interest rates

Gold Monthly: Assessing Fed policy and geopolitical risks

Gold has been trading in a narrow range so far this year amid a lack of clarity surrounding the timing of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy easing cycle. Higher borrowing costs are typically negative for gold.

 

Geopolitical tensions support gold prices

Gold prices have held above $2,000/oz, with the precious metal being supported by safe-haven demand amid geopolitical tensions. Ongoing geopolitical risk in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to provide support to gold. Prices hit an all-time high of $2,077.49/oz on 27 December 2023. Still, we believe the Federal Reserve's wait-and-see approach will keep the rally in check. We expect prices to average $2,025/oz over the first quarter.

 

Geopolitical risk index

Source: Economic Policy Uncertainty, ING Research

 

Fed policy remains key

We believe Fed policy will remain key to the outlook for gold prices in the months ahead. US dollar strength and central bank tightening weighed on the gold market for most

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Having A Look At The Markets Considering Tensions, COVID-19 And National Banks Decisions

One Of The Most Trending Topics - Interest Rates - What Are They?

Binance Academy Binance Academy 07.02.2022 07:45
TL;DR It doesn’t make much sense to lend money for free. If Alice wants to borrow $10,000 from Bob, Bob will need a financial incentive to loan it to her. That incentive comes in the form of interest – a kind of fee that gets added on top of the amount Alice borrows. Interest rates profoundly impact the broader economy, as raising or lowering them greatly affects people’s behavior. Broadly speaking: Higher interest rates make it attractive to save money because banks pay you more for storing your money with them. It’s less attractive to borrow money because you need to pay higher amounts on the credit you take out. Lower interest rates make it attractive to borrow and spend money – your money doesn’t make much by sitting idle. What’s more, you don’t need to pay huge amounts on top of what you borrow.   Introduction As we’ve seen in How Does the Economy Work?, credit plays a vital role in the global economy. In essence, it’s a lubricant for financial transactions – individuals can leverage capital that they don’t have available and repay it at a later date. Businesses can use credit to purchase resources, use those resources to turn a profit, then pay the lender. A consumer can take out a loan to purchase goods, then return the loan in smaller increments over time. Of course, there needs to be a financial incentive for a lender to offer credit in the first place. Often, they’ll charge interest. In this article, we’ll take a dive into interest rates and how they work.   What is an interest rate? Interest is a payment owed to a lender by a borrower. If Alice borrows money from Bob, Bob might say you can have this $10,000, but it comes with 5% interest. What that means is that Alice will need to pay back the original $10,000 (the principal) plus 5% of that sum by the end of the period. Her total repayment to Bob is, therefore, $10,500. So, an interest rate is a percentage of interest owed per period. If it’s 5% per year, then Alice would owe $10,500 in the first year. From there, you might have: a simple interest rate – subsequent years incur 5% of the principal or  a compounded interest rate – 5% of the $10,500 in the first year, then 5% of $10,500 + $525 = $11,025 in the second year, and so on.   Why are interest rates important? Unless you transact exclusively in cryptocurrencies, cash, and gold coins, interest rates affect you, like most others. Even if you somehow found a way to pay for everything in Dogecoin, you’d still feel their effects because of their significance within the economy. Take a commercial bank – their whole business model (fractional reserve banking) revolves around borrowing and lending money. When you deposit money, you’re acting as a lender. You receive interest from the bank because they lend your funds to other people. In contrast, when you borrow money, you pay interest to the bank. Commercial banks don’t have much flexibility when it comes to setting the interest rates – that’s up to entities called central banks. Think of the US Federal Reserve, the People’s Bank of China, or the Bank of England. Their job is to tinker with the economy to keep it healthy. One function they perform to these ends is raising or lowering interest rates. Think about it: if interest rates are high, then you’ll receive more interest for loaning your money. On the flip side, it’ll be more expensive for you to borrow, since you’ll owe more. Conversely, it isn’t very profitable to lend when interest rates are low, but it becomes attractive to borrow. Ultimately, these measures control the behavior of consumers. Lowering interest rates is generally done to stimulate spending in times when it has slowed, as it encourages individuals and businesses to borrow. Then, with more credit available, they’ll hopefully go and spend it. Lowering interest rates might be a good short-term move to rejuvenate the economy, but it also causes inflation. There’s more credit available, but the amount of resources remains the same. In other words, the demand for goods increases, but the supply doesn’t. Naturally, prices begin to rise until an equilibrium is reached. At that point, high interest rates can serve as a countermeasure. Setting them high cuts the amount of circulating credit, since everyone begins to repay their debts. Because banks offer generous rates at this stage, individuals will instead save their money to earn interest. With less demand for goods, inflation decreases – but economic growth slows.   ➟ Looking to get started with cryptocurrency? Buy Bitcoin on Binance!   What is a negative interest rate? Often, economists and pundits speak of negative interest rates. As you can imagine, these are sub-zero rates that require you to pay to lend money – or even to store it at a bank. By extension, it makes it costly for banks to lend. Indeed, it even makes it costly to save. This may seem like an insane concept. After all, the lender is the one assuming the risk that the borrower may not repay the loan. Why should they pay?  This is perhaps why negative interest rates are something of a last resort to fix struggling economies. The idea comes from a fear that individuals may prefer to hold onto their money during an economic downturn, preferring to wait until it recovers to engage in any economic activity.  When rates are negative, this behavior doesn’t make sense – borrowing and spending appear to be the most sensible choices. This is why negative interest rates are considered to be a valid measure by some, under extraordinary economic conditions.   Closing thoughts On the surface, interest rates appear to be a relatively straightforward concept to grasp.  Nevertheless, they’re an integral part of modern economies – as we’ve seen, adjusting them can fundamentally alter the behavior of individuals and businesses. This is why central banks take such a proactive role in using them to keep nations’ economies on track. Do you have more questions about interest rates and the economy? Check out our Q&A platform, Ask Academy, where the Binance community will answer your questions.
ECB's hard choice: economy or inflation? 

ECB's hard choice: economy or inflation? 

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 07.02.2022 14:30
Industrial production in Germany fell by 0.3% for December and by 4.1% on the same month a year earlier. A deeper fall compared to the previous month, while surveyed analysts on average expected production to rise by 0.4% over the same period.The new data underscores the difficult choices the ECB will have to make in the coming months as record price growth rates go hand in hand with falling economic activity.The ECB will have to make choices as record inflation in decades requires tightening monetary policy and supporting the euro. On the other hand, industrial activity has been in a downtrend for almost four years.A rise in interest rates is likely to increase pressure on manufacturing activity and increase borrowing costs, negatively affecting consumer credit.The market reaction since last week suggests that the ECB will switch to fighting inflation, but the fading momentum in the economy calls this scenario into question
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.
Price Of Gold Update By GoldViewFX

Price Of Gold Is Near The Level Of November 2010's

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 08.02.2022 08:49
Tightening monetary conditions in developed countries are not hurting gold so far, and investors' switch from buying risky stocks generates demand for the safe-haven. The daily charts also clearly show gold being repurchased in downturns. Since late last year, impulsive drawbacks on hawkish Fed comments are pushing the price down, but this momentum is not turning into a trend. Buyer support comes from higher and higher levels, although these purchases are measured and tempered, typical for long-term buyers. Such buyers could be central banks, which could diversify away from the dollar and the euro. But there could also be funds that want to stay away from bonds falling in price (on rising yields) at a time of steep rate rises. We can see the increasingly higher lows from August last year on the monthly candlestick charts for gold. So far, high inflation rates and market caution have not allowed a sustained upward trend in the price. However, the presence of solid buyers could revive buying very soon. An important reason for this could be developments in the Eurozone. Rising market interest rates are hitting the region's debt-laden periphery countries twice as hard. Investors may be worried about a repeat of the sovereign debt crisis of 2009-2011. Back then, investors used gold as a protective asset, losing confidence in the debt of almost half of the eurozone countries. It is too early to say that a repeat of the debt crisis is imminent, but early signs of a jump in Greek and Italian bond yields are forming a support for gold. If this trend turns into a problem, active buyers of safe havens promise to become many times more numerous
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
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
Considering Portfolios In Times Of, Among Others, Inflation...

