar shift from the Fed next week. The US GDP release today will be of key interest to gauge whether the market expectations shifting in favor of a soft landing rather than a recession can continue to hold. The focus will then turn to the PCE data on Friday before we head into the Fed meeting week. Support at $1900.  Read next:Despite The Challenges Starbucks Is Developing In Italy, Bank BNP Paribas In Frankfurt Have Been Raided| FXMAG.COM What to consider? Bank of Canada’s dovish hike The Bank of Canada raised interest rates by 25bps to 4.50%, the highest level in 15 years. It plans to hold going forward, but Governor Tiff Macklem said he's "prepared" to hike again if needed. The decision was slightly dovish with a clear pause being signalled, despite the caveat to hike again. The MPR saw the bank lower its 2022 and 2023 inflation forecast but sees 2024 inflation at 2.3% (prev. 2.2%), the same year it expects it to reach its target. Growth forecasts were raised in 2022 and 2023, but lowered in 2024. Markets are taking this as a positive signal in the hope that the Fed could take a similar turn next week. Improving German business outlook further lowers recession risk Germany business confidence survey signalled that the worst may be over for the economy and a slowdown may be ahead, but a deep recession appears to be unlikely at this point. The threat of an immediate energy crunch has receded due to the less harsh winter, and supply-chain constraints are also easing with China’s reopening. The expectation index of the Ifo survey rose for the fourth successive month to 86.4 in January from 83.2 previously, but remained historically subdued amid elevated inflation curbing purchasing power. The current assessment slightly deteriorated. US GDP on the radar today, along with jobless claims An advance print of the Q4 GDP will be released in the US today, and some deceleration is expected from last quarter’s 3.2% YoY. But consensus still expects a strong growth of 2.7% YoY as spending on services sustained. The big concern will be if we see consumers pulling back, as was signalled by a slump in retail sales this month. That could raise concerns on whether a soft landing is really possible. However, judging from the recent labor market strength, it may be too soon to count the consumer out. Initial jobless claims for last week will also be on watch after the previous figure dipped to sub-200k levels signalling a still-tight labor market. Tesla earnings beat Tesla reported Q4 revenue of USD24.32 billion, 1% above the consensus estimate of USD24.07 billion as per Bloomberg’s survey, and a growth of 13% Q/Q and 37% Y/Y. Adjusted net income grew nearly 60% to USD 3.69 billion from a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share came in at USD1.19, beating the consensus estimate of USD1.12 by 6%. The gross margin of 25.1% was below the 26.6% expected by the street and the EBITDA margin of 22.2% was lower than the 22.6% forecasted by analysts. The EV giant said it is accelerating cost-cutting actions. Tesla commented that its factory in China has been running near full capacity and it is not expecting meaningful volume increases in the near term. Chevron boosts buyback on record profits Chevron (CVX) announced $75 billion buyback (22% of marketcap and tripling the current program) that will start in Apr 1 and raised dividend by 6.3% to $1.51/share a quarter implying yield of 3.4%. 4Q earnings are due tomorrow. Other companies like Blackrock and Netflix have also announced buybacks for 2023, sending some optimism on a soft landing scenario as companies are not hoarding cash with fears of an incoming recession.   Source: Market Insights Today: Bank of Canada’s dovish hike; Step up in share buybacks – 26 January 2023 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Philippines’ central bank hikes rates after blowout CPI report

    Asia Market: The Philippines 4Q GDP Growth Is Expected To Expand

    ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2023 09:57
    Korean GDP contracts in 4Q22. Philippine GDP due later, also US GDP Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: US stocks opened sharply lower yesterday, but clawed their way back to end the session more or less flat on the day. In contrast, Chinese stocks had another better day. The CSI 300 finished 0.6% higher, and the Hang Seng index rose 1.82%. Bond markets were, if anything, slightly more boring even than equities, with yields on 2Y US Treasuries edging down about 2bp to 4.125%, and yields on 10Y US treasuries fell only 1bp to 3.447%, though there was a little more volatility in the 10Y space, with trading in a 7bp range. In the absence of much excitement in other markets, EURUSD has traded above 1.09 for the first time since April 2022. This marks the 50% retracement from the June 2021 peak and makes subsequent moves more significant in terms of where we go next. ECB speakers yesterday – Makhlouf, Nagel and Vasle, all talked up the prospects of 50bp rate hikes at forthcoming meetings, which probably helped buoy the single currency. Other G-10 currencies are also trading stronger against the USD. The AUD is above 71 cents now, helped by yesterday’s higher-than-expected inflation print (see also here for what this means for the Reserve Bank of Australia’s rate policy) sterling is back above 1.24, and the JPY is back to 129.40. Other Asian FX are quite mixed, with the MYR and SGD making gains yesterday of more than 0.5%, but the PHP and IDR both losing ground against the USD. G-7 Macro:  Yesterday was fairly light in terms of data releases in the G-7, though Germany’s Ifo survey came in a bit higher. Here’s Carsten Brzeski’s take on that. And the Bank of Canada raised rates 25bp as expected to 4.5%, which looks like a peak according to James Knightley. Today, we get 4Q22 GDP for the US, which is expected to show a slowdown to a 2.6% annualized rate of growth, down from 3.2% in 3Q22. Our “ING f” forecast is actually a little lower than the consensus figure at 2.3%. December US durable goods orders are out later too – too choppy to make sense of this data series. US new home sales data for December are also released and will likely slow further, though this is a low turnover time of year, and seasonal anomalies are to be expected. The December US advanced goods trade balance rounds off the data for the day. South Korea: Real GDP dropped sharply as expected, posting a contraction of 0.4% QoQ (sa) in 4Q23 (vs +0.3% in 3Q22). For domestic components, private consumption dropped 0.4% with declines in both goods and service consumption. Construction and facility investment rose 0.7% and 2.3%, respectively. We think the impact of the cumulative interest rate increases has begun to slow down private consumption. As monthly activity data showed, construction and investment increased mainly due to the completion of pre-ordered projects, but we expect both to decline this quarter. For external components, exports and imports both fell significantly by 5.8% and 4.6% respectively. Sluggish exports of semiconductors and petrochemicals weighed on the total, and imports of crude oil and primary metal products also declined quite meaningfully. Both imports of crude oil and primary metals are mostly for re-export, suggesting that global demand conditions weakened sharply in the last quarter and this quarter as well. Philippines: The Philippines reports external trade and GDP numbers today.  4Q GDP growth is expected to expand 6.6%YoY - a slowdown from the 7.6% growth reported in the previous quarter.  Robust household spending likely supported growth to close out 2022.  Solid growth numbers should give the central bank space to push through with additional rate hikes in the first half of the year to slow multi-year high inflation.   What to look out for: US and Philippines GDP South Korea GDP (26 January) Philippines GDP (26 January) Singapore industrial production (26 January) Hong Kong trade (26 January) US GDP, personal consumption, core PCE, initial jobless claims (26 January) Japan Tokyo CPI inflation (27 January) Australia PPI inflation (27 January) US personal spending and University of Michigan sentiment (27 January) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Philippines: 4Q GDP Growth Was Impressive, Hit 7.2% YoY

    Philippines: 4Q GDP Growth Was Impressive, Hit 7.2% YoY

    ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2023 10:07
    Economic growth hit 7.2% in 4Q22, taking 2022 full-year growth to 7.6% Consumption in the Philippines accounts for roughly 72.8% of all economic activity 7.2% 4Q 2022 YoY growth   Higher than expected 4Q GDP growth lifts 2022 growth above target Philippine 4Q 2022 economic growth hit 7.2% YoY, taking full-year growth to 7.6% YoY.  The official government target had GDP growth at 6.5-7.5% YoY for the year.  So-called “revenge spending” extended into the holiday season, when face masks were no longer required and limited capacity restrictions eased .  Household spending grew 7% YoY in the face of multi-year high inflation, powered by yet another quarter of double-digit growth for restaurants & hotels (24.7%) and recreation (15.2%).  Government spending was also a positive, growing 3.3%. Capital formation rose 5.9% and received a boost from construction (8.4%).  The solid household spending mirrored the strength of the services sector which was up 9.8% while industrial activity rose 4.8%.  Agriculture, however, fell 0.3% as the sector faced substantial crop damage due to powerful storms during the period.  Although 4Q GDP growth was impressive, we believe that momentum could finally moderate this year amidst a challenging environment of still elevated inflation, rising borrowing costs and tight fiscal space.  Philippine GDP surprises on the upside Source: Philippine Statistics Authority Philippine exports slump on fading demand for electronics Released alongside 4Q GDP today was the December 2022 trade report.  Exports finally came down to earth, dropping 9.7% YoY as electronic exports struggled amidst softening global demand.  Meanwhile, imports also contracted (-9.9%) after capital imports and raw materials recorded steep falls.  The overall trade deficit swelled to $4.6bn. The previous month’s shortfall was revised substantially to $4.5bn, from the initial estimate of $3.7bn.  The sizeable trade deficit suggests that the Philippines will likely post a current account deficit in 4Q 2022.  Robust growth leaves BSP with space to tighten further The above-consensus GDP growth in 2022 should give the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) space to tighten policy further in the first half of 2023.  Inflation, although close to peak, remains well-above target and could prove to be sticky over the coming months.  BSP Governor Medalla hinted at possible rate hikes at the March meeting but has remained non-committal to hiking past 6% for the remainder of his term as Governor.  Rapid-fire rate hikes may have already begun to impact capital formation which posted the slowest growth this year.  Just like for most other ASEAN central banks, we believe that the current rate hike cycle could be coming to an end soon, with the BSP likely taking their lead from moves by the FOMC.  The PHP has largely tracked the moves of regional peers and is up 2.4% for the year.  The peso may benefit from the upside surprise in growth. Today’s other Philippine data release (external trade) should be a reminder that the economy’s current account challenges could remain an issue in 2023.      Read this article on THINK TagsPhilippines GDP Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Korea: Consumer inflation moderated more than expected in February

    The Bank Of Korea Could Consider A Rate Cut Later This Year

    ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2023 10:15
    Real GDP dropped sharply as expected, recording a -0.4% decline in the fourth quarter vs 0.3% in the third. Sluggish exports and private consumption were the main reasons for the contraction We don't expect domestic and external growth conditions to improve meaningfully this quarter, thus the Bank of Korea should hold policy steady over the coming months Source: Shutterstock -0.4% Real GDP % QoQ seasonally-adjusted As expected Korea's weak growth is likely to continue into this quarter Korea's fourth quarter GDP contracted for the first time since the second quarter of 2020. We think that the impact of the cumulative interest rate hikes along with fading reopening effects have begun to slow down private consumption while weak global demand conditions are hurting Korea's exports.  Private consumption fell 0.4% with declines in both goods and service consumption. The debt service burden on households will not be relieved any time soon since Korea's households are highly leveraged and more than 70% of the outstanding household loans are based on floating rates. As such, the rate hike by the Bank of Korea in January will weigh on consumption this quarter. Also, we expect the unemployment rate to rise quite meaningfully in the first half of the year, thus household incomes are likely to worsen.  Meanwhile, construction and facility investment rose 0.7% and 2.3%, respectively, mainly due to the completion of pre-ordered projects. Forward-looking construction orders and machinery orders data have declined over the last few months, and we expect investment to decline this quarter. The credit crunch has eased a bit since late December, but many investment plans have already been cancelled or trimmed down due to the high level of funding costs and uncertain global conditions.  For external components, exports and imports both fell significantly by 5.8% and 4.6% each. Weak global and Chinese demand drove not only the decline of semiconductor and petrochemical exports but also the sluggish imports, as more than 40% of imports are for re-exports. We do not expect these weak global demand conditions to turn around sharply during the first half of the year. China’s reopening is key for Korea’s exports, but the positive impact will likely materialise in the second half of the year. Korea GDP contracted in 4Q22 Source: CEIC GDP forecast With a fairly sharp contraction last quarter, we revised up the first quarter GDP forecast slightly, mainly on the back of a technical rebound. But we still think that GDP for this quarter will contract or at best stagnate. The contribution to net exports is expected to improve mainly due to a sharper decline in imports, but domestic demand is expected to worsen. Private consumption is likely to shrink, while investment is also expected to decline. Thus, we maintain our annual GDP growth forecast of 0.6% year-on-year in 2023.  BoK watch The Bank of Korea will likely stand still on monetary policy from now on due to the weak growth but may also keep its hawkish stance for a while. Inflation still remains around the 5% level and upside risks are high. But we think that if GDP continues to contract this quarter then the BoK could consider a rate cut later this year. Read this article on THINK TagsSouth Korea GDP Bank of Korea Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Brazilian President suggesting replacing US dollar with own currencies of developing countries

    Whereas a year ago, inflation was at a 50 year high, and double figures were being approached, inflation in the United States had declined to 6.5 percent in December

    Gary Thomson Gary Thomson 25.01.2023 22:42
    According to Gary Thompson (FXOpen UK), lower print of the US GDP could make GBPUSD even more volatile. The expected print is 2.6%. FXMAG.COM: USA GDP is the big one this week, what asset could benefit the most from the lower/higher-than-expected print? Are you of the opinion GDP will be seriously taken into consideration by FED?  Gary Thomson, Chief Operating Officer at FXOpen UK: The forthcoming announcement which will reveal the GDP for the fourth quarter of 2022 in the United States is a very interesting metric specifically because this is the period of last year during which the previously rapidly increasing inflation rate actually slowed down, stopped and inflation began to reduce. Whereas a year ago, inflation was at a 50 year high, and double figures were being approached, inflation in the United States had declined to 6.5 percent in December. The reducing levels of inflation began in October, and by November 2022 the inflation rate was standing at 7.1 percent, therefore looking quite healthy compared to mainland Europe and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, inflation remains at approximately 10%. Therefore, the Federal Reserve Bank may be unperturbed and not concerned with either reducing or increasing interest rates, largely because the inflation levels are now far lower than previously, but the economy is still slowing, therefore a conservative view may be taken. Read next: Trump Returns To Social Media, Meta Will Restore The Former President's Account| FXMAG.COM The labor productivity of the United States' workforce will be interesting during this period which shows strength in the US economy compared to its European counterparts, but of course lower inflation in the US means that North American companies need to pay more to their European suppliers and subsidiaries as the inflation remains high in those regions by comparison, potentially affecting corporate revenues. Therefore, GBPUSD values may be worth watching, as the British Pound has been very volatile against the Dollar recently and a lower GDP figure may exacerbate this. It is entirely possible that the overall economy may have actually slowed during the fourth quarter of 2022, and one particular forecast alludes to that already. Tomorrow, officials are expected to report that US GDP grew by 2.6 percent in the three months to December 31, according to a Bloomberg poll of economists, which, if this turns out to be correct, would represent a move lower from the 3.2 percent in the third quarter.
    Long-Term Yields Soar Amidst Hawkish Fed: Will They Reach 5%?

    Eurozone industry holds up better than expected in the pandemic aftermath

    ING Economics ING Economics 27.01.2023 09:06
    Despite a huge energy shock in the economy, production has held up well. There are no miracles here, though. Currently the post-pandemic catching up has simply outweighed the negative impact from higher energy prices. For now Industrial production in the eurozone has held up despite the energy crisis Industrial production has held up well in a challenging 2022 Despite substantial energy reduction efforts, eurozone industry has held up relatively well in terms of production. Most recent data show annual growth of 1.9% in industrial production in the eurozone, which almost sounds too good to be true. If an energy crisis of the magnitude just experienced is not resulting in production setbacks, do we need high levels of energy use to begin with? Looking under the hood of industry data, we see that indeed this conclusion is too good to be true. There are multiple shocks working against each other that have an important impact on different sectors and result in a relatively neutral impact so far. Let’s also not forget that industrial production in the eurozone is currently only just above its pre-pandemic level. In any case, if the energy crisis were to persist, the impact on production will likely become more broadly visible in 2023. Production has surprised on the upside as dramatic scenarios are avoided Source: Eurostat, ING Research The energy shock has weakened production in energy intensive sectors When we look at the performance of different industrial subsectors over the past year, we see that there are big differences. The weakest performing sectors are all among the most energy intensive within broader industry. It is therefore no surprise why they have seen contractions up to -14% for the chemicals industry. In chart 2 we see the relationship between energy inputs as a share of total output of the sector and production growth in the past year. The sectors that are very energy intensive are all showing negative output growth and there is quite a strong relationship in terms of energy intensity and production over the past year. The paper industry has seen a decline of -6%, basic metals -7% and coke and refined petroleum products -9%. So far, there are no miracles happening. Germany is so far the only country in which the statistical agency releases a time series for energy-intensive production, which was down by around 13% year-on-year in November. Energy intensity is strongly related to production performance over the past year Source: Eurostat, ING Research The aftermath of the pandemic shock now boosts production As the energy-intensive sector have clearly taken a hit, the question is why some of the other sectors are performing so strongly. There are two main reasons for such outperformance: pandemic winners and post-pandemic winners. The so-called pandemic winners are the sectors which benefitted from the pandemic like pharmaceuticals. Strong production growth still continues as we saw growth of almost 40% in production over the past year. We also see strong growth for another stronghold during the pandemic: computers, electronics and optical products. With shortages of semiconductors having faded, production continues to be strong for these products, resulting in above 20% growth. And then there are the post-pandemic winners, e.g. the sectors which were hit by the pandemic but are catching up and reducing backlogs as supply chain frictions fade. The main representative of this  group is the car industry. Production of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers increased by 15% last year. All in all, production has held up well because two shocks are playing into one another at the moment. The aftermath of the pandemic shock to the economy is at this point quite favourable as supply chain problems fade which boosts industrial production for now. The energy shock on the other hand has the exact effect that you’d expect as the most energy intensive sectors are all seeing large declines in production. Also, the reduction is energy consumption in industry does often not refer to less energy consumption in production but rather in very ordinary reduction in heating. The pandemic winners lead the pack of sub-sectors in recent production growth Source: Eurostat, ING Research Outlook is getting less bleak as energy crisis moderates The question for 2023 is now whether industry can weather the energy shock without an overall dip in production. The good news is that post-pandemic effects should fade, but likely not immediately. Supply-chain problems continue to fade at the start of the year, which should benefit the more restrained sectors in terms of inputs. The auto sector for example is expected to continue recovery of production at the start of the year which is a large part of total industrial production. Besides that, current energy prices are a lot more favourable for production than prices seen in most of 2022. That means that the energy intensive sectors could rebound a bit on the back of lower input costs. Still, risks may have moderated but chances of the energy crisis flaring up again in the coming months are high. Also, it is not unreasonable to expect that the energy crisis will simmer for longer than post-pandemic catch-up effects as demand for goods has been decreasing over the course of last year with people spending more on services again now that economies have reopened. The Inflation Reduction Act is just an example how lower energy prices elsewhere combined with local subsidies could also further weaken industrial production in the eurozone. All in all, while industry has surprised by not contracting according to most recent data, we shouldn’t expect too much from industry over 2023 either and the risk of delayed contraction continues to hang over the sector. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Oanda Podcast: US Jobs Report, SVB Financial Fallout And More

    Yesterday's Economic Data From The US Eased Fears Of Recession

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 27.01.2023 10:24
    Summary:  Despite some improvement in the growth narrative recently, the Fed has limited new trends of the US economy to take note of at their January 31-February 1 meeting. The recovery in Q4 GDP comes with a weakening consumer spending, and incoming data remains volatile at best. This means there is reason to believe that the Fed will want to lengthen its tightening cycle, and go in smaller steps, in order to buy more time to assess the growth and inflation dynamics. Improving US economic momentum The expectations of a soft landing have picked up since the start of the year, relative to the rising recession bets seen in H2 of last year. Meanwhile, inflation has been on a steady downtrend in the last six months, which has allowed the Fed to downshift to a 50bps rate hike in December after a spate of rate hikes in 75bps increments before that. Yesterday’s US economic data, including the Q4 GDP or durable goods, further supported the case for sustained economic activity and eased recession fears. The advance print of Q4 GDP came in at a stronger-than-expected +2.9% YoY (vs. 2.6% YoY exp) for the fourth quarter from 3.2% YoY in Q3. In addition, sustained labor market strength was once again signalled by another sub-200k print in the weekly jobless claims. Massive tech layoffs at odds with labor market strength The wave of layoffs seen in the tech sector is now even extending to other sectors. But broader US labor market data, including nonfarm payrolls or weekly jobless claims, continues to signal sustained tightness in the US labor market. These divergent data signals are underpinned by several factors: Layoffs so far have been mostly concentrated in a few sectors (especially tech) that was bloated to start with, and some of the hiring freezes are just a step back from years of hiring sprees Services and lower wage sectors such as healthcare, education and hospitality still have a lot of job openings The mass layoff announcements from big tech companies are largely global headcount reductions, and not just for the US Overall, most of the layoffs appear to be steps to control costs in the current scenario of margin pressures and an impending slowdown, but do not really signal any fears of a prolonged recession. Read next: Trump Returns To Social Media, Meta Will Restore The Former President's Account| FXMAG.COM Fed speakers have broadly guided for a smaller hike at the next meeting Besides the Fed’s most hawkish member, James Bullard, all other FOMC members have broadly hinted at a further slowdown in the pace of rate hikes. Bullard does not vote this year or next, and the overall Fed committee composition for 2023 hints at a slightly more cautious to dovish stance ahead unless inflation shoots up again. Most recently, two of this year’s voters, Waller and Harker, have backed a clear preference for 25bps rate hikes from February onwards. Volatility of economic data vs. easing financial conditions Economic data recently has been extremely volatile. Moreover, the fourth quarter GDP report may have been above expectations on the headline, but details are still patchy. Consumer spending grew 2.1%, which was below the 2.9% rate expected, suggesting that the consumers may be starting to pullback after using their excess savings last year. The recent activity data in January, from retail sales to ISM surveys, suggests pressure may be building for Q1 growth. This means there is some reason to believe that Powell and team may be aiming to lengthen the hiking cycle in order to buy more time to assess both the incoming data and the impact of their previous aggressive rate hikes. This warrants a smaller rate hike of 25bps at the February 1 decision. The key risk factor, favouring another 50bps rate hike, could be the financial conditions which are the easiest since April 2022 or the risks of another shoot higher in inflation due to China’s reopening and the resulting rise in commodity prices. Source: Bloomberg, Saxo Markets   Source: Macro Insights: Will the US Fed step down its rate hike trajectory again? | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    A Better-Than-Expected US GDP Read, Nvidia Extends Rally

    A Better-Than-Expected US GDP Read, Nvidia Extends Rally

    Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 27.01.2023 10:41
    US equities rallied on Thursday, boosted by a decent rally in Tesla and Chevron stocks, and a better-than-expected GDP read in the US. But be careful! The US growth number was good, but not necessarily for good reasons. US data The US will reveal another gauge of inflation, the PCE data, that is closely watched by the Federal Reserve (Fed). A slower than expected core PCE would be a cherry on top for closing a week where the S&P500 rallied past its 2022 bearish trend top, and which could soon confirm a cup and handle pattern above the 4100 mark. But beware, Intel slumped 10% in the afterhours trading after revealing a worse-than-expected quarterly loss due to a steeper than expected fall in PC chip sales, and giving a weaker-than-expected forecast for the current quarter. Forex In the FX, the US dollar is better bid on the back of a strong GDP report, while gold is down from the $1950 resistance. The EURUSD is again below the 1.09 mark, while Cable consolidates below 1.24, with a clear resistance forming into the 1.2450 mark. The AUDUSD on the other hand extends gains above 71 cents level as the heated inflation report this week boosted the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hawks. The market remains strongly short the Aussie, meaning that if the Aussie gains further momentum to the upside, we could see a short covering that could further emphasize the bullish trend. Read next: GBP/USD Pair Is Struggling To Extend Previous Highs, EUR/USD Pair Continued Its Gains| FXMAG.COM Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:25 S&P extends rally to bullish era 0:39 Tesla rallies 11% on record profits 1:41 Chevron jumps near 5% on stock buyback, pre-earnings 2:02 US GDP growth is good, but not for good reason 4:30 Luxury is the new Tech! 7:05 Watch US PCE data today! 7:40 Intel down 10% post-earnings, Nvidia extends rally 8:32 FX update: Aussie’s ascent could trigger a short squeeze! Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #Intel #Nvidia #Tesla #Microsoft #Chevron #earnings #US #GDP #inflation #data #Fed #expectations #USD #EUR #GBP #AUD #crude #oil #XAU #China #Covid #reopening #luxury #rally #Burberry #Hermes #LVMH #Swatch #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary _____ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr _____ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 _____ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    Eurozone monetary developments show transmission is working

    ING Economics ING Economics 27.01.2023 11:41
    Sharp declines in private sector borrowing in December show that the ECB's sharp interest rate rises are starting to have the desired effect. In an already weak economy, this is another dampening effect for 2023 growth, but don’t expect it to be enough to sway next week’s ECB decision on rates. We expect another 50 basis point hike Given the hawkish stance that the ECB has taken recently, this release must be encouraging as it shows that monetary transmission is at work   The decline in bank lending in December was seen across the board. Household borrowing growth had been trending down since early 2022 – when longer-term rates started to rise – but saw a particularly sharp monthly drop in December. The month-on-month growth was 0.1% down from 0.3% in November, indicating that household borrowing growth has now all but stagnated. This is especially important for the housing market as the majority of household borrowing is for mortgages. The decline in non-financial corporate sector borrowing has been even more pronounced. Month-on-month growth turned further negative in December, falling from -0.1% in November to -0.3% in December. Business borrowing growth had been very strong in 2022 and even accelerated despite higher interest rates. The bank lending survey already indicated that this was mostly for working capital reasons and not for investment plans, which was actually a sign of weakness rather than overheating. Now we see sharp declines in borrowing occurring, which is in fact more of a recessionary sign. Read next: Another Sector Announced Layoffs, Hasbro Reduced Its Workforce, IBM And SAP Have Joined Technology Companies That Are Reducing Employment| FXMAG.COM Given the hawkish stance that the ECB has taken recently, this release must be encouraging as it shows that monetary transmission is at work. At the same time, it comes at a time when a very weak eurozone economy is flirting heavily with recession. With a lot more rate hikes to come, the question is how well the economy can swallow substantially higher rates. We expect that the ECB hike cycle will have a significant dampening effect on the economy over the course of 2023. With supply-side problems that caused inflation diminishing, the question is whether doves will become more vocal in coming meetings as we start to see monetary transmission at work. For next week, we don’t expect much to change: another 50 basis point hike is in the making. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone ECB Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Oil Prices Soar on Prospect of Soft Landing, Eyes Set on $80 Breakout

    The S&P500 Rallied Past Its 2022 Bearish Trend Top

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 27.01.2023 13:36
    eur to usd, eur usd, eur/usd, convert eur to usd, 1 eur to usd, eur vs usd, 100 eur to usd, euro to usd, what is euro?, what is dollar?, what is us dollar? US equities rallied on Thursday, boosted by a decent rally in Tesla and Chevron stocks, and a better-than-expected GDP read in the US.   The latest US GDP update was a strong beat. The US economy grew 2.9% in Q4, down from 3.2% printed a month earlier, but significantly better than the 2.6% penciled in by analysts.   But be careful! The US growth number was good, but not necessarily for good reasons.   Inventory adjustments and government spending were the main boosters of the GDP in the latest quarter, while domestic purchases increased just around 0.2%, down from 2% printed in Q1.   Plus, the housing sector took a massive 27% hit on annual basis, business inventories grew around 0.6% versus 6% printed a quarter earlier, and trade with other countries was good, but not because Americans exported more, but because they imported less.   In summary, the latest GDP data was boosted by government spending and inventory adjustments, but the growth engines, which are consumption and investment - that hint at the health of the future economy did quite poorly.   So what do you make of the data?  In one hand, slowing demand is great news for the Fed because their aggressive tightening policy hammers demand, and that should further ease inflation and further soften the Fed's policy. And all that, with the weekly jobless claims headed further down as a sign that the jobs market is still not feeling the pinch of the higher rates and the slower demand – although IBM announced it will cut 3900 jobs, and SAP 3000 this week. But oops, IBM is down 4.5% after the news. Too bad.  On the other hand, weaker demand is not great news, as it means that your favorite companies will be selling less stuff and will be making less money.   But there is always this hope that the Chinese could fill in the gap this year, thanks to the pandemic savings that will be flowing into the stuff that Chinese like to buy the most in the coming months. In this sense, Burberry and Swatch shares look nothing less exciting than the tech stocks during the pandemic. And that despite the war and a global cost-of-living crisis.  Focus on US PCE  The US will reveal another gauge of inflation, the PCE data, that is closely watched by the Federal Reserve (Fed). A slower than expected core PCE would be a cherry on top for closing a week where the S&P500 rallied past its 2022 bearish trend top, and which could soon confirm a cup and handle pattern above the 4100 mark.  But beware, Intel slumped 10% in the afterhours trading after revealing a worse-than-expected quarterly loss due to a steeper than expected fall in PC chip sales, and giving a weaker-than-expected forecast for the current quarter.  Aussie shines  The US dollar is better bid on the back of a strong GDP report, while gold is down from the $1950 resistance.   The EURUSD is again below the 1.09 mark, while Cable consolidates below 1.24, with a clear resistance forming into the 1.2450 mark.   The AUDUSD on the other hand extends gains above 71 cents level as the heated inflation report this week boosted the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) hawks. The 50-DMA crossed above the 200-DMA, confirming a golden cross formation on the daily chart, while the market remains strongly short the Aussie, meaning that if the Aussie gains further momentum to the upside, we could see a short covering that could further emphasize the bullish trend.   
    Turkey cuts rate despite inflation threat, Japanese inflation hits 41-year high

    Key events in EMEA next week

    ING Economics ING Economics 28.01.2023 10:06
    The first Czech National Bank meeting of the year will take place on Thursday. The Board believes inflation expectations will remain anchored and that overall inflation will return to levels around 2% in two years. Thus, we expect the interest rate to remain at 7%. In Turkey, we predict January inflation will be 3.5% month-on-month In this article Turkey: Risks are on the upside Czech Republic: Central bank to confirm stable rates and present new forecast Shutterstock Turkey: Risks are on the upside We expect January inflation of 3.5% month-on-month, leading to a further decline in the annual figure down to 53% from 64.3% at the end of 2022 due to strong base effects and stability in the currency. However, given deeply negative real interest rates, further disinflation would be quite challenging, while risks to the outlook this year are on the upside with significant deterioration in pricing behaviour, higher trend inflation and still elevated level of cost-push pressures. Czech Republic: Central bank to confirm stable rates and present new forecast In the Czech Republic, we expect the flash GDP estimate for the fourth quarter to show the economy entered into a mild recession. The increase in consumer prices has weighed heavily on purchase power hence private consumption decreased markedly. Despite the deterioration of the economic stance, inflation remains elevated and it seems likely we will see an increase in CPI growth from December levels of 15.8% to above 17%. Still, the dovish bank board is not expected to increase the interest rate from 7%, where it has remained since June last year. According to recent statements by board members, everything is pointing towards the same outcome as we saw in the second half of the year; five votes for stable interest rates and two votes for a rate hike. Thus, the main focus will be on the central bank's new forecast, especially on expected inflation for January and February. Given the upside risk due to the new year repricing, the tone of the meeting should remain the same: "higher rates for longer" and "don't rule out a rate hike at the next meeting". We expect rates to remain unchanged throughout the first half of the year and the topic of rate cuts to be open in the third quarter. Key events in EMEA next week Refinitiv, ING TagsTurkey Czech Repulbic   Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    ECB's Tenth Consecutive Rate Hike: The Final Move in the Current Cycle

    Inflation Is Falling, But Does It Mean That The Fed's February Decision Will Be Dovish?

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 29.01.2023 16:48
    The Federal Reserve Policy-making Committee will meet January 31-February 1, 2023, and their decision will be a tough one, harder than any of their choices in 2022. US Inflation Inflation is the number one concern for the Fed, and the news is pretty good. The Fed is watching the price index for personal consumer spending excluding food and energy, while labor markets continue to show strong strength in the economy. The United States recently released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for December 2022. It was mostly in line with expectations, pointing to a slowdown in both headline and core inflation. There is no doubt that the pressure has eased and inflation is coming down. The monthly total CPI fell by 0.1% in December, the first drop since June 2020. The core CPI, which removes the effects of volatile items such as food and energy, hit a monthly low of 0.3%. On the other hand, food inflation remains stubbornly high due to Covid-induced supply chain disruptions, extreme weather conditions in some parts of the world and the Russo-Ukrainian war. Given that food security is likely to remain an issue in 2023, the decline in food prices may take longer than expected. As such, any increase in commodity prices would only add fuel to the fire and is still an upside risk in the fight against inflation. Forecast The market predicts the Fed will hold interest rates steady or even start cutting them later in 2023. Economists say the Federal Reserve will cut its interest rate to a 25 basis point hike at its upcoming interest rate meeting. Despite this, many Fed policymakers continue to comment that rates are likely to rise to more than 5%. This is contrary to what the market expects. The widely anticipated quarter-point interest rate hike will raise the Fed's reference rate to a range of 4.5%-4.75%. Prices were close to zero last March. Investors who trade the federal funds futures markets now expect the Fed benchmark rate cap to be 4.5% at the end of this year and 2.9% at the end of 2024. Economic growth In the last three months of 2022, the US economy grew by 2.9% compared to the same period last year. Growth was driven by increases in consumer spending, business investment, and government spending. Consumer spending in the US also increased by 2.1% compared to the same period last year. This spending remained high as inflation began to fall. And the US job market remained tight. Overall, for the full year, GDP grew by 2.1% compared to 2021. Despite an overall increase in 2022, the economy showed signs of cooling in the fourth quarter, declining slightly from 3.2% in the third quarter. Retail sales also fell in the last two months of 2022. Recession? However, the US economy is not clear. Solid growth in the October-December quarter will do little to change the widespread view among economists that a recession is very likely later this year. Elevated lending rates and persistently high inflation are expected to gradually weaken consumer and corporate spending. In response, companies are likely to cut spending, which could lead to layoffs and higher unemployment. And a likely recession in the UK and slower growth in China will reduce the revenues and profits of US corporations. Such trends are expected to trigger a recession in the United States in the coming months. Source: investing.com
    Metals Market Update: Decline in LME Copper On-Warrant Stocks, Zinc and Lead Surplus Continues, Nickel Market in Supply Surplus

    FX Daily: Stress testing the consensus view

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.01.2023 10:11
    The week ahead sees several key event risks for FX markets - largely in the form of central bank meetings in the US, eurozone, and other parts of Europe. Fresh communication from central bankers will stress test investors' view that the peak in tightening cycles is close at hand. A Fed push-back against 2H23 easing expectations could support the dollar USD: Action kicks off tomorrow The dollar starts the weak in very narrow ranges and not far from the lows of the year. This week will stress test the consensus view amongst investors that i) the Federal Reserve will start to acknowledge easing price pressures and soon end its tightening cycle, ii) China reopening will support global growth and iii) that lower energy prices mean improved European growth prospects. Our macroeconomists discuss many of those themes in their week ahead preview, including links to full previews for this week's FOMC, European Central Bank and Bank of England meetings. Our FX contribution to the FOMC preview outlines a scenario where the dollar could sell off and EUR/USD trade over 1.10 were the Fed to hugely surprise by suggesting that any additional hikes, after this week's 25bp increase, would be data dependent. That seems unlikely. More likely is the Fed pushing back against the 50bp of easing priced into the second half of the year and the dollar enjoying a brief rally. In addition to Wednesday's FOMC meeting, the US data calendar contains two important pieces of US data. The first is Tuesday's release of the fourth quarter Employment Cost Indicator (ECI) - one of the Fed's preferred gauges of price pressures in labour markets. This had spiked to 1.4% in the first quarter of last year from the previous three months, but is expected to drop back to 1.1% in the fourth quarter from 1.2% in the third. Any upside surprise here could see expectations swing toward a more hawkish FOMC outcome. And Friday sees the US January jobs report. ING's US economist, James Knightley, sees the headline job creation starting to dip. And assuming there are no upside surprises in the average earnings figures, we assume this data release would continue to support the benign, dollar-bearish environment. Clearly, it is a busy week for FX with arguably most of the volatility coming between the FOMC meeting outcome on Wednesday evening and the ECB/BoE decisions and press conferences on Thursday lunchtime. In the background, this week also sees the reopening of Chinese markets after the Lunar New Year public holiday. Investors are very bullish on China reopening prospects and will need to be fed more supportive data points this week. Here, tomorrow sees the Chinese PMIs for January, where sizable rebounds are expected - and required to support bullish positioning. Our game plan sees the dollar staying supported into Wednesday's FOMC meeting (e.g. DXY holding support down here at 101.30/50), but any FOMC-inspired rally in DXY to the 102.50/103.00 area proving temporary. Chris Turner EUR: Drifting into Wednesday/Thursday As above, Wednesday/Thursday could prove the most volatile period of the week. Our core view for the ECB meeting is that the central bank will stay hawkish and push back against the easing priced in for 2024. That should see two-year EUR:USD swap differentials continue to narrow and be positive for EUR/USD. We had cited this narrowing in swap differentials as a major factor when revising our EUR/USD forecasts substantially higher.  Before Thursday's ECB meeting, today sees the release of January economic confidence readings for the eurozone. These are expected to have improved marginally, but any upside surprises would feed the narrative of lower energy and strong fiscal stimulus ensuring that recessions if seen, are mild.  Expect EUR/USD to drift in a 1.08-1.09 range - probably into the US ECI data release tomorrow. Chris Turner GBP: Bank of England could be supportive As we discuss in the BoE monetary policy preview, a 50bp rate hike could prove mildly supportive for sterling. Our base case of a 50bp hike is not fully priced by the market. And with wage pressures remaining firm and base effects not expected to see CPI rolling substantially lower until the second quarter, it looks too early for the BoE to be sounding the all-clear on inflation. Depending on the state of the dollar after the FOMC meeting, GBP/USD could be pressing 1.2500 by the end of the week. Chris Turner CEE: Czech National Bank to confirm stable rates After a busy two weeks in Poland and Hungary, the main focus will shift to the Czech Republic. But first, today, we will see the final GDP number for Poland for last year. On Tuesday, fourth quarter GDP for the Czech Republic will be released. On Wednesday, we'll see the Czech Republic's state budget for January and PMI numbers across the region. We expect sentiment to improve in Poland, to be unchanged in the Czech Republic, and to deteriorate in Hungary. The Czech National Bank is scheduled to hold its first meeting of the year on Thursday. We expect rates and the FX commitment to remain unchanged. The main focus will be on the central bank's new forecast and outlook for January inflation. Thus, given the risk of higher inflation in the first quarter, we expect the tone to remain unchanged with the Bank citing "higher rates for longer" and warning that it does not "rule out a rate hike at subsequent meetings". However, we expect that rates will remain stable at least until the second quarter. In Hungary, S&P on Friday decided to downgrade the rating by one notch to BBB- with a stable outlook, highlighting the impact on the economy due to Covid-19, the Ukrainian war, and delays in EU money flows. The FX market in the region this week will, of course, be driven mainly by the global story and high volatility will not be a surprise. However, overall global conditions should remain positive for the region. Moreover, gas prices are testing new lows again, which is always good news for CEE. On the local front, we expect the Hungarian forint to absorb the negative shock of the downgrade and move back towards 395 EUR/HUF. In our view, the Czech koruna has the heaviest long positioning at the moment and therefore we see no room for the CNB meeting to support a move lower. On the contrary, we believe the koruna is overvalued and should move back towards 24.0 EUR/CZK. Frantisek Taborsky Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The German economy underperformed in the Q4 of 2022, GDP declined

    German economy falls into winter recession

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.01.2023 12:40
    So much for reliable statistics! The German economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2022 after the first tentative statistics pointed to stagnation Germany's economy isn't just cooling, it's facing a winter recession   The German statistical office just released its first official estimate for fourth-quarter GDP growth, and recession fears are back. The economy shrank by 0.2% Quarter-on-Quarter, from + 0.5% QoQ in the third. GDP details will only be released in a few weeks, but private consumption was the main drag on growth according to the statistical office, As a result, annual GDP growth for 2022 was also revised downwards to 1.8%, from 1.9% YoY. Economic outlook anything but rosy Not falling off the cliff is one thing, staging a strong rebound, however, is a different matter. And there are very few signs pointing to a healthy recovery of the German economy any time soon. First of all, we shouldn’t forget that fiscal stimulus over the last three years stabilised but did not really boost the economy. Industrial production is still some 5% below what it was before Covid, and GDP only returned to its pre-pandemic level in the third quarter of 2022. Industrial orders have also weakened since the start of 2022, consumer confidence, despite some recent improvements, is still close to historic lows, and the loss of purchasing power will continue in 2023. Let's also not forget that, like every eurozone economy, the German economy still has to digest the full impact of the European Central Bank's rate hikes. Demand for mortgages has already started to drop and, as in previous hiking cycles, it didn't take long before the demand for business loans also started to drop. In short, the German economy will still be highly affected by last year’s crises throughout 2023. Germany’s economic outlook for this year looks complicated Germany’s economic outlook for this year looks complicated, to say the least, with an unprecedentedly high number of uncertainties and developments in opposing directions. And there is more; the German economy is still facing a series of structural challenges which are likely to weigh on growth this year and beyond: energy supply in the winter of 2023/24 and the broader energy transition towards renewables, changing global trade with more geopolitical risks and changes to supply chains, high investment needs for digitalisation and infrastructure, and an increasing lack of skilled workers. This long list embodies both risks and opportunities. If historical lessons from previous structural transitions are of any guidance, even if managed in the most optimal way, it will take a few years before the economy can actually thrive again. Winter recession remains base case for German economy Today’s GDP numbers once again show that caution, better than hope, is probably the best guidance for predicting German and European economic growth. The warmer winter weather, along with implemented and announced government fiscal stimulus packages, have prevented the economy from falling off a cliff, but a technical recession is still a likely outcome. We stick to our forecast of a winter recession in Germany and a very mild recession for the whole of 2023. Read this article on THINK TagsGermany GDP Eurozone
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    Eurozone sentiment continues to improve

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.01.2023 13:16
    Economic sentiment in the eurozone increased to 99.9 in January, the third consecutive increase. Service sector businesses were particularly upbeat, resulting in stubbornly high selling price expectations. The latter will be taken as hawkish input for the ECB meeting Service sector businesses are particularly upbeat at the moment   Can we trust sentiment indicators? When consumer confidence was at its lowest last September, consumption continued to grow. Now that it’s recovering, we see signs of faltering household consumption. January’s economic sentiment indicator paints a picture of recovery while data released today show Germany’s economy contracted in the fourth quarter. While there is some doubt about how well these indicators track economic performance at the moment, we don’t want to ignore them either. Manufacturing businesses performed slightly weaker than before, but optimism about production in the months ahead is on the rise. Importantly, selling price expectations are down sharply as supply chain problems improve and demand for goods has fallen. Read next: Glovo Planned To Lay Off 250 Workers Worldwide, The Middle East Is Already Suffering From A Water Shortage| FXMAG.COM The service sector saw improving economic activity at the start of the year and remains upbeat about the months ahead. Employment expectations are also rising again, which puts continued strain on the labour market despite a slowing economy. In turn, selling price expectations also remain at very elevated levels for services, which could keep core inflation high for longer. For the ECB, this will be the main concern from the survey as worries about the second-round effects of the energy crisis are front and centre of Thursday’s governing council meeting. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia Morning Bites: Inflation Data in Focus, FOMC, ECB, and BoJ Meetings Ahead

    Poland’s economy set to slow but we’re more optimistic than most

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.01.2023 13:22
    According to a flash estimate, GDP grew by 4.9% in 2022, compared to 6.8% in 2021. This implies growth of around 2.0% in the fourth quarter. This year, GDP should slow to around 1% year-on-year given that inflation will eat into disposable incomes and inventories will dent growth   Household consumption increased by 3.0% last year and fixed investment jumped by 4.6%. The change in inventories boosted economic growth by 2.9pp, while foreign trade subtracted 0.4pp. We estimate GDP growth in the fourth quarter at around 2.0%-2.3% YoY - a marked slowdown from 3.6% in the third. Still, the end of the year was not as weak as the consensus estimate (1-1.5% YoY) and GDP growth was close to our GDP estimate for the fourth quarter (around 2% YoY). The full-year data also provides a preliminary estimate of GDP components in the fourth quarter. The reason for stronger-than-expected GDP growth remained the rebuilding of inventories, exports and investment, while consumption recorded a strong slowdown. We estimate that in the fourth quarter, household consumption declined by 1.5-1.8% YoY while fixed investment increased by 5.1-5.3% YoY. The consumption result should be considered disappointing and confirms that inflation is a serious problem, weighing on real disposable income and spending. In contrast, the increase in investment is a positive surprise. According to our estimates, in the last quarter of 2022, the change in inventories still had a significant impact in terms of generating economic growth (contribution of 1.5pp), although less than in the third quarter (contribution of 2.2pp). In turn, foreign trade made a positive 0.9pp contribution to GDP growth, compared to 0.6pp in the previous quarter.  Read next: Glovo Planned To Lay Off 250 Workers Worldwide, The Middle East Is Already Suffering From A Water Shortage| FXMAG.COM Despite the war in Ukraine, last year was successful for the Polish economy, which continued its post-pandemic recovery. Supporting the boom were improvements in supply chains and the influx of refugees from Ukraine. Industry (value-added growth of 7%) and exports performed well in such an environment. At the same time, the economic crisis and high inflation translated into a slowdown over the course of the year. Growth in services production slowed down, which is associated with strong price increases. We expect GDP growth of 1% YoY in 2023, higher than the consensus. Favourable weather conditions and improved infrastructure have translated into the strong filling of gas storage facilities in Europe. As a result, pessimistic forecasts for the European economy are unlikely to materialise, which improves the outlook for GDP growth in Poland and supports our expectations. However, the beginning of 2023 will be difficult. We expect first quarter GDP to decline on an annualised basis, with the number weighed down by the high base from the same period last year, when the economy grew by 4.3% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted) and 8.6% YoY. The economic situation should improve in the second half of the year. Unless Europe encounters problems securing energy sources for next winter season (2023/24), we expect economic growth of about 1% this year. This should be accompanied by a rapid decline in CPI, but with persistently high core inflation, which will not allow interest rate cuts before the end of this year. Poor consumption in the fourth quarter still supports a dovish MPC stance. Read this article on THINK TagsPoland GDP Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The German economy underperformed in the Q4 of 2022, GDP declined

    Germany’s Economy Declines In Q4, Eurozone GDP Is Expected To Slow

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 30.01.2023 14:27
    The euro is in positive territory on Monday. EUR/USD is trading at 1.0907 in the European session, up 0.36%. It was a quiet week for the euro, which continues to hug the 1.09 line. I expect to see stronger volatility this week, as the eurozone releases GDP and inflation data, followed by the ECB rate announcement on Thursday. German GDP declines in Q4 Germany’s economy posted a rare decline in the fourth quarter. GDP came in at -0.2% q/q, down from 0.4% in Q3 and shy of the forecast of zero. On an annualized basis, GDP slowed to 1.1%, down from the Q3 read of 1.3%, which was also the forecast. The markets are braced for more bad news out of the eurozone on Tuesday. German retail sales for November are expected to drop by 4.3% y/y, after a decline of 5.9% in November. Eurozone GDP is expected to slow to 1.8% y/y in Q4, compared to 2.3% in Q3. The ECB will be keeping a close eye on this week’s GDP and inflation data, ahead of a key rate decision on Thursday. The central bank has adopted a hawkish stance but is still playing catch-up with inflation, which is currently at 9.2%. The markets are expecting 50-basis points at the upcoming and March rate meetings, but there is uncertainty as to what happens after that. The ECB would love to ease up on rates, but the paramount consideration is curbing high inflation. The cash rate stands at 2.50%, and the markets are forecasting a terminal rate in the range of 3.25%-3.75%, meaning that there is plenty of life left in the current rate-tightening cycle.   EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is testing support at 1.0907. Below, there is support at 1.0837 1.0958 and 1.1028 are the next resistance lines This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.
    Korea: Consumer inflation moderated more than expected in February

    South Korea: Weak IP report suggests a bleak outlook for 1Q23 GDP

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.01.2023 09:07
    Forward-looking data suggest the economy will contract in the current quarter. The Bank of Korea will pause its tightening policy from February.  Source: Shutterstock -2.9% Industrial Production % MoM, sa Lower than expected Production activity declined while retail sales rebounded temporarily in December Industrial production dropped more than expected -2.9% MoM sa (vs 0.6% November, -0.2% market consensus) in December. Semiconductor (4.9%) and basic material (3.1%) products rose, but motor vehicles (-9.5%), and electronic components (-13.1%) fell even more. The inventory/shipment ratio edged down to 126 in December from 127.4 in November, but it remained at an elevated level, which is not favourable to the inventory cycle this quarter.  Also, we believe there is a supply mismatch in some industries. For example, in the case of automobiles, inventories for engines and auto parts continued to grow, while those for auto bodies declined significantly. Supply mismatch in auto sector Source: CEIC   Meanwhile, retail sales rebounded 1.4% in December, boosted by several one-off factors. Firstly, weather-related product sales rose as severe weather conditions continued. Secondly, there were larger-than-usual year-end sales promotions. And lastly, there was a technical payback from the early November crowd-crush accident. We believe that household purchasing power continues to weaken thanks to higher utility fees and a rising debt service burden. As a result, we expect retail sales to decline again in January. Retail sales rebounded temporarily in December Source: CEIC Forward-looking data point to weak growth in the current quarter Forward-looking data is more important to gauge this quarter’s growth. The cyclical leading index fell 0.5 points, recording six consecutive monthly declines. Both machinery and construction orders fell by –23.0% and -3.0%, respectively. Both are highly volatile in monthly comparisons, but in 3-month sequential terms, data show both intensifying their contractions in December.  Today’s data support our view that 1Q23 GDP will also contract (-0.2%QoQ sa), following the contraction in the fourth quarter of last year (-0.4%). China's reopening is unlikely to have much positive impact on Korea's economy in the first half of the year Forward-looking data suggest that Korea's growth momentum will soften further in the current quarter. At face value, China's reopening should be good news. But careful consideration of how this might affect Korea’s exports and services suggests caution is warranted. Both Japan and the Netherlands have decided not to provide chip-manufacturing equipment to China. Korean semiconductor companies have production lines in China, which cannot install top-notch equipment from the second half of the year, and this should adversely affect exports. As for services, it may take a bit longer for Korea to benefit from increased numbers of Chinese tourists entering the country as Korea now requires additional COVID-19 tests for Chinese tourists. These measures will eventually be lifted. But the initial reopening boost will be less than expected. BoK watch We maintain our view that the Bank of Korea will pause its rate hikes from February. We believe that the current quarter of growth is unlikely to improve, while inflation will slowly fall further over the next few months. We see no clear signs of improvement in exports while domestic economic activity continues to slow. Consumer price inflation in January will remain around the current level of 5.0% YoY (Market consensus 5.1%, ING forecast 4.9%) mainly due to hikes in gasoline and power prices, but the trend has clearly passed its peak. The Bank of Korea will monitor the cumulative impact of the earlier rate hikes from now on. If we are right about weak growth this quarter, coupled with weakening labour markets, tightening financial conditions, and slowing inflation, the Bank of Korea will probably consider a rate cut in the second half. Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Industrial Production Bank of Korea Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    China Restricts Gallium and Germanium Exports, Heightening Global Tech War

    FX Daily: Bracing for volatility

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.01.2023 09:18
    There are some important data to watch today: the Employment Cost Index in the US, GDP in the eurozone and CPI in France. We think the dollar can stay broadly supported into tomorrow’s FOMC, but the euro could outperform other G10 currencies on the back of rebounding inflation. In the Czech Republic, we will see the last numbers before Thursday's CNB meeting The dollar may stay broadly supported going into tomorrow's FOMC meeting USD: Some support going into the Fed meeting European data and global risk sentiment drove G10 FX dynamics yesterday. A weak start to the week for risk assets kept the dollar supported, especially during the US session, and signalled some market cautiousness ahead of multiple risk events: the FOMC tomorrow, ECB and Bank of England on Thursday, and US payrolls on Friday. Today, the last few pieces of US data before the Fed decision will be watched quite closely. Particular interest will be on the Employment Cost Index (ECI), which is expected to have eased from 1.2% to 1.1% in the fourth quarter. This is a key input in the Fed’s policy equation, and we could see investors shift between pro-hawkish/dovish positions ahead of the FOMC if the ECI surprises on either side. Our view for tomorrow is that the Fed still has an interest in hanging on to a hawkish rhetoric and pushing back against speculation of an early peak and – above all – rate hikes in 2023. The net result for the dollar may be positive. The US calendar also includes the Conference Board Consumer Confidence index – which may have rebounded in January – and the Dallas Fed Services index. We think the dollar can hold on to yesterday’s gains going into the FOMC meeting, and high-beta currencies could remain key underperformers in a risk-off environment. Volatility looks likely to pick up quite markedly during the remainder of the week. Francesco Pesole EUR: Inflation headaches before ECB meeting European rates markets had to deal with a surprising acceleration in Spanish inflation yesterday, which reinforced expectations of multiple 50bp hikes by the ECB. At the same time, the growth picture seems to have deteriorated, as Germany recorded negative growth in the fourth quarter. Eurozone-wide GDP figures will be released today, and are expected to show a 0.1% quarter-on-quarter contraction. However, it seems more likely that CPI figures out of France this morning will have a bigger impact on the euro. After all, a rebound in inflation is a more concerning development for the ECB than soft growth data which were heavily impacted by energy prices. In the section above, we discussed how the dollar may stay broadly supported going into the FOMC meeting. The euro, however, may show more resilience than other G10 peers (especially high-beta currencies) given the shift in the inflation narrative in the eurozone which can surely fuel ECB hawkish speculation. EUR/USD may hover around the 1.0850 handle until tomorrow’s FOMC.  Yesterday, we published our scenario analysis for this week’s ECB meeting: the recent hiccups in communication have heightened the risk that markets have lost some trust in President Christine Lagarde’s guidance. Investors may keep tracking data (EZ-wide CPI data are released tomorrow) more closely than they track Lagarde’s remarks, and the ECB meeting may not have a big impact on the euro after all. Our commodities team just revised their gas price forecasts, now expecting TTF to stay below 80 EUR/MWh throughout 2023. This is a bullish scenario for eurozone sentiment and the euro in the medium term. Francesco Pesole GBP: Standing by before 'super Thursday' There are no key data releases in the UK before Thursday’s Bank of England meeting. Markets are currently pricing in 46bp (our call is for 50bp) at this meeting and an additional 25bp in March. We expect a broadly neutral impact on the pound, and GBP/USD moves may be mostly dictated by the FOMC reaction. EUR/GBP may hold below 0.8800 until “super Thursday” (ECB and BoE meetings), although inflation figures in the eurozone mean the balance of risk is tilted to the upside for the pair. Francesco Pesole CEE: Czech economy pulled down again by automotive Today in the region we will see the first estimate of GDP for the fourth quarter of last year in the Czech Republic. We expect a 0.8% QoQ decline, below market expectations. This would confirm a shallow recession in the Czech economy. Looking ahead, the outlook for the first quarter of this year also does not look good despite better numbers across the region and from the eurozone. Yesterday, the Czech Republic's largest carmaker announced production cutbacks at some of its factories due to chip shortages. The news comes just a week after the country's third-largest manufacturer made the same announcement. This marks the beginning of difficult times for the industry, which is mainly driven by the automotive sector. The situation is dangerously reminiscent of the end of 2021 when chip shortages and automotive production curbs dragged the industry into its biggest slump since the Covid-19 lockdowns. This may also be a piece of the puzzle for the Czech National Bank (CNB) meeting this week, however we will have to wait a few months for proof in hard data. For the koruna, a weaker economic number could be a trigger to correct recent gains and return to 24.00 EUR/CZK. We also see interesting developments in Hungary following the downgrade of the country's sovereign rating. The weakening of the forint that we mentioned yesterday did not materialise and, on the contrary, the currency ended roughly unchanged at the end of the day. It confirmed that the strengthening of the forint is not short-lived and its strengths are of a more permanent nature. In the long term, we expect further strengthening. For now, we see yesterday's market reaction as a possible clearing of long positions while attracting new buyers and consolidating around 390 EUR/HUF. Frantisek Taborsky Read this article on THINK TagsFX Dollar Czech National Bank Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    France escapes recession, for now

    France escapes recession, for now

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.01.2023 09:21
    French GDP grew by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, allowing the French economy to narrowly escape recession, at least for the time being. There are however few signs that the French economy will recover strongly in the coming months There are few signs of a dynamic recovery of the French economy in the coming months No winter recession in France French GDP grew by 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter, a weaker figure than in the third quarter (+0.2%) but one that allows the French economy to escape recession, at least for the moment. Over the quarter, household consumption fell sharply (-0.9% compared to +0.5% in the third quarter), mainly due to a drop in food and energy consumption. However, this decline was offset by gross capital formation, which is slowing down but remains dynamic (+0.8% compared to +2.3% in the third quarter), and by a positive contribution from foreign trade, with exports falling less quickly than imports. On average in 2022, GDP increased by 2.6% (after +6.8% in 2021 and -7.9% in 2020). A resilient year, then, despite the major shock due to the war in Ukraine. But it should be understood that the growth of 2022 is above all the consequence of the strong progression at the end of 2021, the so-called carry-over effect. Expected quasi-stagnation in activity in 2023 Looking ahead, the data suggest that the French economic outlook remains uncertain, but far from dramatic. It doesn’t seem on the verge of recession. Nevertheless, escaping the recession does not mean rebounding strongly. Far from it. In fact, there are few signs of a dynamic recovery of the French economy in the coming months. The PMI indices indicate a deterioration in demand: new orders are falling and sales are declining. Household confidence is still at a historically low level and the French view the outlook in a very negative light. Moreover, inflation is expected to rise further in the first half of 2023, which implies that the evolution of real purchasing power will remain very low, dampening the dynamism of private consumption. Within companies, while stocks of finished products are high, new orders are falling sharply, meaning that the clearing of inventories could weigh on activity. In particular, while industrial production should continue to see supply difficulties ease, it is facing much weaker global demand and is still at risk of a renewed rise in global energy prices. The impact of the ECB's tighter monetary policy will begin to be felt in earnest in 2023, with rising rates likely to depress household and business investment. Finally, fiscal policy is expected to be less expansionary, which will be less supportive of economic growth. Ultimately, 2023 should be characterised by a quasi-stagnation of the French economy over all quarters of the year. A slight contraction of GDP in the first quarter of 2023 cannot be excluded. We expect GDP growth of 0.4% for the year 2023 as a whole. 2024 could see slightly better growth, thanks to a more pronounced fall in inflation, although the expansion will probably remain moderate. We expect 1.2% growth for 2024. To see a significant improvement in the outlook for the French economy in 2023, the fall in the price of gas on international markets and the reopening of China will not be enough. There needs to be a clear improvement in household and business confidence. Without this, stagnation remains the most likely scenario for 2023. Read this article on THINK TagsOutlook GDP France Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Long-Term Yields Soar Amidst Hawkish Fed: Will They Reach 5%?

    Eurozone bank lending survey confirms bleak outlook for investment

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.01.2023 11:26
    The bank lending survey shows tightening credit standards and lower demand for borrowing from both households and businesses. This confirms our view of a sluggish economy for most of 2023 and is a clear sign to the ECB that rate hikes are having a substantial impact already European Central Bank building in Frankfurt, Germany   The quarterly bank lending survey released last October indicated weak borrowing ahead and today's January release is flashing red. For the ECB, it shows that the most important channels for monetary transmission are working (it also raises the question of whether the ECB is not doing enough given the usual delay in monetary transmission to the economy). The survey indicates that both credit standards from banks are tightening and demand for loans is declining. Both of these moves indicate weaker borrowing ahead and therefore investment. Banks indicated that investment plans are having a negative impact on demand for business borrowing at the moment, while working capital needs still contribute positively as supply chain problems fade. For households, the ECB reported the sharpest decline in mortgage demand on record. The survey suggests that this is mainly because of higher interest rates, low confidence in the economy, and weakening housing market expectations. This confirms our view that the steady decline in house prices is set to continue at the start of the year. For the ECB, the decline in bank lending for December and the bank lending survey for January together indicate that we see transmission at work now, months ahead of its expected peak in the policy rate. For the doves on the governing council, this will be a key argument to keep further rate hikes limited from here on, while hawks will focus on stubbornly high core inflation. For Thursday we expect a 50 basis point hike. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The ECB Has Made It Clear That Rates Will Remain High Until There Is Evidence That Inflation Is Falling Toward The Target

    Eurozone avoids contraction but domestic demand falters

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.01.2023 12:59
    A resilient eurozone economy managed to grow by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, but this likely masks a contraction in household spending. The worst scenarios for this winter have been avoided, but the economy remains sluggish   Despite the energy - and subsequent inflation - crisis, the eurozone economy once again defied recession in the fourth quarter, showing incredible resilience. But it was a narrow escape. Most economies are currently stagnating with near-zero growth. Germany and Italy, as big industrial economies, have seen slight contractions as they suffer more from the energy crisis while France and Spain have managed to eke out small growth rates. Ireland grew by a whopping 3.5% - the recent swings in Irish GDP are to a large degree driven by multinational accounting activity – which has added substantially to the small growth in eurozone GDP. In fact, eurozone growth would have fallen back to 0% if Ireland wasn’t included. While underlying data has not yet been published for eurozone GDP, data from the individual countries paints a picture of contracting domestic demand. The German statistical office mentioned this specifically, and France and Spain saw sharp contractions in household consumption. Imports have fallen significantly while exports held up pretty well, which means that net exports seem to have contributed positively to economic growth in the fourth quarter. When this is due to falling imports, it’s hardly a sign of strength. Read next: The Government Pension Fund Global Suffers Losses| FXMAG.COM We’ve argued before that the discussion about a recession has become semantics at this point. Growth has slowed to the point of stagnation. The worst scenarios have been avoided due to longer than expected pandemic reopening effects, extraordinarily warm weather which has eased the energy crisis substantially and more government support. Still, contracting domestic demand does show that after a period of strong post-pandemic spending, consumers are now adjusting their spending to the purchasing power loss they have incurred in 2022. Doubts about continued strong net export growth are also justified in a weak global environment, and investment is set to come under pressure from higher interest rates as borrowing data suggests. This means that an economy performing sluggishly, at best, is expected for early 2023 and a dip below zero cannot be ruled out for the first quarter. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone
    Italian headline inflation decelerates in January, courtesy of energy

    Minor contraction in Italian GDP at the end of 2022

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.01.2023 13:02
    Unsurprisingly, domestic demand was the driver of this minor contraction. A short technical recession might ensue now, but a gradual recovery is expected to follow in the second quarter The small contraction in fourth quarter GDP might mark the start of a very short minor technical recession in Italy Minor contraction driven by domestic demand softness The Italian seasonally-adjusted GDP posted a minor 0.1% contraction in the fourth quarter of last year (from +0.5% in the third quarter), in line with our forecast, and a 1.7% increase in year-on-year terms. No detailed demand breakdown was disclosed, but the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) indicated that the GDP contraction was the result of a positive contribution of net exports and a negative contribution of domestic demand (gross of inventories). The supply-side angle shows an increase in value added in services and a contraction in both agriculture and industry. The average 2002 GDP growth was 3.9% (compared to 6.6% in 2021). Lacking a detailed demand breakdown, we suspect that softer private consumption resulting from the fading out of the re-opening effect was the main drag on quarterly growth, while the support coming from net exports should be the result of a sharp contraction of imports rather than healthy exports. A short technical recession over the winter is likely, but the labour market will remain supportive The small contraction in fourth quarter GDP might mark the start of a very short minor technical recession, which we expect to end in the third quarter of this year. The first quarter of 2023 will likely see the economy still suffering the effects of the inflation wave on private consumption through the disposable income channel. However, as in 2022, a resilient labour market will likely act as an effective shock absorber for households, providing partial compensation. As December employment data have shown earlier today, the labour market is still solid, with a monthly employment gain and an increase in unemployment resulting in a stable unemployment rate of 7.8%, thanks to a decline in the pool of inactive workers. Interestingly, January business surveys signalled that hiring intentions are expected to remain in place over the next three months, both in industry and in services. On the investment front, continuous support should come from the European recovery fund effect. We thus anticipate another minor GDP contraction in the first quarter of 2023. Read next: The Government Pension Fund Global Suffers Losses| FXMAG.COM The recovery which will follow will likely be gradual All in all, today’s small negative reading should not be overemphasised. Whether it will be a technical recession or not, what the Italian economy is experiencing is a form of temporary stagnation. The exit speed will likely depend heavily on how fast the inflationary wave will recede. As we believe that the combination of energy inflation decline and core inflation stubbornness will yield a gradual fall in headline inflation, we expect the recovery to be very gradual as well. The carryover effect of 4Q22 GDP data on 2023 GDP growth is 0.4%. We forecast that the actual number will be slightly better than that at 0.7%. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    RBA Pauses Rates, Australian Dollar Slides 1.3% on Economic Concerns; ISM Manufacturing PMI Expected to Remain Negative

    Weak Performance For EU Q4 GDP, The UK Economy Is Also Expected To Experience A Weak Quarter

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 31.01.2023 13:10
    European markets struggled for direction yesterday, after German Q4 GDP showed a surprise contraction of -0.2% and core CPI in Spain rose to a record high of 7.5%, pushing yields across the bloc sharply higher. With the ECB due to meet later this week and expected to raise rates by 50bps, yesterday's weakness appears to have been driven by concern that the EU economy might not be as strong as thought, and inflation a lot stickier.   US markets also continued their own Jekyll and Hyde behaviour with the Nasdaq 100 posting its biggest one-day loss this year, as the strong rally of last week gave rise to a more tempered approach as the Federal Reserve gets set to kick off its two-day meeting later today.   Yesterday's surprise increase in Spanish core inflation for January to record highs also appears to have raised concerns that high prices might not come down as quickly as thought, and growth a lot slower, despite the recent sharp falls in energy prices. With Asia markets also sliding back this morning, markets here in Europe look set to open lower as we come to the end of what has been a strong month.   Later today we should get a better idea of whether the contraction in the German economy in Q4 was a localised issue, or symptomatic of more widespread economic weakness across the EU.   The French economy is expected to slow in Q4, down from 0.2% in Q3, to 0%, while the Italian economy is expected to contract by -0.2% in Q4. This is expected to translate into a similar weak performance for EU Q4 GDP which is forecast to show a contraction of -0.1%.   The UK economy is also expected to experience a weak quarter, however we won't know the actual numbers on that until next week, but recent lending data has already shown that consumers have already started to rein back on their spending, although we did see a bit of a pickup in November.   Read next: The Government Pension Fund Global Suffers Losses| FXMAG.COM   Net consumer credit in November more than doubled from 700k in October, to £1.5bn. This may well have been driven by a surge of holiday bookings judging by the recent November GDP numbers, which showed a strong performance from the travel sector. This resilience may well extend into December with an expectation of £1.1bn.   Mortgage approvals on the other hand, have slowed sharply since the summer months, and are expected to remain subdued in December, with expectations of a fall from 46.1k to 45k.   In the US the latest consumer confidence numbers for January are expected to see another gain to 109, after a surprise surge in December saw this indicator rise sharply to 108.3 from 101.40. This rise in consumer confidence is a little puzzling given that retail sales in the US for both November and December showed sharp declines.   One indicator that is likely to be of particular interest to the Federal Reserve as they convene their latest meeting today is the employment cost index for Q4 which is expected to slow from 1.1% from 1.2% in Q3. This is another key indicator for the Federal Reserve after last week saw core PCE fall to its lowest levels in over a year.  An upside miss on the ECI would be bad news for any sort of dovish expectations from tomorrow's decision.   EUR/USD – we saw another failed attempt to push above the 1.0900 area before slipping back again. The main resistance remains at the 1.0950 area which is 50% retracement of the move from the 2021 highs to last year's lows at 0.9536. A move through 1.0950 opens up a move towards 1.1110. Support remains back at the 1.0780 area.   GBP/USD – has continued to struggle above the 1.2400 area after last week's failure to move through the 1.2450 resistance area. We need to see a move through the 1.2450 area to target further gains towards 1.2600. A move below 1.2250 could see a move towards 1.2170.    EUR/GBP – the failure to make progress through the 0.8850 area last week has seen the euro slip back. Key support remains at the 50- and 100-day SMA which we earlier this month at the 0.8720/30 area. Below 0.8720 targets 0.8680.   USD/JPY – needs to break through the 131.00 area to target a move back towards 132.60. While below 131.00 the risk is for further declines towards the lows at 127.20. We have trend line support at the 129.00 area initially.   FTSE100 is expected to open 18 points lower at 7,767   DAX is expected to open 50 points lower at 15,076   CAC40 is expected to open 22 points lower at 7,060     Email: marketcomment@cmcmarkets.com Follow CMC Markets on Twitter: @cmcmarkets Follow Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst) on Twitter: @mhewson_CMC
    Korea: Consumer inflation moderated more than expected in February

    South Korea: trade deficit hit record in January

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.02.2023 09:15
    Exports fell for a fourth straight month in January due to weak global demand for semiconductors and petrochemicals, with little hope for a meaningful improvement in Korea's trade performance in the first half of this year. Today's data supports our view that 1Q23 GDP will contract for a second consecutive quarter  Conditions for international trade remain very tough -16.6% Exports % YoY Lower than expected Exports fell 16.6% YoY in January Looking at the details of the export data just released, weak performances were even more broadly based and semiconductor exports deteriorated even further compared with the previous month. Among major export items, displays (-36%), steel (-25.9%), and petrochemicals (-25.0%) all declined while semiconductor exports fell the most (-44.5% vs -27.8% in December). On the other hand, vessels (86.3%), automobiles (21.9%) and batteries (9.9%) all rose in January. We believe that automobiles and E-vehicle-related exports continue to outperform, but the momentum will slow in the coming months as the US and Europe's demand will soften. By export destination, exports to China dropped the most, falling 31.4%YoY, while exports to the ASEAN region (-19.8%) and the US (-6.1%) also slid.  Trade deficit hit record high in January Source: CEIC The semiconductor downcycle will last at least another six months According to various industry reports, several major memory chipmakers including Hynix have cut their capex spending compared to last year and will focus on inventory management. But market leader, Samsung Electronics, announced that it will maintain its capital expenditure at the same pace as last year. This means that the large imbalance between supply and demand is unlikely to be corrected anytime soon and sector-wide inventory levels will continue to rise, resulting in further declines in unit memory chip prices. Memory prices have fallen more than 50% since their 2022 peak, and further unfavourable price effects look likely to weigh on Korean exports for a while longer. The market will eventually improve on the back of China's reopening and a recovery in mobile phone demand, but Korean chipmakers will face another geopolitical challenge from tightening US sanctions against tech exports to China. Thus, we expect the positive spill-over from the reopening of China to the Korean economy to be limited.  Growth outlook and BoK Watch Sluggish exports were one of the main reasons for the GDP contraction last quarter and we expect this to continue for several more months. Yesterday's industrial production data also suggest that domestic demand growth will remain sluggish in the current quarter. The manufacturing PMI edged up to 48.5 in January from 48.2 in December, but still remained below the neutral level. Thus we maintain our view that 1Q23 GDP will contract by 0.2% QoQ (seasonally adjusted rate). As external and domestic growth conditions worsen and utility prices rise, the main opposition party has urged the government to draw up a supplementary budget. However, we believe that the likelihood of this is still low at the moment. The government will expand energy subsidy programs for low-income households and ask local governments to refrain from raising public utility charges as much as possible. Meanwhile, the Bank of Korea will pause its tightening policy from February although it will maintain its hawkish stance for the time being.  Read this article on THINK TagsSouth Korea Korea trade Korea GDP Bank of Korea Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Saxo Bank Podcast: A Massive Collapse In Yields, Fed's Tightening Cycle And More

    Euro Rebounds On Stronger GDP Read, All Eyes On Fed Decision

    Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 01.02.2023 10:29
    Weak economic data ran to the rescue of the equity bulls on Tuesday. The S&P500 rallied almost 1.50%, while Nasdaq jumped more than 1.50%. The Federal Reserve (Fed) President Jerome Powell will be thrown to the spotlight today, to potentially shoot a couple of doves down to the ground. But there is always a hope that the falling price and wages inflation will get the Fed to the pivot point. US  The US dollar failed to consolidate and extend gains as the weaker economic data keeps strengthening the Fed doves’ hands. EUR/USD The EURUSD eased as low as 1.08 yesterday, but the pair found buyers on the back of a strong looking GDP data from the Eurozone. China Elsewhere, today’s PMI data from China, released by Caixin, were not as rosy as the one compiled by China Federation and released yesterday. Crude Oil And the barrel of American crude tipped a toe below the 50-DMA yesterday, as the API data revealed another big build in US inventories last week. The more official EIA data is due today, and the expectation is a 1 mio barrel decline, leaving room for further weakness in oil prices. Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:36 Equities extend gains on weak US data 2:01 GM, Spotify, Exxon Mobil & Snap posted mixed earnings 5:05 What does Powell think of weak data?! 8:04 Euro rebounds on stronger GDP read, but how strong was the read? 9:25 US crude tips a toe below 50-DMA on large inventory build Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #Fed #FOMC #meeting #Spotify #Snap #GM #Exxon #earnings #China #PMI #EUR #GDP #ECB #crude #oil #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary _____ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr _____ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 _____ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
    Spanish economy picks up sharply in February

    Spanish tourism rebounded last year but still lagged pre-Covid levels

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.02.2023 10:24
    Spanish tourism experienced a solid recovery last year although the number of visitors was still only 86% of pre-Covid levels. A further recovery will support Spanish growth in 2023 Tourists in Benidorm, Spain 71.6 million foreign tourists visited Spain in 2022, or 86% of pre-Covid levels Now that the Spanish statistics office, INE, has announced the remaining figures for December, we have a full picture of last year. In 2022, 71.6 million foreign tourists visited Spain, up 130% compared to 2021, but still 14% less than in the pre-Covid year 2019. Spanish international tourism experienced a strong recovery in the first half of the year but slowed from the summer. While the number of foreign visitors was already at 92% of its pre-Covid level in July, the gap remained intact in the second half of the year. High inflation and energy prices have put considerable pressure on the purchasing power of households in Europe, causing them to save on their travel budgets. In addition, the strict Covid restrictions in China and the loss of Russian tourists, who still accounted for 1.3 million visitors or 1.6% of the total in 2019, have also slowed down international tourism in Spain. The number of foreign visitors to Spain still considerably lags pre-Covid levels (in millions) Source: INE Domestic tourism already fully recovered from pandemic Domestic tourism recovered from the pandemic much faster than international tourism. In April, the number of overnight stays by residents had risen above pre-Covid levels. For all of 2022, the number of overnight stays by Spaniards was at the same level as in 2019. The effect of the cost-of-living crisis on domestic tourism was probably mixed. On the one hand, domestic tourism probably received a boost because many Spaniards opted for a domestic holiday this year instead of a trip abroad to save money. On the other hand, many families have likely cut back on their travel budgets, which has likely slowed domestic tourism in 2022. Also, the uncertainty associated with the pandemic at the beginning of last year probably caused more families to decide to stay closer to home. The number of overnight stays by Spanish residents Source: INE A further recovery in international tourism will contribute positively to Spanish growth this year Tourism is an important economic sector in Spain, contributing 14% to total GDP in 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. Sustained growth in the number of international visitors would be one of the key elements supporting Spanish GDP this year. We expect the number of international visitors to grow by approximately 10% in 2023. There is still great recovery potential, especially in the first half of the year, as the sector was just starting to emerge from the doldrums during the same period last year. In addition, there are also some early signs that the Chinese are keen to travel again. Once the health situation in the country normalises and the remaining travel restrictions are lifted, a growing number of Chinese visitors will boost Spanish tourism. We expect the Spanish economy to grow 1.2% this year, an upward revision thanks to a better-than-expected fourth quarter of 2022. Read this article on THINK TagsTourism Spain GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Australian dollar against US dollar - "It seems that the currency will soon hit a price above 0.68"

    Australia: It is better to be prepared for lower data and a slowdown in CPI to 7.2-7.3%

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 24.01.2023 15:38
    Let's hear from Alex Kuptsikevich, Senior Financial Analyst at FxPro, who answers FXMAG.COM team questions. We asked Alex about Australian CPI, UK PMIs, British pound and the US GDP. This week Australian CPI goes public what do you expect from the print and the RBA decision on February 7th? On average, market analysts expect inflation to accelerate to 7.5%. It is better to be prepared for lower data and a slowdown in CPI to 7.2-7.3%. The Australian dollar has risen more than 14% from its October lows, helping to reduce external price pressures. Also worth noting is the 14.6k drop in employment in December and the stubborn unemployment rate of 3.5% for the past six months. In other words, the labour market needs to do more to accelerate inflation. At the same time, the construction market has been in steady decline since October 2021, which is a significant negative signal for the economy. As in most developed countries, such a disposition could already be working towards lower annual price growth. If we are right, AUDUSD could give back some of January's gains as the market reassesses the outlook for monetary policy. The weak data reinforced the double top formation signal in the GBPUSD The UK PMI indices recorded another month of declining activity. However, the rise in the manufacturing PMI from 45.3 to 46.7 suggests that the rate of decline is slowing. The services PMI fell from 49.9 to 48.0, clearly indicating that the recession is spreading to the broader economy. The CBI's industrial orders balance was also a nasty surprise, falling from -6 to -17, the lowest since February 2021. The weak data reinforced the double top formation signal in the GBPUSD, which is turning lower for the second time since mid-December as it approaches 1.2450. Traders are likely betting that the Bank of England will struggle to maintain the pace of policy tightening in light of the economic data released. This is not for nothing, given the reversal in the inflation trend. Read next: The Aussie Pair Is Above 0.70$, GBP/USD Pair Lost Its Level Of 1.24$| FXMAG.COM The GDP report has a good chance of delivering an unpleasant surprise, pushing the dollar further down The impact of US GDP on the markets isn't a trivial issue. Much depends on the balance between growth and inflation. If US growth comes in at or above expectations, the Fed may have more incentive to keep raising rates for longer than the markets are currently pricing in. This would be negative for equities and oil but positive for the dollar. Such a market reaction is long overdue. However, it is still too early to confidently bet on the Fed's hawkishness to take on the entire market. The GDP report has a good chance of delivering an unpleasant surprise, pushing the dollar further down. Still, it is highly likely to push equities and metals higher in the short term. 
    Disappointing activity data in China suggests more fiscal support is needed

    Asia week ahead: Regional inflation data, Taiwan trade numbers and Indonesia's GDP

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.02.2023 11:46
    Next week’s calendar features inflation readings from Australia, India, the Philippines and China, plus Indonesia’s growth performance and trade data from Taiwan Source: Shutterstock Has inflation peaked in Australia? On 7 February, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is expected to hike rates by 25bp. Some months ago, when the RBA adopted the smaller 25bp hike approach, it became obvious that the central bank was not operating on a data-dependent policy. As it got closer to the peak in rates, it would simply proceed at a slower pace to avoid, or at least limit, the risk of overtightening. Considering the much higher-than-expected inflation readings over the past two months, we have increased our peak RBA cash rate forecast to 4.1% from 3.6%, assuming that there are two further months of 25bp hikes ahead. We see a slight softening of the labour and housing markets, but this is not likely to be decisive for future rate decisions There will be a subsequent statement on monetary policy on 10 February and this will likely provide more clarity on direction. India expected to pause hikes We can expect to see further central bank action from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 8 February, and the outcome is much less certain than the RBA. The current repo rate is at 6.25%, which is 55bp higher than the prevailing rate of inflation, which has since fallen back into the top end of RBI’s 2-6% tolerance range. Our contention has been that the RBI is at or close to the peak, and we believe that the RBI will put a pause on the hikes to give growth a chance. Philippine inflation to stay elevated as supply shortages persist Philippine inflation is expected to dip to 7.8% year-on-year in January, down slightly from 8.1% in the previous month. However, we expect inflation to remain at elevated levels as supply shortages persist. Low domestic production resulted in surging prices for basic food commodities, Meanwhile, still-elevate global energy prices have resulted in high utility costs and rising gasoline prices. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to retain its hawkish stance for the time being although Governor Felipe Medalla has hinted at a possible reversal later in the year. Read next: Resumption Of Cooperation Between Airbus And Qatar Airways| FXMAG.COM Price pressures expected to slow in China China’s January CPI inflation should rise faster given the post-Covid lockdown reopening and extended holiday. Our estimate is 2.4%YoY.  Despite the acceleration, it’s too early to say whether this is a trend and is still below the warning level of 3%. Inflation should be slower in February after the holiday. PPI on the other hand should stay at a slight year-on-year contraction level due to the combination of lower commodity prices and a high base effect. Construction activities have yet to pick up, leading to lower metal prices. We expect construction activities to start to recover after winter which should give some support to PPI inflation. Headwinds in Taiwan's semiconductor industry Taiwan’s trade data should show a dire picture as the western market has placed fewer orders on semiconductor chips while the Mainland China market has yet to fully recover. We expect a contraction for both exports and imports of around 20%YoY.   This might lead to more uncertainty about the projected central bank’s hike in the first quarter of the year. Taiwan’s central bank should consider opting not to follow the Fed or hike at a slower pace due to the headwinds in the semiconductor industry. Other data reports: PBoC's decision on RRR, reserves and Indonesia's GDP report We do not expect the People's Bank of China (PBoC) to change the interest rate or RRR this year. The main monetary policy should be through a re-lending programme, which is more focused and helpful for economic recovery. Meanwhile, China is going to release credit data (from 9-15 February) and we expect a jump in January despite being the month of the Chinese New Year. New yuan loans will be the key engine of credit growth in the first month of the year. More credit growth from the debt market should follow during the first quarter. FX reserves should rise as indicated by the strengthening of the yuan which implies capital inflows into China. Further capital inflows are possible, especially portfolio inflows. But due to uncertain geographic tension, multinational companies might defer direct investments into China. Lastly, Indonesia reports fourth-quarter GDP and we expect growth to hit 4.9%YoY, taking 2022 full-year growth to 5.2%. Softer commodity prices weighed on both export performance and industrial output, however solid domestic demand was able to offset the downturn.     Key events in Asia next week Source: Refinitiv, ING Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia week ahead Asia Pacific Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Moderate Outlook: Growth and Disinflation Trends in the French Economy

    French industrial production continues to catch up

    ING Economics ING Economics 03.02.2023 11:10
    French industrial production continued to grow in December but still hasn't returned to its pre-pandemic level. While the shock of 2022 has yet to be fully digested by French companies, the outlook for 2023 remains moderate The French labour minister, Olivier Dussopt. being shown round a factory in southern France last month Increase in industrial production French industrial production increased by 1.1% over one month in December 2022, after +2% in November, thanks largely to a rebound in electricity production. Manufacturing output rose by 0.3% Month-on-Month in December, after +2.4% in November. The rebound was driven primarily by transport equipment manufacturing, which continues to recover after months of supply chain disruption. However, transport equipment production is still 14% below its pre-pandemic level. In December, coking and refining also grew rapidly, continuing its recovery from the October strikes which saw output fall by 47% over a month. The manufacture of capital goods fell by 3.3% in December, and the production of foodstuffs fell by 1.7%. Over the year, French manufacturing production increased by 3.6%. This is faster than GDP (+2.6% in 2022). Nevertheless, we still haven't fully recovered from the disruption of 2020 and 2021. At the end of 2022, French manufacturing output was still slightly below its pre-pandemic level, while GDP was 1.2% higher. It is also worth noting that, according to detailed GDP data published this week by INSEE, the value added of the manufacturing sector fell by 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2022, despite the increase in production over the same period.  Read next: Starbucks Revenues Are High Despite High Costs| FXMAG.COM 2023 expected to be a minor year What can we expect in 2023? Thanks to supply chains easing, the production of transport equipment should continue to catch up and that should boost the whole of French manufacturing production. On top of that, since the beginning of the year, optimism seems to have returned thanks to the fall in energy prices on the international markets and the reopening of China, leading to upward revisions of the growth outlook. But beware of over-optimism. The shock of 2022 has yet to be fully digested by French companies. In a recent study that takes into account the types of contracts existing in France, INSEE estimates that most of the increase in electricity bills for companies has yet to take place. While bills rose by an average of 30% in 2022 for companies in the agricultural and industrial sectors, a rise of 92% is expected in 2023. As the INSEE study is based on data collected in November before the plunge in international energy prices, the rise in bills for 2023 may be overestimated. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that business energy bills will rise more in 2023 than in 2022 in France, despite the fall in spot prices on the markets. This is likely to hamper industrial production. In addition, the global economic slowdown, particularly in Europe and the United States, and the rise in interest rates, which increases the cost of financing for companies, are also likely to weigh on the industrial outlook in 2023. So, the contribution of industry to growth is likely to be subdued at best.  We expect GDP to grow by 0.4% in 2023, after +2.6% in 2022. Read this article on THINK TagsIndustrial production GDP France Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Key Economic Events and Earnings Reports to Watch in US, Eurozone, and UK Next Week