The Indicators Hit Higher Levels Than Expected In The US

FXStreet News FXStreet News 10.02.2022 15:44
US inflation have exceeded expectations on all measures. Alongside a jump in jobs, America's economy is on fire and the Fed is set to act. The dollar has further room to rise, at least until Fed officials open their mouths. A 6% handle on annual price rises – another milestone has been reached, this time on core inflation. Data for the first month of 2022 is hot out of the oven – and it is steaming hot. While prices of used cars and shelter seemed to have slowed down, there are few silver linings to find. On a monthly basis, both headline and Core CPI is up 0.6%, while overall annual price rises is at 7.5%, above expectations – and even implying an 8% handle next month. It is essential to note that this is no longer limited to energy or supply-chain issues, but rather broad price rises. It is accompanied by a job market that is on fire, as jobless claims for the week ending On February 4 show – a drop from 238,000 to 223,000. That comes on top of January's jobs report. Only six days ago, the Nonfarm Payrolls report came out with an increase of 467,000 positions, accompanied by upward revisions. Wages also jumped according to that NFP, adding to price pressures. Both figures are critical to the Federal Reserve, which has a dual mandate of full employment and price stability. The data more than cement a March rate hike and perhaps at a scale of 0.50% instead of 0.25%, which is the standard measure. Moreover, the Fed could raise interest rates four times by July – contrary to its projections of hiking only three times throughout the whole of 2022. That means more pressure on the dollar. The greenback has benefited from a knee-jerk reaction to the figures, but it has even more room to rise as analysts pore over the data. What could halt the greenback? Only Fed officials can cool things down, by playing down the option of raising rates by 50bp in March. That is what happened last week when hawks such as Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic and others calmed markets. On a relative basis, some currencies could do better than others, if central bankers talk about action to mitigate inflation. The European Central Bank's hawkish twist helped the euro recover against the dollar. After these figures, ECB hawks face an uphill battle. Overall, King Dollar reigns supreme.
Bank of America Doesn't Approve Bitcoin, Which By The Way Decreased By 1.3% Yesterday

Bank of America Doesn't Approve Bitcoin, Which By The Way Decreased By 1.3% Yesterday

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 11.02.2022 08:53
Cryptocurrencies were under the pressure of strong data on inflation in the United States on Thursday, which has updated 40-year highs. Such values can force the Fed to raise interest rates faster, which is negative for all risky assets, including cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin showed high volatility during trading, updating early January highs above $45,800 under the influence of a weakening dollar. However, towards the end of the day, the first cryptocurrency began to decline along with stock indices: the S&P500 lost 1.8%, the high-tech Nasdaq fell 2.1%. The crypto-currency index of fear and greed for the second day is exactly in the middle of the scale, at around 50 (neutral). However, now the stock markets are having an increased impact on the dynamics of Bitcoin and Ethereum, in which the prospects for monetary policy are being reassessed. The corresponding index is now in the fear territory, near the 37 mark. Meanwhile, Bitcoin is being bought back on dips towards the 50-day average, which keeps the picture bullish. However, in the event of a prolonged sale of shares, the first cryptocurrency will not hold and risks pulling the entire market with it. Fitch has downgraded El Salvador due to its acceptance of bitcoin as legal tender. In March, the country will issue the first $1 billion bitcoin bonds. There is interesting news from America as well. The largest investment company BlackRock is going to launch a cryptocurrency trading service. Bank Of America refuses to recognize Bitcoin as a safe-haven asset, pointing to the strengthening of the correlation between BTC and the S&P500 stock index. And at JPMorgan, they currently consider the “fair” quote for bitcoin to be $38,000. In Russia, the government has completed the drafting of a bill on the circulation of digital currencies. The Ministry of Finance proposed establishing a transitional period for individuals before introducing a tax on income from crypto assets. Overall, Bitcoin lost 1.3% on Thursday, ending the day around $44,100. Ethereum fell 4.3%, while other top ten altcoins declined from 0.5% (Avalanche) to 6.2% (Solana and Polkadot). The total capitalization of the crypto market sank by 2.8% over the day, to $2.08 trillion. Altcoins showed a leading decline, which led to an increase in the Bitcoin dominance index by 0.5%, to 40.1%
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
Fat or Flat: Gold Price in 2022

Fat or Flat: Gold Price in 2022

Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 15.02.2022 17:10
  Analysts' 2022 forecasts for the gold market are not overwhelmingly enthusiastic – they see it flat. However, maybe the opposite should be expected. The LBMA has recently published its annual precious metals forecast survey. In general, the report is neutral about gold in 2022. On average, the analysts forecast gold prices to be broadly flat this year compared to the year. The average gold price in 2021 was $1,799, and it is expected to rise merely $3 to $1,802. How boring! However, as the table below shows, the forecasts for other precious metals are much more bearish, especially for palladium. The headline numbers are the averages of 34 analysts’ forecasts. The greatest bears see the average price of gold as low as $1.630, while the lowest low – at $1,500. Meanwhile, the biggest bulls expect the average price of gold to be $1,965, while the highest high is expected to be $2.280. The three most important drivers of precious metals prices’ performance this year are the Fed’s monetary policy, inflation, and equity market performance. This is a huge change compared to last year, when analysts considered geopolitical factors, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pace of economic recovery to be much more important. I agree this time, of course, as I always believed that macroeconomic factors are more relevant to the long-term trend in the gold market than geopolitical drivers. Generally, the pick-up in inflation, which will keep real interest rates in negative territory, is seen as a tailwind for gold. Some analysts also expect the greenback to depreciate as the global economic recovery gathers steam, which would also be supportive of gold prices. Meanwhile, normalization of monetary policy is considered the greatest headwind for the yellow metal, as the Fed’s tightening cycle will raise the opportunity cost of holding gold. However, the markets have probably already priced the interest rate hikes in, so gold doesn’t have to suffer during the tightening cycle. Last time, the price of gold began to rise after the liftoff of the federal funds rate. The analysts surveyed by the LBMA also doubt the central banks’ ability to raise interest rates as high as needed to crush inflation. Instead, they are expected to stay behind the inflation curve. This is because the forecasted tightening cycle could be too difficult for the asset market and indebted economy to stomach, so it will be moderate and short-lived, just like last time.   Implications for Gold What does the LBMA annual forecast survey predicts for the yellow metal? The report is neutral, probably because gold remains under the influence of opposite forces, which makes forecasting really challenging this year. Gold has been recently in a sideways trend, so it’s somewhat natural to expect simply more of the same, i.e., the flat market. Actually, the pundits always forecast more of the same. For example, the previous edition of the survey was bullish, as 2020 was a great year for gold. Thus, the analysts’ 2021 average forecast for the price of gold was $1,973.8, almost $200 above the actual level. Hence, please take the survey with a pinch of salt. OK, the analysts don’t predict a literally flat market. The forecasts concerned averages, but some experts see the first half of the year as more bullish than the second, while others, vice versa. I’d rather include myself in the latter group, as my view is that the expectations of Fed tightening will continue to exert downward pressure on gold prices in the coming weeks. However, the hawkish expectations have probably gone a little too far. At some point this year, they will be adjusted, as it becomes clear that the Fed will be forced to reduce the pace of its tightening or even reverse its stance in order to calm the market and avoid the next economic crisis. Such an adjustment will be positive for gold prices, especially since it might occur amid still high inflation, but gold bulls should remember that there is still a long way to go before that happens. 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?

Thursday: Significant Decreases Of Bitcoin (-7.7%) And ETH (-7.7%)

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 18.02.2022 08:52
Bitcoin collapsed on Thursday, the most in almost a month amid sales of risky assets. BTC lost 7.7%, ending the day near $40,700. Ethereum fell 7.7%, while other leading altcoins from the top ten also fell, from 5.4% (Binance Coin) to 8.5% (Terra). The total capitalization of the crypto market, according to CoinGecko, sank by 7.3%, to $1.94 trillion. Bitcoin sold more actively than altcoins, which led to a decrease in the Bitcoin dominance index by 0.3%, to 39.8%. The Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index plummeted 22 points to 30, returning to a state of fear. Bitcoin has clearly lost its function as a defensive asset lately, showing almost no correlation with gold, which was in high demand on Wednesday and Thursday. The technical picture looks bearish in the short term. Bitcoin did not hold above the 50-day average and fell under previous local lows. It is quite possible that from the end of January to mid-February, we saw a pullback after the momentum of the decline, and now a new step down is being formed. JPMorgan Bank indicated that crypto assets would be negatively affected by tightening US monetary policy. This approach puts crypto on a par with growth companies, which have also come under increased pressure amid rising market interest rates in recent weeks. Charles Munger, an associate of legendary investor Warren Buffett, likened cryptocurrencies to a "venereal disease" and praised China for banning them. According to him, cryptocurrencies are used by hackers, criminals, as well as those who evade taxes.
Is It Worth Adding Gold to Your Portfolio in 2022?