    Quick-fire answers to your global economy questions

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.02.2023 08:49
    Give us a minute, and our economists will give you some answers to the global economy's biggest questions, notably around energy and China's reopening. And take a look at our three scenarios for the world as February begins In this article How far could gas prices rise from here, and what would be the major cause? Is Europe still heading for recession? If gas prices rise, have governments done enough to shield consumers/businesses in Europe? Is the end of zero-Covid in China a gamechanger? Is inflation really falling, and have markets been too quick to price in cuts? Can the US economy avoid recession? Can the recovery in risk assets continue?   Three scenarios for the global economy ING   ING   ING How far could gas prices rise from here, and what would be the major cause? We currently expect that European gas prices will average EUR 70/MWh over 2023, peaking in the fourth quarter with an average of EUR 80/MWh. However, clearly there are significant upside risks to this view. If remaining Russian gas flows to the EU were to come to a halt and if we were to see stronger than expected LNG demand from China this year, this would tighten up the European market significantly. Under this scenario, we would need to see stronger-than-expected demand destruction to keep the market in balance. As a result, prices would need to trade higher, potentially up towards EUR 150/MWh going into the '23/24 winter. The European Commission’s price cap of EUR180/MWh for TTF should provide a ceiling to the market, at least for exchange prices within the EU. Is Europe still heading for recession? Lower energy prices and high levels of national gas reserves as a result of the warm weather and lower energy consumption have helped the eurozone economy to avoid an energy crisis this winter. Fiscal stimulus has also supported the economy and prevented the eurozone from falling into a severe recession. However, the eurozone economy is not out of the woods yet. Industrial orders have weakened and once the post-pandemic boost is behind us, growth in the services sector could soften. With (core) inflation remaining stubbornly high and the full impact of ECB rate hikes still materialising (with activity in the construction sector particularly vulnerable), the eurozone is facing a longer quasi-stagnation. The worst-case scenario has been avoided for now but this doesn’t automatically lead to a strong recovery. If gas prices rise, have governments done enough to shield consumers/businesses in Europe? It took a while but at the end of last year, fiscal support measures in most eurozone countries had reached levels seen during the pandemic. For the eurozone as a whole, the announced fiscal stimulus amounts to around 5% of GDP. The stimulus packages are largely aimed at supporting household purchasing power but also at keeping companies’ energy costs at bay. However, if energy prices remain at current levels, the full amount reserved for energy price caps will not have to be used up. While these packages offer significant relief in the short run, they will not be able to shield consumers and businesses against structurally higher energy costs. Government expenditures in the eurozone already amount to around 50% of GDP and with the weighted eurozone government budget at 4.5% of GDP, any room to scale up deficit-financed stimulus, which is exclusively aimed at supporting consumption, looks limited. Is the end of zero-Covid in China a gamechanger? The surprise reopening of the Chinese economy will certainly boost demand, and we have revised up our GDP forecasts accordingly. What is still unclear is how much and when the reopening will boost domestic spending within China, especially on services. Household balances are swollen after prolonged inactivity, so some "revenge" spending seems plausible. How important these balance sheet effects are for spending within China is still being debated, with unemployment still high and wage growth still subdued. Of greater global relevance will be how strongly industry recovers, as this will dictate the strength of the recovery in demand for commodities, including energy. Our current thinking is that manufacturing recovers more slowly than domestic spending on services, and this should not result in a substantial boost to global commodities prices, though some upward price pressure is probable. With the economy just emerging from the Lunar New Year, and data clarity very low right now, this "goldilocks" view is offered with fairly low conviction. Is inflation really falling, and have markets been too quick to price in cuts? Headline inflation rates across the developed world should fall this year as the sharp rises in food, fuel and goods prices of late 2021-mid 2022 are unlikely to be repeated. Admittedly, of these three categories, food prices have probably the biggest potential to rise again significantly this year. With commodity prices – including food indices – having fallen in many cases, there is a case for a sharp reduction in goods-related inflation this year, and in some categories, outright price falls. This story is likely to be more aggressive in the US, where month-on-month increases in core CPI and PCE deflator readings have slowed from 0.5-0.6% in the middle of last year, to 0.2-0.3% more recently. That's still above the 0.17% MoM average required to take the year-on-year rate to 2%, but we're getting close. Rents are topping out, vehicle prices are falling and there is growing evidence that corporate pricing power is waning with businesses thinking more defensively as recession fears mount. We continue to forecast core inflation measures getting down to 2% by the end of 2023. In Europe, the story is likely to be more gradual. Core inflation is yet to peak, and the lagged impact of higher energy prices is continuing to put pressure on services pricing. The strong prevalence of collective bargaining in many European countries also suggests wage pressures will continue to feed through, too, and ongoing fiscal stimulus and government intervention could lengthen the inflationary pressure. The fear is that supply-side inflation could morph into demand-side inflation. The divergence between the EU and the US in terms of inflation suggests that markets are right to be pricing rate cuts from the Federal Reserve later this year, while the easing priced in from the ECB in 2024 looks premature. Can the US economy avoid recession? Possibly, but we need something to turn around quickly. We have a housing market correction coupled with six consecutive monthly falls in residential construction, three month-on-month drops in industrial production and two consecutive 1%+MoM falls in retail sales, which hint at a broadening slowdown. Meanwhile, the labour market is showing tentative signs of cooling after five consecutive months of decline in temporary help, which typically leads to broader labour market trends. With CEO confidence at the lowest level since the global financial crisis, implying a growing proportion of businesses adopting a more defensive stance, the risks are mounting that there will be a recession. However, strong household balance sheets and a robust-looking jobs market suggest it will be relatively short and shallow, assuming inflation falls as we expect and the Fed is able to offer stimulus later this year. Can the recovery in risk assets continue? It has been a strong start to the year for risk assets, underpinned by robust inflows. Equity markets are up as much as 9% in Europe and dedicated bond funds are up anywhere between 2-4%. But risk assets will struggle to post further near-term gains should our view for some tactical upward pressure on market rates bear fruit. It’s a non-consensus call though, and even if market rates were to fall it’s more likely that the market reads this as a measure of underlying angst, which can cause issues for risk assets, via an elevation in perceived default risk ahead. The strong rally in credit markets has lasted for over three months before which credit was pricing in a significant recession. The value that was evident then has evaporated. Nonetheless, with persistent inflows to the sector remaining a dominant theme, we remain constructive in the longer term and further returns in the sector will be a function of yield and carry, rather than spread tightening. In FX, growing headwinds to risk assets would provide some temporary support to the dollar and help cement a 1.05-1.10 EUR/USD trading range for the rest of the quarter. Later in the year, however, 1.15 levels are possible as the conviction builds over a Fed easing cycle. TagsEconomy Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The UK Economy Expects A Decline And Is Gearing Up For Recession

    The UK Economy Expects A Decline And Is Gearing Up For Recession

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 04.02.2023 10:41
    The UK is expected to be the only major industrialized country whose economy will contract this year. GDP forecast After UK economic output QoQ declined by 0.3% in Q3, many economists expected a similar contraction in Q4. The decline in the third quarter of last year was, according to the Office for National Statistics, partly due to an extra day off in September 2022 for the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as some businesses were closed or operating differently that day. The pause in economic activity on September 19, the day of the funeral, contributed to a monthly fall in GDP of 0.8% in September. This was followed by a rebound in October when the UK economy grew by 0.5% month on month. The economy grew a further 0.1% m/m in November, beating expectations of a 0.1% decline as the football world cup in Qatar boosted the UK services sector which grew by 0.2% compared to October. The customer services sector, which includes pubs and other food outlets, recorded an increase of 0.4%. Given the positive GDP growth in October and November and the fact that the World Cup lasted until December 18, it is possible that the UK narrowly avoided a decline in GDP in the fourth quarter, keeping the country from falling into recession. Source: investing.com Read next: Domination Of Fast Food Restaurants - McDonaldization| FXMAG.COM When comparing the 2022 quarter to the 2021 quarter, the UK economy is estimated to contract from 1.9% to 0.4% in the fourth quarter. GDP YoY Chart Source: investing.com UK in recession? According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK is already in recession. Moreover, manufacturing fell by 0.2%, suggesting that while the fourth quarter as a whole may now show modest growth, the outlook for the future remains challenging, especially given that a reduction in service consumption is expected as the cost of living crisis intensifies this year. The trajectory of the central bank's aggressive monetary policy tightening appears to hold in the short term as inflation continued to hit double digits in November, albeit declining slightly from its 41-year high in October. Combined with the cost of living crisis caused by soaring food and energy prices, widening industrial action and unprecedented pressure on the nation's health service, consumers' purchasing power is unlikely to survive beyond the Christmas treat. The increased cost of credit is likely to put further downward pressure on activity. The Bank of England predicts that the British economy will experience at least four quarters of recession. The bank now predicts that the economy will contract by 1% from 3% and that inflation will fall back to 8% in June before dropping to 3% at the end of the year. The forecast comes as interest rates were raised to 4% from 3.5%, the highest level in more than 14 years. On Thursday, the Bank hinted that interest rates may be approaching a peak, indicating that it will only raise them if it sees signs that inflation will remain high. Bank governor Andrew Bailey said inflation appeared to be coming down but warned that there were still "big risks" that could still affect the economy. Higher interest rates are designed to encourage people to save more and spend less, helping to stop prices from rising as rapidly. Thursday's increase in the cost of credit is the tenth in a row and will add pressure on many households already struggling with the cost of living. The impact will be felt by borrowers through higher mortgage and credit costs, although this should also mean better returns for savers. Source: investing.com
    Euro and European bond yields decreased after the ECB decision. The end of tightening may be close

    The eurozone’s been saved, in part, by the weather

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.02.2023 10:37
    The significant fall in natural gas prices has probably sheltered the eurozone from a winter recession, though there are still some headwinds that will keep growth subdued in 2023. Sticky core inflation is likely to keep the European Central Bank in tightening mode in the first half of the year In this article Sentiment is improving Not all headwinds have disappeared, however Inflation problems not over yet More monetary tightening to come   Warmer weather in Europe has helped offset big energy price rises. Pictured: an art installation on the Champs-Élysées in Paris Sentiment is improving Looking at recent economic sentiment indicators and the stock market rally in Europe, it looks as if the projected winter recession is not happening after all. Eurozone GDP surprisingly grew by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2022. Meanwhile, the composite PMI has been creeping up since November to reach 50.2 in January, a level that can no longer be associated with an economic contraction. At the same time, consumer confidence rose for the fourth consecutive month after having reached a historic low in September. Much of the improvement in sentiment is, of course, attributable to the significant fall in natural gas prices. With inventories still close to record highs on the back of the relatively mild winter, natural gas prices have nose-dived and are back at pre-war levels. While we don’t believe that they will remain so low, they probably won’t return to the growth-choking levels that we saw in the autumn of 2022. Another tailwind is the opening up of the Chinese economy, which is likely to support eurozone exports in the coming quarters, although this might be partially compensated by a weaker US economy. Not all headwinds have disappeared, however So, no worries then? Not so fast. While consumption is less depressed, it is far from strong. Because of weak demand, there is an inventory overhang in many sectors that might weigh on production in the short run. The ongoing ECB tightening cycle is wreaking havoc on the real estate market, and construction is also likely to feel the pain. The signs are already apparent in the weak credit growth figures in December and the downbeat bank lending survey, while house prices have started to fall in a number of member states. While the current growth deceleration may lead to barely any weakening in the (tight) labour market, the corollary is that the subsequent upturn will not benefit from rapidly growing employment. We also think that fiscal policy will become tighter in the wake of the still-high budget deficits. The bottom line is that we are revising our growth forecast upwards to 0.6% for this year, but for 2024 we are sticking to the 1.1% growth projection. Read next: Difficult Decision Ahead Of The RBA, The Market Expects A 25bp Rate Hike| FXMAG.COM Higher interest rates will weigh on the housing market and construction sector Refinitiv Datastream Inflation problems not over yet HICP headline inflation fell in January to 8.5% on the back of the lower energy prices. However, core inflation remained stuck at 5.2%. Looking at the business surveys, intentions to raise prices in the coming months remain high. You might even say that less adverse economic circumstances contribute positively to businesses' pricing power, especially in the services sector. We now expect average headline inflation of 5.7% in 2023, while core inflation is projected to average 4.6% over the year. A return to the ECB’s 2% inflation objective will probably have to wait until the fourth quarter of 2024. Selling price expectations remain high Refinitiv Datastream More monetary tightening to come A 50 basis point rate hike both in February and March now looks like a done deal. The question is how much more tightening the ECB will add after that. While we anticipated a final 25bp rate hike in May, we must admit that the probability of an additional 25bp tightening is increasing by the day. At the same time the bank might also decide to increase the amount of maturing bonds that will no longer be reinvested in the second half of the year. As for a first rate cut, we probably will have to wait until the end of 2024 at the earliest. TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia week ahead: Policy meetings in China and the Philippines

    Asia week ahead: Regional inflation data, Taiwan trade numbers and Indonesia’s GDP

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.02.2023 10:47
    Next week’s calendar features inflation readings from Australia, India, the Philippines and China, plus Indonesia’s growth performance and trade data from Taiwan In this article Has inflation peaked in Australia? India expected to pause hikes Philippine inflation to stay elevated as supply shortages persist Price pressures expected to slow in China Headwinds in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry Other data reports: PBoC’s decision on RRR, reserves and Indonesia’s GDP report   Shutterstock   Has inflation peaked in Australia? On 7 February, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is expected to hike rates by 25bp. Some months ago, when the RBA adopted the smaller 25bp hike approach, it became obvious that the central bank was not operating on a data-dependent policy. As it got closer to the peak in rates, it would simply proceed at a slower pace to avoid, or at least limit, the risk of overtightening. Considering the much higher-than-expected inflation readings over the past two months, we have increased our peak RBA cash rate forecast to 4.1% from 3.6%, assuming that there are two further months of 25bp hikes ahead. We see a slight softening of the labour and housing markets, but this is not likely to be decisive for future rate decisions. There will be a subsequent statement on monetary policy on 10 February and this will likely provide more clarity on direction. India expected to pause hikes We can expect to see further central bank action from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 8 February, and the outcome is much less certain than the RBA. The current repo rate is at 6.25%, which is 55bp higher than the prevailing rate of inflation, which has since fallen back into the top end of RBI’s 2-6% tolerance range. Our contention has been that the RBI is at or close to the peak, and we believe that the RBI will put a pause on the hikes to give growth a chance. Philippine inflation to stay elevated as supply shortages persist Philippine inflation is expected to dip to 7.8% year-on-year in January, down slightly from 8.1% in the previous month. However, we expect inflation to remain at elevated levels as supply shortages persist. Low domestic production resulted in surging prices for basic food commodities, Meanwhile, still-elevate global energy prices have resulted in high utility costs and rising gasoline prices. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is expected to retain its hawkish stance for the time being although Governor Felipe Medalla has hinted at a possible reversal later in the year. Price pressures expected to slow in China China’s January CPI inflation should rise faster given the post-Covid lockdown reopening and extended holiday. Our estimate is 2.4%YoY.  Despite the acceleration, it’s too early to say whether this is a trend and is still below the warning level of 3%. Inflation should be slower in February after the holiday. PPI on the other hand should stay at a slight year-on-year contraction level due to the combination of lower commodity prices and a high base effect. Construction activities have yet to pick up, leading to lower metal prices. We expect construction activities to start to recover after winter which should give some support to PPI inflation. Headwinds in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry Taiwan’s trade data should show a dire picture as the western market has placed fewer orders on semiconductor chips while the Mainland China market has yet to fully recover. We expect a contraction for both exports and imports of around 20%YoY.   This might lead to more uncertainty about the projected central bank’s hike in the first quarter of the year. Taiwan’s central bank should consider opting not to follow the Fed or hike at a slower pace due to the headwinds in the semiconductor industry. Other data reports: PBoC’s decision on RRR, reserves and Indonesia’s GDP report We do not expect the People's Bank of China (PBoC) to change the interest rate or RRR this year. The main monetary policy should be through a re-lending programme, which is more focused and helpful for economic recovery. Meanwhile, China is going to release credit data (from 9-15 February) and we expect a jump in January despite being the month of the Chinese New Year. New yuan loans will be the key engine of credit growth in the first month of the year. More credit growth from the debt market should follow during the first quarter. FX reserves should rise as indicated by the strengthening of the yuan which implies capital inflows into China. Further capital inflows are possible, especially portfolio inflows. But due to uncertain geographic tension, multinational companies might defer direct investments into China. Lastly, Indonesia reports fourth-quarter GDP and we expect growth to hit 4.9%YoY, taking 2022 full-year growth to 5.2%. Softer commodity prices weighed on both export performance and industrial output, however solid domestic demand was able to offset the downturn.     Key events in Asia next week Refinitiv, ING TagsEmerging Markets Asia week ahead Asia Pacific   Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Worst behind us for UK retail despite fall in sales

    Lower gas prices point to a more modest recession in the UK

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.02.2023 11:00
    Lower gas prices should herald a fall in consumer energy bills by the summer. A recession is still the base case, but the reduced squeeze on household incomes suggests the peak-to-trough fall in GDP could now be less than 1% In this article Lower gas prices are good news for UK consumers The UK doesn't look like it will be a notable outlier on GDP   The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is facing major economic headwinds Lower gas prices are good news for UK consumers Lower gas prices are as much of a boon for the UK as they are for the rest of Europe. It’s true that Britain has considerably less gas storage than its peers, making it more vulnerable on days of low temperatures and wind. But in general, lower prices point to lower consumer bills – and that means the hit to GDP this year is likely to be less than feared. April’s planned increase in unit prices can probably be cancelled, and in fact, the average annual household bill is likely to fall from £2,500 under the government guarantee, to £2,000 over the summer. Such a move would shave roughly 1 percentage point off headline inflation later this year and means it would end the year only modestly above the Bank of England’s 2% target. Admittedly, business support is still set to become less generous, though with wholesale gas prices so much lower, this looks less consequential than it once did. The average annual household energy bill should fall by the summer Macrobond, ING calculations The UK doesn't look like it will be a notable outlier on GDP With the hit to household incomes diminished, we now think the peak-to-trough fall in UK GDP is likely to be less than 1%. Most of the hit is likely to fall in the first quarter. But while this still places the UK towards the bottom of the pack on growth (again), we think it’s an exaggeration to say it will be a notable outlier. For instance, while higher mortgage rates are likely to weigh on 2023 growth, the UK doesn’t look any more exposed than much of Europe to a house price correction. Unlike somewhere like Sweden, which has so far seen a 15% fall in house prices, the UK has a very low share of variable rate mortgages and ranks in the middle-of-the-pack on household indebtedness, as well as on increases in price-to-income ratios over recent years. The situation is trickier for businesses, particularly smaller corporates where floating rate lending makes up 70% of outstanding debt. Survey data suggests that’s a particular issue in consumer services and real estate. The latter, combined with weaker homebuyer demand, unsurprisingly points to a fall in construction this year.  For now, the Bank of England is more focused on persistently strong wage growth and service-sector inflation. While it looks like we’re close to the top of this tightening cycle, we think the UK’s somewhat unique combination of structural labour shortages and exposure to Europe’s energy crisis points to somewhat sticky core inflation. That suggests the UK is likely to be slower than the US Federal Reserve to cut rates, and we don't expect policy easing before next Easter. TagsUK fiscal policy Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Eurozone economy boosted by service sector growth

    Moment of truth for Central and Eastern Europe

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.02.2023 11:18
    January and February will be a moment of truth for Central and Eastern Europe and confirmation that the region has its own inflation story, more persistent than the global narrative. The region's economic picture is generally better than expected, but this also means stronger inflationary pressures and a problem for central banks to cut rates soon In this article Poland: Resilient economy but persistent core CPI remains a problem Czech Republic: Recession confirmed Hungary: A glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel Romania: Strong demand in the economy but also in markets   The Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki Poland: Resilient economy but persistent core CPI remains a problem The Polish economy proved to be relatively resilient to the shocks of war, energy and aggressive rate hikes, both at home and abroad last year. In 2023 we stick to our above-consensus GDP forecast of 1%. Lower gas prices and China reopening support the eurozone and our GDP expectations for Poland. Last year's fourth-quarter GDP backdrop was disinflationary, but the labour market was still tight. According to the National Bank of Poland Beige Book, the percentage of companies planning wage hikes grew to an all-time high of 62.3% due to a tight labour market and a countercyclical hike of the minimum wage by 19.1%. We expect CPI to rise to 18.1% in January and peak at 20% YoY in February. In the following months, CPI should drop by half to about 10% in December 2023. But the problem is the persistence of core inflation. We are not expecting rate cuts in 2023 against quite aggressive market pricing. The government covered more than 50% of borrowing needs, but given the strong sentiment in the Polish government bond (POLGBs) market, it plans for heavier supply in February. Together with the approaching European Court of Justice ruling on 16 February, both of these factors call for tactical profit taking on the POLGBs market. The ruling of the ECJ is the second step in the Swiss franc mortgage saga. The ECJ is expected to judge whether banks can charge clients for the cost of capital, even when CHF mortgages are terminated. Should the ECJ ruling turn negative, local banks may be forced to significantly raise provisions, which should hinder their demand for POLGBs. This is an important systemic risk which needs to be tackled by policymakers. This uncertainty explains the underperformance of the zloty vs CEE FX recently and should also affect POLGBs. Czech Republic: Recession confirmed The flash GDP estimate confirmed the Czech economy entered recession in the second half of 2022. The Czech economy declined by -0.3% Quarter-on-Quarter, mainly due to a reduction in private spending. The good news is that the decline remained still relatively shallow compared to market expectations. The economic contraction has not been mirrored in a significant deterioration of the labour market yet. However, key local car producers have already announced they are planning to reduce their production markedly in the coming weeks due to problems with component supplies. Given the importance of the automotive sector to overall economic performance, it seems the pace of economic recovery will be postponed. We expect inflation is likely to exceed 17% YoY in January, reflecting the increase in regulated prices and food prices. On the monetary policy side, there is no change in our view that the central bank will keep interest rates the same in February. Czech National Bank officials mostly assume that ongoing strong inflation is largely attributable to supply-side effects and should fade during the year, while the current level of rates at 7% is sufficient to tame domestic demand-pull inflationary pressures, together with a decline in consumer spending. Depending on inflation and the performance of the economy, we see the possibility of reopening the discussion on rate cuts in the middle of the year. The Czech koruna strengthened further, which is mostly attributable to the decline in gas prices. Previous interventions by the CNB cooled market pressure on the koruna. We expect a soft correction of the currency to slightly weaker levels and volatility isn't expected to be too much of a problem.  Hungary: A glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel This year could not have started better for a small open economy with a high dependency on energy imports like Hungary. After a rough year, the Hungarian economy is facing a non-negligible tailwind thanks to the improving external outlook on China’s turnaround and the resilience of the eurozone. Internally, the biggest positive surprise is the local labour market, where companies are still trying to retain workers. However, the strength of the labour market is a double-edged sword. It leads us to revise this year’s GDP growth up to 0.7% on average but poses a significant red flag from an inflationary perspective. Wage-push inflation is a real threat now. And though we see the headline inflation peaking somewhat below 26% in January-February, the deceleration will be slow and gradual. This possible tenacity of price increases makes us forecast an 18.5% average inflation rate in 2023. Against this backdrop and seeing the outcome of the January rate-setting meeting, we think that the monetary policy will exercise more patience than other central banks. We see the National Bank of Hungary starting its policy pivot only during the second quarter, gradually reducing the rates of the temporary, targeted tools. Our tighter-for-longer call will be complemented by more conscious fiscal spending this year. Tight fiscal and monetary policy alongside an ongoing significant voluntary energy consumption reduction will help to reduce the current account deficit. We also expect tensions to ease between the European Commission and the government as the latter will meet more milestones, translating into the flow of more EU funds. Against this backdrop, it is easy to understand why we stick to our general bullish view regarding Hungarian assets. Romania: Strong demand in the economy but also in markets The high-frequency data available to date suggest a rather resilient GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2022, consistent with our current estimate of around 1.0% quarterly advance. This would take the full 2022 GDP to +5.0%, arguably one of the best outcomes one could have hoped for. Much in line with external developments, there are early signs of an accelerated cooling in the economy in January, with the Economic Sentiment Index falling for the third consecutive month, particularly on the back of lower demand in the service sector. On the monetary policy front, the National Bank of Romania is likely done with rate hikes for the rest of the year. While not yet clearly visible, a consolidation of the downward inflationary trend should be more obvious starting in March, when we expect the headline CPI to flirt with 14.0% (from the peak of 16.8% in November). As for actual market rates, they remain somewhat decoupled from the 7.00% policy rate, being heavily influenced by the liquidity conditions in the money market. Speaking of liquidity, January has been an outstanding month for the Ministry of Finance, which managed to issue almost RON20bn in the local bond market, thus absorbing a large chunk of the surplus liquidity created in November-December. We still think that a return to a liquidity deficit situation is unlikely, but smaller surpluses (say below RON5bn monthly) could become more usual. Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Indonesia Inflation Returns to Target, but Bank Indonesia Likely to Maintain Rates Until Year-End

    Indonesia: fourth quarter GDP surprises on the upside but growth momentum is fading

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.02.2023 08:43
    GDP growth in the fourth quarter of last year beat market expectations, but signs point to a slowdown in 2023 Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia 5%YoY 4Q 2022 GDP growth   Higher than expected Fourth quarter GDP growth beats consensus Economic activity rose 5% year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2022, up 0.4% from the previous quarter and better than the market consensus of a 4.9%YoY gain. The better-than-expected growth performance takes full-year growth to 5.3%YoY. Solid household spending (4.5%YoY) offset a contraction in government spending (-4.8%YoY) as well as compensating for slower capital formation (3.3%YoY vs 6.5% previous) and a narrowing trade surplus. Indonesia’s export and manufacturing sectors benefited from rising commodity prices in early 2022 but this key support has now faded. Exports, mining/quarrying and manufacturing all managed to eke out gains in the fourth quarter but at a more measured pace compared to the previous quarter.  We can expect exports and the manufacturing sector to face headwinds in 2023 with the economy needing to rely more heavily on household consumption for growth. Household spending proved resilient in 2022 but stubbornly high inflation (January inflation at 5.3%YoY) could weigh on consumption at least in the first half of 2023. Fourth quarter GDP surprises on the upside but 2023 brings fresh challenges to growth outlook Source: Badan Pusat Statistik Bank Indonesia shifting its stance? Bank Indonesia (BI) has been busy over the past few months, lifting its policy rate from 3.5% to 5.75% to deal with above-target inflation. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo however recently hinted that the current policy rate hike cycle could be coming to an end soon. BI will likely consider reversing its current stance to dovish should inflation continue to soften amid slowing growth momentum.  If inflation continues to edge lower, we could see BI pause policy rates as early as the first quarter of the year to shift focus back to growth support amid the global economic slowdown.    Read this article on THINK TagsIndonesian CPI Indonesia GDP Bank Indonesia Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Saxo Bank Podcast: The Bank Of Japan Meeting And More

    Bank Of Japan’s Nominees For The New Chief Will Likely Continue To Send Market Jitters, Disney Is Expected To Report Revenue Growth

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 06.02.2023 09:12
    Summary:  This week, markets will be digesting the slew of central bank meetings from last week, along with the bumper jobs report, as more Fed speakers including Chair Powell take stage. The Reserve Bank of Australia may likely stay in the chorus and hike rates by 25bps as well, but focus will be on guidance. Bank of Japan’s nominees for the new chief will likely continue to send market jitters, while UK GDP is expected to dodge a recession. China’s inflation and credit data may throw further light on the economic momentum, but US-China tensions will also be on watch. Earnings calendar stays in full force with reports due from Disney, PepsiCo, Toyota as well as Adani Green. Powell’s speech, more Fed speakers on watch as the US dollar jumps After a hotter-than-expected US jobs report on Friday, equities and the VIX index, and the US dollar are on notice. Fed Chair Powell and several Fed speakers are due to speak this week and they could disagree with the Fed’s dovish tilt last week, which could spark a reversal of the risk-off rally we have seen since the start of the year. Powell will be speaking in Washington on Tuesday (1am SGT on Wednesday for Asia), followed by Barr, Williams, Cook, Kashkaru, Waller and Harker over the course of the week. Flight to safety could take the US dollar higher, and shave down broad indices. USD is also likely to find some support this week amid the rising US-China tensions after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down over the weekend. RBA meeting ahead, putting AUDUSD and EURAUD on watch for a potential whipsaw The Melbourne Institute Inflation gauge for Australia rose more than expected MoM & YoY, while Australian retail sales beat expectations. These indicators, coupled with building approvals seeing one of their biggest jumps in a decade, gives the RBA power to keep hiking rates. The RBA is expected to hike by 25bp on Tuesday, with the market pricing in another 25bp hike. However there is a small chance the RBA could keep hiking before pausing in July. The jury is still out. We are watching the AUDUSD and the EURAUD with the AUD having nose-diving as commodity prices fell from their highs, while the USD gathers strength. While the ECB hiked by 50bps last week. However, there is a risk the RBA could be aggressive in its commentary (more than prior meetings), which may perhaps trigger an AUD knee-jerk rally up. For more on FX, click here. Bank of Japan’s nominee submissions and expectations for a policy pivot Monday morning reports from Nikkei that the government has approached Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya as a possible successor to central bank chief Haruhiko Kuroda sent jitters. The week was supposed to bring possible BOJ chief nominations, as the nominees list has to be presented to parliament on February 10. However, FM Suzuki refused to confirm Amamiya’s nomination. Amamiya has helped Kuroda since 2013 on monetary policies, and is considered the most dovish among the contenders, which is thrashing hopes that BOJ policy normalization could progress under the new chief. As more names are likely floated this week, there will potentially be some volatility in the Japanese yen and equities, with markets continuing to weigh up the possibility of a shift in Bank of Japan’s yield-curve control policy. German inflation on watch; Riksbank rate hike; UK GDP may confirm a delay in recession After a technical delay last week, Germany’s inflation prints for January will be due this week. Spain and France printed higher-than-expected CPI for the month, while the region-wide printed was softer last week. This suggests Germany’s inflation likely eased due to energy price increases being more subdued than previously expected. Meanwhile, adjustments in the CPI basket could also likely result in a softer print. Riksbank meeting next week is also likely to bring a 50bps rate hike, after a similar-sized hike by the Fed, ECB and Bank of England last week. While inflation still remains entrenched, the Governor has recently hinted at financial stability risks, limiting the scope of another 75bps rate increase this month. Lastly, the key in UK will be the preliminary GDP report for the fourth quarter which is likely to dodge a recession. Bloomberg consensus expect GDP growth to be flat QoQ in Q4 after a negative 0.3% QoQ print in the third quarter, underpinned by a strong labor market and fiscal easing. However, it is still hard to conclude that UK could avoid a recession, but only likely suggest a potential delay. If growth comes in weaker than expected, pressure on sterling could start to mount. China’s new loans expected to rise as banks frontloading lending Chinese banks typically deploy proportionally a larger part of their annual loan targets at the beginning of the year. According to Bloomberg’s survey, economists are forecasting new RMB loans jumped to RMB 4,200 billion in January from RMB 1,400 in December which represent around 11% Y/Y growth in outstanding RMB loans, marginally below the 11.1% in December. While mortgage lending likely remained slow, corporate and government bond issuance increased in January. As corporate lending and bond insurance picked up, new aggregate financing is expected to rise to RMB 5,400 billion in January from RMB 1,310 billion in December, but the implied 9.3% Y/Y growth in total outstanding aggregate financing was below the 9.6% in December. China inflation is expected to inch up China’s Inflation may have accelerated as the headline CPI is forecasted to bounce to 2.2% Y/Y in January from 1.8% in December. A surge in in-person service consumption after the reopening may have underpinned some price increases but the upward pressure on the general level of inflation has remained moderate. Rises in vegetable and fruit prices were likely damped by a decline in pork prices. The decline in producer prices is expected to narrow to -0.4% in January from -0.7% in December as industrial metal prices bounced offsetting a decline in coal prices. This week’s earnings focus: Walt Disney, Siemens, and Toyota The Q4 earnings season is not over yet with 243 companies in the S&P 500 Index having reported earnings. This week’s earnings calendar will provide plenty of information for investors to chew on. The list below highlights the absolute most important earnings to watch and out of those the three most key earnings are from Walt Disney, Siemens, and Toyota. The entertainment giant Disney is expected to report revenue growth of 7% y/y and EPS of $0.76 up 21% y/y and a lot of focus will be on Nelson Peltz, the activist investor that has gone into the company, and his quest for higher streaming profitability and potentially changing the asset portfolio of Disney. Siemens, one of Europe’s largest industrial companies, is expected to show revenue growth of 11% y/y and unchanged operating income compared to a year ago as cost pressures remain a key challenge for Siemens. Last quarter the order book and net new orders looked healthy, so the question is whether this will flow through into the outlook for 2023. Toyota is expected to report revenue growth of 19% y/y as demand for cars have come back, but the real interesting focus point on Toyota is further details on the new CEO’s aggressive move towards offering many more fully electric vehicles rather than hybrids. Toyota has recently indicated that they have made errors in their technology bet and looking to aggressively invest in battery EVs. Toyota, Honda and Volvo company earnings are on watch and could disappoint like Ford A bevy of EV and motor companies report this week including Toyota Motor, Honda Motor and Volvo Car. We think there could be a risk they report weaker than expected results, similar to Ford; which sent Ford shares 8% lower on Friday. Ford is struggling to make money on its EV business and blamed supply shortages. Metal commodities are a large contributor to car manufacturers costs. And we’ve seen components of EVs rise significantly in price, amid limited supply vs the expectation China will increase demand.  For example consider the average EV needs about 83 kilos of copper- and its price is up 26%, 250 kilos of aluminium are needed - and its price is up 20% from its low. These are some headwinds EV makers are facing, in a market where consumer demand is restricted amid rising interest rates. Australian reporting season ramps up; banks and property groups results are on watch Financial results kick off with Suncorp reporting 8th Feb- this could be a good indication of what we can expect from big banks such as CBA that reports next week. Data last year showed loan growth in regional banks grew slightly more than the big four banks, so we could see earnings surprises in Suncorp and Bank of Queensland. The market expects 25% earnings growth from Suncorp, and flat growth from CBA next week. The Telco giant, Telstra reports on Tuesday, with a flood of property groups reporting such as Centuria on Tuesday, BWP Trust – the Bunnings landlord, as well as Dexus on Wednesday, followed by Mirvac and Charter Hall Long WALE REIT reporting Thursday. For defensive plays; the plastics giant Amcor reports Tuesday. While interest rate sensitive Australian Tech companies, which are not traded very much at Saxo; start to report this week with Megaport reporting Thursday, and real estate-tech business REA on Friday. Adani Group companies start to report earnings this week After over $100 billion in losses over the last two weeks, focus will remain with the Adani Group stocks this week in India as some of the companies start to report earnings. Adani Green Energy reports earnings this week, and investors will be looking out for comments on corporate governance, response to Hindenburg’s fraud allegations as well as the company’s financial position and debt trajectory. Adani Green is one of the most highly indebted companies in the group, and a big player for India’s net zero ambitions. Macro data on watch this week: Monday 6 February New Zealand, Malaysia Market Holiday Australia Retail Trade (Q4) Germany Industrial Orders (Dec) Germany Consumer Goods (Dec) Eurozone S&P Global Construction PMI (Jan) Germany S&P Global Construction PMI (Jan) Eurozone Sentix Index (Feb) United Kingdom S&P Global/CIPS Construction PMI (Jan) Eurozone Retail Sales (Dec) Germany CPI (Jan, prelim) Indonesia GDP (Q4) Tuesday 7 February Japan All Household Spending (Dec) Australia Trade Balance (Dec) Australia RBA Cash Rate (Feb) Malaysia Industrial Output (Dec) Germany Industrial Output (Dec) United Kingdom Halifax House Prices (Jan) Taiwan Trade (Jan) United States International Trade (Dec) Canada Trade Balance (Dec) Wednesday 8 February Japan Current Account Balance (Dec) India Repo and Reverse Repo Rate United States Wholesale Inventories (Dec) Thursday 9 February Taiwan CPI (Jan) United States Initial Jobless Claims Friday 10 February Australia RBA Monetary Policy Statement (Feb) China (Mainland) CPI and PPI (Jan) United Kingdom monthly GDP, incl. Manufacturing, Services and Construction Output (Dec) United Kingdom GDP (Q4, prelim) United Kingdom Goods Trade Balance (Dec) Canada Unemployment Rate (Jan) United States UoM Sentiment (Feb, prelim) Taiwan GDP (Q4, revised) India CPI Inflation (Jan) China (Mainland) M2, New Yuan Loans, Loan Growth (Jan) Earnings on watch this week: Monday: Activision Blizzard, IDEXX Laboratories Tuesday: Carlsberg, BNP Paribas, Siemens Energy, SoftBank Group, Nintendo, BP, Linde, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, KKR & Co, Fortinet, DuPont, Illumina, Enphase Energy Wednesday: A.P. Moller – Maersk, Vestas Wind Systems, TotalEnergies, Societe Generale, Deutsche Boerse, Adyen, Equinor, Yara International, Walt Disney, CVS Health, Uber Technologies Thursday: KBC Group, Brookfield, Thomson Reuters, L’Oreal, Vinci, Credit Agricole, Siemens, Toyota Motor, NTT, Honda Motor, AstraZeneca, Unilever, British American Tobacco, ArcelorMittal, DNB Bank, Volvo Car, Zurich Insurance Group, Credit Suisse, AbbVie, PepsiCo, Philip Morris, PayPal, Cloudflare Friday: Enbridge, Constellation Software Source: Saxo Spotlight: What’s on the radar for investors & traders this week? Powell’s speech, RBA meeting; Bank of Japan’s nominee submissions; UK GDP; and more earnings from Disney, Toyota, PepsiCo, Adani Green | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    National Bank of Hungary Review: A new beginning without commitment

    Hungarian retail sales suffer from record inflation

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.02.2023 14:41
    After the fuel price cap was lifted in early December, fuel consumption dropped by 18.4% month-on-month. However, record-high inflation dragged down overall consumption similarly -3.9% Volume of retail sales (YoY, wda) ING forecast -4.4% / Consensus 0.2% / Previous 0.6% Worse than expected   The extremely poor performance of December’s retail sales data caught most economists off-guard as the volume of retail sales contracted by 3.9% year-on-year. The last time we saw such a large YoY decline was in February 2021 when the entire country was under a full-scale lockdown. What’s more, this decline was the result of a 1.0% monthly fall in the volume of retail sales. In our opinion, such a weak fourth quarter performance in retail sales will take its toll on last year’s fourth quarter GDP data as well. Diving deeper into the details we can see structural issues, even if we factor out the fuel retailing component, which was largely expected to decline. On a yearly basis, food retailing declined by 8.3%, but even on a monthly basis, it only grew by 0.1% during the holiday season, which means that the largest component in retail sales virtually stagnated. Overall, this reflects the new reality that consumers had to adapt to higher food prices as food inflation in December accelerated to 44.8% YoY. Breakdown of retail sales (% YoY, wda) Source: HCSO, ING   Non-food retailing posted a 0.4% drop on a yearly basis, despite a 1% month-on-month increase, with sub-sectors displaying heterogenous monthly dynamics. In this regard, the biggest surprise came from the second-hand goods shops, where the monthly turnover increased by 31.1% in volume. In our view, this is another by-product of the extremely high inflationary pressure as consumers are shifting to buying second-hand goods with record haste. This realisation comes amid the Christmas shopping spree, which by previous standards should have boosted the volume of sales in clothing, manufactured and home furnishing goods but in fact, these items all showed declining demand. With stagnating food retailing and declining non-food turnover, the last component further dragged down the headline number. Fuel retailing posted an 18.4% MoM decline. At first glance, the 1.3% growth on a yearly basis can be misleading concerning the current state of fuel retailing, thus we believe that the enormous monthly decline better reflects the current picture - which is very bleak. The Hungarian government lifted the fuel price cap in early December which resulted in a drastic drop in the volume of fuel retailing as drivers adapted to market fuel prices. Retail sales volume in detail (2015 = 100%) Source: HCSO, ING  Read next: USD/JPY Pair Is Trading Above 132.00, The Aussie Pair Is Near 0.6900| FXMAG.COM With December’s negative retail sales reading, we do not expect any positive surprise regarding last year’s fourth-quarter GDP data, which will be released next week. In our view, the quarter-on-quarter contraction in the last quarter will officially mean that the Hungarian economy has been in a technical recession since the second half of last year. Going forward, we see further deterioration in retail sales data at least until March, as real wage growth continues to drop. With food prices remaining at highly elevated levels, we expect further stagnation in the food retailing sub-component, while consumers will continue to adjust to market fuel prices. In this regard, we expect further additional drops in fuel retailing on an annual-based comparison, while sub-components in non-food retailing should continue to deliver mixed signals as consumers are continuously optimising and shifting preferences to keep up with record inflation. Read this article on THINK TagsRetail sales Hungary Households GDP Consumption Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Disinflation in Romania is becoming more evident

    Romanian consumers shrug off pessimism into year-end

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.02.2023 14:44
    Retail sales accelerated by 3.8% in December, taking the quarterly advance to 3.8% and full-year 2022 to 5.1%. The data supports our call for a robust fourth quarter GDP reading, but also for a visible slowdown in the first quarter   After a somewhat weak third quarter, retail sales accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2022, expanding by 0.8% versus the previous three months. In the third quarter, retail sales contracted by 0.8% from the second. In annual terms, December 2022 was only the third month of 2022 to witness an acceleration, as sales increased by 3.8% compared to December 2021. The robust headline number for December is supported by a relatively good structure as well, with non-food sales increasing by 6.6% and fuel by an impressive 13.6%, likely on the back of somewhat lower car fuel prices. Food sales remain less cycle-sensitive and dropped by 1.3% in December. Retail sales (YoY%) and components (ppt) Source: NSI, ING   With the picture for 2022 now complete, we can safely state the obvious, namely that consumer spending was remarkably resilient throughout the year. The very gradual slowdown compared to 2021 looks more like a return to a normal cruising speed than something that might raise an eyebrow. As resilient as it might be, however, most signs point towards a slower start to the year for consumption. Facing sharply higher interest rates and deteriorating risk sentiment, the stock of consumer loans advanced by only 4.1% in 2022 with the actual new production of loans being mostly negative throughout the year. Moreover, while in 2022 retail sales might have still benefited from post-pandemic pent-up demand, it looks highly unlikely that there is any more of that into 2023. Consumer lending turning less supportive Source: NSI,NBR,ING  Read next: USD/JPY Pair Is Trading Above 132.00, The Aussie Pair Is Near 0.6900| FXMAG.COM Somewhat balancing the consumption story, wage dynamics remained reasonably sound in 2022, with the average nominal net wage advancing by around 12.0% (December data is not out yet). This is below, but dare we say not that far from the 13.8% average inflation rate. Looking forward to 2023, there is a reasonable chance for the wage advances to recover the lost ground and exceed the average inflation rate. Overall, it is obvious that the destruction of purchasing power has not been of a great magnitude, and this should act as a backstop for private consumption in the short- to medium-term.   Retail sales following real wages Source: NSI, ING   All considered, the consumption story will likely remain in positive territory in 2023, though a growth slowdown to very low single digits looks most probable. With the fourth quarter sales picture complete, we remain of the opinion that the GDP advance has probably been quite robust in the fourth quarter. We maintain our estimate for a 1.0% quarterly expansion. This should take full 2022 GDP growth to around 5.0% and provide a strong carryover effect into 2023 which we maintain at 2.5%. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    The GBP/USD Pair Is Expected The Consolidation To Continue

    The GBP/USD Currency Pair Resumed Its Downward Trend

    Paolo Greco Paolo Greco 07.02.2023 08:27
    Without even an indication that a correction was about to start, the GBP/USD currency pair resumed its downward trend on Monday, which started after last week. As market participants might not have enough time to thoroughly process the outcomes of the Fed and BA meetings, as well as Friday's nonfarm payrolls and unemployment in the United States, we forewarned yesterday that the inertia movement could continue on Monday. That is exactly what happened, but because the overall decline in quotes is already above 300 points, the pair should at least begin to move upward. Even the Heiken Ashi indicator, which often responds the quickest to the start of a correction, has not yet come up at this time. The "double top" is still forming, thus the quotes should eventually decline to their previous local minimum (that is, below the level of 1.1841). As we have stated, we are anticipating both the decline of the British and the European currencies. The market has already fully determined how the Fed and BA rates diverge. In 2023, the British pound might still expand, but this will need new, strong fundamental reasons or factors. The British pound had to adjust downward after increasing by 2,100 points during the previous three months; this should be kept in mind. There was a downward trend developing everywhere you turned. Even though we've been waiting for it previously, it's better now than never. We think that the Bank of England's expected decision to cut down the pace of further tightening of monetary policy at its upcoming meeting may be the main cause of the British pound's decline in the coming weeks. It is unlikely that the regulator can afford to keep raising the rate by 0.5% per meeting given that the BA rate has already gone to 4%. It can increase to 6% at this rate, which is probably not what BA has in mind. In actuality, the UK economy is most susceptible to tighter monetary policy. Andrew Bailey predicts that the recession will persist for at least five quarters. The losses will be roughly 1% of GDP over this time, but if the rate keeps increasing at its current rate, the economic drop might be significantly greater. We believe the regulator is trying to prevent this. To reduce inflation, he will therefore rely on additional factors in addition to his tightening agenda. The UK GDP figure is significant, but it won't support the pound. There will only be one significant report this week: the UK GDP for the fourth quarter, as we have already stated. Experts predict that the indicator, which dropped by 0.3% in the previous quarter, may now rise by 0.1%. A 0.1% increase, however, will undoubtedly demonstrate that the British economy is on the verge of recession and that it is still strong enough to support the pound sterling. Trading still repels the market when it comes to making trading judgments. Recall that a similar situation occurred last year when the euro and the pound were declining as a result of geopolitical events and the Fed's rapid rate hike. The pound has been increasing over the past four to five months due to a strong probability of a reduction in the Fed's pace of tightening policy. Now, a new cycle of long-term depreciation may start due to the possibility that the BA may also slow down its pace to a minimum step. And the GDP report won't make the slightest difference. Currently, inflation is the only report that is truly significant. However, even this doesn't matter much in the UK scenario because the indicator essentially stays the same. If the connection "lower inflation - an increased likelihood of a pause in rate hikes" holds true for other central banks, it does not for the Bank of England because inflation does not decline and the regulator cannot raise rates indefinitely. As a result, for the time being, we think that the pound will keep falling since it lacks growth drivers. The pair confidently consolidated below the crucial level on the 24-hour TF, which is also a strong sell signal. The Senkou Span B line, which at this time runs about the 18th level, is the lowest point to which the quotes can now descend. Read next: USD/JPY Pair Is Trading Above 132.00, The Aussie Pair Is Near 0.6900| FXMAG.COM Over the previous five trading days, the GBP/USD pair has averaged 136 points of volatility. This figure is "high" for the dollar/pound exchange rate. Thus, on Tuesday, February 7, we anticipate movement that is contained inside the channel and is constrained by levels 1.1907 and 1.2180. The Heiken Ashi indicator's upward turn indicates the start of an upward correction. Nearest levels of support S1 – 1.2024 S2 – 1.1963 S3 – 1.1902 Nearest levels of resistance R1 – 1.2085 R2 – 1.2146 R3 – 1.2207 Trading Suggestions: In the 4-hour timeframe, the GBP/USD pair is still falling sharply. So long as the Heiken Ashi signal does not turn up, it is now possible to hold short positions with targets of 1.1963 and 1.1907. If the price is fixed above the moving average line, long positions can be initiated with targets of 1.2268 and 1.2329. Explanations for the illustrations: Channels for linear regression - allow us to identify the present trend. The trend is now strong if they are both moving in the same direction. Moving average line (settings 20.0, smoothed): This indicator identifies the current short-term trend and the trading direction. Murray levels serve as the starting point for adjustments and movements. Based on current volatility indicators, volatility levels (red lines) represent the expected price channel in which the pair will trade the following day. A trend reversal in the opposite direction is imminent when the CCI indicator crosses into the overbought (above +250) or oversold (below -250) zones.   Relevance up to 05:00 2023-02-08 UTC+1 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/334323
    Germany's 'Agenda 2030': Addressing Stagnation and Structural Challenges

    Germany’s sudden halt in December is confirmed

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.02.2023 09:17
    A terrible industrial production report confirms the economy's sudden and hard halt in December.   German industrial production decreased by 3.1% month-on-month in December, from +0.4% MoM in November. On the year, industrial production was down by almost 4%. Production in the energy-intensive sectors plummeted by 6.1% MoM and is now down by almost 20% compared with December last year. While production in the energy sector decreased by 2.3% MoM, activity in the construction sector fell by 8% MoM. This is a simply horrible report. Industrial pain is real Today's industrial production data brings back the old question of whether the glass is half full or half empty. To some, the current stagnation means that German industry is holding up better than feared. To others, it is only filled order books at the start of the war in Ukraine and the pandemic backlog of orders that have prevented more severe damage to industrial production. In any case, industrial production is currently almost 8% below its pre-pandemic level and the sharp drop in production in energy-intensive sectors illustrates how much the energy crisis is hurting industry. The former growth engine of the German economy is stuttering and no improvement is in sight. Despite the recent return of optimism as illustrated by improving sentiment indicators, the sharp drop in new orders, the inventory build-up in recent months and the lagged impact of high energy prices all still bode ill for the short-term outlook. Read next: Adani Group Company's Crisis Is Gaining Momentum, Finland Is The Happiest Country| FXMAG.COM Today’s industrial production was the last hard data for the month of December. It is a month to forget. Retail sales, exports and imports all fell sharply. Either this data will be strongly revised upwards in the coming months or the German economy entered hibernation in December. Despite the latest optimism reflected in improving sentiment indicators, this economic hibernation is unlikely to end any time soon. Read this article on THINK TagsIndustrial propduction Germany GDP Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Asia Morning Bites - 10.05.2023

    China Has Shown Tentative Signs Of Becoming More Conciliatory Toward The United States

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 07.02.2023 10:05
    Summary:  The moves of China to shore up its economy through the reopening from pandemic containment, support to the real estate sector, ending of the crackdown on the internet platform companies, and attempts to thaw relations with key trading partners are in a positive confluence of an upturn in the credit impulse cycle. The combined impacts tend to support further rallies in Chinese equities in Q1 and lend support to global commodities and growth. The Chinese growth locomotive is battered As discussed in our Q3 and Q4 outlooks last year, China has been in the transformation to a new economic development paradigm, walking away from its labour-intensive, energy-intensive and export-oriented model that had been the backbone of the development of the Chinese economy in the prior decades to focus on high value-added industries, self-reliance and comprehensive national power. The terrain on which the transformation travels is rough. Transforming an economy with a declining working-age population, and with a workforce that is largely unskilled and from rural areas, is a daunting task. The surge in volatility in global energy prices and an increasingly hostile external environment driven by concerns about supply chains and geopolitical tension are additional hurdles. The crackdown on the real estate sector, the mega-cap internet platform companies, and the tycoons and vested interests behind both sectors to steer economic development to a new path, pursue the course of common prosperity, and claw back economic power have added further challenges on keeping the growth engine even moving forward. In Q4, China hit the gigantic pothole of the surge of the highly infective Omicron variant of Covid-19, which completely upended the pandemic containment model that had once been touted to symbolise the superiority of socialist China’s way of governance. The skyrocketing fiscal burdens of implementing quarantines and costs of tens of billions of PCR tests and the general disruption of economic activities and land sale revenues brought local governments to a fiscal cliff. Discontent first bubbled up on social media and eventually saw citizens taking to the street briefly in November of last year. Fixing the economic engine becoming the priority With economic growth grinding to a halt, refitting and reviving the economic engine brought a quick about-face in policies. On 11 November 2022, the Chinese health authorities relaxed guidelines for the country’s pandemic containment measures, with a series of further relaxations and the subsequent abandonment of the dynamic zero-Covid policy in December 2022. On 13 November last year, the People’s Bank of China and the Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission jointly issued 16 measures to improve private property developers’ access to funding and opened the gate for a number of other additional policies to help shore up the balance sheets of property developers.  At the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Economic Conference held on 15 and 16 December 2022, the Chinese leadership sent out a clear signal of shifting to a conciliatory stance towards the private sector and pledged to support internet platform companies without mentioning preventing the disorderly expansion of capital which haunted internet platform companies since 2020. On 26 December 2022, the Chinese authorities announced a downshift of the handling of Covid-19 infections to category-B, the same as avian flu, hepatitis, tuberculosis and so on, and a lifting of border restrictions starting from 8 January 2023. On 9 January, Guo Shuqing, China’s top financial regulator, said that the campaign to rectify the 14 mega-cap internet platform companies’ financial business arms was basically completed.  In short, over the past two months, China has taken a U-turn in policies regarding Covid-19, the property sector and internet platform economy as it tries to fix the economy. The magnitude and pace of the shifts have far exceeded the expectations of many investors who were expecting a more gradualist approach and ‘opening up’ timing closer to March 2023 or later.  Facing down geopolitical hazards Besides the domestically oriented policy measures, China has shown tentative signs of becoming more conciliatory toward the United States and its allies after a sense of escalating confrontation. When they were in Bali, Indonesia for the G20 Summit in late November, China’s President Xi and US President Biden held a three-hour long meeting, with both leaders showing some goodwill gestures.  Further gestures towards the US were later deliberately expressed by the newly appointed minister of foreign affairs, Qin Gang, in an article in the Washington Post. Qin Gang turned up the charm and affectionately recollected his days as ambassador to the US, praising Americans as “broad-minded, friendly and hard-working” and saying that the “future of the entire planet depends on a healthy and stable China-U.S. relationship”.  Another move to thaw tensions was China’s invitation of Australia’s foreign minister to visit in December last year. China subsequently placed an order to import Australian coal for the first time in more than two years after it imposed an unofficial ban on Australian coal in 2020.  The confluence of the policy cycle and credit cycle amplifies the reacceleration potential These substantial policy shifts were rolled out rapidly in a matter of two months and clearly demonstrated the Chinese determination to adjust the direction of the new development paradigm from 2020 and dig the economy out of the Covid-19 containment pothole. We believe that China’s drive to structurally transform its economy into a new economic paradigm remains intact. The recent policy shifts are to fix the economy as if in a cyclical downturn. In spite of the short-termism potentially embedded in the policy shifts, they are in the confluence of an upturn in China’s credit cycle and can produce powerful impacts on the Chinese economy and its equity market. China’s credit impulse is an index that measures the flow of new credit as a percentage of GDP and its 12-month rate of change tends to lead the turn in the real economy by 10 to 12 months. In Figure 1, we plot the year-over-year percentage change of the Bloomberg China Credit Impulse Index 11 months forward against China’s Manufacturing Purchasing Manager Index. The Credit Impulse has bottomed and turned to trend upward since Q4 last year and points to expansion through most of 2023.  Source: Saxo Markets; Bloomberg LP. Moving from infrastructure to technology and consumption stocks in Q1 Investors are rightly looking through the initial shockwave of Covid-19 infection across the country in December and into the start of this year to the subsequent reacceleration of economic activities and credit expansion. The investment case for Chinese stocks in Q1 is strong. Last year, we preferred resorting to the infrastructure space for its benefits from the counter-cyclical policy tailwinds as the Chinese government was pouring money in that direction. For 2023, as the Chinese economy is moving into a cyclical upturn, we believe cyclical growth stocks, including technology and domestic consumption names, will outperform. Leading internet platform companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, JD.COM and Pindoudou, and consumer discretionary names China Tourism Group Duty Free, CR Beer, Jiumaojiu, Li Ning and many others, may offer interesting investment opportunities.  Spill-overs to global commodity markets and growth The reacceleration in economic growth in China may spill over to push up commodity prices globally, especially those of industrial metals and energy, as well as contribute to global industrial production and GDP growth. As an excellent paper from Fed researchers concludes, “what happens in China does not stay in China”.   Source: Refitting China’s broken growth engine | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Even Slower Overall Growth In 2023 Than Was Seen Last Year Is Expected

    Even Slower Overall Growth In 2023 Than Was Seen Last Year Is Expected

    Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 08.02.2023 08:01
    Western Asset: US domestic spending growth slowed sharply in 2022, in line with the Fed’s wishes. We don’t expect domestic demand to rebound, so we expect even slower overall growth in 2023 than was seen last year. The first estimate of 4Q22 real GDP from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) came in today at an annualized rate of 2.9%. This was above the market consensus at 2.0% and further above our own guesstimate of 0.8%. Inflation as per the price index for GDP came in at 3.5% annualized, so that nominal GDP was reported to have grown at a 6.5% annualized rate in 4Q. While GDP was above forecast, the details were actually decidedly weaker than expected. Thus, real consumer spending grew at only a 2.1% rate, versus expectations of 2.9%, and consumer spending on goods was essentially unchanged, while spending on services was below expectations, up “only” 2.6%. Real business investment in equipment declined substantially (down at a -3.7% rate), so that only continued growth in research and development kept capital spending rising. Residential construction dropped very sharply. The GDP growth surprise in 4Q was driven by inventories and foreign trade. For foreign trade, while real exports declined, real imports declined even more. Thanks to trade and inventories, BEA data show goods-sector GDP (output of manufacturing and mining) growing at a 6.6% per year rate in 4Q. In contrast, Federal Reserve (Fed) data show industrial output for these sectors declining at a -2.7% annualized rate. We should point out that such discrepancies—as between the GDP and industrial data—are pretty common. Industrial output did not show the 1H22 declines indicated by the GDP data, and neither did it show the robust gains indicated by GDP data in 2H22. Exhibit 1: Real GDP and Major Features   Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, as of 31 Dec 22.   For all of 2022, the relevant statistics are reported in the chart. Real GDP grew 1.0% from 4Q21 to 4Q22. Real final sales are GDP less inventory investment, and this measure grew 1.3% over the four quarters of 2022. Domestic demand is the sum of domestic spending by consumers, businesses and government. It grew 0.9% for all of 2022 and at only a 0.3% rate in 4Q. Clearly, US domestic spending growth slowed sharply in 2022, in line with the Fed’s wishes. It is doubtful that imports can continue to decline or that inventories will continue to grow such that they sustain reported GDP growth at recent rates. We don’t expect domestic demand to rebound, so we expect even slower overall growth in 2023 than was seen last year. Definitions: Real gross domestic product (GDP) is a nation's total output of goods and services in constant dollar, or inflation-adjusted terms. Nominal GDP has not been adjusted for inflation. GDP inflation is the rate of inflation generated by GDP growth. WHAT ARE THE RISKS? Past performance is no guarantee of future results.  Please note that an investor cannot invest directly in an index. Unmanaged index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges. Equity securities are subject to price fluctuation and possible loss of principal. Fixed-income securities involve interest rate, credit, inflation and reinvestment risks; and possible loss of principal. As interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities falls. International investments are subject to special risks including currency fluctuations, social, economic and political uncertainties, which could increase volatility. These risks are magnified in emerging markets. Commodities and currencies contain heightened risk that include market, political, regulatory, and natural conditions and may not be suitable for all investors. U.S. Treasuries are direct debt obligations issued and backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government. The U.S. government guarantees the principal and interest payments on U.S. Treasuries when the securities are held to maturity. Unlike U.S. Treasuries, debt securities issued by the federal agencies and instrumentalities and related investments may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Even when the U.S. government guarantees principal and interest payments on securities, this guarantee does not apply to losses resulting from declines in the market value of these securities.
    US Flash, that is to say preliminary, PMI for April came in at a better-than-expected 50.4 versus a downwardly revised 49.2 in March and a forecast 49

    US Outlook: Household Balance Sheets Are Relatively Healthy, And Household Credit Balances Have Been Increasingly Held

    Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 08.02.2023 15:04
    Our central US outlook scenario is that of recession but a moderate one, so that we expect neither spiraling inflation nor a hard landing. The US economy is likely to be neither hot enough to induce an ultra-aggressive Fed response— what many refer to as a Volcker moment—that might crash the economy into significant recession, nor cold enough to severely impact the rest of the world’s growth. Economic activity is decelerating. Are we headed for a recession? The US economy has shown relative strength compared to other major economies over the past couple of years, but it is now decelerating. Negative GDP growth prints in the first and second quarters of 2022 were related to idiosyncratic factors, with temporary drags from inventories and trade. GDP decreased in the first half of 2022 as a result, but it rose again in the third quarter by enough to offset that decline. Despite that recent gain, the US economy is clearly decelerating as positive effects from the post-COVID reopening dissipate. The lagged effect of interest-rate increases should also have a dampening effect on economic activity. Various Measures of US Domestic Demand are Decelerating Exhibit 4: GDP, Final Sales to Domestic Purchasers, Final Sales to Private Domestic Purchasers, % Quarter-On-Quarter (Q/Q) Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) February 2010–August 2022 Q/Q SAAR 10 0 2 4 6 8-2-4-6-8-10 Feb-10 Feb-12 GDP Mar-14 Apr-16 Final Sales to Domestic Purchasers Final Sales to Private Domestic Purchasers May-18 Jun-20 Aug22 Sources: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysts (BEA), National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Several measures of domestic demand and activity are showing a clear deceleration (see Exhibit 4). While GDP growth was 1.9% in the third quarter of 2022 compared with the same quarter of the prior year, basically matching the second quarter’s reading, final sales to domestic purchasers eased marginally to 1.2% from 1.3% and final sales to private domestic purchasers slowed to 1.6% from 1.8%. Other key economic indicators are also showing a controlled slowdown. For example, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) decreased to 48.4—below the 50 break-even level—in December from 56.1 in May, while the ISM Services PMI slowed to 49.6 in December from 58.3 in March. Interest rates are starting to have some impact too. An example of this is the housing market, in which the rise in mortgage rates that has been seen during the Fed hiking cycle has resulted in housing construction turning downward (see Exhibit 5). Housing Has Reacted to Higher Interest Rates Exhibit 5: Housing Starts and Permits, SAAR January 2000–November 2022 MN SAAR 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0 Jan-00 Nov-02 Sep-05 Jul-08 May-11 Mar-14 Jan-17 Nov-19 Nov22 Starts Permits Source: US Census Bureau. Overall, we therefore believe the US is likely entering a recession, though we expect it to be moderate. A moderate recession—and, in this case, one with still relatively high but decelerating inflation—would allow the Fed to first pause and then slowly ease interest rates in due course, gradually removing this driver of USD strength from the picture. Moderate or deep recession—what matters? A key factor mitigating against a deep US recession is the still-robust labor market, which remains at historically tight levels (Exhibit 6). The strength in the labor market has driven an acceleration in nominal wage growth (Exhibit 7). The combination of a resilient job market and rising wages supports labor income and, thus, overall household consumption. Consequently, while we anticipate the labor market to weaken, we expect its resilience to provide a base for stability in consumer spending, rather than the kind of steep contraction that might be associated with a deeper recession, such as that evidenced during the 2008 global financial crisis. We also do not currently see the kind of large macro imbalances that would require corrections of the types traditionally associated with deeper recessions. At present, the biggest risk to economic activity would thus likely come from the Fed needing to overtighten to bring inflation under control, rather than from imbalances in the real sector (such as excessive inventories or over-investment in real assets) or in the financial sector (such as elevated household or corporate leverage). Inventories are low in some sectors and only rebuilding at a slow pace (Exhibit 8). Elevated housing prices have not driven a boom in residential construction (Exhibit 9 on the next page); if anything, there is still an under-supply of housing. Household balance sheets are relatively healthy, and household credit balances have been increasingly held by high FICO score households. One area of risk is the still-elevated level of home prices relative to rents (the housing market analogy of the equity price-to-earnings ratio) (Exhibit 10 on the next page). However, it appears that mortgages are in the hands of those with stronger balance sheets (Exhibit 11), and the importance of housing construction to economic growth is also much lower than what it was before and during the global financial crisis. The shadow banking system is not as large as it used to be (Exhibit 12), and asset prices have already experienced significant corrections. However, we recognize that there are risks in the financial markets from “unknown unknowns,” especially given the rising rate cycle This article is part of the report
    Central Banks and Inflation: Lessons from History and Current Realities

    Analysis Of The GBP/JPY Cross-Currency Pair

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 10.02.2023 09:14
    GBP/JPY clings to mild losses following UK data dump. Preliminary readings of UK Q4 GDP matches 0.0% market forecasts. Yield curve inversion renews recession woes but BoJ talks defend pair buyers. Concerns surrounding the next BoJ leadership, economic slowdown fears are the key to follow for fresh impulse. GBP/JPY stays sidelined near 159.30-20, paying little heed to the UK’s fourth quarter (Q4) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during early Friday. In doing so, the cross-currency pair portrays the market’s indecision amid mixed signals and cautious mood ahead of the key US inflation precursors. That said, the first readings of the UK Q4 GDP match forecasts on QoQ and YoY figures while declining more for December month. However, the improvement in Industrial Production and Manufacturing Production seemed to have probed the pair buyers. Also read: Breaking: UK Preliminary GDP stagnates in Q4 2022, as expected Earlier in the day, various Bank of Japan (BoJ) officials tried pushing back the hawkish expectations for the Japanese central bank and put a floor under the GBP/JPY price. Recently, Bank of Japan (BoJ) Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya said that (It is) appropriate to maintain the current ultra-loose monetary policy. Before that, BoJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said, “The benefits of easing outweigh the costs of side effects.” On the contrary, a pullback in the Treasury bond yields after renewing the recession fears seems to weigh on the GBP/JPY price. That said, the widest negative difference between the US 10-year and 2-year Treasury bond yields since 1980 amplified the recession woes the previous day. The yield curve inversion remains around the same level as both these key bond yields stay depressed near 3.66% and 4.48% respectively by the press time. Read next: USD/JPY Is Below 131.00 Again, The Aussie Is Close To 0.70$| FXMAG.COM Looking forward, the cautious mood ahead of the next BoJ leadership announcements, up for publishing on Monday, could restrict the GBP/JPY moves. However, the fears of recession and a retreat in yield may weigh on the prices amid downbeat UK concerns, including Brexit and workers’ strikes. Technical analysis A daily closing beyond the previous resistance line from January 27, now support around 158.70, keeps the GBP/JPY buyers directed towards the 50-DMA hurdle surrounding 161.20.    
    Worst behind us for UK retail despite fall in sales

    UK economy avoids technical recession - for now

    ING Economics ING Economics 10.02.2023 10:22
    A poor December GDP figure makes a first-quarter contraction in output look fairly inevitable. But these figures are undoubtedly noisy, and that means the Bank of England will be much more focused on wage and price data due next week Source: Shutterstock Recession dodged - just about The UK economy flatlined in the fourth quarter, though in truth it’s a quarter where the underlying picture was particularly noisy. Indeed, December’s 0.5% contraction in monthly GDP, which was worse than expected, can be largely blamed on either strikes (visible most clearly in transport and health, both of which shrank by close to 3% on the month) or, more bizarrely, a lack of Premier League football games in December due to the World Cup. That was enough to drive the recreation/entertainment category down almost 8%, though admittedly this is a volatile series. In short, following a couple of months of distortion surrounding the Queen’s funeral last September, it’s hard to discern the true underlying trend in the economy from this data. The reality is probably a very gradual deterioration in activity levels. The fact that the fourth quarter’s weakness was heavily concentrated in December means the starting point for the first quarter is pretty low, and means we’ll almost certainly get a contraction in the first quarter – even if activity effectively stagnates. Following this data, we’re pencilling in a 0.3-0.4% decline in GDP over that period, and this will probably be followed by a very modest hit in the second quarter too. Read next: Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey Comments New Twitter's Owner| FXMAG.COM Recession is still narrowly the base case for the first half of this year That suggests recession, or at least a technical one, remains the base case, especially if we include the contraction in the third quarter of last year. But this looks like it is going to be very mild by historical standards, helped of course by the collapse in wholesale gas prices. We think the UK government will most likely scrap the planned increase in household energy prices in April, and current wholesale gas/electricity costs suggest the average annual bill will have fallen by 15-20% by the summer from current levels. That should help the economy avoid a deeper output hit through the spring/summer. What does all of this mean for the Bank of England? Honestly, probably not a great deal. The noisy picture presented by the GDP figures just means that policymakers will put more emphasis on the wage and price data we’ll get next week. Read more on what we think officials are looking for here. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Challenge to the Dollar: De-dollarisation and Geopolitical Shifts

    The Recent Economic Data Could Justify A Pause In The Fed Hiking Cycle

    Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 10.02.2023 11:46
    Western Asset: Markets have started to anticipate that the Fed may cut rates in the not too distant future. But, this is in contrast to the Fed’s latest projections reiterated today that rate cuts are unlikely in 2023. Today the US Federal Reserve (Fed) increased its policy rate by 0.25%, as pretty much everybody expected it would. The post-meeting statement contained only small modifications. Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated many of the comments that have characterized his recent communications. “Inflation remains too high” and “The Fed is strongly committed to returning inflation to our two percent objective,” Powell said. Last year many feared the Fed was behind the inflation curve, as it responded slowly to above-target inflation. The environment has since shifted. The Fed may once again be behind, but now in the opposite direction. Chair Powell’s comments today did not fully acknowledge the change in economic data, nor did he convincingly explain why the Fed has a divergent view from the market regarding the path for interest rates. The Fed may now be behind the disinflation curve. Economic Data A number of recent data points could have been used to justify the Fed pausing its hiking cycle today, rather than continuing with rate increases at future meetings. First and perhaps most importantly, consumer price inflation is moderating. Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, showed that prices increased at an annual rate of 2.9% over the final three months of 2022. This is down sharply from the too-hot pace recorded over the preceding 12 months, when core PCE prices were increasing at an annual rate of 5.2%. Second, wage growth is decelerating. A number of series, including yesterday’s Employment Cost Index, suggest wage growth has declined to a 4% annual pace. This is down from a pace of nearly 6% early last year. The current 4% pace is close to one that would be consistent with annual price inflation of 2%, assuming productivity returns to more normal levels in 2023. Further deceleration in wage growth remains likely in coming quarters, as hiring has slowed and the gap between job openings and workers has started to narrow. Finally, economic activity appears to have stalled at the end of last year. Retail sales ended 2022 with two straight months of nominal declines. Manufacturing activity similarly declined in each of the last three months of 2022. And the contraction in housing activity showed no sign of abating. (The gross domestic product (GDP) data for 4Q22 likely overstated the economy’s momentum, as most of the growth came in inventories and net exports. The quarterly data may also mask some of the deceleration in the last two months of the year.) Taken together, these three things—moderating inflation, decelerating wage growth and stalling economic activity—make a case for the Fed pausing its rate hiking cycle. Chair Powell’s statement today that additional hikes remain “appropriate” puts him, and the rest of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), a bit behind the economic data. Market Pricing Markets have started to anticipate the Fed may cut rates in the not too distant future. This is in contrast to the Fed’s latest projections that rate cuts are unlikely in 2023. Today Chair Powell did not indicate any change to those projections. This divergence between the market and the Fed has received a fair amount of attention, including from multiple reporters at today’s press conference. Generally, we are disinclined to think the divergence is all that significant. After all, following a year when the Fed’s interest-rate forecasts missed by 350 basis points (bps), ending this year within 50 bps of the forecast could be viewed as a respectable result. Nonetheless, to the extent there is something to be learned, we think the divergence is suggestive of two points. First, the current level of short-term interest rates is unlikely to be sustained for too long. The most acute phase of the inflation episode appears to have passed. Should inflation continue to decline throughout 2023, the current level of rates will become increasingly restrictive, thereby putting additional downward pressure on inflation and hastening the start of rate cuts. Relatedly, when interest rates are cut, they will likely be reduced by a significant amount. Just as the hikes in 2022 were steeper and larger than in previous cycles, it follows that rate cuts, when they happen, will likely also be much steeper and larger than in previous cycles. Read next: Tesla Will Increase Output For 2023, Deliveroo Are Planning To Cut Jobs| FXMAG.COM The second point suggested by the divergence is that the risks have shifted. Last year, the primary risk was that inflation would continue to surprise higher. This year, in contrast, investors face a two-way risk with regard to inflation (i.e., inflation could surprise either lower or higher), as well as an increasing risk of a more material economic contraction. As a consequence, investors are now considering a number of scenarios in which short-term yields would be falling, and some scenarios in which yields would be falling very rapidly. These scenarios, which are increasingly plausible even if they are not yet most investors’ base case, have in turn pulled market pricing in the direction of lower yields. Conclusion The Fed may now be behind the disinflation curve. The recent economic data could justify a pause in the hiking cycle after today’s meeting; the market currently anticipates that rate cuts are on the horizon. The Fed, in contrast, continues to assert that further rate hikes will be appropriate and it does not anticipate cutting rates this year. There are, of course, a number of ways that this could play out. On the one hand, if inflation were to reaccelerate, the Fed’s slow response could prove prescient. This risk was likely a focus in the Fed’s deliberations today. On the other hand, if inflation continues to moderate, at some point the Fed will catch up with the data and markets. The timing of that remains uncertain. It’s entirely possible that the market pricing for cuts is a bit premature. Nonetheless, we do think the market pricing has correctly anticipated two points. Interest rates are unlikely to remain at these elevated levels for all that long, and the risks are increasingly tilted toward lower rather than higher yields. Source: The Fed may be behind the disinflation curve | Franklin Templeton
    Producer Price Fall and Stickier Services Inflation: Impact on CPI and Resilient Consumption

    Italian industrial production rebounded in December, beating expectations

    ING Economics ING Economics 10.02.2023 12:12
    Industry may have been less of a drag on fourth-quarter GDP growth than expected. Positive signals from confidence data in January warrant some optimism, but do not clear the way for a substantial short-term acceleration, given the uncertain external environment Source: Shutterstock Production rebounds, not in energy-intensive sectors In December, industrial production rebounded an unexpectedly strong 1.6% in seasonally-adjusted terms, after three consecutive monthly declines. Production expanded on the month in all of the large aggregate categories, but more markedly in capital goods and energy. The sector breakdown shows that the ongoing improvements in the functioning of supply chains had a positive effect on transport equipment. However, energy-intensive producers of chemicals, plastics and tiles, paper, and metals and metal products continued to suffer, signalling that the impact of the energy shock was still weighing on supply by the turn of the year.   The consequences of the energy crisis weighed heavily on industry in 2022 During 2022 as a whole, industrial production posted a 0.5% increase, driven by consumer and capital goods. Almost inevitably, the consequences of the war in Ukraine on energy prices weighed heavily on the manufacturing sector over the year. The measures put in place by the government provided only partial compensation and manufacturing acted as a drag on economic growth. This put the onus on services to fuel growth. Confidence improvement encouraging, but short-term acceleration unlikely With the December release now in the bag, we now know that the statistical carryover for 2023's industrial production is a modest 0.3%. Business confidence data published after the turn of the year was positive but did not dispel uncertainty. While the PMI entered expansion territory, orders remained soft and the stock of finished goods is relatively high, suggesting that a substantial acceleration in production is unlikely, at least in the short run. To be sure, the consolidation of wholesale gas prices at current levels could help to support businesses, particularly in energy-intensive sectors.  Read next: Tesla Will Increase Output For 2023, Deliveroo Are Planning To Cut Jobs| FXMAG.COM Today’s release does not change the picture for GDP growth in 2023. We are currently forecasting average GDP growth at 0.7% in Italy, with a minor 0.1% quarterly contraction in the first quarter. Should early positive signals be confirmed, a flat or mildly positive first quarter could easily materialise. Read this article on THINK Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Rates Spark: Crunch time

    EUR/USD Pair Is Belowe $1.07, USD/JPY Pair Is Back To 131 And GBP/USD Pair Is Slightly Above $1.21

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 10.02.2023 12:44
    During the American session, the University of Michigan will publish a preliminary consumer sentiment survey for February. The main consumer confidence index is expected to rise to 65 from 64.9 in January. Market participants will keep a close eye on the component of the survey on inflation expectations for the next year, which fell to 4% in January from 4.4% in December. An unexpected increase in this reading could strengthen the US dollar. USD/JPY The yen strengthened on Friday before recovering slightly after Kazuo Ueda, who was reportedly tapped as the next governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), said the central bank's monetary policy was the right one. The government is also nominating Ryozo Himino, the former head of Japan's banking regulator, and BOJ director Shinichi Uchida as deputy governors, the Nikkei said. BOJ deputy governor Masayoshi Amamiya was the frontrunner for the role of governor, but the Nikkei reported that he turned down the job. The government is expected to present candidates to parliament on February 14. The BOJ shocked markets in December when it raised the 10-year yield cap to 0.5% from 0.25%, doubling the allowable range above or below zero. USD/JPY managed to rebound towards 131.00 after falling below 130.00 earlier in the day. EUR/USD EUR/USD picked up momentum and climbed to around 1.0800 at the end of Thursday, but lost much of its daily gains and closed below 1.0750. EUR/USD came under slight downward pressure and fell towards 1.0700 during Friday's European session. The US dollar gained strength thanks to rising US Treasury yields. The euro hit a 10-month high against the dollar earlier this month. The prospect of a milder recession thanks to falling energy prices and plentiful natural gas supplies, coupled with China's exit from three years of severe COVID-related restrictions, has generally ignited investors' appetite for European assets. However, this enthusiasm has made the euro look vulnerable, at least in the short term. The Euro is set for a second consecutive week of declines and at the time of writing EUR/USD is trading below 1.07 at 1.6998. Read next: Tesla Will Increase Output For 2023, Deliveroo Are Planning To Cut Jobs| FXMAG.COM GBP/USD The pound weakened on Friday after data showed the UK economy stalled in the final three months of 2022, avoiding a technical recession but recording zero growth. The UK Office for National Statistics said on Friday that the UK economy contracted by 0.5% on a monthly basis in December and came to a standstill in the fourth quarter. On the positive side, industrial production rose 0.3% in December, beating market expectations for a 0.2% decline. The Bank of England forecast last week that the UK would enter a shallow but lengthy recession starting in the first quarter of this year and lasting five quarters. Moreover, Money Markets shows that investors believe that UK interest rates will peak below 4.40% by late summer, from the current 4%. UK consumer inflation data will be released next week and may have a bigger impact on these expectations. The GBP/USD pair previously surged to levels above 1.2130 but lost momentum and is now trading just above 1.2100 and below 1.2110. AUD/USD The Australian dollar held below $0.695, pressured by hawkish signals from Federal Reserve officials who reiterated their commitment to bring down inflation with more rate increases. The Australian Dollar remains supported by expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia will tighten policy further. The RBA’s latest monetary policy statement showed that the central bank revised its inflation forecasts higher for this year, saying price pressures were spreading into services and wages. AUD/USD is headed towards 0.6900 amid disappointing Chinese CPI and PPI data. The Australian pair is not benefiting from the RBA's hawkish monetary policy statement, currently the Aussie pair holds above 0.6920. Source: finance.yahoo.com, investing.com
    Kenny Fisher talks British pound against US dollar. UK economy declined 0.3% in March, Bank of England chose the 25bp variant

    Data This Morning Confirmed The UK Avoided A Recession At The End Of 2022

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 10.02.2023 14:39
    Equity markets are ending the week on a flat or slightly downbeat note which has largely reflected the mood all week, really. Central bankers, particularly from the Fed, have been out in force stressing caution over interest rate expectations. And it’s clearly had an impact following that red-hot jobs report last Thursday. Markets are now pricing in two more hikes from the Fed and possibly one cut later in the year. No time for sparkling wine I think it’s safe to say the sparkling wine can remain on ice after data this morning confirmed the UK avoided a recession at the end of 2022 by the narrowest of margins. So much so that there’s every chance that a tiny revision over the next couple of months confirms quite the opposite. Ultimately, this isn’t a story of whether the UK is in recession or not as that’s just a simple technical definition. It’s a story of zero growth – quite literally in the case of the fourth quarter – and the fact that this likely represents the recent past, present, and near-term future prospects for the UK economy. High but falling inflation and basically no growth for some time. It’s all a bit bleak really. Of course, that’s better than where we expected to be at this point so that’s a positive. The data towards the end of the year is actually quite difficult to pick apart due to the impact of one-off or temporary events like the world cup, the loss of premier league football, and most importantly, the many, many public sector strikes that continued into the new year. The negative impact on the pound was brief though as the data doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, nor does it alter the outlook on inflation or interest rates. First big test of the recovery After showing solid resilience over the past few weeks, bitcoin finally appears to have entered into a correction phase after falling almost 5% on Thursday. The community won’t be too dismayed by the move as it was never just going to go from strength to strength and this correction will enable us to see just how quickly money pours back in. It should be an interesting couple of weeks. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar: www.marketpulse.com/economic-events/ This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Eurozone economy boosted by service sector growth

    Key events in EMEA next week - 12.02.2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 12.02.2023 10:54
    The most important piece of data released in Hungary next week will be fourth-quarter GDP. With the cost-of-living crisis reducing domestic consumption, we expect to see a quarter-on-quarter decline of 1.2%. In Poland, we forecast that headline CPI inflation will increase to 18.1% year-on-year in December, due to adjustments to prices In this article Poland: Ongoing economic slowdown Hungary: More proof that Hungary has been in technical recession since mid-2022 Romania: Accelerated cooling in the economy   Shutterstock Poland: Ongoing economic slowdown Current account (December 2022): -€1,418m Our forecasts point to a December 2022 current account deficit of €1,418m amid a sizable trade deficit. We expect a further slowdown in the annual growth of exports and imports to 16.1% YoY and 18.1% YoY, respectively. Our models point to downside risks to trade turnover. At the same time, Poland received a sizable portion of EU funds in December, however, most of this will be recorded under the capital account rather than the current account. If our forecast proves broadly correct, the current account deficit in 2022 would be around 3.1% of GDP vs. 1.4% of GDP in 2021. Flash GDP (4Q22): 2.3% YoY The release of annual 2022 GDP allowed us to estimate that the fourth quarter figure is likely to be slightly higher than 2% YoY. The composition of the headline figure will be unveiled later this month, but annual GDP points to a decline in household consumption in the last three months of 2022, while fixed investment held up surprisingly well. Changes in both inventories and net exports contributed positively to economic growth in the final quarter of last year. All in all, we observe an ongoing economic slowdown and project a weak first half of this year, with a negative annual figure likely in the first quarter. CPI (January 2023): 18.1% YoY Forecasting January CPI was a challenge due to uncertainty linked to price adjustments by enterprises at the beginning of the year and changes to regulated prices. We forecast that headline CPI inflation jumped to 18.1% YoY from 16.6% YoY in December 2022. Although pre-tax prices of natural gas were frozen at the 2022 level and electricity prices for households were also kept unchanged up to a certain threshold of consumption, the anti-inflation shield was withdrawn and VAT rates on energy returned to 23%. Despite an increase of VAT on gasoline and diesel from 8% to 23%, retail prices remained stable as pre-tax (wholesale) prices were lowered. The reading will be less comprehensive than usual (similar to the flash release) and full details will be unveiled in March along with the annual update of CPI basket weights that will also bring a revision of the January figure. We still expect inflation to peak around 20% YoY in February. Hungary: More proof that Hungary has been in technical recession since mid-2022 The only really important data release in Hungary is going to be the fourth-quarter GDP data. We expect the preliminary reading to prove that the Hungarian economy has been in a state of technical recession since mid-2022. After a 0.4% quarterly drop in the third quarter, we see a 1.2% decline in real GDP in the fourth. The cost-of-living crisis impacted domestic demand, thus we see a significant reduction in consumption, while the higher interest rate environment might slow private investment activity. As the government tried to rationalise its own investment activity, postponing some projects into 2023-2024, we also see this as a downward force on economic activity. The only silver lining could be exports, though the extraordinary gas purchases in the last quarter will limit the upside of this positive contribution, in our view. Regarding the production side, the single most important downward pressure will come from agriculture due to a pretty bad performance on the combination of drought, supply and productivity issues. Romania: Accelerated cooling in the economy January inflation should show signs of a consolidation in the downward trend, after the 16.8% peak touched back in November. We estimate the headline CPI around 15.4%, with risks skewed slightly to the upside due to car fuel prices which might have increased above our estimates after the removal of 0.5 lei subsidy starting in January. In any case, the bigger trend remains to the downside and we expect headline inflation to reach single digits around September 2023. The high-frequency data available to date suggest rather resilient GDP growth in 4Q22, consistent with our current estimate of around a 1.0% quarterly advance. This would take the full 2022 GDP to +5.0%, arguably one of the best outcomes one could have hoped for. Much in line with external developments, there are early signs of an accelerated cooling in the economy in January, with the Economic Sentiment Index falling for the third consecutive month, particularly on the back of lower demand in the service sector. Key events in EMEA next week Refinitiv, ING Tags Romania Poland inflation Hungary EMEA and Latam calendar EMEA Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Disappointing activity data in China suggests more fiscal support is needed

    Asia week ahead: Indian inflation, Australian jobs data plus key central bank decisions

    ING Economics ING Economics 12.02.2023 10:59
    Next week’s data calendar features inflation readings from India, labour data from Australia, Japan’s latest GDP report and rate decisions from China, Indonesia, and the Philippines In this article India’s inflation number to set the tone for RBI rate decision Unemployment rate key for future RBA policy GDP data from Japan Weak jobs data expected from Korea China to gauge economic reopening before adjusting policy stance Indonesia to see rise in trade surplus Regional central banks look to tighten policy further   Shutterstock India’s inflation number to set the tone for RBI rate decision India's January inflation will probably move higher (6.2%) after the 5.7% year-on-year reading in December. But what will be watched more closely after the latest hawkish central bank statement from the governor, will be the core CPI inflation measure. Any indication that this has moved below 6% could be significant for the Reserve Bank of India's policy, though we think despite a small decline, the ex-food and beverages inflation rate will remain just above 6% YoY. Unemployment rate key for future RBA policy January employment data for Australia will add to the balance of knowledge surrounding future Reserve Bank policy. However, it will have to show a further marked deterioration, following last month’s part-time driven decline in employment and rise in unemployment rate, to offset the RBA’s new-found hawkishness.   After last month’s decline in part-time work, we will probably see that part of the survey moderate, combined with perhaps a smaller increase in full time jobs of about 10K to deliver a total employment change of 15-20,000. If that is broadly right, we may see the unemployment rate edge up to 3.6% - still very low by historical standards. GDP data from Japan Japan’s fourth quarter GDP data will be the highlight of next week. We expect the economy to recover from the previous quarter’s contraction, led mostly by private consumption and investment. The reopening and government travel subsidy programmes should lead to a great improvement in hospitality-related activities. However, due to high inflation, the rebound will likely be limited to 0.6% (quarter-on-quarter, seasonally adjusted).   Meanwhile, core machinery orders are likely to shrink again in December amidst weak global demand conditions. Japan’s export growth is also expected to drop in January as the early trade data has suggested. We believe that Japan’s decision to join the US’s tech export ban to China will probably have a negative impact on Japan’s exports. Weak jobs data expected from Korea Korea’s unemployment rate is expected to continue to rise to 3.6% in January (3.3% previously) on the back of a slowing economy. There have been several news reports on job losses, mostly from the IT and finance sectors. This could also be due to severe weather in January, where agricultural and construction-related employment has been negatively impacted. China to gauge economic reopening before adjusting policy stance The People's Bank of China will announce the 1Y Medium Term Lending Facility (MLF) interest rate next Wednesday. We expect no change to policy as the economy has started to recover. The central bank should take time to observe the pace of recovery and determine if there is a genuine need for further cuts to the policy rate and Required Reserve Ratio. Meanwhile, new home sales should show a stable month-on-month change as we have seen a slight price pick up in the tier one cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen while home prices of lower tier cities were still sluggish. Indonesia to see rise in trade surplus Recent trends within Indonesia’s trade sector should extend into another month. Exports will likely remain in expansion while imports are expected to contract. This will result in the trade balance remaining in surplus of roughly $4.2Bn. The projected trade surplus however will be lower than the highs recorded in 2022 with the current account possibly slipping back into deficit territory.  Regional central banks look to tighten policy further Bank Indonesia (BI) is scheduled to hold its second policy meeting for the year. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo has hinted that this current rate hike cycle could come to an end if inflation were to slow and the Federal Reserve were to turn more dovish. BI could still opt to hike by 25bp next week given renewed hawkish signals from the Fed while also ensuring core inflation heads much lower before pausing.  The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will also meet next week to discuss policy. After the blowout January inflation report, we believe that the central bank has no choice but to hike policy rates to combat above-target inflation. Governor Felipe Medalla has previously hinted at a potential shift in tone, but surging price pressures will likely mean that he doubles down on the hawkish rhetoric by hiking rates 50bp. Key events in Asia next week Refinitiv, ING TagsEmerging Markets Asia week ahead Asia Pacific Asia Markets Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Market Insights with Nour Hammoury: S&P 500 and Bitcoin Projections for H2 2023

    UK Economy Has Suggested That Inflation Will Drop

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 12.02.2023 11:46
    Next week will be important for investors. US releases inflation data. Also the British economy will share inflation data. What's more, this will be an important week for futna investors as not only inflation data will be released, but also PPI, unemployment rate and retail sales. CPI forecast Each month's inflation data shows how much these prices have increased since the same day last year. The CPI inflation report, one of the most important sets of financial data coming from the UK, will be published on February 15th. Economists suggest that headline inflation recorded a small drop (-0.3%), reaching 10.2% (y/o/y) in January. Inflation in the UK is still close to a 40-year high and five times the BoE's target of 2%. Source: investing.com Bank of England expectations There are several reasons why we expect a rapid drop in inflation this year. First, wholesale energy prices have fallen significantly. In Europe, they have halved in the last three months. You may not have felt the impact of this on your bills yet. But this change will help bring inflation down. Secondly, BoE expect a sharp drop in the prices of imported goods. That's because some of the production difficulties that companies have faced are starting to subside. Third, as people have less money to spend, we expect less demand for goods and services in the UK. All of this should mean that the prices of many things will not rise as fast as they did. Thus, the Bank of England expects that inflation will start to fall from the middle of this year and will amount to around 4% by the end of the year. BoE expect it to continue to decline towards our 2% target after this period. Interest rates The pace of price growth has slowed slightly, but inflation remains close to its 40-year high. In response, the Bank of England raised interest rates to 4%, the highest level in 14 years. Higher interest rates make it more expensive for people to borrow money to buy things. Higher interest rates also encourage people who can save to save instead of spend. Together, these factors mean there will be less spending in the economy overall. When people generally spend less on goods and services, the prices of those things tend to rise more slowly. Slower price growth means a lower rate of inflation. The increase in interest rates means that many people will face higher costs of credit. And some companies will face higher interest rates on loans. We know this will be difficult for many people. Other data Ahead The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is expected to publish its ILO unemployment rate report on Tuesday, February 14th. Analysts suggest that the UK’s unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7% in the three months to December. On Friday February 17th, market analysts will focus on the ONS report regarding January retail sales in the UK. Economists forecast a 1.8% growth on a yearly basis, but zero growth on a month-to-month basis. A better than expected figure could boost the UK pound, whilst a lower than anticipated figure could weaken the currency. UK GDP According to the GDP report published by the ONS on February 10, the UK economy recorded zero growth in the final quarter of 2022, in line with analysts' expectations. Source: investing.com
    The USD/JPY Price Seems To Be Optimistic

    Tomorrow The USD/JPY Pair Will Be In A Zone Of Price Turbulence

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 13.02.2023 13:40
    The dollar-yen pair is showing increased volatility. On Friday, sellers of USD/JPY updated the local low, reaching 129.84, whereas today, buyers are already testing the 132nd figure. Traders cannot determine the vector of price movement, but the pair fluctuates in a wide price range. The nervousness of market participants is quite understandable since tomorrow, February 14, the next Governor of the Bank of Japan will be known. Moreover, key data on the growth of Japanese economy in Q4 will be published on Tuesday. On top of everything else, a crucial inflation report will be released tomorrow in the USA, which will show the dynamics of consumer price index in January. All of these fundamental factors could cause serious price turbulence. Therefore, current price fluctuations of USD/JPY should be treated with great caution. Is Ueda not an ally of the yen? Last week, the Japanese currency strengthened its position throughout the market after Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Masayoshi Amamiya turned down offer to succeed current Governor Haruhiko Kuroda. His candidacy was to be submitted to Parliament for approval on February 10. Amamiya is a supporter of a soft monetary policy, so his decision not to run for the position of the head of the central bank had an impact on USD/JPY: on Friday, the price updated the weekly low, denoting around the 129th figure. Moreover, the Japanese media (Nikkei Asia in particular) announced the name of the new favorite of the election race: according to the insiders, on February 14, the government will nominate Kazuo Ueda, who was a member of the Governing Council of the Bank of Japan. Initially, the market was dominated by the view that he was more hawkish than Kuroda. However, it turned out later on that was not the case. At least in his brief interview to Reuters, Ueda called the Bank of Japan's policy "adequate." In his opinion, Japanese regulator should continue to implement accommodative policy "by making logical decisions and clearly explaining its position." Such comments disappointed sellers of USD/JPY, so it is not surprising that today the pair is already testing the area of the 132nd figure. However, only journalists have "appointed" Ueda so far: government officials have not commented on the information about his candidacy. Moreover, some analysts urge not to make hasty conclusions and treat media reports with great caution. According to them, in the past, the government eventually nominated other candidates amid harsh criticism of the candidate "announced" by journalists or other political reasons. Therefore, the intrigue remains here, which means that the growth in the price of USD/JPY looks unsteady. Note that the last meeting of the Bank of Japan under the leadership of Kuroda will take place on March 10, and the first meeting of the central bank under its new head will be held on April 28. Read next: GBP/USD Started The New Week In A Calm Way, EUR/USD Is Waiting For US CPI Report| FXMAG.COM Important releases on Tuesday Japan's economic growth data for Q4 2022 will be released on February 14. In Q3, Japan's GDP took an unexpected downturn. The drop in the economy was mainly due to higher prices, which had a negative impact on household spending in the country. Also the downward dynamics was due to the weakening of the yen against world currencies. Since fall last year, the yen has appreciated by more than 2,000 points against the dollar. But inflation in Japan still continues to update multi-year records. According to the latest data, the country's overall consumer price index rose to 4.0%, excluding food and energy prices by 3.0%, and corporate goods price index jumped by 10.2%. At the same time, according to the forecasts of most experts, Japanese economy will show growth in the fourth quarter, leaving the negative area (growth by 0.5% is estimated). While the GDP deflator index may jump to 1.1% (the indicator will rise above zero for the first time since 2020). If the above indicators come out at the forecast level, the yen may receive support, as the market will again increase hawkish expectations regarding possible decisions of the Bank of Japan in the second half of the year. Conclusions Tomorrow, the dollar-yen pair will be in a zone of price turbulence. In addition to the Japanese government's personnel decisions and the Japanese GDP growth data, there will be a report on Tuesday on the Consumer Price Index growth in the USA. Such major fundamental factors can trigger a volatility storm, and it is impossible to foresee the price movement vector here. That is why, for the time being, it would be best to maintain a wait-and-see attitude in the USD/JPY pair, as the high-profile events of Tuesday might "redraw" the fundamental picture considerably.   Relevance up to 10:00 2023-02-14 UTC+1 This information is provided to retail and professional clients as part of marketing communication. It does not contain and should not be construed as containing investment advice or investment recommendation or an offer or solicitation to engage in any transaction or strategy in financial instruments. Past performance is not a guarantee or prediction of future performance. Instant Trading EU Ltd. makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, or any loss arising from any investment based on analysis, forecast or other information provided by an employee of the Company or otherwise. Full disclaimer is available here. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/334921
    Japan: 4Q22 GDP rebounded, but less than expected

    Japan: 4Q22 GDP rebounded, but less than expected

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.02.2023 08:37
    We expect the modest recovery to continue this year, but it is questionable whether it is going to be strong enough for the Bank of Japan to make progress in normalization as rapidly as expected by the market 0.2% 4Q22 GDP (%QoQ sa) Lower than expected Disappointing 4Q22 GDP, but the recovery will continue in the current quarter Today’s data was on the soft side because not only was the quarterly growth rate weaker than the market consensus of 0.5% but the previous quarter’s growth rate was downgraded to -0.3% (vs -0.2% initial estimate). For the domestic demand components, private consumption (0.5%) led the growth. But both residential (-0.1%) and non-residential investment (-0.5%) fell, partially offsetting this. We believe that the government’s travel subsidy program has boosted service sector activity, and the government’s energy subsidy program is also expected to help ease the burden on households to some extent. Consequently, we believe that private consumption will remain the main source of growth in the current quarter, though its momentum may weaken. For investment, higher JGB yields may be a negative factor. But the reopening of China and stronger-than-expected US and EU economies could offset this. That said, monthly data from business surveys and core machinery orders still suggest a bleak outlook for investment this quarter. Taken together, we expect investment to remain weak but rebound meaningfully in 2H23. In the case of inventories, they actually dragged down growth by 0.5pp in 4Q22, but this probably suggests restocking in the quarters ahead.   For the external components, exports rose 1.4% but imports dropped 0.4%, resulting in a contribution to growth from net exports of 0.3pp. A stronger yen and weaker commodity prices worked in favour of improving net export contributions. Also, the sharp increase in foreign tourists was another reason for the improvement. We think that the reopening of borders will likely further support growth in the current quarter along with China’s reopening. In summary, we believe that GDP in the first quarter will accelerate modestly boosted by tourism related service activity and inventory restocklng.  4QGDP growth was mainly driven by external demand components Source: CEIC BoJ watch Today’s weaker-than-expected growth data will give the Bank of Japan more reasons for caution. In particular, soft investment will be a concern. That is why we believe that the incoming new governor will find it difficult to start any normalization very soon and instead, will take time to analyze inflation and wage growth trends first. Eventually, however, we expect the new Governor to undertake a policy review and take a small step towards normalization. GDP forecast : expect a modest recovery throughout the year Source: CEIC, ING estimates Read this article on THINK TagsJapan GDP Bank of Japan Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Bank of England is expected to hike the rate by 25bp. Kelvin Wong talks Euro against British pound

    The EUR/GBP Cross-Currency Pair Remains On The Buyer’s Radar

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 14.02.2023 09:18
    EUR/GBP reverses bounce off key support confluence on strong UK employment data. UK Unemployment Rate stays unchanged but Claimant Count Change drops. Divergence between ECB and BoE policymakers may recall pair buyers if EU Q4 GDP improves. EUR/GBP reverses from intraday high while declining nearly 20 pips to 0.8830 on the upbeat UK jobs report during early Tuesday. In doing so, the cross-currency pair reversed the early-day run-up from the key 0.8830 support confluence. UK’s Unemployment Rate matches market forecasts and reprints the 3.7% figure for three months to December. However, a slump in January’s Claimant Count Change to -12.9K versus -3.2K prior, as well as strong prints of the  Average Earnings Excluding Bonus for the said month seemed to have favored EUR/GBP bears of late. In contrast to the upbeat UK data, a comparatively more hawkish bias at the European Central Bank (ECB) versus the Bank of England (BoE) joins the upbeat European Commission (EC) economics forecasts to underpin the regional currency’s bullish bias. On Monday, the European Commission (EC) released its quarterly economic projections for the Eurozone wherein it revised up the economic growth forecast to 0.9% for 2023 from 0.3% previously expected, projecting 2024 growth unchanged at 1.5%. The EC, however, lowered the Eurozone inflation forecast for 2023 to 5.6% YoY from 6.1% earlier expected. Further, the EC also cut 2024 inflation predictions to 2.5% for 2024, versus 2.6% previously anticipated. That said, European Central Bank (ECB) Vice-President Luis de Guindos said on Monday, “Rate increases beyond March are to depend on data.” On the same line, ECB policymaker Mario Centeno said, “Inflation is going down faster than we expected,” while adding that smaller hikes would need mid-term inflation nearing 2%. On the other hand, Bank of England’s (BoE) policymaker Jonathan Haskel cited a rise in inactivity in the UK labor market and challenged the British Pound (GBP) buyers previously. BoE’s Haskel also mentioned, “I would prefer to make policy with much more attention on the data flow over the next few months.” On a broader front, the cautious mood ahead of the top-tier data/events joins softer US Treasury bond yields to favor the mild optimism in the market, which in turn seems to favor the Euro (EUR). Having witnessed the initial reaction to the British data and EU fundamentals, EUR/GBP pair traders should wait for the preliminary readings of the fourth quarter (Q4) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for the Eurozone for clear directions. Given the recently upbeat economic projections from the European Commission and the ECB’s hawkish bias, the EUR/GBP pair is likely to remain firmer unless the EU GDP disappoints. Technical analysis Unless breaking 0.8830 support confluence comprising the 21-DMA and a one-month-old ascending trend line, the EUR/GBP remains on the buyer’s radar.
    Asia Morning Bites: Inflation Data in Focus, FOMC, ECB, and BoJ Meetings Ahead

    Poland: Composition of GDP facilitating disinflation, price growth to remain high

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.02.2023 11:48
    Fourth-quarter GDP fell by 2.4% quarter-on-quarter (SA, flash estimate) after expanding by 1.0% QoQ in the previous quarter. The beginning of 2023 will be difficult, but we expect 1% economic growth this year, mainly to be driven by net exports. The composition of GDP should support disinflation, however, price growth is still projected to remain high According to a flash estimate, Poland's GDP fell by 2.4% QoQ in the fourth quarter of 2022   According to the preliminary estimate (flash) Poland’s GDP fell by 2.4% quarter-on-quarter (seasonally adjusted data) in the fourth quarter of 2022 after rising by 1.0% QoQ in the third quarter. The economic growth was choppy in 2022, with quarters of rising activity interspersed with quarters of decline (QoQ SA). On an annual basis, growth slowed to 2.0% in the fourth quarter from 3.6% year-on-year in the third quarter. Based on full 2022 data and previously published quarterly data, we estimate that the fourth quarter saw household consumption decline by around 1.5% YoY, while investment went up by more than 5% YoY. Both changes in inventories and net exports contributed positively to annual growth in the final quarter of 2022. Poland's GDP %, QoQ (seasonally adjusted) Source: GUS  Read next: Walmart Plans To Close Offices, Ford Invests In Battery Factories | FXMAG.COM The latest GDP data confirm a further weakening of the Polish economy. The beginning of 2023 will be difficult. In the first quarter we may see a decline in GDP on an annual basis, with our current estimate around -1%, rather than the -2% YoY we feared earlier. The energy crisis in Europe is less acute than previously feared and energy commodity prices have fallen significantly. We forecast economic growth of 1% in 2023. The market consensus is also moving in this direction, whereas until recently forecasts in the 0-0.5% range prevailed. High inflation negatively affects real disposable income of households, which translates into reduced consumption. In turn, high interest rates and weaker prospects for domestic and foreign demand are weighing on companies' investment plans. However, investment activity may be supported by the public sector in 2023, including military spending, which will, however, simultaneously undercut imports. We expect GDP growth in 2023 to be mainly driven by net exports, with domestic demand falling. Such composition of growth should favour disinflation, but we expect price increases to be mainly pushed by costs rather than pulled by demand. We still expect consumer price growth in 2023 to be in double digits, with stubbornly high core inflation. Read this article on THINK TagsPoland GDP Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Dutch GDP sees a sharp drop in the first quarter

    The Netherlands avoids recession for now with positive fourth quarter

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.02.2023 12:54
    Dutch GDP expanded in the fourth quarter of 2022 by a decent 0.6% compared to the third quarter. While this followed a minor contraction of 0.2% in the third quarter, a recession has been avoided for now. This was in line with recent expectations. The expansion was particularly driven by growth in consumption of households and net trade Source: Shutterstock 0.6% GDP growth rate 4Q22 (QoQ) As expected Broad-based growth while inventories declined Up until quite recently, ING Research had forecast a slightly negative GDP growth rate for the fourth quarter of 2022 on expectations that strong price increases would weigh on consumer budgets. However, the most recent forecast in our February monthly economic update was positive at 0.5% quarter-on-quarter. The outturn was even more positive than that, with GDP rising 0.6% compared to the previous quarter and 3.0% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Dutch exports continued to perform well and in line with expectations, with growth of 2.4%. Goods export expanded by 3.6%, while service exports contracted by 1.4%. Imports expanded similarly to exports, at 2.2%. Imports of services decreased by 3.5%, while goods imports expanded by 3.8%. The overall net contribution of international trade to GDP growth in the fourth quarter was a decent 0.4 percentage points. As such, the expansion of net trade was more important in the fourth quarter than the growth of any of the other expenditures. Household consumption expanded too, rising by 0.9%, better than expected. Monthly figures for domestic consumption suggest that growth in the fourth quarter came from service spending (1.8%). Other non-food goods, a category that includes energy, declined the most (-2.7%). Durables were stable, while domestic food consumption declined markedly (-0.9%). Government consumption increased by a moderate 0.4%. As this was mostly in individual final government consumption, it seems that healthcare spending rose. Dutch consumers consumed less abroad, possibly related to the timing of school holidays, but foreign-based consumers bought more in the Netherlands. Gross capital formation expanded by 0.5% compared to the third quarter. The growth in investment was broad-based with a rise seen in non-residential buildings (3.1%), intangible assets (2.4%), infrastructure (1.9%), transport equipment (1.8%), ICT equipment (1.5%), machinery & other equipment (1.3%) and housing (0.6%). Inventories provided a substantial drag on growth, with a net reduction worth 0.7% of GDP which is historically quite large. Read next: Brazil’s Bank Allows To Pay Taxes Using Cryopto, Ford Will Cut Jobs In Europe| FXMAG.COM Many sectors expanded From a sector perspective, value-added expanded the most in construction (2.3%) and mining & quarrying (i.e. oil & gas, 2.3%). There was also growth in recreation & culture (2.0%), real estate (1.3%), ICT (1.1%), business services (0.9%), semi-public services (0.5%), manufacturing (0.5%) and trade, transport & hospitality (0.3%). The last sector includes retail, of which sales volumes declined by more than 4% month-on-month in December, casting doubt on the most recent direction of consumer developments heading into 2023. While consumer sentiment increased in recent months, it is still at a very low level. This is one of the reasons why we still project negative growth for the first quarter. Some sectors contracted in terms of value added, but these were mostly small sectors: water utilities (-3.2% quarter-on-quarter), the financial sector (-1.7% QoQ growth), agriculture & fishery (-0.6%), energy supply sector (-0.1%).  Remarkable in the sector figures is the growth in value added of manufacturing, while production volumes dropped by almost 1% and gas consumption was down substantially. This suggests that profit margins in this sector are improving. The sectoral average however also hides the fact that industrial subsectors fare very differently: while production increased by more than 4% quarter-on-quarter in e.g. pharmaceuticals and electrical equipment, it for example dropped by 9% in basic metals and almost 7% in the chemical industry excluding pharma. Much uncertainty in consumption going forward, up and down The fourth quarter figure for GDP was much in line with our forecasts and therefore does not instantly call for a wild revision of forecasts for early 2023 (although tweaks will always happen with our monthly updates). Since core inflation is still on the rise, we continue to expect expenditures to weaken in the first quarter of 2023. There are upward and downward risks. Household consumption is interesting, with low but rising consumer confidence. December 2022 data shows large amounts of additional accumulated savings in consumer bank deposits and January 2023 data shows strongly accelerating contractual wage increases. If this money is widely spent and mainly spent domestically, this might provide an upward surprise at the start of 2023. But if this is spent on -later than usual- vacations abroad, higher imports might also drag down GDP in line with the current negative forecast. In any case, an official recession of two consecutive quarters of negative growth has been avoided for now. Read this article on THINK TagsInventories GDP Exports Consumption   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    National Bank of Hungary Review: A new beginning without commitment

    Technical recession confirmed in Hungary

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.02.2023 14:18
    The Hungarian economy has continued to stumble. The quarterly 0.7% drop in the third quarter was followed by a 0.4% fall in the last quarter of 2022, confirming our previous view that the economy was in a technical recession from the second half of last year. Thus, at this point, our outlook for 2023 remains unchanged Hungary has fallen into a technical recession -0.4% GDP growth in 4Q (QoQ) Consensus -1.1% / Previous -0.7% Second leg down confirms technical recession Hungarian GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2022 came in at -0.4% on a quarterly basis, while the year-on-year (YoY) reading was 0.4%, matching ING’s forecast. At the same time, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) carried out significant revisions on the third quarter GDP release, which was revised from -0.4% to -0.7% QoQ, indicating an even bigger drop in the volume of GDP than previously thought. Due to the fact that this was a flash release by the HCSO, at this point we know very few details regarding the breakdown of what drove the weak performance and the slowdown in the year-on-year readings. In the press release, two sectors were highlighted as the biggest positive contributors: industry (mostly car manufacturing and electrical equipment production) and services (driven by real estate activity and transportation). On the other hand, agriculture was a major drag on growth according to the Statistical Office, which hardly comes as a surprise given last year’s prolonged period of drought and supply-side issues (including energy woes). Hungarian GDP growth Source: HCSO, ING Growth in 2022 was two-sided With the fourth quarter data release, we now know the (preliminary) 2022 GDP growth number came in at 4.6% year-on-year. At a first glance, last year’s growth might seem robust, signalling a healthy economy, but the reality is that 2022 was a tale of two halves. According to our estimates, the economy started last year on the right foot with a +2.5% carry-over effect from 2021 to 2022. This was boosted by a rebound in activity after the pandemic, coupled with extensive fiscal stimulus given April’s election. The combined effect of these factors boosted the year-on-year GDP figures to 8.2% and 6.5% for the first and second quarters, respectively. Nevertheless, the second half of 2022 paints an entirely different picture, with fiscal austerity measures being in place on top of the energy and cost of living crises. High energy costs fed through the entire economy paralysing activity in a range of sub-sectors, which took a toll on third- and fourth-quarter GDP. As both households and corporates were forced to cope with crippling energy prices, domestic economic activity markedly slowed down, hence the negative quarterly readings in the second half of 2022 and a slowdown close to stagnation in the yearly-based growth data. Read next: GBP/USD Pair Rose Sharply Above $1.22, EUR/USD Pair Also Rose| FXMAG.COM Outlook for 2023 remains unchanged As we have no high-frequency data releases yet for early 2023, we maintain our 0.7% GDP forecast for 2023 unchanged. But to achieve that, the Hungarian economy must produce significant growth within the year. As the economy ended last year on the wrong foot, the tides have changed compared to early 2022. According to our estimates, this year the economy must deal with a -0.5% carry-over effect. Nevertheless, the 0.7% full-year growth can be achieved. Currently, we see a realistic chance that GDP will shrink on a quarterly basis in the first quarter of 2023 on domestic demand, after which the economic recovery and catch-up to the pre-crisis GDP level can begin. This catch-up may take four to six quarters, as we only expect a shallow and short-lived recession. Favourable external developments, such as the Chinese reopening, the better-than-expected resiliency of the US and eurozone economies and alleviating energy price pressures have greatly improved the Hungarian economic outlook for 2023. As such, we see upside risks to our 2023 GDP growth forecast. Read this article on THINK  TagsOutlook Hungary GDP growth GDP Economic activity Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Disinflation in Romania is becoming more evident

    Romanian growth remains strong while inflation undershoots

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.02.2023 14:23
    The 1.1% sequential expansion of the economy in the fourth quarter of 2022 came largely in line with expectations, taking full-year GDP growth to 4.8%. January inflation, on the other hand, came in significantly below expectations at 15.1%. We are likely to see sharply lower inflation estimates from the central bank in tomorrow's Inflation Report Source: Shutterstock GDP: great in 2022, good in 2023? It’s been a pretty big day on the macroeconomic front for Romania. Arguably the most important news is that the economy expanded in the fourth quarter of 2022 by 1.1% versus the previous quarter and by 4.6% when compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. This takes the full-year GDP growth to 4.8% which is perhaps among the better figures that one could have hoped for. Being a flash release, there is no other data to chew on except for the overall growth, with details of the growth drivers due to be published on 8 March. What we do know from the available high-frequency data (in some cases the December data is not out yet) is that it’s been a strong quarter for construction activity which expanded by approximately 8.0% versus the third quarter. Services were also around 2.0% higher while retail sales rose by 0.8%. Industrial production lagged behind at -2.1%. Looking to 2023, our 2.5% GDP growth forecast was at the higher end of the estimates for a time, but now looks to be the consensus after many analysts and institutions revised their expectations higher as well. We maintain the current forecast and evaluate that risks are - dare we say - skewed to the upside! While a slowdown in private consumption could be visible in the first quarter of 2023, which could even bring the overall GDP growth close to zero, the strong momentum in investment activity (presumably related to EU-financed projects) should continue, and prevent a contraction. Corroborate that with a somewhat looser monetary policy due to laxer liquidity management and the picture for 2023 does not look all that grim. Read next: GBP/USD Pair Rose Sharply Above $1.22, EUR/USD Pair Also Rose| FXMAG.COM Inflation: below expectations, though not exactly for the right reasons At 15.1% in January, the headline inflation rate came in way below market expectations of 15.8% (Bloomberg survey) and even below our 15.4% estimate which was the lowest point in the survey. However, the details have been rather surprising as we did not account for the sharply lower electricity prices (-15.8% versus December 2022) and considered a much smaller number. For this reason, prices for non-food items posted a monthly decrease of 1.0%. Energy aside, the rest of the price increases have been above expectations, with food items advancing by a monthly 1.5% and services by 1.8%. In particular, fresh fruit was almost 5.0% higher than in December, while the rise in excise duties for alcohol has pushed these items over 3.0% higher. Core inflation inched higher towards 14.9%  from 14.7% in December. While below expectations, today’s inflation data is unlikely to change the National Bank of Romania's mindset. A new Inflation Report is due to be presented tomorrow 15 February and will contain the updated NBR forecast. We expect the 2023 year-end inflation rate to be revised much closer to our 7.4% estimate – for which we are actually starting to see risks to the downside. It will also be interesting to watch for the longer-dated NBR estimates, particularly whether they see inflation entering the 1.5%-3.5% target range over the two-year forecast horizon. Our base case is that headline inflation will not dip below 4.0% over the next two years. Read this article on THINK   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more  
    Inflation in Singapore heats up again in April

    Singapore Is Expected To Get A Lift From The Increase In GST

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 15.02.2023 09:18
    Summary:  Singapore’s 2023 budget announcement encompassed more support measures to fight price pressures but also brought back a focus on long-term goals of innovation and productivity. This means retail stocks and REITs could benefit, as could companies with high R&D. Higher taxes for the wealthy may do little to dampen demand and rents could continue to run higher. SGD could come under more pressure as the greenback remains in favor. Singapore announced the 2023 budget on 14 February, aiming to narrow the deficit to 0.1% of GDP in the year starting April from a revised 0.3% deficit this year. Revenues are expected to get a lift from the increase in GST and higher taxes on high-value property as well as increased taxes for multinational companies, while the expenditure will be lowered as Covid-era stimulus measures are relaxed. Still, focus remained on supporting Singaporeans amid a high inflation environment and the increase in GST. Subsidies for low-income families increased by S$3 billion but the budget also brought back a long term focus with measures to enhance competitiveness of companies and supporting family planning. Let’s assess what this can mean for Singapore stocks: Consumption focus Increasing the handouts to citizens by S$3 billion in the year starting April will support private demand despite high inflation pressures. This could be positive for value grocers like Sheng Siong (OV8) and restaurants like Kimly (1D0) or Jumbo Group (42R) . This could in turn benefit retail REITs like Frasers Centrepoint Trust (J69U) or Suntec REIT (T82U) which have a large part of their malls dedicated to food courts and restaurants. Read next: GBP/USD Pair Rose Sharply Above $1.22, EUR/USD Pair Also Rose| FXMAG.COM Innovation push Keeping a long-term focus, Singapore announced measures to promote innovation by topping up the national productivity fund by S$4 billion. Businesses will enjoy tax deductions of up to 400% (previous 250%) of qualifying innovation expenditure under the new Enterprise Innovation Scheme. This brings positives for companies that invest in R&D, for instance AEM Holdings (AWX), Venture (V03), UMS (558), ISDN (I07) and Nanofilm (MZH). Labor market support Singapore also announced a focus on developing labor-market intermediaries who can go through industry training and employment facilitation to fast pace job opportunities for Singaporeans. This brings staffing-solutions providers such as HRnetgroup Ltd (CHZ) in focus. On the flip side, higher CPF contributions would potentially add to manpower costs for companies, and weigh on long-term earnings. But the measure is to be implemented in a progressive manner over 4 years, so the effect will be gradual. On watch will be companies with a high labor cost including ST Engineering (S63) and Singapore Airlines  (C6L). Moreover, higher foreign company taxes could divert some foreign flows away. Singapore intends to set its effective tax rate for multinational enterprises at 15% starting 2025, in line with a global agreement to increase the floor rate. Property taxes To boost revenues, Singapore will raise taxes for higher-value properties. Residential properties in excess of S$1.5 million and up to S$3 million will be taxed one percentage point higher at 5%. Properties in excess of S$3 million will be taxed at 6% from 4% earlier. This is a negative for City Developers (C09), UOL (U14), Capitaland Investment Ltd (9CI) and Keppel Corp (BN4). However, the measure appears modest for the wealthy individuals and is unlikely to deter demand. SGD weakened to test the 50DMA USDSGD rose higher following the budget announcement to test the 50DMA at 1.3338. Singapore dollar is down over 2% since the highs of early February. A break above opens the door to 1.3400 and 1.3600. Disappointing growth prompted the Monetary Authority to say that cumulative tightening measures could help to slow growth, suggesting further tightening measures will remain cautious. Meanwhile, US inflation remains sticky and the potential for US yields and the US dollar to go higher means more pain could come for the Singapore dollar.   Source: Macro Insights: Singapore’s balanced 2023 budget – which sectors and stocks could see an impact? | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Euro and European bond yields decreased after the ECB decision. The end of tightening may be close

    Eurozone industrial production drops in December

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.02.2023 12:26
    Eurozone industry ended the year on a weak note as production data showed a decline of 1.1% from November and a 1.7% drop compared to the year before The pharmaceuticals industry saw a slight decline in production in December   Industrial production in the eurozone fell by 1.1% between November and December 2022, and only fell by 1.7% between the third and fourth quarters of the year, which can be seen as quite an achievement given the energy crisis it is currently facing. Still, there are no miracles happening here. Energy-intensive industries have seen production decline in recent months and December was no exception. The chemical, base metals and paper sectors are seeing annual contractions of more than 10% at the moment. On the other hand, we are seeing some post-pandemic positives. The easing of supply chain problems has helped production in recent months as it has improved output from the car sector, and computer, electronic and optical products have rebounded quickly. December showed continued growth from the car sector, but other recent strongholds like pharmaceuticals saw slight declines in production. From here on, the question is which factors will dominate: is it the energy crisis or the rebound after persistent supply chain problems? The rebound is set to fade somewhat, but the energy crisis has also entered a milder phase. For now, however, we don’t see much evidence of production rebounds in energy-intensive sectors, which makes us sceptical of a rebound in activity. Given continued weak demand and supply side problems, we cannot expect much more than a path of stagnation for industry. A rebound is too much to ask for at the moment. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    China: manufacturing activities slipped back to contraction in April. Technical look at China A50

    Asia week ahead: Australian wages, Singaporean inflation, Bank of Korea meeting

    ING Economics ING Economics 16.02.2023 11:56
    Some of the highlights in Asia next week include Australia’s wage data, the BoK meeting, Taiwan's export orders and Singapore’s CPI  Source: Shutterstock Australia's wage price index will provide direction for policymakers Australia is set to release fourth-quarter wage price index data on 22 February. This was a keenly watched data point in 2021 when the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) tied its cash rate target to wage growth rising to a level consistent with target inflation of 3.5-4%. In the last quarter, the wage price index grew by 3.1%, which means that there is still room to inch higher, while inflation is currently running at 8.4% YoY. If the wage price index grew by 1.0% in the fourth quarter from the third – as it did in the third quarter from the second, the index would finally reach 3.5%. Although this very lagging data point is mainly of academic interest, a rising number would still encourage hawkish rhetoric from the RBA. BoK to pause on Thursday? The Bank of Korea will meet on Thursday. We believe that the BoK’s rate hike cycle ended with the 25bp hike in January. But given that January's consumer price index picked up again, we are expecting the BoK to maintain its hawkish stance. China's loan prime rates to remain unchanged Chinese banks will announce possible changes to loan prime rates (LPR) next week. Given that the economy is recovering and that the People's Bank of China left the 1Y Medium Lending Facility rate (MLF) unchanged, we predict that the chance for a change in the LPR is small. Moreover, banks have been told by the government to offer lower interest rates on mortgages to provide support to the economy. This would result in banks not having enough room to squeeze net interest margins. Weak semiconductor demand could hurt Taiwan's economy Export orders and industrial production will likely give clues about how bad semiconductor demand was in January. We expect declines of around 10-20% year-on-year for both. Final GDP data should show a slight yearly contraction; the advance estimate was -0.86% YoY. We expect Taiwan to enter a mild recession in the first half of this year given weak demand for semiconductors, the main pillar of the economy. Read next: Tesla Will Make Supercharger Network, Visa Will Allow The Use Of Cryptocurrencies To Settle Transactions| FXMAG.COM Singapore CPI Inflation report We could see headline inflation tick lower, but core inflation will likely remain elevated at 5.2% YoY as the latest increase in the goods and services tax kicks in. Finance Minister Lawrence Wong announced a fresh round of subsidies to help households deal with the rising cost of living. Wong believes inflation will remain elevated for at least the first half of the year.  Persistent price pressures should keep the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in hawkish mode although it needs to strike a delicate balance as slowing global trade threatens to negatively impact the export sector.  Key events in Asia next week Source: Refinitiv, ING Read this article on THINK TagsAsia week ahead Asia Pacific Asia Markets  
    Asia Morning Bites 13 March 2023

    Asia Morning Bites - 17.02.2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 17.02.2023 08:27
    The Fed's Bullard floats the idea of a 50bp rate hike in March - markets are not yet convinced, but it is worth watching this space.  In Asia, Singapore's NODX contracted for a 4th month while Thailand reports 4Q GDP today.   Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: Strong January US PPI data probably didn’t help market sentiment to recover yesterday, and US stocks had another down day. The S&P 500 dropped 1.38% while the NASDAQ was down 1.78%. Chinese stocks were mixed. The CSI 300 dropped 0.73% but the Hang Seng Index rose 0.84%. US Treasury yields have slowed their rise. 2Y yields were up less than a basis point, though there was another 5.6bp rise in the 10Y yield taking it to 3.86%, within spitting distance of 3.90%, which a number of market commentators have said is a target for re-entering long bond positions. This hasn’t yet become a consensus view, but it was interesting yesterday to see the St Louis Fed’s James Bullard raising the prospect of returning to 50bp hikes at the next Fed meeting. This was also supported by Loretta Mester. Barkin and Bowman speak later today. The USD remains pretty strong not surprisingly. EURUSD has dropped to 1.0664. There was a more moderate view expressed by the ECB’s Lane, who noted that much of the effect of earlier tightening was still in the pipeline. While Stournaras said that the updated economic projections due in March should decide the magnitude of the next rate increase. The AUD was also weak, not helped by yesterday’s poor labour data. Cable also slid back below 1.20 but the JPY was fairly steady at just over 1.34. Yesterday was quite mixed for other Asian FX. There were small gains from the PHP, IDR, and INR, but currencies were flat or registered small losses elsewhere. G-7 Macro:  US PPI data came in stronger than expected in January. Final demand PPI rose 0.7% MoM, against expectations for a 0.4% MoM rise. There were above-consensus rises for core measures too. Somewhat curiously, the number of housing starts declined in January, which does put some strain on the weather explanation for some of the other data flow recently, and so we have to be alert to the possibility that there is more to the recent strong data than we have been thinking up until now. This is quite a worry. There isn’t a lot on the G-7 calendar today. Singapore: Singapore reported January non-oil domestic exports (NODX) today.  NODX slid for a 4th straight month, declining 25%YoY as demand faded sharply.  Shipments of electronics fell 26.8%YoY while petrochemical exports dropped 26.6%.  Exports to major trading partners like China (-41.1%YoY) and the US (-31.5%YoY) contracted although exports to the European Union managed to jump 21.4%.   The reopening of China from strict lockdown measures could help revive demand in the coming months but for now, we see a couple more months of contraction for NODX.      Read next: USD/JPY Is Trading Close To 134.00, EUR/USD Is Remaining Above $1.07| FXMAG.COM What to look out for: Fed speakers on deck Singapore NODX (17 February) Thailand GDP (17 February) US import prices (17 February) Fed’s Barkin and Bowman speak (17 February) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Equity Markets Rise, VIX at 12 Handle After ECB Rate Hike and US Economic Resilience

    Week Ahead: US Q4 GDP, EU CPI, Rolls-Royce And HSBC FY22

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 18.02.2023 09:16
    Fed minutes – 22/02 – if the market reaction to the recent Fed rate hike is any guide, there appears to be a type of cognitive dissonance when it comes to what the market wants to hear from the Federal Reserve and what the US central bank is trying to say. To borrow a line from the film Cool Hand Luke, "what we've got here is a failure to communicate". Long story short, the market thinks the inflation job is done, or at least close to it, even though the recent non-farm payrolls report appears to have muddied the waters in that regard. For all of Fed chair Jay Powell's insistence that more rate hikes were coming at his post meeting press conference, and that the Fed was not looking at cutting rates this year, his failure to push back emphatically on direct questions about market expectations of rate cuts this year, created an even greater divergence between market pricing on rates, and the Fed's expectations of how the economy is likely to evolve. Since that meeting, we've had a succession of Fed officials push back on the dovish narrative insisting that rates are likely to stay higher for longer, however the release of the latest minutes also needs to be set in the context of the fact that they came before the recent jobs, and ISM services data. That said, the recent intervention by non-voting member, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester that she saw a compelling case for a 50bps move at the last meeting was an unexpected intervention to the cosy consensus that had developed around the 25bps narrative. This was compounded by another non-voting member, James Bullard of the St. Louis Fed who suggested 50bps in March could be a consideration. This raises two questions, one is to how many other Fed members saw a compelling case for a 50bps move at the last meeting, and two, how much could that have shifted over the last few weeks in light of the recent strength of US data. The minutes should answer the first question, the second question will need to see more data. Another key question will be how long Fed officials see rates staying at current levels, and whether they still see the December dots as an accurate representation of future rate hike expectations. US Core PCE Deflator (Jan) – 24/02 – in the last 2 months the US Core PCE Deflator has fallen back sharply from 5.2% in September, falling to its lowest level since October 2021 in December at 4.4%. The sharp fall from those peaks has certainly helped drive the disinflation narrative that has got the markets speculating that we might start to see some of the recent rate hikes start to get reversed before the end of this year. As the Fed's preferred inflation measure, sharp falls in this indicator could help reinforce the narrative surrounding weaker prices growth. Unfortunately, this week's January numbers may not support this conclusion if the recent payrolls and services data is any indication. We could see a big rebound in prices driven by higher personal spending as a result of the strong jobs data. EU CPI (Jan) – 23/02 – inflation in Europe has been falling sharply in recent months, although the recent Germany CPI numbers would appear to suggest that it is a little stickier than perhaps the ECB would like. The most recent flash numbers for January saw headline CPI fall from 9.2% to 8.5% a bigger fall than expected with the month on month decline of -0.4%. Core prices however increased, rising to 5.2% on an annualised basis from 5.1% in a sign that while headline pressures were easing sharply, there is little sign that core prices are going the same way. This week's January final numbers could see an uptick given that Germany CPI came in higher than expected, in spite of continued weakness in natural gas prices which have slipped to their lowest levels in 18 months. US Q4 GDP – 23/02 – despite the rise in interest rates we've seen over the past few months, the US economy has held up reasonably well, with strong growth in Q3 as well as Q4, after a weak H1. The first iteration of US Q4 GDP saw the economy expand by 2.9%, which was above expectations of 2.5%. Personal consumption was a little disappointing, slipping back to 2.1%, which wasn't that surprising given that November and December retail sales contracted. This trend will probably rebound in the January personal spending and income numbers. HSBC FY 22 – 21/02 – the rebound since the lows in October has seen HSBC shares rally to their best levels since September 2019, on a combination of rising interest rates as well as optimism over a rebound in China's economy in 2023. When HSBC reported in Q3 the shares fell back after reporting Q3 revenue of $11.6bn, while profits after tax came in at $2.56bn. This was significantly lower than the numbers in Q2, with profit attributable to shareholders, dropping to $1.9bn, down from $5.77bn in Q2. Part of the reason for the lower profits was an increase of provisions for non-performing loans of $1.1bn, doubling the amount set aside year to date to $2.2bn. On the plus side the banks NIM rose in Q3 to 1.57% from 1.35%, helping to push net interest income to beat expectations, reflecting the higher interest rate environment. A month later the bank announced it had agreed to sell its Canadian operation to Royal Bank of Canada for $10bn in cash. This appears to be the latest example of Asia's largest bank looking to gravitate away towards its core markets in Asia, and in so doing helping to keep its shareholders onside as it looks to boost the resilience of its core operations, as well as improving pay-outs. This week's full year numbers should point to a better outlook with the Chinese economy reopening even if Q4 disappoints due to the covid disruption which only started to ease in the middle of December. Lloyds Banking Group FY 22 – 22/02 – despite the recovery off its lows in October, the Lloyds share price remains below its highs last year as well as its pre-pandemic peaks set back in December 2019. The shares have underperformed primarily due to concerns over the economic outlook and its heavy reliance on the UK domestic market, particularly mortgages and consumer credit. Despite these concerns the bank has consistently outperformed while increasing profits to the point its more profitable now that it was back in 2019 when the shares were much higher. In Q3 statutory pre-tax profits fell back, coming in at £1.51bn, a 26% decline from the same quarter last year, and down a similar percentage from Q2. A large part of the reason for this was due to a large increase in provisions for non-performing loans, which increased by £668m in a sign that the recent squeeze on customer finances was increasing concern about possible loan losses, pushing impairment provision year to date to over £1bn. In its Q3 numbers the bank also reported that unsecured loan demand remained strong with a 4% increase to £8.8bn, while the open mortgage book saw an increase of 1%. This is expected to see a slowdown in Q4 and into the new fiscal year, even as net interest margins have improved to 2.98% for the quarter, up from 2.55% in Q2, pushing average NIM year to date up to 2.84%. Inevitably this improved profitability has led to calls from certain parts of the political spectrum for a windfall tax on the banks, despite the facts that profits are lower this year than they were last year. Lending to small business also saw a modest decline of 3% to £39.8bn, not altogether surprising given the economic backdrop, and the increases in taxes that are due to come into effect in April. Rolls-Royce FY22 – 23/02 – when new CEO Tufan Erginbilgic took over earlier this year he didn't hold back in the challenges facing the current business. Likening the company to a "burning platform" his words sent the shares off their recent highs, after a rally from the September lows of 70p, which saw the shares hit their highest levels since February last year. There is no question the company has its problems, with its heavy reliance on its civil aerospace division a notable weak spot, although even here there are grounds for optimism as airlines slowly return to their normal pre-Covid flying patterns. In Q3 the company that various problems in its supply chains meant that inventory levels were higher than they should be, due to high demand in its power systems business which was seeing record orders. These problems have caused a higher-than-expected build-up of inventory. Large engine flying hours were also at the lower end of expectations, at 65% of 2019 levels despite the return of long-haul flights last year. The company blamed China's zero-covid policy for impacting the business particularly in Asia, a trend which should improve in the coming months. The ITP Aero proceeds have been used to pay down a £2bn floating rate loan. As we look ahead to the new fiscal year let's hope the new CEO paints a more upbeat and more optimistic outlook than the one, he laid out last month. After all, if he can't paint a positive outlook for the business, why should shareholders. BAE Systems FY 22 – 23/02 – over the last 12 months the UK biggest defence contractor has been one of the best performers with the shares hitting record highs earlier this year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has pushed BAE to the forefront of investors radars given its position as a manufacturer of artillery shells and howitzer rounds, as well as other defence systems and hardware. In Q3 the company announced it had an order book backlog of £52.7bn, with the company seeing £10bn of orders in Q3 alone, on top of the £17.9bn in H1. The company kept its full year guidance of underlying EPS growth of 4% to 6% unchanged. IAG FY 22 – 24/02 – airlines have got off to flyer this year, amongst the best performing sector over optimism that as we head into 2023 consumers will start splashing what available cash they have on holiday getaways in what looks set to be the first year since covid that won't be subject to widespread disruption. The smaller budget airlines have recently reported a huge surge in bookings numbers, which bodes well for the likes of the big carriers as well. In Q3 IAG reported adjusted operating profits of €1.1bn, while revenues beat expectations coming in at €7.33bn, pushing above 2019 levels, despite operating at lower capacity. The higher revenue level, while welcome, simply reflects higher ticket prices, with business travel back at 75% of 2019 levels. Profits after tax for Q3 rose to €853m. For the year-to-date IAG has managed to edge back into the black to the tune of €170m. For Q4 capacity is expected to be at 87% of 2019 levels, with Q1 expected to rise to 95%, which seems a little on the optimistic side given the economic outlook, and how only Ryanair has managed to return to those sorts of levels of load capacity. Walmart Q4 23 – 21/02 – since falling sharply to 2-year lows in May last year after reducing their sales growth targets and missing on profits due to higher costs, Walmart shares have slowly recovered most of that lost ground. In Q3 the retailer reported Q3 revenues of $152.8bn, and profits of $1.50c a share, which were both well above expectations. The profit number for the quarter was wiped out by a one-off $3.1bn opioid settlement, meaning that the profit turned into a net quarterly loss of $1.8bn. Despite that Walmart upgraded its full year guidance and posted gross margins of 23.8% also slightly ahead of forecasts, as well as announcing a $20bn share buyback. Walmart has also managed to reduce its inventory level down to 13%, haling it from Q2's 26%, helped by sales growth of 8.2%. The big question is whether Walmart will be able to meet this target given the slowdown in US retail sales seen at the end of last year. In previous quarters Walmart warned that rising prices were prompting a shift away from higher margin goods to lower margin everyday staples. Profits are expected to come in at $1.51c a share. Nvidia Q4 23 – 23/02 – having hit two-year lows back in October last year, Nvidia shares have undergone a decent rally since then, retracing 50% of the decline from the record highs from November 2021. The rebound from those lows appears to have run into a bit of trouble in recent days as concerns over the economic outlook increase. In August Nvidia warned on its margins as well as cutting its revenue outlook. Its Q2 numbers confirmed that downgrade to guidance, with profits coming in at $0.52c a share and revenues coming in at $6.7bn, with the company citing a slowdown in gaming revenue to $2bn. In Q3 revenues came in at a lower $5.93bn, although demand for its data centre chips was better, which offset slowing demand for gaming chips. Profits came in at $680m, slightly below expectations, with the company offering Q4 revenue guidance of $6bn, +/- 2%. Since the start of this year Microsoft indicated that demand for gaming had remained lower, which is likely to be reflected in Nvidia's revenue on the gaming side. Demand for higher specification AI chips could well offer some hope here with Nvidia a key supplier in this area. Profits are expected to come in at $0.81c a share. For further comment from Michael Hewson, please call 0203 003 8905 or 07824 660632Email: marketcomment@cmcmarkets.comFollow CMC Markets on Twitter: @cmcmarketsFollow Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst) on Twitter: @mhewson_CMC
    Week Ahead: Russia is expected to show the deflation trend remains intact

    Week Ahead: Russia is expected to show the deflation trend remains intact

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 18.02.2023 09:20
    US The latest round of economic data (retail sales, CPI, PPI, jobless claims) are all signaling more Fed rate hikes are coming.  Wall Street will pay close attention to the flash PMIs, which could show manufacturing and service sector activity is stabilizing, existing home sales, jobless claims, and personal income & spending data.  The second look at Q4 GDP and core PCE are also expected as is the final sentiment reading from the University of Michigan. The debate between quarter-point and 50 basis point rate rises by the Fed has returned.  The FOMC minutes will closely be watched, especially after Fed’s Bullard and Mester noted they were thinking about half-point rises.  Fed speak includes appearances by Bostic and Daly on Thursday, while Jefferson, Collins, and Waller speak on Friday.   Earnings seasons continues with key updates from Alibaba, Baidu, BASF, BHP, Block, Booking, CIBC, Cheniere Energy, Deutsche Telekom, eBay, Engie, Eni, Home Depot, HSBC, Iberdrola, Intuit, Keurig Dr Pepper, Moderna, Munich Re, Nvidia, Rio Tinto, Walmart, and Warner Bros Discovery.  Eurozone It’s unlikely to be a game-changing week but there are some very interesting economic data releases that traders will pay close attention to. The one that stands out is the HICP inflation data, although being a revised number we may not get much from it. The PMI surveys could be of greater consequence, being flash readings that will continue to paint a picture of how well the bloc is holding up.  UK  A quiet week for the UK with the early part bringing PMIs from the services and manufacturing sectors and the latter BoE appearances. The outlook for the UK remains confusing despite all of the optimism and just as we’re seeing setbacks elsewhere, there will likely be plenty here too. Investors appear convinced the end of the tightening cycle is nigh, buoyed by the MPC’s confidence on the path of inflation this year. The PMIs will offer further insight into the state of the economy while the speeches may shed a little more light on what this all means ahead of next month’s meeting. Russia The monetary policy report may be of interest next week, although rates have now been on hold for the last five months. PPI data is expected to show the deflation trend remains intact, something that may trigger a change in thought on rates should it filter through to the CPI numbers.  South Africa Unemployment and PPI data are released next week, the latter of which may catch the eye a little more given the potential implications for CPI inflation and interest rates. We’re still a way off from the next SARB meeting which takes place at the end of March but with inflation now only a little above the 3-6% target range and core well within, the case for further rate hikes is weakening.  On Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will deliver the National Budget speech to Parliament. The government has numerous priorities that it must address and finding that balance will be no easy feat. Markets, as ever, will be watching. Turkey There’s no doubt what the main event is next week. The CBRT is expected to resume its easing program with another 1% cut, taking the key rate to 8%. The central bank hasn’t been shy about going further than markets expect before, or particularly concerned about the consequences. So we shouldn’t be surprised if it does so again. Switzerland Very little of note on the agenda next week, the most notable possibly being the ZEW survey. A 0.5% rate hike is still expected at the next scheduled meeting on 23 March but with inflation still running uncomfortably above target; the only risk is the SNB won’t wait that long.  China The amount of support that will get pumped into China’s economy might depend on how well their reopening goes.  This week’s main event for China is the decision on loan prime rates.  Given the PBOC kept the key rate steady earlier this month, both the 1-year and 5-year loan prime rates are expected to remain unchanged from a month ago at 3.65% and 4.30% respectively.  China is still widely expected to ease sometime soon and that should keep the outlook strong for Asia.      India No major economic releases or events are expected.  Australia & New Zealand The RBNZ is widely expected to deliver its 10th-straight rate hike, with the majority of analysts expecting a half-point rate rise to 4.75%. The consensus range is anywhere from a quarter-point rate rise to as high as a 75 bp rate increase.  Extreme weather may keep inflation pressures going, so the RBNZ should remain somewhat hawkish.  New Zealand’s second-tier data releases also include PPI, trade balance, and credit card spending.    The main economic release for Australia is Q4 wage data that is expected to show pay growth remained, but struggled to keep up with inflation.  The release of Q4 private capital expenditure should show an improvement from -0.6% to +0.9%.   Japan The focus in Japan will be on two big events.  Kazuo Ueda, the government’s nominee to become the next BOJ  governor, is expected to speak at a confirmation hearing at the lower house of parliament on February 24th. Japan’s inflation report is also expected to show core prices rose to the fastest levels since 1981.  Singapore The January inflation report is expected to be hot as the labor market remains tight and foreign travelers return.  Industrial production is also expected to improve, with the year-over-year reading increasing from -3.1% to -1.9%.  Economic Calendar Saturday, Feb. 18 Economic Events Major leaders attend the 59th Munich Security Conference Hungary PM Orban gives his annual state-of-the-nation speech Sunday, Feb. 19 Economic Event US Secretary of State Blinken’s European trip includes visits to Turkey, Germany, and Greece   Monday, Feb. 20 Economic Data/Events US markets closed for President’s Day China loan prime rates Eurozone consumer confidence Finland CPI Malaysia trade Philippines balance of payments Sweden CPI Taiwan export orders Thailand GDP US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Poland   EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels Sweden’s Riksbank releases minutes from its February monetary policy meeting BOE’s Woods speaks at the Association of British Insurers annual dinner Tuesday, Feb. 21 Economic Data/Events US existing home sales, PMI Canada retail sales, CPI Eurozone PMI, new car registrations Finland unemployment France PMI Germany PMI, ZEW survey expectations Japan PMI Mexico retail sales, international reserves UK PMI Russian President Putin to deliver his first state-of-the-nation address RBA releases minutes from its February policy meeting Riksbank’s Floden speaks   Riksbank’s Ohlsson participates in a roundtable about the current economic situation Wednesday, Feb. 22 Economic Data/Events Fed releases minutes from its Jan. 31-Feb. 1 policy meeting Germany CPI, IFO business climate Italy CPI New Zealand trade Russia industrial production US MBA mortgage applications Reserve Bank of New Zealand rate decision: Expected to raise rates by 50bp to 4.75% ECB Governing Council meets in Lapland, for a non-monetary-policy meeting BOJ board member Naoki Tamura speaks in Gunma, Japan Riksbank’s Governor Thedeen speaks about the economy and monetary policy South African Finance Minister Godongwana presents the national budget Hong Kong annual budget presentation Thursday, Feb. 23 Economic Data/Events US 2nd look at Q4 GDP, initial jobless claims Eurozone CPI Singapore CPI Taiwan industrial production G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors meet in India Turkey interest-rate decision: Expected to cut rates by 100bps to 8.00% Mexico’s central bank releases minutes from its February policy meeting Fed’s Bostic speaks at the bank’s 2023 banking outlook conference BOE’s Mann speaks at the Resolution Foundation on “The Results of Rising Rates: Expectations, Lags and the Transmission of Monetary Policy” BOE’s Cunliffe delivers a keynote address at a G-20 financial and central bank deputies meeting on “Leveraging National Payment Systems to Enhance Cross-Border Payment Arrangements” Riksbank’s Floden speaks on the economy and monetary policy Japan Emperor’s Day holiday Friday, Feb. 24 Economic Data/Events US PCE deflator, personal spending, new home sales, University of Michigan consumer sentiment Germany GDP Japan CPI Mexico GDP Singapore industrial production One-year mark of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine German Chancellor Scholz leaves for a three-day trip to India BOE’s  Tenreyro participates in a panel discussion titled, “Back to 2% inflation?” BOJ governor-nominee Kazuo Ueda appears before Japan’s lower house Sovereign Rating Updates Netherlands (Fitch)  Austria (S&P) Austria (Moody’s) Sweden (Moody’s) This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Pound Sterling: Short-Term Repricing Complete, But Further Uncertainty Looms

    Inflation Report In The Euro Zone Ahead Of Us, Will The ECB's Actions Bring The Expected Results?

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 18.02.2023 10:39
    Next week there are some very interesting economic data releases that investors will pay close attention to. Data on inflation in the euro zone stand out in the foreground. CPI Forecast Eurozone inflation is expected to increase from 8.5% to 8.6%. Core CPI will remain unchanged at 5.2%. The ECB believes that the easing pressure from energy prices and other costs, together with the ECB's monetary policy measures, should bring inflation back to the 2% inflation target. Source: investing.com Economic situation European officials breathed a sigh of relief on Monday after new data suggested the region would avoid an economic recession. Back in November, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, warned that the eurozone could enter a recession — defined by two consecutive quarters of falling economic performance. However, on Monday, the institution said thanks to government support and a reduction in energy costs, this is no longer the case. The outlook for this year is also brighter with a projected GDP rate of 0.9%, compared to a growth rate of 0.2% projected just three months ago. EU interest rates Despite the good news, finance ministers have plenty of work to do in the coming months. European governments have adopted loose fiscal policies since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 — it was argued at the time that nations could not focus on lowering debt levels or correcting deficits because they needed to support their economies in such an extraordinary economic shock. The same argument was used after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when governments helped with energy bills, among other things. “In view of the underlying inflation pressures we intend to raise interest rates by another 50 basis points at our next meeting in March,” Lagarde told lawmakers at the European Parliament. She added it would then evaluate the subsequent path for monetary policy, reiterating the message the bank delivered after hiking rates by a half percentage point on February 2. The ECB will publish updated economic forecasts at its March meeting, which will help it formulate the course for monetary policy. If the central bank goes through with the half-point hike in interest rates, it would be its sixth increase since July for a total increase of 3.5 percentage points. ECB Executive Board member Fabio Panetta said on Thursday that the ECB should consider the risks of over-tightening the policy and argued that the bank should not unconditionally pre-commit to future policy moves. On a more neutral note, ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane said that he is open-minded about the precise scale of the monetary policy tightening that will be needed to achieve the inflation goal. Other reports In the coming week there will also be other reports from the euro zone. PMI surveys may be more meaningful as they will be lightning fast readings that will continue to paint a picture of how well the block is holding up. Source: investing.com
    US GDP Ahead, Energy Prices Push Lower, EUR/USD Pair Struggles

    The US Economy Expects Neither Decline Nor Growth Of GDP

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 19.02.2023 09:30
    This week attention was focused on the US inflation report. In the coming week, the markets and the Americans expect the publication of gross domestic production data and thus whether fears of recession are high. Previous data The US economy ended 2022 in solid form, although there are still questions as to whether growth will turn negative in the coming year. Gross domestic product grew by 2.9% yoy in the fourth quarter, slightly better than expected. An increase in private investment in inventories, government spending, and investment in non-residential fixed assets helped raise the value of GDP. The sharp decline in housing helped reduce GDP, while increases in government spending and private investment contributed to growth. The rate of growth was slightly slower than the 3.2% rate in the third quarter. Consumption expenditure, which accounts for around 68% of GDP, increased by 2.1% over the period, down slightly from 2.3% in the previous period, but is still positive. Forecast Gross domestic product is expected to remain unchanged at 2.9%. Fed New government figures released on Tuesday show that above-average inflation continues to challenge the US economy. Largely positive economic data from the US and hawkish stance of several FOMC representatives opened the possibility of further rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is expected to continue raising interest rates. The difficulty the central bank faces is whether it is able to carry out a soft landing. Economists said they still expect a recession after the new January inflation figures. The question is how severe the downturn could be. Soft landing? A recession is when an economy gets smaller, i.e. produces less stuff: fewer laptops, trucks, lattes and hairdressers. Normally when it happens you feel it, people get fired, businesses close down and it all starts with a super sale. But now nothing really goes according to plan. Last year, as inflation spiked, the Federal Reserve took action to drive prices down by raising interest rates. The increase in interest rates is intended to slow spending. Higher interest rates make it more expensive for people and businesses to borrow money, so they borrow less, spend less, and ultimately buy less. When spending goes down, companies lower prices to encourage people to buy. And just like that, prices go down. Inflation problem solved! The problem is that a slowdown in spending slows down the entire economy. A promising sign that the US economy may hit a soft landing comes from the most important consumer. Consumer spending (or what we buy) accounts for nearly 70% of the entire US economy. When consumers spend less, the entire economy slows down. And the latest figures show that consumers spent at a very fast pace in January. Through the eyes of citizens Despite high inflation, rising interest rates and consistent recession predictions from Wall Street, Americans have continued to spend at record rates over the past year. A recent Morning Consult poll found that nearly half of adults - 46% - believe the US is already in recession. Such a slowdown – traditionally defined as two consecutive quarters of falling economic growth – has not really happened yet. However, economists say a recession may be imminent. Source: investing.com
    The European Economy Has Demonstrated Amazing Resiliency Following The Supply Shock Of The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

    Eurozone PMI shows strong increase in February

    ING Economics ING Economics 21.02.2023 11:56
    The composite PMI increased from 50.3 to 52.3, hinting at accelerating growth over the course of the first quarter. While a lot of underlying weakness is still apparent, the economy is proving very resilient this winter. With service sector selling price expectations still high, expect the European Central Bank to remain vigilant   The eurozone economy continues to surprise on the upside. The PMI paints a picture of an economy that is bouncing back from the sluggish performance in recent months, which is mainly driven by fading supply-side problems. This may be giving a larger push to economic activity than initially expected as backlogs of orders are now going into production. Also helpful is that the energy crisis has moved into an undoubtedly milder phase with market gas prices now about a third of what they were only in mid-December. The survey also suggests that demand is improving, which is surprising given the downturn in domestic demand in the fourth quarter in most large eurozone economies. Demand is positively affected by some returning optimism among consumers over peak inflation being behind us and a recession likely avoided. But while consumer confidence has been increasing for five months in a row now, it does remain at levels usually associated with recession. Read next: Amazon Will Pay Employees A Lower Salary Due To Lower Stock Prices, Declining Demand For 5G Equipment Will Result In The Loss Of 1,400 Jobs At Ericsson| FXMAG.COM Inflationary pressures continue to ease, but mainly on the manufacturing side. Fading supply-side issues are having a positive impact on prices, especially as inventories have been building. This has resulted in a continued drop in selling price expectations among manufacturing businesses, although the level remains elevated historically. For services, rising wage costs are an important driver of continued high input cost increases. That has resulted in still elevated selling price expectations among service sector businesses. The combination of better-than-expected economic activity at the start of the year and service sector inflationary pressures which remain elevated will likely keep the ECB in hawkish mode. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia Morning Bites 13 March 2023

    Asia Morning Bites - 22.02.2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.02.2023 08:55
    Sentiment sours as markets price in higher-for-longer rates Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: US stock markets came back from the President’s Day holiday in a foul mood. The S&P 500 dropped 2%, and the NASDAQ fell 2.5%.  Rising bond yields won’t have helped sentiment at all. Yields on the 2Y US Treasury rose 10.6bp, to 4.723%, while the 10Y yield rose 13.8bp to 3.953%. The implied rate on Fed funds from futures has risen to a peak of 5.365% for the August contract, suggesting that a peak upper bound of 5.5% is being increasingly priced in. These moves helped the USD and pushed EURUSD down to 1.0652. Other G-10 currencies, AUD and JPY were also weak. Sterling bucked the trend after stronger-than-expected PMI data suggested that a recession might be avoided. Asian currencies were mostly weaker on Tuesday, with the exception of the VND. The THB was the worst performing on the day falling 0.63% against the USD to 34.65. G-7 Macro: Tuesday saw the release of masses of PMI data across the G-7 and as mentioned, a stronger-than-expected UK services sector PMI – it rose to 53.3 from 48.7 - was one of the standouts. US service sector PMI data also recovered above the threshold 50 level, and there were improvements in Germany’s ZEW survey too. This is followed by Germany’s Ifo survey today. The US releases mortgage applications data today, though the main focus will be on Fed minutes at 3 am tomorrow morning SGT/HKT Australia: The Wage price index is not the binding constraint it once was now that inflation is running at 8.4%YoY. The rise to 3.3% from 3.1% in 4Q22 was a little less than had been expected. Nevertheless, this is not likely to encourage thoughts that the RBA will change its tightening path any time soon. Taiwan: Final GDP for 4Q22 should contract 0.9%YoY, slightly worse than the advance estimate of -0.8%YoY, reflecting the impact on the economy of weak demand for electronics, mainly semiconductors. This weakness should continue at least in 1Q23, which implies the chance of a slight recession in Taiwan. There is a hope that China's recovery can lift demand for semiconductors but this is still uncertain as car sales should be quite flat after 2020-2022 subsidies on electric vehicles, and demand for laptops might not be strong compared to the one-off demand surge seen during Covid. The last hope is on smartphones, and for Taiwan, it means the iPhone, which is still unknown given the weak sales of the latest model. What to look out for: FOMC minutes New Zealand trade balance (22 February) Australia wage price index (22 February) New Zealand RBNZ policy (22 February) Taiwan GDP (22 February) Hong Kong GDP (22 February) South Korea retail sales (22 February) US MBA mortgage application (22 February) FOMC minutes (23 February) Singapore CPI inflation (23 February) Hong Kong CPI inflation (23 February) South Korea BoK policy (23 February) EZ CPI inflation (23 February) US GDP, initial jobless claims, core PCE (23 February) Japan CPI inflation (24 February) Malaysia CPI inflation (24 February) Singapore industrial production (24 February) US personal spending, University of Michigan sentiment and new homes sales (24 February) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Euro and European bond yields decreased after the ECB decision. The end of tightening may be close

    How the ECB’s rate hikes are filtering through to the eurozone economy

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.02.2023 12:30
    The European Central Bank's policy stance has become restrictive. To us, the impact on the economy is probably the most underestimated drag on growth for 2023. The good news is that we see no meaningful signs of fragmentation between countries, so monetary policy is not causing shocks in more vulnerable parts of the eurozone European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde   Last summer, when the ECB started hiking interest rates, the immediate question for financial markets was how far the Bank would dare to go. Ending an era of negative interest rates and unconventional monetary policy when inflation is approaching double-digit levels is one thing, actively breaking down the economy is, however, another. This is why the eurozone's nominal neutral interest rate – which was pegged at between 1.5% and 2% by almost everyone – suddenly became the focus of attention. Even ECB President Christine Lagarde referred to this illustrious neutral rate (the rate at which monetary policy neither stimulates nor restricts the economy), suggesting that the central bank use this as a rough anchor for when policy could start to become restrictive. When policy is restrictive, this leads to weakening economic activity and ultimately to lower inflation. The rate, however, is a very theoretical concept, impossible to measure and rather an ex-post instrument to describe a monetary policy stance rather than providing guidance for actually conducting monetary policy. This is why the ECB quickly, at least publicly, debunked the idea that it would follow this neutral interest rate concept. Wherever a neutral interest rate in the eurozone might be, hiking interest rates by 300bp, as the ECB has done so far, and with more hikes to come, the question is not whether the ECB’s hiking cycle will slow the eurozone economy but rather when. Most channels through which higher rates work are showing tightening impact Let’s use the ECB's own handy flowchart to explain how it sees monetary policy ultimately feeding through to prices (for the ECB’s own assessment, we can recommend Chief Economist Philip Lane’s speech from 16 February). The four main transmission channels are: money/credit, asset prices, bank rates and the exchange rate. All four channels have seen sizable adjustments since last summer: ECB's own take on monetary transmission Source: https://www.ecb.europa.eu/mopo/intro/transmission/html/index.en.html Source: ECB, ING Research   The money supply has fallen quickly since the ECB started reducing asset purchases. In fact, growth in real money (M1) has not been so negative since the ECB's record-keeping began. This historically corresponds with a significant correction in economic activity. When looking at asset prices, we see that stocks and bonds saw a significant correction in 2022 (although we have seen a rebound in prices as expectations of a peak in policy rates have grown this year). Real estate prices are somewhat slower to respond but are undoubtedly starting to turn. In countries like Germany and the Netherlands, price declines have already become somewhat sizable as the combination of higher bank rates, low consumer confidence and lower purchasing power is resulting in declining housing demand. This is not where it will stop. We expect this to have an impact on construction activity in the coming year. Bank rates have also considerably increased since the beginning of 2022, following the increase at the longer end of the yield curve. This is starting to curb investment as growth in bank lending has almost stalled for households and is considerably negative for businesses. Traditionally, business borrowing reacts with longer lags to higher rates than consumer borrowing. Last year, for example, borrowing by non-financial corporates held up until mid-2022 because of working capital needs – due to supply chain problems for example. Recently, however, there has been a sharp correction, which has been much quicker than in previous cycles. That correction corresponds to the Bank Lending Survey, which indicates that borrowing needs for investment reasons have fallen significantly in recent months. We expect this to have an important dampening impact on investment in the eurozone in the quarters ahead, although the recovery fund's impact on southern economies could mute the overall investment response seen in 2023. The euro has appreciated since the end of last year as investors are expecting more rate hikes from the ECB and because energy prices have fallen significantly from the peak which has resulted in a smaller trade deficit. This is starting to feed through to import prices, which have started to see lower year-on-year growth. In fairness, the bulk of that move down has resulted from the lower energy prices seen recently, but the impact of a stronger euro will be felt down the line. The early phase of monetary transmission is fast at work Source: ECB, Eurostat, ING Research No need for TPI as monetary transmission is not showing signs of fragmentation When looking at the above-defined categories per country, we see that there is not that much difference in transmission. The rise in percentage points for borrowing rates differs just modestly between countries and the nominal effective exchange rate has made roughly similar movements for most countries – as expected. Liquid assets have seen declines across the board, with a few stock markets in Southern Europe notably outperforming. House prices are still well above levels seen in late 2021, although Germany and the Netherlands are starting to see a correction as a downward trend has started which the table below does not pick up on. The money supply is of course handled centrally, but recent developments in bank lending can say something about credit reaching the real economy. Here, we see the most striking difference so far, as Italy and Spain have seen declines in borrowing from non-financial corporates, whereas Germany and France have not, yet. The important caveat here is that we have seen quite some borrowing for working capital and inventory reasons, which has driven up borrowing or at least made borrowing more volatile. For Germany, the bank lending survey suggests declining demand for investment borrowing, which means that transmission could be at work more than the numbers suggest. Compared to the average, we see that France is the country still experiencing a smaller impact on all counts, while Italy is experiencing a somewhat more significant impact. Overall though, there is no shock happening in the system for any country measured, and monetary transmission is therefore not causing problems. So far, there is no reason to use the ECB’s new Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) as fragmentation of monetary transmission in the eurozone is not happening at the moment. The much feared fragmentation of monetary transmission has not happened so far Note: red indicates more tightening impact than eurozone average, green indicates less tightening than average Source: Macrobond, ECB, ING Research Most of the impact on inflation and growth still has to feed through While the initial boxes of monetary transmission have clearly been ticked, the timing of the actual impact of monetary policy on the real economy has always been difficult. In theory or in large macro models, it is assumed that it takes 9 to 12 months before monetary policy affects the real economy most. Recently, there have been central bankers (Fed members) suggesting that the lag could currently be shorter than in the past. In any case, the transmission of monetary policy can often be blurred by other factors. At the current juncture, the energy crisis is playing a large role in slowing down the economy and has also helped to ease inflation as recent developments have caused gas and electricity prices to come off their peaks. Supply chain problems have been fading recently and demand for goods has weakened, which has helped supply and demand in goods markets become better balanced again. Read next: Consumers Are Spending More On Food, So Walmart And Home Depot Are Making Cautious Predictions| FXMAG.COM How does this stack up to previous hiking cycles? It is difficult to compare current developments to previous tightening cycles by the ECB. The ECB has only engaged in three previous hiking cycles, of which the 2011 one only lasted for two meetings. The thing that stands out is that the underlying conditions of the economy matter a lot when looking at the pace of transmission. The 2005 hiking cycle happened when the economy was performing quite well, the 2000 cycle started in a strong economy, while 2011 was a famous example of hiking into a recession. That difference shows when looking at the response. In 2005, bank lending growth to businesses continued to accelerate despite rate hikes and only slowed when the 2008 recession started. We now see a much faster response. Asset prices are now also turning down much faster than in 2005 as this only happened years after the start of the tightening cycle in 2008, while we are already seeing the negative effects now. This also holds true for money growth. So while we have little to compare to, it does become evident that the key channels of monetary transmission are seeing faster downturns now than in the previous long tightening cycle of 2005. But it's too early for the ECB to declare victory yet While inflation is falling, core inflation is still trending up and is far above target at 5.2%. It is therefore too early to declare victory on price developments. Wage growth is also still moving up cautiously. While not nearly enough to raise concerns about a wage-price spiral, the labour market remains red hot and negotiated wage growth has moved from the 1.5% to 3% range in 2022. So supply and demand in labour markets have yet to adjust. Wage growth has started to trend up, causing upside risk to the inflation outlook Source: ECB   And expectations have started to feed through the monetary transmission system in the wrong way recently. As investors worry about recession and are optimistic about inflation returning to benign levels, we see that financial conditions are loosening again. This could work against tightening efforts from the ECB and we have seen ECB speakers speak out quite vocally against the premature easing of financial conditions. A lot is now moving in the right direction for the ECB to get inflation back to target, but uncertainty remains. No one really knows how persistent core inflation will be after this series of supply shocks that the eurozone has faced. There is also uncertainty over how long it will take for GDP and inflation to be impacted by the aggressive rate hikes from the ECB so far. Having moved to a restrictive level of policy recently and with more hikes in the pipeline, this uncertainty makes policy-making very difficult right now. Restrictive policy will have a significant downside impact on the economy this year While we are not seeing the full impact of monetary policy on prices yet, we do see transmission in full force, which will eventually have a larger impact on output and prices. With uncertain delays on economic activity and prices at work, the question is how hawkish the ECB will remain over the course of the year, given the tightening of monetary policy so far. At the March meeting, another 50bp hike is all but a done deal. Beyond the March meeting, however, the ECB will likely be entering a new phase in which further rate hikes will not necessarily get the same support from the Governing Council, as hiking deep into restrictive territory increases the risk of adverse effects on the economy. The main question beyond the March meeting will be whether the ECB will wait to see the impact of its tightening on the economy or whether it will continue hiking until core inflation starts to substantially come down. In the former case, the ECB could consider a pause in its tightening cycle and hike again at the June meeting. The latter would see continuous meeting-by-meeting hikes, possibly in smaller increments of 25bp. For our economic outlook, we think that restrictive monetary policy in 2023 will be a key factor preventing the economy from bouncing back from its current weak spell. While all eyes are on the energy crisis at the moment, higher rates will also be an important factor in dampening any meaningful recovery. While we don’t see the bulk of the impact yet, expect a eurozone economy that flirts with zero growth for most of the year as higher rates complete the transmission to demand. Read this article on THINK TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Moderate Outlook: Growth and Disinflation Trends in the French Economy

    French business climate signals economic resilience in February

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.02.2023 12:36
    In France, the business climate improved slightly in February and paints a picture of a resilient and fairly solid French economy. This data suggests that GDP should remain in positive territory in the first quarter France's La Defense business district Resilience The business climate in France improved slightly in February to 103 from 102 in the previous five months, still above its long-term average. The improvement comes from the services and retail sectors, where the business outlook is improving, but also from industry, where order books are reported to be rising. In the construction sector, on the other hand, the business climate is deteriorating. The employment climate also remains very solid. At 110, the indicator is still well above its long-term average. Overall, the business climate paints a picture of a resilient and fairly robust French economy. The data suggest that GDP should remain in positive territory in the first quarter. Two speeds More generally, all the indicators published since the beginning of the year seem to suggest that the French economy is probably currently operating at two speeds. On the one hand, the industrial sector is still in a slowdown phase, despite the continuous improvement in supply chains. Demand, particularly international demand, is slowing, as indicated by the February PMI for industry, which fell back below 50 in February, dropping to 47.9 from 50.5 the previous month, its lowest in four months. The sharp fall in energy prices, and in particular the price of natural gas, which is now only about a third of its mid-December price, and the resulting improvement in the world economic outlook seem to be limiting the slowdown, but not erasing it completely. On the other hand, the services sector is showing significant resilience and remains dynamic. While, unlike in other European countries, French consumer confidence continues to fall, service companies are rather optimistic and indicate that activity is picking up. The accumulation of pending business and expectations of growth are encouraging them to continue hiring workers and anticipate further significant price increases. This resilience of the services sector is good news for the French economy. Indeed, with traded services accounting for 57% of French value-added, the dynamism of activity in services can counterbalance the slowdown in the manufacturing sector, which accounts for only 9% of total value-added. Read next: Sweden And Finland Are Getting Closer To Becoming NATO Members| FXMAG.COM Activity should continue to grow in the first quarter The question now is whether the dynamism of the services sector can continue in the coming quarters. French companies seem to think so, with the assessment of expected activity rising sharply, according to the INSEE survey. However, major risks remain. Unlike in other European countries, the inflationary peak has not yet been reached in France, and even higher increases in energy and food prices are still expected in the coming months. The shock to purchasing power is therefore not over and will continue to impact consumer behaviour. Moreover, the support of fiscal policy for purchasing power will become less important in the coming months. Finally, French consumer confidence is not recovering right now. Household consumption has already fallen significantly in volume terms in the fourth quarter and growth is likely to remain weak in the coming quarters. At the same time, the construction sector remains under pressure and the rise in interest rates is likely to continue to weigh on household and business investment spending.   Ultimately, the latest economic indicators for France suggest that activity is likely to be stronger than expected in the first quarter of 2023 and that a contraction in GDP should be avoided. Nevertheless, they do not dramatically change the outlook for the following quarters, where activity growth should remain rather weak. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP France Eurozone Business climate Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Rates Spark: Crunch time

    The Euro Fell Below 1.06, The USD/JPY Pair Is Close To 135.00

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 23.02.2023 13:00
    The dollar held shy of multi-week peaks against other major currencies on Thursday, a day after minutes from the Federal Reserve's last policy meeting supported, but did not add to markets' view the central bank will raise rates further. Minutes from the Federal Reserve meeting released last night confirmed the hawkish rhetoric of Fed officials over the past two weeks. The key takeaway, of course, is that the Fed is committed to keeping interest rates higher for longer to bring inflation down to the 2% target. The impact of the protocol was somewhat dampened as the meeting was preceded by a series of metrics released in February, most notably employment figures, which showed the US economy was doing well, leaving more room for the Fed to raise interest rates to bring down inflation. Markets will be focused on US GDP as well as the accompanying labor market data in the form of jobless claims. US GDP is expected to come in marginally weaker than the previous. USD/JPY USD/JPY struggles to gain any significant traction on Thursday and trades in a tight band just below the psychological 135.00 mark for the first half of the European session. The yen pair started the day above 134.90, in the Asian session USD/JPY fell towards 134.70. In the European session, USD/JPY increased and is now just below 135.00. In addition, the USD/JPY pair is also weighed down by hawkish concerns around the Bank of Japan (BoJ), due to the imminent end of the term of governor Haruhiko Kuroda. Alternatively, Fed policymakers are poised for further interest rate hikes, according to the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes, which in turn is fueling demand for the US dollar. EUR/USD EUR/USD in the Asian session was above 1.06, and the pair traded close to the 1.0630 level. In the Asian session, EUR/USD fell below 1.06. This morning brought data on inflation in the euro zone for January, in which annual inflation fell to 8.6% in the euro zone and to 10.0% in the EU. In January, food, alcohol and tobacco accounted for the largest contributors to the euro area's annual inflation rate, followed by energy, services and non-energy industrial goods, according to data released by Eurostat. In addition, EU members will hold further talks on a new package of sanctions against Russia after failing to reach an agreement on Wednesday. According to Reuters, the proposed package includes trade restrictions worth more than €10 billion. Russia is reportedly planning to cut oil production in response to Western sanctions. The heightened risk of rising energy prices, which will contribute to stronger inflation in the eurozone, could help the euro hold its position in the short term, as such a situation would force the European Central Bank (ECB) to raise interest rates further after March. Read next: Tesla Opens Its Global Engineering Headquarters In Palo Alto, California| FXMAG.COM GBP/USD The cable pair in the Asian session was rising towards 1.2070, but in the European session it lost momentum and fell to the level of 1.2020. Currently, GBP/USD is at 1.2022. GBP/USD extended its decline towards 1.2000 early Thursday after reversing much of the PMI-driven gains on Wednesday. Markets will be keeping a close eye on US stocks and Brexit developments for the remainder of the day. AUD/USD The AUD/USD pair was rising towards 0.6840 in the first hours of trading. Then the pair of the Australian fell and rebounded again. In the European session the Aussie Pair traded below 0.6820, currently the AUD/USD pair is trading above 0.6820. Australian capital expenditure data beat estimates across the board (reaching its highest level since Q4 2021) showing optimism in these sectors. Source: investing.com, finance.yahoo.com
    Nasdaq 100 posted a new one year high. S&P 500 ended the day unchanged

    The DAX Index Is Now At Pre-War Levels, Nasdaq 100 Saw Support

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 24.02.2023 09:03
    S stocks had a wobbling trading session yesterday. The S&P500 tipped a toe below its 50-DMA yesterday, near 3980, then rebounded to close the session around 0.50% higher, above the 4000 psychological mark. Nasdaq 100 saw support into the 12000 psychological mark and gained almost 1% into the close. The 14% jump in Nvidia certainly helped improve the overall market mood, whereas the US economic data was mixed and was not supposed to pour water on the equity bears or improve sentiment regarding the Federal Reserve (Fed) hawks. The latest GDP update from the US revealed that the US economy expanded 2.7% in the Q4, instead of 2.9% penciled in by analyst. A softer economic growth could have been encouraging for easing inflation and softening the Fed's hand. BUT NO, because the GDP price index – another gauge of inflation which was released along with the GDP update, showed that inflation in the Q4 eased but eased much less than expected – as a perfect reflection of the CPI and PPI data released last week. The cocktail of slower-than-expected growth and higher-than-expected inflation is the worst possible outcome, and we could see the latter reflected in the corporate earnings. The S&P500 companies now all reported their results and earnings fell 1% in the latest quarter. At first glance, this is not a good number, but these earnings are compared to the blockbuster post-pandemic numbers, and despite a fall, they remain high. The question is, how far they will fall. It will depend on several factors, including how aggressive the Fed will continue tightening policy. How aggressive the Fed will continue tightening policy will depend on how sticky inflation is. We have one more important data point to watch before the week ends... and that's the US PCE index, the Fed's favourite gauge of inflation. Given the previous inflation data, we know that inflation has certainly eased, but not as much as expected. If there is not a big surprise, there should be no bloody market reaction to a slightly higher than expected PCE index. The S&P500 could close the week above the 50-DMA, and Nasdaq above its major 38.2% Fibonacci retracement. There is one more thing that probably helps equities hold their ground, and that's the easing US yields. I believe that the US yields have been easing since a couple of days due to the rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China – after China screamed loud and clear their support to Russia this week. These rising tensions certainly increase the safe haven flows to the US treasuries and interferes with the hawkish Fed pricing. As such, the US 2 and 10-year yields are softer compared to a peak earlier this week. European stocks up, euro down on record inflation!? The European stocks gained and the euro fell on Thursday, even though the latest inflation data from the eurozone revealed that the core inflation advanced to a record high. The rising inflation is normally a boost for the European Central Bank (ECB) hawks, who increase the bets that the ECB will raise the rates more forcefully. The latter should weigh on equity valuations and support the euro. But no. The contrary is happening because the major driving force of the market is the Fed and the dollar. So, the EURUSD fell as low as 1.0577 yesterday, while the European stocks were upbeat. The DAX index for example is now at pre-war levels, whereas the latest data is less than encouraging for the German economy. The European exports are recovering to the pre-pandemic levels, but the German exports are clearly lagging behind the zone's average. Spain and Italy are doing much better than their German peers. Why? Because the energy crisis has taken a toll on German manufacturing, whereas the post-pandemic reopening benefit Spanish and Italian tourism. As a result, the headline data is strong, but the underlying factors warn that the Eurozone growth is perhaps vulnerable. Sticky inflation and hawkish ECB are major risks to the actual European equity rally. 41-year high, Mr. Ueda! Speaking of inflation, the data released this morning showed that inflation in Japan rose to 4.3%, a 41-year high, and gave a rapid boost to the yen, sending the USDJPY down to the 134 mark. But we know that the Bank of Japan (BoJ), under the leadership of its new head Ueda, is not necessarily concerned about the rising inflation. The BoJ prefers keeping rates below zero, for now, and that should continue playing in favour of USDJPY bulls, at a time when the Fed members continue showing the world how serious they are in taming inflation.  
    Germany's 'Agenda 2030': Addressing Stagnation and Structural Challenges

    German GDP growth of -0.4% proves that a recession is in the making

    ING Economics ING Economics 24.02.2023 09:05
    The third estimate of German GDP growth in the final quarter of 2022 shows that celebrating resilience was a bit premature. A technical recession is in the making   We've previously had German GDP estimates of stagnation, of -0.2%, and -0.4%. Now we know the third estimate of German GDP growth in the final quarter of 2022 was the correct one. As just released by the German statistical office, the German economy contracted by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2022, from +0.5% in the third quarter. This is the first contraction since the first quarter of 2021. On the year, GDP growth came in at 0.9%. Recession is in the making The economic contraction is no surprise. What is interesting in today’s GDP report are the details. Private consumption without lockdown savings languished under high inflation and energy prices and fell by 1% quarter-on-quarter, from +0.7% in the third quarter. Capital investments plunged by 2.5% QoQ, from 1.3%. Net exports, government consumption and a large inventory build-up prevented the economy from falling into a deeper contraction. The German economy has surprised by showing more resilience than feared, despite facing a long series of crises. However, while this resilience, driven by fiscal support and warm winter weather, has prevented the economy from falling into a deep recession, it is definitely no guarantee for a strong rebound anytime soon. In fact, even though sentiment indicators have increased in recent months, there is overwhelming evidence of a still weak economy. The second consecutive drop in the Ifo’s current assessment component, a falling PMI manufacturing and, as reflected in this morning’s data, weak consumer confidence and a willingness to spend close to historical lows, all confirm our view that the German economy will contract once again in the first quarter. Recession in the short term and subdued recovery afterward Looking beyond the first quarter, the latest improvement in soft data suggests that the German and eurozone economies are in the middle of a typical cyclical recovery, while we fear that we are actually in the middle of a structural transition. If we are right, any rebound this year will be softer and more short-lived than many expect, and subdued growth rather than a strong rebound remains the base case. Or in other words: not falling off the cliff is one thing; staging a strong rebound, however, is a different matter. In Germany, industrial orders have weakened since the start of 2022, consumer confidence, despite some recent improvements, is still close to historic lows, the loss of purchasing power will continue in 2023, and the full impact of monetary policy tightening still has to unfold. Today’s numbers mark the first part of what could become a technical recession in Germany. We think that the risk of yet another contraction in the first quarter and, thus, a technical recession is high and that the German economy is still miles away from staging a strong rebound. Read this article on THINK TagsGermany GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    USD/JPY Pair Has Rebounded Firmly From The Upward-Sloping Trendline

    Kazuo Uedy Signaled Little Need To Tighten BoJ Policy Which Weakened The Yen

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 24.02.2023 09:14
    Summary:  Markets remain nervous as new local lows were probed yesterday in the US equities but were rejected just ahead of the 200-day moving average in the S&P 500. A first Chinese peace proposal for the Russian aggression in Ukraine was dismissed by commentators on the first anniversary of the war. Elsewhere, nomination hearings for Kazuo Ueda, who would replace Kuroda as Bank of Japan governor, saw the JPY slightly weaker. What is our trading focus? US equities (US500.I and USNAS100.I): back to wait and see on inflation and rates US equities were bouncing around in yesterday’s session with S&P 500 futures ending the session above the 4,000 level as the US 10-year yield came down despite initial jobless claims suggesting the US labour market remains extremely tight. There are no major earnings releases in today’s session, so we expect a quiet session going into the weekend. The key upside level to watch is yesterday’s close in the S&P 500 futures at the 4,019 level on the downside it is the 4,000 level. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HIG3) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) declined around 1% The Hang Seng Index declined 1.2% and the CSI300 slid 0.8% as of writing. Alibaba (09988:xhkg) announced results beating estimates but the shares of the eCommerce giant plunged 4.6% following management comments on the need to increase investments to stay competitive. According to Nikkei Asia, Chinese regulators have told Tencent (0070:xhkg) and Alibaba’s Ant Group not to offer access to ChatGPT services to the public directly or through third party as the regulators are increasingly concerned about uncensored replies given to users. FX: USD bobs up and down with risk sentiment. JPY lower after Ueda testimony. The US dollar posted new highs yesterday, as EURUSD probed below 1.0600 for the first time since early January, AUDUSD took a peek below its 200-day moving average and below 0.6800 and GBPUSD tested the waters below 1.2000, but the USD rally seemed a passive coincident development with the swings in risk sentiment, with a late rally in US equities pushing the greenback back lower. In Japan overnight, the JPY was firm early in the Asian session despite slightly softer CPI data, and then weakened slightly later in the session during Kazuo Ueda’s nomination hearings for the Bank of Japan governorship, as he signalled little urgency on tightening BoJ policy. Crude oil rises despite another US inventory build Crude oil trades higher for a second day but remains on track for a monthly loss within the established range, in Brent between $80 and $89, and WTI between $82 and $73. The technical driven bounce occurred despite another built in US inventories, but soaring exports of 4.6m b/d and a continued rise in US gasoline demand helped underpin prices. Supply side concerns may also be in focus after Russia announced this week that it will cut exports to the West in March, in addition the previously announced production cuts. Gold (XAUUSD) slumps to support again Gold dropped to the lowest level of the year on Thursday amid continued pressure from USD and higher yields which both moved close to their cycle highs earlier in the week before easing a bit on Thursday. The yellow metal has so far managed to find support around $1820 but until macro-economic developments turn more friendly the risk remains of a further weakness towards $1788 followed by the 200DMA at $1,776. Gold has been troubled by a recovering dollar and rising treasury yields after recent US data strength supported the view the Fed will keep rates higher for longer to fight inflation and to cool the economy. US PCE deflator, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, will be watched closely today with expectations pointing to a robust print, both in headline and core. Copper retreats as hawkish Fed weighs on sentiment. Copper has retreated from the highest close in three weeks, and yesterday’s drop, the biggest one-day slump this year, has taken it back towards key support in the $4 a pound area. Together with other industrial metals, copper is heading for a monthly loss as the market becomes increasingly impatient with the recovery in demand in China. Instead, the attention has been turning to worries that higher US rates for longer may strengthen the dollar and hurt the outlook for growth and demand. However, with supply potentially struggling to keep up with demand, we view the current weakness as temporary and part of the general loss of confidence that has hit markets this month. Yields on US Treasuries (TLT:Xmas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) drop. US Treasury yields fell yesterday after probing the cycle highs in the wake of another strong weekly jobless claims number, with the 2-year little changed, but longer yields falling more sharply, as the 10-year closed at 3.87% after posting a cycle-high 3.97% in early US trading. Read next: The Euro Fell Below 1.06, The USD/JPY Pair Is Close To 135.00| FXMAG.COM What is going on? US GDP revised a notch lower, jobless claims fell The second estimate of US Q4 GDP was revised lower to 2.7% from the prelim 2.9%. The Core PCE measure, the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, was revised to 4.3% from 3.9%, suggesting price pressure in Q4 was higher than previously reported. While slower activity and higher inflation are making the Fed’s task more difficult, the labor market remained strong, suggesting that any slowdown in growth will likely be very slow. Weekly initial jobless claims dropped to the lowest in 4 weeks at 192k from the prior 195k. Worrying signal on the inflation front in the eurozone Yesterday, inflation was confirmed higher than initially reported in the eurozone in January (headline at 8.6 % year-over-year and core at 5.3 % - this represents a 0.1 percentage point higher). What is even more worrying is that the EZ CPI basket showed the most broad-based price increase on record. 76 % of the basket experienced a month-over-month increase above 0.2 %. This is up from 52 % in December 2022. There is little doubt that the European Central Bank (ECB) will hike interest rates by 50 basis points in March. But we think the ECB is not done anytime soon with the tightening process. The terminal rate is probably closer to 4 % than expected by the market consensus. Block results beat on the back of Bitcoin revenue rising more than expected Block rallied over 7% after Q4 net revenue rose more than expected, up 14% to $4.7bn, beating estimates of $4.6bn. It comes as Bitcoin revenue rose to $1.8bn vs est. $1.8bn, while hardware revenue from its Square terminals and Square registers rose slightly more than expected. Block sees FY23 adjusted EBITDA of $1.3bn vs est. $1.3bn. Japan’s January CPI softer than expected, BOJ gov nominee Ueda’s hearings bring flexibility to dovishness January inflation print in Japan came in-line with expectations on the headline at 4.3% YoY from the prior 4.0% YoY but was marginally below expectations on the core measures. Ex fresh food and energy was out at 3.2% YoY, above last month’s 3.0% YoY but below the expected 3.3%. Inflation remains above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target, and price pressures are broad-based. BOJ nominee Kazuo Ueda’s parliamentary hearings in the lower house today brought some clarity over his policy direction, suggesting he will stick to easing for now while remaining flexible to tweaks as needed. What are we watching next? The week ahead in geopolitics after China peace proposal issues and on macro dataNext week’s macro calendar is not the usually busy one as a new month rolls into view, as the key US labor market data is not up until Friday the 10th of March, although the latest string of strong weekly US jobless claims offer no evidence of a softening labor market. Next Wednesday we’ll get the latest ISM survey data as regional US manufacturing surveys for February thus far suggest little chance of a resurgence in the recessionary ISM Manufacturing survey, with the last three readings in a row below 50 ahead of the survey release next Wednesday. The ISM Services survey, meanwhile, is up on Friday and bears watching after two confusing prior readings – a very weak one in December followed by a resurgent one in January of 55.2. Otherwise, the intense focus on geopolitics will remain as the US considers making public the intelligence it has gathered on China considering supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, as well as how China deals with US warnings against China providing lethal aid to Russia in the conflict. China’s first attempt at wading into the situation as a peace-broker with a cease-fire “position paper” today was dismissed by a US official and is seen as a likely “non-starter with the US and most European countries” according to Neil Thomas, a senior analyst at the Eurasia group. Earnings to watch Today’s key earnings release is from BASF which has already reported which is sour reading for investors. The German chemical company is terminating its share buyback programme on top of reporting revenue and EBIT below estimates. In addition, the company is cutting 2,600 jobs in response to the higher energy costs. There is also good news in the Q4 earnings release that might lift the mood of investors, and that is the FY23 revenue outlook of €84-87bn vs es.t €81.8bn. Friday: BASF, Monster Beverage Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 1330 – US Jan. Personal Income and Spending1330 – US Jan. PCE Inflation1500 – US Jan. New Home Sales1500 – US Feb. Final University of Michigan Sentiment1515 – US Fed’s Mester (Non-voter) to speak1600 – US Feb. Kansas City Fed Services Activity1830 – US Fed’s Collins (Non-voter) to speak1830 – US Fed’s Waller (Voter) to speak   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – February 24, 2023 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    The German economy underperformed in the Q4 of 2022, GDP declined