Is It Worth Adding Gold to Your Portfolio in 2022?

Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 17.02.2022 16:29
  Gold prices declined in 2021 and the prospects for 2022 are not impressive as well. However, the yellow metal’s strategic relevance remains high. Last month, the World Gold Council published two interesting reports about gold. The first one is the latest edition of Gold Demand Trends, which summarizes the entire last year. Gold supply decreased 1%, while gold demand rose 10% in 2021. Despite these trends, the price of gold declined by around 4%, which – for me – undermines the validity of the data presented by the WGC. I mean here that the relevance of some categories of gold demand (jewelry demand, technological demand, the central bank’s purchases) for the price formation is somewhat limited. The most important driver for gold prices is investment demand. Unsurprisingly, this category plunged 43% in 2021, driven by large ETF outlfows. According to the report, “gold drew direction chiefly from inflation and interest rate expectations in 2021,” although it seems that rising rates outweighed inflationary concerns. As the chart below shows, the interest rates increased significantly last year. For example, 10-year Treasury yields rose 60 basis points. As a result, the opportunity costs for holding gold moved up, triggering an outflow of gold holdings from the ETF. As the rise in interest rates is likely to continue in 2022 because of the hawkish stance of the Fed, gold investment may struggle this year as well. The end of quantitative easing and the start of quantitative tightening may add to the downward pressure on gold prices. However, there are some bullish caveats here. First, gold has remained resilient in January, despite the hawkish FOMC meeting. Second, the Fed’s tightening cycle could be detrimental to the US stock market and the overall, highly indebted economy, which could be supportive of gold prices. Third, as the report points out, “gold has historically outperformed in the months following the onset of a US Fed tightening cycle”. The second publication released by the WGC last month was “The Relevance of Gold as a Strategic Asset 2022”. The main thesis of the report is that gold is a strategic asset, complementary to equities and bonds, that enhances investment portfolios’ performance. This is because gold is “a store of wealth and a hedge against systemic risk, currency depreciation, and inflation.” It is also “highly liquid, no one’s liability, carries no credit risk, and is scarce, historically preserving its value over time.” Gold is believed to be a great source of return, as its price has increased by an average of nearly 11% per year since 1971, according to the WGC. Gold can also provide liquidity, as the gold market is highly liquid. As the report points out, “physical gold holdings by investors and central banks are worth approximately $4.9 trillion, with an additional $1.2 trillion in open interest through derivatives traded on exchanges or the over-the-counter (OTC) market.” Last but not least, gold is an excellent portfolio diversifier, as it is negatively correlated with risk assets, and – importantly – this negative correlation increases as these assets sell off. Hence, adding gold to a portfolio could diversify it, improving its risk-adjusted return, and also provide liquidity to meet liabilities in times of market stress. The WGC’s analysis suggests that investors should consider adding between 4% and 15% of gold to the portfolio, but personally, I would cap this share at 10%.   Implications for Gold What do the recent WGC reports imply for the gold market? Well, one thing is that adding some gold to the investment portfolio would probably be a smart move. After all, gold serves the role of both a safe-haven asset and an insurance against tail risks. It’s nice to be insured. However, investing in gold is something different, as gold may be either in a bullish or bearish trend. You should never confuse these two motives behind owning gold! Sometimes it’s good to own gold for both insurance and investment reasons, but not always. When it comes to 2022, investment demand for gold may continue to be under downward pressure amid rising interest rates. However, there are also some bullish forces at work, which could intensify later 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
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 
Bonds Speculators push their surging bearish bets in Eurodollars to 166-high

Bonds Speculators push their surging bearish bets in Eurodollars to 166-high

Invest Macro Invest Macro 19.02.2022 17:38
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 February 15th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT bonds data is the continued rise in the Eurodollar bearish bets. The speculative position in the Eurodollar futures has been dropping sharply with higher bearish bets since flipping over from bullish to bearish in May of 2021. The Eurodollar futures are the largest futures market with open interest normally over 10 million contracts each week and are used to make a bet on short-term interest rates (3-month Libor). A decline in Eurodollar futures shows an increase in (deposit) interest rates while an increase in Eurodollar futures shows the opposite. In times of stress (Great Financial Crisis, Covid Crisis), Eurodollar futures have surged higher and in times of normalization, Eurodollar futures usually trend downward. The speculators Eurodollar positioning has been on a downtrend and is currently at the most bearish level of the past one hundred and sixty-six weeks, dating back to December 11th of 2018. Joining the Eurodollar (-256,945 contracts) in falling this week were the 2-Year Bond (-104,328 contracts), Ultra 10-Year (-30,140 contracts), Fed Funds (-6,129 contracts), 5-Year Bond (-59,036 contracts) and the Ultra US Bond (-14,287 contracts) while increasing bets for the week were seen in the 10-Year Bond (27,847 contracts) and the Long US Bond (8,180 contracts). Data Snapshot of Bond Market Traders | Columns Legend Feb-15-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index Eurodollar 10,998,807 45 -2,293,237 0 2,731,451 100 -438,214 8 FedFunds 1,999,560 72 22,521 42 -3,214 59 -19,307 14 2-Year 2,207,292 17 -115,758 59 184,249 60 -68,491 15 Long T-Bond 1,239,190 56 -24,845 84 42,910 34 -18,065 38 10-Year 4,123,745 73 -174,063 45 436,449 77 -262,386 18 5-Year 4,084,291 52 -191,415 48 418,890 69 -227,475 19   3-Month Eurodollars Futures: The 3-Month Eurodollars large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -2,293,237 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -256,945 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,036,292 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 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 8.0 percent. 3-Month Eurodollars Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.6 75.3 3.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.5 50.5 7.9 – Net Position: -2,293,237 2,731,451 -438,214 – Gross Longs: 510,859 8,287,260 430,172 – Gross Shorts: 2,804,096 5,555,809 868,386 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 8.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -10.0 10.7 -11.9   30-Day Federal Funds Futures: The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 22,521 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -6,129 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 28,650 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 42.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 59.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.9 percent. 30-Day Federal Funds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.7 75.2 1.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 8.6 75.3 2.4 – Net Position: 22,521 -3,214 -19,307 – Gross Longs: 193,542 1,503,220 29,243 – Gross Shorts: 171,021 1,506,434 48,550 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 42.4 59.5 13.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.3 -12.5 -12.6   2-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -115,758 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -104,328 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -11,430 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 58.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 60.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.6 percent. 2-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 13.1 77.7 6.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.4 69.4 9.6 – Net Position: -115,758 184,249 -68,491 – Gross Longs: 289,318 1,715,204 142,310 – Gross Shorts: 405,076 1,530,955 210,801 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 58.9 60.1 14.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -31.9 34.4 0.2   5-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -191,415 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -59,036 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -132,379 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 47.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 68.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.6 percent. 5-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.7 79.5 6.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.4 69.2 12.1 – Net Position: -191,415 418,890 -227,475 – Gross Longs: 436,662 3,244,990 267,923 – Gross Shorts: 628,077 2,826,100 495,398 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 47.7 68.5 18.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 38.6 -31.5 8.6   10-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -174,063 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 27,847 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -201,910 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 45.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 76.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 17.6 percent. 10-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 13.8 73.7 7.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.0 63.1 14.0 – Net Position: -174,063 436,449 -262,386 – Gross Longs: 569,973 3,038,412 314,742 – Gross Shorts: 744,036 2,601,963 577,128 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 45.3 76.6 17.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 15.9 -9.8 -5.4   Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures: The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 13,871 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -30,140 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 44,011 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 31.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 28.4 percent. Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.8 73.5 8.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.9 64.5 18.4 – Net Position: 13,871 130,856 -144,727 – Gross Longs: 215,580 1,067,199 122,654 – Gross Shorts: 201,709 936,343 267,381 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.4 80.9 28.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -21.8 19.4 8.0   US Treasury Bonds Futures: The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -24,845 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 8,180 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -33,025 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 84.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 33.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.2 percent. US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.7 72.9 13.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 12.7 69.4 15.1 – Net Position: -24,845 42,910 -18,065 – Gross Longs: 133,138 902,892 169,162 – Gross Shorts: 157,983 859,982 187,227 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 84.5 33.8 38.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 8.9 5.0 -32.0   Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures: The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -330,139 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -14,287 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -315,852 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 50.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 61.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 50.9 percent. Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 5.5 81.1 11.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.6 58.4 9.5 – Net Position: -330,139 298,631 31,508 – Gross Longs: 72,504 1,065,871 156,998 – Gross Shorts: 402,643 767,240 125,490 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 50.5 61.1 50.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -16.5 14.6 7.7   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.
Markets News: Crude Oil, Gold, EuroStoxx 600, Copper