    The German economy underperformed in the Q4 of 2022, GDP declined

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 24.02.2023 14:28
    The euro is down slightly on Friday. EUR/USD has been slowly moving lower and is down 1.1% this week. German GDP misses estimate The German economy, the biggest in the eurozone, underperformed in the fourth quarter of 2022. GDP declined by 0.4% in Q4 2022 q/q, below the 0.5% gain in Q3 and shy of the forecast of -0.2%. On an annualized basis, GDP slowed to 0.9%, down from 1.4% in Q3 and below the forecast of 1.1%. It was a rough end to 2022 for the German economy – the energy crisis, high inflation and the end of fuel subsidies all contributed to negative growth in the fourth quarter. The German consumer spent less in Q4 compared to Q3, but the silver lining is that consumer confidence continues to rise. GfK Consumer Climate is estimated to have improved to -30.5 in March, up from -33.8 in February. Consumer confidence is still deep in negative territory but has now accelerated over five consecutive months. The Federal Reserve remains in hawkish mode, as members continue to remind the markets that inflation is too high and more rate hikes are coming. The recent employment and retail sales reports helped convince the markets that the Fed means business, and investors are no longer talking about a ‘one and done’ rate hike in March with rate cuts before the end of the year. The markets appear to have bought into the ‘higher and longer’ stance that the Fed has been pushing, and expectations of a 0.50% hike in March have risen. According to CME’s FedWatch, the markets have currently priced the odds of a 25-basis point hike at 76% and a 50-bp increase at 24%. Earlier this week, the split was 83% for a 25-bp hike and 17% for a 50-bp rise.   EUR/USD Technical 1.0604 is a weak resistance line. Above, there is resistance at 1.0704 There is support at 1.0513 and 1.0413 This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Asia week ahead: Policy meetings in China and the Philippines

    Asia week ahead: growth and inflation reports from major economies - 25.02.2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 25.02.2023 12:02
    Next week’s Asia calendar features GDP data from India and Australia, inflation from Australia, Japan and Indonesia, Singapore’s retail sales and PMI data from Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan In this article India’s economy not slowing anytime soon Inflation to remain resilient in Australia Trade, PMI, and industrial production data from Korea PMI, jobless rate and Tokyo CPI from Japan China PMI data to be released next week Upcoming Taiwan manufacturing PMI Indonesia’s core inflation to stay flat in February Singapore retail sales to slip in January?   Shutterstock India’s economy not slowing anytime soon High-frequency activity indicators for the fourth quarter showed little sign of slowing in India, and as a result, we are looking for the year-on-year growth rate to come in at 4.0% or even higher. Substantial base effects make the interpretation of a single quarter’s data virtually impossible. But a figure of 4.0% in the fourth quarter will deliver a growth rate of 6.7% for India for the calendar year of 2022 and put it on course to achieve around 6.3% for the fiscal year that ends in March 2023. We anticipate another year of growth in the region of 6% in 2023 following a supportive budget which contains a big increase in capital investment in infrastructure. Inflation to remain resilient in Australia The end of 2022 was characterised by extensive flooding in some parts of Australia, and we would not be surprised to see this have some impact on the 4Q22 GDP numbers that are due on 1 March. Tighter monetary policy will likely exert a slight drag on the economy, especially from the more interest-sensitive parts of the economy, such as housing. We anticipate GDP growth of 0.5% quarter-on-quarter (2.5% year-on-year), which will still deliver a respectable 3.6% growth rate for the full year 2022. Australia also releases January CPI inflation data. The December figures provided a rude shock to those who thought that inflation had peaked, with the unprecedented 27% month-on-month increase in holiday prices the culmination of the economic re-opening colliding with seasonal holidays. We do anticipate some unwinding of that result, though there is likely to be plenty of residual strength in other parts of the CPI result to limit the decline in the inflation rate from 8.4% to 8.2%YoY (0.3%MoM). Trade, PMI, and industrial production data from Korea In Korea, we expect exports to deepen their contraction further in February mainly due to the sharp decline in semiconductor exports. Meanwhile, manufacturing PMI is expected to rise marginally on the back of the optimism surrounding China’s reopening, but remain below 50. Given sluggish exports in January, we expect January’s industrial production to decline but retail sales could rebound as severe weather may have boosted weather-related consumption. So, a weak start to the quarter will likely weigh on first quarter GDP, which could translate into a contraction.    PMI, jobless rate and Tokyo CPI from Japan With a relatively late reopening of the economy, Japan should continue to recover on the back of the government support programme. Thus, we believe that service PMI and hiring are expected to improve. However, January’s cold wave probably had a negative impact on manufacturing activity and consumption, thus we foresee a decline in the January industrial production numbers. Meanwhile, Tokyo CPI inflation is expected to come down quite sharply to a 3% level from the recent peak of 4.4% due to the government energy subsidy programme and base effects. China PMI data to be released next week In China, we expect manufacturing activity to pick up in February as factories resumed work after the long holiday. Services PMI however could dip to just above 50 after the spike in spending related to the holiday which was likely offset by an increase in financial and real estate services. Upcoming Taiwan manufacturing PMI In the coming week, Taiwan is set to release manufacturing PMI. We expect the numbers to move higher from 44.3 to 47.0 in February after the Chinese New Year. Export orders for semiconductors, however, were still in contraction, which is not a good sign for the prospects of manufacturing activity. Indonesia’s core inflation to stay flat in February Headline inflation in Indonesia could tick higher to 5.4%YoY but the core inflation reading is expected to remain flat in February. Bank Indonesia (BI) cited slowing inflation as one of the main reasons for pausing at its most recent policy meeting. Price pressures have eased somewhat but BI might refrain from cutting policy rates until we see a more pronounced slide in core inflation. Singapore retail sales to slip in January? Retail sales in Singapore are expected to post a modest contraction in January after a surprise gain in December 2022. The implementation of the latest round of goods and services tax may have had a negative impact, although solid department store sales may have provided a boost to overall retail sales. Key events in Asia next week Refinitiv, ING TagsEmerging Markets Asia week ahead Asia Markets Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Even Slower Overall Growth In 2023 Than Was Seen Last Year Is Expected

    Okun’s Law - Relationship Between Unemployment And Economic Growth

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 25.02.2023 18:54
    Okun's law is an observed relationship between a country's GDP (or GNP) and employment levels. Definition Macroeconomic relationship between unemployment and economic growth. According to this law, for every 2% decrease in real GDP relative to potential GDP, the unemployment rate increases by 1 percentage point. This means that unemployment, exceeding a certain threshold, has a negative impact on GDP, reducing the possibilities of potential production. Genesis The most severe consequence of any recession is an increase in the unemployment rate. When production falls, enterprises need less labor, so they stop recruiting new employees and reduce existing employment. It turns out that unemployment during the business cycle follows production. This significant interdependence of production and unemployment discovered by Arthur Okun is called Okun's law. The basic conclusions and premises in macroeconomic policy from Okun's law is the observation of GDP: real GDP must grow at the same rate as potential GDP to prevent unemployment from rising, in a sense, GDP must maintain its momentum for unemployment to remain constant, In order to reduce the unemployment rate, real GDP must grow faster than potential GDP. Okun's Law thus provides the key to understanding the relationship between the product market and the labor market. It describes the relationship between short-term changes in real GDP and changes in unemployment. Variability of Okun's law Okun's law is not a result obtained from theory. This law is based on observations and empirical results. The obtained results are only an approximation, because in addition to unemployment, other factors are also taken into account, i.e. technology or productivity. Despite the relationship between economic growth and unemployment shown by A. Okun, this relationship may be different for each country depending on the time of the study (A. Salomon, p. 16). Therefore, Okun's rule can be presented in various formulas: difference version, gap version, dynamic version, production-function version In 1993, Martin Prachowny estimated that for every 1% increase in unemployment, there is about a 3% decrease in output. He believed, however, that most of the change in production that occurs is due to changes in factors other than unemployment. Is Okun's law true? While Okun's law has proven true at certain times in history, there have also been conditions where it has not been true. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City conducted a 2007 review of Okun's law by looking at quarterly changes in unemployment and comparing this data to quarterly growth in real product. According to their findings, Okun's law was largely accurate, although there were many periods of instability where unemployment did not change as predicted by the formula. The study found that "Okun's law is not an exact relationship" but "predicts that slowing growth tends to coincide with rising unemployment." The review found a negative correlation between quarterly changes in employment and productivity, although the ratio of this relationship tended to fluctuate. In other studies, Okun's law worked out better than the researchers expected. Although early GDP data suggested that the Great Recession was a departure from Okun's law, later revisions of this data largely confirmed the law's predictions. Example The years 1979-1982 were a period of economic stagnation. During this period, there was no real GDP growth as opposed to potential GDP, which had a growth rate of over 3% per year. How has this affected the unemployment rate? Recall that for every 2% of GDP shortfall in relation to the potential level, 1 percentage point is added to the unemployment rate; a 9% shortfall in GDP should lead to an increase in the unemployment rate by 4.5 percentage points. Starting with an unemployment rate of 5.8% in 1979, according to Okun's law, the projected unemployment rate in 1982 should be 10.3%. Official statistics recorded a slightly lower unemployment rate of 9.7% for 1982. This example shows how Okun's law can be applied to predict unemployment over the course of a business cycle. Source: Smith P., Beeg D., Ekonomia, Salomon A., Zatrudnienie i bezrobocie
    ECB cheat sheet: Difficult to pull away from the Fed

    EUR/USD Pair Has Maintained A Moderate Downward Trend

    Paolo Greco Paolo Greco 26.02.2023 12:29
    Long-term outlook. Throughout the current week, the EUR/USD currency pair has maintained a moderate downward trend. As we have repeatedly stated in recent weeks, we anticipate the European currency to decline because it has increased excessively over the last six months, as is seen in the above illustration. Everything is normal from the perspective of a correction against the downward trend, given that the trend itself lasted two years and that a correction must be made against it. It is time and an honor to know, but the growth of the euro was not driven by fundamental or macroeconomic issues, thus the correction is a correction. This week, the macroeconomic and fundamental backdrops were mostly absent. You may remember several speeches by Fed officials, a report on the US economy, or a report on inflation in the European Union, but we have mentioned before that the significance of these publications lies solely in their signboard. The second estimate included GDP and inflation. Unsurprisingly, the market did not respond particularly well to this data. Also, it did not adhere to the so-called "moderately hawkish" Fed policy. We think that the market is now dominated by technical factors. Because the pair successfully passed the Kijun-sen line on the 24-hour TF and now has a strong probability of consolidating itself below the Ichimoku cloud, we think the fall may continue up to the levels of 1.0312 or 1.0200. In reality, the euro can achieve price parity and distance itself from its multi-year lows by doing just that. The betting component is still, in our opinion, crucial. The Fed is not going to ease down and occasionally gives hints of a more significant rate hike than anticipated. The euro is overbought at this time. The hikes that were previously known have been determined by the market, and the ECB has not yet indicated that it will tighten monetary policy further. It appears that the euro is falling and has a very good chance of continuing to move south. COT Technical difficulties prevented the delivery of COT reports for over a month, but on Friday, one of the delayed reports for January 31 was made available. Since a month has gone by since then and we still don't have access to the data from the subsequent reports, which are more or less relevant, this report is not meaningful. As a result, we keep looking at the available data. The illustration accurately reflected market conditions for the euro currency during the past few months. The aforementioned illustration makes it very evident that, from the start of September, the net position of significant players (the second indicator) has been improving. At about the same time, the value of the euro started to increase. Although the net position of non-commercial traders is currently "bullish" and growing virtually weekly, it is the relatively high value of the "net position" that now permits the upward trend's impending end. The first indicator, which frequently occurs before the trend's end and shows that the red and green lines are very far apart from one another, signals this. Although the euro has already begun to decline, it is still unclear if this is just a brief pullback or the start of a new downward trend. The number of buy-contracts from the non-commercial group increased by 9.0 thousand during the most recent reporting week, while the number of short positions declined by 7.1 thousand. The net position thus increased by 16.1 thousand contracts. Currently, there are 148 thousand more buy contracts than sell contracts for non-commercial traders. Nonetheless, the correction has been developing for a while, so it is obvious even without news that the pair should keep falling. Analysis of fundamental events In addition to the aforementioned activities, business activity indices in various industries were released in the United States and the European Union, while in Germany, an inflation report revealed an acceleration in consumer price growth. Again, there was essentially no response to these figures; nevertheless, it should be emphasized that business activity in the service sectors improved while output declined. Regarding the German inflation news, Jerome Powell and a few other central bankers specifically discussed it. After this process was finished, the price of oil and gas, which has been declining for the previous six months, either started to rise or stopped falling. Consequently, it is safe to divide into two all pessimistic predictions for the return of inflation to 2% during the next year or two. To combat excessive rates of price growth, central banks will have to continue their efforts rather than simply lowering the rate and waiting. As a result, we anticipate seeing plenty of financial surprises this year that will have an impact on how the pair moves. Trading strategy for the week of February 27 to March 3: 1) The pair started moving lower on the 24-hour period, surpassing the Kijun-sen line and the 38.2% Fibonacci level, or 1.0609. As a result, targets in the range of 1.0200-1.0300 can still be reached if the Senkou Span B line does not halt the descent. Sales, in our opinion, are currently appropriate. 2) The purchases of the euro/dollar pair are no longer significant. You should now wait for the price to return above the critical Ichimoku indicator lines before you start to think about long positions. There are currently no circumstances in which the euro currency can start moving higher again. But, in the present world, anything can happen at any time. Explanations for the illustrations Fibonacci levels, which serve as targets for the beginning of purchases or sales, and price levels of support and resistance (resistance/support). Take Profit levels may be positioned close by. Bollinger Bands, MACD, and Ichimoku indicators (standard settings) The net position size of each trading category is represented by indicator 1 on the COT charts. The net position size for the "Non-commercial" category is shown by indicator 2 on the COT charts.   Relevance up to 09:00 2023-02-27 UTC+1 This information is provided to retail and professional clients as part of marketing communication. It does not contain and should not be construed as containing investment advice or investment recommendation or an offer or solicitation to engage in any transaction or strategy in financial instruments. Past performance is not a guarantee or prediction of future performance. Instant Trading EU Ltd. makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, or any loss arising from any investment based on analysis, forecast or other information provided by an employee of the Company or otherwise. Full disclaimer is available here. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/336091
    RBA Pauses Rates, Australian Dollar Slides 1.3% on Economic Concerns; ISM Manufacturing PMI Expected to Remain Negative

    The Australian And Canadian Economies Are Expected A Significant Decline In GDP

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 26.02.2023 18:27
    The coming week will be full of important data. Australia and Canada will share their economic growth (GDP) reports. Australia GDP Australia's Q4 GDP is scheduled for next week and will provide the latest information on the health of the economy and whether the central bank's tightening cycle will have a further impact on growth. As a reminder, earlier GDP figures were weaker than expected in Q3 as Q/Q growth slowed to 0.6% vs. 0.7% (previously 0.9%), and the y/y ratio also failed to meet expectations, but accelerated compared to Q2, increasing by 5.9% vs. 6.2% (previously 3.6%). Growth remained driven by household spending, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics also seeing strong wage growth and a rebound in housing construction, while the annual growth rate was supported by a lower base given that the economy contracted a year earlier due to the COVID-19. These base effects are also likely to be a factor in the upcoming GDP data. NAB expects a GDP print of 0.9% q/q (2.8% y/y) in Q4 2022. This partly reflects the ongoing recovery in services spending. Source: investing.com Partial data on housing investment shows a slight increase in new buildings, but a large decrease in renovations. The nominal value of business investment appears to have declined, with a weak performance in non-renewable and engineering construction. However, data on capital expenditures on buildings and structures suggest a better result. Growth is expected to slow sharply from then on, driven by flat or negative consumption figures in the second half of 2023 as the full impact of higher interest rates and inflation wears off. Impact on RBA This publication is unlikely to affect the path of monetary policy in the near term, with the RBA already signaling further gains in the coming months. Indeed, the national accounts price and wage measures are likely to confirm widespread inflationary pressures in the economy. Ultimately, the RBA signaled that there would be further gains in the coming months based on the forward-looking reaction function and their latest set of forecasts. That said, a slowdown in growth is likely to be the first sign that the economy is cooling in response to interest rate hikes as global inflation slows down. Canada's GDP The Canadian economy is already performing better than expected despite high interest rates, ongoing supply chain disruptions and long-standing fears of a recession. Inflation is weakening. Job creation is at near record levels. The unemployment rate remains at its lowest level in four decades. Consumer spending is solid. And we may have seen an interest rate peak, thanks to the continuing fall in inflation that higher rates are supposed to curb. Canada's monthly GDP change is expected to hold at 0.1%. The quarterly GDP reading is forecast to drop significantly from 2.9% to 1.5%. Source: investing.com The BoC still predicts a mild recession this year and warned last week that the first three quarters of 2023 will see near-zero economic growth. Unemployment is expected to rise from the current 5 percent to around 6.7 percent this year, easing inflationary wage pressures. The BoC hopes that a tight labor market will enable employers to control wage costs with redundancies instead of redundancies. Source: investing.com
    Stolen Goods End Up On Amazon, Ebay And Facebook Marketplace

    Stolen Goods End Up On Amazon, Ebay And Facebook Marketplace

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 26.02.2023 18:29
    The Internet offers many possibilities. Also, people who want to run illegal activities have an ideal place to do so. In this article: Warren Buffett and his annual letter Ease of selling stolen items Latin America Warren Buffett and his annual letter In his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders, the 92-year-old Buffett urged investors to focus on the big picture over the long term, rather than higher inflation and other factors. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett signaled on Saturday that he has not lost lasting confidence in the US economy and his company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Buffett called 2022 a "good year" for Berkshire, with many of its strongest companies holding up to the pressures of heightened inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain disruptions. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett in his annual letter to shareholders urged investors to focus on the big picture over the long term, and pushed back on critics of stock buybacks. Read more https://t.co/SdVLJpK7wY pic.twitter.com/iAllyjuGFD — Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) February 26, 2023 Read next: Forex Weekly Summary: EUR/USD Ended The Week Below 1.06 And GBP/USD Below 1.20, USD/JPY Ended The Week Higher Above 136.00| FXMAG.COM Ease of selling stolen items Over the past year, large-scale robberies have occurred at stores such as Louis Vuitton in San Francisco's Union Square and at nearby Nordstrom, which was robbed by 80 people. Law enforcement and retailers are warning the public that this is not traditional shoplifting. What they see is rather theft organized by criminal networks. Retailers say $68.9 billion worth of products were stolen in 2019. In 2020, three-quarters reported an increase in organized crime, and more than half reported cargo theft. Some major chains blame organized theft for recent store closures or their decisions to reduce opening hours. Amazon, eBay and Facebook are where these stolen goods are sold, with critics saying they are not doing enough to put an end to the business. The companies disagree. For example, Amazon says it has spent over $900 million and hired over 12,000 people in 2021 to prevent fraud and abuse. The company also says it requests "proofs of origin" when it has concerns about how products are sourced and works with authorities to eliminate illegal activity. Getting started selling on Facebook Marketplace is relatively simple. Although it is against its policy to sell stolen goods, Meta typically does not require proof of identity other than a basic name and a verifiable email address or phone number needed to open a Facebook account. How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace? Watch the video to learn more and what the online marketplaces are doing to stop the sale of stolen products. https://t.co/oKgoSe6UJ4 pic.twitter.com/sC975Kpsdf — CNBC (@CNBC) February 26, 2023 Latin America Latin American economies performed well last year despite the upheavals caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and global interest rate hikes. In 2022, the region's economy grew by nearly 4%. Despite this encouraging news on economic growth and inflation, 2023 is likely to be a challenging year for the region. Growth this year is expected to slow to just 2 percent, with higher interest rates and falling commodity prices. Latin America's economy expanded by nearly 4% in 2022, employment recovered strongly, and the service sector rebounded from the damage caused by the pandemic. More on #IMFBlog: https://t.co/iFCzzU0810 pic.twitter.com/OWf2T8Qvh7 — IMF (@IMFNews) February 26, 2023
    Australian dollar against US dollar - "It seems that the currency will soon hit a price above 0.68"

    More Downside In The Aussie Pair (AUD/USD) Looks Favored

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 27.02.2023 08:35
    AUD/USD has refreshed its seven-week low at 0.6700 amid geopolitical tensions and rising hawkish Fed bets. The USD Index has refreshed its day’s high above 104.90 and is expected to recapture the 105.00 resistance. A higher-than-projected Australia GDP will accelerate troubles for the RBA. The AUD/USD pair has refreshed its seven-week low near the round-level support of 0.6700. More downside in the Aussie asset looks favored as investors are channelizing their funds into the US Dollar Index (DXY). Investors are favoring investment in the USD Index to dodge volatility inspired by a revival in consumer spending in the United States and escalating geopolitical tensions. The USD Index has refreshed its day’s high above 104.90 and is expected to recapture the 105.00 resistance. Western nations are still concerned about the rumors of China’s support to Russia in providing arms and ammunition against Ukraine. United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” China’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine puts it in an “awkward” position internationally and any weapons support to Russia would come with “real costs.” Risk-perceived assets like S&P500 futures are facing heat of the geopolitical tensions. The 500-stocks futures basket has surrendered the majority of gains earned in morning, portraying further strengthening of the risk-aversion theme. Meanwhile, the return generated on 10-year US Treasury yields is hovering around 3.94%. Higher-than-projected US consumer spending in January has highlighted the fact that the battle between the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the sticky inflation is getting brawled further. Fed chair Jerome Powell has been left with no other option than to tap hawkish measures to bring down the stubborn inflation. Read next: The Effect Of Shifting The Aggregate Demand Curve - Demand Shocks| FXMAG.COM On the Australia front, recession fears are escalating as inflation is not showing signs of deceleration, which is bolstering the case of further policy tightening by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). This week, Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Q4) numbers will be keenly watched. The quarter GDP is seen higher at 0.9% vs. the former release of 0.6%. This might create more troubles for RBA Governor Philip Lowe as higher activities will favor further hikes.  
    The Indian Rupee Pair Takes Clues From The Receding Fears Of Hawkish Fed Rate Moves

    The Indian Rupee Will Display A Power-Pack Action After The Release Of The Q3 GDP Data

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 28.02.2023 08:32
    USD/INR has shifted its range below 82.70 amid an overnight correction in the USD Index. The Indian Rupee will display a power-pack action after the release of the Q3 GDP data. S&P500 futures have further added gains after a modest positive Monday, portraying ease in the risk-off mood. The USD/INR pair has shifted its business below 82.70 in the Asian session led by an overnight sell-off in the US Dollar Index (DXY). The asset has slipped as investors have ignored clouds of uncertainty associated with accelerating consumer spending in the United States amid an upbeat labor market. US tight labor market has shifted the bargaining power in the favor of job seekers from the hiring agencies amid a shortage of labor. This has flushed significant liquidity in the palms of households for disposal, which is fueling retail demand efficiently. No doubt, the fears of more rates by the Federal Reserve (Fed) are skyrocketing. But for now, the risk-off profile has eased gradually. S&P500 futures have further added gains after a modest positive Monday session, portraying an improvement in the risk appetite of the market participants. The alpha generated on 10-year US treasury bonds has turned lackluster around 3.92%. Meanwhile, the Indian Rupee will display a power-pack action after the release of the Q3 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for FY2022-23. The Indian economy showed double-digit growth in Q1 as helicopter money released by the Indian administration and expansionary monetary policy by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was spurting overall growth. In the second quarter, GDP started moderating and trimmed to 6.3% as the administration started contracting liquidity to bring down galloping inflation. The RBI projected the real GDP growth for 2022-23 at 6.8% and for the third quarter at 4.4%. On the oil front, the oil price has recovered to near $75.80 as the economy is betting on China’s reopening after a prolonged lockdown to contain the pandemic. It is worth noting that India is one of the leading importers of oil in the world and higher oil prices can impact the Indian rupee.  
    Spanish economy picks up sharply in February

    Spanish headline and core inflation rise again

    ING Economics ING Economics 28.02.2023 10:19
    Spanish inflation rose for the second consecutive month in February. Core inflation also continues to rise. Although we expect a decline in the coming months, this shows that underlying price pressures in the economy are still very strong Madrid, Spain. We expect Spanish economic growth to fall to 0.8% in 2024 Headline and core inflation continue to rise in February After rising slightly in January, inflation also rose in February to 6.1% from 5.9% last month. Harmonised inflation followed the same move to 6.1% from 5.9% in January. Core inflation reached 7.7% in February from 7.5% last month. Core inflation has now risen continuously for 22 consecutive months. According to the National Institute of Statistics, this recent development can be attributed to the rise in electricity prices this month, as opposed to the decline seen in February last year. Moreover, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased more than in February last year. On the other hand, some factors also put downward pressure on inflation. Prices of fuels and lubricants decreased, in contrast to the increase in February last year. Combined passenger transport prices also remained stable compared to last year. Spanish inflation likely to lag ECB target until second half of 2024 Headline inflation is expected to ease in the coming months due to lower energy prices, but this process will be slow. Inflation is fueled by food prices and persistently high core inflation. Companies selling price expectations remain high. Any rise in production costs is only slowly being passed on in higher sales prices, leaving further price increases in the pipeline. The resilient eurozone economy also makes it easier for companies to implement new price increases, which contributes to the persistence of high core inflation. Although the pace and magnitude of the decline in inflation remain highly uncertain and depend on highly volatile energy prices, we expect Spanish inflation to be around 4.3% for the full year 2023, reaching 2.7% by the end of the year. It will probably take until the second half of 2024 for headline inflation to return to the ECB's 2% target. Extra interest rate hikes will hamper economic recovery As we expect the ECB to raise interest rates further in the coming months, economic growth will be hampered, especially in interest rate-sensitive sectors such as real estate and business investment. The monetary tightening is to some extent compensated by the sharp fall in energy prices, supporting consumption. Therefore, we still expect growth of 1.3% in 2023, but as the full impact of interest rate hikes will not be felt until 2024, Spanish economic growth is expected to fall to 0.8% in 2024. Read this article on THINK TagsSpain Inflation GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Any Upside Momentum For AUD/USD Is Likely To Remain Capped At Monday’s High

    Whether The RBA Will Be Able To Avoid A Recession?

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 28.02.2023 14:46
    The Australian dollar remains under pressure and has edged lower on Tuesday. AUD/USD dropped below the 0.67 line on Monday for the first time since Jan. 3. Australian retail sales bounce back Australian retail sales jumped 1.9% m/m in January, following an upwardly revised 4% decline in December and beating the consensus of 1.5%. The data indicates that consumer demand remains resilient despite rising interest rates and higher inflation. For the RBA, the upswing in consumer spending is a sign that the economy can continue to bear higher rates. The central bank has hiked some 325 basis points since May 2022 in a bid to curb inflation. The cash rate is currently at 3.35% and the markets have priced in a peak rate of 4.3%, with four rate hikes expected before the end of the year – one more than what is expected for the Fed. The RBA meets on March 7 and is widely expected to raise rates by 25 basis points. Wednesday could be a busy day for the Australian dollar, as Australia releases inflation and GDP reports. Inflation for January is expected to ease to 7.9% y/y, following an 8.4% gain in December. GDP for the fourth quarter is projected to slow to 2.7% y/y, after a robust gain of 5.9% in Q3. A decline in inflation and in GDP would indicate that high interest rates are having their intended effect and slowing economic activity. The question is whether the RBA will be able to guide the slowing economy to a soft landing and avoid a recession. In the US, a recent string of strong numbers has raised speculation that the Fed could raise interest rates as high as 6%. The unseasonably warm weather in January may have played a part in the better-than-expected numbers and we’ll have to see if the positive data repeats itself in February. The markets have shifted their stance from a final rate hike in March with rate cuts late in the year to pricing in three more rate hikes in 2023. If upcoming inflation, employment and consumer spending reports point to a weaker economy, we can expect the markets to revert to pricing in a dovish pivot by the Federal Reserve.   AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD has support at 0.6656 and 0.6586 There is resistance at 0.6788 and 0.6858 This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    The Bank Of Canada Paused Rates Hiking, The ADP Employment Report Had A 242K Increase In Jobs

    There Is A Strong Chance Of The Canadian Economy Tipping Into A Recession By Mid-2023

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 28.02.2023 14:57
    Canadian GDP expected to slow in Q4 It’s a very light data calendar for Canadian releases this week, with today’s GDP report the sole tier-1 event. Canada’s economy is expected to slow to 1.5% y/y in the fourth quarter, following a solid 2.9% gain in Q3. A slowdown in economic activity is what the Bank of Canada is looking for, as inflation remains public enemy number one.  CPI is moving in the right direction as it fell to 5.9% in January, down from 6.3% in December. The BoC is optimistic that the downturn will continue, with a forecast that inflation will fall to 3% by mid-2023 and hit the 2% target by the end of the year. The BoC will have to tread carefully in this tricky economic landscape. The economy is cooling and while inflation is easing, it remains much higher than the 2% target and will require additional rate hikes which will make a soft landing a difficult endeavour. If growth continues to weaken in 2023, there is a strong chance of the economy tipping into a recession by mid-2023. The Bank meets next on March 8 and the markets are expecting a 0.25% hike for the second straight time. The Bank would like to take a pause in its tightening cycle but this will require a substantial drop in inflation. In the US, strong employment and consumer data and stubborn inflation have supported the Fed’s hawkish stance and there is talk of the Fed raising rates as high as 6%. It was only a few weeks ago that the markets were talking about a ‘one and done’ rate hike in March, followed by a long pause and perhaps some cuts by year’s end. This has all changed as the US economy has proven to be surprisingly resilient, despite rising rates and high inflation. The markets are currently pricing in three more rate hikes this year, but that could change in a hurry if key releases in February show that the economy is slowing down.   USD/CAD Technical There is resistance at 1.3701 and 1.3794 1.3570 is under strong pressure in support. 1.3478 is the next support line This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Asia Morning Bites 13 March 2023

    Asia Morning Bites 1 March 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.03.2023 08:28
    Australia's GDP and inflation both come in below expectations. Upcoming, China and other Asian PMI reports and Indonesia's inflation  - a busy day in Asia Source: shutterstock Global Macro and Markets Global Markets: Further uncertainty plagued equity markets yesterday. Both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ did trade up during the session but failed to hold on to gains and both ended slightly down from the previous day’s close. Chinese equities were mixed, with the Hang Seng making a 0.79% decline, while the CSI 300 pushed up 0.63%. US Treasury yields reversed the previous day's declines and the 2Y yield rose 3.8bp, while the 10Y was basically unchanged at 3.92%, though was as high as 3.98% at one stage. The USD is a bit stronger than this time yesterday, trading at 1.0578 against the EUR currently, though it was also a choppy session, and it rose above 1.064 before retreating. The AUD has also been very choppy, but currently is a bit down on this time yesterday, at 0.6732, and it is a similar story for most of the G-10 currencies. Big on volatility, but low on direction. That just about sums up the Asian FX group, where, with the exception of the THB, which lost 0.69% yesterday, and the PHP, which gained 0.36%, most of the other currencies lie pretty close to where they were a day ago. G-7 Macro: Disappointing French and Spanish inflation data yesterday has encouraged thoughts of a 4% refi rate from the ECB and we get some additional German CPI inflation numbers today that could cement these thoughts. US Conference Board data showed confidence weakening from the previous month. The manufacturing ISM index later today is a timely reminder that payrolls is looming, though due to the shortness of the last month, will not be released until next Friday. Considering what payrolls did to markets last month, it is no wonder markets are a bit jittery. Australia: 4Q22 GDP came in a lot weaker than had been expected rising just 0.5%QoQ, though thanks to upwards revisions to previous data, the year-on-year rate managed 2.7% as expected. We have also had January 2023 CPI inflation data. And that too came in softer than expected, at 7.4%YoY, after last month's surprise surge to 8.4%.  India: India delivered 4.4% YoY growth in 4Q22, which equates to a 6.7% YoY growth rate for 2022 as a whole. The release also shows growth momentum remaining strong as India heads into 2023, and we anticipate another 6%+ growth figure this year. China: Official PMI data for February help fill the data vacuum of the Lunar New Year period until we get the next hard data releases in a couple of weeks. We are expecting the PMIs to support a view of a modest recovery in February after a stronger January.   Indonesia:  Inflation is set for release today.  The market consensus points to inflation ticking higher to 5.4%YoY (from 5.3%) although core inflation could inch lower to 3.2% (from 3.3%).  Bank Indonesia recently declared victory in the inflation fight, keeping policy rates untouched at the last policy meeting.  With BI indicating it would not be hiking rates anymore this year, the IDR is expected to come under additional depreciation pressure.  What to look out for: China manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI China PMI and Caixin PMI (1 March) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 March) US ISM (1 March) South Korea industrial production (2 March) Hong Kong retail sales (2 March) US initial jobless claims (2 March) Japan Tokyo CPI inflation and Jibun PMI services (3 March) China Caixin PMI services (3 March) Singapore retail sales (3 March) US ISM services (3 March) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia Morning Bites - 04.05.2023

    Australia: Growth and inflation both slow

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.03.2023 08:32
    A double whammy of slowing growth and moderating inflation, but it won't be enough to get the central bank to pause next week Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Philip Lowe 0.5% 4Q22 GDP growth QoQ sa Lower than expected 4Q22 GDP growth slows, and looks like it will slow further Despite some stronger private investment data earlier in the week, which led to the consensus of forecasters revising up their expectations for today's GDP release, the published growth figure actually came in quite a bit weaker than the 0.8% quarter-on-quarter expectation, growing only 0.5% from the previous three months.  Following some slightly softer monthly labour reports, is this finally conclusive evidence that the economy is slowing? It certainly looks that way.  Contribution to QoQ GDP Growth Source: CEIC, ING Consumer spending falling, inventories rising To work out what exactly is going on, we've calculated the contributions to quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted GDP growth broken down into some of its main constituents, to see what is weakening, and what is holding up better, and compared this over the last three quarters.  When you do this, you see that the total GDP growth rate has declined at a very steady pace over the last few quarters. Much of that decline can be laid at the feet of private consumption, the growth rate of which has dropped steadily over this period. Helping to pull the total down this quarter, net exports were also a drag.  Somewhat worryingly, the fourth quarter GDP growth total would have been closer to zero had it not been for some inventory building, some of which will probably prove to have been involuntary, and will reverse in the coming quarters.  So in short, it does look as if there is more to this than just some statistical noise, and we could be looking at a sub 0.5% QoQ figure for the first quarter. Inflation falls are broadly spread Source: CEIC, ING Inflation also fell sharply January inflation also dropped sharply following its surge higher in December, dropping to 7.4%, a full percentage point below the December figure.  We have performed a similar breakdown of the inflation numbers to see what is driving this result, and what we find is very different to the GDP numbers.  Whereas the GDP figures appear to have some obvious drivers for the latest weakness, this is much less apparent in inflation, where the contributions to inflation have remained very steady, but slightly weaker across a wide range of components. Even the reversal of the big surge in holiday prices, which helped lift the inflation rate in December, had a relatively modest impact on the inflation rate in January. The recreation sub-component which encompasses holiday travel dropped back 0.3pp in terms of its overall contribution to the inflation total. Accounting for the rest of the drop in today's inflation rate, were small declines across a wide range of items.  That actually sounds like a more solid slowdown in inflation than if it were just the result of, say, food price swings or gasoline costs for example. And indeed, the inflation rate excluding volatile items fell to 7.2% from 8.1%, suggesting that this was a fairly broad-based, though at this stage, modest, decline in core inflation.  Should the RBA take notice? Combined with the GDP numbers, these latest inflation figures may prompt thoughts of a different tack by the Reserve Bank of Australia, coming just a week before its next rate-setting meeting. However, we think this would be a bit premature. And financial markets seem to agree.  For one thing, the inflation rate, though sharply down, remains well above 7%, a rate that hardly indicates a pause is likely anytime soon. Moreover, today's drop in inflation, though broad-based, only reverses last month's spike, so we really aren't any better off yet, even if the signs for further declines are a little more promising. And finally, the RBA at its last rate-setting meeting provided very strong forward guidance that suggested inflation would not return to its 2-3% target range until 2025. This is a forecast we completely disagree with, but that is irrelevant to the fact that the RBA will want to maintain its hawkish credentials right up until the point that either the market calls its bluff or policymakers drop the pretence and admit things are going better than they had predicted.  Markets have scaled back their expectations for RBA tightening following today's figures, and the implied peak rate from cash rate futures in October has dropped back to  4.182% from 4.275% the day before. But markets are still pricing in a much greater than 50% chance of a rate hike next week, and after some initial weakness, the Australian dollar has shrugged off the data and has appreciated for most of the day.  Read this article on THINK TagsReserve Bank of Australia RBA rate policy Australian inflation Australian economy AUD Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Indian Rupee Pair Takes Clues From The Receding Fears Of Hawkish Fed Rate Moves

    The USD/INR Pair Is Prone To The Downside As The Risk-Of Impulse Has Faded

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 01.03.2023 08:46
    USD/INR has turned volatile as investors are discounting India’s weak GDP numbers. India’s Q3 GDP has slipped lower to 4.4% from 6.3% and 13.5% figures recorded in Q2 and Q1 respectively. Upbeat Caixin Manufacturing PMI has improved investors’ risk appetite. The USD/INR pair has shown a recovery move after dropping firmly to near 82.35 in the Asian session. The asset is displaying volatility as investors are discounting overnight sell-off in the US Dollar Index (DXY). The major is prone to the downside as the risk-off impulse has faded after the release of the upbeat Caixin Manufacturing PMI data. The US Dollar Index (DXY) has sensed support after printing a day low at 104.47. The corrective move in the USD Index is the outcome of disappearing fears of more rates announcement from the Federal Reserve (Fed). Meanwhile, the alpha generated on the US government bonds looks still solid. At the press time, the 10-year US Treasury yields are hovering around 3.94%. S&P500 futures are on the verge of shrugging their entire losses reported in the Asian session, portraying a meaningful rebound in the risk appetite of the market participants. A power-pack performance is expected from the USD Index amid the release of the United States ISM Manufacturing PMI data. According to the preliminary estimates, the economic data is seen at 48.0 from the former release of 47.4. Apart from that, the New Orders Index that conveys forward demand is expected to rebound to 43.7 from the prior figure of 42.5. The Indian Rupee remained in action on Tuesday over the release of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Q3 data. Restrictive monetary policy by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in wake of achieving price stability has resulted in a slowdown in economic activities. The Q3 GDP has dropped to 4.4% in which crude oil output has dropped firmly by 1.1% on an annual basis. In the Q2 and Q1, GDP was measured at 6.3% and 13.5% respectively.  
    Australian dollar against US dollar decreased amid weak China CPI data

    The Outlook For The AUD/USD Pair Looks Gloomy

    TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 01.03.2023 08:53
    AUD/USD is struggling to extend recovery above 0.6760, upside looks favored amid the risk-on impulse. Federal Reserve might turn more hawkish if US ISM Manufacturing PMI delivers a surprise jump. A sense of relief has been observed by the Reserve Bank of Australia as inflation has softened significantly. AUD/USD looks failing to turn bullish despite a responsive buying move amid an Inverted Flag formation. AUD/USD has stretched its V-shape recovery move above to near the 0.6760 resistance in the early European session. The Aussie asset witnessed a sell-off in the Asian session after the release of the downbeat Australian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a sheer decline in the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI). The downside bias in the Australian Dollar faded after the release of the upbeat Caixin Manufacturing PMI data, which infused fresh blood into the Aussie and resulted in a V-shape recovery. S&P500 futures have turned positive after recovering significant losses posted in the Tokyo session, portraying a sheer recovery in the risk appetite theme. The US Dollar Index (DXY) has refreshed its day low below 104.47 as investors have ignored the uncertainty associated with hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) bets. Also, the safe-haven assets are struggling to find a cushion as investors have underpinned the risk-on mood. Contrary to the positive market sentiment, the return offered on the 10-year US Treasury bonds looks still solid around 3.94%. RBA senses relief as Australian Inflation softens and GDP trims Investors dumped the Australian Dollar in the Asian session after the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported significantly lower monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures than anticipation. The monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) (Jan) dropped significantly to 7.4% from the expectations of 8.0% and the prior release of 8.4%. A mammoth decline in the inflation data is going to provide a big relief to Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) policymakers. The Reserve Bank of Australia has been making efforts in bringing down inflationary pressures by the continuation of policy tightening. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe has already pushed its Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 3.35% in order to tame the stubborn inflation. And, more rates must be in pipeline to achieve price stability sooner. Apart from the monthly CPI, Australian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Q4) has dropped to 0.5% from the consensus of 0.8% and Q3 figure of 0.6%. On an annualized basis, the GDP has remained in line with expectations at 2.7%. A decline in GDP numbers also showcases lower demand from households, which will trim inflation projections ahead as producers will be forced to scale down the prices of their offerings. Upbeat Caixin Manufacturing PMI strengthens the Australian Dollar It was widely anticipated that China’s manufacturing sector will outperform after the rollback of strict lockdown measures. Chinese administration and the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) are dedicated to spurring economic recovery by improving domestic demand. The IHS Markit reported the Caixin Manufacturing PMI data at 51.6, higher than the expectations of 50.2 and the former release of 49.2. Apart from that, China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Manufacturing PMI (Feb) landed higher at 52.6 vs. the consensus of 50.5 and the prior release of 50.1. The Services Manufacturing PMI exploded to 56.3 against 54.4 released in January while the street was anticipating a downbeat figure at 49.7. It is worth noting that Australia is the leading trading partner of China and a sharp recovery in the Chinese economy is also supportive of the Australian Dollar. ISM Manufacturing PMI- the next trigger for the US Dollar The street is awaiting the release of the United States Institute of Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing PMI data. As per the consensus, the economic data is seen at 48.0 from the former release of 47.4. Apart from that, the New Orders Index that conveys forward demand is expected to rebound to 43.7 from the prior figure of 42.5. It is worth noting that the Manufacturing PMI is in a contraction phase consecutively for the past three months. A figure below 50.0 is considered as a contraction in the extent of activities. Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to keenly watch the PMI figures as a surprise upside could strengthen the expectations of more hikes ahead. AUD/USD technical outlook Despite a responsive buying action near the round-level support of 0.6700, the outlook for AUD/USD looks gloomy as the asset is forming an Inverted Flag chart pattern. The chart pattern indicates a sheer consolidation that is followed by a breakdown. Usually, the consolidation phase of the chart pattern serves as an inventory adjustment in which those participants initiate shorts, which prefer to enter an auction after the establishment of a bearish bias. The 100-period Exponential Moving Average (EMA) around 0.6760 is acting as a barricade for the Aussie bulls. Also, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14) is oscillating in the 40.00-60.00 range, indicating a consolidation ahead
    The RBA Is Expected To Raise Rates By 25bp Next Week

    The RBA Is Expected To Raise Rates By 25bp Next Week

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 01.03.2023 14:17
    The Australian dollar is showing strong gains for the first time in a week. AUD/USD is trading at 0.6764 in Europe, up 0.53%. Australia’s inflation eases Australia’s inflation fell to 7.4% in January, down from 8.4% in December and below the estimate of 8.0%. Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said that he was “cautiously hopeful” that inflation has peaked, but inflation still remained the economy’s biggest challenge. The GDP report was not as positive, with a gain of 0.5% q/q in Q4, below the Q3 gain of 0.7% and the forecast of 0.8%. On an annualized basis, GDP slowed to 2.7% in Q4, down sharply from 5.9% in the third quarter. The RBA’s rate-hike cycle has slowed economic activity and is responsible for the drop in inflation as well as the soft GDP. The central bank will have to consider how aggressive it should be with regard to future rate increases. Inflation needs to come down much further, but further rate hikes raise the risk of the economy tipping into a recession. The RBA is expected to raise rates by 25 basis points next week but may pause at the April meeting if the data, particularly inflation, allows the Bank to take to a breather. The Aussie received a boost today from strong Chinese PMIs. Manufacturing and Non-manufacturing PMIs improved in February and beat expectations, with readings of 52.6 and 56.3, respectively. A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion. China is Australia’s largest trading partner and a stronger Chinese economy means greater demand for Australian exports, which is bullish for the Australian dollar. China’s transition from zero-Covid to reopening the economy has gone well so far and a rebound in China is important not just for China and the region but for the global economy as well. Read next: Euro Is Rising, USD/JPY Falls Below 136.00, The Aussie Pair Also Gains| FXMAG.COM AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD has support at 0.6656 and 0.6586 There is resistance at 0.6788 and 0.6858 This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.  
    Inflation in Singapore heats up again in April

    Singapore: Retail sales unexpectedly contract in January

    ING Economics ING Economics 03.03.2023 09:07
    A downside surprise in January retail sales highlights a challenging year ahead for Singapore Retail sales in Singapore fell much more than expected in January -0.8% January YoY growth   Lower than expected Retail sales down by -0.8% year-on-year Retail sales posted a surprise contraction in January, a significant downside surprise as the market consensus pointed to a 4.9% year-on-year gain. The implementation of the latest round of the goods and services tax (GST) and elevated inflation may have slowed sales substantially with sales down 0.8%YoY and down 9.4% from the previous month.  Department store sales (4.6%YoY), food and alcohol (36.3%YoY), apparel (23.7%YoY) and recreational goods (9.7%) were bright spots, but sales at supermarkets and minimarts continued to slide.  The sustained influx of overseas visitors is likely giving retail sales a boost but this appears to have not been enough to offset the negative impact of surging prices. Big miss for retail sales in January Source: Singapore Department of Statistics Downside surprise highlights challenges to growth outlook The big miss on January retail sales highlights some of the challenges to Singapore’s growth outlook this year. Retail sales had been a bright spot of late but it now joins non-oil domestic exports in contraction territory. Slowing retail sales and downbeat exports are two factors that inform our 2.4%YoY growth forecast for this year.  The reopening of China however could be a potential positive for Singapore should this translate to increased trade activity and also bolster tourist arrivals further.  Read this article on THINK TagsSingapore retail sales Singapore GDP Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Gold's Hedge Appeal Shines Amid Economic Uncertainty and Fed's Soft-Landing Challenge

    The Chinese National Committee Annual Sessions: What to expect?

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 03.03.2023 11:37
    Summary:  China is holding the Two Sessions starting this weekend. Investors will watch closely the Government Work Report delivered on 5 March, in which the focus will be on the GDP growth target of 2023. Expectations are for something between 5% and 5.5%. The Two Sessions will also decide on the 2023 fiscal budget and bond financing quotas. Much interest will also be in the decisions on leadership reshuffle at the State Council, ministerial offices, and regulatory bodies as well as reform of state institutions The GDP growth target is likely to come between 5% and 5.5% China is holding the national committee annual sessions of the National People’s Congress ("NPC") and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference ("CPPCC"), which together are known as the “Two Sessions, this weekend. The National People’s Congress meeting will start on 5 March and the outgoing Premier Li will deliver his last Annual Government Work Report on the first day of the meeting. The market’s focus will be on the GDP growth target for 2023 contained in the report. The weighted average of provincial GDP targets released was around 5.6% and it is quite typical for the national target to be set at 0.5% below the provincial average. Therefore, economists are expecting a national target most likely to be set at “above 5%” or “around 5.5%”, higher than the actual GDP growth rate of 3% in 2022 but much lower than the average growth rate of 7.3% during the 10 years preceding the pandemic from 2010 to 2019. Investors will also pay attention to the fiscal deficit target and quota for bond financing. In addition, investors will pay close attention to the leadership reshuffle at the State Council and other top government bodies. It is widely expected that Li Qiang will be the new Premier and He Lifeng will be one of the Vice Premiers and given the portfolio of economic and financial affairs. Fiscal budget deficits and bond financing quotas are likely to be moderate The Annual Government Work Report presented for the NPC’s deliberation will include the government budget for 2023 and the quota of government bond financing. Economists in general are expecting China’s fiscal deficit target to rise to 3%-3.2% of GDP or around RMB 4 trillion in 2023 from the around 2.8% target (actual 4.7%) last year. The Annual Government Work Report will propose quotas for the issuance of central government general bonds and local government general bonds. Expectations are the quotas will be moderately but not a lot higher than RMB2.65 trillion and RMB 0.72 trillion in 2022. Stimulus policies may be measured As the fiscal budget deficits are likely to be constrained, fiscal spending to stimulate the economy will also be measured. With a still sluggish property market, local governments’ budgetary conditions are dire in the absence of land sale revenues. Policies aiming at encouraging household consumption will be an important feature of China’s attempt to boost the economy in 2023. Investors however will continue to watch closely for indications from the NPC for any new initiatives to expand infrastructure construction and in what industries. Infrastructure spending will remain, after consumption, a key driver for growth this year. The monetary stimulus may be oriented to structurally support China’s industrial policies and ensure stability in key sectors of the economy rather than injecting liquidity into the economy en masse. China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, said in its Q4 Report on the Execution of Monetary Policy released recently that the primary objective of countercyclical monetary policy was to smooth the volatility in aggregate demand so as to avoid the destructive effects of excessive fluctuations of aggregate demand on the factors of production and the wealth of the society. The report emphasizes that the force of monetary policy must be stable and not bring about excessive liquidity that induces excessive investment, a surge in debts, and asset bubbles. In support of the real economy, the Q4 Report emphasizes stability and sustainability of credit growth but omits the stronger wording of “more forceful” and “increases of credit support” that were in the Q3 Report. Reform of the state institutions to deepen the Party’s leadership The second plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Central Committee (the “Second Plenary Session”) that took place between 26 and 28 February discussed and adopted a draft plan for the reform of party and state institutions. Part of the draft plan, believed to be the portion of the plan that is about state institutions, will be presented to the NPC for deliberation and adoption. The last reform to the state institution was in 2018 and has made extensive changes to the organization of the State Council, ministerial institutions, and the governance structure. The readout of the Second Plenary Session emphasizes the need to deepen institutional reform in key areas of state institutions and optimize the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership in the institutional setup, the division of functions, and governance.  Market chatters are focusing on a potential shakeup of the regulatory, organization, and leadership in the financial system of China. For example, according to media reports, the top regulatory authority over the financial system may be transferred to a re-established Central Financial Work Commission, which would be led by Ding Xuexiang, a CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee member while the State Council’s Financial Stability and Development Committee under Vice Premier Liu He may be abolished. He Lifund, a Politburo member is reportedly to be appointed Vice Premier and concurrently party secretary of the People’s Bank of China. Reforming governance of SOEs On top of an ideological preference for ensuring a strong state-own sector in the economy, China has been increasingly relying on SOEs to implement its industrial policies, including but not limited to developing strategic industries in technology, infrastructure, energy, and materials, which are key to the internal circulation and self-reliance notions of the new development pattern. Besides the reform of ministerial departments and regulatory bodies, China may at the Two Sessions pursue to further reform in the governance of state-owned enterprises (“SOE”). Since 2013, the role of the CCP, through party committees established within SOE, has been strengthening. Party committees have pre-decision powers over the “three importants” and “one large” decisions including important decisions in strategies, appointments, and projects as well as large-scale capital decisions. Party secretaries are often the chairmen of the board at the SOEs. The SOE Reform Three-year Action Plan (2020-2022) rolled out in September 2020 took the implementation of this approach into high gear. As the Action Plan came to an end in 2022, the NPC will set out some directions for further reform of the governance of SOEs including further strengthening party leadership at the call from the Second Plenary Session. The Two Sessions are likely to conclude by 11 March After the delivery of the Annual Government Report on 5 March, the NPC will continue to convene to discuss and approve the Annual Government Report, personnel reshuffles, reform of state institutions, and relevant laws and rules through the week of 6 March. The announcement of the personnel changes will come during the week. The CPPCC may conclude next Friday 10 March and followed by the NPC on Saturday 11 March but these dates are not preannounced and are still fluid.  Source: China Update: a preview of the Two Sessions commencing this weekend | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    Spanish economy picks up sharply in February

    Spanish economy picks up sharply in February

    ING Economics ING Economics 03.03.2023 12:13
    In February, Spain's service sector experienced a significant pick-up in activity, while the manufacturing sector recorded growth for the first time since June 2022. However, the downside of this is that inflation will remain high for longer Spain's service sector saw increased activity in February Spanish economy shows surprising growth in both services and manufacturing sectors In February, the Spanish economy surprised to the upside with stronger-than-expected growth in both the services and manufacturing sectors. The Services PMI, which was announced today, reached 56.7, the highest level since April last year, with increased activity, new business, and a pick-up in employment compared to January. Earlier this week, the manufacturing PMI also climbed to 50.7 from 48.8 in January, indicating the first growth since June last year and exceeding expectations. However, underlying demand is still weak as order books shrank, although at a slower pace thanks to a cautious pick-up in demand. Pick-up in Spanish economy raises inflationary concerns However, the pick-up in the Spanish economy comes with the downside of inflationary pressures accelerating again in February. Input and sales prices increased compared to January, indicating that underlying price pressures are still very high. The sharp rise in energy prices and input costs last year is still being passed on to sales prices, and with demand and activity picking up, it becomes easier for companies to implement new price increases. The increase in employment in both manufacturing and services sectors, due to the tight labour market, could also lead to stronger wage growth and thereby fuel inflation. As a result, core inflation might still rise further in the coming months. Despite the rebound, interest rate hikes will further slow growth While the Spanish economy has shown a strong rebound in activity, it is still too early to conclude that this recovery will be sustained throughout the year. While supply issues and falling energy prices may provide a boost to activity, the ECB's interest rate policy is expected to constrain economic growth. The ECB is set to increase interest rates above its neutral level of 2% in the near future, pushing rates further into restrictive territory. This is likely to impact interest rate-sensitive sectors like the real estate market and business investment. This year, Spanish GDP growth is projected to reach 1.3%, but with the full impact of the interest rate hikes expected only next year, the expansion is expected to slow down to 0.8% in 2024. Read this article on THINK TagsSpain PMI Inflation GDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Euro and European bond yields decreased after the ECB decision. The end of tightening may be close

    Eurozone: Better than expected doesn’t mean good

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.03.2023 10:45
    Lower energy prices have boosted both business and consumer confidence. However, the better growth outlook will slow the decline in core inflation, pushing the ECB to act more forcefully. A terminal deposit rate of at least 3.50% now seems likely. Consequently, the economy will slow down in 2H and 2024’s growth is likely to be weaker than 2023’s expansion In this article Black or red zero Shaky recovery Stubborn inflation A more hawkish ECB   Shutterstock The President of European Central Bank Christine Lagarde delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France - 15 February 2023   Black or red zero After the recent downward revision of German GDP growth figures for the fourth quarter of 2022 to -0.4% quarter-on-quarter (which might also lead to a small negative figure for the eurozone) the jury is still out on whether a winter (technical) recession has now been avoided after all. Not that it matters much, because we are basically talking about a black or a red zero. What is more important is whether the underlying momentum is improving or not. The good news is that the PMI composite indicator rose for the fourth consecutive month in February on the back of improving supply chains, rising demand and a reduction of order backlogs. While the European Commission’s economic sentiment indicator took a breather in February after three months of growing confidence, the picture still reflects a healing consumer. The assessment of activity over the past three months in services and in the retail sector points to growing consumption, after a weak fourth quarter. That said, it is not unlikely that some of the demand will be satisfied out of currently bloated inventories. The bottom line is that growth in the first quarter is still likely to hover around 0%, but also that the economy has gradually entered recovery territory. Eurozone confidence is improving Refinitiv Datastream Shaky recovery Even though falling gas prices are providing the economy with some oxygen, it is too early for optimism. Energy prices are unlikely to remain at the current low level for the whole of the year, although we now believe that any increase will remain limited. Fiscal policy, which is still a tailwind, is likely to get less stimulative in the second half of the year. And of course, the ECB’s monetary tightening will eventually act as a brake on growth. According to its own models, the negative impact on real GDP growth of the current monetary tightening is estimated to be around 1.5 percentage points on average over the three years from 2022 to 2024, with the biggest impact in 2023 and 2024. After a stronger growth figure in the second quarter, we see the expansion softening again in the second half of the year. For the whole of the year, this results in a small upward revision in our growth forecast to 0.8%. However, with the biggest impact of fiscal and (additional) monetary tightening felt next year, we have downgraded 2024 GDP growth to only 0.7%. Stubborn inflation Headline inflation is now on a downward path on the back of the year-on-year decline in energy prices. However, core inflation unexpectedly climbed to 5.6% in February, the highest level since the start of the Monetary Union. That said, looking at price expectations in the business surveys, it seems as if we’re also close to the peak in core inflation, though it might still take several months before a clear downturn sets in. The fact that consumption is picking up is certainly not helping to get inflation down rapidly. On the back of falling energy price inflation, we have decreased our headline inflation estimate to 5.5% for 2023, while for 2024 we now anticipate 2.6% headline inflation. Price expectations are not coming down as fast in all sectors Refinitiv Datastream A more hawkish ECB The ECB already signalled another 50 basis point rate hike in March, but it now looks all but certain that the tightening cycle will go further after that. With a strong downturn averted, core inflation rather sticky, and medium-term consumer inflation expectations back up to 3%, the ECB is probably not done yet at a deposit rate of 3.0%. Board member Isabel Schnabel even described an anticipated 3.50% terminal rate by markets as being “priced for perfection”. In that regard, a higher terminal rate could be envisaged. However, for the time being, we stick with two additional 25bp rate hikes in the second quarter and the deposit rate remaining at that level until the fourth quarter of 2024. With short-term rates remaining high for longer, we have also raised our bond yield forecast, with the 10yr Bund hovering around 2.50% in the first half of the year, before a modest rally brings it back to 2.25% by the end of 2023. TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB   Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Euro and European bond yields decreased after the ECB decision. The end of tightening may be close

    Eurozone: Better than expected doesn’t mean good - 04.03.2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.03.2023 10:45
    Lower energy prices have boosted both business and consumer confidence. However, the better growth outlook will slow the decline in core inflation, pushing the ECB to act more forcefully. A terminal deposit rate of at least 3.50% now seems likely. Consequently, the economy will slow down in 2H and 2024’s growth is likely to be weaker than 2023’s expansion In this article Black or red zero Shaky recovery Stubborn inflation A more hawkish ECB   Shutterstock The President of European Central Bank Christine Lagarde delivers a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France - 15 February 2023   Black or red zero After the recent downward revision of German GDP growth figures for the fourth quarter of 2022 to -0.4% quarter-on-quarter (which might also lead to a small negative figure for the eurozone) the jury is still out on whether a winter (technical) recession has now been avoided after all. Not that it matters much, because we are basically talking about a black or a red zero. What is more important is whether the underlying momentum is improving or not. The good news is that the PMI composite indicator rose for the fourth consecutive month in February on the back of improving supply chains, rising demand and a reduction of order backlogs. While the European Commission’s economic sentiment indicator took a breather in February after three months of growing confidence, the picture still reflects a healing consumer. The assessment of activity over the past three months in services and in the retail sector points to growing consumption, after a weak fourth quarter. That said, it is not unlikely that some of the demand will be satisfied out of currently bloated inventories. The bottom line is that growth in the first quarter is still likely to hover around 0%, but also that the economy has gradually entered recovery territory. Eurozone confidence is improving Refinitiv Datastream Shaky recovery Even though falling gas prices are providing the economy with some oxygen, it is too early for optimism. Energy prices are unlikely to remain at the current low level for the whole of the year, although we now believe that any increase will remain limited. Fiscal policy, which is still a tailwind, is likely to get less stimulative in the second half of the year. And of course, the ECB’s monetary tightening will eventually act as a brake on growth. According to its own models, the negative impact on real GDP growth of the current monetary tightening is estimated to be around 1.5 percentage points on average over the three years from 2022 to 2024, with the biggest impact in 2023 and 2024. After a stronger growth figure in the second quarter, we see the expansion softening again in the second half of the year. For the whole of the year, this results in a small upward revision in our growth forecast to 0.8%. However, with the biggest impact of fiscal and (additional) monetary tightening felt next year, we have downgraded 2024 GDP growth to only 0.7%. Stubborn inflation Headline inflation is now on a downward path on the back of the year-on-year decline in energy prices. However, core inflation unexpectedly climbed to 5.6% in February, the highest level since the start of the Monetary Union. That said, looking at price expectations in the business surveys, it seems as if we’re also close to the peak in core inflation, though it might still take several months before a clear downturn sets in. The fact that consumption is picking up is certainly not helping to get inflation down rapidly. On the back of falling energy price inflation, we have decreased our headline inflation estimate to 5.5% for 2023, while for 2024 we now anticipate 2.6% headline inflation. Price expectations are not coming down as fast in all sectors Refinitiv Datastream A more hawkish ECB The ECB already signalled another 50 basis point rate hike in March, but it now looks all but certain that the tightening cycle will go further after that. With a strong downturn averted, core inflation rather sticky, and medium-term consumer inflation expectations back up to 3%, the ECB is probably not done yet at a deposit rate of 3.0%. Board member Isabel Schnabel even described an anticipated 3.50% terminal rate by markets as being “priced for perfection”. In that regard, a higher terminal rate could be envisaged. However, for the time being, we stick with two additional 25bp rate hikes in the second quarter and the deposit rate remaining at that level until the fourth quarter of 2024. With short-term rates remaining high for longer, we have also raised our bond yield forecast, with the 10yr Bund hovering around 2.50% in the first half of the year, before a modest rally brings it back to 2.25% by the end of 2023. TagsInflation GDP Eurozone ECB   Read the article on ING Economics   Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    The Bank Of Canada Is Preparing To Announce Its Final 25bp Hike

    The Days Of Relentless Rate Hikes By Bank Of Canada May Be About To Draw To A Close

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 04.03.2023 12:56
    On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada unveils its latest interest rate policy. Many expect the Governor of the Bank of Canada, Tiff Macklem, to deliver on his promise to hold off on interest rate hikes. Interest rates It's been almost exactly a year since the Bank of Canada began aggressively raising its key overnight lending rate. Since then, Canadian households have struggled with ever-increasing debt payments. Borrowing costs have increased by a staggering 425 basis points in the last 12 months. GDP is slowing, inflation is slowing, and wage growth is moderate. However, economists agree that it is enough to convince the Bank of Canada to catch up and finally give some respite to households struggling with rising debt payments and looming mortgage renewals. The Bank of Canada will keep its key interest rate unchanged at 4.50% until the end of the year Taking a decision on interest rates next week, both Charbonneau and Janzen believe the Bank of Canada has done enough to warrant a pause in interest rate hikes. However, the central bank was in a very different place last March, facing heavy criticism for taking too long to contain rising inflation. Inflation The consumer price index has fluctuated between one and two percent for most of the last few decades. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to perpetuate, inflation began to pick up. The most recent inflation data suggests the country is inching closer to normal price growth. Canada’s annual inflation rate slowed to 5.9 per cent in January, down from the peak of 8.1 per cent reached in the summer. GDP Statistics Canada's latest GDP report shows that the Canadian economy tumbled into the fourth quarter with zero growth, but under the disappointing figures was resilient consumer spending keeping the economy afloat. While that report showed a much bleaker economy than forecasters had expected, the federal agency's preliminary estimates showed the economy rebounded in January with a 0.3 percent increase. The GDP figures simply "confirm" that the Bank of Canada will not raise interest rates when it announces its decision on Wednesday. Labour Market Canadian employers added 150,000 jobs in January. This is about 10 times more than economists expected. Economists agree that another 5,000 jobs will be added on Friday after the February data is released. Wages have never increased as much as prices. So workers have actually lost purchasing power over the past two years. Statistics Canada said wage growth peaked last November at 5.6 percent. And while a strong labor market is good news for workers, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has repeatedly said that a tight labor market is a symptom of an overheating economy that fuels inflation. If demand weakens, companies struggling with lower sales are likely to change their hiring plans, causing unemployment to rise. Source: ivnesting.com
    Eurozone economy boosted by service sector growth

    CEE: Inflation finally heading down but still sticky

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.03.2023 07:26
    Central and Eastern Europe is flirting with a technical recession. Inflation numbers are finally starting to head down but we are clearly in for a bumpy and sticky ride. So rate cuts will be later rather than sooner, though still on course for this year In this article Poland: Lower inflation but rate cut is not in sight Czech Republic: Record strong koruna Hungary: Waiting for more evidence that better days are coming Romania: Rates to remain unchanged for rest of year   Shutterstock Marton Kekesi of Hungary in action during the Men's Super-G race at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships in Courchevel, France, 09 February 2023 Poland: Lower inflation but rate cut is not in sight Poland’s economy proved resilient in light of multiple shocks last year (war, high energy prices, sharp interest rate hikes), but the beginning of this year looks difficult. Activity data for January was worse than expected (industrial production, retail sales), growth in the first quarter will be negative in year-on-year terms, but still less so than expected a few months ago. Overall, we expect just 1% growth in 2023 compared to 4.9% in 2022. Our above-consensus view is supported by the better eurozone outlook. The primary reasons behind the GDP slowdown in 2023 are the high base effects from the post-Covid reopening, the disinvestments in inventories as well as the erosion of disposable incomes and private consumption due to the negative inflation surprise in 2022. Although CPI inflation turned out lower than expected in January, it was still 17.2% year-on-year with core inflation close to 12% YoY. This is far from an acceptable level. Base effects and global disinflationary forces should bring the headline inflation rate into single digits in December, but the core rate should stay persistently high. In our view, this will not justify interest rate cuts later in the year, but we cannot exclude such a signalling move by the Monetary Policy Council late this year. In mid-February, local markets paid careful attention to a spokesman from the European Court of Justice who suggested that banks may not charge interest on CHF mortgages terminated by courts. If re-confirmed by the future ECJ verdict, this would be favourable to credit takers and affect banks’ balance sheets. So far, the equity and bond market reaction has been rather muted because in the last few years, banks have already added high provisions and if they are given more time, they can absorb the shock. Still, this may impair credit creation and banks' willingness to buy domestic debt, to some extent. That is why the government is mulling a kind of legislative change to share the losses on CHF loans between banks and clients. CPI in CEE region (%, YoY) Macrobond, ING Czech Republic: Record strong koruna The Czech GDP report will likely confirm that the economy entered a recession in the second half of 2022. Business sentiment indicators suggest that even at the beginning of the first quarter this year, the economy has remained in negative territory. The recession has mainly been driven by the continuous strong decline in consumer spending as high energy prices weigh on household purchasing power. Still, the labour market has not seen a significant impact and the economy should return to soft growth in the second half of this year driven by the gradual improvement in external demand and investment. Inflation likely peaked in January and the February report will likely show a gradual moderation. Despite the expected softening in inflation, the central bank will likely maintain its prudent stance in terms of advocating for the current level of interest rates for a longer period. On the fiscal side, a discussion is opening up on the consolidation of the state budget deficit next year. The Ministry of Finance has signalled a CZK70bn reduction from the originally planned CZK295bn. The Czech koruna has been breaking historically strong levels in recent weeks. Currently, the koruna is the strongest since July 2008. Domestic conditions, i.e. falling interest rate differentials and the current account deficit, do not support such levels. However, within the CEE region, the koruna seems to offer the best story. Although the Czech National Bank is not actively intervening, it is still prepared to limit the upward movement. In addition, interest rates appear to be staying higher for longer. So together with a stable carry, this still seems to be the most popular currency in the region. Hungary: Waiting for more evidence that better days are coming The Hungarian economy slumped into a technical recession during the second half of 2022. We are still waiting for hard evidence on whether the downturn continued in early 2023 or whether the economy has started to rebound. Our assumption, considering the very strong inflation data and its impact on purchasing power, is that Hungary is facing one more quarter of falling real GDP on a quarterly basis. However, as the labour market looks resilient enough and surveys suggest improvement in economic sentiment in 12 months, we foresee a rebound from the middle of this year. This will be fuelled by better export activity, with rising capacity and still-strong order levels in manufacturing early on. By the end of the year, the return of positive real wage growth might improve domestic demand as well. We see this translating into 0.7% GDP growth in 2023 as a whole with some upside risks, followed by a 3.6% full-year performance in 2024. As good as this sounds, it comes with a significant caveat: this quick rebound might slow down or even keep inflation from descending further after reaching high single-digit territory (8-9% YoY) in the fourth quarter. In our view, the peak in headline inflation might be behind us with January's 25.7% year-on-year reading. Anecdotal evidence shows a pivot in food, fuel and energy prices, translating into easing price pressures from February. However, as wage growth will remain high and yet another round of energy price increases might come in the autumn, cost-side pressures and catch-up domestic demand might result in stronger repricing. We think that the road from the peak in inflation to single-digit territory might prove to be easier than getting prices down to the central bank’s target range during 2024. That’s why we think the pivot from the National Bank of Hungary will be gradual and slow, ensuring that the real interest rate environment remains positive during the easing cycle. Romania: Rates to remain unchanged for rest of year The economy expanded in the fourth quarter of 2022 by 1.1% versus the previous quarter and by 4.6% when compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. This takes the full 2022 GDP growth to 4.8%, which is perhaps among the better figures that one could have hoped for. The available high-frequency data suggests that it’s been a strong quarter for construction activity, which expanded by 7.4% versus the third quarter. Services for companies were also around 2.0% higher while retail sales rose by 0.8%. Industrial production lagged at -2.1%. On the inflation front, we see the peak as behind us at 16.8% in November and we anticipate a gradual shift lower throughout 2023. We estimate year-end inflation at 7.4% with risks slightly to the downside. The main factors weighing on prices are base effects, energy price caps, and international energy and food prices stabilisation while upside forces include cost increases not yet fully passed-through, wage pressures and still negative real rates. The National Bank of Romania is likely to maintain the current course of its monetary policy, meaning the key rate should remain unchanged at 7.00% for the rest of the year. Shorter-term market rates – which are more dependent on interbank liquidity situation – might have neared a bottom, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that an upward trajectory is to follow. In essence, we expect stability around current levels. The liquidity picture is more likely to remain accommodative, though the surplus could shrink to more manageable levels (say RON5bn-10bn). Should the inflation trajectory surprise (even mildly) to the downside, we wouldn't rule out a modest rate cut by the end of 2023. TagsCEE region     Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia week ahead: RBA policy meeting plus regional trade data

    China: Two Sessions sets 5% growth, focus on technology and ESG

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.03.2023 09:15
    China has set a GDP growth target of around 5%, which is lower than market expectations. The main focus of this year will be Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and technology self-reliance. This note highlights the important points of the Two Sessions' economic targets for 2023 around 5% GDP growth target 2023   Lower than expected Slower growth target as the government sees a weaker external market The slower-than-expected GDP growth target set by the government of around 5% matches our GDP forecast of 5% for this year. The government realises that a weakening external market would impose challenges to China's export-related industries.  CNY3.8 trillion Local government special bond   Lower than expected Slower infrastructure growth We can tell the speed of infrastructure investment from the scale of the target for new issuance of local government special bonds of CNY3.8 trillion, which compares with our expectation of CNY 4 trillion.  The main reason behind this lower target seems obvious as the fiscal deficit last year was very high at 8% to 9% per GDP from a historical point of view. The government would like to slow down the increase in the fiscal deficit by taking advantage of the economic recovery. We believe that this year's infrastructure investment will lean towards technology and ESG. As such, we might see more focused transportation infrastructure projects. Only those that have been planned or started will be implemented. Usually, the precise plan for infrastructure projects would be announced one to two months after the Two Sessions. The change of government personnel could result in more precise measures and more KPI-type announcements for local governments.  1.2 billion New employment   As expected Employment will be higher and matches the number of new graduates The 1.2 billion new employment target is a bit low. If we consider the number of graduates this year, it would be around 1.158 billion as announced by the government earlier, which means, some graduates and some existing jobless residents would not be able to find a job. Employment is very important during a recovery as it is the backbone of consumption growth. Having said that, the government expects more startups, which should fill the gap.  Technology and ESG are the strong growth drivers The government report emphasised the importance of technology and ESG to long-term growth. Within ESG, green still gets more attention from the government as we see from the government work report.  These two industries will attract more capital for investments from government support measures as well as from the private sector. So, apart from a consumption recovery, we should give more attention to investments in these two areas. Growth rates in these industries should be high. But our concern is overheating if such support from the government lasts for more than three years. There are examples from the past, e.g. solar panels, and real estate, that once supported by the government would turn into fast growth and investments but may turn sour several years later. In sum, it is a fair government target report Overall, the government realises the strength and weaknesses faced by the economy. It is not overly optimistic and does not spend too much to boost growth. It focuses more on longer-term growth challenges. In our view, achieving these targets would not be very challenging.  Read this article on THINK  TagsTwo Sessions China Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang Downplayed Russia’s Invasion Into Ukraine

    The War In Ukraine Seems To Have Reached An Impasse, The Goal For This Year For China Is To Increase GDP By 5%

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 06.03.2023 09:56
    After more than a year of war, the situation seems to be at an impasse, and the current signals from Bakhmut are not clear. The markets are focused on economic objectives that have been outdone by the second largest economy in the world. In this article: The war in Ukraine Two Sessions The war in Ukraine The war in Ukraine appears to have reached a stalemate, with Russian forces reporting some gains in eastern Donbass. Bakhmut's status is unclear after conflicting reports over the weekend about how much of the city was controlled by Russian forces and whether Ukrainian forces had begun withdrawing from parts of the city. Volodymyr Nazarenko, the commander of the Ukrainian troops in Bakhmut, said in Telegram Sunday that "there are no decisions or orders regarding retreat" and that "the defense is holding on" However, analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces appeared to be conducting a "limited tactical retreat" in Bakhmut. ISW reported that Ukrainian forces may be withdrawing from their positions on the eastern bank of the Bakhmutka River, which crosses the eastern flank of the city. However, he added that while Russian sources claim that their forces have occupied the eastern, northern and southern parts of Bakhmut and claim to be reporting from positions in eastern Bakhmut, he cannot independently verify these claims. Moreover, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that Russia's complete withdrawal from Ukraine would be the basis for future peace talks. Scholz, like U.S. President Joe Biden, said Germany would support Ukraine "as long as necessary," but Berlin was criticized for delaying giving Kiev weapons, especially Leopard 2 tanks, which it had been asking for for months. Time could be running out for Ukrainian forces in besieged Bakhmut; Russia turns to 'vintage' tanks https://t.co/hH9oeo83uu — CNBC (@CNBC) March 6, 2023 Read next: Discontinuation Of The Silvergate Exchange Network, What Does It Mean To Burn Crypto?| FXMAG.COM Two Sessions "Two Sessions" is an annual parliamentary meeting that brings together delegates from all over China to discuss and approve national priorities, which includes the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, this year is short-lived and the goals they set are relatively briefly. This year, the purpose of the meeting was to formalize the government titles for the new prime minister, deputy prime ministers and heads of ministries, as well as annual targets for GDP growth, inflation and employment. China aims to increase GDP by "about 5%" in 2023, which may seem low given last year's 3%, which was the country's weakest performance in decades. Moreover, China only repeated its commitments to increase household spending by raising incomes. The fiscal deficit is set at 3% of GDP this year, a marginal increase from 2022, and there are no plans for direct transfers to spur purchases. At the same time, Beijing remains committed to reining in real estate speculation, which will limit the industry's ability to drive growth. Among the events already announced, China's new foreign minister Qin Gang is due to hold his first press conference on Tuesday morning. From Breakingviews - China gives itself easy GDP homework https://t.co/Y43VcTot8g — Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) March 6, 2023
    French strikes will cause limited economic impact

    French strikes will cause limited economic impact

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.03.2023 10:52
    France is currently facing a movement of protests against the pension reform proposed by the government. This Tuesday 7 March marks the 6th day of mobilisations and the unions hope that the movement will strengthen. Although this is an important event from a political and social point of view, the economic impact of the strikes should not be overestimated People take part in a demonstration against the French government's pension reform Unions in united front against pension reform In France, the eight main trade unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC, Unsa, Solidaires and FSU), which are presenting an unprecedented united front, kicked off a mobilisation on 19 January. They want the government to back down on its pension reform. The first day of mobilisation,19 January, brought together 1.12 million demonstrators throughout France, including 80,000 in Paris, according to the Ministry of the Interior. On 31 January, the figure reached 1.27 million demonstrators (87,000 in Paris). Subsequent days were less successful, with 757,000 people on 7 February, 963,000 on 11 April and 450,000 on 16 February. Now that the school holidays are over, the strike of 7 March should see a resumption of the movement in force, with between 1.1 and 1.4 million people expected on the streets. The unions wish to "bring France to a standstill". Transport will be paralysed, school closures are expected and other sectors will be disrupted, notably the energy sector and the chemical industry. The government has called on the French to work from home as much as possible. The unions have announced a "renewable" strike, which could last, at least partially, beyond 7 March. What is the economic impact of these strikes? The economic impact of a strike can be defined as the sum of direct effects (on the companies concerned) and indirect effects (on the companies penalised in their activity by the transport and supply problems), to which are added substitution effects: for example, some of the travellers deprived of their train may turn to other modes of transport. By observing economic growth over a period when strikes have taken place and comparing these data to an estimated counterfactual situation, not impacted by mobilisations, it is possible to estimate a posteriori the impact of a strike on GDP growth. Overall, research shows that, while activity may be impacted in some sectors of the economy, strikes have had little lasting effect on economic growth. In fact, the economic impact of strikes is most often limited to the period of mobilisation and the losses recorded are generally quickly offset in the following months. INSEE (the national statistics institute) has estimated the macroeconomic impact of previous social movements in France. For example, the impact of the November 1995 strikes against the Juppé plan and its pension reform was less than 0.2 points of GDP growth loss at the national level in the fourth quarter of the year, although the social tensions lasted three weeks, with a major blockage of public transport. This drop was then very much offset by an increase in activity in the following quarter. As for the protests in November 2007 against the reform of the special pension schemes, they mobilised more people than in 1995 but lasted only 10 days, generating a drop of about 0.2 points of GDP which was totally compensated afterwards. In 2018, the "intermittent strike" of the SNCF strongly disrupted transport for three months, to the detriment of certain sectors such as tourism and the hotel industry. But this strike only cost a little less than 0.1 points of GDP in the second quarter of 2018, according to INSEE, and a positive impact of the same order was recorded in the following quarter. During the fourth quarter of 2018, mobilisations resumed, with the "yellow vests" crisis, unprecedented because it was not managed by the trade unions, with a large number of rallies scattered over time and across the territory. The actions took place at the weekend, making them less noticeable. According to INSEE, this movement cost 0.1 points of GDP in the fourth quarter of 2018, at the height of the movement. French President Emmanuel Macron What impact can we expect from the 2023 strikes? So far, the mobilisation of French people to demonstrate or go on strike has been important, but probably not enough to have a significant macroeconomic impact. The microeconomic impact on some sectors is also very limited. Tomorrow will only be the sixth day of mobilisation and the disruptions have been, for now, limited to some very specific sectors, such as transport. Given the development of homeworking since the pandemic, it is likely that the "indirect costs" of transport disruptions on other sectors of activity will be much more limited than in previous strikes. If the mobilisation were to intensify drastically and some sectors were blocked for several weeks, the impact on GDP growth could become quantifiable, of the order of 0.1 or even 0.2 percentage points less than in a situation without a strike. As the current French economic situation is, for other reasons, marked by a slowdown in activity, this could lead to a growth rate of 0%, or even a tiny bit negative for French GDP over this period. However, strikes would only be one of the factors (with a small impact) behind this development. An impact greater than 0.2 percentage points on French economic growth seems, at this stage, very unlikely.  Read this article on THINK TagsStrikes GDP France Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    GBP: Approaching 1.2000 Level Amid Rate Dynamics

    Saxo Bank Podcast: The Strong Comeback In Equity Markets, Inflation Expectations, China's Policy Signals And More

    Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 06.03.2023 11:25
    Summary:  Today we look at the strong comeback in equity markets Friday as yields dipped sharply, providing some relief after the recent strong ramp higher. Still, it is interesting to note that inflation expectations may be undergoing a sea change as well, which has come to the aid of gold. Elsewhere, we gauge the market reaction to China's policy signals, note the busy week ahead on the central bank front, with the RBA up tonight, Fed Chair Powell out speaking in testimony before Congressional panels tomorrow and Wednesday and the Bank of Japan on Friday, which will be Governor Kuroda's final meeting. This and much more on today's pod features Garnry on equities, Ole Hansen on commodities and John J. Hardy hosting and on FX. Listen to today’s podcast - slides are available via the link. Follow Saxo Market Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher If you are not able to find the podcast on your favourite podcast app when searching for Saxo Market Call, please drop us an email at marketcall@saxobank.com and we'll look into it.   Questions and comments, please! We invite you to send any questions and comments you might have for the podcast team. Whether feedback on the show's content, questions about specific topics, or requests for more focus on a given market area in an upcoming podcast, please get in touch at marketcall@saxobank.com.     Source: Podcast: Bulls celebrate yield dip. Heavy central bank calendar this week | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
    ECB's Christine Lagarde not to announce the end of rate hikes?

    Eurozone retail sales tick up less than expected in January

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.03.2023 12:14
    A small increase in retail sales in January suggests a weak start to the year for the consumer amid stubbornly high prices. While surveys about the first quarter have been relatively upbeat so far, these sales data don’t give much evidence that a rebound has started. We expect GDP growth in the first quarter to be flat The Mall of Berlin, one of the city's largest shopping centres   After the sharp decline in retail sales in December, a bounce back was expected in January, but the 0.3% month-on-month increase still leaves retail trade volumes well below the November figure. This is a weak start to the first quarter and makes growth over the quarter a challenge. Retail sales have been on a declining trend since November 2021, but taking the latest data into account, we can see that there has been a more rapid decline since the autumn of last year. For the consumer, the positive thing is that the inflation peak is behind us, wages are improving, and the economy has not dipped into a material recession, which supports the outlook for employment. This has helped confidence to improve a little, but with purchasing power still being squeezed, it does not seem like there is a lot of momentum for a quick bounce back in 2023. Read next: Demand For Automotive Chips Will Continue To Grow As The Outlook For The Electric Vehicle Market Looks Solid| FXMAG.COM Overall, surveys are suggesting somewhat better economic activity in the first quarter, but given fourth-quarter weakness and surveys missing the mark recently, performance at the start of the year is clouded in uncertainty. This makes it hard to get a strong view of where the economy is headed in the short term, but if today’s release on retail sales is anything to go by, it doesn’t look like the economy has started a rebound just yet. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Hawkish Fed Minutes Spark US Market Decline to One-Month Lows on August 17, 2023

    The Key Focus Will Be On How Powell Sees The US Labour Market

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 07.03.2023 08:36
    We saw a broadly positive start to the week yesterday, with the France CAC40 posting a new record high of 7,401, while the FTSE100 lagged over disappointment around China's GDP target for 2023. This disappointment weighed on the mining sector yesterday after China set its 2023 GDP target at a fairly modest 5%, pointing to weaker demand for commodities. This target, which is below last year's 5.5% target, suggests that the Chinese government is less likely to be as generous when it comes to helping to stimulate demand and economic activity. This focus on stability appears to be an acknowledgment that recent years have been far too generous and created areas of financial instability and that the focus now is a more conservative approach. Today's China trade numbers for February have seen a marked improvement in the wake of the sharp slowdown seen in the last 2 months of 2022, which saw the various rolling restrictions and lockdowns impact the Chinese economy markedly. In Q4 the Chinese economy stagnated to the tune of growth of 0%, equating to annual GDP growth of 3%. With today's trade numbers for the months of January and February covering the period over the Chinese New Year, we now have a better idea of how much the relaxation of lockdown restrictions may have unleashed pent-up demand, although they also come against a backdrop of the stronger comparatives of a year ago before the Omicron wave had taken hold. Today's numbers have seen exports slide by -6.8%, which was slightly better than expected, while imports slid by -10.2% which was more than expected. The Reserve Bank of Australia also raised rates as expected by 0.25% to 3.6%, as the central bank continues to navigate concerns about upending the mortgage market, against a backdrop of inflation that still looks very sticky. While the guidance was hawkish there was a slight softening bias suggesting the bank might be close to a pause, with the Australian dollar slipping back a touch. Today's main focus will be on the first day of testimony from Fed chairman Jay Powell to US lawmakers with questions likely to focus on the resilience of the US economy. There'll be the usual showboating by some US politicians who will want the Fed to go easy when it comes to future rate hikes, along with those who think the Fed has dropped the ball when it comes to inflation. The key focus will be on how Powell sees the US labour market, and whether the FOMC think that economic conditions have improved or deteriorated since the last Fed meeting. Markets will also be paying attention to whether Powell continues to peddle the same narrative of disinflation, which was a hallmark of his last press conference. If he acknowledges that inflation could be much stickier than the Fed thought over a month ago, that could prompt a pullback in US equity markets. What is notable is that while US equity markets have recovered to the same levels, they were at the time of the February Fed meeting, after another strong finish yesterday, bond yields are much higher, with the US 2-year yield over 80bps higher, which suggests that once again there is a disconnect between what bond markets are pricing on inflation, and what equity markets are pricing. Today's European open looks set to be a positive one on the back of yesterday's strong US close. On the currencies front the euro outperformed yesterday as more ECB policymakers touted the prospect of further multiple 50bps rate hikes in the aftermath of the expected 50bps hike that is due to be delivered next week. Austrian central bank governor Robert Holzmann said the ECB should do 50bps hikes in March, May, June, and July, potentially taking the main financing rate to 5%. These comments followed comments from ECB chief economist Philip Lane who also acknowledged the need for further hikes, beyond next week's meeting, stating that current high levels of inflation continue to be a concern for the ECB, and that core inflation momentum remains strong. EUR/USD – continues to range trade between the recent peaks around the 1.0700 area and above trend line support from the recent 1.0530 lows. We need to push through the 50-day SMA at 1.0730 to open up 1.0820. While below 1.0730, the bias remains for a test of the January lows at 1.0480/85.GBP/USD – continues to range trade between the 1.1920 area and the 200-day SMA, and the 50-day SMA at 1.2150 which remains a key resistance area. A break of 1.1900 retargets the 1.1830 area, while a break of the 1.2150 area is needed to retarget the 1.2300 area.EUR/GBP – retesting trend line resistance at 0.8900 from the January peaks last week. Above 0.8900 targets the 0.8980 area. We need to push below support at the 0.8820/30 area to retarget the 0.8780 area.USD/JPY – still below the 200-day SMA at 136.90/00 which is currently capping further gains. Support comes in at the 135.20 area. We also have interim support at 133.60. A break above 137.00 could see a move to 138.20. FTSE100 is expected to open 13 points higher at 7,943DAX is expected to open 17 points higher at 15,670CAC40 is expected to open 9 points higher at 7,382Email: marketcomment@cmcmarkets.comFollow CMC Markets on Twitter: @cmcmarketsFollow Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst) on Twitter: @mhewson_CMC
    Bank of England Faces Dilemma: Will They Raise Rates by 25bps or 50bps?