Analysing Macro, The Conflict In Eastern Europe, Standard And Poor 500 And US100

Purple Trading Purple Trading 21.02.2022 12:53
The Swing Overview – Week 7 Macroeconomic events last week had a secondary impact on market volatility. The "big story" that is currently moving the markets is the situation in Ukraine. Equity indices weakened and retested their strong supports. Last week's winner, on the other hand, is the gold, which, due to these geopolitical uncertainties, surprisingly strengthened to USD 1,900 per ounce, where it last traded in June 2021.   Macroeconomic data from the US  US industrial inflation on an annual basis came in at 9.7%, up from 9.8% in the previous month. This is the first decline in industrial inflation since April 2020. Retail sales reported very strong data, rising 3.8% in January (previous month was down 2.5%).  In the labor market, there was an unexpected increase in initial jobless claims of 248k (expectations were for a 219k increase). FOMC meeting minutes released on Wednesday did not indicate that the Fed was seriously considering a 0.50% rate hike in March. This gave the markets and risk currencies a temporary boost, but the main driver of the markets last week was the situation in Ukraine. Geopolitical tensions in Ukraine Last week Friday, when Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, warned that Russia could attack Ukraine "any day now", sent stock indices into the red and investors focused on so-called "save havens" such as the US bonds and the gold, which rallied strongly. In contrast, commodity currencies, stock indices and cryptocurrencies, which are seen as risky assets, weakened. This suggests what might happen if an invasion actually took place. At the moment, however, both sides seem to be open to diplomatic solution of the crisis. This brings some relief and cautious optimism even though further developments are unclear.  Let’s have a look at how the US bond yields are reacting to the situation: Figure 1: 10 year government bond yield on the 4H chart and the USD index on the daily chart Demand for these bonds has been rising as investors view the US government bonds as a "save haven" in times of uncertainty. This increases the price of these bonds. Since there is an inverse relationship between the price of bonds and their interest yield, a rise in the price of bonds then pushes down their yields. This explains why the yield on these bonds fell on Friday last week as a result of the news of a possible Russian attack.   Overall, however, yields on these bonds continue to rise as investors anticipate a rise in the US interest rates. This in turn has had a negative effect on the technology stocks in the NASDAQ index in particular.   NASDAQ a SP500 Figure 2: The US NASDAQ index on H4 and D1 chart The NASDAQ started last week on Friday with a significant decline as the other indices.  Then there was a correction of this decline as news emerged that Russia was withdrawing some of its troops from the Ukrainian border and that military exercises were over. However, the next report was that the US was not seeing any change at the border with Ukraine and the NASDAQ index fell again. The current situation is that both sides have agreed to further negotiations.  It can be seen from this how sensitive the indices are to such news. We therefore recommend that our clients keep an eye on any breaking news that emerges in relation to the situation in Ukraine.  The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 14,606 - 14,673. The next resistance is then 15050 - 15100.  Support according to the H4 chart is at 14,050 - 14,100.  Significant support according to the daily chart is at 13,750-13,950.  As for the US SP 500 index, the situation is similar here.   Figure 3: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart The nearest resistance is at 4,471 – 4,491. The next strong resistance is in the area at 4,580 - 4,600.  Support according to the H4 chart is at 4,357 – 4,367. According to the daily chart, significant support is at 4,225 - 4,300.   German DAX index Germany reported ZEW economic sentiment, which came in at 54.3 (previous month 51.7). This indicates an improving outlook for the German economy over the next six months. However, this index was under pressure last week as were the US indices.  Figure 4: The DAX on H4 and daily chart  On February 14, the index fell to 14,841, where the previous support is. The zone of this strong support according to the daily chart is quite wide: 14,800 - 15,000. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is 15,440 - 15,530. The next resistance then immediately follows this zone and is in the 15 534 - 15 617 range.   The EUR/USD under pressure The EURUSD has shown that in times of political uncertainty, this pair tends to weaken. The decline was justified in terms of technical analysis by the false break of the resistance, which is in the area of 1.1465 - 1.1480. Figure 5: EURUSD on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is in the area of 1.1380 - 1.1400. Support according to the H4 chart is at 1.1280 - 1.1300. Very strong support according to the daily chart is then at 1.1120 - 1.1140.   The Gold The gold surprised last week with unexpected strength based on the situation around Ukraine. News that Russia may attack Ukraine any day has caused the gold price to rise. It eventually reached $1,900 per troy ounce, where it last traded in June 2021.  Figure 6: The gold on the H4 and D1 chart The nearest resistance according to the daily chart is USD 1,900 - 1,916 per troy ounce of gold.  The nearest support is 1,872 - 1,878. The most significant support is then at 1 845 - 1 852 USD per troy ounce. Once geopolitical tensions calm down and US government bond yields continue to rise, this should be negative news for gold. 
The Crypto Market Leader Leaved $40k And Trades Ca. $4-5k Lower

The Crypto Market Leader Leaved $40k And Trades Ca. $4-5k Lower

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 22.02.2022 10:28
Losing for the sixth day in a row, bitcoin is approaching a retest of the intermediate round level of 35,000, near which buyers became more active at the end of last month. A further decline could open a direct road to the 30,000 area, where the coin was bought back twice in 2021. Given the changed macroeconomic conditions and the pressure on risky assets, will the crypto remain as interesting at these same levels? Cryptocurrencies once again fell under geopolitical pressure, although a relatively small decline was caused by the absence of major US players due to a holiday in the US. And again, risky assets, from stocks to digital currencies, collapsed with the aggravation of the situation around Ukraine, where investors fear conflict in Eastern Europe. Against this background, one of the world's largest hedge funds, Man Group, called bitcoin a risky asset, as indicated by the growing correlation of BTC with the Nasdaq stock index. Black Swan author Nassim Taleb criticized bitcoin as a hedge, calling it "the perfect game for losers" in an environment of low interest rates. Huobi co-founder Du Jun expects bitcoin to rise to new highs no earlier than 2025, basing his assumptions on halving-related price cycles. Bitcoin was down 3.1% on Monday, ending the day near $37,100, continuing to drop moderately on Tuesday morning to $36,700. Ethereum lost 3%, falling back to $2,500, while other top-ten altcoins also mostly sank: from 4.9 % (Binance Coin) to 7.1% (Solana). The exception was Terra, which posted a 3.8% increase. The total capitalization of the crypto market, according to CoinMarketCap, fell by 7.3% over the day, to $1.66 trillion. The Bitcoin dominance index rose from 41.7% to 42.2% due to a sharper decline in altcoins. The fear and greed index lost 5 points to 20, deepening into a state of "extreme fear."
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 15/2/2022

Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 15/2/2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 22.02.2022 11:48
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 15/2/2022 Total net speculator positions in the USD index rose by 1,621 contracts last week. This change is the result of an increase in long positions by 1,979 contracts and an increase in short positions by 358 contracts. Growth in total net speculator positions occurred last week in the euro, the British pound and the New Zealand dollar. Decrease in total net positions occurred in the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen, the Canadian dollar, and the Swiss franc. In the event of a Russian invasion to Ukraine, markets would move into risk-off sentiment. This means that investors would sell risk assets, which include stock indices, and shift their resources into assets that are considered as safe havens in such situations, which include US government bonds and gold. In currency terms, this means that the US dollar, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc in particular could then appreciate in such a situation. Commodity currencies (especially AUD, NZD) might weaken. The positions of speculators in individual currencies The total net positions of large speculators are shown in table 1: If the value is positive then the large speculators are net long. If the value is negative, the large speculators are net short. Table 1: Total net positions of large speculators Date USD Index EUR GBP AUD NZD JPY CAD CHF Feb 15, 2022 35386 47581 2237 -86694 -9333 -66162 12170 -9715 Feb 08, 2022 33765 38842 -8545 -85741 -10366 -59148 14886 -9399 Feb 01, 2022 34571 29716 -23605 -79829 -11698 -60640 18264 -8239 Jan 25, 2022 36861 31560 -7763 -83273 -10773 -68273 12317 -8796 Jan 18, 2022 36434 24584 -247 -88454 -8331 -80879 7492 -10810 Jan 11, 2022 37892 6005 -29166 -91486 -8604 -87525 -7376 -7660 Note: The explanation of COT methodolody is at the end of this report. Notes: Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. ​The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.   Detailed analysis of selected currencies   Explanations:   Purple line and histogram: this is information on the total net position of large speculators. This information shows the strength and sentiment of an ongoing trend. It is the indicator r_COT Large Speculators (by Kramsken) in www.tradingview.com. Information on the positions of so-called hedgers is not shown in the chart, due to the fact that their main goal is not speculation, but hedging. Therefore, this group usually takes the opposite positions than the large speculators. For this reason, the positions of hedgers are inversely correlated with the movement of the price of the underlying asset. However, this inverse correlation shows the ongoing trend less clearly than the position of large speculators.​ We show moving average SMA 100 (blue line) and EMA 50 (orange line) on daily charts. ​Charts are made with the use of www.tradingview.com. The source of numerical data is www.myfxbook.com Euro   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Feb 15, 2022 702047 217899 170318 47581 1949 -1074 -9813 8739 Bullish Feb 08, 2022 700098 218973 180131 38842 14667 5410 -3716 9126 Bullish Feb 01, 2022 685431 213563 183847 29716 2479 155 1999 -1844 Weak bullish Jan 25, 2022 682952 213408 181848 31560 -8930 1507 -5469 6976 Bullish Jan 18, 2022 691882 211901 187317 24584 9589 7540 -11039 18579 Bullish Jan 11, 2022 682293 204361 198356 6005 4075 5288 -2271 7559 Bullish         Total change 23829 18826 -30309 49135     Figure 1: The euro and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the EURUSD on D1 The total net positions of speculators reached 47,581 contracts last week, up by 8,739 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 1,074 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 9,813 contracts. Total net speculators positions have increased by 49,135 contracts over the past 6 weeks. This change is due to speculators closing 30,309 short positions and adding 18,826 long positions. This data suggests continued bullish sentiment for the euro. However, the rising open interest, which increased by 1,949 contracts in the last week, shows the opposite, as the euro fell down last week and this decline is supported by the rising number of open interest contracts. So more bearish traders were in the market. So we have conflicting information here. The euro weakened slightly last week on fears of an escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Long-term resistance: 1.1461 – 1.15 Support: 1.1280 - 1.1300. Next support is near 1.1220 - 1.1240. A strong support is in 1.1120-1.1140. The British Pound   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Feb 15, 2022 195302 50151 47914 2237 -2646 5442 -5340 10782 Bullish Feb 08, 2022 197948 44709 53254 -8545 13941 15112 52 15060 Weak bearish Feb 01, 2022 184007 29597 53202 -23605 1967 -7069 8773 -15842 Bearish Jan 25, 2022 182040 36666 44429 -7763 -1194 -3094 4422 -7516 Bearish Jan 18, 2022 183234 39760 40007 -247 -17259 9254 -19665 28919 Weak bearish Jan 11, 2022 200493 30506 59672 -29166 486 4526 -5479 10005 Weak bearish         Total change -4705 24171 -17237 41408     Figure 2: The GBP and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the GBPUSD on D1 The total net positions of speculators reached 2,237 contracts last week, up by 10,782 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to an increase in long positions of 5,442 contracts and a decrease in short positions of 5,340 contracts. Total net positions have increased by 41,408 contracts over the past 6 weeks. This change is due to speculators exiting 17,237 short positions and adding 24,171 long positions. This data suggests bullish sentiment for the pound. Open interest, which fell by 2,646 contracts last week, is indicating that the bullish price action that occurred in the pound last week was not supported by volume and therefore it is weak. Risk off sentiment in US equities could have a negative effect on the Pound as well as the Euro, which could then send the Pound towards support which is at 1.3380. Long-term resistance: 1.3620-1.3640. Next resistance is near 1.3680 – 1.3750. Support: 1.3490 – 1.3520. A next support is near 1.3320 – 1.3380 and then mainly in the zone near 1.3200. The Australian dollar   Date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Feb 15, 2022 192578 11692 98386 -86694 -3825 -5631 -4678 -953 Bearish Feb 08, 2022 196403 17323 103064 -85741 -510 -1512 4400 -5912 Bearish Feb 01, 2022 196913 18835 98664 -79829 6893 3714 270 3444 Weak bearish Jan 25, 2022 190020 15121 98394 -83273 8884 6070 889 5181 Weak bearish Jan 18, 2022 181136 9051 97505 -88454 -4317 -3332 -6364 3032 Weak bearish Jan 11, 2022 185453 12383 103869 -91486 5346 -249 1871 -2120 Bearish         Total change 12471 -940 -3612 2672     Figure 3: The AUD and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the AUDUSD on D1 Total net speculator positions last week reached -86,694 contracts, down 953 contracts from the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions of 5,631 contracts and a decrease in short positions of 4,678 contracts. This data suggests continued bearish sentiment on the Australian dollar, which is confirmed by the downtrend. Total net positions have increased by 2,672 contracts over the past 6 weeks. This change is due to speculators exit of 3,612 short contracts while exiting 940 long contracts at the same time. However, last week saw a decrease in open interest of 3,825 contracts. This means that the upward price action that occurred last week was weak in terms of volume because new money did not flow into the market. The Australian dollar is very sensitive to the international geopolitical situation. If the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates, we can expect it to weaken especially on the AUDUSD pair and also the AUDJPY. Long-term resistance: 0.7200-0.7250 and especially near 0.7270-0.7310. Long-term support: 0.7085-0.7120. A strong support is near 0.6960 – 0.6990. The New Zealand dollar   Date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions Change Open Interest Change Long Change Short Change Net Positions Sentiment Feb 15, 2022 64105 24923 34256 -9333 9228 7755 6722 1033 Weak bearish Feb 08, 2022 54877 17168 27534 -10366 -3590 -2037 -3369 1332 Weak bearish Feb 01, 2022 58467 19205 30903 -11698 5151 3257 4182 -925 Bearish Jan 25, 2022 53316 15948 26721 -10773 8589 4336 6778 -2442 Bearish Jan 18, 2022 44727 11612 19943 -8331 2661 652 379 273 Weak bearish Jan 11, 2022 42066 10960 19564 -8604 1764 1543 1302 241 Weak bearish         Celková změna 23803 15506 15994 -488     Figure 4: The NZD and the position of large speculators on a weekly chart and the NZDUSD on D1 The total net positions of speculators reached a negative value last week - 9,333 contracts, having increased by 1,033 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to an increase in long positions by 7,755 contracts and an increase in short positions by 6,722 contracts. This data suggests that the bearish sentiment for the New Zealand Dollar continues, but has started to weaken over the past week. Total net positions have declined by 488 contracts over the past 6 weeks. This change is due to speculators adding 15,994 short positions and adding 15,506 long positions. Open interest rose significantly last week, increasing by 9,228 contracts. The rise in the NZDUSD price action that occurred last week is therefore supported by volume and therefore the move was strong. The reason for the NZD strengthening last week is that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is likely to raise interest rates to 1% on Feb 23, 2022. However, if the conflict in Ukraine escalates further, the NZDUSD could more likely weaken. The reason for the NZDUSD's decline from a technical analysis perspective could also be that the NZDUSD price has reached horizontal resistance and also the upper downtrend line from the daily chart. Long-term resistance: 0.6700 – 0.6740 and then 0.6850 – 0.6890. Long-term support: 0.6590-0.6600 and the next support is at 0.6500 – 0.6530. Explanation to the COT report The COT report shows the positions of major participants in the futures markets. Futures contracts are derivatives and are essentially agreements between two parties to exchange an underlying asset for a predetermined price on a predetermined date. They are standardised, specifying the quality and quantity of the underlying asset. They are traded on an exchange so that the total volume of these contracts traded is known.   Open interest: open interest is the sum of all open futures contracts (i.e. the sum of short and long contracts) that exist on a given asset. OI increases when a new futures contract is created by pairing a buyer with a seller. The OI decreases when an existing futures contract expires at a given expiry time or by settlement. Low or no open interest means that there is no interest in the market. High open interest indicates high activity and traders pay attention to this market. A rising open interest indicates that there is demand for the currency. That is, a rising OI indicates a strong current trend. Conversely, a weakening open interest indicates that the current trend is not strong. Open Interest Price action Interpretation Notes Rising Rising Strong bullish market New money flow in the particular asset, more bulls entered the market which pushes the price up. The trend is strong. Rising Falling Strong bearish market Price falls, more bearish traders entered the market which pushes the price down. The trend is strong. Falling Rising Weak bullish market Price is going up but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures contracts expire or are closed. The trend is weak. Falling Falling Weak bearish market Price is going down, but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures expire or are closed, the trend is weak.   Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. Traders should try to trade in the direction of these large speculators. The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. The COT data are usually reported every Friday and they show the status on Tuesday of the week. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.
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
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.
Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) Will Be Supported, But Probable Massive Sale Of Russian Gold Can Hinder The Rise

Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) Will Be Supported, But Probable Massive Sale Of Russian Gold Can Hinder The Rise

Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 01.03.2022 16:01
  Russia underestimated Ukraine’s fierce defense. Instead of quick conquest, the war is still going on. The same applies to pulling the rope between gold bulls and bears. It was supposed to be a blitzkrieg. The plan was simple: within 72 hours Russian troops were to take control of Kyiv, stage a coup, overthrow the democratically elected Ukrainian authorities, and install a pro-Russian puppet government. Well, the blitzkrieg clearly failed. The war has been going on for five days already, and Kyiv (and other major cities) remains in Ukrainian hands, while the Russians suffer great losses. Indeed, the Ukrainians are fighting valiantly. The Kremlin apparently did not expect such high morale among the troops and civilians, as well as such excellent organization and preparation. Meanwhile, the morale among Russian soldiers is reported to be pathetically low, as they have no motivation to fight with culturally close Ukrainians (many of whom speak perfect Russian). The invaders are also poorly equipped, and the whole operation was logistically unprepared (as the assumption was a quick capitulation by Ukrainian forces and a speedy collapse of the government in Kyiv). Well, pride comes before a fall. What’s more, the West is united as never before (Germany did a historic U-turn in its foreign and energy policies) and has already imposed relatively heavy economic sanctions on Russia (including cutting off some of the country’s banks from SWIFT), and donated weapons to Ukraine. However – and unfortunately – the war is far from being ended. Military analysts expect a second wave of Russian troops that can break the resistance of the Ukrainians, who have fewer forces and cannot relieve the soldiers just like the other side. Indeed, satellite pictures show a large convoy of Russian forces near Kyiv. Russia is also gathering troops in Belarus and – sadly – started shelling residential quarters in Ukrainian cities. According to US intelligence, Belarusian soldiers could join Russian forces. The coming days will be crucial for the fate of the conflict.   Implications for Gold What does the war between Russia and Ukraine imply for the gold market? Well, initially, the conflict was supportive of gold prices. As the chart below shows, the price of gold (London Fix) soared to $1,936 on Thursday. However, the rally was very short-lived, as the very next day, gold prices fell to $1,885. Thus, gold’s performance looked like “buy the rumor, sell the news.” However, yesterday, the price of the yellow metal returned above $1,900, so some geopolitical risk premium may still be present in the gold market. Anyway, it seems that I was right in urging investors to focus on fundamentals and to not make long-term investments merely based on geopolitical risks, the impact of which is often only temporary. Having said that, gold may continue its bullish trend, at least for a while. After all, the war not only increases risk aversion, but it also improves gold’s fundamental outlook. First of all, the Fed is now less likely to raise the federal funds rate in March. It will probably still tighten its monetary policy, but in a less aggressive way. For example, the market odds of a 50-basis point hike decreased from 41.4% one week ago to 12.4% now. What’s more, we are observing increasing energy prices, which could increase inflation further. The combination of higher inflation and a less hawkish Fed should be fundamentally positive for gold prices, as it implies low real interest rates. On the other hand, gold may find itself under downward pressure from selling reserves to raise liquidity. I'm referring to the fact that the West has cut Russia off from the SWIFT system in part. In such a situation, Russia would have to sell part of its massive gold reserves, which could exert downward pressure on prices. Hence, the upcoming days may be quite volatile for the gold market. At the end of my article, I would like to point out that although the war in Ukraine entails implications for the precious metals market, it is mostly a humanitarian tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with all the casualties of the conflict and their families. I hope that Ukraine will withstand the invasion and peace will return soon! 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
Will Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) Be Affected By Russian Economics?

Will Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) Be Affected By Russian Economics?

Przemysław Radomski Przemysław Radomski 01.03.2022 15:52
  Sanctions, terminated contracts, and a plummeting currency – Russia is facing the financial crisis specter. Can gold also be affected? In the medium term, even painfully.  While gold continues to ride the bullish wave of geopolitical tensions, confusion has arisen over whether Russia’s financial woes will support or hurt the yellow metal. For context, I wrote on Feb. 28: Even if the recent escalation uplifts gold in the short term, the fundamental implications of Russia’s financial plight support lower gold prices over the medium term.  Please see below: To explain, with Russia essentially blacklisted from many influential FX counterparties, the Russian ruble relative to the U.S. dollar was exchanged for a roughly 50% discount on Feb. 27. As a result, Russian's purchasing power is nearly half of what it was before Sunday's developments. Furthermore, if you analyze the chart above, you can see that euros and U.S. dollars made up a large portion of Russia's monetary base in 2013 (the green bars on the left). Conversely, those holdings dropped dramatically in 2021 (the blue bars on the left).  In addition, if you focus your attention on the column labeled "Gold," you can see that FX has been swapped for gold, and the yellow metal accounts for roughly 23% of Russia's monetary base. Now, with the impaired state of the ruble offering little financial reprieve, Russia may have to sell its gold reserves to alleviate the pressure from NATO's economic sanctions.  As a result, while war is often bullish for gold, the fundamental implications of currency devaluation mean that gold is Russia's only worthwhile asset outside of oil. Thus, with bank runs already unfolding in the region, the yellow metal could be collateral damage. To that point, the USD/RUB closed at roughly 105 on Feb. 28. As a result, it costs 105 Russian rubles to obtain one U.S. dollar. With the spot gold price at around $1,900 per ounce, it costs roughly 199,500 Russian rubles to purchase an ounce of gold. In stark contrast, the USD/RUB closed at approximately 75 on Feb. 16, which means that less than two weeks ago, it cost 142,500 Russian rubles to purchase an ounce of gold at the current price. As such, in currency-adjusted terms, the cost of an ounce of gold in Russia has increased by roughly 40% in recent days. However, after Bloomberg posted an article on Feb. 27 titled “Bank of Russia Resumes Gold Buying After Two-Year Pause,” the revelation may have caused some anxiety about our short position (as a reminder, it’s not in gold, but in junior mining stocks). For context, an excerpt from the article read: “The central bank will begin buying gold again on the domestic precious metals market, it said in a statement. The move comes after the monetary authority and several of the country’s commercial banks were sanctioned in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” As a result, if Russia goes on a shopping spree for bullion, could the price skyrocket? Well, the reality is that the fundamentals don’t support the sentiment. As mentioned, the USD/RUB has surged in recent days, and the sharp decline in the value of the Russian currency is extremely bearish for the Russian economy. Please see below: Furthermore, while Russia may want to increase its gold reserves, it’s essential to focus on what Russia does and not what it says. For example, the Russian central bank increased its overnight lending rate from 9.5% to 20% on Feb. 28. While U.S. investors fret over a 25 basis point hike from the Fed (which, as mentioned previously, should occur in March), Russia had to increase interest rates by 10.5% to help stop the ruble’s bleeding.  Please see below: Source: Reuters For context, higher interest rates encourage capital flows, and with the ruble in free-fall, Russia is hoping that investors will buy the currency, invest in Russian bonds, and potentially earn a 20% return. Moreover, if the currency rallies during the holding period, the carry trade would be highly lucrative for an institution willing to incur the risk. However, the story is only sanguine in theory. In reality, though, crippling sanctions from NATO and private companies divesting their Russian assets mean that buying the ruble and other Russian securities requires a gambler’s mentality. For example, Viraj Patel, FX and Macro Strategist at Vanda Research, summed up the dynamic in a few simple words on Feb. 28: Source: Viraj Patel Twitter Thus, while Russia may claim it's buying gold, and who knows, maybe it will, the financial destruction plaguing the region will likely make Russia a net-seller over the medium term. To that point, if we circle back to the Bloomberg article referenced above, Nicky Shiels, head of metals strategy at MKS PAMP SA, said in the same piece that investors would interpret the actions as short-term bullish.  However, aligning with our expectations, she noted that investors have misjudged the medium-term impact of Russia's currency crisis.  Please see below: Source: Bloomberg As a result, that’s why I wrote on Feb. 28 that while volatility may be the name of the game this week as investors struggle to digest the implications, the geopolitical risk premium that often supports gold may prove counterintuitive this time around. Furthermore, we shouldn't ignore the potential impact on the USD Index. For example, while the dollar basket defied expectations and rose materially in 2021, the momentum continued in 2022. However, after a sharp rally in January, investors repositioned their bets, and euro longs were in style once again. However, with the risk-on trade now disrupted by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, more downside for the euro implies more upside for the USD Index. Please see below: Source: Institute of International Finance (IIF)/Robin Brooks To explain, the color blocks above track the non-commercial (speculative) futures positioning for various currencies versus the U.S. dollar, while the black line above tracks the consolidated total. If you analyze the right side of the chart, you can see that the black line has moved higher recently, which signals fewer U.S. dollar long positions.   More importantly, though, if you focus your attention on the light blue blocks on the right side of the chart, you can see that speculative euro longs have increased and remain in positive territory. However, with the economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict much more troublesome for the Eurozone than the U.S., speculative EUR/USD positioning still has plenty of room to move lower. To that point, Mark Sobel, Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), wrote on Feb. 28 that “the overall impact of Russia’s actions on the U.S. economy may not be significant, assuming oil prices don’t soar, though that remains a significant risk.” “The challenges for the ECB will be much greater in its debates over balancing the stagflationary consequences of the Russian invasion. Europe is a large net energy importer and remains dependent on Russia for oil and natural gas.” As a result: “European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will feel the strain more than Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Higher oil prices will boost inflation, weaken growth prospects and stoke stagflation fears.” Furthermore, if you analyze the right side of the chart below, you can see that Russia’s monetary base includes more euros (the light blue line) than U.S. dollars (the dark blue line). As a result, if Russia swaps its other FX holdings for rubles (to help stop the decline), the euro has more downside risk than the greenback. The bottom line? While Russia may put on a brave face and claim that gold purchases are on the horizon, the reality is that its materially weak financial position requires more attention to more pressing matters. With bank runs and a currency crisis already unfolding, combined with NATO sanctions and private companies divesting their Russian assets, the country’s leaders need to stem the tide before a depression unfolds. As a result, Russia’s oil revenues and the securities it can monetize are more likely to be used to support the Russian economy, rather than to buy gold. Thus, while the yellow metal has enjoyed short-term sentiment high (and so did the silver price), the fundamentals imply a much different outcome over the medium term. In conclusion, the PMs were mixed on Feb. 28, as the GDX ETF ended the session roughly flat. However, the recent rallies are far from troublesome. For example, I noted previously how gold rallied following the 2001 terrorist attacks and after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. However, those gains were short-lived, and the latter resulted in lower lows in the months that followed. As a result, while the recent volatility will likely continue, it doesn’t change the bearish medium-term thesis. 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.
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.
The Swing Overview - Week 9