    The Likelihood That The GBP/USD Pair Will Continue To Decline Will Increase

    Paolo Greco Paolo Greco 08.03.2023 10:41
    The GBP/USD currency pair also began a decline on Tuesday, which few predicted. In addition, we anticipated that the decrease would occur gradually rather than rapidly. The pair had been in "swing" mode for several weeks, but yesterday it managed to break through the level of 1.1932, which served as the bottom border of the side channel in which the "swing" was realized. If you look closely at the chart above, you will note that even in flat conditions, each succeeding price peak was lower than the one before it. The price attempted to break through the 1.1932 level at least three times, each time rebounding off it by a smaller distance. That is why we have consistently stated that we expect the pair to collapse again. The British pound is still overbought, as seen by its 2,100-point increase in just three months towards the end of the previous year. The British pound frequently increased irrationally and too rapidly reversed a two-year decline by 50%. There aren't many reasons right now that could help the pound rise and the ones that did earlier have long since been figured out by traders. Hence, a new decline in the value of the pound was inevitable. The only uncertainty was the exact commencement time. Although we could not fully rule it out, we did not anticipate it to begin yesterday. Jerome Powell didn't mention anything fundamentally new in Congress. The mood of market participants is undoubtedly affected whenever the head of the Fed publicly states his willingness to speed up the tightening of monetary policy once more, but as we previously stated, everything has been leading up to this for a very long time. If the market did not understand this, then everything makes sense, because it received grounds for additional dollar purchases "straight in the forehead" yesterday. The pair fell to the crucial Fibonacci level of 38.2% (1.1842) on the 24-hour TF. The likelihood that the pair will continue to decline will increase with a confident passing of this level, which from our perspective would be quite rational. Additionally, near the level of 1.1842, the Senkou Span B line ran for a while, which had only recently moved higher. As a result, overcoming 1.1842 will allow bears to fall further. Then, the targets will fall between 1.13 and 1.15. What is the British pound currently capable of? This week in the UK, there won't be many particularly significant publications. Of course, we're referring to the GDP and industrial output numbers that will be released on Friday. These are viewed in the same way as Jerome Powell's congressional speeches. If there is no "surprise" or outright surprise, there will almost certainly be no reaction. It is a fact that the GDP data will be released monthly rather than quarterly, and that the report on industrial production has not recently piqued the curiosity of traders. It is also challenging to anticipate support for the pound from US news and events. Powell is unlikely to modify his rhetoric today when he speaks in the same Congress but before a different committee. What else is in store for us this week? Only the nonfarm and unemployment reports from Friday. It is doubtful that unemployment will increase, at least not much. Therefore, a 0.1% increase will not justify selling the dollar. The Nonfarm data for February might even fall short of expectations, but all will depend not on the actual number but rather on the projection and how closely the actual figure corresponds to it. Consequently, even if the projection is overly optimistic, it will still cause the dollar to increase. The British pound can only increase if Non-Farm Payrolls have a dreadful value. And not for long, because the market is already expecting the Fed to tighten its monetary policy or accelerate rate hikes. And this is the most "bullish" aspect that can exist, negating all the others. Thus, we do not anticipate significant growth of the pair in the foreseeable future. When Andrew Bailey releases a "hawkish" report, perhaps something will change. We do not currently see any way that the "bearish" market sentiment can change to "bullish," whether it is before or after the Fed and BA's next meetings. You need to make a small adjustment after yesterday's collapse, but the Heiken Ashi indicator should identify the corrective and not try to predict when it will start. Over the previous five trading days, the GBP/USD pair has experienced an average volatility of 124 points. This value is "high" for the dollar/pound exchange rate. As a result, on March 8 we anticipate movement that is contained inside the channel and is limited by levels 1.1719 and 1.1967. A round of upward corrective is indicated by the Heiken Ashi indicator's upward reversal. Nearest levels of support S1 – 1.1841 S2 – 1.1780 S3 – 1.1719 Nearest levels of resistance R1 – 1.1902 R2 – 1.1963 R3 – 102024 Trade Suggestions: In the 4-hour timeframe, the GBP/USD pair once more stabilized under the moving average. Unless the Heiken Ashi indication turns up, you can continue to hold short positions with targets of 1.1780 and 1.1719. If the price is stable above the moving average, long positions with targets of 1.2024 and 1.2085 may be taken into account. Explanations for the illustrations: Determine the present trend with the use of linear regression channels. The trend is now strong if they are both moving in the same direction. The short-term trend and the direction in which to trade right now are determined by the moving average line (settings 20.0, smoothed). Murray levels serve as the starting point for adjustments and movements. Based on current volatility indicators, volatility levels (red lines) represent the expected price channel in which the pair will trade the following day. A trend reversal in the opposite direction is imminent when the CCI indicator crosses into the overbought (above +250) or oversold (below -250) zones.   Relevance up to 01:00 2023-03-09 UTC+1 This information is provided to retail and professional clients as part of marketing communication. It does not contain and should not be construed as containing investment advice or investment recommendation or an offer or solicitation to engage in any transaction or strategy in financial instruments. Past performance is not a guarantee or prediction of future performance. Instant Trading EU Ltd. makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, or any loss arising from any investment based on analysis, forecast or other information provided by an employee of the Company or otherwise. Full disclaimer is available here. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/337002
    ECB's Tenth Consecutive Rate Hike: The Final Move in the Current Cycle

    Fed Chair Jerome Powell Has Prioritized Inflation Containment

    Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 08.03.2023 10:45
    Making the case for international value investing—thoughts from Templeton Global Equity Group on why now’s the time to consider expanding one’s investment horizons. It seems to be common sense that if you are going to search for these unusually good bargains, you wouldn’t just search the United States … why not search everywhere? That’s what we’ve been doing for forty years. We search anywhere in the world. The post-global financial crisis (GFC) dominance of US equities has been completely unprecedented. Significant Underperformance Over a Generation International vs. US Equities: MSCI World ex-US vs. MSCI USARelative Total Returns, US Dollar, Since 1970   Sources: FactSet, MSCI, as of 31 December 2022. The MSCI World Index captures large and mid-cap representation across 23 developed markets countries. The MSCI USA Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-cap segments of the US market. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot directly invest in them. They do not include fees, expenses or sales charges. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future results. MSCI makes no warranties and shall have no liability with respect to any MSCI data reproduced herein. No further redistribution or use is permitted. This report is not prepared or endorsed by MSCI.   Across numerous valuation metrics, international equities are near the cheapest relative to US equities they have been in roughly two decades. Material Valuation Discount on a Variety of Measures Relative Valuation: MSCI ACWI ex-US vs. MSCI USA   Sources: FactSet, MSCI, as of 31 December 2022. The MSCI ACWI ex USA Index captures large- and mid-cap representation across 22 of 23 developed markets countries (excluding the United States) and 24 emerging markets countries. The MSCI USA Index is designed to measure the performance of the large- and mid-cap segments of the US market. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot directly invest in them. They do not include fees, expenses or sales charges. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future results.   There are many reasons why US equities have so dramatically outperformed, but the core explanation has to do with monetary policy. In response to the GFC—and then to the European sovereign debt crisis in 2011, the “taper tantrum” in 2013, “Volmageddon” in 2018, and the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 (to name a few recent episodes)—central bankers flooded the financial system with liquidity by pinning down interest rates and entering bond markets with the equivalent of a blank check. Globally, debt has soared by over US$100 trillion since the GFC. The US Federal Reserve (Fed) led the way in both size and timing, and the subsequent liquidity wave disproportionately buoyed US markets. Growth-oriented businesses in consumer and technology industries that comprise much of the US market capitalization were the main beneficiaries. But that was then. Today, we are experiencing the exact opposite of the conditions that formerly supported US growth stocks. Interest rates are rising to contain generationally high inflation that the years of aforementioned easy money had sparked. Western central banks have gone from providing liquidity to withdrawing liquidity. Economic growth is slowing as COVID-era stimulus programs roll off and companies and consumers alike contend with materially higher costs of capital. And asset bubbles everywhere—from  cryptocurrencies to real estate to profitless tech companies—are quickly deflating. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has prioritized inflation containment as the central bank’s top policy priority, and at a November 2022 press conference, indicated that the Fed still has “some ways to go” to fight inflation. While the pace of interest rate hikes looks to taper off in the quarters to come, Powell’s messaging suggests that rates will remain elevated and policy restrictive for the foreseeable future. As Exhibit 3 shows, this creates an environment that significantly favors international value strategies over the US growth strategies that led the last cycle. That’s not only because of the way that different discount rates impact the valuation of future cash flows (low rates ascribe more value to the longer-dated cash flows associated with growth stocks, while high rates put a premium on the present-day cash flows associated with value stocks). It’s also because higher interest rates make fundamentals more important. Higher Rates Favor International Value Over US Growth   Source: FactSet, MSCI, as of 31 December 2022. The MSCI ACWI ex -USA Value Index captures large- and mid-cap securities exhibiting overall value style characteristics across 22 developed and 24 emerging markets countries. The MSCI USA Growth Index captures large- and mid-cap securities exhibiting overall growth style characteristics in the United States. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot directly invest in them. They do not include fees, expenses or sales charges. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future results.   Increasingly, there will no longer be a free lunch for companies that can’t earn above their cost of capital or service their debt at higher interest rates. The unfashionable discipline of fundamental analysis is again becoming the key framework for successful investors, replacing the paradigms of narrative formation and growth extrapolation that fueled the bull market of the previous cycle. The US dollar: From headwind to tailwind? Not only can US investors buy international stocks at unusually cheap valuations, but they can use a strong currency to do it. While international equity valuations stand near 20-year lows, the US dollar is trading close to a 20-year high. But the dollar—one of the most crowded long trades for the better part of two years—now looks vulnerable. In late 2022, net speculative positioning was near all-time highs, technical indicators showed the dollar to be historically overbought, and the dollar’s premium to its long-term average real effective exchange rate (REER) was at record levels. The US Dollar: From Headwind to Tailwind ICE US Dollar Index (DXY)   Sources: FactSet, as of 31 December 2022. The ICE US Dollar Index futures contract is a leading benchmark for the international value of the US dollar. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot directly invest in them. They do not include fees, expenses or sales charges. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future results.   So, what could bring down king dollar? Fundamentals, for one. Interest rate differentials, relative economic strength (as measured by indicators like the purchasing manager’s index) and comparative current account positions have all supported the dollar but are now reaching extended levels that we believe are likely to mean revert over time. We have seen the dollar begin to roll over in late 2022/early 2023 and expect there will be more to come. Additional catalysts for a potential dollar decline include: A pause in rate hikes or eventual Fed policy pivot that lowers forward interest-rate expectations Slower growth in the United States Conflict resolution in Europe that supports the euro and reduces US dollar safe-haven demand We have long advocated investors use the strong dollar to buy discounted assets abroad. We believe this remains a good time to build positions, as an eventual downturn in the dollar is typically associated with the strong performance of ex-US assets. Conclusion There is plenty to think about as 2023 begins to unfold. Does recent strength represent a sustainable rebound, or just a bear market rally? When will inflation come down and how high will interest rates go? How will escalating geopolitical conflicts evolve? While we don’t have all the answers, we do believe it is an interesting time to be deploying capital to cheap international markets. WHAT ARE THE RISKS? All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. The value of investments can go down as well as up, and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Stock prices fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and dramatically, due to factors affecting individual companies, particular industries or sectors or general market conditions. Value securities may not increase in price as anticipated or may decline further in value. Investments in foreign securities involve special risks including currency fluctuations, economic instability, and political developments. Investments in developing markets involve heightened risks related to the same factors, in addition to those associated with their relatively small size and lesser liquidity. Actively managed strategies could experience losses if the investment manager’s judgment about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity or potential appreciation of particular investments made for a portfolio, proves to be incorrect. There can be no guarantee that an investment manager’s investment techniques or decisions will produce the desired results.
    ECB's Christine Lagarde not to announce the end of rate hikes?

    Stagnating eurozone GDP is worse than it seems

    ING Economics ING Economics 09.03.2023 09:35
    GDP growth in the eurozone was revised down from 0.1% to 0% in the fourth quarter. Poor household consumption and investment data show that underlying developments are weaker than expected, adding concern about eurozone economic performance   Sentiment about the eurozone economy has been more upbeat of late as many bad economic scenarios have been avoided. However, as more data comes in it is clear that the eurozone economy is struggling, with GDP growth revised down to 0.0% in the fourth quarter. This in itself is concerning, but when we look deeper into the GDP release a bleaker picture is revealed. As expected, growth was revised down thanks to weaker than initially released German and Irish data, but even stagnation seems to overstate the real performance of the eurozone economy in the fourth quarter. Household consumption contracts Household consumption in the fourth quarter of 2022 saw the largest decline since the start of the eurozone in 1999, with the exception of during the Covid-19 pandemic. The decline was not the same across countries; the Netherlands and Belgium, for example, saw healthy growth, but France, Germany and Italy all saw declines of around -1%, while Spain experienced a drop of -2.4%.  Household consumption saw the largest decline, with the exception of the Covid-19 pandemic Source: Eurostat, ING Research   When looking at a breakdown of consumer categories to see what caused this drop, we see that a large decline in non-durable goods consumption led the way. This is likely due to a large adjustment in energy consumption, which is a positive development. The declines in services and semi-durable goods consumption are more worrying though. Durable goods consumption did continue to grow, likely mainly due to older orders being fulfilled now that supply chain problems and input shortages have faded. Most consumption categories showed declines in 4Q Source: Eurostat, ING Research calculations Weak investment reflects economic concerns and higher rates Investment dropped sharply as well in the fourth quarter, by 3.5% quarter-on-quarter. It's important to note, however, that Irish intellectual property investments, related in large part to multinational accounting activity, had a big negative impact on this figure. Stripping this out, we still note a decline of -0.7%. This is the first decline since the third quarter of 2021. Read next: ECB preview: 50bp next week but how far will the ECB still go?| FXMAG.COM Germany, Spain and Belgium saw declines in investment, France and the Netherlands were roughly stable, and Italy and Greece saw increases – the latter in part due to EU recovery fund support. Overall, the lower investment appetite from firms is likely related to concerns about economic growth and uncertain prospects for the months ahead, while higher interest rates are also starting to bite. Investment has also dropped, but less markedly Source: Eurostat, ING Research calculations Government and weak imports pushed the GDP growth figure up to 0% With household consumption and investment down so sharply and together contributing -1.2 percentage points to the GDP growth figure, it’s important to look at offsetting factors. Government consumption is a key one, contributing 0.2 ppt positively, while inventories still added 0.1 ppt to the GDP figure. The main contribution came from net exports though as imports declined sharply in the fourth quarter while exports growth slowed markedly to 0.1%. In total, that resulted in a 0.9 ppt positive contribution from net exports. This means that the main positive contributor to GDP in the fourth quarter was the sharp decline in imports – this is hardly a sign of strength. Weaker imports contributed positively to GDP, masking very weak domestic demand Source: Eurostat, ING Research   For the ECB, the release of the underlying components of GDP actually provides a dovish signal. Stagnation in GDP at face value is not a sign that demand is cooling rapidly, but the underlying components show that economic conditions did deteriorate more markedly than initially expected. It’s hard to read where economic activity is headed in the short term, with both positive and negative news coming in about the first quarter of this year. On the back of that, we expect another quarter of stagnating GDP. Read this article on THINK TagsGDP Eurozone Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Indonesia Inflation Returns to Target, but Bank Indonesia Likely to Maintain Rates Until Year-End

    Indonesia: Looking to consumption to carry the load

    ING Economics ING Economics 09.03.2023 12:52
    A more challenging global landscape means Indonesia will look to domestic consumption to bolster growth aspirations in 2023 Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia   Indonesia’s economy grew by 5.3% in 2022, which was the fastest pace of expansion in almost a decade. Economic growth was underpinned by robust household spending as well as a healthy dose of manufacturing and exports. Domestic consumption was brisk with Covid-19 restrictions fully eased and headline inflation staying relatively well-behaved in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s export sector benefited from the commodity price rise in 2022 as demand for energy and oil increased due to the fallout from the Ukraine war. Surging exports in turn helped support domestic manufacturing, which boosted growth further.       Economic growth Indonesia is expected to churn out another solid growth performance in 2023, however challenges to the outlook have surfaced. The Bank of Indonesia (BI) expects growth to settle at the upper end of the forecast range of 4.5-5.3%, banking on private consumption, investments and exports to match last year’s growth. Given our expectation of a sustained moderation in commodity prices, we believe Indonesia will need to rely more heavily on household consumption and investment outlays to do the heavy-lifting as the boost from exports fades. Exports and the external balance: fading commodity boom The glow from the 2022 commodity boom had faded by the fourth quarter of 2022 and this development will likely impact Indonesia’s external position while also having a negative impact on manufacturing activity. Global prices for coal and palm oil, two of the major exports in Indonesia, have fallen sharply from their 2022 highs which would translate to more modest export growth and trade surpluses. Indonesia’s record trade surplus coincided with sharp price increases for these commodities which also helped deliver the highest current account % of GDP ratio (1.05%) since 2010.  On top of its impact on the external balance, fading export flows may also impact economic growth by way of weaker mining and manufacturing activity. Mining and related industrial activity (oil and gas refinery) accounts for 9.1% of total GDP and softer demand for exports could also weigh on economic activities related to the mining and refining of these export products.   Mineral fuels and oils account for 37% of total exports Source: Badan Pusat Statistik Commodity boom not likely in 2023 Source: ICE-Futures Europe commodities and MDE-Bursa Malaysia Consumption here to save the day? Depends on inflation With the boon from the export sector fading this year, Indonesia will be looking to domestic consumption to deliver the bulk of growth. The outlook for domestic consumption does have some upside after inflation appears to have peaked in late 2022. Headline inflation slowed to 5.5% year-on-year as of February (vs the 6% peak) while core inflation moved closer to target at 3.1%YoY.  Despite inflation coming down from its peak, however, price pressures remain evident with inflation still quite high for major items such as food (7.2%YoY), transport (13.6%) and utilities (3.4%). If headline inflation does eventually slow, this development could be supportive of household spending (53% of economic activity last year) and growth momentum overall.   One economic variable we will be watching carefully to approximate domestic consumption is retail sales. Retail sales, which had been relatively healthy in the first half of 2022, showed signs of slowing when faced with the sharp uptick in prices. If inflation does continue to slide this year, retail sales could potentially recover and provide some lift to overall growth. If inflation fails to slow, however, we could see only modest gains in retail sales with household spending only partially able to compensate for softer export receipts and weaker mining and manufacturing activity. Inflation moderates somewhat, dips from peak of 6% Source: Badan Pusat Statistik Improvement in retail sales dependent on inflation trajectory Source: Badan Pusat Statistik and Bank Indonesia BI now in the mood to support growth, but does it have the space? Faced with accelerating inflation in late 2022, BI had little choice but to join fellow regional central banks in hiking rates aggressively. The central bank rattled off a string of aggressive tightening in the second half of last year, lifting policy rates by a total of 225bps to steady the Indonesian rupiah (IDR) and combat inflationary pressures.  However, after seeing inflation moderate, BI Governor Perry Warjiyo declared victory over inflation and left policy rates untouched at the 16 February meeting. Warjiyo went so far as to indicate that he need not hike rates for the rest of the year suggesting that the current policy rate of 5.75% will be the peak for this tightening cycle. Dovish commentary from Warjiyo clearly shows that BI is now shifting its focus to bolstering growth to help offset the challenging global landscape.  Industry trends show that bank lending growth remained healthy despite the aggressive 225bps worth of tightening from BI and investment outlays could very well be a source of growth this year. Lending activity may have been supported by BI’s “macroprudential policies” such as the 0% downpayment for automotive loans, and looser loan-to-value ratios for property lending among others.  Furthermore, at least so far, growth in bank lending appears to have come without any detrimental impact on quality as the latest non-performing loan ratio slipped to 2.4%, the lowest since the start of the pandemic. Sustained economic expansion and the end of BI’s rate hike cycle bode well for bank lending, but with BI likely prevented from cutting policy rates further, the upside for capital formation may face some constraints. Loan growth not at the expense of quality. Can it be sustained? Source: Bank Indonesia Policy uncertainty as attention shifts to 2024 election This could prove to be a pivotal year as this will be the last full year of President Jokowi with the presidential election fast approaching in February 2024. Indonesia’s elections will go ahead as planned despite a recent court ruling postponing the polls for two years.  Current polls show no clear-cut favourites with three names surfacing as potential successors to Jokowi. General Subianto (Gerindra party) who lost to Jokowi in 2014, Java Governor Ganjar (PDI-P) and forever Java Governor Anies (independent) are all still very much in the race. Very recently, Anies was nominated by three major parties with the incumbent PDI-P still yet to nominate their candidate. We believe attention will shift to the presidential elections with not much reform or legislation likely to take place between now and February 2024.    Market outlook: IDR pressured, rates on hold and growth likely to slow from last year Indonesia is set to post another year of decent growth in 2023 although challenges, especially on the external front, suggest that the pace of expansion could slow from last year.  The economy will be missing the boost coming from the export sector as global demand fades, impacting both net exports and the mining sector's contribution to overall GDP growth.  Slower export receipts suggest a weaker external balance with the current account possibly slipping back into negative territory. A current account in deficit means that the IDR will face pressure throughout the year and the currency will likely lag any regional rally.  Meanwhile, fresh from declaring victory over inflation, we believe BI will be hard-pressed to cut rates at least in the near term as inflation will likely stay elevated. The projected long pause by BI means that the upside to capital formation and investment outlays could be capped despite some promising growth seen in bank lending.  Overall, the challenging external headwinds mean that Indonesia will be relying on domestic consumption and capital formation to drive growth momentum. And although we expect both household spending and investment activity to improve this year, the challenges posed by stubbornly high inflation and the inability on BI’s end to cut rates further point to an economic expansion that could very well fall short of last year’s growth mark.       Source: ING Estimates Read this article on THINK TagsIndonesian CPI Indonesia GDP Bank Indonesia Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Asia week ahead: RBA policy meeting plus regional trade data

    In China Core Inflation Excluding Food And Energy Fell To 0.6%

    Marc Chandler Marc Chandler 10.03.2023 09:12
    Overview: Seeing the drama he inspired on Tuesday, the Fed chair tried soft-pedaling the idea that he was signaling a 50 bp hike in March. The market did not buy it. And the odds, discounted by the Fed funds futures rose a little above 70% from about 62% at Tuesday's close. The two-year note yield solidified its foothold above the 5% mark. With the Bank of Canada confirming its pause, the Reserve Bank of Australia does not seem that far behind, and even the Bank of England Governor Baily has recently pushed against the aggressive market pricing, saying that the central bank has moved away from the "presumption" that more rate hikes are needed. The dollar remains firm but mostly consolidating today, ahead of tomorrow's employment report. Some position adjusting ahead of the conclusion of the BOJ's meeting is lifting the yen today, which is the best performing G10 currency, gaining about 0.85%. The US 10-year yield is little changed, slightly below 4% today, while European benchmark yields are mostly 3-4 bp higher. Asia Pacific equity markets were mixed, with Japan and Australia rising and China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, and India falling. Europe's Stoxx 600 is off 0.6% to nearly double this loss. US index futures are trading softer. With the greenback and US rates consolidating, gold is finding a reprieve after falling from around $1858 on Monday to a little below $1810 yesterday. April WTI is stuck in a tight range a little above yesterday's low (~$76.10). Lastly, we note that there is much talk about the tax hikes that will be in President Biden's budget proposals. We suggest, given the configuration of Congress that is more about political messaging, perhaps ahead of a formal declaration that he will seek re-election than the actual budget that will be eventually passed. Asia Pacific  China reported February consumer and producer prices, and both were weaker than expected. The end of the Lunar New Year holiday saw food, transportation, and recreation prices moderate, and the year-over-year rate of CPI slow to 1.0% from 2.1% in January. Food price inflation slowed to 2.6% year-over-year from 6.2% in January. Core inflation, excluding food and energy slowed to 0.6% from 1.0%. The new forecast/targets announced at the start of this week's National People's Congress has CPI rising to 3% this year. The market (median forecast in Bloomberg's survey) was at 2.4%. Producer prices fell 1.4% year-over-year, a larger decline than expected after a -0.8% pace in January. It was fifth consecutive monthly decline.  Even with fiscal and monetary stimulus, the Japanese economy continues to struggle and that constrains the policy options of the new leadership at the central bank. Growth in Q4 was revised from 0.2% quarter-over-quarter to flat. The revision is owed to weaker private consumption (0.3% rather than 0.5%). Net exports blunted some of the impact and was revised to 0.4% boost to GDP from 0.3%. Separately, the weekly Ministry of Finance report on portfolio flows shows that Japanese investors turned sellers of global bonds last week for the first time since the end of January. In the first nine weeks of the year, Japanese investors have bought JPY5.35 trillion or about $39.6 bln of foreign bonds. In the first nine weeks of 2022, Japanese investors sold around JPY1.66 trillion foreign bonds. Softer US rates and some anxiety over the conclusion of the Bank of Japan meeting tomorrow has seen the yen strengthen. The US dollar is pulling back from the three-month high set yesterday near JPY137.90 yesterday to almost JPY136.10 today. The week's low was set Monday slightly above JPY135.35. Large options set to expire today at JPY137 (~$1.4 bln) and JPY136.50 (~$1.05 bln) may have added fuel to the pullback. Options for $2.6 bln expire tomorrow at JPY136.00. Ahead of the BOJ meeting and the US employment data, a few hours later tomorrow, overnight yen volatility has spiked to over 41% from around 11.25% late yesterday. The Australian dollar is consolidating losses that took it to a new low since last November (~$0.6570) yesterday. It is inside yesterday's range and needs to rise above the high (~$0.6630) to lift the tone. It seems likely to spend the North American session consolidating. The dollar is also confined to a narrow range inside yesterday's price action against the Chinese yuan. The PBOC set the dollar's reference rate tightly against expectations, unlikely yesterday, when it was set notably weaker. The fix was at CNY6.9666, which is the strongest of the year, while the median in Bloomberg's survey was for CNY6.9667. Europe There is a light European economic calendar today. The next big event is the ECB meeting on March 16, where the staff will also update the economic forecasts. It we take a step back; we note that Germany's 10-year yield rose from around 2% in mid-January to 2.77% last week. The 10-year breakeven (the difference between the inflation-linked and conventional yields) also widened from about 2% to a little above 2.65% last week. However, it has collapsed to almost 2.40% and is near 2.44% now. That is to say that most of the rise in the nominal yield can be explained by an increase in the market-measure of inflation expectations. The higher-for-longer on rates, and the overnight index swaps show a 4.07% policy rate in October, a 70 bp increase since the end of January, seems to be souring the economic outlook. While the inversion of the US 2-10 curve draws much attention, the German curve is also inverted. At nearly 70 bp, the inversion is the most in more than 30 years and is nearly twice as inverted as it was at the end of January. Sweden's economy unexpected grew and grew strongly in January. The 2.0% monthly GDP gain contrasts with the median forecast in Bloomberg's survey for a 0.1% contraction. Household consumption rose by 0.5% (as much as it declined in December), and private sector production and services expanded strongly. The one source of weakness in today's reports was the 20.2% drop in industrial orders, which tends to be a volatile series. It had gains 23.3% in December. The euro is confined to a narrow range between about $1.0540 and $1.0570. There are options for almost 1.8 bln euros at $1.06 that expire today and 1.2 bln euros that expire there tomorrow. The near-term risk still seems to be on the downside and the 1.3 bln euros in options that expire tomorrow at $1.05 may still draw the price action. Yesterday's low was near $1.0525. The UK reports January GDP figures tomorrow and a small gain is expected after the 0.5% contraction in December. The British Chamber of Commerce became the latest to signal that the UK may avoid a recession. Sterling approached $1.18 yesterday and has recovered to almost $1.1890 today. The 200-day moving average is slightly above $1.19. There are options for almost GBP620 mln that expire there tomorrow. America Since Monday, the odds of a 50 bp hike by the Fed on March 22 has risen from about a 25% chance to around a 70% chance. This seems excessive, but arguably prudent ahead of tomorrow's jobs report. The terminal rate expectation has risen to 5.65%, up nearly 20 bp since Monday's settlement, and reflects a recognition of the increased risk of a 5.75% peak. The Beige Book, prepared for the upcoming FOMC meeting, was mixed. While it noted inflation pressures remained widespread, price increases moderated in many districts and prices are expected to continue to moderate. At the same time, growth was said to have accelerated slightly at the start of the year, but the pace in Q3 22 and Q4 22 were already above the Fed's long-term non-inflationary pace. Labor market conditions were "solid," though few districts reported businesses were becoming less flexible with some reduction of remote work options. That seems to be consistent with some easing of the tightness and several districts cited the lack of available childcare impeding work force participation. Some districts report easing of wage pressures, and this was seen as a trend in the coming months. As widely expected, the Bank of Canada stood pat, leaving the overnight target rate at 4.5%. Amid the more general theme of "higher for longer" the Canadian dollar was punished for the less aggressive posture and the Canadian dollar was the weakest of the G10 currencies, losing about 0.25% to fall to new four-month lows. The central bank's statement recognized the tightness of the labor market, and the need for inflation expectation to ease some more, but concluded that on balance the economy is evolving as expected. That includes CPI still falling to around 3% by midyear. It was at 5.9% in January, though the core measures were closer to 5%.  The Bank of Canada is putting emphasis on the cumulative effect of the tightening and the weaker growth to drive down inflation. Still, the market is doubtful that the pause is the peak. The swaps market is pricing about a 25% chance of a hike at next meeting on April 12, down a little bit from Tuesday. However, it is completed discounted by the July 12 meeting, slightly more confident than earlier in the week. That said, the market is still in flux and tomorrow's jobs report is an important data point, though the Bank of Canada will see the March figures (due April 6) before it meets, as well as the February CPI (March 21). In addition, the Bank of Canada may feel less comfortable if the policy rate with the Fed exceeds 100 bp.  Mexico reports February CPI today. It is expected to have slowed to 8.35% on the headline (from 8.45%) and 7.68% at the core level (from 7.91%). Headline CPI peaked slightly above 8.50% last November. The core rate peaked last August and September at 8.70%. The stickiness of price pressures spurred the central bank to lift the overnight target rate by 50 bp at its February 9 meeting. Most had expected a quarter-point move. Banxico meets on March 30 and the risk of another 50 bp hike has increased primarily because of the shift in Fed expectations. The median forecast in Bloomberg's survey sees inflation ending the year around 5.8%.  The US dollar marginally extended yesterday's gains against the Canadian dollar to a little through CAD1.3815 before coming back offered in the European morning and trading to almost CAD1.3790. It is consolidating in a narrow range just inside the upper Bollinger Band (~CAD1.3825). A break of the CAD1.3750 is needed to help stabilize the technical tone. That seems unlikely ahead of tomorrow's jobs reports. Fed Chair Powell's initial comments on Tuesday saw the greenback spike up to almost MXN18.18. However, this was greeted with fresh dollar sales and peso purchases. The dollar recorded a marginally new five-year low today near MXN17.90. It is difficult to talk about meaningful support, but the next important chart area is near MXN17.50. The lower Bollinger Band is near MXN17.85 today.  Disclaimer
    Markets under Pressure: Rising Yields, Strong Dollar, and Political Headwinds Weigh on Stocks"

    Silicon Valley Bank Was Forced To Sell Off Its Securities Sharply

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 10.03.2023 11:27
    SVB is a bank that mainly supports start-ups, as a large bank it seems solid and resistant to major crises. But as they show, even the big banks are vulnerable. In this article: Silicon Valley Bank UK economy Gender-segregated is still common Silicon Valley Bank For the Silicon Valley region, trouble comes at a particularly difficult time. Silicon Valley Bank has long been regarded as a driving force behind tech start-ups, providing traditional banking services while financing projects and companies deemed too risky for traditional lenders. But the 40-year-old company's close ties to technology make it particularly vulnerable to the industry's ups and downs cycles, and on Thursday those risks became clear. SVB was forced to sell off its securities sharply, offloading its $21 billion holdings at a loss of $1.8 billion while raising $500 million from venture capital firm General Atlantic. As a large regulated bank, the SVB was seen as a stabilizing force. But her recent financial maneuvering is causing concern among the firm's clients. According to SVB's mid-quarter update, one of the bank's main concerns is the amount of money its customers are spending. Total client funds declined over the past five quarters as cash burn continued at a rapid pace despite a slowdown in venture investments. At present, the SVB can only hope to remain a trusted source of funding for companies that want to eventually hold a significant portion of that money. Silicon Valley Bank's struggles spell further trouble for beleaguered tech startup market @rogoswami @levynews https://t.co/y9yGQn5tVt — Ted Kemp (@TedKempCNBC) March 10, 2023 UK economy Children returning to school after a disease-ravaged December provided an unexpected, one-off boost to the UK economy in January. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the UK economy grew by 0.3% month-on-month after falling 0.5% in December - a reading that is likely to further allay fears of a recession, at least in the short term. The entertainment sector - backed by the men's Premier League, which returned to action after the 2022 World Cup - has been another stimulus to the economy. As a sign of deeper problems for the economy, production and construction were contracted. British economic output rose by a better-than-expected 0.3% month-on-month in January. More here: https://t.co/eVei3cFlES — Reuters Business (@ReutersBiz) March 10, 2023 Gender-segregated is still common Despite significant progress in recent decades, labor markets around the world continue to be gender-segregated. Women's participation in the labor force remains lower than that of men, the gender pay gap is wide and women are overrepresented in the informal sector and among the poor. In many countries, legal restrictions persist that prevent women from developing their full economic potential. Better opportunities for women can also contribute to broader economic development in developing economies, for example through higher enrollment of girls in schools. #EmbraceEquity: "An economy can only reach its full potential when it taps into the talents of men AND women. The IMF’s gender strategy aims to bring women front and center in economic policy discussions.” —@KGeorgieva More on #IMFGender: https://t.co/EpHDwGYaTB pic.twitter.com/ry6ou7FEa0 — IMF (@IMFNews) March 9, 2023
    Euro and European bond yields decreased after the ECB decision. The end of tightening may be close

    A 50bp Rate Hike Next Week In Eurozone Looks Like A Done Deal

    Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 11.03.2023 10:31
    Thursday's European Central Bank interest-rate decision and U.S. inflation data on Tuesday will be the main focus next week. Interest rates The ECB, Fed, Bank of England (BoE) and other central banks have aggressively raised interest rates in an attempt to bring inflation back to the 2% target. The UK and US raised their benchmark interest rates from near zero a year ago to 4% and 4.5% respectively, while the corresponding ECB rate is up to 2.5% Interest rate expectations in the Eurozone and the US have been rising recently, putting these two developments in the spotlight. The ECB is widely expected to raise interest rates by 50 basis points, taking the deposit rate to 3.00%. Inflation still too high The world's major economies have been battling rapid inflation for almost two years. After many years of very slow price growth, in 2022 annual inflation in many economies reached double-digit values. This was due to supply chain disruptions in response to COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine, which has pushed up energy and food prices. In the euro zone core inflation increased from 5.3% in January to 5.6% in February. In addition to the main factors influencing inflation, other equally important reasons can be indicated. The reason why core inflation remains elevated may be the fact that unemployment is so low . For example, in the service sector in the Eurozone, we see wages rising as companies compete to pay for workers. Another factor was companies raising prices faster than usual to maintain their profit margins. As most consumers already know all too well, increased inflation lowers the standard of living. This means people can buy fewer items for the same amount of money, making weekly shopping more and more stressful. As signaled by Powell (the head of the Fed) and Lagarde (ECB), the latest inflation data indicate the need for further aggressive interest rate increases. Now 50bp and May too? March's move was well signaled by the central bank, focusing on any signals as to how far and how quickly interest rates will rise in the future, in particular whether the ECB will go ahead with another 50 basis point hike in May. Some analysts raised their ECB interest rate forecasts due to recent strong inflation data, which pushed eurozone bond yields higher. Comments from ECB President Christine Lagarde at the press conference following Thursday's decision will be crucial for the eurozone, especially after ECB policymaker Robert Holzmann called for three more moves of 50bps after this month's meeting. Expect the worst? While there have been some positive developments in confidence metrics since the start of the year, the hard data is still far from rosy. Interestingly, two downward revisions of German GDP data and one downward revision of Irish GDP data brought the Eurozone economy to the brink of recession in Q4 2022 and another stagnation in Q1 cannot yet be ruled out. The ECB's own consumer expectations survey this week showed a further decline in consumer inflation expectations. At the same time, however, core inflation continued to rise and so far there are no signs of a peak. Industry selling price expectations have dropped significantly but remain close to all-time highs for services. Source: investing.com
    Producer Price Fall and Stickier Services Inflation: Impact on CPI and Resilient Consumption

    Soft start to 2023 for Italian industrial production

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.03.2023 11:38
    The worse-than-expected January release and business confidence data suggest that a clear turnaround in manufacturing activity won't materialise in the first quarter of 2023   The surprisingly strong 1.2% monthly expansion of industrial production recorded in December 2022 did not continue in January, which saw a worse-than-expected 0.7% contraction. The working day adjusted measure is up 1.4% on the year, providing only partial comfort.   The sector breakdown does not provide strong directional indications but shows that energy-intensive sectors such as chemicals and metal products performed better than others, possibly reflecting the positive impact of falling energy prices. There were no clear indications from sectors more heavily hit by past supply chain disruptions, where production contracted in transport equipment and expanded in electronics. Looking ahead, we don’t expect an imminent substantial acceleration in production. In February, manufacturing confidence was stable on the month, with production and the order subcomponents improving only marginally. The consolidation of gas prices at relatively low levels should in principle continue to help energy-intensive sectors, but at the same time the impact of past interest rate hikes should be increasingly visible on demand. Indications coming from the finished goods inventory component of February’s business confidence survey look still inconclusive. There is no generalised strong need to re-stock for the time being, but a timid indication that some re-stocking could be more likely in investment goods than in consumer goods.  Today’s release seems to suggest that the Italian economy will flirt with a technical recession in the first quarter of 2023. We are currently pencilling in flat GDP growth in the first quarter, and expect a very gradual recovery over the rest of the year, with average GDP growth at 0.7% in 2023.   Read this article on THINK TagsItaly industrial production Italy GDP Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
    Shocking Chinese Manufacturing Data Sends Euro Plummeting! Find Out Why Europe is Feeling the Heat

    Shocking Chinese Manufacturing Data Sends Euro Plummeting! Find Out Why Europe is Feeling the Heat

    Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 31.05.2023 12:39
    Weak Chinese manufacturing data put pressure on the single currency as Europe, particularly Germany, is highly correlated with China.   However, the Eurozone's data is not so bad today. The number of unemployed in Germany rose by 9K, down from 23K and 19K in the previous two months. Unemployment is rising much more slowly than in the recessions of 2009 and 2020, and the unemployment rate (5.6%) is low by historical standards.   Second estimates confirmed a 0.2% q/q and 0.9% y/y rise in French GDP in the first quarter, although private consumption fell by a further 1% in April after a 0.8% decline in the previous two months.   For Italy, the final data pointed to economic growth of 0.6% q/q and 1.9% y/y, 0.1 percentage points higher than previously estimated.   Despite the upbeat economic data, the EURUSD fell to 1.0660 in early European trading, its lowest level since 17 March.
    Dovish Tone in CEE Puts Pressure on FX: Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland in Focus

    Dovish Tone in CEE Puts Pressure on FX: Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland in Focus

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.06.2023 10:23
    CEE: Dovish tone to put pressure on FX The Czech Republic's 1Q wage data will be published today, which is perhaps a more important number for the central bank these days than inflation itself. The Czech National Bank expects 9.1% YoY, monthly data and national accounts point to a higher number, but it should remain below 10%, the pain threshold mentioned by the board. Tomorrow, we will see industrial data in the Czech Republic and retail data in Hungary. Later, the decision by the National Bank of Poland will be announced. In line with the market, we expect rates to remain unchanged. The main focus will be the governor's press conference, which we expect to be dovish in tone, supported by a fall in inflation. Hungary's industrial production will be released on Wednesday, and we expect a 6.5% YoY decline, well below market expectations. Then on Thursday, we will see May inflation in Hungary, which is expected to fall further from 24.0% to 22.1% YoY, slightly below market expectations. Hungary's state budget result and Romania's second estimate of 1Q GDP will also be released.     In the FX market, we will be watching the echoes of Friday's US labour numbers, which bring positive sentiment, but also higher dollar rates. However, a stronger dollar will still keep pressure on CEE FX and we remain bearish. Moreover, local numbers across the region should favour a dovish tone this week, pushing interest rate differentials lower. After rallying in recent days, we think the Polish zloty and Hungarian forint are most at risk. The market has built large long positions in both currencies and the dovish tone this week should lead to some market rebalancing. Thus, we should see a return closer to 4,520 EUR/PLN and 372 EUR/HUF.  
    Bank of Canada Faces Hawkish Dilemma: To Hold or to Hike Interest Rates?

    Bank of Canada Faces Hawkish Dilemma: To Hold or to Hike Interest Rates?

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.06.2023 10:27
    A hawkish hold from the Bank of Canada next week We expect the BoC to leave the policy rate at 4.5% next week, but after stronger-than-expected consumer price inflation and GDP and with the labour data remaining robust we cannot rule out a surprise interest rate increase. The market is pricing a 25% chance of a hike on 7 June, and a hawkish hold should be anough to keep the Canadian dollar supported.   Canadian resilience means a rate hike can't be ruled out The Bank of Canada last raised rates on 25 January and have held it at 4.5% ever since. The statement from the last meeting in April commented that global growth had been stronger than expected and that in Canada itself, “demand is still exceeding supply and the labour market remains tight”. The bank warned that it was continuing to “assess whether monetary policy is sufficiently restrictive and remain prepared to raise the policy rate further” to ensure inflation returns to 2%.   Since then we have had additional warnings from Governor Tiff Macklem that the bank remains concerned about upside inflation risks with the latest CPI report showing a month-on-month increase in prices of 0.7% versus a consensus forecast of 0.4%, resulting in the annual rate of inflation rising to 4.4%. The economy added another 41,400 jobs in April, more than double the 20,000 expected with wages rising and unemployment remaining at just 5%. The resilience of the economy was then emphasised further by first quarter GDP growth coming in at 3.1% annualised, beating the 2.5% consensus growth forecast. Consumer spending was the main growth engine, rising 3.1%.     But we favour a hawkish hold – signalling action unless inflation softens again soon Nonetheless, the BoC accept that monetary policy operates with long and varied lags and continue to believe that “as more households renew their mortgages at higher rates and restrictive monetary policy works its way through the economy more broadly, consumption is expected to moderate this year”. This will help to dampen inflation pressures and with commodity price softening we still believe that inflation can get close to the 2% target by the early part of 2024.   With the US economic outlook also looking a little uncertain, we doubt that the BoC will want to restart hiking interest rates unless it is certain that inflation pressures will not moderate as it has long been forecasting. Consequently we favour a hawkish hold, signalling that if there isn’t clearer evidence of softening in price pressures it could raise rates again in July.     The loonie's resilience can continue The Canadian dollar has been the best G10 performing currency in the past month, largely thanks to its high beta to the US economic narrative and a repricing of Canada’s domestic rate and growth story. These factors have outshadowed crude’s subdued performance in May and some risk sentiment instability.   A hawkish tone by the Bank of Canada at the June meeting is clearly an important element to keep the bullish narrative for CAD alive. As shown below, the recent repricing in Fed rate expectations caused a rebound in short-term USD swap rates relative to most currencies (like the euro), while the USD-CAD 2-year swap rate differential has remained on a declining path also throughout the second half of May.     As long as the BoC does not push back against the pricing for a hike in the summer, we expect CAD to remain supported. Some lingering USD strength in June can put a floor around 1.33/1.34 in USD/CAD, but we expect a decisive move to 1.30 in the third quarter and below then level before the end of the year.  
    NBP Holds Rates Steady with Focus on Future: Insights from Press Conference

    NBP Holds Rates Steady with Focus on Future: Insights from Press Conference

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.06.2023 08:18
    National Bank of Poland leaves rates unchanged, focus on tomorrow’s press conference The National Bank of Poland rates and statement after the June Monetary Policy Council meeting were unchanged. More information should come from tomorrow's conference by the central bank president. We expect a slightly more dovish stance.   As expected, NBP rates remain unchanged (reference rate still at 6.75%). The post-meeting statement noted a decline in first quarter GDP and a further contraction in consumer demand, with investment still growing. The document again underlined the favourable labour market situation, including low unemployment. As expected, the MPC noted a further decline in CPI inflation and a marked decline in core inflation in May. The Council continued to see a pass-through of rising costs onto finished goods prices. Aside from updating paragraphs on the first quarter GDP figure and the latest inflation data, the rest of the statement was largely unchanged. The Council reiterated its view that the return of inflation to the NBP's target will be gradual due to the scale and persistence of past external shocks.     The key event in the context of the monetary policy outlook is tomorrow's press conference by NBP President Glapiński. We expect its tone to be more dovish than a month ago. The decline in inflation has been faster than expected (albeit close to the NBP's March projection). The peak in core inflation is most likely behind us, and the strengthening of the zloty and lower commodity prices should favour further disinflation. The short-term inflation outlook has improved, and some MPC members have again begun to raise the topic of a readiness to cut interest rates before the end of this year.     In our view, the medium-term inflation outlook remains uncertain, and with a tight labour market, high wage pressures and strong consumer acceptance to price increases, inflation may therefore stabilise in the medium term at levels well above the NBP target. The NBP's projection, assuming it leaves interest rates unchanged, suggests a return of inflation to the target by the end of 2025, and a possible rate cut before the end of 2023 could delay this.   Therefore, in the baseline scenario, we see no rate cuts this year. However, an improvement in the short-term inflation outlook, the strengthening of the zloty and a possible softening of other central banks' rhetoric in the coming months could serve as arguments for a single MPC rate cut in the second half of the year. We estimate the probability of such a scenario at 30-40%.
    Market Analysis: EUR/USD Signals and Trends

    GDP Contraction in Q1 2023 Driven by Inventory Reduction and Service Imports Growth. Trade Balance Impacted by Increased Service Imports

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.06.2023 08:28
    GDP first quarter 2023: contraction due to inventory reduction and growth in service imports       GDP outlook: sluggish growth in quarters ahead     Sectors: contraction in ICT, recreation & culture and industry in first quarter     Trade balance: especially higher service import worsened the trade balance     Exports: while total exports fell businesses also became negative about export order book   Investment: still solid investment growth     Profitability: indication of higher profitability, but especially smaller businesses are still negative about it
    GBP/USD: Bearish Outlook Prevails Amidst Lack of Fundamental Drivers

    GBP/USD: Bearish Outlook Prevails Amidst Lack of Fundamental Drivers

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 07.06.2023 09:36
    The GBP/USD currency pair failed to continue its upward movement for the third consecutive time on Tuesday after consolidating above the moving average line. It is worth noting that last week the pair showed significant growth, but there were hardly any solid reasons behind such a movement. Just looking at the calendar of fundamental events and the movements of the EUR/USD pair during the same period confirms this.   Currently, the pound is trying to figure out its next move. It remains close to its local peaks, which are too high for its current conditions. Remember that there are no substantial reasons for it to be that high. One of the reasons for the pound's strong rally in recent weeks could have been the oversold condition of the CCI indicator on May 11.     But it has already been accounted for and worked out in this case. It's time to head down again. There were no important publications or events in the UK or the US on Tuesday. Overall, this week will have a limited number of important events and news.     Therefore, the pair may continue to swing sideways. However, in the medium term, we expect it to decline in almost any case. Whether it will happen remains an open question because the market has shown us in recent months that it can buy when 80% of the factors suggest selling. In the 24-hour timeframe, the price rebounded from a critical line, and this signal is the main hope for a decline soon.     The Kijun-sen line is strong, so a decline can be expected after the rebound. Additionally, there won't be any significant reports or events soon to shift the market sentiment to "bullish" again suddenly. No matter how you look at it, the word "decline" is evident everywhere. There is no fundamental background, only sell signals. Regarding the fundamental background, there is nothing new to say after Tuesday.     There weren't even any minor speeches from the Bank of England or Fed officials. The next Federal Reserve meeting will occur on June 13-14, so the "quiet period" has already begun. This means there will be no speeches by Fed representatives until the meeting.   The same applies to BoE members. The topic of US government debt is closed. There is no news. Therefore, the pair may trade chaotically and flatly or swing back and forth over the next few weeks. Be prepared for any outcome. By the way, the CCI indicator almost entered the overbought zone again. If that had happened, the probability of a new decline would have increased significantly. Without that, we can only wait for a decline and be wary of another illogical rally.       We have already discussed the Fed rates in the article on EUR/USD; there is nothing new about the Bank of England's rates. It will undoubtedly increase by 0.25% at the next meeting, the thirteenth consecutive hike. Inflation in the UK remains high, and there is no guarantee it will slow down at the same pace as in April. Thus, the British regulator cannot ease its monetary pressure, but at the same time, the rate has already risen to 4.5%. This is not the maximum possible value. The rate could increase by another 0.25-0.5%, but GDP has remained near zero growth for three consecutive quarters. According to Andrew Bailey, each subsequent rate hike could harm the British economy, which will not enter a recession this year.   But it's uncertain. Let's mention the "head and shoulders" pattern forming between May 30 and June 6. If it is indeed forming, it provides another sell signal. Two shoulders are around the level of 1.2451. The head is around the level of 1.2543. The average volatility of the GBP/USD pair over the past five trading days is 98 pips. For the pound/dollar pair, this value is considered "average."   Therefore, on Wednesday, June 7, we expect movements between 1.2322 and 1.2518. Reversal of the Heiken Ashi indicator back upward will signal a new upward movement phase.     Nearest support levels: S1 - 1.2421 S2 - 1.2390 S3 - 1.2360   Nearest resistance levels: R1 - 1.2451 R2 - 1.2482 R3 - 1.2512   Trading recommendations: On the 4-hour timeframe, the GBP/USD pair has settled below the moving average line, so short positions are currently relevant, with targets at 1.2360 and 1.2329. These positions should be held until the Heiken Ashi indicator reverses upward. Long positions can be considered if the price consolidates above the moving average line with targets at 1.2482 and 1.2512.   Explanations for the illustrations: Linear regression channels - help determine the current trend. The trend is strong if both channels are directed in the same direction. Moving average line (settings 20,0, smoothed) - determines the short-term trend and the direction in which trading should be conducted.   Murray levels - target levels for movements and corrections. Volatility levels (red lines) - the probable price channel in which the pair will move the next day based on current volatility indicators. CCI indicator - its entry into the oversold area (below -250) or overbought area (above +250) indicates an upcoming trend reversal in the opposite direction.  
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    Central Bank Hikes Spark Concerns: Are More Rate Increases on the Horizon?

    ING Economics ING Economics 09.06.2023 08:27
    Rates Spark: Worries that more might be needed The Bank of Canada has resumed hiking after a pause, highlighting concerns that elsewhere more might be needed to bring inflation down even as the Fed is mulling a pause of its own. Market rates have adjusted higher again and look vulnerable to more upside in the near term, especially in the US, with supply looming early next week.   The Bank of Canada lends skip narratives globally more credibility If they need any evidence that the current tightening cycle is not of the usual type, rates markets only have to look at the Bank of Canada’s 25bp hike yesterday. It was a move that surprised the majority of economists and came after the bank stood pat since last hiking 25bp in January. The Bank of Canada has led Fed policy in many ways, when it came to starting quantitative tightening or reverting to larger hikes. Now it may well have jumped ahead with the “skip” narrative, just when FOMC members are mulling a pause of their own. While it was previously tempting for markets to read any pause already as the end of the tightening cycle, it shows that an adverse turn of the data can require central banks to tighten the policy screws further.   With regards to the markets’ pricing of the Fed, the implied probability of a hike next week increased moderately to 30%. The probability of a July hike briefly spiked above 90% before falling back to 80%, not far from where it sat before. Yet further out the SOFR OIS forwards for year-end are now back at their highest levels since March at just above 5%.   Inflation concerns and supply add near-term upside to yields   Supply remains a near term factor for rates However, it was longer rates in the 5- to 10-year area that underperformed, with 10Y USTs rising more than 12bp to close in on 3.8%. While the BoC’s decision delivered the decisive push, the rise in yields already started earlier. That may also be owed to the prospect of faster paced Treasury issuance after the lift of the debt ceiling weighing on markets.   True, the rebuild of the Treasury’s cash balance as indicated yesterday to US$425bn by the end of June will mostly come from additional bills issuance, but early next week markets also will face 3Y and 10Y Treasury auctions on Monday and a 30Y auction on Tuesday. It means the bond sales will come around the crucial US CPI release and just ahead of the FOMC decision, volatility events that may warrant additional price concessions.   The US Treasury is about to rebuild its cash account   Upside inflation risks outweigh softer data, also at the ECB In EUR rates markets as well, just ahead of the upcoming ECB meeting, worries about inflation continue to outweigh the impact of softer data. Market have been close to fully pricing a June hike for a while now and see at least one more hike until September. They see a 20% chance that we will have a third hike, reflecting the recent return of speculation that the ECB’s deposit rate could reach the 4% handle.   The ECB’s Schnabel and the Dutch central bank’s Knot were the latest to say more tightening was needed. Schnabel cautioned “given the high uncertainty about the persistence of inflation, the costs of doing too little continue to be greater than the costs of doing too much”. Our own economists also think a hike next week looks like a done deal. More interesting is what the ECB will signal around the further path ahead. Given the current tightening bias evident in minutes of the last meeting and recent commentary as well as the still painfully slow decline in inflation the door should be left open to deliver more. A second hike in July looks likely. A third in September is possible, but not yet the base case.   Today's data and market view The Bank of Canada’s resumption of rate hikes also lends credibility to the skip narrative that Fed officials have increasingly been pushing last week. Despite all positive signs on the inflation front and weaker data, the concern clearly is that central banks may still need to do more. Technical factors like the Treasury supply packed into early next week just ahead of the Fed decision can add a bearish tilt to the market until then, and at least to some added volatility. Main highlight on the data front are the weekly US initial jobless claims. Consensus here is for little change which would indicate a still relatively tight job market. In the eurozone we will get the final first quarter GDP figures. Supply certainly has been a theme in eurozone rates markets, too, especially with Spain printing a €13bn 10Y bond which added to the widening of periphery bond spreads. After recent busy primary markets, only Ireland is scheduled to be active - with two bond taps in the sovereign space today.  
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    The Dilemma for the Federal Reserve: To Hike or Hold This Week?

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 13.06.2023 15:46
    To hike or to hold for the Fed this week     When the Federal Reserve last met at the beginning of May raising rates by 25bps as expected, the market reaction was relatively benign. There was little in the way of surprises with a change in the statement seeing the removal of the line that signalled more rate hikes were coming, in a welcome sign that the US central bank was close to calling a halt on rate hikes.     Despite this signalling of a possible pause, US 2-year yields are higher now than they were at the time of the last meeting.     This is primarily due to markets repricing the likelihood of rate cuts well into next year due to resilience in the labour market as well as core inflation. Some of the recent briefings from various Fed officials do suggest that a divergence of views is forming on how to move next, with a slight bias towards signalling a pause tomorrow and looking to July for the next rate hike.      At the time this didn't appear to be too problematic for the central bank given how far ahead the Federal Reserve is when it comes to its rate hiking cycle. The jobs market still looks strong, and wages are now trending above headline CPI meaning that there may be some on the FOMC who are more concerned at the message a holding of rates might send, especially given that the RBA and Bank of Canada both unexpectedly hiked rates this past few days.     With both Fed chair Jay Powell leaning towards a pause, and potential deputy Chair Philip Jefferson entertaining similar thoughts in comments made just before the blackout period, the Fed has made itself a hostage to expectations, with the ECB set to raise rates later this week, and the Bank of England set to hike next week, after today's big jump in wage growth.       This presents the Fed with a problem given that it will be very much the outlier if it holds tomorrow. Nonetheless there does appear to be increasing evidence that a pause is exactly what we will get, with the problem being in what sort of message that sends to markets, especially if markets take away the message that the Fed is done.     If the message you want to send is that another hike will come in July, why wait when the only extra data of note between now and then is another CPI and payrolls report. You then must consider the possibility that these reports might well come in weaker, undermining the commitment to July and undermining the narrative for a further hike that you say is coming, thus loosening financial conditions in the process.     While headline inflation may well be close to falling below 4% the outlook for core prices remains sticky, and at 5% on a quarterly basis, and this will be an additional challenge for the US central bank, when it updates its economic projections, and dot plots.   The Fed currently expects unemployment to rise to a median target of 4.5% by the end of this year. Is that even remotely credible now given we are currently at 3.7%, while its core PCE inflation target is 3.6%, and median GDP is at 0.4%.     As markets look to parse this week's new projections the key question will be this, is the US economy likely to be in a significantly different place between now and then, and if it isn't then surely, it's better to hike now rather than procrastinate for another 5 weeks, especially if you are, as often claimed "data dependant".       By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)  
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    Emerging Signs of Economic Recovery in Central and Eastern Europe: Trade, Energy Prices, and Tourism Point to Optimism"

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.06.2023 07:34
    After facing three years of headwinds to economic growth, the economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) might just be on the verge of an upturn. So far this year, most economies have managed to avoid the most pessimistic forecasts.   And moving into the second half we see the region ‘making the best’ of an admittedly still challenging environment. In our main article we analyse which economies in the region might be able to benefit from: (1) modestly improving trade trends; (2) lower energy prices; and (3) the return of tourism to pre-pandemic levels.   While forecasts for a rebound in global trade are not particularly aggressive, trade has already delivered an important offset to poor domestic demand in the region. In theory, the more open economies of Hungary and the Czech Republic stand to benefit more from the improvement in merchandise trade volumes. Lower energy prices benefit the region as a whole – particularly Turkey.   Higher energy prices wreaked havoc on CEE external balances last year and lower prices this year are most welcome. Lower energy prices also support governments – in the likes of the Czech Republic and Poland – in encouraging fuel retailers not to expand margins. This will help the disinflation process across the region. When it comes to tourism, Turkey, Hungary and Poland have all typically enjoyed net positive tourism receipts.   Romania notably runs a net negative position here. A return of tourism to pre-pandemic levels can certainly provide some support.   These effects will be felt more keenly in Croatia and Bulgaria, where tourism is worth one-fifth of GDP. Incorporating these trends into our overall forecasts for the region, our team of economists feel that growth trends will improve in the second half. A major driver of this will be the broad disinflation process, where we forecast 2024 inflation at roughly half that seen in 2023.   The evidence of disinflation should be enough to start/extend easing cycles in Hungary, the Czech Republic and even a one-off cut in Poland this year. Romania may be tempted to join in with lower rates if it sees peers making the move.   The clear disinflation process should also mean less pressure on real household incomes and suggests that domestic demand will not weigh as heavily on activity as it has done during the recent cost of living crisis. However, there will be key differences across the region driven by the local political climate. Fiscal policy is one clear example here. Fiscal policy looks set to stay loose into October elections in Poland, while the Czech Republic is embarking on an aggressive fiscal consolidation programme.   Equally politics plays a role in the region’s access to EU funds, where we should know a lot more by September/October this year. Turkey, again, is very much focused on its own political cycle. A new economics team faces a much greater challenge in getting inflation under control. It is early days, but hints of more orthodox policy points to large rate hikes through the summer.   Looking further across the region, we note the improvement in Ukraine’s FX reserves amidst the tragedy of the ongoing conflict. As always, this Directional Economics showcases ING’s global reach with our local team of experts in the CEE region. Please reach out to them with any questions. We very much hope you enjoy reading it as much as we do sharing our latest views.
    Armenia's Economic Dynamics: Immigration Spillover, Trade Boost, and Challenges Ahead

    Armenia's Economic Dynamics: Immigration Spillover, Trade Boost, and Challenges Ahead

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.06.2023 07:48
    Armenia has benefited from a spillover of the war in Ukraine through net immigration of middle-class Russians and other CIS citizens, boosting services exports, domestic consumption and GDP, increasing its two-way trade with Russia and boosting budget revenues.   Yet unless there is a new wave of immigration, growth is set to normalise amid still high unemployment and sluggish credit growth. Budget policy, prudent so far, may face higher military spending if tensions with Azerbaijan re-emerge. As CPI passed its peak and monetary stance has been conservative so far, there is a scope for cautiously lower local rates. The FX rate, however, is now 24% stronger to USD vs end-2021 and is facing the risk of correction. On the plus side, the central bank has used the one-off windfall to boost reserves, strengthening external buffers.
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    Prospects and Challenges for Central and Eastern European Economies in 2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 14.06.2023 08:00
    2023 will prove another tough year for global growth. Central bankers in most advanced economies will keep their collective foot on the monetary brake pedal. Yet trade volumes and tourism should improve, plus energy prices are substantially lower than a year ago. In this article, we take a look at how selected Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies could benefit on a relative basis.   Key observations • Looking at what an improvement in the external trade environment could mean for the region, we note Hungary and the Czech Republic are the more open economies, Poland and Romania the more closed. Turkey’s more geographically diversified trade mix has helped. Better trade trends should prove an important offset to weaker domestic demand in the region, although we caution that foreign value-add in exports is quite high. Given the recent Turkish lira depreciation, sectors using imported inputs at the lowest rate, eg, labour-intensive industries, could fare better.   • The spike in energy prices did most of the damage to the external imbalances over 2021-22 and falling prices should now be a welcome boon – especially to Hungary and Turkey. Lower energy prices may also give governments more room to pressure margins of the fuel retailers – helping to make the case for rate cuts especially in the CE4 region later this year. Romania’s relative self-sufficiency in energy suggests it will not be a major beneficiary of this story.   • When it comes to tourism, none of the selected CEE countries we cover in this article come close to the near 20% of GDP that tourism represents in the likes of Croatia, Bulgaria and Montenegro. Yet a further recovery in tourism back to pre-2019 levels would certainly be positive for the likes of Turkey, Hungary and Poland – countries that run net positive balances in terms of tourism receipts.   Current account evolution by components: 2022 vs 2019 (% of GDP)
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    Fed Signals Rate Pause as UK GDP Aims for April Rebound

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 14.06.2023 08:30
    Fed set for a rate pause; UK GDP set to rebound in April    European markets closed higher for the second day in a row, after the latest US inflation numbers for May came in at a 2-year low, and speculation about further Chinese stimulus measures boosted sentiment.   US markets followed suit although the enthusiasm and gains were tempered ahead of today's Fed meeting as caution set in ahead of the rate announcement.   Having seen US CPI for May come in at a two year low of 4%, in numbers released yesterday, market expectations are for the US central bank to take a pause today with a view to looking at a hike in July. Of course, this will be predicated on how the economic data plays out over the next 6-7 weeks but nonetheless the idea that you would commit to a hike in July begs the question why not hike now and keep your options open regarding July, ensuring that financial conditions don't loosen too much.   Today's May PPI numbers are only likely to reinforce this more dovish tilt, if as expected we see further evidence of slowing prices, with core prices set to fall below 3% for the first time in over 3 years. Headline PPI is expected to slow to 1.5%, down from 2.3%.       When Fed officials set out the "skip" mindset in their numerous briefings since the May decision when the decision was taken to remove the line that signalled more rate hikes were coming, there was always a risk that this sort of pre-commitment might turn out to be problematic.   So, while markets are fully expecting the Fed to announce no change today, Powell's biggest challenge will be in keeping the prospect of a July rate hike a credible outcome, while at the same time as outlining the Fed's economic projections for the rest of the year, as well as for 2024.   In their previous projections they expect unemployment to rise to a median target of 4.5% by the end of this year. Is that even remotely credible now given we are currently at 3.7%, while its core PCE inflation target is 3.6%, and median GDP is at 0.4%.     Before we get to the Fed meeting the focus shifts back to the UK economy after yesterday's unexpectedly solid April jobs data, as well as the sharp surge in wages growth, which prompted UK 2-year gilt yields to surge to their highest levels since 2008, up almost 25bps on the day.   While unemployment slipped back to 3.8% as more people returned to the work force, wage growth also rose sharply to 7.2%, showing once again the resilience of the UK labour market, and once again underlining the policy failures of the Bank of England in looking to contain an inflation genie that has got away from them.   This failure now has markets pricing in the prospect that we could see bank rate as high as 6% in the coming months, from its current 4.5%. The risk is now the Bank of England, stung by the fierce and deserved criticism coming its way, will now overreact at a time when inflation could well start to come down sharply in the second half of this year.   So far this year the UK economy has held up reasonably well, defying the doomsters that were predicting a 2-year recession at the end of last year. As things stand, we aren't there yet, unlike Germany and the EU who are both in technical recessions.   Sharp falls in energy prices have helped in this regard, and economic activity has held up well, with PMI activity showing a lot of resilience, however the biggest test is set to come given that most mortgage holders have been on fixed rates these past two years which are about to roll off.     As we look to today's UK April GDP numbers, we've just come off a March contraction of -0.3% which acted as a drag on Q1's 0.1% expansion. The reason for the poor performance in March was due to various public sector strike action from healthcare and transport, which weighed heavily on the services sector which saw a contraction of -0.5%.     The performance would have been worse but for a significant rebound in construction and manufacturing activity which saw strong rebounds of 0.7%.     This isn't expected to be repeated in today's April numbers, however there was still widespread strike action which is likely to have impacted on public services output.   The strong performance from manufacturing is also unlikely to be repeated with some modest declines, however services should rebound to the tune of 0.3%, although the poor March number is likely to drag the rolling 3M/3M reading down from 0.1% to -0.1%.       EUR/USD – failed at the main resistance at the 1.0820/30 area, which needs to break to kick on higher towards 1.0920. We still have support back at the recent lows at 1.0635.     GBP/USD – finding resistance at trend line resistance from the 2021 highs currently at 1.2630. This, along with the May highs at 1.2680 is a key barrier for a move towards the 1.3000 area. We have support at 1.2450.      EUR/GBP – has slipped back from the 0.8615 area yesterday, however while above the 0.8540 10-month lows, the key day reversal scenario just about remains intact. A break below 0.8530 targets a move towards 0. 8350.     USD/JPY – looks set to retest the recent highs at 140.95, with the potential to move up towards 142.50.  Upside remains intact while above 138.30.      FTSE100 is expected to open 10 points lower at 7,585     DAX is expected to open 15 points lower at 16,215     CAC40 is expected to open 3 points lower at 7,288
    Recovering Economy: Ukraine's International Reserves Surge, Limited Devaluation Risks, and Positive Growth Outlook

    Recovering Economy: Ukraine's International Reserves Surge, Limited Devaluation Risks, and Positive Growth Outlook

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.06.2023 08:25
    Country strategy: Limited short-term risks to the hryvnia Ukraine’s international reserves exceeded nearly US$36bn in May, for the first time since 2011. This reflected continued foreign aid and lower monthly costs of FX interventions (c.US$2bn in May, down from the monthly peak of US$4bn in June 2022). This significantly deceases near-term odds of another devaluation of the hryvnia, as the central bank may prefer a stable currency to combat inflation. The fundamental factors behind the hryvnia remain unsupportive though. Ukraine is running a significant trade deficit, as exports collapsed in 2022, while imports remained quite stable. With the central bank aiming to re-liberalise the FX market at some point this signals risk of further devaluation in the future.   Forecast summary     Positive growth in 2023 to follow 30% GDP wartime losses The Russian invasion in 2022 has brought huge human, social and economic losses to Ukraine. The country’s GDP shrank by nearly 30% in 2022. According to the World Bank estimates, sectoral output declined by about 60% in industry, 25% in agriculture and 20% in services. In the second half of 2022, severe disruptions to businesses were caused by damage to energy infrastructure, which impacted around 40% of Ukraine’s power grids. Out of about 20 million refugees, 8 million are yet to return home. The country’s economy seems to have passed the greatest shock and, on our estimates, real GDP is set to recover gradually and reach 2% positive growth in 2023, and accelerate in subsequent years, driven mainly by consumption.    GDP growth (%)
    GBP: Finding Support Ahead of Bank of England Meeting

    GBP: Finding Support Ahead of Bank of England Meeting

    ING Economics ING Economics 15.06.2023 13:17
    GBP: Staying supported into the BoE meeting We are entering a few days of calm in the UK calendar after a slew of key data releases. Yesterday’s GDP data endorsed the recent re-rating of the UK’s growth outlook but hardly mattered for the Bank of England as much as the inflationary signals sent from the jobs and wage growth figures earlier this week.   Bank of England rate expectations were marginally scaled back after the Fed meeting, but still imply five 25bp rate increases from current levels before the end of the year. It’s important to note how the higher gilt rates are by themselves starting to have their tightening effect on the economy. Mortgage market distress is the most direct example, with major lenders hiking rates and some pulling mortgage offers following the recent repricing of tightening expectations.   It is, still, too early to factor that – or any implications for the housing market – into sterling, which will probably continue to find support into next week’s CPI and Bank of England meeting. EUR/GBP could move closer to the 0.8500 key support after today’s ECB decision.
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    Canada's Retail Sales and Fed Chair Powell's Testimony Grab Market Attention

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 22.06.2023 08:26
    Canada releases retail sales Fed Chair Powell testifies before a House Committee The Canadian dollar is drifting lower on Wednesday. USD/CAD is trading at 1.3222 in Europe, down 0.10%. The US dollar has endured a rough month of June, and the Canadian dollar has climbed an impressive 2.6% during that time.   Markets eye Canadian retail sales Canada’s retail sales have hit a bump in the road. In March, retail sales and core retail sales both contracted for a second straight month. Headline retail sales came in at -1.4% and the core rate fell by 0.3%. The markets are expecting better news in the April report, with a consensus of 0.2% for the headline reading and 0.4% for the core rate. With inflation running at 4.4% and the Bank of Canada continuing to raise interest rates, consumers have been hard hit by the cost-of-living crisis and have cut back on spending. The Bank of Canada needs the economy to cool before it can wrap up the current rate-tightening cycle. The BoC surprised the markets when it raised rates earlier this month, as investors had expected a third-straight pause. The BoC defended its hike by pointing at GDP and inflation, both of which were higher than expected. The labour market remains tight and this has complicated the Bank’s battle with inflation, which could mean a “higher and longer” rate-hike cycle than the BoC had anticipated.  
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    Canada's Inflation Eases as US Durable Goods Orders Accelerate, Impacting CAD/USD Exchange Rate

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 28.06.2023 08:46
    Canada’s inflation rate eases US Durable Goods Orders accelerate The Canadian dollar spiked and gained 50 points after Canada released the May inflation report but has pared these gains. USD/CAD is unchanged at 1.3158.   Canadian inflation heads lower Canada’s inflation rate fell sharply in May to 3.4%, down from 4.4% in April. As expected, much of that decline was due to lower gasoline prices. Still, this is the lowest inflation rate since June 2021.The core rate, which is comprised of three indicators, fell to an average of 3.8% in May, down from 4.2% a month earlier. The decline should please policy makers at the Bank of Canada, as inflation slowly but surely moves closer to the 2% target. The BoC cited the surprise upswing in inflation in April as one reason for its decision to hike rates earlier this month. With headline and core inflation falling in May, will that be enough to prevent another rate increase in July? Not so fast. The BoC has said its rate decisions will be data-dependent, and there is the GDP on Friday and employment next week, both of which will factor in the rate decision. The US released a host of releases today, giving the markets plenty to digest. Durable Goods Orders jumped 1.7% in June, up from an upwardly revised 1.2% in May and crushing the consensus of -1%. The core rate rebounded with a 0.6% gain, up from -0.6% and above the consensus of -0.1%. Later today, the US publishes the Conference Board Consumer Confidence and New Home Sales. Wednesday is a light day on the data calendar, with the Fed will in the spotlight. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will participate in a “policy panel” at the ECB Banking Forum in Sintra, Portugal, and investors will be looking for some insights into Fed rate policy. As well, the Fed releases its annual “stress tests” for major lenders, which assess the ability of lenders to survive a severe economic crisis. The stress tests will attract more attention than in previous years, due to the recent banking crisis which saw Silicon Valley Bank and two other banks collapse.   USD/CAD Technical There is resistance at 1.3197 and 1.3254 1.3123 and 1.3066 are providing support  
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    Korea's June Trade Balance Turns Positive on Strong Transportation Exports and Falling Commodity Prices

    ING Economics ING Economics 03.07.2023 08:54
    June trade balance turns positive in Korea on strong transportation exports Falling commodity prices are the main contributor to the improvement in the trade balance while the contraction in exports also eased gradually. Transportation exports – motors and vessels – are particularly strong while chip and petroleum exports continue to be a drag on the overall export performance.   Exports dropped -6.0% YoY in June (vs -15.2% in May, -3.6% market consensus) Exports fell for the ninth month in June on the back of weak chip (-28%) and petroleum (-41%) exports. However, the decline in exports seems like it is bottoming out from the recent low of -16.4% in January, thanks to strong gains in vehicles (58.3%) and vessels (98.6%). In the second half of the year, we expect solid transportation exports to continue. For vehicles, there will be robust global demand for EVs and batteries. In the case of ship exports, ships ordered during the pandemic time are expected to be completed and delivered from this year. Meanwhile, chip exports are expected to remain sluggish at least until the next quarter, however, there is solid demand for high-end chips.  Despite expectations of only a modest recovery in exports, the trade balance is expected to remain in surplus from now on as the impact of import declines will accelerate with rapidly falling global commodity prices.    Korea posts the first trade surplus in sixteen months in June   Global demand conditions vary by region By destination, exports to the US shed 1.8%, for the third monthly decline. We still see strong demand for vehicles with a 59.5% gain but semiconductors and petroleum exports are down by 64.1% and 35.1%, respectively, mainly due to unfavourable price effects. We cautiously predict a slowdown in demand from the US in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, Korean exporters benefitted from the strong infrastructure investment in the Middle East. Exports to the Middle East rose 14.0% with rising vehicles (28.1%), steels (160.0%), and machinery (57.9%) exports. In the second half of 2023, we think exports to developed markets are expected to turn weak but exports to the Middle East and Asia should improve.     Exports to the US shed for three months in a row   BoK watch With better-than-expected industrial production data from yesterday, today's trade outcomes also support the view that second quarter GDP should accelerate from the first quarter. With the recovery continued, the Bank of Korea is likely to remain hawkish for the time being. However, we still think that additional hikes are not foreseable until the end of this year as inflation is expected to reach the 2% range soon and to stay there throughout this year. 
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    Resilient Canadian Economy Surprises with Strong GDP Growth; Concerns Linger over Rate Hikes and Recession Risks

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 04.07.2023 08:08
    Canada’s GDP surprises to the upside US PCE Price Index eases in June ISM Manufacturing PMI expected to contract The Canadian dollar is trading at 1.3259, up 0.07%. Canadian markets are closed for a holiday and I expect USD/CAD movement to be limited. On the economic front, the US releases ISM Manufacturing PMI. The index is projected to tick lower to 46.9 in June, down from 47.0 in May.   Canada’s GDP climbs in May Canada wrapped up the week with a strong GDP report. The economy is estimated to have gained 0.4% in May, after flatlining in April. The Canadian economy continues to surprise with its resilience despite rising interest rates. The Bank of Canada raised rates to 4.75% earlier this month after a five-month pause, arguing that monetary policy was not restrictive enough. The BoC statement pointed at strong consumer spending and higher-than-expected growth as factors in the decision to raise rates. The BoC also expressed concerns that inflation could remain entrenched above the 2% target. The strong GDP report has added fuel to speculation that the BoC will raise rates again on July 12th but there is also concern that higher rates will lead to a recession. Canadian 10-year bonds have fallen further below the 2-year bonds, as the yield curve inversion, a predictor of recession, has become even more pronounced. Inflation has been falling and headline inflation eased to 3.4% in May, down from 4.4% in April. Core inflation also declined to 3.8%, down from 4.2%. The question remains whether inflation, still well above the 2% target, is falling fast enough to prevent another rate hike in July. In the US, there were more signs that inflation is weakening. On Friday, the PCE Price Index, which is the Fed’s favourite inflation gauge, declined from 0.4% to 0.1% in June. As well, UoM Inflation Expectations dropped to 3.3% in June, down from 4.2% in May and the lowest since March 2021. Despite these signals that inflation is decelerating, the Fed is widely expected to raise rates at the July meeting.   Canada’s GDP surprises to the upside US PCE Price Index eases in June ISM Manufacturing PMI expected to contract The Canadian dollar is trading at 1.3259, up 0.07%. Canadian markets are closed for a holiday and I expect USD/CAD movement to be limited. On the economic front, the US releases ISM Manufacturing PMI. The index is projected to tick lower to 46.9 in June, down from 47.0 in May. Canada’s GDP climbs in May Canada wrapped up the week with a strong GDP report. The economy is estimated to have gained 0.4% in May, after flatlining in April. The Canadian economy continues to surprise with its resilience despite rising interest rates. The Bank of Canada raised rates to 4.75% earlier this month after a five-month pause, arguing that monetary policy was not restrictive enough. The BoC statement pointed at strong consumer spending and higher-than-expected growth as factors in the decision to raise rates. The BoC also expressed concerns that inflation could remain entrenched above the 2% target. The strong GDP report has added fuel to speculation that the BoC will raise rates again on July 12th but there is also concern that higher rates will lead to a recession. Canadian 10-year bonds have fallen further below the 2-year bonds, as the yield curve inversion, a predictor of recession, has become even more pronounced. Inflation has been falling and headline inflation eased to 3.4% in May, down from 4.4% in April. Core inflation also declined to 3.8%, down from 4.2%. The question remains whether inflation, still well above the 2% target, is falling fast enough to prevent another rate hike in July. In the US, there were more signs that inflation is weakening. On Friday, the PCE Price Index, which is the Fed’s favourite inflation gauge, declined from 0.4% to 0.1% in June. As well, UoM Inflation Expectations dropped to 3.3% in June, down from 4.2% in May and the lowest since March 2021. Despite these signals that inflation is decelerating, the Fed is widely expected to raise rates at the July meeting.   USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD is putting pressure on resistance at 1.3254. Next, there is resistance at 1.3328 1.3175 and 1.3066 are providing support  
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    Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Adoption Soars Globally, US Lags Behind as Retail CBDC Stalls

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 05.07.2023 09:17
    The latest research shows that almost all countries are intensifying work on the creation of central bank digital currency (CBDC) systems, and some of them are close to completing this work. According to a report by the Atlantic Council think tank, based in Washington, 130 countries, which together generate 98% of the world's GDP, are exploring the possibility of introducing it. This is a huge increase compared to May 2020, when only 35 countries were considering implementing a CBDC.   The report shows that a record number of 64 countries are already at an advanced stage of exploring the CBDC system. They have implemented initial development, are conducting pilot tests or are even in the commissioning phase. Among them are 19 out of 20 G20 countries. Interestingly, the US seems to be the exception to this rule, with retail CBDC adoption progressing. This one seems to be stuck there at a dead end right now.     Technical Market Outlook: The bulls are clearly in control of the ETH market and they resumed the up trend again and made the last high at the level of $1,974. The market is approaching the key technical support located at the level of $1,930, so in a case of a bounce from this level the next target for bulls is seen at the level of $2,020. The momentum turned into positive on the RSI (14) indicator, so the short-term outlook for ETH remains bullish, however the market conditions on the lower time frames are now extremely overbought. The short-term technical support is seen at the level of $1,777.  
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    Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fuel the Bright Future of Dutch IT Services

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.07.2023 14:24
    A bright future ahead for Dutch IT services Demand for cybersecurity services is on the rise – and with it the growth of the Dutch IT service sector. Labour shortages and rising wages are proving a major challenge, but businesses appear to remain optimistic. Could artificial intelligence offer a magic fix?   A promising outlook The Dutch IT services sector is expected to grow by 4.5% in 2023 and 2.5% in 2024. Despite a slightly lower growth rate than in both 2021 and 2022 (during which the Covid-19 pandemic led to the rapid adoption of digital products and services) the sector still shows strong growth compared to GDP. Growth is largely driven by the continued demand for cybersecurity services, as well as the need for automation and the outsourcing of IT services and infrastructure such as off-premise data centres. According to research firms such as IDC and Gartner, Western European companies are planning to increase their spending on IT services by 5% to 8%, and Canalys expects spending on cloud infrastructure to increase by 19% in 2023. Dutch IT service providers benefit from these trends, as the Netherlands plays a crucial role in the European cloud infrastructure.   However, the sector isn't growing without restrictions – namely, the slower pace of the Dutch economy, persisting labour shortages and rising wages. There was even a moment when the Dutch IT sector appeared to shrink in the first quarter of 2023 due to declining demand for IT equipment. After revisions by CBS, however, it has become evident that the sector is at least experiencing modest growth. In short, we expect it to continue growing through the remainder of this year and into 2024.   Continued growth for IT services
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    Mixed Signals: US Dollar Weakens, Eurozone Faces Recession, Pound's Fate Hangs in the Balance

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 11.07.2023 09:05
    The ADP report on employment in the private sector, published a day before the non-farm payroll data release, was so shocking that it instantly raised expectations for the labor market as a whole, leading to rapid repositioning on Friday before the data release. However, the non-farm payroll figures were significantly weaker than expected, with 209,000 new jobs created (225,000 expected), and data for the previous two months were revised downwards by 110,000. Employment growth is slowing, but the pace remains high. As for wage growth, the figures were an unpleasant surprise for the Federal Reserve. In June, wages increased again by 0.4% instead of the expected 0.3%, and annual growth rates remained at 4.4%, which is higher than the 4.2% forecast. Steady wage growth does not allow inflation expectations to fall, the growth of real rates does not allow the Federal Reserve to start lowering the rate this year.       The U.S. inflation index, which will be published on Wednesday, is the main event of the week and the last important data before the Fed meeting at the end of July. The markets expect an 89% probability of a quarter-point rate hike. Furthermore, the probability of another increase in November has already exceeded 30%, and the first cut is now expected only in May of next year. The U.S. dollar fell after the data release and ended the week weaker than all G10 currencies. The growth of real rates in the current conditions makes a recession in the U.S. almost inevitable.   EUR/USD The Sentix Economic Index for the eurozone has fallen for the third time in a row to -22.5 points, a low since November 2022, and expectations also remain depressed. The eurozone economy has fallen into a recession as of early July. The situation in Germany is even more depressing – the index has fallen to -28.5 points, and the possibility of improvement is ephemeral.     The ZEW index will be published on Tuesday, and the forecast for it is also negative, with a decrease from -10 points to -10.2 points expected in July. On Thursday, the European Commission will present its forecasts. Bloomberg expects that industrial production in the eurozone fell in May from 0.2% y/y to -1.1% y/y, a sharp decline that characterizes the entire eurozone economy as negative and tending to further contraction.   Under the current conditions, the European Central Bank intends to continue raising rates, and even plans to shorten the reinvestment period of the PEPP program. If this step is implemented, a debt crisis, which will put strong bearish pressure on the euro, is inevitable in the face of capital outflows to the U.S. and an expanding recession.   The net long position on the euro has hardly changed over the reporting week and amounts to just over 20 billion dollars, positioning is bullish, there is no trend. However, the calculated price is still below the long-term average and is trending downward.     The euro attempted to strengthen on Friday in light of the news, but it was unable to rise beyond the borders of the technical figure "flag", let alone higher than the local high of 1.1012. We assume that the corrective growth has ended, and from the current levels, the euro will go down, the target is the lower boundary of the "flag" at 1.0730/50. GBP/USD Updated data on the UK labor market will be published on Tuesday. It is expected that the growth of average earnings including bonuses increased in May from 6.5% to 6.8%, and if the data comes out as expected, inflation expectations will inevitably rise. As will the Bank of England's peak rate forecasts. The NIESR Institute expects that further rate increases could trigger a recession.   The cost of credit is rising, and an increase in the volume of bad debts is inevitable in an economic downturn. Inflation did not decrease in May, contrary to expectations, and remained at 8.7%, even though energy prices significantly decreased. Food inflation on an annual basis reached 18.3%, and core inflation at 7.1% is at its highest since 1992. The labor force is decreasing, and if this trend is confirmed on Tuesday, it will almost inevitably result in increased competition for staff, which will mean, among other things, the continuation of wage growth. The Bank of England has already raised the rate to 5%, with forecasts implying two more increases. What does the current situation mean for the pound?   If the economy can keep from sliding into a recession, then in conditions of rising nominal rates, the yield spread will encourage players to buy assets, leading to increased demand for the pound and its strengthening. However, if signs of recession intensify, which could be clear as soon as Thursday when GDP, industrial production, and trade balance data for May will be published, the pound will react with a decrease, despite high rate expectations. After impressive growth two weeks ago, pound futures have stalled at achieved levels, a weekly decrease of just over 100 million has no significant impact on positioning, which remains bullish.  
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    Fiscal Consolidation and Reduction of Borrowing Needs in the Czech Republic