The Swing Overview - Week 9

Purple Trading Purple Trading 07.03.2022 20:22
The Swing Overview - Week 9 The war in Ukraine continues, and although we all want this tragic event to be ended immediately, but unfortunately, according to last statements of Russian officials, it looks like the war will drag on for a longer period of time. Investors have reacted to this development by selling risk assets, including the Czech koruna. Stock indices are losing ground and the DAX in particular has been under heavy pressure. On the other hand, commodities such as oil, gold, and coal are strengthening strongly. Somewhat surprising is the development in the Australian dollar, which usually weakens in the events of geopolitical uncertainties. However, there is a reason for its current rise. More on this in our article. Conflict in Ukraine   Vladimir Putin probably did not expect to encounter such a brave resistance from Ukraine and that  almost the whole world would send Russia into isolation through significant sanctions. The list of companies and actions that have cut ties with Russia is growing day by the day and Western companies are leaving Russia. Thus, for Russians, foreign goods (food, clothing, furniture, electronics, cars) will gradually become very rare. Probably the strongest sanction that Russia has felt so far, was the freeze of the Russian Central Bank's foreign exchange reserves. In response, the Russian ruble began to depreciate significantly on February 28, 2022, and has already lost more than 30% of its pre-invasion value. In response, the Russian Central Bank intervened by raising the interest rate to 20%, which temporarily halted the ruble's fall.    Figure 1: The Russian ruble paired with the USD and the euro Meanwhile, Western countries have not exhausted all options to stop Russia in this war through economic sanctions in case of further escalation of the conflict yet. The fact that European countries might stop taking Russian gas is also at stake. This would, of course, have a very significant impact on the entire European economy. However, these are still just some economic losses, which can not be   compared at all with the losses of lives experienced by the unprecedentedly attacked Ukraine. In any case, this crisis seems to have the potential to surpass in its consequences the crisis that occurred in Russia in 1998, which led to inflation exceeding 80% and central bank interest rates reaching 150%.   Data from the US economy The ISM manufacturing sentiment indicator for February came in at 58.6 which is better than expected and points to an optimistic development of the US economy. In the labour market sector, the ADP (non-farm job change) indicator was reported, which showed that 475 thousand jobs were created in America in February (compared to 509 thousand in January). The number of unemployment claims reached 215 thousand last week, which was less than expected 226 thousand. Thus, the data show that the US economy is doing well so far and the US Fed is going to raise interest rates at its next meeting on March 16, 2022. Jerome Powell said that he would support a 0.25% rate hike. Powell also said that the war in Ukraine means significant uncertainty for monetary policy.   The US dollar and bond yields The US dollar continues to strengthen, as the USD index shows. In addition to the expected US interest rate hike, the US dollar bullishness is explained by demand for US government bonds in times of uncertainty. Demand for these bonds then pushes down their yields, which continue to fall. Figure 2: 10-year government bond yield on the 4H chart and USD index on the daily chart Index SP500 The US SP 500 index moved in a consolidation range last week. This shows that investors have so far viewed the conflict in Ukraine as an event that is more or less a regional event and therefore saw cheap stocks as a buying opportunity.  However, the sanctions adopted by Western countries will of course also have an impact on the global economy, especially if the conflict deepens further. This concern was then reflected at the end of the week when the index started to weaken. Figure 3: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   Resistance according to the H4 chart is in the region of around 4,410 - 4,420. The nearest support according to the H4 chart is at 4255 - 4284. Significant support is at 4,100 - 4,113. German DAX index In contrast to the SP 500 index, there was a big sell-off in the DAX, showing that investors are worried, among other things, that a further escalation of the conflict could lead to a disruption in the supply of Russian gas, on which Germany is heavily dependent.  According to the daily chart, it looks like the DAX index is now in free fall and is breaking through support barriers as if they did not exist. It looks like the market is starting to show signs of panic selling by inexperienced investors.  If you are speculating in the short term, then bear in mind that short term speculation against such a strong downtrend is very disadvantageous and risky.   Figure 4: DAX on H4 and daily chart     Current resistance is in the area of 13,655 - 13,756. The price is now at support at 13,400, which is already slightly broken, but the closing of the whole session will be crucial. The next support is then at 13 000 - 13 100.   The Czech koruna is losing significantly The Czech koruna has long benefited from the interest rate differential, which has been very favourable for the koruna against the euro and has been the reason why the koruna has appreciated strongly since November 2021. But the Czech koruna, along with other Central European currencies, is a currency that is losing ground heavily in the current conflict.   Figure 5: The EURCZK on the daily chart   Firstly, there is the concern that the Czech Republic is geographically quite close to Ukraine, even though the Czech Republic does not have very significant exports directly with Ukraine nor Russia (in total, around 3% of total Czech exports). At the same time, there is concern about the Czech Republic's dependence on Russian gas. If the taps are closed, then the koruna could shoot above  CZK 27 per euro. Currently, the EURCZK pair is trading at the resistance level of 25. 80 - 25.90.   The Australian dollar The Australian dollar is a currency that tends to weaken during major global crises. In particular, the AUDJPY pair is correlated with the SP 500 index in the short term. Currently, however, the Australian dollar is strengthening.  This is because the Australian economy is export-oriented and exports commodities such as gold, iron ore, coal and gas.  All these commodities are now in high demand. Europe, for example, is realising that dependence on Russian gas is not paying off and is looking for alternatives. A temporary solution will be to rebuild coal-fired power stations. Germany and Italy have already started to buy coal stocks, which are therefore appreciating strongly. As a result, the price of coal has sky-rocketed, with one tonne reaching a record price of the USD 400. Figure 6: The coal price   The gold, traditionally seen as a safe haven in times of uncertainty, is also strengthening. The gold has also been helped by a fall in US bond yields.   Figure 7: The gold on H4 and D1 charts   In terms of technical analysis, the gold stopped at the resistance of $1,973 per ounce. The nearest support according to the daily chart is  $1,870 - 1,878 per ounce. The rise in commodity prices then resulted in the strengthening of the Australian dollar.     Figure 8: The AUDJPY currency pair on D1 chart   The AUDJPY broke the resistance in the range of 0.8400 - 0.8420, which became the new support. The next resistance is then at the level of 85.90 - 86.20.  
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
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
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
The War Is on for Two Weeks. How Does It Affect Gold?