    ING Economics ING Economics 12.07.2023 08:33
    Fiscal consolidation and reduction of borrowing needs in the pipeline for the Czech Republic Fiscal policy is showing the first signs of improvement, but consolidation will not take place until next year. This year's supply of Czech government bonds is under control and the significant reduction in borrowing requirements for next year will soon come into the spotlight. FX issuance is no longer a topic thanks to EU money.   Fiscal policy: Improvement but still a mixed picture The June state budget result showed a reversal of the negative trend for the first time this year. The improvement is higher than we expected, but still this year's budget will be a risk both ways for Czech government bond (CZGB) issuance. The story remains the same from the beginning of the year. While spending is on track for the Ministry of Finance (MinFin), tax revenues are lagging. In detail, we see that personal and corporate income tax is in line with the plan or even slightly higher. On the other hand, indirect taxes such as VAT and consumption tax are lagging behind the plan, confirming the slump in domestic demand in recent quarters. Looking ahead, we can expect the deficit to deteriorate again in July and then improve in August and September due to the incoming historically record dividend from the state-owned energy company and the windfall tax. So the picture will be mixed for the rest of this year. We leave our deficit forecast for this year unchanged at CZK320bn, versus the MinFin's plan of CZK295bn. This, together with the surplus of other sectors of the public finances, should result in a public deficit of 3.8% of GDP. However, we may still see some changes here from the government, which wants to assess this year's state budget during the summer and perhaps introduce some savings measures for this year.   State budget development and 2023 forecast (CZKbn)   For next year, the government recently approved a CZK235bn state budget deficit and is targeting a public deficit of 1.8% of GDP, which includes the approval of a savings package. This is starting to be discussed in parliament, however, we expect this to be an issue in the autumn months. Given that the government has a majority in both houses of parliament, we expect the key parameters to be approved.     Since the beginning of the year, the MinFin has covered about 54% of this year's CZGBs issuance, according to our calculations, assuming the higher state budget deficit we forecast vs the MinFin plan. This is less than CEE peers Poland and Romania but still fully under control and well positioned for the second half of the year when we can expect lower CZGB yields. For the rest of the year, we expect the monthly supply of CZGBs to be about the same or only slightly lower than the first half average. This is confirmed by the indication for July of CZK19bn, with the MinFin traditionally trying to avoid lower summer liquidity.    
    Challenges Ahead: Tense Social Climate and Weak Outlook for the French Economy

    Challenges Ahead: Tense Social Climate and Weak Outlook for the French Economy

    ING Economics ING Economics 12.07.2023 14:03
    Against a backdrop of tense social conditions and despite a disinflationary trend that is well underway, the outlook for the French economy remains weak. We forecast 0.5% growth in 2023 and 0.6% in 2024. The French economy has started the year better than other European countries In the first few months of 2023, the French economy held up a little better than the other eurozone countries, with GDP rising by 0.2 in the first quarter, after a period of near stagnation in the second half of 2022. After a sharp fall at the end of 2022 against a backdrop of high inflation, household consumption has stabilised, but this stabilisation is partly artificial. As the government reduced its support for energy consumption, public energy consumption fell, while household energy consumption was recorded as rising, offsetting the sharp fall in food consumption (to its lowest level for 23 years). At the same time, investment fell sharply, weighed down by rising interest rates. The global economic slowdown has also weighed more heavily on French exports. Tense social climate keeps confidence at a very low level The first few months of the year were marked by a tense social climate, with numerous demonstrations against pension reform in the spring, followed in the early summer by riots in some localities after a young man was killed by a police officer during a checkpoint. Although the microeconomic impact of these events may be significant for some sectors at the time, the effects are generally offset later. Studies have shown that the macroeconomic impact is generally very limited, removing a maximum of 0.1 or 0.2 points from annual growth. Nonetheless, these events monopolised attention and probably helped to keep consumer confidence at a historically low level, and the household savings rate well above its long-term average. Against a backdrop of persistently high inflation, rising interest rates and a less expansionary fiscal policy, this is contributing to weak momentum in domestic demand, which is likely to persist over the coming quarters. Given President Emmanuel Macron's lack of a majority in parliament, a tense and divided social and political context is likely to remain the norm over the next few years and will continue to slow down or prevent the implementation of important reforms. The pension reform, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, will come into force in autumn 2023.    
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    Tapping into Tourism: Spain's Growth Driven by the Tourism Sector

    ING Economics ING Economics 12.07.2023 14:16
    Tourism will be the main growth driver this year The slowdown in the Spanish economy can be attributed to the overall deceleration of the global economy. Nevertheless, Spain is poised to become the best-performing economy among the larger eurozone countries this year. We forecast average growth of 2.2% for Spain this year, well above the eurozone average of 0.4%. Continued growth in the tourism sector will be the main driver of Spain's higher growth rates. Although the number of international tourists entering Spain in 2022 was still 14% below pre-pandemic levels, the gap may be closing this year. In May, the number of international visitors had already risen to 104% of the pre-pandemic level, compared with 88% in May 2022. Strong travel demand points to a promising tourist season ahead. Contributing about 15% to GDP, the tourism sector will remain one of the main catalysts for economic growth throughout the year.   The number of foreign tourists increased above pre-Covid levels in April and May (in millions)     Spanish headline inflation reaches 1.9% Spanish inflation has fallen faster than in other eurozone countries. In June, Spanish inflation stood at 1.9% year-on-year, while the eurozone recorded 5.5%. These positive developments can be attributed to more favourable base effects from energy prices, which rose faster in Spain than in other countries last year. However, if these favourable base effects fade in the coming months, Spanish headline inflation could rise again. In addition, the phasing out of several government measures by early 2024 is expected to have an upward effect on inflation. Spanish core inflation, excluding energy and food prices, remains remarkably high at 5.9% and is even above the eurozone average of 5.4%. Core inflation is expected to remain at a high level throughout the year and gradually decline. Yet there are indications that core inflation is also on a sustained downward trend. For instance, inflation in the buoyant hospitality sector, which accounts for 14% of the inflation basket, is cooling markedly despite strong sustained demand on the back of a strong tourist season. Core inflation is expected to remain at high levels throughout the year and only gradually decline.   Slowing momentum despite tourism recovery For 2023, we expect growth of 2.2%, well above the eurozone average of 0.4%. Although the economy performed strongly in the first quarter, momentum is expected to wane as financial conditions tighten. The main driver of growth will be net exports, supported by the continued recovery of the tourism sector, which surpassed pre-pandemic levels in May and April. Although headline inflation fell to 1.9% in June, it is expected to rise in the coming months due to less favourable base effects for energy and persistent core inflation.   Spanish economy in a nutshell (%YoY)  
    Deciphering the Economic Puzzle: Unraveling Britain's Mixed Signals

    Deciphering the Economic Puzzle: Unraveling Britain's Mixed Signals

    Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 12.07.2023 15:47
      In analyzing the state of the British economy, this week's macroeconomic readings have provided a mixed outlook. With indicators such as wages, GDP, and industrial production under scrutiny, market observers are eager to gain insights into the potential depth of the recession and the Bank of England's (BoE) approach to interest rates.   Examining the released figures, renowned economist Walid Koudmani highlights the various nuances in the current economic landscape. Wages in the UK continue to rise, with average earnings for a 3-month period surpassing expectations at a 6.9% year-on-year (YoY) growth rate, slightly higher than the previous level of 6.7% YoY. However, the number of unemployment benefit claims has seen a significant increase of 25.7k, reversing the prior decline of 22.5k. Additionally, the quarterly change in employment of 102 thousand falls short of the previous level of 250k, although it exceeds expectations set at 85k.     FXMAG.COM: What do this week's macroeconomic readings - wages, GDP, industrial production - tell us about the state of the British economy? Will the recession be deep? Will the BoE continue to raise rates?   Walid Koudmani The macroeconomic readings released this week paint a mixed picture of the British economy. Wages in the UK continue to rise with average earnings for a 3-month period increasing by 6.9% year-on-year (YoY), slightly higher than the expected 6.8% YoY and the previous level of 6.7% YoY.  However, the number of unemployment benefit claims increased by 25.7k, reversing the previous decline of 22.5k. The quarterly change in employment amounted to 102 thousand, surpassing the expected 85k but lower than the previous level of 250k. The rise in wage growth is a concern as it could indicate persistent inflationary pressures to come which could lead to a decline in consumer spending, leading to a negative impact on economic growth.  Overall, the macroeconomic readings released this week do not provide a clear picture of the state of the British economy. However, they do suggest that the economy could be facing some headwinds, such as rising inflation and slowing growth. It is too early to say whether the UK will experience a deep recession, but the BoE is likely to continue raising rates in an effort to combat inflation and expectations for those rates continue to increase. While the Pound has benefited from this news, there could be a noticeable pressure on stocks as the cost of money continues to rise and investors are left with less resources to allocate. In addition to this, there are several other factors which may influence the British economy including the outcome of the war in Ukraine, the pace of global economic growth, and the direction of commodity prices. 
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    Economic Outlook: UK Economy Contracts in May, US PPI Slows Further

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 13.07.2023 08:34
    UK economy set to contract in May, US PPI to slow further   We saw another day of strong gains for European markets yesterday, with the FTSE100 undergoing its best one-day gain since early June, after US CPI came in below forecasts.   US markets also saw strong gains with the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 breaking above their highs of this year, and pushing up to their highest levels since April 2022, with the Nasdaq 100 leading the gains.   Asia markets followed suit with strong gains across the board despite the latest set of China trade data for June showing that economic activity slowed further. Exports fell by -12.4% from a year ago, missing expectations by a large margin, while imports also declined more than expected, by -6.8%, further reinforcing concerns about deflation, but on the more positive side increasing expectations of stronger stimulus by Chinese authorities in the weeks ahead.        Yesterday's US CPI numbers for June were never likely to change the calculus behind another 25bps rate hike when the Fed meets in two weeks' time, but they have altered the story when it comes to what might come next, and it is this that markets are reacting to, with the US dollar and yields falling back sharply.   The nature of yesterday's numbers suggest that whatever other Fed officials would have us believe in the context of their current hawkishness, further rate hikes beyond this month will be a big ask, and probably won't happen, hence the weakness seen in both the US dollar, and US yields seen so far this week.   That said we can still expect Fed officials to continue to adopt a hawkish tone on the basis that theywon't want markets to prematurely start pricing in rate cuts and will want to keep the option of further hikes very much on the table.     Nonetheless the shift seen in the last few days does help to explain why the US dollar has slipped so much against the Japanese yen, although some are suggesting it is because we might see a policy shift from the Bank of Japan when it meets at the end of this month. Whichever way you come at it from, the net effect is likely to be the same, in that US and Japanese rates are likely to converge, rather than diverge. Today's PPI numbers for June are expected to reinforce the disinflation trends being seen rippling out through the global economy. On the headline numbers PPI is expected to see another sharp slowdown from 1.1% in May to 0.4% in June, while core PPI is forecast to slow down more modestly from 2.8% to 2.6%. Whichever way you look at it, further weakness here is likely to trickle down into the CPI numbers in the coming months, and reinforce the disinflationary narrative, but more importantly signal that US rate hikes are done bar the move in two weeks' time.     Yesterday's US inflation numbers could prove to be good news for UK homeowners, if yesterday's move in UK yields is any guide, in that they might reduce the pressure on the Bank of England to be more aggressive in terms of their own rate hiking policy.   If this month's expected July hike from the Federal Reserve is in fact the last one, then the Bank of England may only need to do another 50bps in August before similarly signalling a pause, which means that UK current terminal rate pricing is too high. This would be an enormous relief for mortgage holders worried that the base rate might rise as high as 6.5%.  The problem for the UK is the energy price cap is keeping inflation levels way too high, and now it has outlived its usefulness it really ought to be scrapped. It was useful in containing the upside, however by way of its design its not reflecting the sharp declines in gas prices in the last 12 months.      Consequently, it is contriving to exert upward pressure on wages as consumers struggle with the higher cost of living due to energy prices not coming down quickly enough. This failure is likely to be reflected in today's UK economic data for May, which is expected to see manufacturing and industrial production to sharp 0.4% declines in economic activity for both. The monthly GDP numbers for May are also forecast to show a -0.3% contraction due to the multiple bank holidays during the month, as well as widespread public sector strike action, with index of services seeing a sharp slowdown from 0.3% in April to -0.2%. The weak performance in May is likely to act as a sizeable drag on Q2 GDP, although we should see some of that recovered in June.             EUR/USD – broke higher through the highs of this year and could well retest the highs of March 2022 at 1.1185. This becomes next resistance, with a break targeting the 1.1485 area, with support now at 1.1020.     GBP/USD – has encountered resistance at the 1.3000 area. We need to see a break above 1.3020 to target a move towards 1.3300, and the March 2022 highs. Support now comes in at the 1.2850 area.       EUR/GBP – failed again at the 0.8500 area, with the rebound currently holding below the 0.8570/80 area. A break above here targets the 50-day SMA which is now at 0.8610.     USD/JPY – slid down to the 138.15 area where we have cloud support. If this gives way, we could see further losses towards 137.20. We now have resistance back at the 140.20 area.     FTSE100 is expected to open 4 points higher at 7,420     DAX is expected to open 20 points higher at 16,043     CAC40 is expected to open 23 points higher at 7,356    
    UK Economy Contracts, US PPI Slows, and Global Markets Respond

    UK Economy Contracts, US PPI Slows, and Global Markets Respond

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 13.07.2023 08:35
    The fever is breaking.  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   US inflation eased to 3%. It's still not the 2% targeted by the Federal Reserve (Fed), but it's approaching. Core inflation on the other hand eased more than expected to 4.8%. That's still more than twice the Fed's 2% policy target, but again, the US inflation numbers are clearly on the right path, the services inflation including shelter costs is easing, and all this is good news for breaking the Fed hawks back amid mounting tension over the past few weeks.   There hasn't been much change in the expectation of another 25bp hike at the Fed's next policy meeting, which is now given a more than 90% chance, but the expectation for a September hike fell, the US 2-year dropped to 4.70% after the CPI data, while the 10-year yield fell to 3.85%.   One big question is: if inflation is easing at a – let's say - pleasing speed, why would the Fed bother raising the interest rates more? Wouldn't it be better to just wait and see where inflation is headed?   Well yes, but the Fed officials certainly continue thinking that 4.8% is still too hot, and that the risk of a U-turn in inflation expectations, and inflation is still to be carefully managed. Because the favourable base effect due to energy prices will gently start fading away in the coming months and the result on inflation will be less appetizing. Then the rising energy prices today could fuel price dynamics again in the coming months, and if China manages to fuel growth thanks to ample monetary and fiscal stimulus, the impact on global inflation could be felt. And if you listen to Richmond Fed's Thomas Barkin, that's exactly what comes out: 'if you back off too soon, inflation comes back stronger'. But the possibility of two more rate hikes following the most aggressive hiking cycle from the Fed starts looking a bit stretched with the actual data. Due to release today, the US producer price inflation is expected to have fallen to the lowest levels since the pandemic, we could even see some deflation.   And a potential Chinese boost to inflation looks much less threatening today compared to a couple of months ago. Chinese exports plunged 12.4% in June, worse than a 7.5% drop printed in May and worse than the market forecasts of a 9.5% decline. The June decline in Chinese exports marked the steepest fall in sales since February 2020. Deteriorating foreign demand on the back of high inflation and rising interest rates continued taking a toll on Chinese trade numbers. In the meantime, imports fell 6.8%, the fourth straight month of decrease due to persistently weak domestic demand.   China will likely recover at some point, but we will unlikely see the Chinese growth put a severe pressure on commodity markets. That's one good news for inflation watchers. The other one is that the US student loan repayments will resume from October, and that should act as a restrictive fiscal action, and help the Fed tame inflation. Therefore, even though there could be an uptick in inflation figures in the coming months, we will unlikely see inflation spike back above 4-5% again. But we will also unlikely to see it fall to 2% easily.  
    French Outlook: Weak Economy Amid Social Tension

    French Outlook: Weak Economy Amid Social Tension

    ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 09:01
    French outlook is weak amid social tension. Against a backdrop of tense social conditions and despite a disinflationary trend that is well underway, the outlook for the French economy remains weak. We forecast 0.5% growth in 2023 and 0.6% in 2024.   The French economy has started the year better than other European countries In the first few months of 2023, the French economy held up a little better than the other eurozone countries, with GDP rising by 0.2 in the first quarter, after a period of near stagnation in the second half of 2022. After a sharp fall at the end of 2022 against a backdrop of high inflation, household consumption has stabilised, but this stabilisation is partly artificial. As the government reduced its support for energy consumption, public energy consumption fell, while household energy consumption was recorded as rising, offsetting the sharp fall in food consumption (to its lowest level for 23 years). At the same time, investment fell sharply, weighed down by rising interest rates. The global economic slowdown has also weighed more heavily on French exports.   Tense social climate keeps confidence at a very low level The first few months of the year were marked by a tense social climate, with numerous demonstrations against pension reform in the spring, followed in the early summer by riots in some localities after a young man was killed by a police officer during a checkpoint. Although the microeconomic impact of these events may be significant for some sectors at the time, the effects are generally offset later. Studies have shown that the macroeconomic impact is generally very limited, removing a maximum of 0.1 or 0.2 points from annual growth. Nonetheless, these events monopolised attention and probably helped to keep consumer confidence at a historically low level, and the household savings rate well above its long-term average. Against a backdrop of persistently high inflation, rising interest rates and a less expansionary fiscal policy, this is contributing to weak momentum in domestic demand, which is likely to persist over the coming quarters. Given President Emmanuel Macron's lack of a majority in parliament, a tense and divided social and political context is likely to remain the norm over the next few years and will continue to slow down or prevent the implementation of important reforms. The pension reform, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, will come into force in autumn 2023.  
    Tourism: The Driving Force Behind Spain's Economic Growth

    Tourism: The Driving Force Behind Spain's Economic Growth

    ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 09:20
    Tourism will be the main growth driver this year The slowdown in the Spanish economy can be attributed to the overall deceleration of the global economy. Nevertheless, Spain is poised to become the best-performing economy among the larger eurozone countries this year. We forecast average growth of 2.2% for Spain this year, well above the eurozone average of 0.4%. Continued growth in the tourism sector will be the main driver of Spain's higher growth rates. Although the number of international tourists entering Spain in 2022 was still 14% below pre-pandemic levels, the gap may be closing this year. In May, the number of international visitors had already risen to 104% of the pre-pandemic level, compared with 88% in May 2022. Strong travel demand points to a promising tourist season ahead. Contributing about 15% to GDP, the tourism sector will remain one of the main catalysts for economic growth throughout the year.   The number of foreign tourists increased above pre-Covid levels in April and May (in millions)
    Resilient UK Economy in May Points to Promising Outlook

    Resilient UK Economy in May Points to Promising Outlook

    ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 10:16
    UK economy more resilient than expected in May Despite an extra bank holiday in May, the UK economy shrank by only 0.1%. Over the next few months, the economy should benefit from the improving real wage story, though rising interest rates will ultimately drag on growth over coming quarters.   The UK economy performed better than expected in May, with GDP falling by just 0.1% across the month. We had been expecting a more tangible hit from the King’s Coronation and the extra bank holiday, given last year’s royal events saw temporary declines in activity worth 0.7% of GDP in June and September. In reality, we shouldn’t be drawing too many conclusions from this better-than-expected data, other than perhaps that the nature of the modern economy means it’s more adaptable to these kinds of events than it might have been 10-20 years ago. The upshot is that the economy is no longer likely to contract in the second quarter, and we now expect modest 0.1% growth for the three-month period as a whole. But given that most/all of May’s lost output, had it fallen more sharply, would have been regained in June, the knock-on effect on the third quarter and beyond is minimal.   The real wage story means the worst is behind us for retail   Away from the month-to-month volatility in these GDP figures, we think the UK economy should grow modestly over the next quarter or two. It should benefit from the improving real wage story, especially now that electricity/gas bills are down roughly 20%. As time goes on the impact of higher mortgage rates will bite, but the high prevalence of fixed-rate mortgages and the fact that only 28% of households have a loan on the property they live in, means it is going to be a gradual pass-through. The impact of higher rates on corporates – particularly small businesses – may become more noticeable, given these firms are typically on floating-rate debt. For the Bank of England, the focus is still very much on the CPI and wage numbers, and not a lot else for the time being. Tuesday’s higher-than-expected regular pay figure bolsters the chance of a second 50bp hike, though much hinges on next week’s inflation figures.
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    Assessing the State of the British Economy: Insights from Macroeconomic Readings and the BoE's Dilemma on Rate Hikes

    Nick Cawley Nick Cawley 13.07.2023 13:00
    Recent macroeconomic readings, including data on wages, GDP, and industrial production, have provided valuable insights into the current state of the British economy. These key indicators offer crucial information about the depth of the potential recession and the future course of action for the Bank of England (BoE). To shed light on these important developments, we reached out to Nick Cawley, Senior Strategist at DailyFX, for his expert analysis.   The persistent challenge faced by the BoE is the backdrop of persistently high inflation, which currently stands at 8.7%, well above the central bank's target of 2%. Simultaneously, the UK's economic growth remains lackluster, prompting the BoE to carefully assess the delicate balance between raising the borrowing rate to control inflation and avoiding a recession.     FXMAG.COM: What do this week's macroeconomic readings - wages, GDP, industrial production - tell us about the state of the British economy? Will the recession be deep? Will the BoE continue to raise rates?    Nick Cawley, Senior Strategist at DailyFX said: This week's economic data continue to highlight the problems that the Bank of England (BoE) face. Against a backdrop of relentlessly high inflation -  8.7% against the central bank's 2% target – and tepid UK growth, the BoE will need to gauge how much further they can lift the borrowing rate without sparking a recession.   The UK labor market remains robust, although cooling, with wage growth near record levels last seen during the pandemic period. This week's data show the UK unemployment rate rising to 4% in April, from a prior month's 3.8%, a small positive for the BoE in its fight against inflation, but soaring wage growth will likely keep pressure on consumer prices.    The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data show UK GDP flatlining in the three months to May, and indeed UK growth has been fairly stagnant since the start of 2022, not helped in part by rising borrowing. While the UK has avoided a technical recession so far, the likelihood that UK GDP may turn negative in the coming months is growing.   Recent inflation and jobs data all but guarantee that the UK central bank will hike the Bank Rate by a further 50 basis points to 5.50% at the next monetary policy meeting on August 3rd. The question then is what happens at the next meeting in the economic calendar on September 21. Will inflation fall sharply, as suggested on many occasions by BoE governor Andrew Bailey, or will data show the accumulative effects of prior rate hikes is taking effect? Add into the mixture UK mortgage costs are hitting multi-year highs and the BoE have a testing few months ahead. 
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    Examining Macroeconomic Indicators: Insights into the British Economy and the Role of the Bank of England

    Antreas Themistokleous Antreas Themistokleous 13.07.2023 13:57
    Recent macroeconomic readings, including wages, GDP, and industrial production, have provided valuable insights into the current state of the British economy. These key indicators have prompted discussions about the depth of the potential recession and the future actions of the Bank of England (BoE). To gain a better understanding of these developments, we turn to Antreas Themistokleous, an expert in the field. The release of major economic data from the UK this week shed light on the condition of the British economy. The unemployment rate for May saw a 0.2% increase, reaching 4%, and the number of unemployment claims surpassed expectations, indicating a higher demand for unemployment benefits. On the other hand, average earnings experienced a 0.2% growth, while year-over-year GDP showed a decline of -0.4%. Although the GDP figure was not as dire as anticipated, it still reflects a subpar performance compared to the same period last year. Industrial production also fell by 2.3%, aligning with market forecasts.     FXMAG.COM: What do this week's macroeconomic readings - wages, GDP, industrial production - tell us about the state of the British economy? Will the recession be deep? Will the BoE continue to raise rates?   Antreas Themistokleous:  This week we saw major economic data from the UK being released that could help in determining the state of the British economy. Unemployment rate for the month of May increased by 0.2% pushing the figure to 4% while the Claimants came out to be worse than expected, missing expectations of negative 22,000 claims to a positive 25,700. This means more people claimed for unemployment benefits in May and that was reflected in the official unemployment rate.  On the other hand average earnings have increased by 0.2% while the year over year GDP growth came out at -0.4%. Even though the GDP was expected to be worse , at -0.7% , it still shows that the British economy did not perform very well compared to the same month last year. Industrial production recorded a negative 2.3% perfectly aligned with market expectations.    Inflation rate for the month of June is expected to be published on the 19th where the market expects a further decline of around 0.4%. If this is confirmed it would be the yearly low and could potentially boost the quid against its pairs, especially USD and the Euro at least in the short term.    Even though inflation might be coming down, it does so at a very slow pace so the Bank of England could still have a hawkish stance at their next meeting on the 3rd of August. In June, the Bank of England increased interest rates for the 13th time in a row, by 50 basis points to 5% while some analysts argue that they could peak around 5.75% by the end of this year.    By paying attention to the labor market and the economic growth we will be able to gauge the consequences of the rate hikes by the central bank and how it could affect the overall economy. Recession fears are still hovering above the heads of the British since they are not “out of the woods” just yet but the stance of the central bank in regards to their monetary policy will be closely monitored by market participants.       
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    US Inflation Moderates, Fed Eyes Another 25bp Hike; All Eyes on Bank of Hungary's Rate Decision

    ING Economics ING Economics 24.07.2023 09:57
    US inflation has moved lower, but as the jobs market remains tight and activity holds up, another 25bp hike still looks to be the most likely course of action for the Fed next week. In the EMEA region, all eyes will be on the Bank of Hungary's upcoming rate decision, where we're expecting the base rate to be kept at 13% US: The Fed starts slowing the pace of rate hikes as inflation moves lower After ten consecutive interest rate hikes over the last 15 months, the Federal Reserve left the Fed Funds target rate unchanged at 5-5.25% in June. However, the central bank has characterised this as a slowing in the pace of rate hikes rather than an actual pause, with two further hikes signalled for the second half of 2023 in their individual forecast projections. Since then, inflation has moved lower, but the jobs market remains tight and activity has held up well. As such, commentary from officials has broadly indicated that they feel the need to hike again on July 26th, which would bring the Fed funds to range up to 5.25-5.5%. We suspect that the accompanying press conference will acknowledge encouraging signs on inflation, but also a desire not to take any chances that could allow it to re-accelerate. We expect the door to be kept open for further policy tightening later in the year. In terms of data, the highlight will be second quarter GDP. The first quarter posted a firm 2% annualised growth rate, led by consumer spending. We suspect that the second quarter will be slower at around 1.5%, with inventories as the main contributor to growth. Meanwhile, durable goods orders should be lifted by very strong figures from Boeing, which received 304 aircraft orders in June, up from 69 in May. Outside of transportation, the data will be softer given that the ISM manufacturing new orders series has been in contraction territory for the last ten months. We will also get the June reading of the Fed’s favoured inflation measure, the core personal consumer expenditure deflator. As with the CPI report, we expect it to slow quite markedly with broadening signs of disinflation in more categories.    
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    USD/JPY Yen Dives on BOJ's Yield Curve Control Stance

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 24.07.2023 10:32
    USD/JPY  Yen dives on reports BOJ sees little need to adjust YCC   Central bank-a-palooza was supposed to start next week, but traders got a head start after reports surfaced that the BOJ saw little urgency to adjust their yield curve control program (YCC).  It looks like FX traders are expecting the BOJ to maintain their ultra-loose monetary policy and for the Fed to deliver a quarter-point rate rise and to have a wait-and-see approach about the September meeting.  The Japanese yen is the weakest major currency and that could remain the case if risk appetite remains healthy.  It seems that while the BOJ stands pat, the other major central banks are tightening and that should continue to drive that interest rate differential trade. Soft landing hopes are not getting derailed by earnings season so far, in fact market breadth in the stock market continues to improve which could help keep the rally going strong.   Initial Rate Decision Expectations The Fed will raise rates by 25bps and likely signal a wait-and-see approach for the September meeting (saving that decision for the end of August at Jackson Hole). Analysts are unanimously expecting the ECB to raise all three key rates by 25bps but are unsure what will happen in September The BOJ is expected to keep rates steady, no change to YCC, and revise up its inflation forecasts for this year alone.     Soft stochastics suggest euro pullback       The EUR/USD weekly chart shows a bearish bias could be emerging as the slow stochastics overbought conditions is seeing a tentative drop below the 200-week SMA.  If bearish momentum accelerates key support will come from the 1.1080 level, with major support eyeing the heavily tested 1.1030 price level.  Intraday resistance resides at the 1.1150 level, with major resistance be provided by the psychological 1.1200 handle.   Nasdaq Friday Volatility The Nasdaq could see excessive volatility at the close as a special rebalancing will address overconcentration in the index by redistributing the weights.  In addition to this special rebalancing, traders will have to deal with options expiration. Three mega-cap tech giants (Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft) make up almost 30% of the weight in the fund, which is not diverse enough for a key index.  Some profit-taking might occur ahead of busy next week that contains handful of market moving events that include three big rate decision, several key earnings, and key GDP, ECI , and PCE data.  
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    Momentum Slows in the Philippines as Headwinds Mount: A Market Outlook

    ING Economics ING Economics 28.07.2023 08:41
    Momentum slows in the Philippines as headwinds mount Economic growth in the Philippines has surprised on the upside but signs point to growth slowing over the rest of the year.   Growth at a glance: 1Q growth impressive but momentum is slowing The Philippine economy continued to surprise on the upside with 1Q GDP growth outpacing market expectations. Growth was powered mainly by surprisingly robust household consumption (4.8 percentage points of 6.4%) with government officials confident of achieving their growth target of 6-7% year-on-year for 2023.    Despite the impressive growth numbers recorded so far, signs point to growth moderating as early as the second quarter. Quarter-over-quarter growth reported in 1Q (1.1%) was the slowest pace of expansion since 2011 and below the 1.9% QoQ average growth outside the Covid-19 recovery period. Perhaps we are seeing the initial signs of a pullback from so-called “revenge spending” as households shift to more normal savings and spending behaviour a year after lockdowns were lifted.    On top of slowing topline economic activity, we are also seeing worrying trends in imports and bank lending which support our expectation that the 6.4% YoY expansion reported in 1Q will likely be the peak for the year. Slowing growth momentum in tandem with mounting headwinds on the global front suggests growth will slow over the coming quarters, with 2023 growth likely settling at 5.6% YoY in our view.    1Q 2023 QoQ growth was the slowest since 2011   Bank lending slows as rate hikes bite Elevated commodity prices and resurgent domestic demand drove inflation to a peak of 8.7% YoY in January 2023. With inflation blowing past the central bank’s target band of 2-4%, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) resorted to aggressive tightening in a bid to quell inflationary pressures and to support the ailing currency. In total, BSP rattled off a cumulative 425bp worth of tightening beginning mid-2022 with the most recent hike carried out in March.     BSP’s aggressive tightening helped steady the peso but has begun to weigh on bank lending activity. The lagged impact of rate hikes takes roughly 12-to-18 months to take effect according to the BSP. Thus we can expect the lagged effect to continue to weigh on bank lending until early next year should March 2023 be the last move for this particular hiking cycle.  Loans to productive activities decelerated to 9.0% YoY after hitting a recent peak of 10% YoY last November. Bank lending in the Philippines is concentrated in six sectors, namely manufacturing, utilities, retail trade, information & communication, finance & insurance and real estate. These sectors, accounting for two-thirds of total lending, represented 6.3 percentage points of the 7.7% expansion. Although a number of sub-sectors have recorded double-digit growth, the rest have shown a moderation. The modest slowdown does not quite fit the narrative of an economy accelerating and gearing up for faster growth. In the past, periods of rapid GDP growth were accompanied by bank lending sustaining strong double-digit gains, which does not appear to be the case currently.  Thus, as expected, the recent string of rate hikes appears to be doing the job of snuffing out excess demand, with bank lending showing signs of cooling. Although this is a welcome development on the inflation front, there are some negative implications for future growth.     Rate hikes weigh on bank lending   Import trends show flat or moderating capital and raw materials imports Meanwhile, import trends also suggest that growth momentum may be fading. Year-to-date, imports are down 6.6%, with all sectors in contraction save for consumer imports.  Capital goods and raw materials, two key leading indicators of future growth, are down 5.8% and 13.7% year-to-date, respectively.  Combined, capital and raw materials imports have posted negative growth for eight straight months, suggesting that potential output will be constrained as imports such as electrical machinery, aircraft, office machinery, semi-processed raw materials and unprocessed raw materials are all in contraction. Philippine economic growth may still be heavily reliant on household consumption but the trend of falling imports could point to the economy hitting constraints sooner rather than later.   Contracting capital and raw materials to cap future growth   Car sales have been brisk, but how are Filipinos buying them? Road vehicle sales recovered steadily after cratering during lockdowns with monthly sales of cars and trucks reverting to pre-Covid levels of more than 30,000 units. Road vehicles have been used in the past to measure growth in capital formation given that it represents roughly 16% of total capital formation and 49% of total investment in durable equipment.  The strong pickup in vehicle sales helped support growth momentum over the past year but will it be sustainable?  One interesting development that we’ve noted is the relatively slow pickup in motor vehicle loans despite the strong rebound in vehicle sales. Lending for vehicles has only recently moved back into expansion, almost two full years after the recovery in actual vehicle sales. This begs the question: how are vehicles being purchased if not through bank loans?  One explanation is that vehicles are purchased with cash. However, given the sharp downturn in economic activity during lockdowns, it may be difficult to assume that all households had ample savings to purchase vehicles upfront once the economy reopened. One alternative possibility would be that vehicle purchases were financed by non-bank institutions such as the financing arm of car dealers, which are not covered by the reporting standards of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Lending companies could be offering financing however it may be difficult to determine the structure and pricing of such loans given the lack of data.  A sharp uptick in rates for such loans could constrain the cash flow of households which purchased vehicles through this type of financing and eventually lead to a slowdown in overall consumption in the coming months.  Notwithstanding questions on the source of financing, road vehicle sales have been a solid contributor to growth in the past few quarters. However, an eventual slowdown in vehicle sales, whether it be due to expensive financing or buyer fatigue, could also weigh on growth momentum in the coming quarter.     Car sales have been stellar but auto loan growth has lagged   Market outlook: Steady PHP and an extended pause from BSP The Philippine peso has rebounded from being one of the region’s worst-performing currencies in 2022 (-9.2%) to the second best-performing currency this year (+1.9%). The improved performance can be tied to a slightly less pronounced current account deficit due to a narrower trade deficit. A drop in imports this year (6.6% year-to-date) has helped this development along with imports of most major items (capital, raw materials, fuels) in the red. Fading imports have led to a much smaller current account deficit ($3.3bn vs $1.9bn) which has eased pressure on the PHP compared to last year. Should this development continue, we can expect the PHP to remain steady and even enjoy further appreciation towards the end of the year if general dollar strength fades at the end of 2023.    Meanwhile, a stable currency and moderating inflation give the BSP space to extend its recent pause for an extended period of time. Recently appointed BSP Governor Eli Remolona indicated he is open to both rate hikes and rate cuts, depending on how the data evolves. The governor shared that he would be open to eventually cutting rates should inflation settle well within target and if growth is in need of support. Given current inflation (5.6% as of June) and growth at 6.4% YoY, we expect BSP to hold rates steady through to at least the fourth quarter.     PHP is region's second best in 2023   Momentum slowing as headwinds mount Philippine economic growth has surprised on the upside of late. However, signs have surfaced pointing to a loss of momentum and an eventual moderation in growth for the rest of the year. Despite an easing of headline inflation, we have noted trends in imports and bank lending that point to a likely slowdown in growth with capital formation capped by underinvestment. Aggressive monetary tightening carried out last year will likely continue to stunt bank lending growth as the lagged impact from rate hikes feeds through to capital formation until early 2024.  Against this backdrop of slowing growth momentum, the Philippine economy will face additional headwinds from the slump in global trade and the struggles of major trading partners apart from the United States. Although the export sector contributes only modestly to overall growth, a slowing China could translate into soft demand for Philippine exports and also cap potential tourist arrivals from the mainland to the Philippines.     Thus, despite posting a surprise expansion in 1Q, signs of slowing growth momentum suggest that 6.4% YoY growth in 1Q will likely be the peak for the year. We have pegged 2Q GDP growth to settle at 5.6% YoY while full-year growth should settle at 5.5%.
    Upcoming Corporate Earnings Reports: Ashtead, GameStop, and DocuSign - September 5-7, 2023

    France Records Surprisingly Strong Q2 Growth on Export Surge, While Domestic Demand Slips

    ING Economics ING Economics 28.07.2023 11:01
    Surprisingly strong second quarter growth in France French GDP grew by an above-consensus 0.5% in the second quarter on the back of strong exports, while domestic demand contracted. The third quarter started on a weaker footing.   Exports drive French growth, while consumption contracts French GDP expanded by 0.5% in the second quarter, significantly above the 0.1% consensus expectation. This was surprising, given the social unrest in the quarter and rather subdued sentiment indicators. However, domestic demand still contracted by 0.1% on the back of a 0.4% fall in consumption and a 1.6% decline in residential construction. The 0.7% growth in business investment was unable to compensate for this. On top of that, the ongoing inventory correction subtracted another 0.1 percentage point from growth. So, growth was entirely due to external demand, with exports advancing by 2.6%, while imports grew by 0.4% on the quarter. The recovery in the car industry probably boosted exports, though there was also the delivery of a cruise ship, which pushed up exports of transport equipment by 11.2% after +1.8% growth in the first quarter. Also, the continued reopening of nuclear power plants has made France a net exporter of electricity again.   Weak start to the third quarter While today’s figure is definitely a pleasant surprise, it remains to be seen whether this dynamic growth can be maintained. The third quarter might get a boost from a normalisation of tourism income after the more subdued Covid-19 years. However, according to the July PMI figures, the French economy started the third quarter of 2023 with the sharpest reduction in business activity since November 2020, with sentiment in both the manufacturing and services sectors below the 50-point boom-or-bust level. We, therefore, expect a deceleration of the growth pace in the second half. That said, on the back of the stronger-than-expected first half, we might have to revise our 2023 GDP growth forecast (now standing at 0.5% for the year) slightly upwards.   Inflation on a downward trend In another report published today, it appeared that consumer price inflation fell to 4.3% in July, from 4.5% in June, with the HICP inflation figure dropping from 5.3% to 5.1%. While French inflation remains higher than the eurozone average, on the back of a different dynamic in energy prices (since prices were capped in France last year, the downward impact of lower market prices is less pronounced in France than in other countries), the trend is downwards. That said, the July PMI survey showed a clear difference between manufacturing and services. Manufacturing prices have been falling for some months thanks to declines in raw material costs, but service prices continue to rise at a still highly elevated pace, presumably driven by higher labour costs. This is a phenomenon which is quite similar in the rest of the eurozone and which will make the discussions on the pace of decline in core inflation all the more lively at the next ECB’s governing council meeting.
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    Asia Morning Bites: China PMI in Focus, Global Markets Positive, and Key Economic Indicators Ahead

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.07.2023 15:48
    Asia Morning Bites China PMI reports to be the main focus for Monday with US non-farm payrolls looming on Friday.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets: US stocks finished the week on a positive note.  The S&P 500 gained 0.99% while the NASDAQ rose 1.9%. Chinese stocks also gained. The CSI 300 rose 2.32% while the Hang Seng rose 1.41%. The so-called Goldilocks trade of rates at or near their peak and a projected soft landing seem to be providing a supportive backdrop for continued stock gains. But to really be a supportive background, we need headline inflation to keep falling, and to be joined by a lower core inflation rate. Until this month, the evidence for the latter was quite thin. It may be gaining some traction now, but one month is not a trend. US Treasury yields actually fell on Friday. The yield on the 2Y Treasury fell 5.4bp to 4.874%, while the 10Y yield fell 4.8bp to 3.951%. The decline in yields no doubt helped the EUR to claw its way back above the 1.10 level to 1.1025 currently. The AUD remains subdued at 0.6658. We don’t expect anything from the RBA this week, though we are in the minority here. We don’t think the RBA is done, we just think there will be better months for them to hike, and that the inflation data this month was sufficiently good to keep rates on hold in the meantime. Cable also rose to 1.2858. The Bank of England will likely raise rates again this week, but only by 25bp after better inflation data. The JPY has given back most of its post BoJ gains after Friday’s marginal YCC tweak (see here for Min Joo Kang’s note on this), and is currently at 140.85. Most of the Asian currencies lost ground to the USD on Friday , though the CNY saw some further consolidation, declining to 7.1485 from the Thursday close of 7.1675. G-7 macro:  US June core PCE data on Friday helped bring that inflation rate down to 4.1% from 4.6%. The 0.2%MoM increase in the core figure is in the ballpark of what the US needs to deliver each month to get core inflation close to its target of 2%. A couple of 0.1% MoM outcomes will be needed to actually bring core PCE inflation below the 2% target, though it may be that the Fed thinks that “close is good enough”? Here’s James Knightley for more on the US data. Today, we get June German retail spending, and some advanced EU GDP data for 2Q23. The consensus on the GDP report is for a 0.2%QoQ increase, after the upwardly revised 0.0% result for 1Q23. In addition, EU July CPI is estimated, to come down from 5.5% to 5.2%, with the core rate dropping just 0.1pp to 5.4%. China:  The official PMI data for July are out later this morning. The manufacturing index will most likely remain in modest contraction territory at close to last month’s 49.0 reading, while the non-manufacturing PMI should show a further decline from last month’s 53.2 figure, reflecting cooling retail spending activity. India:  Fiscal deficit data for June are released today. So far this fiscal year, the deficit outturns have been roughly in line with those of last year, which should translate into a modest decline relative to what will be a higher nominal GDP level. Last June’s deficit figure was about INR1.48tr, so anything at about that level or lower would be a decent outcome. Japan: Monthly activity data was a bit mixed as retail sales slightly dropped but industrial production rebounded. Retail sales fell -0.4% MoM sa in June (vs revised 1.4% in May, -0.7% market consensus). Consumption goods sales such as apparel (-2.5%) made a second monthly drop while durable goods sales remained relatively healthy with vehicles up 3.9%.  Meanwhile, industrial production rose 2.0% MoM sa in June (vs -2.2% in May, 2.4% market consensus). By product details, motor vehicles, electronic parts and devices, and machinery contributed to the rise while petroleum and coal, pulp, and transportation excluding motor vehicles declined. Shipments were also up 1.5% which brought the inventory ratio down -1.2%. Looking ahead, we believe that strong vehicle production will likely drive the gradual recovery in manufacturing at least for the current quarter. On a quarterly comparison, manufacturing improved from the first quarter while retail sales weakened a bit. But service consumption still gained from the previous quarter, so private consumption growth should remain positive in the second quarter.  We expect 2QGDP to decelerate modestly to 0.5% QoQ sa from 0.7% in the first quarter. We think the net export contribution improved meaningfully with a  sharper decline in imports.     What to look out for: China PMI reports China PMI manufacturing and non-manufacturing (31 July) Hong Kong GDP (31 July) New Zealand building permits (1 August) Japan labour market figures (1 August) South Korea trade balance (1 August) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 August) PMI regional reports (1 August) China Caixin PMI (1 August) Australia RBA (1 August) Hong Kong retail sales (1 August) US ISM manufacturing and JOLTS report (1 August) South Korea CPI inflation (2 August) Thailand BoT policy (2 August) US ADP jobs report (2 August) Japan Jibun PMI (3 August) Australia trade balance (3 August) China Caixin PMI services (3 August) UK BoE policy meeting (3 August) US initial jobless claims, factory orders, durable goods orders, ISM services (3 August) Philippines CPI inflation (4 August) Singapore retail sales (4 August) US non-farm payrolls (4 August)
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    Eurozone Core Inflation Surprises, GDP Accelerates to 0.3%: EUR/USD Holds Steady

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 01.08.2023 13:32
    Eurozone core inflation surprises on the upside Eurozone GDP accelerates to 0.3% The euro is showing little movement on Monday. In the North American session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.1023, up 0.06%. It has been a wild ride for the euro over the past two weeks. On July 18th, EUR/USD hit its highest level since February 2022, but the same day, the euro began a slide which saw it drop almost 300 points. Interestingly, the euro had a muted reaction to Monday’s eurozone inflation and GDP reports. Eurozone inflation for June was within expectations. Headline CPI dropped from 5.5% to 5.3% y/y, matching the consensus estimate. Core CPI remained steady at 5.5%, a notch higher than the consensus of 5.4%. Core CPI, which is closely watched by the ECB, hasn’t improved much from the 5.7% gain in March, which marked a record high. The inflation report shows that inflation remains stubbornly high, and will provide support to ECB members who favor a rate hike at the September meeting. The ECB raised interest rates last week, which came as no surprise as the ECB had signalled that it would do so. What happens next is anyone’s guess. ECB Lagarde said at last week’s meeting that “the September meeting will be deliberately data-dependent”. This didn’t clear up any uncertainty or really say anything, as the ECB has abandoned forward guidance and made rate decisions based on key data, especially inflation and employment reports. The ECB could go either way in September – inflation remains well above the 2% target, which would support a hike, but the eurozone economy remains weak and some members may wish to pause in order to avoid a recession. There was a bright spot in Monday’s releases as eurozone GDP rose to 0.3% in the second quarter, up from 0.0% in Q1. We’ll get a look at German and eurozone Manufacturing PMIs on Tuesday. EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is testing resistance at 1.1037. The next resistance line is 1.1130 There is support at 1.0924 and 1.0831    
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    British Economy Faces Inflation Rally Amid Recessionary Signals: A Close Look at Macroeconomic Readings

    Andrey Goilov Andrey Goilov 13.07.2023 15:32
    As this week's macroeconomic readings unfold, providing insights into the state of the British economy, certain trends and challenges have emerged. The UK is facing a potential inflation rally, with average wages increasing by 6.9% over the three months ending in May, indicating a competitive labor market that can drive inflation higher. This pro-inflationary factor is closely monitored by the Bank of England, which stands ready to react if necessary. The central bank's ongoing efforts to raise interest rates are aimed at gaining control over inflationary pressures. However, the GDP data for May reflects a recessionary phase, with the economy contracting by 0.1% month-on-month. While this decline was not as severe as initially anticipated, the UK continues to grapple with inflation, logistic chain disruptions, and domestic challenges. Despite the current recessionary signals, there is optimism that the Bank of England's measures will yield positive results, leading to a decline in inflation and a normalization of economic processes. It is hoped that with time, negative statistics will gradually subside.   FXMAG.COM: What do this week's macroeconomic readings - wages, GDP, industrial production - tell us about the state of the British economy? Will the recession be deep? Will the BoE continue to raise rates   The UK faces a risk that the inflation rally will develop further. This week, statistical data has demonstrated that average wage over the three months ended in May increased by 6.9% against a rise of 6.7% earlier. There had been forecast an increase but a less expressed one. The growth of wages shows that the employment market is vigorous enough to compete over labour resources through raising payments. It is an apparent pro-inflationary factor. The Bank of England monitors this and will react if needed. The BoE's interest rate will be growing until inflation gets under control. The GDP data for May in the UK reflected a recession. The economy lost 0.1% m/m after a rise of 0.2% in April. The expectations had been gloomier, suggesting a decrease of 0.3%. The indications of a recession were not unexpected. The UK suffers greatly from inflation, logistic chain breaches, and domestic problems. It is doubtful whether the recession will be profound. Most probably, the Bank of England's effort will soon bring fruit, inflation will go down, and economic processes will start normalising. There might be a month or two more of negative statistics.     What does the industrial production reading from the Eurozone tell us about the state of the European economy and European industry? In May, industrial production in the Eurozone increased by 0.2% m/m, turning out inferior to the forecast. Calculated year by year, it dropped by 2.2% after a rise of 0.2% in April. It is very weak data. It was not unexpected, but the decrease in industrial production had been predicted to be less expressed. The statistics are comprised of extremely high purchase prices and increased salaries, and capacity maintenance expenses. At the same time, enterprises cannot count on future improvements and prefer to decrease production volumes, which allows for cutting down on estimated loss. Most probably, the picture of industrial production will be similar in June.     Visit RoboForex
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    Assessing the Risk of Prolonged Economic Stagnation in China - Insights by Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 11.08.2023 08:09
    Is China on path for longer economic stagnation?  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Released yesterday, the latest CPI data showed that the headline inflation in the US ticked higher from 3 to 3.2%. That was slightly lower than the 3.3% penciled in by analysts, core inflation eased to 4.7% in July from 4.8% expected by analysts and printed a month earlier.   But the rising energy and crop prices threaten to heat things up in the coming months and inflation's downward trajectory could rapidly be spoiled. That's certainly why an increasing number of investors and the Federal Reserve's (Fed) Mary Daly warned that this was 'not a data point that says victory is ours'.   And indeed, looking into details, the fact that the 20% fall in gasoline prices is what explains the decline in headline number is concerning. The barrel of US crude bounced lower yesterday after a 27% rally since the end of June, and the latest OPEC data indicated that we would see a sharp supply deficit of more than 2mbpd this quarter as Saudi cuts output to push prices higher. And this gap could further widen as global demand continues growing and shift to alternative energy sources is nowhere fast enough to reverse that upside pressure.   On the other hand, we also know that the rising energy prices fuel inflation expectations and further rate hikes expectations around the world. And that means that oil bears are certainly waiting in ambush to start trading the recession narrative and sell the top. The $85pb could be the level that could trigger that downside correction despite the evidence of tightening supply and increasing gap between rising demand and falling supply.   Today, eyes will be on the July PPI figures before the weekly closing bell, where core PPI is seen further easing, but headline PPI may have ticked higher to 0.7% on monthly basis, probably on higher energy, crop and food prices.     In the market  Yesterday's slightly softer-than-expected inflation numbers and the initial jobless claims which printed almost 250K new applications last week - the highest in a month - sent the probability of a September pause to above 90%, though the US 2-year yield advanced past the 4.85% level, and the longer-terms yields rose with a weak 30-year bond action, which saw the highest yield since 2011.   Major stock indices stagnated. The S&P500 was up by only 0.03% yesterday while Nasdaq 100 closed 0.18% higher, as Walt Disney rallied as much as 5% even though Disney+ missed subscription estimates and said that it will increase the price of the streaming service. Disney is considering a crackdown on password sharing, which, combined with higher prices could lead to a Netflix-like profit jump further down the road.     In the FX  The USD index consolidates above the 50 and 100-DMAs and just below a long-term ascending channel base. The EURUSD sees support at the 50-DMA, near the 1.0960 level, and could benefit from further weakness in the US dollar to attempt another rise above the 1.10 mark.   European nat gas futures fell 7% yesterday after a 28% spiked on Wednesday on concerns that strikes at major export facilities in Australia could lead to a 10% decline in global LNG exports. Yet, the European inventories are about 88% full on average and the industrial demand remains weak due to tightening financial conditions imposed by the European Central Bank (ECB) hikes. Therefore this week's massive move seems to be mostly overdone, and we shall see some more downside correction.     Chinese property market is boiling  The property crisis in China is being fueled by a potential default of Country Garden, which is one of the biggest property companies in China and which recently announced that it may have lost up to $7.6bn in the first half of the year as home sales slumped and the government stimulus measures didn't bring buyers back to the market. Equities in China slumped further today, as property crisis is not benign. In fact, China's local governments have plenty of debt, and their major source of income is... land and property sales. Consequently, the property crisis explodes local governments' debt to income ratios- And the debt burden prevents China from rolling out stimulus measures that they would've otherwise, because the government doesn't want to further blast the debt levels.   Shattered investor and consumer confidence, shrinking demographics, property crisis and deflation hints that the Chinese economy could be on path for a longer period of economic stagnation. We could therefore see rapid pullback in investor optimism regarding stimulus measures and their effectiveness. Hang Seng's tech index fell to the lowest levels in two weeks yesterday, as all members fell except for Alibaba which jumped after beating revenue estimates last quarter.   
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    Challenges Ahead: Examining the Bank of England's Inflation Fight and Economic Deterioration in the UK

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 16.08.2023 13:30
    The Bank of England has raised interest rates fourteen times in a row, but has failed to make significant progress in the fight against high inflation. Moreover, recent reports, some of which were released on Tuesday, show a deterioration in various economic processes in the UK. Let's discuss this in more detail.     Inflation in the UK initially rose more sharply than in the US or EU. The market probably believed that if inflation in the UK was higher, the BoE would raise interest rates longer and stronger. To some extent, this is true since its rate has risen more compared to the European Central Bank. But at the same time, the Federal Reserve's rate is even higher and has every chance of remaining so until both central banks begin easing policies. As we can see, the pound sterling has no advantage in this regard. Unemployment in the UK has increased over the past year from 3.5% to 4.2%.   In other words, it is indeed growing in the UK, unlike in the US, where the indicator remains near its 50-year lows. Wage growth rates have increased from 5.8% to 8.2% in the last five months alone. And the faster wages grow, the higher the chances of a new acceleration in inflation. The last five quarters of the UK's GDP ended with the following results: +0.1%, -0.1%, +0.1%, +0.1%, +0.2%. Let's compare them with the last five quarters in the US: -0.6%, +3.2%, +2.6%, +2.0%, +2.4%. The difference is obvious. If the BoE's rate were now at 3% or 4%, meaning there was room for further rate hikes, the pound sterling could continue to rise based on everything mentioned above. However, the UK interest rate has risen to 5.25%, which is the highest level since 2008.   Its peak was at 5.75% in 2008. Assuming that the rate will not exceed this value, the BoE will raise the rate two more times at most. Theoretically, the central bank could increase it to 6.5-7%, which is clearly required by the current inflation rate, but for now I don't believe this will happen, and the market is unlikely to put such a scenario into prices. Therefore, monetary tightening in the UK is coming to an end, as it is in the US. America has almost achieved its target, and its economy has hardly suffered. The UK cannot boast of the same. I believe that demand for the pound will only decrease.     Based on the conducted analysis, I came to the conclusion that the upward wave pattern is complete. I still consider targets around 1.0500-1.0600 quite realistic, and with these targets in mind, I recommend selling the instrument. The a-b-c structure looks complete and convincing. Therefore, I continue to advise selling the instrument with targets located around the 1.0836 mark and even lower. I believe that we will continue to see a bearish trend. The wave pattern of the GBP/USD pair suggests a decline.   You could have opened short positions a few weeks ago, as I advised, and now traders can close them. The pair has reached the 1.2620 mark. There's a possibility that the current downward wave could end if it is wave d. In this case, wave 5 could start from the current levels. However, in my opinion, we are currently witnessing the construction of a corrective wave within a new bearish trend segment. If that's the case, the instrument will not rise further above the 1.2840 mark, and then the construction of a new downward wave will begin.
    UK Public Sector Borrowing Sees Decline in July: Market Insights - August 22, 2023

    UK Public Sector Borrowing Sees Decline in July: Market Insights - August 22, 2023

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 22.08.2023 08:41
    06:00BST Tuesday 22nd August 2023 UK public sector borrowing set to slow in July   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)     We saw a lacklustre start to the week yesterday, European markets just about managing to eke out a small gain, although the FTSE100 finished the day slightly below the flat line, closing lower for the 7th day in a row.    The retreat from the intraday highs appeared to be driven by a rise in yields with both UK and German yields seeing strong gains towards their highs of last week. The move higher in yields also saw US 10-year and 30-year yields hit their highest levels since 2007, but unlike in Europe the rise in yields didn't act as a brake on US markets, which managed solid gains led by the Nasdaq 100. US chipmaker Nvidia was a notable outperformer looking to revisit its record highs of earlier this month ahead of its Q2 earnings which are due to be released tomorrow. As we look ahead to today's European open the strong finish in the US looks set to translate into a similarly positive start here in a couple of hours' time, however it's difficult to escape the feeling that stock markets are starting to look increasingly vulnerable.     Economic uncertainty in China, stagnation or weak growth in Europe and the UK, the only positives appear to be coming from the US where the economy is looking reasonably resilient, hence the rise in yields there. It's slightly harder to explain why yields in the UK and Europe are rising aside from the fact that rates are likely to stay higher for longer.     On the economic data front the only data of note is the latest July public sector borrowing numbers for the UK, which are expected to see a fall to £3.9bn from £17.1bn in May. With total debt now at levels of 100% of GDP the rise in rates is extraordinarily painful given how much of its existing debt is linked to inflation and the retail price index. Having to pay out over £100bn a year in interest is money that might have been better spent elsewhere. It's just a pity that the government didn't take greater advantage of the low-rate environment we saw less than 2 years ago, as had been suggested from a number of quarters at the time. We also have the latest CBO industrial orders for August which are expected to slip back to -12 from -9 in July.     In the US we have July existing home sales which are expected to decline for the second month in a row, by -0.2%. We also have comments from the following Federal Reserve policymakers. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee who leans towards the dovish side will be speaking at an event on youth unemployment alongside the more hawkish Fed governor Michelle Bowman.     We also have Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin whose most recent comments suggest he sees the prospect of a soft landing for the US economy, although he is not a voting member this year.     EUR/USD – finding support just above the 1.0830 area. Still feels range bound with resistance at the 1.1030 area. Below 1.0830 targets the 200-day SMA.     GBP/USD – continues to look supported while above the twin support areas at 1.2610/20. We need to see a move through the 1.2800 area, to signal potential towards 1.3000. A break below 1.2600 targets 1.2400.       EUR/GBP – continues to find support for now at the 0.8520/30 area. A move below 0.8500 could see 0.8480. Above the 100-day SMA at 0.8580 targets the 0.8720 area.     USD/JPY – looks to be retesting the August highs on the way towards the 147.50 area. Below the 144.80 area, targets a move back to the 143.10 area.     FTSE100 is expected to open 6 points higher at 7,264     DAX is expected to open 48 points higher at 15,651     CAC40 is expected to open 30 points higher at 7,228  
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    GBP: Fluctuating Rates Ahead of PMI Data Release

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.08.2023 10:21
    GBP: Volatile pricing ahead of PMIs Bank of England rate expectations have been quite volatile since the upside surprise in wages and CPI last week. The miss in retail sales on Friday saw peak Bank rate expectations as measured in the Sonia rate drop more than 10bp. Markets are currently looking at 5.95-6.0%, but today’s PMI release in the UK may well move pricing again. Consensus is expecting some slowdown in both manufacturing (already in contraction territory) and services (to 51.0). The Bank of England will also look at the details of the survey searching for evidence that price pressures are abating. EUR/GBP can make another attempt at breaking 0.8500 today, although the sustainability of sub-0.8500 levels is questionable unless markets price in more rate hikes in the UK or price out tightening in the eurozone.
    SEK: Enjoying a Breather as Technical Factors Drive Correction

    SEK: Enjoying a Breather as Technical Factors Drive Correction

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.08.2023 10:23
    SEK: Enjoying a breather The Swedish krona is emerging as an outperformer this week without any clear domestic driver justifying its strength against peers. EUR/SEK had risen above 11.90 and eyed 12.00, reaching new highs last week, and we suspect this week’s correction is primarily technically driven. News on the troubled landlord SBB continues to worry investors, although at these levels, SEK is pricing in quite a good deal of domestic risks. Incidentally, the housing market has shown signs of stabilisation, which might leave slightly wider manoeuvring room for the Riksbank to deal with high inflation. Keep a close eye on today’s Nvidia quarterly results. SEK is generally the most correlated G10 currency with US tech stocks. A disappointment on that side could trigger another EUR/SEK rally, even though some EUR softness is now helping put a cap on the pair. For the moment, a break above 12.00 is not our baseline scenario, and we see instead greater chances of a gradual – although bumpy – decline in the pair into year-end.  
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    UK Service Sector Contracts Amidst Rate Hike Impact: Insights from Latest PMIs

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.08.2023 12:46
    UK service sector enters contraction as rate hikes begin to bite The latest UK PMIs are unquestionably bad, and will give the Bank of England pause for thought as it nears the end of its tightening cycle.   The PMIs are unquestionably bad Like the eurozone, there has been a pronounced deterioration in service sector activity in August, according to the latest PMIs. The index for this sector has slipped below the all-important 50 level, reaching 48.7. According to the makers of the PMI, S&P Global, higher Bank of England rates are beginning to do their job. For various reasons, none of this will likely lead to a contraction in third-quarter GDP. Mainly because a hefty increase in June’s monthly activity numbers gave the third quarter a decent starting point, so when you compare the average GDP across July-September, it’s likely to be higher than the three months prior even if the economy fails to grow over the summer. On top of that, the ever-deteriorating manufacturing PMI – now at 42.5 – doesn’t really tally with what the official data is telling us, and that’s partly due to a sharp improvement in car production in recent months. Overall GDP growth in the 0.3-0.4% area for the third quarter seems a reasonable base case at this stage. Still, what these PMIs do tell us is that the UK is unlikely to be able to sustain those sorts of growth figures over the coming months. That manufacturing weakness is likely to show up more evidently. And remember that much of the impact of past rate hikes is still to feed through, given the heavily-fixed nature of the UK’s mortgage market.     Poor PMIs highlight the risks of focusing on backward-looking wage/inflation data For now, the Bank of England doesn't seem to be been putting too much emphasis on the growth numbers, with its focus still almost entirely on inflation. And on that score, policymakers won’t like the references in the latest PMI press release to persistently strong wage pressures. Still, the PMIs also reveal that prices charged by corporates are increasing at the slowest rate since February 2021, and that echoes what we’ve seen in various other surveys too. Ultimately, the Bank of England appears wary about putting too much weight on survey data, while official numbers on wage growth and services inflation continue to come in higher. But much like the recent increase in unemployment and ongoing fall in vacancy numbers, today’s PMIs show that the economy does appear to be turning from a state of very modest growth to stagnation and perhaps even modest recession. As time goes on, the BoE’s laser-focus on inflation/wages, both of which are heavily lagging indicators of economic activity, means the risks of overtightening have risen. These latest PMIs have seen a big repricing of UK rate expectations this morning according to the swaps curve, and investors now see Bank Rate peaking at 5.83% – or two-and-a-bit extra rate hikes. That doesn’t seem totally unrealistic, though our own base case is that we get just one final rate hike in September. That’s premised on the services inflation numbers staging a modest improvement before November’s meeting, enabling the Bank to pause.
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    Swedish Krona's Plunge Amid Economic Challenges: Riksbank Rate Hike Expectations and Uncertain Future

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 25.08.2023 09:39
    Governor Thedeen say krona is fundamentally undervalued Markets fulling pricing in September Riksbank quarter-point rate hike Sweden’s government expects economy shrink by -0.8% in 2023 (previously eyed -0.4%) Sweden’s krona has been punished as the economy appears to be headed for a tough recession. Core inflation is coming down too slowly and that will keep the Riksbank hiking even as expectations grow for a lengthy recession.  The krona has not been getting any relief as many Swedes have started to embrace holding euros given the krona’s record plunge this year. Riksbank Governor Thedeen Riksbank governor Thedeen said that “the krona is too weak and it is fundamentally undervalued.” He added that “it should strengthen and we think that it will, but we know that it is almost impossible to predict currency moves over the short and medium term.” It is tough to call for a reversal after watching the krona fall to a fresh all-time low against the euro.  The current market expectations for the September meeting is to see the Riksbank raise rates by 25bps to 4.00%.  A freefalling krona is complicating the inflation fight, but that could see some relief as the outlook for the eurozone deteriorates. Expectations for the Sweden’s GDP are not seeing a strong consensus emerge.  Given the currency and inflation situation, it seems that the economy could be entering a recession that last more than a handful of quarters. The Swedish government is expecting a 0.8% decline in 2023 and a 1.0% growth for 2024.  It seems hard to believe that households will be a better position anytime soon, so a recession extending beyond 2024 seems likely.   The EUR/SEK weekly chart     EUR/SEK (weekly chart) as of Thursday (8/24/2023) shows the uptrend to record high territory is showing overbought conditions have arrived.  If the krona is able to firm up here, a mass exodus of EUR/SEK bullish bets could see price action tumble towards the 11.7118 region. If the plunge deeper into record low territory continues, EUR/SEK could make an attempt at the 12.000 which is just below the 141.% Fibonnaci expansion level of the 2020 high to 2021 low move. Last week, the krona was the most volatile G10 currency, so we should not be surprised if that volatility extends further given the chaos in the bond markets.    
    Analyzing Central Bank Statements: Powell vs. Lagarde and Their Impact on EUR/USD and GBP/USD

    Analyzing Central Bank Statements: Powell vs. Lagarde and Their Impact on EUR/USD and GBP/USD

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 25.08.2023 10:01
    While we've understood Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's potential rhetoric, what about European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde's statement? That's much more complicated. The ECB's rate is below the Fed's, yet inflation in the European Union is higher. This single factor suggests that the ECB should agree to additional tightening. However, in recent months, we've repeatedly heard that a pause is needed. A pause doesn't mean the end of the tightening process, but, in a manner of speaking, its final stretch. If Lagarde hints at such a scenario in her speech, the euro will dip even further in the market.     The second crucial factor is the state of the European economy. GDP has been stagnant for almost four quarters, and PMIs keep falling. As a result, every new rate hike will push the European economy into an even deeper hole. It's important for the ECB to maintain a balance between the rate and the economy. Every subsequent ECB meeting is now a mystery. Some members of the Governing Council believe in another rate hike, while others insist on a pause. Lagarde is set to guide the market on Friday. In my opinion, the chances of a dovish stance from Lagarde is much higher. Even if she announces that the current course will be maintained, it doesn't mean all members of the Governing Council will support her stance. From this perspective, the Fed appears to be a more cohesive entity, so the preliminary verdict is as follows: Powell's hawkish stance is more likely, while Lagarde's is "conditionally-hawkish".   This means a further decline for the EUR/USD. As for the GBP/USD, a lot hinges on the 1.2618 mark. A successful attempt to break through it will signal the market's readiness to continue selling, regardless of Powell's remarks in Jackson Hole. Based on all the above, I don't expect the market mood to change on Friday. Both instruments might start forming corrective upward waves, but so far, there are no signs for either. Hence, it's too early to talk about a strong increase in demand for the euro and the pound.     Based on the conducted analysis, I came to the conclusion that the upward wave pattern is complete. I still believe that targets in the 1.0500-1.0600 range are quite realistic, and with these targets in mind, I advise selling the instrument. The a-b-c structure appears complete and convincing. Therefore, I advise selling the instrument with targets set around the 1.0788 and 1.0637 marks. I believe that the bearish segment will persist, and a successful attempt at 1.0880 indicates the market's readiness for new short positions. The wave pattern of the GBP/USD pair suggests a decline within the downtrend segment. There is a risk of ending the current downward wave if it is wave "d" and not "1". In that case, wave 5 could start from current levels. However, in my opinion, we are currently seeing the construction of a corrective wave within a new downtrend segment. If this is the case, the instrument will not rise much above the 1.2840 mark, and then a new downward wave will commence. We should brace for new short positions.  
    Global Economic Data and Central Bank Activity: Key Focus Areas for the Upcoming Week"

    Global Economic Data and Central Bank Activity: Key Focus Areas for the Upcoming Week"

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 28.08.2023 09:20
    US Now that we heard from Fed Chair Powell at the Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole Symposium, the focus shifts back to the data. This week is filled with data that will outline how quickly the economy is weakening. Consumer data will show personal income growth is not keeping up with spending, while confidence holds steady. The Fed’s favorite inflation reading is also expected to show subdued growth is holding steady on a monthly basis. Friday’s NFP report will show private sector hiring is cooling.    Over the weekend, the spotlight will be on US-China relations.  US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will meet with Chinese officials, striving to lower tensions between the world’s two largest economies.  The week will also be filled with Fed speak.  On Monday and Tuesday, Barr speaks about banking services. On Thursday, we hear from both Bostic and Collins, while Friday contains appearances by Bostic, a couple of hours before the NFP report, and Mester on inflation later in the morning.   Eurozone Next week is data-heavy but there are a few releases that stand out. The most notable is the HICP flash estimate for the eurozone on Thursday which is expected to drop slightly at the headline and core levels. There will be individual country releases in the days running up to this which may signal whether Thursday’s data will likely beat or fall short of expectations. ECB accounts are also released on Thursday which will be of interest considering markets now view the rate decision at the next meeting as a coin toss between 25 basis points and no change.    UK  The week starts with a bank holiday and it doesn’t get much more exciting from there. There are a few tier-three data releases and Huw Pill from the Bank of England will make appearances on Thursday and Friday. Russia A selection of economic data is on offer next week including unemployment on Wednesday, GDP on Thursday, and the manufacturing PMI on Friday.  South Africa No major events next week with PPI on Thursday the only notable release. It follows CPI data this past week which fell to 4.8%, well within the SARB 3-6% target range, following a much lower 0.9% monthly reading in July.  Turkey The CBRT surprised markets last week by hiking rates far more aggressively than expected, taking the repo rate to 25%, up from 17.5%. The move may cost people at the central bank their jobs if history is anything to go by, with President Erdogan openly no fan of higher rates. That said, he did employ these people shortly after his election victory so perhaps with that behind him, he may be more open to it while remaining vocally against. This week offers very little, with GDP on Thursday the only release of note. Switzerland Inflation data on Friday is expected to show prices rising 1.5% on an annual basis, slightly lower than in July and well below the SNB 2% target. The central bank hasn’t appeared satisfied though and markets are fully pricing in a hike in September, with 32% chance of it being 50 basis points. The manufacturing PMI will also be released on Friday, with retail sales on Thursday, and the KoF economic barometer and economic expectations on Wednesday. China Only three key economic releases to monitor for the coming week. First up, the NBS manufacturing and services PMIs for August will be out on Thursday. Another contractionary print of 49.5 is expected for the manufacturing sector, almost unchanged from July’s reading of 49.5. If it turns out as expected, it will be the fifth consecutive month of negative growth for manufacturing activities as China grapples with a weak external environment and domestic financial contagion risk that has been triggered by debt-laden property developers. Secondly, the NBS services PMI for August is forecasted to remain surprisingly resilient at 51, almost unchanged from 51.5 in July. The services sector is still in an expansionary mode albeit at a slower pace that is likely being supported by domestic tourism. Thirdly, the private sector-focused Caixin manufacturing PMI for August which consists of small and medium enterprises will be released on Friday, 1 September. Consensus is still expecting a contractionary reading of 49.5, almost unchanged from July’s print of 49.2. If it turns out as expected, it will be the second consecutive month of negative growth. A slew of key earnings releases to take note of starting this Saturday, 26 August will be China Merchants Bank, and Bank of Communications followed by; BYD (Monday, 28 August), Ping An Insurance, NIO, Country Garden (Tuesday, 29 August), Agricultural Bank of China (Wednesday, 30 August), ICBC, Bank of China, China Minsheng Bank (Thursday, 31 August). Also, market participants will be on the lookout for fiscal stimulus measures to defuse the $23 trillion debt bomb owed by local governments, financial affiliates, and property developers. On Friday, 25 August, China policymakers unveiled a further easing of its home mortgage policies that scrap a rule that disqualifies first-time homebuyers who had a mortgage that is fully repaid from being considered a first-time buyer in major cities in an attempt to boost up residential property transactions.  India Two key data to focus on. Q2 GDP on Thursday where the consensus is expecting a further economic growth expansion to 7% y/y in Q2, a further acceleration from 6.1% y/y recorded in Q1. Lastly, the manufacturing PMI for August will be released on Friday where it is being forecasted to come in at 57, almost unchanged from the July reading of 57.7 which will indicate a 26th straight month of growth expansion for manufacturing activities. Australia Retail sales for July will be out on Monday, with a recovery to 0.3% m/m from -0.8% m/m in June. On Wednesday, the important monthly CPI indicator for July will be out and the consensus forecast is another month of cooling to 5.2% from 5.4% in June. If it turns out as expected, RBA may have more reasons to justify its current pause at 4.1% for two consecutive meetings. Its next monetary policy meeting will be on 5 September, and as of 24 August, the ASX 30-day interbank cash rate futures have priced in a 12% chance of a rate cut to 3.85% (25 bps cut).  New Zealand A quiet week with the only focus on the ANZ business confidence indicator for August on Thursday followed by ANZ consumer confidence for August on Friday. Japan The action comes mid-week. Consumer confidence for August is released on Wednesday and is expected to be almost the same at 37.2 versus July’s 37.1. On Thursday, we will have retail sales and industrial production for July. Growth in retail sales is expected to slip slightly to 5.4% y/y from 5.9% in June. Meanwhile, industrial production is expected to contract to -1.4% m/m from 2.4% m/m in June, and -0.7% y/y is forecasted from 0% y/y recorded in June. Singapore The sole key data to monitor will be the producer prices index for July out on Tuesday with another month of negative growth forecasted at -9% y/y, a slower pace of contraction from -14.3% recorded in June. It would be the 7th consecutive month of decline.
    SEK Update: Encouraging Data Offers Relief Amid Growth Concerns

    SEK Update: Encouraging Data Offers Relief Amid Growth Concerns

    ING Economics ING Economics 29.08.2023 10:25
    SEK: Growth picture slightly less grim Sweden released better-than-expected GDP and retail sales data this morning, which are supporting the krona in early European trading. The Swedish economy contracted by 0.8% in the second quarter, less than the 1.3% consensus and quite a big revision from the preliminary -1.5% figure published last month. Retail sales for July surprisingly grew (by 1.0% month-on-month). The growth picture clearly remains rather alarming when compared to other major economies, but the krona has already been pricing in a considerable amount of domestic economic underperformance (as well as real-estate-related risks). There are other important data releases to keep an eye on this week in Sweden: wage figures and the economic tendency survey tomorrow, as well as some manufacturing surveys later in the week. Another potentially big risk event: Riksbank’s member Anna Breman, one of the dovish dissenters at the April meeting, will participate in a panel discussion about inflation tomorrow morning.   EUR/SEK may face some upward pressure from the euro side if we are right about core inflation data boosting chances of a September ECB hike. Otherwise, some modestly improving external environment and better-than-expected Swedish data can help EUR/SEK trade a bit off from the highs for now.
    Rates and Cycles: Central Banks' Strategies in Focus Amid Steepening Impulses

    Asia Morning Bites: Australian Inflation in Focus Amid Market Movements

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.08.2023 09:38
    Asia Morning Bites Eyes down for Australian inflation. Markets brace for weaker payrolls after JOLTS decline in job openings. ADP due later.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  There was a lot of green on the boards across the equity world yesterday. Both US, European and Chinese stock indices all rose on the day. The S&P and NASDAQ rose 1.45% and 1.74% respectively, while the Hang Seng and CSI 300 rose 1.95% and 1.0%. The earlier announcement in China of stamp duty cuts and curbs on share sales by major shareholders may have provided some lingering support. Falling US Treasury yields possibly added some additional “oomph” to the US equity market. 2Y US Treasury yields fell 11bp to 4.894%, and the yield on the 10Y Treasury bond fell 8.2bp taking it to 4.12%. EURUSD picked up to 1.0876, having briefly traded below 1.08 intraday.  Other G-10 currencies also rallied against the USD. The AUD rose to 0.6480, Cable pushed up to 1.2644, and the JPY reversed a move up towards 147.50 and came all the way back to 145.89. These moves lifted the SGD too, which has pulled back below 1.35. The PHP and VND both lost ground yesterday.   G-7 macro:  It was a thin day for Macro, but it nonetheless contained some interesting data releases. The US JOLTS survey showed a sharp drop in job openings, falling from 9165K to 8827K. This was way down on the 9500K openings that had been forecast. There was also an unexpected and sharp decline in the Conference Board’s consumer confidence indicators, including those relating to the labour market. And the US house price purchase index also came in a little softer than had been expected. Germany’s GfK consumer confidence survey also came in on the low side. Today, German preliminary  CPI data for August are due. The US publishes the second release of 2Q23 GDP as well as the ADP employment survey (195K expected), to whet our appetites (or perhaps just to confuse us) before Friday’s payroll numbers.   Australia: July CPI inflation data is forecast to decline to 5.2%YoY from 5.4% in June. But the July data will also include some chunky electricity tariff increases, so we think there is a chance the number is higher than this, with an outside chance that inflation actually rises from last month.     What to look out for: US ADP report Australia building approvals and CPI (30 August) South Korea retail sales (30 August) US MBA mortgage applications, ADP employment, GDP and pending home sales (30 August) South Korea industrial production (31 August) Japan retail sales (31 August) China PMI manufacturing and non-manufacturing (31 August) Thailand trade balance (31 August) Hong Kong retail sales (31 August) India GDP (31 August) US initial jobless claims, PCE deflator and personal spending (31 August) Japan capital spending and Jibun PMI (1 September) South Korea trade (1 September) Regional PMI (1 September) China Caixin PMI (1 September) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 September) US NFP, ISM manufacturing and industrial production (1 September)
    FX Daily: Eurozone Inflation Impact on ECB Expectations and USD

    FX Daily: Eurozone Inflation Impact on ECB Expectations and USD

    ING Economics ING Economics 30.08.2023 09:47
    FX Daily: Eurozone inflation, round one Spain and Germany will release inflation figures today, and market expectations for the ECB's September meeting may already be impacted. Eurozone numbers are out tomorrow. Meanwhile, ADP payrolls are out in the US after a soft batch of data hit the dollar yesterday, while AUD is shrugging off lower-than-expected CPI figures.   USD: ADP could be inaccurate, but may move the market Two softer-than-expected data releases in the US yesterday prompted a sizeable correction in the USD 2-year swap rate yields, which fell from 4.94% to the 4.80% area. JOLTS job openings data fell to 8.8 million in July, meaning there were approximately 1.5 open positions for each unemployed worker – the lowest ratio since September 2021. The hiring rate declined marginally, but the layoff rate was unchanged. Consumer confidence figures also disappointed, with the Conference Board survey dropping from a revised 114 level in July to 106 in August. Other components of the survey also declined. The rally in pro-cyclical currencies and the dollar’s weakness across the board was a confirmation of how US activity data – even if non tier-one releases – remain firmly in the driver's seat for global currency markets. Developments in China and in the commodity sphere, while important, clearly continue to play a secondary role. Today, expect markets to focus on the ADP employment figures. These have not proven to be a very accurate estimator of the official payrolls recently but have often impacted rate expectations. The consensus is for a 195k print. Wholesale inventories and pending home sales for July, as well as the GDP and core PCE secondary release for the second quarter, are also on the calendar today. The dollar is regaining some ground this morning after yesterday’s losses, but data will determine the direction of travel today. We had called for a weaker dollar at the start of this week and we’d like to see whether eurozone inflation data boost the chances of one last hike from the European Central Bank. With markets being more convinced of no more hikes by the Federal Reserve – barring a surprise in payrolls – a re-tightening in the EUR/USD short-term real rate gap could set the tone for a weaker dollar across the world. DXY may continue its correction from the 104.00 highs and test 103.00 should eurozone inflation figures come in strong enough and US employment not surprise on the upside. 
    Gold's Upswing Fueled by JOLTS Data as US 2-Year Yield Slips Below 5%: Could $1,950 Pose Significant Resistance?

    Gold's Upswing Fueled by JOLTS Data as US 2-Year Yield Slips Below 5%: Could $1,950 Pose Significant Resistance?

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 30.08.2023 15:44
    Gold buoyed by JOLTS data US 2-year yield slipped below 5% Could $1,950 be a major level of resistance?   Gold made decent gains on Tuesday, buoyed by a softer dollar and lower yields on the back of the US JOLTs data. The US 2-year yield slipped back below 5%, while the greenback has come off its highs to trade down on the day. The summer narrative of higher yields for longer that has lifted the dollar and longer-term yields at the expense of the yellow metal could be put to the test this week with GDP, inflation, jobs, and PMI releases all still to come. It’s started well for gold but it may still have a mountain to climb after coming under significant pressure since late July.   While yesterday’s recovery was encouraging, it is still in retracement territory so it may be too early to get carried away.   XAUUSD Daily   The key level at this stage may be $1,950 with it falling around the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level – July highs to August lows – and the top of the 55/89-day simple moving average band. A move above this may suggest there’s more to the recent gains since the rebound off the 200/233-day SMA band. That said, a rebound lower now could see that prior support come under pressure and a break of that could be very bearish.  
    Fed Expectations Amid Mixed Data: Wishful Thinking or Practical Pause?

    Fed Expectations Amid Mixed Data: Wishful Thinking or Practical Pause?

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 31.08.2023 10:26
    Wishful thinking?  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank    America had another 'bad news is good news' moment yesterday; softer-than-expected ADP and growth data further fueled expectations that the Federal Reserve (Fed) is – maybe – good for a pause. The ADP report, released yesterday, showed that the US economy added 177K new private jobs in August, lower than expected and more than half the number printed a month earlier, while the US GDP was revised from 2% to 2.1% instead of 2.4%, due to lower business investment than initially reported and to downside revisions in inventory and nonresidential fixed investment. Household spending, however, continued leading the US economy higher; it was revised up to 1.7%. All in all, the data was certainly weaker than expected but the numbers remain strong, in absolute terms.     The S&P500 gained for the 4th consecutive session yesterday, the index is now above the 4500 level and has around 85 points to go before recovering to July highs. The US 2-year yield settles below the 5% level on expectation that the Fed has no reason to push hard to hike rates; it could just wait and see the impact of its latest (and aggressive) tightening campaign.  In the FX, the softening Fed expectations are weighing on the US dollar. The dollar index fell to its 200-DMA and could sink back to its March to August descending channel. But the seasonality is on the dollar's side in September. Empirical data shows that the US dollar performed better than its peers for six Septembers in a row since 2017, and it gained 1.2% on average, thanks to increased quarter-end dollar buying, and an increased safe haven flows before October – which is seasonally a bad month for stocks, according to Bloomberg.       But the dollar's relative performance is also much influenced by the growth and price dynamics elsewhere. Looking at the latest Euro-area CPI numbers, the picture in Europe is much less dovish despite morose business and consumer sentiment in Europe and weak PMI numbers printed recently. Despite the dark clouds on the European skies, the latest inflation numbers showed that inflation in both Spain and Germany ticked higher in August for the second month – a U-turn that could be explained by the re-surge in oil prices since the end of June. This morning, the aggregate CPI number may not confirm a fall to 5.1% in headline inflation. And a stronger-than-expected CPI print will likely boost the ECB hawks and get the euro bulls to test the 50-DMA, near 1.0970, to the upside.     Later today, investors will focus on the US core PCE data, which has a heavier weight on the international platform.  Therefore, the strength of the US core PCE will say the last word before tomorrow's jobs data. Analysts expect a steady 0.2% advance on a monthly basis, and a slight advance from 4.1% to 4.2% on a yearly basis. A bad surprise on the topside could eventually wash out the past days' optimism regarding the future of the Fed policy. So, fingers crossed, we really need the US inflation to fall, and to stay low.    But looking at energy prices, a sustainable fall in headline inflation could be wishful thinking for the upcoming months. US crude remains upbeat near the $82pb, as the latest EIA data showed that crude inventories fall more than 10mio barrel last week, as separate data showed that crude stored on ships at sea fell to the lowest levels in a year - a clear indication that OPEC's supply cuts are taking effect. Plus, Russia is discussing with OPEC to extend oil-export cuts and Saudi is expected to prolong its supply cuts.    
    Eurozone PMI Shows Limited Improvement Amid Lingering Contraction Concerns in September

    French Inflation Surges in August Due to Energy Prices

    ING Economics ING Economics 31.08.2023 10:37
    French inflation back on the rise Inflation rose again in August, after falling for three consecutive months, due to higher energy prices. Despite a rebound in household consumption of goods, French domestic demand remains very weak, and a quasi-stagnation of GDP in the second half of 2023 seems the most likely economic scenario. Sharp rise in inflation After falling for three months in a row, inflation in France rose sharply again in August, to 4.8%, compared with 4.3% in July. The harmonised index, which is important for the European Central Bank, stood at 5.7% compared with 5.1% in July. August's rebound was entirely caused by the rise in energy prices, due to higher oil prices and electricity tariffs. Over a year, energy prices have increased again (+6.8% in August), whereas they had been falling in previous months. It should be noted that, because of the tariff shield and fuel price rebates, energy prices rose less dramatically in France than in other European countries last year. The starting point is therefore much lower, and energy inflation will be more of a problem in France than elsewhere in the coming months. Apart from the rebound in energy inflation, the details suggest that inflationary pressures are moderating. Food inflation continues to ease, coming in at 11.1% in August, compared with 12.7% in July. This trend is likely to continue in the months ahead, albeit slowly. We will probably have to wait until 2024 for food prices to stabilise in terms of annual growth. The details of underlying inflation have not yet been published, but they should point to a decline. Prices of manufactured goods slowed to 3.1% in August from 3.4% in July. Given that producer prices are continuing to fall and are now down year-on-year (-1.5% in July compared with +1% the previous month), this trend is likely to continue over the coming months, especially as selling price expectations continue to fall across all sectors. Finally, despite wage increases, services inflation is also continuing to moderate (2.9% compared with 3.1% in July), which is encouraging. Although service inflation is likely to become the main contributor to inflation in the coming months, the risk of an explosion in service prices appears to be limited, in the context of weak economic growth. The trend towards disinflation should therefore resume from September onwards, although it will probably be slower in France than in neighbouring countries. We are expecting inflation, according to the national definition, to reach 4.6% in 2023 on average. We will probably have to wait until the second half of 2024 for inflation to return to 2%.
    Riksbank's Potential Rate Hike Amid Economic Challenges: Analysis and Outlook

    India's Robust 2Q23 GDP Growth of 7.8% Signals Economic Strength

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:15
    India: GDP growth accelerates in 2Q23 At 7.8% YoY, India's GDP print for 2Q23 was precisely in line with the consensus expectation but nonetheless, singles out India as one of the few economies in the region where growth is actually firming, not declining. Total calendar-year growth of 7% or close is within reach.   No surprise, but it's still a good result The consensus forecast seems to have correctly decided to trust in some of the NowCasts circulating, which also pointed to a 7.8% growth rate. But although the number was correctly anticipated, this doesn't reduce just what a good figure this is.  Across the region, the combination of China's faltering economy, along with the lingering impacts of the semiconductor downcycle, is keeping growth subdued, and in some cases, actually weakening. Not so in India, where growth remains very firm. Part of that is clearly due to the very limited direct exposure to trade with China - the legacy of decades of political tensions. India is also not as exposed to the semiconductor industry as some other economies in the region, though this is slowly changing as supply chains are shifted around the region. At least for now, that has provided some insulation for India against some of the headwinds being faced by other Asian economies.    Where's the growth coming from Despite what was a fairly generous Union Budget this year, with only a modest reduction in the deficit target to 5.9% of GDP in fiscal 2023/24 from 6.4% in fiscal 2022/23, government spending is doing none of the direct heavy lifting at the moment. That said, behind the scenes, government capex and infrastructure development is almost certainly helping to draw in private investment growth. Capital investment contributed 2.8 percentage points of the 7.8% GDP growth total - another solid contribution after the 3.1pp contribution in 1Q23.  The other big contributor remained consumer spending. This too has been consistently strong, but has more than doubled its contribution this quarter to 3.5pp, up from 1.6pp in 1Q23.  The only blot on the ledger was from net exports, which were a substantial drag on growth this quarter, though this has not shown up in terms of a large inventory build, which often happens, so that doesn't necessarily imply any ominous unwinding of stock build-ups in the coming quarters. There was, however, also a fairly chunky swing in the "discrepancies" part of GDP, which is a residual term to account for GDP not picked up in the other main areas. This may well end up being reclassified into stocks at some point, so we aren't ruling out a future stock correction just yet.     Contributions to YoY% GDP growth (pp)
    ECB's Potential Hike Faces Limited Rate Upside as Macro Headwinds Persist

    India's Strong Economic Growth in 2Q23 Sets a Positive Trend

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:15
    Production measures also looking promising GDP, or more precisely GVA (gross value added) measured in terms of industrial sector production, is also with a quick look.  Here, we see that the main engine for growth is not industry, which has slowed a little, but the service sector. And that ties in with the consumer spending observation we made earlier. Agriculture contributed a little less this quarter - perhaps reflecting the erratic monsoons we have seen this year.    GVA by sector (contribution to growth pp)   RBI easing not a priority Putting all of this together, it looks like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be in no hurry to cut rates. Growth is clearly very strong and it looks like it will remain so in the quarters ahead. A growth rate of about 7% for the full calendar year looks probable, and something in the 6-7% range for next year is also looking likely.  The recent upward spike in inflation is, for now, almost entirely food price-driven, and there are already signs that the worst increases in tomatoes and onions are behind us, so there is equally little need for the RBI to tighten rates in response to this growth backdrop. The 6.5% policy rate will already look quite restrictive once the inflation numbers settle down again, which we believe they will do soon. Rate cuts are most likely the next direction for the RBI, but these can wait until next year. 
    Korean Economic Update: Cloudy Third-Quarter Prospects Amidst Export Challenges and Weakening Domestic Demand

    Korean Economic Update: Cloudy Third-Quarter Prospects Amidst Export Challenges and Weakening Domestic Demand

    ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:26
    Korean activity data point to a cloudy third-quarter According to recent industrial production, exports, and survey data, domestic demand will slow further, while a mediocre recovery is expected for exports. Government support to boost domestic demand will buffer the sharp contraction in consumption.   Exports continued to fall in August Exports declined by -8.4% year-on-year in August (vs -16.4% in July and a market consensus of -11.8%), extending its decline trend for 11 months. However, imports fell -22.8%, even faster than exports, thus the trade balance recorded a surplus of US$869m in August. Six out of 15 major export items increased with robust transportation equipment exports (vehicles 28.7%, vessels 35.2%). However, semiconductors (-21%), oils (-35%), petrochemicals (-12%), and steels (-11%) declined as price effects worked unfavourably. By export destination, exports to the US (2.4%), EU (2.7%), and the Middle East (6.7%) rose firmly on the back of strong vehicle and machinery exports while exports to China (-19.9%) continued to fall, but at a slower pace than in the previous quarter. Looking ahead, the decline in exports will likely narrow, with a return to growth only possible by the end of the year.    The trade surplus has continued for three months in a row   Semiconductors are key Export data suggest that chip exports have gradually improved compared to January as the contraction of exports continuously narrows. We believe that this is mainly due to base effects rather than the industrial cycle turning favourable. We believe that chip exports in value terms will continue to improve by the end of this year mostly supported by the low base last year, but that in volume terms will remain at the current level at the best.  Manufacturing industrial production data showed that semiconductor production dropped by -2.4% month-on-month seasonally adjusted in July, the first decline in five months. Major chip makers announced their production cut plans early this year, and we finally saw some of those promised reduction cuts in July. We think the production cuts will continue for a couple of quarters as inventory levels stay at an elevated level. Thus, the rebound of the chip cycle will probably come even later than the end of this year. Still, we are optimistic that AI chips will likely outperform in the near term, but the overall semiconductor demand condition will not improve meaningfully at least for a couple of quarters.   Semiconductor cycle hasn't bottomed out yet   Domestic demand is expected to worsen further Consumption and investment also slid in July with retail sales and facilities investment down -3.2% MoM seasonally adjusted and -8.9%, respectively. Worrying about the sharp decline in consumption and service activity, the government decided to extend the Chuseok holiday and provide a travel voucher programme to boost domestic demand.   This will temporarily support household consumption in the near term. However, we are still concerned about the ongoing slowdown in construction and facility investment, which will drag on growth over the next few quarters.   Lacklustre survey data also add concerns to the near-term outlook Manufacturing PMI and local business survey slid in August. The Bank of Korea's Business Survey Index outlook for manufacturing declined by four points to 67, the lowest level in five months while the manufacturing PMI retreated to 48.9 (vs 49.4 in July), staying in the contraction zone for 14 months. With semiconductor cycles showing no clear signs of bottoming out and growing concerns over softening global demand, the manufacturing slump is expected to continue this quarter.   Cloudy outlook from survey data   Third quarter GDP outlook In terms of GDP, we believe that third-quarter GDP will decelerate to 0.2% quarter-on-quarter seasonally adjusted from 0.6% in the second quarter. The positive contribution of net exports will continue mainly as imports will decline faster than exports. However, despite government support measures for consumption, domestic demand conditions will likely worsen further. We foresee a continuation of the contraction in investment with tight financial conditions for businesses, weak construction performance and sluggish consumption. Meanwhile, the Bank of Korea's policy priority will shift from inflation to growth with external and internal growth conditions deteriorating further.   GDP outlook: ING vs BoK The Bank of Korea produces a bi-annual outlook for GDP. ING has converted it to quarterly-based growth.
    Turbulent Times Ahead: Poland's Central Bank Signals Easing Measures

    New Zealand Business Confidence Surges as Inflation Expectations Hold Steady

    Akash Girimath Akash Girimath 01.09.2023 11:26
    New Zealand business confidence rises ADP Employment Change falls to 177,000 The New Zealand dollar is almost flat on Thursday, trading at 0.5958 in Europe.   New Zealand Business Confidence improves again New Zealand’s ANZ Business Confidence index accelerated for a fourth straight month in August. The index improved to -3.7, up from -13.1 in July. Business Confidence has been in negative territory for 26 consecutive months, but the August print was the highest since June 2021. The consensus estimate stood at -1.9 and the New Zealand dollar didn’t react. If the upswing continues, we should see a positive reading in the next month or two, which would be a milestone and likely give a boost to the New Zealand dollar. The business confidence report noted that inflation expectations dipped very slightly, from 5.14% to 5.06%. This is clearly incompatible with a 2% inflation target but the key question is whether the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will pause for a third straight time in October, in the hope that the benchmark rate of 5.50% will further cool the economy and push inflation lower. The RBNZ doesn’t meet until October 4th, with only one tier-1 event prior to the meeting, which is GDP on September 20th. The central bank will also be keeping a close eye on events in China, where the economy has been deteriorating. On Thursday, China’s Manufacturing PMI rose in July to 49.7, up from 49.3 in June, but this marked a fifth straight contraction.   In the US, the markets await the non-farm payrolls release on Friday. The ADP employment report fell sharply to 177,000, down from an upwardly revised 371,000 and shy of the estimate of 195,000. The ADP release isn’t a reliable precursor to nonfarm payrolls but still attracts attention as investors hunt for clues ahead of the nonfarm payrolls release. The markets are expecting nonfarm payrolls to fall to 170,000 in August, compared to 187,000 in July. . NZD/USD Technical There is support at 0.5927 and 0.5866 0.5968 is a weak resistance line. Above, there is resistance at 0.6029        
    UK GDP Revised Up, Boosting Economic Outlook

    UK GDP Revised Up, Boosting Economic Outlook

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 10:55
    GBP: A welcome revision to GDP The UK national data office – the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – gave UK policymakers a welcome boost on Friday by revising up GDP growth in 2021 by 1.7%. That means that the UK returned to pre-pandemic growth much earlier than believed and that the revision leaves Germany exhibiting the weakest post-pandemic performance in the G7. The revision could also provide a little more fiscal headroom for the government, and we would not be surprised if speculation grew over some fiscal giveaways in the Chancellor's Autumn statement due in November.  Sterling has turned marginally better bid against the euro over recent days. Expect it to trade towards the lower end of a 0.8500-0.8600 range in the near term. It is a quiet week for UK data, but there may be some interest in Thursday's release of the Bank of England Decision Make Panel survey. Lower inflation expectations would be welcome but will not be enough to prevent the BoE from hiking 25bp on September 21st.      We do still, however, believe that the market prices about 20bp too much into the BoE tightening cycle and that sterling can soften a little in the fourth quarter. Chris Turner
    US CPI Surprises on the Upside, but Fed Expectations Unchanged Amid Rising Recession Risks

    Canada's Q2 GDP Eases, US Nonfarm Payrolls Expected at 177,000 - Impact on USD/CAD

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 04.09.2023 10:58
    Canada’s GDP expected to ease in Q2 US nonfarm employment payrolls expected to dip to 177,000 The Canadian dollar is calm in the European session, trading at 1.3500, down 0.07%. I expect to see stronger movement from USD/CAD in the North American session, as Canada releases second-quarter GDP and the US publishes the July employment report. Canada’s GDP expected to slow in Q2 Canada usually releases employment reports on the same day as the US, but Canada’s July jobs report won’t be released until next week. Instead, today we have Canada’s GDP, a key release, along with the US employment release. Canada’s economy rebounded in the first quarter, as GDP rose 0.8% q/q. This beat the consensus estimate of 0.4% and added support to the case for the Bank of Canada raising rates at the September 6th meeting. However, today’s GDP report could chill rate hike expectations if the economy took a step backward in the second quarter. The consensus estimate for Q2 GDP stands at 0.3% q/q, which would indicate weak economic growth. If GDP is stronger than expected, the odds of a rate hike will likely increase. The GDP report is the final key release out of Canada prior to the rate meeting, which adds significance to the GDP release. Investors will also be keeping a close eye on the July US employment report, highlighted by nonfarm payrolls. On Wednesday, ADP Employment Change fell sharply to 177,000, down from a revised 371,000. The nonfarm payroll report is expected to decline slightly to 170,000, compared to 187,000 in the previous reading.   If nonfarm payrolls is within expectations, it will mark the third straight month of gains below 200,000, a clear sign that the US economy is cooling. This would not only cement an expected pause by the Federal Reserve next week but would also bolster the case for the Fed to hold rates for the next few months and possibly into 2024. . USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD tested resistance at 1.3523 earlier. Above, there is resistance at 1.3580 1.3444 and 1.3377 are providing support  
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    Global Economic Snapshot: Key Events and Indicators to Watch in Various Economies Next Week

    Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 04.09.2023 11:01
    US The month started with a bang with the US jobs report but the following week is looking a little more subdued, starting with the bank holiday on Monday. Economic data is largely made up of revisions and tier-three releases. The exceptions being the ISM services PMI on Wednesday and jobless claims on Thursday. That said, revised productivity and unit labor costs on Thursday will also attract attention given the Fed’s obsession with input cost, wages in particular. We’ll also hear from a variety of Fed policymakers including Susan Collins on Wednesday (Beige Book also released), Patrick Harker, John Williams, and Raphael Bostic on Thursday, and Bostic again on Friday.  Eurozone Next week is littered with tier-three events despite the large number of releases in that time. Final inflation, GDP and PMIs, regional retail sales figures and surveys, and trade figures make up the bulk of next week’s reports. Not inconsequential, per se, but not typically big market events unless the PMI and CPI reports bring massive revisions. We will hear from some ECB policymakers earlier in the week which will probably be the highlight, including Christine Lagarde, Fabio Panetta, Philip Lane, and Isabel Schnabel. UK  Next week offers very little on the data front but the Monetary Policy Report Hearing in front of the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday is usually one to watch. While the committee’s views are typically quite polished by that point, the questioning is intense and can provide a more in-depth understanding of where the MPC stands on interest rates.  Russia Inflation in Russia is on the rise again and is expected to hit 5.1% on an annual basis in August, up from 4.3% in July. That is why the CBR has started raising rates aggressively again – raised to 12% from 8.5% on 15 August. Even so, the ruble is not performing well and isn’t too far from the August highs just before the superhike. We’ll hear from Deputy Governor Zabotkin on Tuesday, a few days before the CPI release. South Africa Further signs of disinflation in the PPI figures on Thursday will have been welcomed by the SARB but they won’t yet be declaring the job done despite the substantial progress to date. The focus next week will be on GDP figures on Tuesday, with 0.2% quarterly growth expected, and 1.3% annual. The whole economy PMI will be released earlier the same day. Turkey CPI inflation figures will be eyed next week, with annual price growth seen hitting 55.9%, up from 47.8% in July. The CBRT is all too aware of the risks, hence the surprisingly large rate hike – from 17.5% to 25% – last month. The currency rebounded strongly after the decision but it has been drifting lower since, falling back near the pre-meeting levels. There’s more work to be done. Switzerland Another relatively quiet week for the Swiss, with GDP on Monday – seen posting a modest 0.1% quarterly growth – and unemployment on Thursday, which is expected to remain unchanged. Neither is likely to sway the SNB when it comes to its next meeting on 21 September, with markets now favoring no change and a 30% chance of a 25 basis point hike. China Two key data to focus on for the coming week; the non-government compiled Caixin Services PMI for August out on Tuesday which is expected at 54, almost unchanged from July’s reading of 54.1. If it turns out as expected, it will mark the eighth consecutive month of expansion in China’s services sector which indicates resilience despite the recent spate of deflationary pressures and contagion risk from the fallout of major indebted property developers that failed to make timely coupon payments on their respective bonds obligations. Next up will be the balance of trade data for August on Thursday with export growth anticipated to decline at a slower pace of 10% y/y from -14.5% y/y recorded in July. Imports are expected to contract further by 11% y/y from -12.4% y/y in July.   Interestingly, several key leading economic data announced last week have indicated the recent doldrums in China will start to stabilize and potentially turn a corner. The NBS manufacturing PMI for August came in better than expected at 49.7 (consensus 49.4), and above July’s reading of 49.3 which makes it three consecutive months of improvement, albeit still in contraction.   In addition, two sub-components of August’s NBS manufacturing PMI; new orders and production are now in expansionary mode with both rising to hit their highest level since March 2023 at 50.2 and 51.9 respectively. Also, the Caixin manufacturing PMI for August has painted a more vibrant picture with a move back into expansion at 51 from 49.2 in July, and above the consensus of 49.3; its strongest pace of growth since February 2023. Hence, it seems that the current piecemeal fiscal stimulus measures have started to trickle down positively into China’s economy. India The services PMI for August will be released on Tuesday where the consensus is expecting a slight dip in expansion to 61 from 62.3 in July, its highest growth in over 13 years. Capping off the week will be August’s bank loan growth out on Friday. Australia The all-important RBA monetary policy decision will be released on Tuesday. A third consecutive month of no change in the policy cash rate is expected, at 4.1%, as the recently released monthly CPI indicator has slowed to 4.9% y/y from 5.4% y/y, its slowest pace of increase since February 2022 and below consensus of 5.2% y/y. Interestingly, the ASX 30-day interbank cash rate futures on the September 2023 contract have indicated a 14% chance of a 25-basis point cut on the cash rate to 3.85% for this coming Tuesday’s RBA meeting based on data as of 31 August 2023. That’s a slight increase in odds from a 12% chance of a 25-bps rate cut inferred a week ago. On Wednesday, Q2 GDP growth will be out where consensus is expecting it to come in at 1.7% y/y, a growth slowdown from 2.3% y/y recorded in Q1. To wrap up the week, the balance of trade for July will be out on Thursday where the consensus is expecting the trade surplus to narrow to A$10.5 billion from a three-month high of A$11.32 billion recorded in June.  New Zealand Two data to watch, Q2 terms of trade on Monday and the global dairy trade price index on Tuesday. Japan A quiet week ahead with the preliminary leading economic index out on Thursday and the finalized Q2 GDP to be released on Friday. The preliminary figure indicated growth of 6% on an annualized basis that surpassed Q1’s GDP of 3.7% and consensus expectations of 3.1%; its steepest pace of increase since Q4 2020 and a third consecutive quarter of annualized economic expansion. Singapore Retail sales for July will be out on Tuesday with another month of lackluster growth expected at 0.9% y/y from 1.1% y/y in June; its softest growth since July 2021 as the Singapore economy grappled with a weak external environment. On a monthly basis, a slower pace of contraction is expected for July at -0.1% m/m versus -0.8% m/m in June.  
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    Hungary Economic Outlook: Downgraded Full-year Growth Forecast Amidst Recession Concerns

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 15:30
    Monitoring Hungary: Full-year growth outlook downgraded In our latest update, we reassess our Hungarian economic and market forecasts, as we turn gloomier on the full-year growth prospects. The marked collapse in domestic demand supports both external balances and disinflation. We also add some more hawkishness to our monetary policy call.   Hungary: at a glance Following weaker-than-expected activity data in the second quarter, we now see a recession in 2023 as we lower our full-year GDP growth forecast to -0.5%. The collapse in domestic demand is reflected in industry and retail sales data, while the value added share of both sectors remained weak in the second quarter. Real wage growth has been negative for 10 months, and even after a turnaround, we expect only a limited impact on consumption in the fourth quarter. The slowdown in economic activity is drastically reducing import demand, and we now expect both the trade and current account balances to end the year in surplus. Disinflation will continue amid constrained repricing power, with the headline and core measures falling below 8% and 10%, respectively by the end of the year.  After the September rates conversion, monetary authorities will likely switch off the autopilot mode and move to a second phase of policy normalisation, so we make a slight hawkish change to our interest rate forecast. We see a 2% of GDP slippage in this year's budget, which is likely to be addressed by a combination of consolidation and an upward shift of the target after the expected September revision. We remain positive on the forint, as the relative carry opportunity has improved in light of the latest guidance from the central bank. In the rates space, a possible upside surprise to inflation might be convincing enough for investors to adhere to the hawkish tone of the central bank, shifting short-end rates higher.   Quarterly forecasts   irst-half data prompts downgrade to our 2023 growth outlook Hungary has been in a technical recession for a year now, with economic activity contracting in all sectors except agriculture in the first half of 2023. The positive contribution from agriculture was not enough to pull the economy out of technical recession, as the collapse in domestic demand weighed on all sectors. Going forward, although real wages are likely to rise from September, this should have a limited impact on consumption. With double-digit interest rates for the rest of the year and with scarce fiscal room, investment activity will be severely constrained. On the export side, a looming global manufacturing recession is likely to weaken export prospects. Taking these factors into account, we have decided to revise our full-year growth forecast from 0.2% to -0.5% year-on-year, thus we now see a recession in 2023.   Real GDP (% YoY) and contributions (ppt)
    Canadian Economic Contraction Points to Bank of Canada's Pause

    Canadian Economic Contraction Points to Bank of Canada's Pause

    ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 15:37
    Canadian growth shocker confirms central bank to pause Canada’s economy surprisingly contracted in the second quarter with consumer spending slowing sharply and residential investment collapsing. Together with a cooling labour market, this should ease the Bank of Canada's inflation fears and lead to a no-change decision on 6 Sep. Still, the USD/CAD rally appears overdone, and we expect a correction soon.   We expect a pause this week Ahead of last Friday’s data, analysts were favouring a no-change outcome with just three out of 32 economists surveyed by Bloomberg expecting a 25bp interest rate increase while overnight index swaps suggested the market saw only a 15% chance of a hike. This was despite headline inflation surprising to the upside in July and the BoC signalling at the July policy meeting that it continued to believe inflation would only return to 2% by mid-2025 and that the door remained open to further hikes. The GDP numbers and the manufacturing PMI that we got on Friday have only cemented the no-change expectation. Markets are now pricing little more than a 1% chance of a hike after the economy contracted 0.2% annualised in 2Q versus expectations of a 1.2% increase while 1Q GDP growth was revised down from 3.1% to 2.6%. Consumer spending rose just 1% annualised while residential investment fell 8.2% to post a fifth consecutive substantial contraction. Net trade was also a drag, but there was at least a decent non-residential investment growth figure of 10.3%. Meanwhile, the manufacturing PMI slipped to 48.0 from 49.6 to post its fourth consecutive sub-50 (contraction) reading.   Canadian unemployment and inflation   Given the economy lost jobs in July we completely agree that the BoC will leave rates unchanged this month after having resumed hikes in June and July following a pause since January. Nonetheless, the BoC is likely to leave this as a hawkish hold given that policymakers are yet to be fully convinced they’ve done enough to return inflation sustainably to 2% given the recent stickiness seen. At a bare minimum, we will get a messaging of rates staying “higher for longer”, but given the perilous state of the Canadian property market and signs of spreading weakness globally, we do expect rate cuts to come onto the agenda by March next year.   CAD weakness not justified USD/CAD has rallied 3% since the start of August, broadly in line with the general strengthening in the US dollar, but in contrast with short-term USD:CAD rate differential dynamics. While USD/CAD rose in the past month from 1.32 to 1.36, the USD:CAD two-year swap rate differential was relatively stable in the -50/-40bp range throughout August, and only tightened to -30/-35bp after Canada’s poor 2Q GDP report.   Our short-term valuation model, which includes swap rate differentials as an endogenous variable, shows that USD/CAD is trading more than 2% over its fair value, a rather unusual mis-valuation level for the pair. Incidentally, CFTC data shows that speculators have moved back into bearish positioning on the loonie in recent weeks, with net-shorts now amounting to 9% of open interest.   USD/CAD is overvalued   We don’t expect the BoC to turn the tide for CAD, but the recent weakness in the loonie appears overdone, and technical indicators suggest a rebound is on the cards. We still expect USD/CAD to end the year close to 1.30 as CAD should benefit from the most attractive risk-adjusted carry in the G10, even without any more hikes by the BoC.    
    Canada's GDP Contracts in Second Quarter, US Nonfarm Payrolls Signal Weak Labor Market

    Canada's GDP Contracts in Second Quarter, US Nonfarm Payrolls Signal Weak Labor Market

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 05.09.2023 11:45
    Canada’s GDP contracts in second quarter US nonfarm payrolls, wages point to weak US labour market The Canadian dollar is unchanged early in Monday’s North American session, trading at 1.3594. Canada’s GDP unexpectedly soft in Q2 The Canadian dollar posted gains throughout last week but surrendered all of those gains on Friday after second-quarter GDP was softer than expected. Canada’s economy contracted in the second quarter by 0.2% y/y, much weaker than the consensus of a 1.2% gain. The Bank of Canada was also taken by surprise, as it had projected a gain of 1.5%. The economy has slowed sharply since the first quarter, which showed GDP at a revised gain of 2.6%. The BoC’s rate hikes continue to filter throughout the economy, which may be in a slight recession, as June GDP contracted by 0.2% and July is expected around zero. The GDP report was the last major domestic release before the BoC meeting on Wednesday. The soft data has cemented a pause from the BoC, after two consecutive meetings in which the BoC raised rates by a quarter-point but said that the decisions were a close call between a hike and a hold. The BoC odds for a hold have jumped to 97%, up from 78% prior to the GDP release. With a pause a virtual certainty, investors’ focus will be on the rate statement. Goldman Sachs is projecting a pause and one final rate hike in October.     In the US, the August employment report pointed to a cooling labour market. Nonfarm payrolls came in at 187,000, the third straight release below 200,00. Wage growth fell to 0.2% in August, down from 0.4% in July and below the consensus of 0.3%. The weak jobs report raised the odds of a Fed hold at the September meeting to 93% according to the FedWatch tool, up sharply from 78% just a week ago. . USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD is putting pressure on support at 1.3573. Below, there is support at 1.3509 1.3657 and 1.3721 are the next resistance lines  
    Strong August Labour Report Poses Dilemma for RBA: Will Rates Peak or Continue to Rise?

    Tentative Strength: Australia's 2Q23 GDP Outperforms Expectations

    ING Economics ING Economics 06.09.2023 12:15
    Australia: GDP holding up better than expected 2Q23 GDP was stronger than expected, and revisions to past data also show the economy has slowed less than was previously assumed.   Most of the surprise is in the back series Australia's 2Q23 GDP data came in stronger than we had expected, with the year-on-year growth rate coming in at 2.1%, not the 1.5% rate we had pencilled in. The quarter-on-quarter growth was also a bit stronger at 0.4% (ING f 0.2%), but it was revisions to the back data that made most of the difference to the annual growth rate.   GDP expanded by 0.1pp more than originally recorded in each of the three previous quarters, which combined with the 0.4% QoQ 2Q23 figure (the same as 1Q23), helped lift the annual growth rate back above 2%.  So far, so good. But when you dig into what was driving growth in the last quarter, things don't look quite so good.     Contributions to QoQ GDP growth (pp)   Weak domestic absorption The first point to note is that domestic demand ex inventories look very weak in these figures. Private investment and private consumption each only contributed about 0.1pp to the 0.4% GDP total. Government consumption was actually a drag on growth in the second quarter.  Lifting the headline GDP total was a big positive swing in the net export position, mainly a positive boost from exports, with only a small offsetting drag from imports. This export surge coupled with steadier imports (often inputs into the production process), was almost certainly behind the sizeable decline in inventories that prevented overall growth from coming in much stronger.  Exports will struggle to put in such a strong performance again in 3Q23, though we might well see some increase in imports to help fill the hole left by the 2Q23 inventory depletion. These offsetting flows will cancel out to some extent next quarter and any difference in magnitude between the two series will probably provide the bulk of any surprise to next quarter's numbers. As a result, we should probably keep our attention focused on the steadier domestic demand (ex-inventory) figures, otherwise known as domestic absorption.     Nothing much here for the RBA There is nothing much in these numbers for the Reserve Bank of Australia to chew on. The revised data do suggest that the economy is in a slightly stronger position than was assumed before their publication, and that could keep thoughts of a final rate hike later in 4Q23 from being extinguished completely. But the weak domestic absorption figures don't chime in particularly with the "stronger than expected" thesis, so in total, this probably has little bearing on future RBA rate decisions, or, for that matter the AUD, which didn't respond much immediately after the numbers were released, but has drifted slightly higher subsequently. 
    Navigating the New Normal: Central Banks Grapple with Policy Dilemmas

    Navigating the New Normal: Central Banks Grapple with Policy Dilemmas

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 10:33
    A period of policy stasis wouldn't go amiss from central banks this month By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) For all of August and most of the summer, attention has been fixed on this month's central bank rate meetings for clues as to how close we are to the end of the current central bank rate hiking cycle, as we look towards year end.     The Federal Reserve would like to have you think it will raise rates again before the end of this year, while the Bank of England is currently priced for the possibility of another two rate increases due to much higher core inflation. This week we saw the Reserve Bank of Australia, as well as the Bank of Canada, kick off an important 3 weeks for central bank policy meetings, with investors set to hang on to every nuance of this month's meetings to determine the next move when it comes to interest rates.     The RBA kicked things off on Tuesday by keeping rates unchanged at 4.1%, while maintaining its guidance that inflation remains elevated, and the central bank will do whatever is required to return inflation to target. The central bank also maintained its forecast that inflation is unlikely to return to target of between 2% and 3% by late 2025. The Bank of Canada also mirrored this narrative in keeping its own central rate unchanged at 5%, while pledging to act further if required.     As we look towards next week's ECB meeting, opinion is split on whether the governing council will follow this narrative, or whether they will go for one more rate hike of 25bps. The hawks on the governing council appear committed to such a move, with the likes of Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel, as well as Isabel Schnabel, along with the likes of Pierre Wunsch of the Belgian Central Bank, and Klaas Knot of the Netherlands central bank. The hawkish nature of German central bankers may come across as surprising given the state of the German economy, which is currently on its knees, as shown by this week's horrific factory orders data for July, and the further deterioration in last month's PMIs as services followed manufacturing into contraction territory.     This pathology comes from Germany's historical fear of inflation and is unlikely to change given that German CPI is currently at 6.3%, although it is fallen from its peaks. Even so, when faced with such awful economic data across the entire economy, one must question what might prompt a little bit of self-reflection on the part of the inflation hawks. On the more dovish side we have the likes of the National Bank of Greece's Stournaras, and Italy's Visco pushing for restraint. ECB President Christine Lagarde's comments at the July press conference were particularly telling when she undermined the central message of optionality in keeping the ECB's options open when it comes to a September hike, and being data dependant, by concluding that she doesn't think that the ECB has more ground to cover when it comes to further hikes.     If this week's data are any guide perhaps wiser heads will prevail with a pause seemingly the most likely outcome next week. Lagarde's recent tone suggests that given the nature of recent economic data the ECB could well be done when it comes to rate hikes, and that the next move could well be a rate cut, if the data continues to look ugly, although when that might happen is anybody's guess.      Assuming we get no change next week from the ECB, then it's more than likely that we could see the Federal Reserve go down the same route with another pause to their own rate hiking cycle, if recent comments from Fed governor Christopher Waller are any guide, although recent strong economic data might suggest the Fed might need to move in November, especially after this week's strong ISM services numbers. US policymakers do have one more rate hike in their forward guidance with a terminal rate of 5.6% by year end, with markets currently pricing that for November, assuming it happens at all. If we get no change from the ECB, as well as the Federal Reserve, that will likely take the pressure off the Bank of England to hike again, even though market pricing is for at least one or possibly two more hikes this year.     The dynamics here are especially interesting given the pricing on the number of UK rate hikes over the summer has been much higher than other central banks. We've already seen pricing on that shift considerably where we were over a month ago when the market was pricing the eye-watering notion of a terminal rate of over 6%. This never seemed remotely credible given the inevitable consequences for financial stability and the housing market of such rate moves. Inevitably this pricing has started to come in and could come in some more given recent comments from senior Bank of England officials. In the last 2 weeks we've heard from Bank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent, as well as Chief Economist Huw Pill arguing that monetary policy is already restrictive enough, and with 14 consecutive rate hikes behind them that would suggest a pause is well overdue.     This appears to be the direction Governor Andrew Bailey is leaning as well if his comments this week to MPs are any guide. This suggests that senior Bank of England officials are softening the market up for a rate pause this month, an outcome markets seem reluctant to price. The biggest challenge for the bank is communicating this shift to markets without tanking the pound. Based on previous experience that might be a tall order, however given what's happening right now a pause would be the right move to make, and then reassess in November when they update their economic projections.  As far as the data is concerned the argument for a pause outweigh the risks of hiking further, however the fear is they may decide to hike again as they attempt to compensate for being late into the hiking cycle.     Certainly, a period of policy stasis from central banks wouldn't go amiss right now, even allowing for the risks of rising oil prices which threaten to make inflation a lot stickier than it could be. That said it's hard to see how more rate hikes would help a consumer being squeezed by higher energy prices, as both factors suck demand out of the economy.   Even though markets aren't currently pricing a series of rate pauses this month, that's what we might get, especially when you look at what is driving the current sticky nature of price inflation. We've already found out that the UK isn't the international outlier when it comes to GDP, after the recent recalculations from the ONS, and the only reason inflation here is higher than elsewhere is because of the ridiculous energy price cap, which has served to keep core inflation higher than it should be and could well continue to do so with oil prices on the rise again.     With the Swiss National Bank and the Bank of Japan also set to meet in the same week as the Fed and the Bank of England, the next few weeks may have the potential to spring a few surprises, with perhaps central banks adopting policy stasis as a default position given the uncertainty around how much of a lag there is when it comes to recent increases in interest rates.      While central banks received a lot of criticism for being asleep at the wheel when it came to recognising that inflation wasn't as transitory as they thought, they are now running the risk of overcompensating in the other direction, and hiking too aggressively to combat a problem which already appears to be dissipating.     The only outlier to that is the Bank of Japan which could tweak its policy settings further when it comes to YCC, as it looks to combat a problem of an ever-weakening currency and high core inflation. This could be an area where we might see further volatility given that USD/JPY is once again approaching the 150.00 area.  
    Riksbank's Potential Rate Hike Amid Economic Challenges: Analysis and Outlook

    Riksbank's Potential Rate Hike Amid Economic Challenges: Analysis and Outlook

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 10:37
    Further declines in economic output are likely, but for now, the Riksbank is focused on high services inflation and renewed krona weakness.   Riksbank set for at least one more hike There are two weeks to go until the Riksbank’s September meeting and another 25bp rate hike looks pretty likely. Services inflation is uncomfortably high and the trade-weighted value of the krona is back to its lows. A follow-up rate hike in November can’t be ruled out. Yet the economy is clearly reacting to higher interest rates. A 0.8% decline in second quarter GDP, while not as bad as initially reported, shows the economy is under strain. On a year-on-year basis, Sweden is in the bottom five performers in the EU when it comes to growth. Still, the story isn’t universally bad and there are some bright spots. The jobs market is still very tight by historical standards, the housing market has stabilised, confidence is rebounding and consumer spending is showing signs of levelling out. Here, we look at how the economy is performing in several key areas. Housing market Housing is a well-known vulnerability for Sweden, and the 16% peak-to-trough fall in prices during 2022 was not hugely surprising. Compared to other European economies, Sweden has a much greater percentage of variable rate mortgages, and that proportion has only increased since interest rates started to rise. According to the Riksbank, 90% of loans have a remaining fixation period of below two years, and in the majority of cases, these are not fixed at all. The result is that the average rate on outstanding mortgages has increased by 200bp since the Covid low, compared to 64bp for the eurozone as a whole, and much less still in France/Germany. How average mortgage rates have changed since 2021 That said, housing prices have stabilised this year and household sentiment towards housing has improved noticeably. But the fundamentals of the market still look challenging, and data from Hemnet – a property search site – shows housing supply at multi-year highs, while separate figures show transactions are at a low. We tend to agree with the Riksbank’s forecast that further price falls are likely. Supply of housing has increased as transaction volumes fall   Jobs market Sweden’s unemployment rate is at a post-pandemic low, and that resilience has been helped by a pronounced reduction in joblessness among foreign-born workers. One of the key issues for a number of years has been a skills mismatch and poor integration of migrant workers into the Swedish jobs market – and the gulf between native unemployment (below 5%) and foreign-born workers (near 14%) is still large, but has narrowed. There are signs that the jobs market is cooling, however. The number of layoffs has started to rise, though from a low base. Vacancy numbers have been falling too, though so far the decline in the ratio of job openings to unemployment has been less sharp than in other economies, notably the US and UK. The proportion of service-sector businesses that see labour as a constraint on production has fallen from 45% to 30% in just over a year. Still, there are signs that firms are “hoarding” staff – i.e. they are afraid of letting people go given rehiring concerns. This is helped by the fact that nominal wage growth is relatively contained given the level of inflation, with the benchmark negotiated pay deal set at 3-4% for the next couple of years. That's noticeably below the rate we've been seeing in some other advanced economies. As a result, while we’re assuming that unemployment will increase over the coming months, the rise is likely to be gradual. Vacancy numbers are falling, albeit slowly Consumer spending Consumption has been falling consistently for a year now, though this masks big differences across spending categories. Furniture sales are down 15% on pre-pandemic levels while spending on recreation/culture is up by a similar percentage. Even in the weaker areas though, the story is stabilising. Consumer confidence has risen noticeably, and real wage growth is slowly becoming less negative. Still, with interest payments set to consume an ever-increasing share of household budgets, we don’t expect consumer spending to return to meaningful growth any time soon. Higher consumer confidence points to stabilisation in retail sales Production Like consumer spending, and like pretty much everywhere, Sweden’s manufacturing sector is also in contraction, at least according to the PMIs. Admittedly, this weakness hasn’t entirely been borne out in the official production data, and Swedish manufacturing has been operating 5-10% above pre-pandemic levels for much of the last year – in sharp contrast to the likes of France/Germany where production remains below early-2020 levels. This growth has been heavily concentrated though, primarily in chemicals/pharmaceutical products, and more recently in a sharp recovery in vehicle production. The latter is up almost a third since the start of 2022 on improved supply chains, but we suspect this is more of a catch-up story and can only last for so long. We expect the weaker manufacturing numbers to show up more clearly in the official data over the coming months. Bottom line Assuming there's a renewed fall in house prices, some gradual weakness in the jobs market and ongoing pressure on consumer spending and production, we're likely to see further declines in economic output through the remainder of this year. While the Riksbank clearly isn't quite done with rate hikes, the fragile economic backdrop suggests we're near the peak.
    EUR: Testing 1.0700 Support Ahead of ECB Meeting

    EUR: Testing 1.0700 Support Ahead of ECB Meeting

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 10:56
    EUR: Trying to survive above 1.0700 into the ECB Our economics team has published its latest preview of next week’s European Central Bank meeting. It's a close call, but we think policymakers will deliver one last 25bp rate hike. As things stand now, markets disagree with this view, pricing in a mere 9bp for September and 15bp to the peak. This means that there will be room for a sizeable rebound in the euro if we are right about the ECB. We had warned EUR/USD would likely be vulnerable into the ECB meeting, and we are indeed seeing more USD strength keeping the pair pressured. It would already be a positive sign for EUR/USD bulls to see the 1.0700 support hold for another session, possibly indicating that could be the bottom into next week’s risk events. The eurozone calendar includes the final read of the second quarter GDP, as well as a number of ECB speakers, who however should refrain from discussing monetary policy given the quiet period before the ECB meeting kicked off today.
    Hungarian Industrial Production Shows Surprise Uptick in Summer

    Hungarian Industrial Production Shows Surprise Uptick in Summer

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 12:05
    Hungarian industry shows summer upturn Industrial production has often been heavily volatile during the summer months in Hungary. This year was no different as we saw a surprise uptick in industrial production in July. However, we need more evidence to see this as a true turning point.   Hungarian industry delivered a significant positive surprise in July, with output volume rising by 2.8% month-on-month (MoM) adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects. As a result, the yearly change in output showed a significant improvement from June, coming in at -2.5% (adjusted for calendar effects). Given that survey-based soft indicators (Manufacturing PMI, different confidence indices of industry) have been predicting a further contraction in industrial production in recent months, we look forward to a detailed assessment by the Statistical Office of the reasons for the positive surprise. For the time being, it is safe to say that these soft indicators continue to fail to capture shorter-term fluctuations in the sector's performance.   Manufacturing PMI and industrial production trends   While we await the detailed data, the preliminary release suggests that there is nothing new to see here. There was no significant change in the structure of industrial production. While most sub-sectors contributed to the decline in output, the exceptions remain the manufacture of electrical equipment (EV batteries) and car manufacturing. The only question that remains is whether the export-oriented sectors have been able to recover much better from the possible first summer shutdowns, or whether the other sectors have already experienced some sort of early recovery. Knowing that the performance of industry during the summer seasons has been extremely volatile recently with a lot of variation in the summer shutdown periods, it is really hard to say whether the July upturn is real or just a false hope generated by unreliable seasonal adjustmen   Performance of Hungarian industry   For the time being, we need more evidence to believe that the July surprise is a positive turning point. All the more so because we haven't yet seen any significant positive changes in other segments of the Hungarian economy that would support the theory of improving domestic demand and industrial production in sectors linked to the domestic market. Looking ahead, we expect this dichotomy between external and domestic demand to persist in the short term, making industrial performance a tale of two halves. Export-oriented sectors can boost industrial production in the short term through capacity-enhancing investment. The latest Eurostat survey shows that manufacturers expect capacity utilisation to improve somewhat in the third quarter, from 75.7% to 76%. However, this is still far from the peak of around 86%. This suggests that the positive impact of exports may be starting to fade as new export orders become more subdued globally and the one-off boost from capacity expansion fades.     Production level and quarterly performance of industry   On a more positive note, towards the end of the year industrial companies may be able to renegotiate their energy contracts at a much more favourable market price. This could significantly reduce their costs and lead to a resumption of production in sectors that are now underperforming due to cost-side pressures. In addition, as inflation moderates and domestic purchasing power recovers towards the end of the year, domestic industrial production could receive some positive impetus not only from the supply side but also from the demand side, offsetting the initial weakening of industrial exports. For 2023 as a whole, however, we still expect the performance of industry to be negative, i.e. below last year's total output. This also means that, barring a significant surprise from industry in the remainder of the year, agriculture will be the only sector able to meaningfully mitigate the expected decline in GDP this year.    
    Turbulent Times Ahead: Poland's Central Bank Signals Easing Measures

    Turbulent Times Ahead: Poland's Central Bank Signals Easing Measures

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 12:11
    Dovish National Bank of Poland press conference and de-facto easing guidance The central bank is concerned about the rapidly deteriorating economic outlook and confident about further disinflation. Policymakers de facto presented a guidance for further easing. Economic conditions deteriorate more than expected According to the National Bank of Poland (NBP) governor the situation in the external environment has "radically changed". In particular, the German economy faces recession, which will negatively affect Polish exports. He also noted the disappointing developments in China. According to Governor Glapiński, the previously expected slowdown in the global economy is proving to be deeper and longer. With regard to domestic developments the Monetary Policy Council (MPC) chairman said that full-year GDP growth in Poland in 2023 would be low, close to zero, or even negative. The president expressed strong concerns about the outlook for economic growth, which will facilitate a further decline in inflation.   Inflation moderating faster than anticipated by the MPC In the opinion of  Governor Glapiński, inflation is no longer high, but "moderate", and will be close to "creeping" by the end of the year. In September, the NBP expects inflation to be slightly above 8.5%, which is already in single digits. Therefore, in the opinion of the NBP chair, the conditions outlined earlier, i.e. a fall in inflation to a single-digit level and projections indicating a rapid decline in inflation, have been met. Glapiński is strongly convinced that inflation will continue declining and sees no serious threats to such a scenario. He recalled that NBP projections that inflation should continue going down and may reach the upper bound (above the NBP target) in 2025, but there are external forecasts pointing that it could even happen in 2024. Similar to yesterday's post-meeting statement, during the press conference the NBP head ignored potentially pro-inflationary factors, i.e. rapid wage growth and expansionary fiscal policy, among others.   The overall tone of the conference: very dovish In our view, the tone of the conference was very dovish, with the chairman manifesting an aversion to positive real rates and even saying that before yesterday's cut, the real rate (at -3.4% vs. -10% in the first quarter of 2023) was "killing" for the economy. Also, the NBP governor presented a stong aversion to bear the disinflation cost in the form of sacrificed economic growth or a deterioration in the labour market. The Fed chairman clearly declares that some deterioration in the situation of workers is needed for inflation to decline. At the same time, Professor Glapiński has again declared that he tolerates inflation at 5%, which is higher than the NBP target (2.5%, +/-1%). The dovish stance was also manifested by a very tolerant approach to the weakening of the zloty. He considered yesterday's 2% drop in the currency a small change, as the zloty had previously strengthened 17%. In his opinion, such a weakening of the PLN has no impact on the CPI, especially in the face of the profound deflationary processes taking place abroad. The MPC's assessment of the economic situation and the disinflation factors also showed the Council's sensitivity to weaker GDP growth. The chairman stressed that the slowdown is deeper and more prolonged and the recovery is weak, which lowers inflation and causes currency fluctuations. He added that the deflationary process is mainly related to the economic slowdown in many countries. In our view, he attributed a relatively small role to receding supply shocks. We believe that the conference missed observations that other central banks point out. They say that the economic downturn is dampening inflation less than in previous business cycles because labour markets are relatively strong in the US and Europe. The same is true in Poland. Hence, many central banks are paying attention to stubbornly high services inflation.   Bottom line: further easing before the end of the year During the press conference, Glapiński presented a very dovish approach. He admitted that inflation was falling faster and the economic situation was deteriorating more than the Council's expectations. That was the main rationale behind the deeper-than-anticipated cut in the policy rate. At the same time, he presented a strong conviction that disinflation would continue: "we cut rates because we are confident that inflation will continue to fall". The MPC head refrained from outlining any clear forward guidance whatsoever and declared that future decisions would be data-dependent. However, we believe he sent a strong signal about future easing. In our view, the Council will continue to cut rates as long as CPI inflation (in YoY terms) continues to fall. In the NBP president's view, the pre-cut real rate (at the end of August it was -3.4% vs. -10% in the first quarter of 2023) is devastating for the economy. We note that, according to the NBP, by the end of the year CPI will fall from 10% YoY to 6-7%. That implies a 300bp increase in the real rate (it will be less negative). We assume that NBP rate cuts will continue but on a smaller scale than CPI deceleration. The market reaction to the NBP president's statements (weakening of the zloty seen yesterday and today along with further steepening of the yield curve) indicates that investors fear that rapid interest rate cuts may result in higher inflation in the medium term and the need for rate hikes.
    US Inflation Rises but Core Inflation Falls to Two-Year Low, All Eyes on ECB Rate Decision on Thursday

    Turbulent Times Ahead: Poland's Central Bank Signals Easing Measures - 08.09.2023

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 12:12
    The Commodities Feed: Strong Chinese oil imports The rally in oil seems to be running out of steam, despite further constructive data releases. Continued strength in the USD is likely providing some headwinds to the market.   Energy - LNG strike action set to start The rally in the oil market appears to be running out of steam, at least for now, with ICE Brent settling a little under US$90/bbl yesterday and coming under some further pressure in early trading this morning. The continued strength in the USD will likely provide some headwinds, not just to oil, but to the broader commodities complex. EIA weekly inventory data, which was delayed by a day due to a public holiday earlier in the week in the US, was fairly constructive. US commercial crude oil inventories fell by 6.31MMbbls over the last week, leaving inventories at a little under 417MMbbls - the lowest level since December. The larger draw was driven by strong crude oil exports, which increased by 404Mbbls/d WoW to 4.93MMbbls/d. Meanwhile, refinery run rates continue to creep lower as we move deeper into refinery maintenance season. On the product side, gasoline inventories fell by 2.67MMbbls to a little under 215MMbbls - levels last seen back in November. Gasoline inventories should start to edge higher as we move further out of the driving season, although we will likely have to wait until after refinery turnarounds to see more meaningful builds. Distillate fuel oil stocks increased by 679Mbbls over the week, which again will provide some comfort to the market as we head into the winter months, although distillate stocks are still well below the 5-year average. The latest trade data from China yesterday was supportive. It shows that crude oil imports over August averaged 12.48MMbbls/d, up 21% MoM and 31% higher than year-ago levels. While we have seen stock-building over large parts of the year, refiners have also been operating at higher rates, due to stronger domestic demand as well as increased exports. Refined product exports over August totalled 5.89mt, up 23% YoY. This leaves cumulative refined product exports over the first eight months of the year at 42.51mt, up almost 43% YoY. Natural gas prices could get a boost higher today with strike action at Chevron’s Gorgon and Wheatstone LNG facilities set to start today. This strike action was originally set to start yesterday but was delayed due to ongoing negotiations. However, this morning the Offshore Alliance has said that industrial action will commence today at 13.00 local time. The initial phase of action will see only partial strikes. However, this will escalate over time with rolling 24-hour strikes to commence from 14 September.      
    Europe's Economic Concerns Weigh as Higher Rates Keep US Markets Cautious

    Europe's Economic Concerns Weigh as Higher Rates Keep US Markets Cautious

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 08.09.2023 12:15
    Economy concerns weigh on Europe, as higher rates keep US markets on the back foot By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)     Yesterday was another mixed bag for European markets, with the DAX closing lower for the 5th day in a row, while still closing well off the lows of the day in another choppy session.  The FTSE100, on the other hand, managed to break a 3-day losing streak, helped by a slightly weaker pound. US markets had a slightly more negative tone to them with the Nasdaq 100 closing lower for the 4th day in a row, with weakness in the Apple share price acting as the main lag on the index, while weekly jobless claims fell to their lowest levels since February.       The overall mood amongst investors does appear to be becoming gloomier, however despite recent price moves we're still within the price ranges we've been in over the past 6 months. With some key central bank meetings looming in the next 2 weeks we might find the catalyst that breaks us out of these choppy ranges. It's been another strong week for the US dollar, set for an eight successive weekly gain, and its highest level in over 6 months as it recovers back to the levels it was just prior to the March regional banking crisis.     One of the main reasons why the US dollar is doing so well is largely down to the performance of the US economy relative to its peers. Recent economic data has shown that the economy remains resilient, so much so that there is a feeling that the Federal Reserve might be able to get away with one more rate hike before year end, probably in November.       The same cannot be said anywhere else with weakness in China, Europe and the UK holding back any prospect of further rate hikes against a backdrop of a deteriorating economic outlook, This change in sentiment has seen the pound and the euro slide back, with the euro slipping below 1.0700 for the first time since June, along with the pound which has slipped below 1.2500. The economic data seen this week, especially from Germany and the rest of the euro area has been extremely disappointing, from some dreadful factory orders data for July, to a sharp downgrade to EU Q2 GDP from 0.3% to 0.1%, which meant that since Q3 of last year the euro area has barely grown at all.     It would take a brave central bank to hike rates further when economic activity is collapsing in one the biggest economies in Europe.   The weakness in the pound has been much more notable as traders pare bets on the likelihood of the Bank of England hiking rates by as much as expected over the coming weeks and months. Judging by recent comments from the likes Governor Bailey earlier this week, as well as deputy governor Broadbent and chief economist Huw Pill at the end of August, there is a sense the market is being softened up for a rate pause later this month, with the narrative likely to be that rates are likely to stay at current levels until 2025 at the very least.     This in turn has seen gilt yields slide across the board, as future rate hike bets get priced out, and investors turn their attention to which central bank might have to cut rates first, with opinion split between the ECB, or the Bank of England.   On the data front it's set to be fairly quiet day, with little way of data on the docket, as we look towards a modestly cautious, but positive European open.   EUR/USD – slipped below the 1.0700 area yesterday, with the May lows at 1.0635 the next key support. Resistance comes in at the 1.0760/70 and the August lows.     GBP/USD – closing in on the 200-day SMA at the 1.2410 area. Below 1.2390 argues for a move towards the 1.2300 area. Only a move back above the 1.2630/40 area, stabilises and argues for a return to the highs last week at 1.2750/60.         EUR/GBP – squeezed back to the 0.8600 area breaking above the 50-day SMA in the process. The 100-day SMA and 0.8620/30 area is also a key resistance. Support lies back at the lows this week at 0.8520.     USD/JPY – had 3 attempts at the 147.80/90 area this week and failed. A break above 148.00 targets the 150.00 area. Only a move below last week's low at 144.50 targets a move back towards 142.00.     FTSE100 is expected to open 7 points lower at 7,434     DAX is expected to open 12 points higher at 15,730     CAC40 is expected to open 5 points higher at 7,201  
    Hungary's Temporary Inflation Uptick: Food Price Caps and Fuel Costs in Focus

    Canadian Jobs Volatility: BoC Policy Implications

    ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 13:02
    CAD: Jobs prints are volatile, but BoC should be done anyway Canadian jobs figures for the month of August will be released today. The headline employment number has been quite volatile, with the past four months having seen two very strong prints (April and June) and two sub-zero ones (May and July). However, the unemployment rate has ticked up in each of the past four months, from 5.0 in April to the current 5.5%. The consensus numbers are 17.5k and 5.6% for today. Outside of the initial reaction for CAD, the implications of today’s figures beyond the very near term should not be very significant, barring a very strong read. As discussed in our Bank of Canada meeting review note, we think rates have peaked in Canada, in particular following the dismal 2Q GDP reading (-0.2% quarterly, annualised). USD/CAD is expensive, trading around 2.3% above its near-term fair value, according to our calculations, but any decisive turn lower remains tied to a turn in US activity data rather than domestic inputs on the Canadian side. 
    Canada Expected to Report 6,400 Job Losses; BoC Contemplates Further Rate Hikes

    Canada Expected to Report 6,400 Job Losses; BoC Contemplates Further Rate Hikes

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 08.09.2023 13:40
    Canada expected to have shed 6,400 jobs BoC’s Macklem says rate increases may be needed to lower inflation The Canadian dollar is steady on Friday in what should be a busy day. In the European session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3670, down 0.12%. Canada releases the August job report later today, with the markets braced for a decrease of 6,400 in employment. The US dollar has been on a tear against the major currencies since mid-July. The Canadian dollar has slumped, losing about 450 basis points during that span. The Canadian economy hasn’t been able to keep pace with its southern neighbor, and that was made painfully clear as GDP contracted by 0.2% in the second quarter, below expectations. The deterioration in economic growth is a result of a weak global economy as well as the Bank of Canada’s steep tightening cycle. After back-t0-back increases, the BoC opted to pause at this week’s meeting and held the benchmark cash rate at 5.0%. Governor Macklem likes to use the term “conditional pause”, which means that a break from rate hikes will depend on economic growth and inflation levels.   At this week’s meeting, the BoC’s rate statement was hawkish, warning that inflation was too high and not falling fast enough. This was a signal that the door remained open to interest rate increases. Macklem was more explicit on Thursday, stating that further rate hikes might be needed to lower inflation and warning that persistently high inflation would be worse than high borrowing costs. The markets are more dovish about the BoC’s rate path, given that the economy is cooling and the central bank will be wary about too much tightening which could tip the economy into a recession. The markets have priced in a 14% probability of a rate hike at the October meeting.   USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD is testing resistance at 1.3657. The next resistance line is 1.3721 1.3573 and 1.3509 are providing support  
    Ukraine's Grain Harvest Surges, Export Challenges Persist Amid Black Sea Grain Initiative Suspension

    Poland's Economic Snapshot: Declining CPI and Improving Current Account Balance

    ING Economics ING Economics 11.09.2023 10:41
    Poland: CPI expected to decline below 9% Current account (July): €1598mn Poland’s current account has been improving markedly over the recent months amid improving trade balance. The 12-month cumulative current account balance turned positive (+0.1% of GDP) in June, whereas in late 2022 it was approaching 3.5% of GDP. While export growth has been slowing in nominal terms over recent months, imports have started declining as the surge in imported energy commodities abated. We expect another current account surplus (€1598mn) in July as exports (+1.7% YoY) outpaced imports (-5.8% YoY). The outlook for the rest of the year is less positive, as poor conditions in German manufacturing are likely to weigh on Poland’s export prospects. On the other hand, external positions may benefit if the current weakening of the PLN is continued. CPI (August): 10.1% YoY The StatOffice should confirm its flash estimate of August CPI inflation at 10.1% YoY. While headline inflation remained at double-digit levels, price growth has continued moderating. The decline in inflation seen last month can mostly be attributed to developments in food and beverages prices (down by 1% MoM), lower annual growth of house energy and further moderation of core inflation. Our current estimates point to CPI inflation decline below 9% YoY.   Key events in developed markets next week   Key events in EMEA next week    
    European Markets Anticipate Lower Open Amid Rate Hike Concerns

    Economic Highlights and Key Events for the Week Ahead: US Inflation, ECB Meeting, UK Labor Market, and More

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 11.09.2023 11:32
    US This week is all about the US CPI report and retail sales data. If the US demand for goods didn’t weaken that much and if inflation heated up, rate hike expectations for the November meeting might become the consensus.  The inflation report might not be as clear as headline inflation will obviously rise given the surge in gasoline prices, but core might deliver another subdued reading.  Moderation with consumer spending will be the theme as Americans deal with higher energy prices, rising debt levels, and as confidence softens.   Investors will also pay close attention to the University of Michigan’s inflation expectations on Friday. The 1-year outlook for prices may drop from the 3.5% August reading.  Fed speak will be nonexistent as the blackout period begins for the September 20th policy meeting.   Eurozone The European Central Bank meets next week and it’s not clear at this stage what decision they will come to. Refinitiv is pricing in around a 65% chance of a hold, which may signal the end of the tightening cycle – not that the ECB would in any way suggest that at this stage – but expectations do differ. There’s every chance the committee will push through one more, at which point the data is expected to improve regardless making a Fed-style exit all the more difficult. Ultimately, it will likely come down to the projections which will be released alongside the decision. ZEW surveys aside, on Tuesday, the rest of the week is made up of tier-three data. UK  Potentially a big week for the UK ahead of the next monetary policy meeting on 21 September. Andrew Bailey and his colleagues this past week hinted that the decision is in the balance and not the foregone conclusion many expect. Markets are pricing in a more than 70% chance of a hike and more than 50% of another after that by February. If what they said is true, then the labor market report on Tuesday could be hugely significant as further slack could give those on the fence the reassurances they need that past measures, among other things, are working and more may not be needed. Huw Pill also speaks on Monday while Catherine Mann will make an appearance in Canada on Tuesday. GDP on Wednesday could also be interesting, with the rest of the week made up of less influential releases. Russia The CBR is expected to leave the key rate unchanged at 12% on Friday. It hiked very aggressively at the last meeting – from 8.5% – so there is scope for another surprise, with inflation having risen again last month to 5.1%. The rouble has also been in steady decline after rebounding following the last announcement, to trade not far from its recent lows against the dollar.  South Africa A relatively quiet week ahead, with manufacturing figures due on Monday and retail sales on Wednesday. Turkey The CBRT is desperately trying to get inflation under control again with successive large interest rate hikes. In response the currency has stopped making new lows but it has drifted lower again over the last couple of weeks since the surprisingly large last hike. It’s sitting not far from the pre-meeting lows now and inflation data this past week won’t have helped, rising to 58.94% annually. More rate hikes are likely on the way. Next week the focus is on unemployment and industrial production figures on Monday. Switzerland A very quiet week to come, with PPI inflation the only economic release. We’ve been seeing some deflation in recent months in the PPI data which will be giving the SNB some comfort that price pressures are back under control. Another rate hike is no longer viewed as guaranteed, with markets slightly favoring a hold over the coming meetings but it is tight.  China The much sought-after consumer and producers’ price inflation data for August will be released this Saturday where market participants will have a better gauge of the current deflationary conditions in China. After a slight improvement in the two sub-components of August’s NBS Manufacturing PM where new orders and production rose to their highest level since March at 50.2 and 51.9 respectively coupled with an improvement in export growth for August that shrunk to a lesser magnitude of -8.8% y/y from -14.5% y/y in July, there are some signs of optimism that the recent eight months of deflationary pressures may have started to abate. The August CPI is expected to inch back up to 0.2% y/y from -0.3% y/y in July and the PPI is forecast to shrink at a lesser magnitude of -3% y/y in August versus -4.4% in July. If the PPI turns out as expected, it will be the second consecutive month of improvement from a persistent loop of deflationary pressure in factory gate prices since November 2022. Other key data to focus on will be new yuan loans and M2 money supply for August which will be released on Monday. It will provide a sense of whether China’s economy is slipping into a liquidity trap despite the current targeted monetary and fiscal stimulus measures enacted by policymakers. Lastly, the housing price index, industrial production, retail sales, and the unemployment rate for August will be released on Friday with both retail sales and industrial production expected to show slight improvement; 2.8% y/y for retail sales over 2.5% y/y recorded in July, 4% y/y for industrial production versus 3.7% in July. Market participants will be keeping a close eye on youth unemployment for August after July’s figure was temporarily suspended by the National Bureau of Statistics without any clear timeline for the suspension. The youth joblessness data in China is of key concern after the youth unemployment rate skyrocketed to a record high of 21.3% in June, around four times more than the national unemployment rate of 5.3%. Lastly, China’s central bank, the PBoC, will announce its decision on a key benchmark interest rate, the 1-year medium-term lending facility rate on Friday and the expectation is no change at 2.50% after a prior cut of 15 basis points.  India Inflation and balance of trade for August will be the focus for the coming week. Inflation data is released on Tuesday and is expected to dip slightly to 7% y/y from 7.44% in July, the highest since April 2022. Balance of trade will be released on Friday and the expectation is for the deficit to widen slightly to -$21 billion from -$20.67 billion in July.   Australia On Monday, the Westpac consumer confidence change for September is expected to improve to 0.6% m/m from a reading of -0.4% m/m in August, following three consecutive interest rate pauses from RBA. The key employment change data for August will be released on Thursday with 24,300 jobs expected to be created, an improvement on the 14,600 reduction in July. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is expected to slip to 3.6% from 3.7% in July. New Zealand Electronic retail card spending for August is due on Tuesday and is forecast to dip to 1.4% y/y from 2.2% in July. That would represent a declining trend in growth in the past five months. Next up, food inflation for August will be released on Wednesday; its growth rate is expected to slow to 7.8% y/y from 9.6% in July. That would be the slowest growth in food inflation since June 2022. Japan A couple of key data points to note for the coming week. Firstly, the Reuters Tankan Index on manufacturers’ sentiment on Wednesday; after a big jump to +12 in August – its highest level recorded so far this year – sentiment is expected to taper off slightly to +10 for September. Producers’ price index for August will be released on Wednesday and a slight dip is expected to 3.2% y/y from 3.6% in July. Lastly, on Thursday, we will have data on machinery orders from July with the consensus expecting a further decline of 10.7% y/y from -5.8% in June. Singapore One key data to focus on is the balance of trade for August which will be out on Friday. The trade surplus is being expected to increase slightly to $7 billion from $6.49 billion in July. That would be the fourth consecutive month of expansion in the trade surplus.  
    European Markets Anticipate Lower Open Amid Rate Hike Concerns

    Economic Highlights and Key Events for the Week Ahead: US Inflation, ECB Meeting, UK Labor Market, and More - 11.09.2023

    Ed Moya Ed Moya 11.09.2023 11:32
    US This week is all about the US CPI report and retail sales data. If the US demand for goods didn’t weaken that much and if inflation heated up, rate hike expectations for the November meeting might become the consensus.  The inflation report might not be as clear as headline inflation will obviously rise given the surge in gasoline prices, but core might deliver another subdued reading.  Moderation with consumer spending will be the theme as Americans deal with higher energy prices, rising debt levels, and as confidence softens.   Investors will also pay close attention to the University of Michigan’s inflation expectations on Friday. The 1-year outlook for prices may drop from the 3.5% August reading.  Fed speak will be nonexistent as the blackout period begins for the September 20th policy meeting.   Eurozone The European Central Bank meets next week and it’s not clear at this stage what decision they will come to. Refinitiv is pricing in around a 65% chance of a hold, which may signal the end of the tightening cycle – not that the ECB would in any way suggest that at this stage – but expectations do differ. There’s every chance the committee will push through one more, at which point the data is expected to improve regardless making a Fed-style exit all the more difficult. Ultimately, it will likely come down to the projections which will be released alongside the decision. ZEW surveys aside, on Tuesday, the rest of the week is made up of tier-three data. UK  Potentially a big week for the UK ahead of the next monetary policy meeting on 21 September. Andrew Bailey and his colleagues this past week hinted that the decision is in the balance and not the foregone conclusion many expect. Markets are pricing in a more than 70% chance of a hike and more than 50% of another after that by February. If what they said is true, then the labor market report on Tuesday could be hugely significant as further slack could give those on the fence the reassurances they need that past measures, among other things, are working and more may not be needed. Huw Pill also speaks on Monday while Catherine Mann will make an appearance in Canada on Tuesday. GDP on Wednesday could also be interesting, with the rest of the week made up of less influential releases. Russia The CBR is expected to leave the key rate unchanged at 12% on Friday. It hiked very aggressively at the last meeting – from 8.5% – so there is scope for another surprise, with inflation having risen again last month to 5.1%. The rouble has also been in steady decline after rebounding following the last announcement, to trade not far from its recent lows against the dollar.  South Africa A relatively quiet week ahead, with manufacturing figures due on Monday and retail sales on Wednesday. Turkey The CBRT is desperately trying to get inflation under control again with successive large interest rate hikes. In response the currency has stopped making new lows but it has drifted lower again over the last couple of weeks since the surprisingly large last hike. It’s sitting not far from the pre-meeting lows now and inflation data this past week won’t have helped, rising to 58.94% annually. More rate hikes are likely on the way. Next week the focus is on unemployment and industrial production figures on Monday. Switzerland A very quiet week to come, with PPI inflation the only economic release. We’ve been seeing some deflation in recent months in the PPI data which will be giving the SNB some comfort that price pressures are back under control. Another rate hike is no longer viewed as guaranteed, with markets slightly favoring a hold over the coming meetings but it is tight.  China The much sought-after consumer and producers’ price inflation data for August will be released this Saturday where market participants will have a better gauge of the current deflationary conditions in China. After a slight improvement in the two sub-components of August’s NBS Manufacturing PM where new orders and production rose to their highest level since March at 50.2 and 51.9 respectively coupled with an improvement in export growth for August that shrunk to a lesser magnitude of -8.8% y/y from -14.5% y/y in July, there are some signs of optimism that the recent eight months of deflationary pressures may have started to abate. The August CPI is expected to inch back up to 0.2% y/y from -0.3% y/y in July and the PPI is forecast to shrink at a lesser magnitude of -3% y/y in August versus -4.4% in July. If the PPI turns out as expected, it will be the second consecutive month of improvement from a persistent loop of deflationary pressure in factory gate prices since November 2022. Other key data to focus on will be new yuan loans and M2 money supply for August which will be released on Monday. It will provide a sense of whether China’s economy is slipping into a liquidity trap despite the current targeted monetary and fiscal stimulus measures enacted by policymakers. Lastly, the housing price index, industrial production, retail sales, and the unemployment rate for August will be released on Friday with both retail sales and industrial production expected to show slight improvement; 2.8% y/y for retail sales over 2.5% y/y recorded in July, 4% y/y for industrial production versus 3.7% in July. Market participants will be keeping a close eye on youth unemployment for August after July’s figure was temporarily suspended by the National Bureau of Statistics without any clear timeline for the suspension. The youth joblessness data in China is of key concern after the youth unemployment rate skyrocketed to a record high of 21.3% in June, around four times more than the national unemployment rate of 5.3%. Lastly, China’s central bank, the PBoC, will announce its decision on a key benchmark interest rate, the 1-year medium-term lending facility rate on Friday and the expectation is no change at 2.50% after a prior cut of 15 basis points.  India Inflation and balance of trade for August will be the focus for the coming week. Inflation data is released on Tuesday and is expected to dip slightly to 7% y/y from 7.44% in July, the highest since April 2022. Balance of trade will be released on Friday and the expectation is for the deficit to widen slightly to -$21 billion from -$20.67 billion in July.   Australia On Monday, the Westpac consumer confidence change for September is expected to improve to 0.6% m/m from a reading of -0.4% m/m in August, following three consecutive interest rate pauses from RBA. The key employment change data for August will be released on Thursday with 24,300 jobs expected to be created, an improvement on the 14,600 reduction in July. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is expected to slip to 3.6% from 3.7% in July. New Zealand Electronic retail card spending for August is due on Tuesday and is forecast to dip to 1.4% y/y from 2.2% in July. That would represent a declining trend in growth in the past five months. Next up, food inflation for August will be released on Wednesday; its growth rate is expected to slow to 7.8% y/y from 9.6% in July. That would be the slowest growth in food inflation since June 2022. Japan A couple of key data points to note for the coming week. Firstly, the Reuters Tankan Index on manufacturers’ sentiment on Wednesday; after a big jump to +12 in August – its highest level recorded so far this year – sentiment is expected to taper off slightly to +10 for September. Producers’ price index for August will be released on Wednesday and a slight dip is expected to 3.2% y/y from 3.6% in July. Lastly, on Thursday, we will have data on machinery orders from July with the consensus expecting a further decline of 10.7% y/y from -5.8% in June. Singapore One key data to focus on is the balance of trade for August which will be out on Friday. The trade surplus is being expected to increase slightly to $7 billion from $6.49 billion in July. That would be the fourth consecutive month of expansion in the trade surplus.  
    EUR/USD Faces Ongoing Decline Amid Budget and Market Turbulence

    Uncertainty Surrounds UK Economic Data Impact on Markets Amid Rising Wages and Inflation Concerns

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 13.09.2023 09:18
    I previously mentioned that all the interesting events will start on Wednesday. Tuesday also had some interesting reports, particularly the UK unemployment or wage data. However, if these reports did influence market sentiment, they did it in a very strange way, and their values are quite difficult to interpret. For example, how can we characterize high wage growth? Is it good for the Brits or not? If wages are rising, it means inflation could start rising again (Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey also mentioned this). Then the BoE might raise rates several more times, which are not currently taken into account in prices. But does the market believe in this, and is the BoE capable of easily and simply raising rates "several more times"? I doubt it. From this perspective, it seems that rising wages, like rising inflation, will no longer affect the central bank's actions.     The UK will release important GDP and industrial production data on Wednesday. It is estimated that in July, GDP will contract by 0.2-0.3% MoM, and industrial output will fall by 0.6-0.8%. Such reports are unlikely to support demand for the British currency. Unless the actual values turn out to be higher. However, it is very difficult to expect positive economic data from the British economy right now. The BoE's interest rate continues to rise, which means that financial conditions are deteriorating. At the same time, inflation remains high. It's a complex equation that will be very difficult for the BoE to solve. The US inflation report is much more important and it's also quite complex.   If we assume that inflation rose again in August, how might this affect the Fed's decision next week? There are reasons to believe that it won't have much impact. There are also grounds to believe that the rate might increase, although previously, the FOMC made decisions to raise rates once every two meetings. But two consecutive accelerations in inflation could persuade the monetary policy committee of the US central bank otherwise. Based on everything mentioned, there are many questions but no answers yet. I fear that the currency market may become quite active Wednesday and Thursday, but both instruments may frequently change their direction. In my opinion, it's best to use the Fibonacci level at 100.0% for the British pound as a reference point.   A successful breakthrough could pull down both instruments again. Based on the conducted analysis, I came to the conclusion that the upward wave pattern is complete. I still believe that targets in the 1.0500-1.0600 range are quite feasible. Therefore, I will continue to sell the instrument with targets located near the levels of 1.0636 and 1.0483. A successful attempt to break through the 1.0788 level will indicate the market's readiness to sell further, and then we can expect to reach the targets I've been discussing for several weeks and months.   The wave pattern of the GBP/USD pair suggests a decline within the downtrend. There is a risk of completing the current downward wave if it is d, and not wave 1. In this case, the construction of wave 5 might start from the current marks. But in my opinion, we are currently witnessing the first wave of a new segment. Therefore, the most that we can expect from this is the construction of wave "2" or "b". An unsuccessful attempt to break the 1.2444 level, corresponding to 100.0% on the Fibonacci scale, may indicate the market's readiness to build an upward wave.  
    Euro-dollar Support Tested Amidst Rate Concerns and Labor Strikes

    UK GDP Contracts by 0.5% Amid Economic Concerns, Impact on GBP/USD Exchange Rate

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 13.09.2023 13:36
    UK GDP falls by 0.5% GBP/USD dips slightly lower The British pound has edged lower on Wednesday. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2472, down 0.17%. The pound fell as low as 1.2441 earlier today but has recovered some of those losses. UK economy contracts by 0.5% The UK economy contracted by 0.5% in July, the largest decline this year. The reading reversed the 0.5% gain in June and missed the consensus estimate of 0.5%. The GDP report pointed to weakness across the economy, with declines in services, manufacturing and construction. There’s no question that the sharp increase in borrowing rates has cooled the economy, but there’s uncertainty as to what action the Bank of England will take at the meeting on September 21st. The markets have priced in a quarter-point rate hike at 75%, which means there is a possibility of a pause in rate increases. The UK economy may already be in recession and another hike will put a further strain on the economy. On the other hand, the battle against inflation is far from over, and with inflation running at a 6.8% clip, the BoE will need to do more to bring inflation closer to the 2% target. The UK jobs report on Tuesday was a reminder that inflation is alive and kicking. The economy shed a massive 207,000 in the three months to July, as the labour market is showing larger cracks. However, wage growth including bonuses hit 7.8%, unchanged from a month earlier and the highest on record. Wages are now rising faster than consumer inflation, which is one more headache for the Bank of England, which had a rough time in its attempts to bring down inflation.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD is testing support at 1.2459. Next, there is support at 1.2395  There is resistance at 1.2519 and 1.2592  
    Market Focus: Economic Data and Central Banks' Policies

    Market Focus: Economic Data and Central Banks' Policies

    FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 14.09.2023 08:58
    EGB curves bear-flattened yesterday, with investors adjusting their positions ahead of upcoming macro events. Gilts were the stars of the day, with their yields declining after July jobs data confirmed a softening of the labor market, while USTs were little changed. European stocks edged moderately lower. Brent rose by 1.5% to USD 92/bbl   Caution has prevailed overnight, as highlighted by the weak performance of Asian stocks as well as US and European stock futures. While USTs are little changed, Bund futures have edged lower following a Reuters report that the ECB might raise its inflation projection for next year to above 3%. EGBs are set to open the trading session under pressure. In FX, EUR-USD has risen towards the 1.0750 area and USD-JPY has reached 147.40. EGB issuance activity will be quite lively today, with Italy, Germany and Portugal selling a total of EUR 13bn. Focus will be on the new 7Y BTP, the fourth and last new benchmark to be issued by Italy in 3Q23. With respect to the macro data, investor focus will be on US CPI data. The inflation report precedes the FOMC meeting by a week and will probably affect the Fed’s decision and, to a lesser extent, the updated economic projections that will be published next Wednesday. August CPI data are expected to show a mixed picture, with headline inflation likely having increased due to higher energy prices (in August, the average oil price was 6% higher than in July), while core inflation probably softened further. If data come in line with our estimates and consensus, the impact on fixed-income securities will probably be negligible as there seems to be consensus among analysts. Although market-based inflation expectations have already risen due to higher energy prices, especially at shorter tenors, their increase has been limited and breakeven rates have remained within the trading ranges of the last three months. Since 10 August, when July CPI data were published, the 10Y UST yield has risen by 20bp, with the real yield component, now close to 2%, contributing almost 100%. This move shows that inflation expectations remain anchored and that the re-acceleration of headline inflation in August is not seen as a major concern for investors or the Fed. On the other hand, the fresh increase in real yields seems to suggest that investors are continuing to reduce their expectations of a recession in the US and a rapid shift towards a looser monetary policy by the Fed. We see credit starting on a more cautious tone today ahead of the release of US CPI data in the afternoon and higher oil prices are weighing on equity markets. The sentiment on the Swedish residential property market declined again in September with more respondents in the monthly SBAB house price survey now seeing prices falling. The market expectation of a further rate hike by the Swedish central bank indicates expectations that further rising borrowing costs and inflation will lead to accommodation becoming less affordable. Swedish residential property prices are around 10% below their peak in March 2022 and market commentators see overall price declines of 20% as possible. For Swedish banks we see a further decline as still manageable given that average LTVs are in the 50-60% rang   Today and tomorrow are set to be two crucial days for the FX market US CPI inflation for August is the key release early this afternoon, but the USD reaction might prove to be complicated. This is because the US data will likely be mixed. We expect a rise in the headline index and a further decline in the core rate. This might spark some USD swings when the data are published but FX majors will probably end today’s session not far from current levels, given the ECB decision tomorrow. For there to be a more directional reaction, both headline and core inflation would have to surprise to the upside or the downside. Since a steady FOMC meeting outcome on 20 September is highly likely at this point, we expect the market reaction to be asymmetric and think that softer-than-expected data (even in the headline component) are unlikely to dent the current USD strength too much. On the other hand, an unexpected and sharp acceleration in the core index is probably needed to force investors to return to pricing in a higher chance of another rate hike in the US next week, which would drive the dollar index (DXY) back towards the recent peak of 105.15. In our view, EUR-USD is set to remain close to 1.0750, after press report suggesting that the ECB expects inflation to remain above 3% next year. Recent lows of around 1.0690 and 1.0770-1.08 are thus the key levels to monitor. Meanwhile, bad economic data in the UK early this morning will likely keep GBP-USD below 1.25. The return of USDJPY to 147 makes it clear that the debate on policy normalization in Japan is not enough to convince investors to ride a yen recovery, while USD-CNY and USD-CNH are likely to remain below 7.30 amid higher funding costs in the offshore market. Early tomorrow morning the decline that we expect in both headline and core inflation data in Sweden is unlikely to prevent another 25bp rate hike by the Riksbank next week. Still, the data will probably weigh somewhat on the SEK at the start of the European session. The PLN looks set to continue to suffer from the NBP’s bold rate cut last week. The HUF will likely trade close to 385 against the EUR after Hungarian Economic Development Minister Nagy hinted at stagnant growth for Hungary this year, while the NBH confirmed that the base rate (now 13%) will replace the 1D depo rate (now 14%) from 1 October. Lastly, the RUB steadying around 95 against the USD further suggests a steady outcome to the CBR meeting on Friday.
    The UK Contracts Faster Than Expected in July, Bank of England Still Expected to Hike Rates

    The UK Contracts Faster Than Expected in July, Bank of England Still Expected to Hike Rates

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.09.2023 10:09
    UK contracts faster than expected One-off factors largely behind the decline, BoE still expected to hike Major support being tested in cable The UK economy contracted faster than expected in July which is weighing on the pound this morning. GDP fell 0.5%, much faster than the 0.2% contraction that was expected, but as has been the case throughout this year, one-off factors played a big role. Strikes and the weather were largely blamed for the steep decline although some are clearly worried that overall momentum in the economy remains weak. I’m not sure the data will really sway the Bank of England at all next week. Not against the backdrop of such strong wage growth, as was reported yesterday. Markets are now pricing in a rate hike at around 75% which seems overly cautious to me but then, perhaps Bailey’s words last week are continuing to ring in the ears of traders. The Governor and his colleagues indicated the discussion will be more balanced than people seem to think which suggested a hold is very much on the table this month. That seems a little far-fetched at this stage and I think the words are probably intended for a little further down the line in November but then it wouldn’t be the first time the BoE has surprised us. That said, it also wouldn’t be the first time they’ve hinted at something and not followed through.   A pivotal level for cable? Cable has continued to drift lower after today’s GDP figures but there appears to be a little less vigor in the decline which may raise a few questions.     Is the decline of the last couple of months running on fumes? If so, are we going to see a correction or has this been a correction in the broader uptrend? The answer to the second question is that we’ll only know in time, should we see a big move higher from here. On the first question, there are signs that the sell-off is losing momentum. The drop today doesn’t appear to have been backed by moves lower on either the stochastic or the MACD. That in itself doesn’t mean the pair is about to reverse higher. But that it occurs around the 200/233-day simple moving average band and the 50/61.8 Fibonacci retracement zone – March lows to July highs – may suggest it could be early signs of struggles which could continue if tested again. A rotation off here would be interesting as it could signal that the sell-off since July has just been a bullish retracement. In that case, the 55/89-day SMA band above could be very interesting. A move below the 200/233-day SMA band and Fib levels could be a very bearish development, on the other hand, especially if back by momentum. And interesting one to watch over the coming days and weeks.  
    Budget Deficit Reduction in India: A Path to Sustainable Growth

    Budget Deficit Reduction in India: A Path to Sustainable Growth

    ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:36
    Budget deficit reduction is mindful of growth The Union budget this year set what has been described by some as an "unambitious" target for deficit reduction, taking the targeted deficit to 5.9% of GDP down from 6.4% in the fiscal year ending March 2023. It might be fairer to describe this budget as one aimed at growth, containing a lot of capital expenditure measures aimed at bolstering India’s infrastructure, with an assumed goal of “crowding in” private business expenditure. In that respect, judging by the run of GDP so far this year, it seems to be succeeding. India’s sovereign credit rating of BBB- puts it precariously at the edge of investment grade and leaves the bond market vulnerable to downgrade risk. Those fears seem to have been allayed with the recent announcement of global bond index inclusion for Indian government bonds.    India's deficit - on track so far   So far as India’s progress in gradually reducing the deficit and its debt-to-GDP ratio, things seem to be roughly on track this year, and maybe a little ahead of the game. In order to hit the 5.9% deficit ratio, and assuming real GDP growth of around 7% and inflation averaging about 4%, India’s cumulative deficit needs to come in at about INR 16.9tr by March next year. So far, the monthly deficit figures have kept close to the projected “on target” track required to achieve this, and there seems little danger of any credit downgrades on this basis, with the debt-to-GDP ratio still high but likely to moderate to about 81.5% by the end of this fiscal year, down from 83.8% last year.        External balance and the INR One of the surprises of the year so far has been the resilience of the rupee. Since October 2022, the INR has inhabited a very narrow range against the USD, between about 80.5 and 83.0. Over recent months, the range has been narrowing, centred on 82.5. To put this into perspective, this makes the INR the third best-performing currency in the APAC region year-to-date and represents a substantial outperformance relative to other APAC FX peers, where, for example, the Japanese yen is 11% weaker, and the Chinese yuan 5.84% weaker against the USD.     Policy rate spreads over USD and FX performance
    EUR/USD Downtrend Continues: Factors Driving the Euro's Decline and Outlook

    Stuck in a Range: AUD/USD Waiting for Inflation Signals Amid Dollar Strength

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2023 13:52
    The AUD/USD pair is stuck in the 0.6380-0.6450 range. In general, the current fundamental background allows bulls to expect new price gains, if not for one "but" – the greenback. The US dollar's position is quite strong, and this serves as an obstacle to the development of an upward movement. However, AUD/USD bears are also unable to take advantage of the greenback's strength: as soon as the pair declines into the 63-figure area, sellers take profits, thus impeding the bearish momentum.   In other words, the pair is in a deadlock situation. To develop an upward movement, buyers need to overcome the level of 0.6450 (the Tenkan-sen line on the daily chart), and in order to restore the downtrend, sellers need to push through the support level of 0.6370 (the lower Bollinger Bands line on the same timeframe). Both are challenging tasks, given the current fundamental picture. Traders need a strong informational impetus that will push the pair out of the range – either to the south or to the north. The Federal Reserve's hawkish stance is on the greenback's side. The results of the latest Fed meeting supported the US currency. The central bank updated its dot plot, indicating that it intends to raise interest rates once again by the end of this year, either at the November or December meeting.   Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirmed these intentions, citing the high level of inflation. However, Powell tied future central bank decisions to the dynamics of key inflation indicators. This is why the core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, which will be published on Friday (September 29), may trigger strong volatility among dollar pairs. According to preliminary forecasts, this crucial inflation indicator is expected to decrease to 3.9% YoY, which is the lowest value since September 2021. In such a case, the dollar bulls may come under pressure because the likelihood of a rate hike in November will significantly decrease (at the moment, this probability is around 30%, according to the CME FedWatch Tool). Conversely, if the index starts to gain momentum and goes against forecasts, hawkish expectations regarding the Fed's future course of actions will increase. Take note that inflation could provide support to the aussie. In this case, we're talking about the Australian Consumer Price Index.   The inflation data for August will be published on Wednesday. The market forecast was for a 5.2% increase in the reported period. If the release comes in at least at the forecasted level (not to mention the "green zone"), the Australian dollar could receive significant support. The key point here is that the CPI has been consistently declining for the past three months, reaching 4.9% in July. If the CPI grows, it will be a "warning sign" for the Reserve Bank of Australia.   It's important to recall the main points from the recently published minutes of the RBA's September meeting. The text mentioned that the Board considered two scenarios: 1) a 25-basis-point rate hike; 2) keeping the rate unchanged. In the end, the majority of the RBA officials agreed with the arguments in favor of maintaining the status quo. However, simultaneously, the central bank emphasized that "some further tightening may be required" in the future if inflation proves to be "more persistent than expected." Clearly, the August CPI will be viewed by the market in terms of a potential RBA reaction. If the gauge exceeds expectations, buyers of AUD/USD will have an informational catalyst for an upward movement.     Do recall that the recent Australian labor data was also in favor of the aussie. Unemployment in August remained at the July level (i.e., at 3.7%), despite forecasts of an increase to 3.9%. The employment figure also grew significantly, reflecting an increase of almost 65,000, while the forecast was for an increase of only 26,000. The labor force participation rate increased to 67.0%, which is the highest result in the history of these observations. In addition, Australia's GDP data, which was published in early September, also supported the aussie, although the report was somewhat contradictory.   The country's GDP increased by 2.1% year-on-year in the second quarter. On one hand, this figure shows a downtrend (the result for the first quarter was 2.4%, and for the fourth quarter of 2022, it was 2.6%). On the other hand, experts had forecasted a weaker result for the second quarter, around 1.8% year-on-year. Therefore, the Australian dollar may emerge in the near future.   If Australia's inflation report comes out in the "green zone" (or at least in line with forecasts), and the report on the core PCE index comes out in the "red zone" (or at least in line with forecasts), buyers of AUD/USD may not only test the resistance level at 0.6450 (the Tenkan-sen line on the daily chart) but also approach the next price barrier at 0.6500 (the upper line of the Bollinger Bands indicator on the same timeframe). So, all eyes are on inflation!  
    Navigating the Kiwi Dollar: Elections and RBNZ's Disinflation Gamble

    Navigating the Kiwi Dollar: Elections and RBNZ's Disinflation Gamble

    ING Economics ING Economics 05.10.2023 08:46
    How elections and the RBNZ disinflation gamble can steer the Kiwi dollar The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is widely expected to keep rates on hold this week while awaiting new data and given the pre-election environment. The RBNZ’s assumptions on disinflation are quite optimistic, and there are risks of a November hike. Polls suggest a National-led coalition may win: NZD might benefit from a promised change in the RBNZ remit.   Growth and housing outlook not as bad as expected This week’s RBNZ announcement is widely expected to see another hold by New Zealand policymakers. A key reason is that the Bank still hasn’t seen the third-quarter inflation and jobs data, which will be released on the 16th and 31st of October, respectively. The New Zealand data calendar hasn’t, however, been totally quiet since the August RBNZ meeting. Growth figures were quite surprising: showing activity rebounded 0.9% quarter-on-quarter in the second quarter, more than doubling consensus expectations, and significantly above the 0.5% projected by the RBNZ. Also, a revision of first quarter figures indicated the country had not actually been in a recession into March.   Growth should cool again in the second half of the year, but the RBNZ’s projections of two negative QoQ GDP readings in the third and fourth quarters by the RBNZ may be overly pessimistic. The Treasury, which has generally been quite more upbeat than the RBNZ, currently forecasts no more negative quarterly GDP reads.   The house price correction, which has been a major cause for concern and might have argued for less restrictive monetary policy, has eased, largely in line with the revised RBNZ August projections. Latest monthly figures showed the house price index having declined by only 0.2% MoM, and 8.7% year-on-year, reinforcing the view that the worst of the housing correction is past us.   Housing correction has cooled off in New Zealand
    Bank of Canada Preview: Assessing Economic Signals Amid Inflation and Rate Expectations

    Market Insights: CFTC Report Reveals Stable Futures Market, Dollar Maintains Strong Positioning

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 17.10.2023 15:34
    According to the latest CFTC report, the past week was relatively calm in the futures market. One notable change was the value of the net short yen by position, which corrected by 1.2 billion, while changes in other currencies were minimal. The US dollar's net positioning, after sharply rising the previous week, saw a 0.3 billion correction, bringing it to 8.5 billion, indicating a firm speculative positioning for the dollar. Other factors that supported the greenback are the drop in the number of long positions in oil and especially gold, with a weekly change of -4.8 billion, implying further declines. This often signifies growing bullish sentiment for the US dollar.   The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 63.0 in October, the reading was below the forecast of 67.2, reaching the lowest level since May. This marks the third consecutive decline and can be largely attributed to rising gas prices and a decline in the stock market. However, consumer spending remains at a good level despite weaker sentiment in recent months. China's consumer price index remained flat from a year earlier in September, while the Producer Price Index fell by 2.5% as concerns linger about weak demand. Both figures were slightly below consensus estimates. This week's data on industrial production, retail sales, and third-quarter GDP will provide a clearer picture of the impact of the government's additional stimulus measures. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has quickly escalated into the bloodiest clash in the past 50 years from both sides. As both Israel and Iran are minor natural gas exporters, European natural gas prices rose by about 40% last week. Oil markets remain calmer due to reduced demand and excess production capacity. US consumer price inflation for September shows headline prices rose 0.4% month-on-month (consensus 0.3%), and the core index slowed down from 4.3% year-on-year to 4.1% year-on-year, which is a positive sign for the Federal Reserve. There is growing confidence that the Fed's rate hike cycle is coming to an end.   The British pound corrected slightly above the resistance level at 1.2305 and then resumed its decline. It is assumed that the local peak has been formed, and the sell-off will continue, with the nearest target being 1.2033 (the low from October 4). In case it breaks below this level, selling pressure may intensify, with the long-term target being 1.1740/90.  
    Renewable Realities: 2023 Sees a Sharp Slide as Costs Surge

    Dampening Business Optimism in France Signals General Economic Slowdown

    ING Economics ING Economics 19.10.2023 14:35
    Business sentiment darkens in France, signalling a general loss of economic dynamism The business climate in France darkened in October across all sectors. Business leaders are less optimistic about past and future activity. Economic growth is likely to slow further.   The business climate in France darkened in October, dropping two points over the month to 98. The fall is visible in all sectors, signalling a widespread loss of economic dynamism. Business leaders everywhere are less optimistic about past production and activity but also about future activity and production prospects. Order books are judged to be less full in the retail and construction sectors, though they improved slightly in industry. This indicator, the first available for the fourth quarter of 2023, suggests that the French economy is likely to continue to slow. After a third quarter in which economic activity probably softened markedly (we forecast quarterly growth of 0.1% in Q3 compared with 0.5% in the second quarter), business sentiment suggests that a rebound in the fourth quarter is unlikely. Against a backdrop of persistently poor order books in industry, weakening demand, particularly from international markets, and a waning catch-up effect in some sectors, the outlook for the industrial sector is weak and a rebound is not expected before 2024. The construction sector, for its part, is likely to see a further fall-back in activity due to higher interest rates, which are having an increasing impact on credit demand. Household consumption is also likely to remain subdued over the coming months. While wages have risen, allowing households to regain a little purchasing power, the labour market is showing the first signs of weakening, consumer confidence remains low, and inflation proves to be stickier than expected. Recent rises in oil prices linked to geopolitical tensions will keep energy inflation buoyant in France until the end of the year and into 2024, which will continue to depress household purchasing power and limit consumer spending. Retail and services are, therefore, likely to face weak demand. Ultimately, this data suggests the French economy is likely to slow further in the fourth quarter. We expect GDP to stagnate in the coming three months, which would bring average growth for 2023 to 0.8%. We believe the recovery in 2024 will be slow, weighed down by a sharp global economic slowdown and by a very restrictive monetary policy. Because of a negative carry-over effect, we forecast average GDP growth of only 0.6% in 2024.
    Hungary's National Bank Maintains Easing Path Amid External Risks: A Review of November's Rate-Setting Meeting

    Spanish Economic Slowdown: Analyzing Factors and Projecting Future Challenges

    ING Economics ING Economics 27.10.2023 15:04
    Why a slowdown in Spanish growth could be here to stay Spain's economy grew by 0.3% in the third quarter, a slowdown from 0.5% growth in the second quarter which we think is likely to continue in the coming months.   Spanish economy grows 0.3% in third quarter As expected, Spanish GDP grew 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter, according to figures released this morning by Spain's statistical service INE. This is a cooling off from the first half of the year. In the second quarter, the Spanish economy still grew by 0.5% QoQ. On an annual basis, Spain's third-quarter economic output expanded by 1.8%. Growth was mainly driven by domestic demand – more specifically, consumption –  while business investment contracted and government spending slowed in the third quarter. Looking at the different sectors, these levels were sustained by the growing services sector, while manufacturing and construction contracted last quarter.   Spanish economy more buoyant than rest of eurozone despite slowdown Despite slowing down, Spain is expected to head for growth of 2.5% in 2023, well above the 0.5% growth forecast for the eurozone. Due to some favourable structural differences, Spain's economy has proved much more resilient than other countries. The larger weight of the tourism sector underpinned growth. Spain experienced a strong tourism season and benefited from a further recovery of all tourism-related activities to their pre-Covid levels. In addition, the struggling manufacturing sector has a smaller weight in Spain. Manufacturing represents only 12% of gross value added, significantly less than the 22% in the German economy, for example. Finally, the Spanish economy is much less exposed to the ailing Chinese economy than others.   Increasing headwinds for the economy in coming months We expect the slowdown to continue. The European Central Bank's tightening cycle has taken a lot of oxygen out of the economy, and we'll surely begin to feel the impact in the coming months. The ECB's latest bank lending survey released on Tuesday shows credit standards tightening further and credit demand from businesses and households fell sharply in the third quarter in Spain, which does not bode well for investment activity. In addition, household finances will come under more pressure in the coming months. Spanish growth was boosted this year by a recovery in purchasing power thanks to higher nominal wage growth, strong job growth and cooling inflation. However, jobs growth is slowing, with higher interest rates and increased fuel prices also threatening to put pressure on household finances. This is certainly the case for households that financed the purchase of their home with variable interest rates (around a third of all households), who will have less budget left over to spend. Lastly, the contribution of the tourism sector will also be smaller next year now that the sector is roughly back to its pre-Covid level. In addition, we should not expect a strong rebound for the manufacturing sector. The manufacturing sector is struggling with dwindling order books and energy-intensive companies are still struggling with a competitiveness handicap. Add to this a slowing global economy, with a stagnant eurozone economy, a US economy that seems to be at its peak and a Chinese economy struggling to get up to speed, and a further slowdown in the coming months seems likely. All of these headwinds will curb Spain's growth momentum. While we still assume an average growth rate of 2.5% for 2023, we expect it to slow to 1.2% next year.  
    BRL: Positive Outlook Amid Fiscal Focus and Successful ESG Offering

    ECB Maintains Status Quo: Lagarde's Rhetoric and Euro Dynamics Unveiled

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.10.2023 15:21
    "Now is not the time to talk about future prospects". That was the tone of the European Central Bank's October meeting, the results of which were revealed on Thursday. Overall, the central bank made the expected decision to maintain interest rates as they were. The likelihood of this scenario being realized was 100%, so the market paid little attention to the formal outcomes of the meeting. The EUR/USD pair remained in a standstill, awaiting ECB President Christine Lagarde's press conference. Lagarde slightly stirred the pair with her rhetoric, and the dynamics initially favored the euro. The bulls pushed toward the boundaries of the 1.6-figure but hesitated to attack that target due to weak fundamental arguments. It's worth noting that in the lead-up to the October meeting, most experts were confident that the ECB would keep not only monetary policy unchanged but also the main formulations of the accompanying statement unchanged. According to their forecasts, Lagarde was also expected to reiterate the main theses outlined after the previous meeting - that the ECB was unlikely to raise rates in the foreseeable future but would commit to keeping them at the current level for a long time. In addition, some experts considered the possibility that the Bank would reduce interest rates in the first half of 2024, given the drop in overall and core inflation in the eurozone and the weak 0.1% growth in the European economy in the second quarter.   However, the ECB did not present any hawkish or dovish surprises. Admittedly, Lagarde did tweak the tone of her rhetoric, offering some support for the euro, but these remarks failed to impress the market. In general, the ECB head merely dispelled rumors that the central bank is ready to discuss the timing and conditions of monetary policy easing. According to her, the issue of lowering interest rates was not discussed at the recent meeting as "it would be premature." She also said that the ECB had not discussed the possibility of changing the terms of the PEPP asset purchase program, which had been rumored in October. Lagarde emphasized that the central bank would reinvest all the cash it receives from maturing bonds it holds under the program, at least until the end of 2024. Regarding the fate of interest rates, on one hand, the ECB head reiterated that "rates are at levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to our target." But on the other hand, she listed inflationary risks. Among these are the recent sharp rise in energy prices due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, the possible increase in food prices, and active wage growth in eurozone countries. Lagarde emphasized that internal price pressures remain strong, and "the risks to economic growth remain tilted to the downside." Such rhetoric does not indicate that the ECB is ready to return to raising rates in the near future. But at the same time, Lagarde effectively refuted rumors that the central bank is considering easing the terms of its APP in the near term. Her statement that "now is not the time for forward guidance" can be interpreted in different ways, either in the context of potential future policy tightening or easing. However, if we compile the main theses voiced by Lagarde, we can conclude that the ECB has primarily distanced itself from the scenario of lowering interest rates in the near future. Thus, the ECB, while not providing substantial support to the euro, also did not exert significant pressure on the single currency. The ECB's meeting did not meet the doves' expectations (as there were no hawkish expectations). We can assume that the market will shift its focus to American events starting on Friday. The main focus will be on the PCE index. The U.S. economy expanded at a robust 4.9% annual rate in the third quarter, the highest growth rate since the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to a mere 2.1% growth in the U.S. economy in the second quarter. If the primary personal consumption expenditure index reaches the forecast level (not to mention the "red zone"), the dollar could come under significant pressure as risk appetite may increase in the market. Signs of slowing inflation amid strong GDP growth are likely to contribute to a decline in Treasury yields, and consequently, the greenback
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    Asia Morning Bites: BoJ Policy Speculation and Chinese PMI Data in Focus

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 11:49
    Asia Morning Bites Following rising speculation, will the BoJ tweak policy today? Chinese PMI data also due. Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  US stocks bounced off recent lows on Monday. Both the NASDAQ and S&P 500 gained more than a per cent ahead of this week’s expected no-change  FOMC meeting. Equity futures suggest that today’s open may take back some of these gains. Chinese stocks also had a reasonable day. The CSI 300 rose 0.6%, but the Hang Seng was more or less unchanged on the day. US Treasury yields also rose on Monday. 2Y UST yields rose 5.2bp to 5.054%, while 10Y yields rose 6bp to 4.894%. There was no macro data of note for the US on Monday driving these moves, and this close to the FOMC meeting, no Fed speakers either due to the blackout period. Despite the rise in yields, the USD had a softer day. EURUSD rose to 1.0613 in spite of weak GDP and inflation figures (see below) and also the failure of the EU and Australia to agree on a free trade deal due to disagreements over agriculture access. The AUD rose to 0.6366, Cable rallied to 1.2165, and the JPY dropped back briefly through 149 on speculation of further tweaks to BoJ policy at today’s meeting (see below), though it is currently 149.14. Other Asian FX also rallied against the USD on Monday. The THB and KRW led gains. The CNY dropped to 7.311. G-7 macro:  German GDP was slightly less awful in 3Q23 than expected, but still fell 0.1%QoQ (see here for more by Carsten Brzeski). The flip side of this is that this economic weakness is weighing on inflation, which fell to 3.8% YoY in October, down more than expected from the September rate of 4.5%. Eurozone GDP and inflation are released today, so with the German figures already out, there is some chance of an undershoot to the respective consensus expectations of 0.0% QoQ and 3.0%YoY for these figures. House price data and the Conference Board’s consumer confidence survey are today’s US data offerings. None of these releases look likely to alter the expectation for a pause at the Fed’s 2 November meeting. China:  Official PMI data is due at 0930 (HKT/SGT) today. Both manufacturing and non-manufacturing surveys are expected to confirm the slight firming in activity suggested by other recent activity data. Japan:  The BoJ has its policy meeting today. Speculation has been growing over the last couple of days that they may take steps to relieve pressure on Japanese government bonds (JGBs) and the JPY. Yesterday, local news media Nikkei, reported that the BoJ may allow the upper limit for 10Y JGBs to rise above 1% and also make some adjustments to their bond purchase operations. The latest quarterly outlook report will also be closely watched. We think that the BoJ will revise up its FY24 inflation forecast to above 2%, but leave untouched the FY25 forecast number. That way, they can maintain that sustainable inflation is not yet reached or that they are not yet confident about reaching the sustainable inflation target, which will buy them some more time to keep their negative interest rate policy until next year. Still, if FY24 inflation is above 2% then the market’s expectations for a policy change in early 2024 will rise. Japan's September monthly activity data was a bit soft.  September industrial production (IP) rebounded less than expected (0.2% MoM sa vs -0.7% in August, 2.5% market consensus) while retail sales unexpectedly dropped -0.1% (vs revised 0.2% in August). As September IP and retail sales were softer than expected, we think 3Q23 GDP is likely to record a small contraction. However, labour market conditions remained tight and showed some improvement. The jobless rate edged down to 2.6% in September (vs 2.7% in August, 2.6% market consensus) and labour participation rose to 63.3% from the previous month’s 63.1%. Also, the job-to-applications ratio was unchanged at 1.29. South Korea:  Monthly activity data was solid as suggested by 3Q23 GDP (0.6% QoQ sa). All industry industrial production (IP) rose for a second month (1.1% MoM sa) in September with manufacturing (1.9% MoM sa), services (0.4%), construction (2.5%), and public administration (2.3%).  Among manufacturing industries, semiconductors (12.9%) and machinery (5.1%) were big gainers, offsetting a big drop in motor production (-7.5%). Solid demand for high-end chips, which are higher value-added and have higher prices than legacy chips, is the main reason for the rise in chip production. Meanwhile, production cuts in legacy chips continued as inventory levels came down, and we believe that this differentiated trend will continue for the time being. We think October exports will finally bounce back after twelve months of year-on-year declines on the back of a recovery in semiconductors. Other activity data also made gains. Retail sales (0.2%) rebounded marginally after having fallen for the previous two months. Equipment investment gained (8.7%) with increases in transportation (12.6%) such as aircraft, and special machinery (7.3%) such as semiconductor manufacturing machines. Construction also rose 2.5% despite the contraction in residential building construction as civil engineering rose solidly (20.0%). September monthly activity data showed some recovery in the domestic economy but forward-looking data such as machinery orders (-20.4% YoY) and construction orders (-44.1%) all fell, suggesting a cloudy outlook for the current quarter and we expect 4Q23 GDP to decelerate.   What to look out for: BoJ meeting and China PMI reports South Korea industrial production (31 October) BoJ meeting, Japan retail sales, industrial production and labour data (31 October) China PMI manufacturing and non-manufacturing (31 October) Taiwan GDP (31 October) Philippines bank lending (31 October) US Conference board confidence (31 October) Australia Judo PMI manufacturing (1 November) South Korea trade (1 November) Regional PMI manufacturing (1 November) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 November) US ISM manufacturing, ADP report, JOLTS report (1 November) FOMC decision (2 November) South Korea CPI inflation (2 November) Australia trade balance (2 November) Malaysia BNM policy (2 November) US factory orders and initial jobless claims (2 November) Australia retail sales (3 November) China Caixin PMI services (3 November) Singapore retail sales (3 November) US NFP and ISM services (3 November)
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    Eurozone Economy Faces Minor Contraction Amid Plummeting Inflation: A Look at the Challenges and ECB's Dovish Debate

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:08
    Eurozone economy sees a small contraction as inflation plunges A drop in eurozone GDP keeps a small technical recession in the second half of 2023 a realistic prospect. With inflation falling faster than expected, the debate within the European Central Bank's governing council is set to turn more dovish, but don’t expect rate cuts anytime soon.   GDP decline is not meaningful, broad stagnation continues The drop of 0.1% quarter-on-quarter in eurozone GDP is not very dramatic. It was led by Irish GDP falling by 1.8% – a figure which is often subject to dramatic revisions. Germany experienced a small decline of 0.1%, while Italy stagnated over the quarter. Growth in France and Spain remained positive but still lower than last quarter. All in all, growth continued to trend around zero in the third quarter. While a technical recession is certainly possible in the second half of this year on the back of the third-quarter GDP reading and a weak start to the quarter according to first business surveys, we don’t see too much reason for real alarm so far. It does look like the economic environment is weakening at the moment, but no sharp recession is in sight either. Still, continued economic and geopolitical uncertainty alongside the impact of higher rates on the economy will weigh on economic activity in the coming quarters.   Inflation surprises should make ECB debate more dovish at coming meetings Inflation is really looking more benign at the moment. It has been falling for some time, but the pace of declines disappointed up until summer. September and October surprised positively despite high oil prices and still stubborn wage growth, which adds to confidence that inflation is slowly getting under control. The October decline from 4.3 to 2.9% was mainly driven by base effects from last year's high energy prices, but core inflation also continues to come down. Month-on-month price growth does not get reported on but a quick calculation suggests that goods prices rose well under 2% annualised in October, while services prices remained more sticky around 3.5% annualised. While high services inflation remains a concern, these figures do mean that annual core inflation – currently at 4.2% – will likely trend lower over the coming months. Especially as businesses are not indicating a new surge in prices is expected. The numbers start to point to a much better inflation environment, especially now that the economy is clearly performing much weaker than last year and most of the impact of recent hikes is still in the pipeline. While the European Central Bank (ECB) will be very keen to avoid making the mistake of the 1970s by easing too soon and allowing another spell of high inflation later, debates over whether current restrictive levels of interest rates are not too strict are set to grow louder in the months ahead. Don’t expect the ECB to lower rates anytime soon though; upside risks to inflation will weigh heavily in the central bank's decision-making at the coming meetings.
    Monitoring Hungary: Assessing Economic and Market Forecasts as Decision Day Approaches

    Monitoring Hungary: Assessing Economic and Market Forecasts as Decision Day Approaches

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:13
    Monitoring Hungary: The moment of truth approaches In our latest update, we reassess our Hungarian economic and market forecasts. We think that over the coming weeks, it will become clear whether the risks to our base case scenario have materialised. We remain positive but cautious as we await the new data.   Hungary: at a glance The Hungarian government responded to the nine questions from the European Commission, and our sources indicate that the net 90-day review period has recommenced. There are just under 10 days remaining until the final decision. The technical recession probably ended in the third quarter of this year, and the next GDP figure will therefore bring a moment of truth. Nevertheless, a full-year recession cannot be avoided. Recent retail sales and industrial production data have disappointed, and the question remains whether we can expect a turnaround in the short term. Real wages will flip back to positive by September, but we doubt that the impact on consumption will be significant and we expect the labour market to remain tight. Energy price-related consequences of geopolitical risks will be a crucial factor in determining whether the current account will have a slight surplus by the year-end. Recent inflation dynamics have shown more promise than we or the market expected, giving the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) ammunition to argue for larger rate cuts. On the other hand, the biggest question remains whether the risk environment will allow the central bank to continue the rate-cutting cycle at the same pace. While the government revised the 2023 ESA-based deficit target to 5.2% of GDP, we need more evidence to assess whether the updated target can be met or not. The forint survived the first rate cut in the base rate without major damage. After some short-lived weakness and volatility, the forint should continue to strengthen. In the rates space, we can expect further steepening of the IRS curve again, while in bonds we need to see progress in the EU money story and a clearer fiscal policy picture for a significant rally.   Quarterly forecasts   Will the longest technical recession end in the third quarter? Hungary has been in a technical recession for a year now, with economic activity contracting in all sectors except agriculture in the first half of 2023. The positive contribution from agriculture in the second quarter was not enough to pull the economy out of a technical recession, as the collapse in domestic demand weighed on all sectors. This time around, we expect the technical recession to end in the third quarter on the back of the agricultural outperformance. Favourable weather conditions combined with a good harvest season support our view. 14 November will be the moment of truth – when the third quarter GDP data is due. Nonetheless, agriculture alone will prove insufficient in generating a positive balance in the entire economy this year. In our view, a 0.5% recession awaits us in 2023.   Real GDP (% YoY) and contributions (ppt)   Is the deterioration in export sales a turning point for industry? Industrial production surprised on the downside in August, as production volumes declined by 2.4% month-on-month, contributing to a sharp fall in output of 6.1% year-on-year. At a sectoral level, the picture remains unchanged from recent months, with volumes expanding only in the electrical and transport equipment sub-sectors. However, in contrast to the dynamics of recent months, this time export sales deteriorated in line with domestic sales – which may explain the large drawdown in overall output. We suspect that export sales may pick up as the dismal August figure was more the result of factory shutdowns, but subdued global demand limits the export outlook. Nevertheless, barring an ugly surprise in September, the expected industrial performance in the third quarter should be better than in the second quarter. This should help the economy to emerge from its technical recession.   Industrial production (IP) and Purchasing Manager Index (PMI)   Will the turnaround in real wages boost retail sales? The retail sector is suffering from the cost of living crisis. The volume of sales in August fell by 7.1% YoY, while on a monthly basis, the overall volume declined by 0.5%. At the component level, food and fuel sales both contracted, while non-food retailing stagnated compared to last month. These dynamics are broadly in line with those seen in previous months, but the main question now is whether the turnaround in real wages will lead to a pick-up in consumption. We suspect that the answer is no, as we believe that households will mainly deleverage and/or rebuild their savings before consumption picks up. In this regard, the 10-year low in households’ consumer confidence index supports our view. We therefore believe that the impact of the turnaround in real wages will not markedly boost consumption until 2024, leaving the rest of this year’s retail sales figures in the red.   Retail sales (RS) and consumer confidence    
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    Monitoring Hungary: Assessing Economic Trends and Market Dynamics Amid Uncertainty

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:18
    At the same time, the resilience of the labour market is quite impressive, as the three-month unemployment rate was at 4.1% in the July-September period. The tight labour market poses upside risks to inflation, with the expected 10-15% increase in minimum wages next year leading to a significant rise in real wages. In our view, the biggest question remains how fast domestic demand will recover in 2024; if we were to see a slow and gradual recovery, then a price-wage spiral might be avoided. The level of average and median real wages (1990 CPI adjusted HUF)   How will geopolitical risks affect the trade balance? The collapse in domestic demand led to a slowdown in economic activity in the first half of the year, which rapidly reduced the need for imports. In addition, as energy prices were significantly lower than a year earlier, the pressure on the trade balance from the import side continued to ease. These factors have led to persistent trade surpluses, while the current account was also in surplus in August. We see two downside risks to our call for a small current account surplus by the end of 2023. The first is the start of the heating season, which will lead to an increase in gas imports. However, gas storage is in particularly good shape, with levels above 90%. The second is the risk of a renewed rally in commodity prices on geopolitics. Nevertheless, we are maintaining our call and highlighting the risks as we continue to monitor market developments.   Trade balance (3-month moving average)   How fast will disinflation unfold over the rest of the year? Headline inflation sunk to 12.2% YoY in September, mainly on significant base effects, while prices rose by 0.4% compared to August. The vast majority of the deceleration is attributed to the household energy component; last year’s base was enormous due to the administrative price change. Apart from this, food prices fell on a monthly basis, while fuel prices jumped on the back of higher oil prices and the stronger USD. Another positive development was that core inflation fell by 0.2% MoM, raising hopes that underlying price pressures are dissipating. Going forward, we expect disinflation to continue swiftly supported by both base effects and constrained spending. In our view, the easier task is to bring inflation down to 7%, which is our forecast for the end of 2023. The central bank will have a much harder task in the form of bringing inflation down further to 3%, especially in light of various upside risks.   Inflation and policy rate   What is needed for the NBH to sustain the present pace of easing? At its October meeting, the National Bank of Hungary cut the base rate by 75bp to 12.25%, while maintaining the +/- 100bp symmetric interest rate corridor around the base rate. Strong disinflation and an improvement in the country’s external balances supported the case for a larger rate cut, while the looming risk environment warranted a cautious approach by the Monetary Council. In the end, the result was a careful compromise that represents a slowdown from the previous pace of easing. Going forward, we expect the NBH to stick to the same 75bp of cuts for the rest of the year, bringing the policy rate to 10.75% at the end of the year. However, given the central bank’s data-dependent approach, any significant deterioration in the risk environment could lead to smaller cuts or even to a pause in order to maintain FX stability.   Real rates (%)   How realistic is this year's revised deficit target? At the beginning of October, the government revised up the 2023 Maastricht-based deficit target by 1.3ppt to 5.2% of GDP. It was only a matter of time before we saw this kind of revision, as in early September, the Government Debt Management Agency raised this year’s financing needs to HUF 4,133bn. Part of the change is due to a downward revision of the government’s nominal GDP forecast (0.2ppt) and the rest reflects the budgetary slippage. The latter is the result of underperforming indirect tax revenues, higher pensions, and higher debt service costs, which are the main budgetary issues. Despite the updated deficit target, we are not sure that this will be enough judging by the deficit dynamics in the fourth quarters of the last four years. Barring a miracle increase in revenues and a freeze in expenditures, we remain sceptical that even the updated target can be met.   Budget performance (year-to-date, HUFbn)   Why we're maintaining our call for a stronger forint in the longer term The forint survived the first rate cut in the base rate without major damage, but we believe it should still see some short-term weakness – especially until the EU deal remains in limbo. Market expectations have still not fully adjusted to the new interest rate path indicated by the NBH, which may keep the forint at weaker readings in the coming weeks. Moreover, the US dollar still maintains stronger values which are generally not supportive to the EM universe (including the HUF). In the medium and long term, not much has changed after the last NBH meeting, and the forint should continue to strengthen depending on the success of the NBH delivering rate cuts and the EU money story. We expect 375 EUR/HUF at year-end and 365 EUR/HUF in the middle of next year, supported by the highest positive real rate and carry in the region   CEE FX performance vs EUR (30 December 2022 = 100%)   How much do core rates affect the Hungarian interest rate space? In the rates space, if we consider the baseline to be a 75bp pace of cutting for the coming months, the FRA curve and front-end of the IRS curve still have room to move down in our view. At the moment, the market is pricing in an almost 75bp move for the next meeting but only 50bp or less for the coming months. If core rates remain elevated – which seems to be the baseline at the moment – we can expect further steepening of the IRS curve again. However, 2s10s HUF has already approached the CZK curve within CEE peers, and it is clear that the vast majority of the curve normalization is behind us. On the other hand, the biggest potential for repricing remains at the long end of the curve, which still basically ignores NBH rate normalisation and pricing base rates above 7% in long-term. However, this will only be unlocked later in this cycle when we need to see core rates falling as well.   Hungarian sovereign yield curve (end of period)   Hungarian government bonds (HGBs) provide the biggest beta to core rates at the moment, which has led to a strong sell-off in recent weeks, and so far we have seen only a cautious recovery. The supply side of HGBs, despite the unclear fiscal policy picture, is rather positive. The debt agency (AKK) has covered about 85% of all planned issuance and should remain under control this year as a result. In the case of additional needs stemming from a higher deficit this year, we expect to focus on retail bond issuance, avoiding pressure on HGBs. The picture for next year still remains cloudy, but our preliminary indications point to significantly lower gross redemption needs and roughly the same supply of HGBs as this year – which is already significantly lower than previous years given the focus on retail issuance. On the demand side, we believe that the highest yields within the CEE region should attract sufficient demand, but we need to see progress in the EU money story and a clearer fiscal policy picture for a significant rally first.   Forecast summary
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    Impact of Energy Base Effects: Italian Inflation Plummets to 1.8% in October, Paving the Way for Potential Winter Rebound

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:19
    Italian inflation sees a sharp fall on favourable energy base effects The decline in Italian inflation in October was stronger than expected, bringing the headline inflation rate temporarily below the 2% threshold. While we could see a rebound over the winter, this is good news for real disposable income developments.   Headline inflation surprises to the downside, driven by a favourable base effectWe had anticipated a steep fall in Italian headline inflation for October – but the actual data has turned out even stronger than expected. The preliminary estimate disclosed by the Istat shows that headline inflation fell to 1.8% year-on-year (from 5.3% in September), the lowest level since July 2021 and helped by huge base effects in the energy components. The bulk of the decline is explained by non-regulated (to -17.7% from +7.5% YoY) and regulated (-32.9% from -32.7% YoY) energy goods, but food components also provided a solid contribution. These falls trumped the increases in housing and transport services. Core inflation (which leaves out energy and fresh food) also decelerated to 4.2% from 4.6% in September, and now lies well above the headline measure as expected. Behind this, there is a re-widening between services inflation at 4.1% and goods inflation (+0.1%).   Inflation to return above 2% over the winter Looking ahead, the energy component will unlikely be able to act any further as a drag and we expect inflation to return back above 2% over the winter. The pace at which the core component will be able to decelerate will crucially depend on consumption developments. As shown by the preliminary estimate of third-quarter GDP also released this morning, the Italian economy stalled over the quarter, with a negative contribution of domestic demand (gross of inventories) compensated by net exports. Thanks to a resilient labour market and decent wage growth, we suspect that consumption might not have acted as a drag in the third quarter, and could gain potential support over the winter from the impact of declining inflation on real disposable income. This could potentially slow the decline in core inflation through the services component. All in all, after today’s release we're revising down our inflation forecasts to 5.9% for 2023 and 2.3% for 2024.
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    Federal Reserve to Maintain Rates Amid Global Economic Concerns: Market Analysis by Michael Hewson

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 02.11.2023 12:24
    Fed set to hold rates again with Powell press conference to set the tone  By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European stocks underwent their 3rd successive monthly decline yesterday, despite ending the month on a positive note, with the DAX falling 3.75%, with the FTSE100 also losing 3.75%, and posting its weakest monthly close since October last year US markets also finished lower for the third month in a row, despite a similarly positive finish yesterday, with the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 both losing more than 2% on concerns about future earnings growth and a possible economic slowdown at a time when rates are expected to remain higher for longer, even as US economic data continues to show little sign of slowing markedly.     It's a different story altogether when it comes to the economic numbers in Europe, where yesterday we saw EU GDP in Q3 slide into contraction territory having seen little to no growth at all in Q1 and Q2.    Inflation across the entire euro area is also showing increasing signs of slowing sharply, calling into question the decision by the ECB to hike rates by 25bps in September in the face of warnings that they could well be overdoing it when it comes to raising rates.   Today's focus shifts back to the US with the penultimate Federal Reserve rate meeting for 2023, as well as the latest ADP payrolls report for October, September job openings numbers, and the latest ISM manufacturing survey.   While the US labour market has held up well this year, we've seen this come against a backdrop of a global manufacturing recession. The last time the ISM manufacturing survey posted a positive reading above 50, was October last year, with expectations that we'll see an unchanged reading of 49. Prices paid is expected to edge higher to 45, from 43.8, while employment is set to slow from 51.2 to 50.9.     Before that we have the latest ADP employment for October which is expected to improve on the surprisingly weak 89k we saw in September, with 150k new positions. Vacancies have been falling over the last few months and are expected to slow again given the rise in the participation rate seen in recent months, with today's JOLTs numbers expected to slow from 9610k to 9400k. Against such a resilient labour market attention will then shift to tonight's Fed meeting.   Having overseen a pause in September the US Federal Reserve looks set to undertake a similar decision today, although they still have one more rate hike in their guidance for this year, which markets now appear to be pricing for December.     Fed chair Jay Powell, in comments made just before the blackout, appeared to indicate that a status quo hold is the most likely outcome at today's meeting, with the key message continuing to be higher for longer. This is certainly being reflected in market pricing especially in the longer dated part of the treasury curve, as the yield curve continues to un-invert.     Most policymakers appear to be of the mind that more time is needed to assess the effects that previous rate hikes have had on the US economy which seems eminently sensible. While the unemployment rate has remained stubbornly low, US consumption patterns have remained resilient while the US economy grew strongly in Q3, however there is this nagging doubt that it could be on the cusp of a sharp slowdown in Q4, and recent payrolls data has shown a large proportion of part time jobs being added.   With US mortgage rates already at 8% there comes a point when further rate increases could destabilise the housing market, as well as increase the pressure further when it comes to tightening financial conditions.   The pound will also be in focus today with the latest house price data from Nationwide expected to show further weakness in house prices in October, with a decline of -0.4% expected.     The latest UK manufacturing PMIs for October is expected to improve from 44.3 to 45.2.               EUR/USD – ran out of steam at the 1.0680 area and 50-day SMA, with support back at the lows of last week at 1.0520, with the next support at the recent lows at 1.0450. Resistance at the 1.0700 area and 50-day SMA.  GBP/USD – rallied to 1.2200 before slipping back with support at the lows of last week at the 1.2070 area last week. Major support remains at the October lows just above 1.2030. Below 1.2000 targets the 1.1800 area. Resistance at 1.2300. EUR/GBP – squeezed up to 0.8755 in a classic bull trap before sliding sharply back. A move below 0.8680 and the 200-day SMA targets the 0.8620 area. USD/JPY – rallied hard from the support at 148.75 and the lows from 2-weeks ago and looks set to retest the highs from last year at 151.95, and the longer term target at 152.20. FTSE100 is expected to open 11 points higher at 7,332 DAX is expected to open 32 points higher at 14,842 CAC40 is expected to open 17 points higher at 6,902
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    Fed Continues Rate Hikes Amid Strong Growth, Inflation Concerns

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:26
    Don't expect the Fed to stop amid strong growth, higher inflation.  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank    The US dollar was bid on Tuesday thanks to a rapid selloff in the Japanese yen, after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) announced mini policy loosening steps that didn't find buyers. Loosening the upper limit on the 10-year JGB yield in the context of a YCC policy is not enough when considering that the BoJ should drop it altogether and for good.   But on the contrary, not only that the BoJ is not giving up on its YCC policy, but is on track to match its record annual bond purchases. Almost all the Japanese 10-year bonds are held by the BoJ – which in my opinion will become illegal one day - and the BoJ hasn't yet moved an inch towards normalization of its rate policy whereas the major central bank rate hikes start plateauing after more than a 1.5 year of aggressive rate hikes. So, no wonder the yen got smashed yesterday. The USDJPY spiked past 151, even though the uptick in the US - Japan 10-year yield spread – which also ticked up because of a jump in the Japanese 10-year yield, didn't attract the yen longs. The only thing that holds traders back from more aggressive selling is the fear of a direct FX intervention. If that happens, there is a good reason to buy a dip.   Zooming out of Japan, the US dollar index consolidated a touch below last month peak. The US consumer confidence index dropped to a 5-month low, but the latest wages data continued to give signs of strength. Yes strength – I am sorry. The employment cost index, a top-notch gauge of what employers spend on compensation, rose 1.1% in Q3 – slightly higher than a quarter earlier. Wages and salaries rose 4.6% - above the US headline CPI, and well above 3% as before the pandemic. And that was before the UAW reached a jaw-dropping deal with Detroit's 3 carmakers where they nailed a 25% increase in wages and around 150% increase in compensations for the low-paid tier of temporary workers. The ADP data is expected reveal around 150K new private job additions in October, and JOLTS data is expected to show a drop in job openings. On Friday, we will have a look at the official figures. The latter won't impact the Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations for this week's policy decision. But any further strength in US jobs data will reinforce a potentially hawkish stance from the Fed policymakers this week.   The Fed.  We know that the Fed is not done hiking the interest rates. We know that Jerome Powell won't call the end of the policy tightening after seeing a blowout growth data – which showed that the US GDP grew almost 5% in Q3 (that's more than China!), and inflation ticked higher because Americans kept spending. Duh! And if people kept spending their savings it was because they didn't necessarily feel threatened to lose their jobs, or remain jobless for long. So yes, the jobs market strength is playing tricks on the Fed, and it's clearly not loose enough. The chances are that we won't hear anything soothingly dovish. 'The higher yields help us do the job' is the best it will get.   You know where growth is not strong?  China is not doing brilliant and this week's economic data in China showed that the Chinese factory sector slipped back into contraction and the Eurozone economies announced gloomy GDP updates, as well. The German economy contracted in Q3, the French and Italian economies stagnated, the overall Eurozone growth fell 0.1% on a quarterly basis.   But at least, inflation slowed. As a result of soft growth and inflation data, the EURUSD couldn't extend gains above the 50-DMA and sank below the 1.06 level yesterday. The positive trend is losing momentum, the divergence between the strength of the US economy versus its European counterparts, and the divergence between the Fed and the European Central Bank (ECB) outlooks play in favour of a deeper depreciation in the euro against the greenback.  Crude approaching $80pb crossroads  US crude slipped below its 100-DMA yesterday as buyers became rare on news that Israel's ground offensive is not as violent as expected. A 1.3mio barrel build in US crude inventories may have helped the bears to push the selloff below the $82pb level. Yet, oil bears will certainly hit a decent support near the $80p level because at this level, they know that Saudi has their back. And the risks of geopolitical nature remain clearly tilted to the upside. For those who bet that we will see a dip near the $80pb level, it is soon time to roll up the sleeves.   Worst since the pandemic, and yet...  The S&P500 rose on the last day of October but recorded its longest monthly slide since the pandemic. Still, the index kicks off the new month a touch above the major 38.2% retracement which should distinguish between the continuation of last year's rally, and a slide into the medium-term bearish consolidation zone. The next direction will depend on whether the US yields will consolidate and eventually come lower, or they will continue their journey higher. In the second scenario, we will likely see major US stock indices sink into a bearish trend. 
    Hungarian Industry: September Surprises with Export-Led Growth, but Domestic Demand Lags

    Hungarian Industry: September Surprises with Export-Led Growth, but Domestic Demand Lags

    ING Economics ING Economics 07.11.2023 15:56
    Hungarian industry runs on exports alone Although September brought some recovery in Hungarian industry, domestic demand is still limiting the overall performance. The silver lining is that the third quarter was good enough to take Hungary out of technical recession. Industry surprised on the upside in September, with output rising by 1.2% month-on-month, according to the latest release from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. This also means that, contrary to the expected deterioration, the year-on-year index for the working day adjusted indicator improved in September compared with August. Although the change in September can be seen as a positive development, the overall picture remains unimpressive, with production levels failing to reach the levels seen in July. Moreover, the level of industrial production is still hovering around the levels seen after the recovery from the Covid crisis.   Volume of industrial production   With the September data, we now have the performance for the third quarter as a whole as well. Our estimates show that industry grew by around 1.7% on a quarterly basis, meaning that the sector could have made a positive contribution to GDP growth in the third quarter. This raises the possibility that, after four quarters, we may see a positive quarter-on-quarter change in GDP, i.e. an end to the technical recession in Hungary.   Production level and quarterly performance of industry   Detailed data is yet to be released, but according to preliminary data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), there were no significant changes in the structure of industrial production. While the majority of sub-sectors contributed to the decline in output, the exceptions remain the manufacture of EV batteries and the car industry. The improved performance in September was thus due to export sectors returning to full capacity after the summer shutdowns. Moreover, the data suggests that the technical problem experienced by Volkswagen at the end of September did not lead to a production shortfall that would have dragged down the industry's performance.   Performance of Hungarian industry   In our view, as long as there is no lasting change in the economic environment, industrial production will hover around the levels of 2021-2022. This also means that we can expect industrial production to contract by around 5% for the year as a whole. In terms of risks regarding the outlook, there have been no significant changes over the past month. The clouds are gathering on the external demand side, i.e. on the side of the export-producing sectors, as European industrial performance continues to struggle to find its footing, while growth in China is still weak, which is hardly helping a recovery in world trade. Over the past two months, new orders in the manufacturing sector have contracted, and order books have also weakened. While the level of total orders in June was 10.6% higher on a yearly basis, we see the possibility of it falling into negative territory in September due to the high base. Turning to domestic factors, there are still no signs of a rapid pick-up in output growth in domestic demand (consumption and investment) in the short term.   Factors limiting production in Hungarian industry (% of respondents)   Looking at the end of this year and the outlook for 2024, there are some positives. Industrial companies will be able to renegotiate their energy contracts this winter at a much more favourable market price. This could lead to a significant reduction in their costs, which in turn could lead to a pick-up in production in sectors that are currently underperforming due to sunk costs (mostly sectors driven by domestic demand). This could also be helped by the fact that, as inflation moderates and household purchasing power recovers from the end of the year onwards, industrial sectors producing for the domestic market could receive some positive impetus not only from the supply side but also from the demand side, which could offset the initial weakening of industrial exports.    
    FX Daily: Dollar's Fate Hangs on Data as Rates Decline Further

    EUR/USD Nears 1.0660 as ECB's Lagarde Takes the Stage

    ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 10:05
    EUR: Lagarde to speak today The dollar’s bounce sent EUR/USD back close to the 1.0660 mark, and we cannot exclude a bit more pressure as the impact of yesterday’s US bond sell-off might be felt across European markets today. The EUR-USD 2-year swap rate differential has rewidened after yesterday’s events and is now close to the 136bp pre-FOMC low. Today's focus will be on a speech by European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde in London. A slow shift from trying to convince markets another hike is a possibility (like in the US, investors remain hard to persuade) to pushing back more directly against rate expectations may start to appear more clearly in ECB members’ remarks. The EUR OIS curve prices in a first cut between April and June. The impact on the EUR from ECB speakers has been, however, quite modest and we doubt that would change in a very short time. Elsewhere in Europe, the UK released third-quarter growth data this morning. GDP was a tad better than expected for the third quarter as a whole, coming in flat, but this was entirely due to a fall in imports. In reality, the domestic elements of GDP were negative, and strike activity earlier in the summer is a key factor. In the bigger picture, the UK economy hasn't really grown this year in level terms. Our base case is stagnation/modest growth, but a recession can't be ruled out. Ultimately, the BoE won't be paying these figures too much attention, with the focus instead on next week's services inflation and wage growth figures.
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    UK Economy Remains Stagnant in Q3 Amid Concerns of a Looming Recession

    ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 10:12
    UK economy flatlines in the third quarter UK GDP was a little better than expected, but in reality, the economy has largely stagnated this year. We expect that trend to continue over coming quarters as the impact of higher rates continue to bite, though a recession can't be ruled out.   UK economy flatlined in the third quarter We shouldn’t make too much of the fact that the UK economy performed a little better than expected in the third quarter. The level of real GDP was flat relative to the second quarter, compared to consensus and our own expectation of a 0.1% decline. The details reveal that the economy was rescued by net imports, a category that tends to be pretty volatile between quarters. Other key areas – notably consumption and business investment – were negative on the quarter. But we also have to remember that it’s been a fairly wild few months for several key sub-sectors of the GDP figures. June saw a massive 0.7% rise in activity, owing to a highly unusual surge in manufacturing. And July saw a corresponding 0.6% drop as that production boost partly unwound, but also on a number of public sector strikes in health/education. What’s happened since – with GDP growing by 0.1% in August and 0.2% in September – is as much about those trends unwinding as it is about genuine economic activity growth.   Bank of England remains more focused on inflation The fact that the UK economy didn’t contract in the latest quarter will, temporarily, dampen some of the discussion about a recession. Our best guess at the moment is that we’ll get a return to very modest growth in the fourth quarter, though this is partly down to base effects after that weakness in July. Instead, the discussion of a potential recession should be more focused on what’s happening in the jobs market. There has been a clear cooling in hiring demand, though issues with the unemployment figures make it difficult to say how far this has translated into higher joblessness. We’d expect redundancies to rise gradually as the impact of higher rates continues to squeeze margins for businesses. Higher mortgage rates will also be a drag on activity. With around 4-5% of mortgage holders refinancing each quarter, many of which coming off a 5-year fixed deal with rates that start with either a 1 or a 2, the average repayment will continue to increase – even though it looks like the Bank of England’s tightening cycle is over. We expect the average rate on outstanding mortgage debt to climb from just over 3% now to just under 4% by the end of 2024. That said, we have to remember that only around a quarter of households have a mortgage these days, and this pain will be partly offset by positive real wage growth over coming quarters. In short, we think the most likely path for the economy is stagnation or very modest growth next year, though a recession can’t be ruled out. These latest GDP figures are of limited consequence for the Bank of England, and the committee’s focus will be more centered on next week’s services inflation and wage growth figures. Both are still too high for the Bank’s liking, but barring any huge upside surprises in both sets of figures, we think the next move for Bank Rate will be down with cuts beginning next summer.
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    Fiscal Policy Continuity in Dutch Politics: What to Expect After the 2023 Elections

    ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 10:35
    Dutch political parties want to continue fiscal expansion of previous administration In the run-up to parliamentary elections on 22 November, Dutch political parties are signalling they want to continue most of the fiscal expansion set out by the previous government. While, on average, the degree of intended expansion looks unchanged, most potential coalition parties are aiming for a little more prudence.   Polls suggest possible significant changes to votes A lot could potentially change in Dutch politics after the elections for the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) on 22 November. Many (traditional) political parties have a new leader, and most recent polls suggest some significant changes in support. Compared to the election results of March 2021, those polls suggest losses for the Rutte IV coalition parties comprising of the Liberal conservatives VVD, centrist liberal democrats D66, Christian democrats CDA and the Christian-social CU, with particular losses for the CDA and D66. The new NSC party, led by former CDA member Pieter Omtzigt, has put public sector accountability on the political agenda and is currently the largest winner in the polls with 27 of the total of 150 seats, potentially receiving as many votes as VDD. Another relatively new party, the farmers’ and citizens’ BBB, seems to have gained much more support (with 12 seats compared to the previous 1 in recent polls), while the new combination of formerly independent parties, the social democrats PvdA and progressive green left GroenLinks, are also projected to make a substantial gain in votes (from their combined 17 seats currently to 24). Such changes in votes potentially bring about substantial policy changes. Here, we look at what political parties intend for fiscal policy.   Polls suggest possibly significant changes to votes for the Dutch parliament Point estimate of polled number of seats for the Dutch House of Representativse*, point estimate and change compared to 2021 vote result   Only detailed quantification of fiscal policy possible for a subset of political parties This week, CPB (Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis) analysed the fiscal and economic effects of the policies in manifestos of a number of volunteering political parties. This allows us to get a feel for the degree of fiscal expansion that we could expect. Not all parties participated in this exercise. We therefore also rely on more broad-brush analyses of former CPB-economist Wim Suyker, who tried to estimate the fiscal deficit resulting from the plans of elderly-centred social-conservatives 50+, BBB, populist conservative liberals BVNL, the diversity-focused Denk, NSC, progressive left animal-friendly party PvdD and socialist party SP. Unfortunately, the manifestos of Geert Wilder’s populist conservative party PVV, Thierry Baudet’s populist conservative liberals FvD and Edson Olf’s inclusion-focused BIJ1 were too nebulous to even put a rough number on. As such, we are more or less able to quantify the plans for parties that have 85% of the votes in the latest poll.   While party differences exist, on average the direction of fiscal would remain largely unchanged The Rutte IV coalition agreement was set to have the most expansionary set of policies in recent Dutch history, but the government collapsed. These plans are taken as the base case, as they have, to a significant extent, already been broadly set in motion. For our classification of the intended fiscal stance of political parties in the next government term, we focus on the projections for the structural government budget estimated for 2028. The picture appears very mixed: there are parties, with BVNL, SP and Denk on the one extreme, that wish to implement even more expansionary policies than the previous government (-3.0% GDP structural balance in 2028), while there are also those, especially pan-European social liberals Volt and to a lesser extent D66, VVD and CU, which opt for more fiscal prudence. Parties that are fiscally loose in many cases would widen the deficit by one or a few percentage points of GDP whereas more prudent parties generally aim to reduce the structural deficit by about half a percentage point of GDP.      Projected structural government budget balance as % of GDP in 2028 if plans of manifestos are implemented Projected structural government budget balance as % of GDP in 2028 in case plans of manifestos are implemented   If we weight the estimates for the parties by their share of votes in the most recent polls, Dutch political parties on average look like they intend to continue the expansionary policy that the previous government had already planned. Together, they would aim at a structural deficit of 3.0% of GDP, similar to the base case.   Parties with higher likelihood of joining the coalition tend to opt for more fiscal prudence Such a weighted average includes parties that are not so likely to govern. It is, however, also quite difficult to exactly predict the composition of the next coalition. If we focus on the parties that are, in our view, somewhat more likely to govern (for example, because of more support, a history of participating in coalitions, fewer populist tendencies, etc.), we do however observe that there is a tendency towards a bit more fiscal prudence than the course that the previous government had set out.   Fiscal policy will remain supportive for economic growth in the short run That said, independent of which parties will govern, fiscal policy is most likely to remain expansionary when we have a look at the structural deficit over time. The structural government budget was estimated at -1.6% of GDP for 2023. All parties will increase that deficit toward 2028. Only Volt (-1.7% of GDP) comes close to having hardly any fiscal thrust intended. Hence, we can conclude that it seems likely that fiscal policy will remain at least somewhat supportive of economic growth in the coming years.
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    GBP/USD Faces Resistance and Turns Bearish: Targets 1.2070 Amid Weak UK Data

    InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 10.11.2023 10:50
    GBP/USD Yesterday, the British pound failed to overcome the resistance of the MACD indicator line (red arrow) and, turning away from it, closed the day with a loss of 62 points. Now the price is aiming for the lower line of the price channel around 1.2130. Overcoming the support opens the target level of 1.2070 – the average low of October 26, 2023 and May 18, 2020. Today, the UK is expected to release weak data; GDP for the 3rd quarter may show a decrease of 0.1% (0.5% YoY against 0.6% YoY earlier), industrial output for September is expected to contract by 0.5%, industrial production for the same month is forecasted to decrease by 0.1%. On the 4-hour chart, the price has overcome the support of the MACD line, and the Marlin oscillator is decreasing in the downtrend territory. The pair has a great potential to move down.  
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    Italian Industrial Production Remains Stable in September, Anticipating a Soft Economic Patch

    ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 12:48
    Italian industrial production was stable in September September's industrial production data and October survey data suggest that the soft economic patch will remain in place over the fourth quarter, with downward pressure on goods as the only positive fallout. The soft patch in Italian industry continued in September, according to Istat’s data. Seasonally-adjusted production was flat on the month, and the working days adjusted measure was down 2% on the year. In September, production was 3% lower than at the pre-Covid peak. A quick look at big industry aggregates shows a sharp monthly decline in consumer goods (-2.2% month-on-month), offset by increases in investment goods (+1.5% MoM), intermediate goods (+0.3% MoM) and energy (+1.1% MoM). The manufacturing breakdown shows that previous patterns in yearly changes have been broadly confirmed: sectors which had been particularly penalised by supply chain disruptions such as the transport equipment industry continued to rebound, while those more exposed to developments in construction activity, such as wood and non-metal mineral products, continue to suffer. The view on the quarter, a modest 0.2% gain in production in the third quarter over the previous one, does not add anything relevant to what we already knew from the value added provided by the preliminary estimate of 3Q23 GDP. Looking ahead, high-frequency confidence data for October suggests that manufacturing weakness will likely remain in place over the last quarter of 2023. Softening orders are reportedly weighing on current and expected production, pointing to a possible negative contribution of manufacturing to value added generation over the last quarter of 2023. If this is confirmed, the stagnating economic environment looks set to persist over the fourth quarter, with a small negative growth reading remaining a possibility if services take a downward direction. The one positive feature of the ongoing manufacturing soft patch is that this adds downward pressure to goods inflation, possibly bringing forward gains in real disposable income.
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    Asia Morning Bites: Strong 3Q23 Singapore GDP Amidst Quiet Market Pre-US Thanksgiving

    ING Economics ING Economics 22.11.2023 15:13
    Asia Morning Bites Final 3Q23 Singapore GDP posts stronger-then-expected gain on a quiet day for markets ahead of the US Thanksgiving holiday. Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  Tuesday saw modest declines in bond yields and also some slight weakness in stocks while the dollar made back some of its recent losses. The yields on 2Y and 10Y US Treasuries fell by 3.9bp and 2.7bp respectively. The 10Y now sits at 4.393%. The S&P 500 dropped by 0.2%, though it was a fairly flat day after the lower open. The NASDAQ fell 0.59%.  Equity futures are pointing to a lower open again today. The USD shrugged off lower yields and rallied against the EUR to take EURUSD back down to 1.0917 after briefly touching 1.09 intraday. The AUD was flattish at 0.6559, but Cable put on some further gains to 1.2542 ahead of the UK Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, where modest tax cuts are expected. The JPY was also roughly unchanged from this time yesterday, though it did look at 147 before retreating back up above 148. Most of the Asia pack made modest gains yesterday. The TWD topped the group with a 0.7% gain, dropping to 31.428. USDCNY is now 7.1407. G-7 macro:  It was another extremely quiet day for macro releases. FOMC minutes overnight appear to confirm the cautious approach to Fed policy which is being interpreted by markets as evidence that the Fed has peaked. Here’s a link to the FOMC minutes. US existing home sales dropped 4.1% MoM in October. Durable goods orders and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey are the main releases of the day. Elsewhere, UK public finances for October showed the government borrowing GBP14bn during the month, more than had been expected, and reducing the room for manoeuvre for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in today’s Autumn Statement, where he will attempt to shore up the Tories’ flagging popularity with some tax cuts. Singapore: The final estimate for 3Q GDP showed the economy grew 1.1% YoY beating consensus expectations for a 0.8% YoY gain and higher than the initial estimate of 0.7% YoY.  Compared to the previous quarter, the economy grew by 1.4%.  Singapore now expects full-year 2023 GDP to settle at roughly 1.0% YoY.  Despite the better-than-expected 3Q GDP report, risks to the growth outlook remain with global demand still patchy, while Singapore's inflation is still expected to remain elevated in 2024.   What to look out for: US data reports Australia Westpac leading index (22 November) US Univ of Michigan sentiment, initial jobless claims and durable goods orders (22 November) Singapore CPI inflation (23 November) Bank Indonesia policy (23 November) Japan CPI inflation (24 November) Singapore industrial production (24 November)
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    UK Faces Elevated Recession Risks as New Year Approaches Despite Marginal Business Growth: Economic Data Analysis

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 12:57
    As the new year approaches, the UK remains exposed to elevated recession risks, despite a slight uptick in business growth this month, according to recent economic data.  The latest survey of purchasing managers at UK firms reveals a marginal return to growth in November, ending three months of contraction as the Flash UK PMI composite output index, tracking overall economic activity, rose to 50.1 from October's 48.7, the first time in four months it exceeded the 50-point mark indicating stagnation. While the services industry experienced growth and manufacturing contracted at a slower rate, concerns linger as reduced discretionary consumer spending and cost-of-living pressures impact sales and as total new work has decreased for the fifth consecutive month while businesses raised prices in November, passing on wage inflation and higher fuel costs. Despite a pause in interest rate hikes and a slowdown in inflation measures, the survey suggests the UK GDP may remain broadly flat in the final quarter of 2023, prompting concerns for the Bank of England about persistent domestic inflation pressures.  The situation for the bank of England remains precarious and it appears that the recent tax measures announced by the chancellor will do little to help the average consumer that might find themselves struggling with higher bills as the new year approaches. The risk of recession remains high and unless we see a significant rebound in economic activity with a strengthening consumer the possibility for further weakness for the UK economy will continue to increase leaving the central bank with even fewer choices.  
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    Downgraded Growth Projections: Germany and UK Face Economic Challenges Amid Budget Chaos

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 23.11.2023 13:07
    Speaking of morose growth projections Forecasts for German growth in 2024 have been significantly lowered following the recent budget chaos after the German Constitutional Court declared government's spending plans unconstitutional. Germany – Europe's growth engine – is now seen growing just 0.4% next year. The UK, on the other hand, cut its own growth forecast significantly in yesterday's Autumn Statement. Jeremy Hunt said that the economy would grow only by around 0.7% - still better than Germany, but that projection is down from the 1.7% announced earlier. The good news for British people and businesses is that Hunt announced tax cuts for both individual and companies and lowered the national insurance payroll levy. The Brits will now make a permanent 100% - yes 100% tax relief – on companies' capital spending. But don't be fooled by these beautiful numbers. In reality, the British tax burden will still mount to 38% of its GDP by the end of this decade and will reach its highest since post-WW2 and that 100% tax relief – the so-called 'full expensing' - is good for businesses that invest in big machinery but in a service-focused economy like the UK's, the benefits will likely remain limited. This is certainly why the market reaction was muted yesterday. The 10-year gilt yield was slightly up, the FTSE 100 closed the session slightly in the negative, while Cable fell below the 1.25 mark, on the back of a broad-based rebound in the US dollar that hit most major peers.  
    Surprising Surge: Singapore's October Inflation Exceeds Expectations, Headlining at 4.7%

    Surprising Surge: Singapore's October Inflation Exceeds Expectations, Headlining at 4.7%

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 13:09
    Singapore inflation rises more than expected Headline inflation heated up to 4.7% year-on-year compared to expectations of a 4.5% rise.   October inflation heats up more than expected Singapore's headline inflation rose to 4.7% YoY, higher than the median forecast of a 4.5% increase from October last year. Prices were up 0.2% from the previous month. Core inflation, which is the preferred measure of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), rebounded to 3.3% YoY, up from the previous month's 3.0% gain. The central bank was expecting some upside pressure on prices in the near term owing to higher energy prices and utilities but the acceleration in October was more than market participants were anticipating.  As expected, transport costs picked up (8.4% YoY vs 6.3% previous) as did healthcare (5.2% YoY) and housing & utilities (3.9% YoY). Meanwhile, items related to recreation & culture saw prices increase 5.8% YoY (vs 4.3% previous), reflecting still robust domestic spending, which figured in the latest 3Q GDP report.  For the year, the MAS expects headline inflation to average roughly 5% YoY while core inflation is forecast to settle at between 2.5-3.5% YoY.            Inflation picks up more than expected in October
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    Bank Indonesia Maintains Policy Rate at 6% in Line with Expectations: Signals Focus on Currency Stability

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 13:26
    No surprises today as Bank Indonesia keeps policy rate unchanged Indonesia's central bank has opted to keep the policy rate at 6%, in line with estimates.   BI opts to keep the policy rate at 6% Bank Indonesia (BI) held fast today, retaining the policy rate at 6%, in line with expectations. With inflation still relatively subdued, Governor Perry Warjiyo opted to pause despite renewed pressure on the rupiah. Despite today’s hold, BI indicated it would step up currency stabilisation efforts to limit the impact of imported inflation.  BI may have opted to refrain from tightening further after 3Q GDP slipped below market expectations and below the 5% threshold after seven straight quarters.      The central bank expects 4Q GDP to be “strong” citing solid consumer confidence and PMI readings pointing to a manufacturing sector in expansion.  Meanwhile, domestic liquidity conditions were deemed “ample” with loan growth expected to hit 9-11% this year despite recent policy tightening.    On the external balance, BI expects the current account balance to settle somewhere within -0.4% to 0.4% of GDP this year, with the trade surplus normalising after a record-wide reading last year.   BI decides to hold today   BI done with rate hikes? After hiking policy rates unexpectedly in October, BI opted to keep rates untouched, possibly with growth needing an extra boost to close out the year. The question now is whether Bank Indonesia is done with its current rate hike cycle. We believe the answer will once again hinge on currency stability, with BI keeping its focus on providing support for the IDR. In the meantime, it looks as if the central bank is content with stepping up intervention via the spot, DNDF and bond markets to ensure FX stability.  In the coming months, BI will likely be keeping an eye on the currency and imported inflation dynamics, with the central bank likely remaining open to additional tightening should the IDR come under substantial pressure.
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    PMI Indices Signal Lingering Inflationary Pressures and Economic Slowdown in France

    ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 13:28
    PMI indices point to continued strong inflationary pressures The PMI indices for November, also published this morning, also point to a deterioration in the economic outlook. The composite index fell in November to 44.5, compared with 44.6 in October. For the sixth month in a row, the index is below the 50 threshold. According to the survey, it was manufacturing that was the main drag on activity, with manufacturers recording their sharpest fall in production since May 2020. Order books and business expectations are down in both the services and manufacturing sectors. Worryingly, the survey continues to point to significant inflationary pressures, particularly in the services sector, where inflation has accelerated compared with October.   This is obviously bad news for the European Central Bank as this indicates that disinflation will take time in France. Inflation is likely to remain close to 4% for the next few months, and it will probably be 2025 before consumer price inflation in France returns to 2%. We expect inflation, according to the harmonised index, to be 2.5% at the end of 2024 and 1.9% at the end of 2025.      GDP expected to stagnate in the fourth quarter Ultimately, the activity indicators published so far for the fourth quarter are weak and suggest that French economic growth is likely to continue slowing at the end of 2023. After GDP growth of +0.1% quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter, a rebound in the fourth quarter seems highly unlikely. We expect GDP to stagnate over the quarter, which would bring average growth for 2023 to 0.9%.   We believe that the recovery in 2024 will be slow, weighed down by a sharp global economic slowdown and by monetary policy that remains very restrictive. Given the low starting point for the year, average growth in 2024 is likely to be weak, and well below the government's forecast of 1.4%. Our forecast for average French GDP growth in 2024 is 0.6%.
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    Euro Gains Ground as German and Eurozone PMIs Show Improvement Despite Continuing Contraction

    Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 23.11.2023 15:28
    German, Eurozone PMIs accelerate The euro is trading slightly higher on Thursday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0917, up 0.27%. German PMIs accelerate but still in decline German PMIs were released earlier today, presenting a cup-half-full-half-empty picture. Let’s start with the good news. German Manufacturing PMI hit a six-month high and the Services PMI a two-month high and both beat the forecasts. However, both manufacturing and services remain in contraction, as the eurozone’s largest economy continues to sputter. The Manufacturing PMI rose to 42.3 in November (Oct: 40.8) and beat the consensus estimate of 41.2. Services PMI climbed to 48.7 in November (Oct: 41.2) and edged above the market consensus of 48.5. Manufacturing has been in decline since June 2022 and services has posted four declines. The downturn in the struggling German economy has eased a bit and that bit of positive news has given the euro a slight boost today.  The eurozone PMIs also showed a slight improvement but remain in contraction territory. The soft PMIs suggest that growth in Germany and the eurozone will likely continue to slow, and that could mean disappointing GDP prints for the fourth quarter. Germany’s economy is expected to contract by 0.3% in 2023, while the eurozone is expected to grow by 0.6%. Germany, which not too long ago was a global economic powerhouse, is looking more like the sick man of Europe. US markets are closed for Thanksgiving, which means we’re unlikely to see much movement with the US dollar. That could change on Friday, with the release of US manufacturing and services PMIs. The consensus estimates for November stand at 49.8 for manufacturing (Oct: 50.0) and 50.4 for services (Oct. 49.8). An unexpected reading from either PMI could shake up the US dollar.   EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is testing resistance at 1.0888. Above, there is resistance at 1.0943 1.0831 and 1.0784 are providing support    
    CEE Economic Update: Inflation Trends, GDP Releases, and Fiscal Reviews Awaited

    CEE Economic Update: Inflation Trends, GDP Releases, and Fiscal Reviews Awaited

    ING Economics ING Economics 27.11.2023 15:20
    CEE: Quiet first half of the week The first half of the week basically has nothing to offer in the region. We will see the first interesting data on Thursday. In Poland, November inflation will be published, where we expect a slight increase from 6.6% to 6.7% YoY, slightly above market expectations. Poland's second estimate of third-quarter GDP will also be released, which will offer a breakdown. We expect a confirmation at 0.4% YoY. On Friday, we will see the same GDP numbers in Hungary and the Czech Republic and also PMI in the region. The Czech Republic will also release budget numbers, and Moody's will publish a rating review of Poland. We don't expect any changes, but it will be interesting to see the assessment of the political and fiscal situation after the elections.  The zloty did not move much last week despite confirmation of an economic recovery. However, the short end of the rate curve is gradually moving up as we expected, which we think should push EUR/PLN down. Of course, the long positioning of the market is good to keep in mind here and will likely be an issue for faster PLN appreciation. These days, we see EUR/PLN below 4.360.  The koruna strengthened last week after a surprise paying flow and maybe some hints of hawkishness from the Czech National Bank (CNB). However, we believe that weak economic data and more mixed CNB views will bring back the rate-cutting discussion and that market rates will go down again. The first signal was already visible on Friday, and rates are thus pointing to a weaker koruna back above 24.450 EUR/CZK.  The forint rebounded last week after the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) meeting but still failed to hold new gains. We think EUR/HUF should go down from these levels, but we need to see new triggers. Last week, we saw positive headlines from the EU money story – and we may see more this week, which would certainly help. Rates also bounced up after the central bank meeting. Overall, we are positive on the HUF and expect levels below 380 EUR/HUF in the coming days. 
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    The Day of Speculation: Bank of Japan Hints at Exiting Negative Interest Rate Policy, Shaking FX Markets

    ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:58
    The day has come.  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Yesterday was finally the day that most FX traders have been waiting for since at least a year: the day where the Bank of Japan (BoJ) gave a hint that it will finally exit its negative interest rate policy. Precisely, the BoJ Governor said, after his meeting with the Japanese PM - that handling of monetary policy would get tougher from the end of the year. Indeed, the BoJ is buying a spectacular quantity of JGBs to keep the YCC intact at absurdly low levels compared with where the rest of the developed markets yields are following an almost 2-year long of aggressive monetary policy tightening campaign. At its highest this year – after the BoJ relaxed the rules on its YCC policy – the 10-year JGB flirted with the 1% mark, whereas the 10-year yield German bund yield hit 3%, the 10-year British gilt yield advanced to 4.70% and the US 10-year yield hit 5%. Certainly, inflation in Japan lagged significantly behind inflation in Western peers, yet inflation in the US is now exactly where inflation in Japan is: near 3%.   The BoJ's negative rate is the last souvenir of the zero/negative rate era and any small hint that things will get moving over there could move oceans. And this is what happened yesterday. The speculation that the BoJ will hike rates as soon as this month spiked to 45% soon after Mr. Kuroda's words reached investors ears. The 10-year JGB yield spiked to 0.80% from around 0.62% reached earlier this week in parallel with the falling DM yields. The USDJPY fell from 147 to 141 in a single move, and the pair is consolidating gains a touch below 144 this morning, as traders argue whether a December normalization is too soon or not. Fundamentally it is not: in all cases, the BoJ will start normalizing policy two years after the Bank of England (BoE) hiked its rate for the first time after a long period. And the BoJ will be normalizing its rates when all major central banks plateaued their tightening policy and when investors are out guessing when the normalization – toward the other direction – will begin. So no, fundamentally, it is not too early for the BoJ to start hiking its policy rate. But it would be a sudden move – that's for sure!   In any case, it is more likely than not that the fortunes of the Japanese yen turned for good this week. In the short run, consolidation is the immediate answer to yesterday's kneejerk rally – which took the USDJPY immediately into the oversold market conditions as the move was also amplified with many traders covering their short positions. But from here, yen traders will be looking to sell the tops rather than to buy to dips. A sustainable move below 142.60 – the major 38.2% Fibonacci retracement on this year's bullish trend – will confirm a return to the bearish consolidation zone, then the pair will likely take out the next major technical supports: the 200-DMA near 142.30, the next psychological support at 140 and should gently head back to – at least around 127 – where it started the year. But these forecasts will hold only, and if only, the BoJ doesn't make a sudden U-turn on its normalization plans. Remember, the BoJ didn't say it would normalize. It just said that it will be hard to handle the actual policy for longer. If one were to imagine, Governor Kuroda maybe spent last night looking at the ceiling and wondering 'what have I said!'. Funny thing is, the BoJ's rate normalization speculation comes a few hours before the country revealed a 2% fall in its GDP; obviously, the global policy tightening has been hard on the world economy, and Japan can't avoid the global slowdown winds. If it turns out, Japan might normalize its monetary policy when its economy begins to slow down.    
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    The Day of Anticipation: BoJ's Hint at Exiting Negative Rates Sparks Market Reaction

    Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 12.12.2023 14:50
    The day has come By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Yesterday was finally the day that most FX traders have been waiting for since at least a year: the day where the Bank of Japan (BoJ) gave a hint that it will finally exit its negative interest rate policy. Precisely, the BoJ Governor said, after his meeting with the Japanese PM - that handling of monetary policy would get tougher from the end of the year. Indeed, the BoJ is buying a spectacular quantity of JGBs to keep the YCC intact at absurdly low levels compared with where the rest of the developed markets yields are following an almost 2-year long of aggressive monetary policy tightening campaign. At its highest this year – after the BoJ relaxed the rules on its YCC policy – the 10-year JGB flirted with the 1% mark, whereas the 10-year yield German bund yield hit 3%, the 10-year British gilt yield advanced to 4.70% and the US 10-year yield hit 5%. Certainly, inflation in Japan lagged significantly behind inflation in Western peers, yet inflation in the US is now exactly where inflation in Japan is: near 3%.   The BoJ's negative rate is the last souvenir of the zero/negative rate era and any small hint that things will get moving over there could move oceans. And this is what happened yesterday. The speculation that the BoJ will hike rates as soon as this month spiked to 45% soon after Mr. Ueda's words reached investors ears. The 10-year JGB yield spiked to 0.80% from around 0.62% reached earlier this week in parallel with the falling DM yields. The USDJPY fell from 147 to 141 in a single move, and the pair is consolidating gains a touch below 144 this morning, as traders argue whether a December normalization is too soon or not. Fundamentally it is not: in all cases, the BoJ will start normalizing policy two years after the Bank of England (BoE) hiked its rate for the first time after a long period. And the BoJ will be normalizing its rates when all major central banks plateau their tightening policy and when investors are out guessing when the normalization – toward the other direction – will begin. So no, fundamentally, it is not too early for the BoJ to start hiking its policy rate. But it would be a sudden move – that's for sure!   The Day of Anticipation: BoJ's Hint at Exiting Negative Rates Sparks Market Reaction"In any case, it is more likely than not that the fortunes of the Japanese yen turned for good this week. In the short run, consolidation is the immediate answer to yesterday's kneejerk rally – which took the USDJPY immediately into the oversold market conditions as the move was also amplified with many traders covering their short positions. But from here, yen traders will be looking to sell the tops rather than to buy to dips. A sustainable move below 142.60 – the major 38.2% Fibonacci retracement on this year's bullish trend – will confirm a return to the bearish consolidation zone, then the pair will likely take out the next major technical supports: the 200-DMA near 142.30, the next psychological support at 140 and should gently head back to – at least around 127 – where it started the year. But these forecasts will hold only, and if only, the BoJ doesn't make a sudden U-turn on its normalization plans. Remember, the BoJ didn't say it would normalize. It just said that it will be hard to handle the actual policy for longer. If one were to imagine, Governor Ueda maybe spent last night looking at the ceiling and wondering 'what have I said!'. Funny thing is, the BoJ's rate normalization speculation comes a few hours before the country revealed a 2% fall in its GDP; obviously, the global policy tightening has been hard on the world economy, and Japan can't avoid the global slowdown winds. If it turns out, Japan might normalize its monetary policy when its economy begins to slow down.    
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    Market Analysis: Fed's Dovish Pivot, European Economic Challenges, and Expectations for the Week Ahead

    Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 18.12.2023 13:44
    Weak start for Europe ahead of German IFO - By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)  After an unexpectedly dovish pivot from Fed chairman Jay Powell on Wednesday, European and US markets ended another positive week very much on a mixed note after New York Fed President John Williams pushed back on market expectations of a rate cut as early as March, saying it was premature to be even considering anything of that sort.   Williams was followed in his comments by Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic who delivered a similar line of thought, saying he expected rate cuts to begin in Q3 of 2024 if inflation falls as expected. With the Fed dots indicating that US policymakers saw rates back at 4.6% this appears to be more in line with the message the Fed had hoped to deliver on Wednesday, however markets decided to take Powell's press conference comments and run with them, getting out in front of their skis in doing so.   Given where the US economy is now it's surprising that the Fed are said to be to start to be thinking in terms of cutting rates simply because with the economy currently where it is, there is currently no need. With GDP at 5.2% in Q3, unemployment at 3.9%, and weekly jobless claims at just over 200k the risk of inflation reigniting is clearly still a concern for some policymakers.   That certainly doesn't appear to be the case in Europe where economic activity is stagnating at best and even now the ECB comes across as being reluctant to counter a rate cut, even though a reduction in borrowing costs is clearly needed, given that headline inflation is back within touching distance of its 2% target.   The same could be argued for the UK except wage growth is still trending well above 7%, while headline CPI is at 4.6%, though this could come down further in numbers due to be released on Wednesday.   As we look towards the final week before the Christmas break, trading activity is likely to be somewhat thin and choppy, and while we have seen record highs for the Dow, DAX and CAC 40 in the last week or so, we still remain some distance away from the 2021 record peaks of the Nasdaq 100 and S&P500.   As for the FTSE100 we're looking at yet another year of underperformance, after the record highs of mid-February, with the UK benchmark up by just over 1% year to date, with the FTSE250 not faring that much better.   Due to the relatively subdued nature of Friday's US finish, today's European market open looks set to be a slightly weaker one with the only data of note the latest German IFO Business survey for December. Given the weak nature of last week's PMI numbers it would be surprising to see a significant improvement on the November numbers when the current assessment improved slightly to 89.4.   The US dollar was one of the big losers last week driven lower by expectations that US rates have peaked and are on their way back down, with the Japanese yen one of the biggest gainers.   This shift in sentiment will no doubt be welcomed by the Bank of Japan and to some extent helps them out with respect to the weakness of the yen ahead of tomorrow's rate decision. There is now less incentive for them to think about altering their current policy settings, although they might hint at starting to execute some form of shift early next year.      EUR/USD – the rebound to 1.1010 last week didn't last long, unable to push through the November peaks at 1.1015/20. We still have support now back at the 200-day SMA at 1.0830. A break above 1.1030 has the potential to target the July peaks at 1.1275.   GBP/USD – broke briefly above the 1.2730 area, and the 61.8% retracement of the 1.3140/1.2035 down move, pushing up to 1.2795 before reversing. The bias remains for further gains while above the 200-day SMA at 1.2520. We also have support at the 1.2590 area.   EUR/GBP – slipped back from the 100-day SMA at 0.8640 last week, with support at the 0.8570/80 area. A move below 0.8580 targets 0.8520.   USD/JPY – slipped below the 200-day SMA at 142.50 last week, opening the prospect of a move towards 140.00. We now have resistance at 146.00 and while below that we could push towards 139.20.     FTSE100 is expected to open 7 points lower at 7,569   DAX is expected to open 15 points lower at 16,736   CAC40 is expected to open 3 points lower at 7,594
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    Japan Economic Snapshot: Highlights from the Year-End and What Lies Ahead

    ING Economics ING Economics 02.01.2024 12:50
    Japan Data Brief : What you may have missed over the year-end holiday After an unexpected contraction in 3Q23, the economy appears to have recovered modestly. Inflation slowed due to base effects while the monthly activity outcomes were a bit mixed. We don't expect an imminent Bank of Japan rate hike but it may still terminate the yield curve control programme in the first quarter as JGB market conditions remain supportive. Summary The monthly activity data was mixed. Industrial production was softer than expected, but the rebound in retail sales was stronger than expected. As Japan's main growth engines are consumption and services, we expect fourth quarter 2023 GDP to rebound despite soft manufacturing activity. Inflation has also came down sharply, which should support the BoJ's dovish stance for now. We believe that the BoJ is preparing for its first rate hike in the second quarter, when the government's stimulus will be supporting growth while another big jump in wage growth is achievable throughout the spring wage negotiation season. Meanwhile, the yield curve steepened from November when the BoJ decided to discontinue its daily fixed-rate purchase operations but the 10Y Japanese government bond (JGB) yields were below the 0.6% level at the end of last year. We think the Bank of Japan is likely to terminate its yield curve control programme in January as market pressures should be off thanks to the global bond market rally and JGB yields have been below the BoJ's hinted proper 10Y level of 0.8%. Also, a new quarterly outlook report could justify the BoJ's policy changes by raising its inflation outlook for FY 2024 and 2025.  Industrial production declined but only marginally so Industrial production fell -0.9% month-on-month seasonally adjusted in November (vs 1.3% in October, -1.6% market consensus), mainly led by poor vehicles outcomes (-1.7%). There were temporary shutdowns of factories due to shortages of some auto parts. Thus, we expect a rebound in December as production lines returned to normal. We found a rebound in chip-producing equipment (7.2%) is likely to continue. Japan is not a major semiconductor production hub, but is one of the major players in the chip-making equipment industry. Together with upbeat outcomes from South Korea's chip production and exports, we believe the global semiconductor cycle is on a recovery path.  Retail sales rebounded more than expected in November Retail sales rose 1.0% MoM sa in November (vs -1.7% in October, 0.5% market consensus). The rebound was stronger than expected, but it couldn't fully offset the previous month's decline. But in a positive note, retail sales rebounded in most of the major categories, except food and beverages (-0.8%), signalling the consumption recovery was widespread
    Decoding Australian Inflation: Unraveling Base Effects and Market Perceptions

    Decoding Australian Inflation: Unraveling Base Effects and Market Perceptions

    8 eightcap 8 eightcap 16.01.2024 12:32
    Base effects to deliver a further big inflation drop for December's numbers To just creep under the RBA’s upper target band, the month-on-month change needs to average 0.24%. So, roughly speaking, for every monthly increase of 0.2%, you can have just under one of 0.3%. Any more than this, then over twelve months, you are going to overshoot the RBA’s target. In the last six months, there have been only two occasions when CPI has risen less than 0.3%. That was July’s 0.25% increase and, more recently, the -0.33% decrease in October – driven by a one-off drop in gasoline prices and some volatility in holiday costs. The good news is that for at least one more month, base effects (the impact of last year’s price movements on the year-on-year comparison) mean that the inflation rate could decline further in the near term.   Last December, Australia’s CPI index experienced a huge spike of 1.5% MoM, briefly taking the inflation rate to 8.4% YoY. This was caused by an unlikely coincidence of factors which we don’t expect to be repeated. Firstly, cold weather and flooding wiped out many seasonal crops, pushing up food prices. As a result of the flooding, some coal mines were inoperative, which took some coal-fired electricity generation offline. Because too much natural gas had been exported, there was not enough to offset this loss with gas-fired plants. Energy prices spiked. All of this, coupled with a post-lockdown surge in demand for travel and hotels in the prime holiday season, resulted in a 27% MoM increase in holiday prices and an 11% increase in recreation prices overall.      Monthly CPI progression and base effects   Base effects give way to run-rates It doesn’t look as if the weather is as unseasonably cold or wet as it was last year, although there has been flooding in Queensland. Hopefully, last year's energy crisis will not be repeated this December. Recreation prices reflecting travel and hotel costs will likely move higher, as they do most Decembers, but pre-Covid, monthly recreation prices typically rose between 5-7% MoM, not the 11.0% MoM increase recorded last year. So, on the assumption that more normal increases occur this year, then we should see the CPI index increase by no more than 1% in December, and possibly much less, meaning that the rate of inflation will fall from 4.3% to 3.7% for a 1% outcome, to maybe as low as 3.3% on a 0.6% MoM outcome. And that really would put the RBA’s inflation target into play. But the good news may then be interrupted for a while because last year’s price spikes were followed by abnormally large unwinding. But with less of a surge in prices at the end of 2023, the unwinding in early 2024 is also likely to be commensurately less. While last year’s January print was -0.3%MoM, this year may be a more modest -0.1 to +0.1% outcome, and the February 2023 0.2% MoM outcome could be closer to 0.3-0.4. If so, then that would take the inflation rate back up by 0.3-0.6pp, returning to around 4% YoY.    After that, there are no particularly egregious base effects to worry about until May, when the 2023 0.4% MoM decrease could result in a further upward lurch, reversing whatever decline stems from the December comparison. What will determine where inflation ends up by the end of the year will be much more driven by the run-rate of monthly outcomes than base effects. As we noted before, right now, this is not looking convincingly low enough to bring inflation in on target, at least not by the end of 2024.   The macroeconomy is still looking pretty good For this to happen, it would be more encouraging if the macroeconomy were slowing. Certainly, the GDP figures have been coming down, but these don’t tell the whole story. Employment data remains fairly robust. Most months, the increase in the labour force is greater than the rise in unemployment, which is keeping a lid on the unemployment rate, which at 3.9% is still fairly low. Retail sales have dropped back to about 2%YoY but look pretty stable and are certainly not screaming recession or household distress. And with house prices still rising, the single largest source of household wealth is looking strong     Market pricing just looks wrong In terms of market pricing, futures markets are pricing in a 50% chance of a cut in May, and by August, the first hike is fully priced in, with a further 25bp cut fully priced in by December. This looks totally wrong to us. For one thing, and unlike the Fed, the RBA has been quite tentative about its increase in the cash rate. At 4.35%, the cash rate is probably a bit restrictive, but not much. The real rate (ex-actual inflation) is about zero. A properly restrictive rate would be higher. On the same basis, the Fed’s real policy rate is more than +200bp. Consequently, even the arguments for some finessing of the policy rate to a more neutral setting aren’t terribly convincing. At least not until and unless inflation drops much more than it will have likely done by May. The possibility for a May cut doesn’t even coincide with the very narrow window of low inflation that will appear when the December inflation data are released at the very end of January and just ahead of the RBA’s February meeting.   Market pricing Implied cash rates   It's easier to make a case for hikes In contrast, we have only one rate cut pencilled in for 4Q24, and even that feels a bit speculative currently, as there is a good chance that inflation won’t have reached the RBA’s target by then. That's especially true should the current tensions in the Red Sea spill over into higher prices of energy and, indeed, all goods that are normally routed through this stretch of water. It is probably easier to make a case for further RBA rate hikes because if monthly inflation averages 0.3% over the second half of the year, not the 0.2% we have optimistically assumed, then inflation will still be around 4% by the end of 2024.
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    Persisting Decline: Eurozone Industrial Production Dips Again, Signaling Bleak Outlook

    ING Economics ING Economics 16.01.2024 12:34
    Industry continues to decline in the eurozone, and the outlook is bleak The industrial production decline of -0.3% confirms the steady downward trend and adds to expectations of another contraction in eurozone GDP in the fourth quarter of last year. The outlook for industry remains bleak for the months ahead.   Eurozoeon Industrial Production dropped for the third month in a row in November, broadly continuing the trend of contraction in output. Production is now 7.2% lower than it was in September 2022. This means that industry will continue to weigh on economic activity in the eurozone, clearly performing much weaker than services. The eurozone economy experienced negative growth in the third quarter and could well have seen another quarter of negative growth in 4Q too. The industrial figures at least point to that. The outlook for eurozone industry remains pretty bleak at this point, according to surveys. New orders continue to deteriorate, albeit at a slower pace than a few months ago. And while producers are getting slightly more upbeat, we do not expect that a real turning point in production is likely in the coming months. And any input shortages coming from the Red Sea disruptions won't help. More importantly, demand would need to return and there is still very little evidence of that in the current weak global economy.  
    EUR/SEK Pair Stability Amid Mixed Swedish Economic Data

    EUR/SEK Pair Stability Amid Mixed Swedish Economic Data

    Enrique Díaz-Álvarez Enrique Díaz-Álvarez 16.01.2024 14:55
    The EUR/SEK pair ended last week largely unchanged, although the krona did briefly slip to its lowest level on the euro since mid-December. Swedish activity data released last week was mixed. On the one hand, retail sales fell by 1.7% YoY in November, compared to a decline of 1% in the previous month, the nineteenth consecutive month of annual declines in retail trade. On the other hand, the more important GDP data unexpectedly rebounded in November (+0.2% vs. 0.6% consensus), easing fears that the ongoing recession could extend into Q4. The above data imply a significant divergence from the Riksbank's forecast, which warned of an economic decline of 0.4%. This will undoubtedly be a relief for the Riksbank and should make for an easier task in controlling inflation without damaging the economy. If the good data materialises into a more hawkish stance by the central bank, the krona could receive some support.
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    Asia Morning Bites: BoJ Policy Decision and Singapore Inflation in Focus

    ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 12:29
    Asia Morning Bites The Bank of Japan (BoJ) meets to decide on policy today and is widely expected to retain its yield curve control (YCC) policy. Singapore will report CPI inflation while South Korea will release data on PPI inflation.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  Monday was a quiet day for US Treasuries. The 2Y UST yield rose 0.7bp while the 10Y yield fell slightly by 1.7bp to 4.105%. The USD made slight gains against the EUR, taking EURUSD down to 1.0881. The AUD was also weaker, falling to 0.6566, though both Cable and the JPY held their ground. Asian FX was mostly a shade weaker against the USD. The PHP and THB propped up the bottom of the table. At the other end, the TWD made small gains taking it to 31.344. US stocks clawed their way higher with a new record for the S&P 500 of 4850 after a modest 0.22% gain. The NASDAQ also made a slight gain of 0.32%. US equity futures don’t seem to have a strong view on today’s open. Chinese stocks had another bad day. The Hang Seng fell 2.27% while the CSI 300 fell 1.56%. G-7 macro:  There was nothing of note in the G-7 macro calendar yesterday, and there isn’t much going on today either. UK public finance data precedes the US Richmond Fed business survey. The Bank of Japan is also meeting (see more below). Japan:  Most forecasters expect that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will maintain its ultra-loose monetary policy today. Consequently, the market’s attention will be focused on what Governor Ueda thinks about inflation and wage growth and whether he will give any hints of policy change in the near future. The market will probably be disappointed again because we don’t believe that Ueda will give a clear signal of policy normalization in the near future. He may, however, sound more dovish than in the past, given the recent slowdown in inflation. The government renewed its utility subsidy program, so we expect the BoJ to revise down its FY2024 inflation outlook in today’s quarterly macro-outlook report. Singapore: December inflation is set for release today.  The market consensus points to inflation dipping to 3.5% YoY (from 3.6% previously) while core inflation may inch lower to 3.0% YoY from 3.2% YoY in November. Despite the slight deceleration, the MAS is widely expected to retain policy settings at the 29 January meeting, remaining wary of potential flare-ups in inflation while also looking to support an economy facing a challenging global trade environment.   What to look out for: BoJ decision and Singapore inflation South Korea PPI inflation (23 January) Singapore CPI inflation (23 January) Australia business confidence (23 January) Taiwan industrial production (23 January) BoJ policy meeting (23 January) US Richmond Fed manufacturing index (23 January) Australia Westpac leading index (24 January) Japan trade balance and Jibun PMI (24 January) Malaysia BNM policy (24 January) US MBA mortgage applications (24 January) South Korea GDP (25 January) Japan department sales (25 January) ECB policy meeting (25 January) US GDP, durable goods orders, initial jobless claims, new home sales (25 January) Japan Tokyo CPI inflation (26 January) Philippines trade (26 January) Singapore industrial production (26 January) US PCE deflator, pending home sales and personal spending (26 January)
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    Asia Morning Bites: PBoC's Larger-Than-Expected RRR Cut and South Korea's Strong GDP Numbers

    ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 15:57
    Asia Morning Bites The PBoC announced a larger-then-expected required reserve rate (RRR) reduction late Wednesday. South Korea reported stronger-than-expected GDP numbers today.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  The upcoming cut in China’s reserve requirement ratio (RRR) gave Chinese markets some much-needed support. USDCNY has dropped back to 7.1580 and the Hang Seng index rose 3.56% while the CSI 300 gained 1.4%. US stocks were more muted, and the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged despite opening higher - flagging in the latter part of the session. The NASDAQ eked out a 0.36% gain. US Treasury yields rose yesterday, despite the lack of much macro news as the 5Y auction tailed badly. 2Y yields rose 5bp to 4.38% and the 10Y rose a similar amount to 4.176% as the March rate cut hypothesis got priced out further. There is still a bit more room for this to run, according to our rates strategists, though the March cut is now only 36.4% priced in. A US refunding announcement on Monday could also push yields up a bit more. EURUSD rose back up to 1.0883 despite the moves in bond yields. The AUD rose strongly yesterday, pushing above 0.6620 but couldn’t hold on to its gains and dropped back to 0.6577. Cable did better and is up to 1.2719 now, and the JPY has also held on to most of yesterday’s gains and is down to 147.55. In the rest of Asia, the SGD and KRW were both boosted by the CNY moves, though the IDR lost almost half a per cent, rising to 15710. Moves elsewhere were modest. G-7 macro:  The G-7 calendar is a lot more exciting today after a very quiet day yesterday. The ECB is meeting, and while they will not cut rates today, the press conference will as ever be scrutinised for hints as to the timing of the first cut. Later on, the US releases its advance estimate for 4Q23 GDP, which, on an annualized basis is expected to slow from 4.9% in 3Q23 to 2.0%. Weekly jobless claims round off the day’s macro releases. China: The PBOC announced that it will cut the Required Reserve rate (RRR) by 50bp from Feb 5, after which the RRR for large institutions will drop from 10.5% to 10%, and the weighted average RRR will drop from 7.4% to around 7%. The 50bp RRR cut was larger than the 25bp cuts that the PBOC elected for in 2022-2023, and was the largest RRR cut since Dec 2021. The RRR cut will in theory provide around RMB 1tn of liquidity to markets. Furthermore, the PBOC also broadened access for property developers to commercial loans by allowing for bank loans pledged against developers’ commercial properties to be used to repay other loans and bonds until the end of the year. It also cut the refinancing and rediscount rates for rural and micro-loans by 0.25 ppt to 1.75%. We expect a relatively limited positive impact on the economy from the RRR cut and supplementary measures. There remains a question of whether there is sufficient high-quality loan demand to fully benefit from this theoretical liquidity injection; we saw that new RMB loans were down -10.6%YoY in 4Q23 despite the previous RRR cut in September 2023. With that said the size and timing of the RRR cut will contribute toward market stabilisation efforts. Overall, the announced RRR cut was mostly in line with our expectations, although the size of the cut surprised on the upside, and the timing of the announcement was a little unexpected given the PBOC left interest rates unchanged in January. Moving forward, we see room for an interest rate cut to come in the next few months as well. The base case is for a conservative 10bp rate cut, but the larger-than-expected RRR cut does flag a possibility for a slightly larger rate cut as well.  South Korea: Korea’s GDP expanded 0.6% QoQ sa in 4Q23 (vs 0.6% in 3Q23, market consensus). 4Q23 GDP was somewhat higher than the monthly activity data had suggested. The difference mainly came from a gain in private consumption (0.2%). According to the BoK, residents overseas spending increased, more than offsetting the decline in domestic goods consumption. Other expenditure items mostly met expectations. Exports (2.6%) grew solidly thanks to strong global demand for semiconductors, while construction – both residential and civil engineering- plunged (-4.2%), dragging down overall growth.  We expect the trend of improving exports vs softening domestic demand to continue at least for the first half of the year. In a separate report, BoK’s business survey outcomes support our view. Manufacturing outlook improved for a third month (71 in January vs 69 in December) while non-manufacturing stayed flat at 68.   The GDP path will vary depending on how well global semiconductor demand will be maintained and how well Korea’s construction soft-landing will go. We expect exports to improve further at least for the first half of the year. Yet, GDP in the first and second quarters is expected to decelerate (0.4% and 0.3% QoQ sa respectively) from last quarter as sluggish domestic demand weighs more on overall growth.  Today’s outcomes will give the Bank of Korea some breathing room to maintain its current hawkish stance. We pencilled in one rate cut in May, under the assumption of a slowdown of GDP and inflation in 1Q24, but if the construction sector restructuring carries out more smoothly, then the BoK’s first rate cut may come in early 3Q24.   What to look out for: South Korea GDP South Korea GDP (25 January) Japan department store sales (25 January) ECB policy meeting (25 January) US GDP, durable goods orders, initial jobless claims, new home sales (25 January) Japan Tokyo CPI inflation (26 January) Philippines trade (26 January) Singapore industrial production (26 January) US PCE deflator, pending home sales and personal spending (26 January)

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