The War Is on for Two Weeks. How Does It Affect Gold?

Arkadiusz Sieron Arkadiusz Sieron 10.03.2022 17:21
  With each day of the Russian invasion, gold confirms its status as the safe-haven asset. Its long-term outlook has become more bullish than before the war. Two weeks have passed since the Russian attack on Ukraine. Two weeks of the first full-scale war in Europe in the 21th century, something I still can’t believe is happening. Two weeks of completely senseless conflict between close Slavic nations, unleashed without any reasonable justification and only for the sake of Putin’s imperial dreams and his vision of Soviet Reunion. Two weeks of destruction, terror, and death that captured the souls of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of civilians, including dozens of children. Just yesterday, Russian forces bombed a maternity hospital in southern Ukraine. I used to be a fan of Russian literature and classic music (who doesn’t like Tolstoy or Tchaikovsky?), but the systematic bombing of civilian areas (and the use of thermobaric missiles) makes me doubt whether the Russians really belong to the family of civilized nations. Now, for the warzone report. The country’s capital and largest cities remain in the hands of the Ukrainians. Russian forces are drawing reserves, deploying conscript troops to Ukraine to replace great losses. They are still trying to encircle Kyiv. They are also strengthening their presence around the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian army heroically holds back enemy attacks in all directions. The defense is so effective that the large Russian column north-west of Kyiv has made little progress in over a week, while Russian air activity has significantly decreased in recent days.   Implications for Gold How has the war, that has been going on for already two weeks, affected the gold market so far? Well, as the chart below shows, the military conflict was generally positive for the yellow metal, boosting its price from $1,905 to $1989, or about 4.4%. Please note that initially the price of gold jumped, only to decline after a while, and only then rallied, reaching almost $2,040 on Tuesday (March 8, 2022). However, the price has retreated since then, below the key level of $2,000. This is partially a normal correction after an impressive upward move. It’s also possible that the markets are starting to smell the end of the war. You see, Russian forces can’t break through the Ukrainian defense. They can continue besieging cities, but the continuation of the invasion entails significant costs, and Russia’s economy is already sinking. Hence, they can either escalate the conflict in a desperate attempt to conquer Kyiv – according to the White House, Russia could conduct a chemical or biological weapon attack in Ukraine – or try to negotiate the ceasefire. In recent days, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said he was open to a compromise with Russia. Today, the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers met in Turkey for the first time since the horror started (unfortunately, without any agreement). However, although gold prices may consolidate for a while or even fall if the prospects of the de-escalation increase, the long-term fundamentals have turned more bullish. As you can see in the chart below, the real interest rates decreased amid the prospects of higher inflation and slower economic growth. Russia and Ukraine are key exporters of many commodities, including oil, which would increase the production costs and bring us closer to stagflation. What’s next, risk aversion increased significantly, which is supportive of safe-haven assets such as gold. After all, Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine is a turning point in modern history, which ends a period of civilized relations with Russia and relative safety in the world. Although Russia’s army discredited itself in Ukraine, the country still has nuclear weapons able to destroy the globe. As you can see in the chart below, both the credit spreads (represented here by the ICE BofA US High Yield Index Option-Adjusted Spread) and the CBOE volatility index (also called “the fear index”) rose considerably in the last two weeks. Hence, the long-term outlook for gold is more bullish than before the invasion. The short-term future is more uncertain, as there might be periods of consolidation and even corrections if the conflict de-escalates or ends. However, given the lack of any decisions during today’s talks between Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers and the continuation of the military actions, gold may rally further. 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 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.
Trade Zone Week Ahead with Boris Schlossberg (BK Forex): 14th – 18th March

Trade Zone Week Ahead with Boris Schlossberg (BK Forex): 14th – 18th March

8 eightcap 8 eightcap 13.03.2022 19:00
It’s a big week for the US Fed this week, as it meets to push through its first increase in interest rates since the pandemic, against an increasingly volatile situation in Ukraine. Last week, the markets witnessed parabolic moves for both oil and gold as risk-off sentiment increased, however, those moves didn’t last long and soon reversed. As the trading bell tolls this week, the headlines will continue to be driven by fundamental factors, which will no doubt drive even further volatility if things seemingly get worse. In today’s Trade Zone Trading Week Ahead, we examine those severe moves in Oil and Gold, while also looking ahead at a few pertinent forex pairs, as well as the Nasdaq and Bitcoin. Watch the video below to get this week’s insights ahead of the market open. https://youtu.be/zifdtVdCcK0 Join us this Wednesday at 10PM AEDT (11AM GMT) as Boris and Kathy take you through another live market update, focusing on how price action is shaping up into the weekend. It’s the perfect session to get valuable insight into what’s hot in the financial markets, as well as give you the opportunity to ask the experts your questions in the live Q&A. Click the banner below to register. Registration is free. Boris Schlossberg is Managing Director of FX Strategy for BK Asset Management, Co-Founder of BKForex.com, and Managing Editor of 60secondinvestor.com. Widely known as a leading foreign exchange expert, Boris has more than three decades of financial market experience. In 2007, while still at FXCM, Boris started BKForex with Ms. Kathy Lien. A year later, Boris joined Global Futures & Forex Ltd as director of currency research where he provided research and analysis to clients and managed a global foreign exchange analysis team with Kathy Lien. Since 2012 Boris has focused exclusively on running BKForex.com where he generates trade ideas and designs algorithms for the FX market in partnership with Ms. Lien. He is the author of “Technical Analysis of the Currency Market” and “Millionaire Traders: How Everyday People Beat Wall Street at its Own Game”, both of which are published by Wiley. In 2020 Mr. Schlossberg started www.60secondinvestor.com a free website that distils the best of institutional investment research for retail investors. Important Data Releases & Events this Week Tuesday AUD RBA Meeting Minutes USD PPI Wednesday JPY Balance of Trade CAD CPI USD Core Retail Sales Thursday USD Fed Interest Rate Decision, FOMC Economic Projections, Fed Press Conference NZD GDP AUD RBA Bulletin, Unemployment Rate GBP BoE Interest Rate Decision Friday JPY Inflation Rate, BoJ Interest Rate Decision The post Trade Zone Week Ahead with Boris Schlossberg (BK Forex): 14th – 18th March appeared first on Eightcap.
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
The Swing Overview – Week 10 2022

The Swing Overview – Week 10 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 14.03.2022 15:05
The Swing Overview – Week 10 The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than two weeks and there is no end in sight. However, the markets seem to have started to adapt to the new situation and the decline in the indices has stopped. Meanwhile, inflation in the Czech Republic rose to 11.1% and the ECB left rates unchanged as expected. There is extreme volatility in oil. After reaching 2008 price levels there has been a larger correction. The conflict in Ukraine   The high-profile meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Kuleba did not bring a solution to end the war.  Russia continues to expect Ukraine to recognise Crimea as part of Russia, to recognise the independence of republics declared by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, and not to join NATO. Kuleba commented that Ukraine will not surrender. So, unfortunately, the war continues.   The sanctions, which have caused the Russian economy a shock and which are being extended, should help to end the war. The US announced that it stopped taking Russian oil. However, European leaders have not agreed to stop taking Russian energy because of their current dependence on it. As a lesson from this war, the EU is preparing a plan to stop taking Russian gas by 2027.   Meanwhile, the markets have calmed down a bit and although a resolution to the conflict is nowhere in sight, the markets seem to have come to accept the war as a regional issue that will have a negative but limited impact on global economic growth. This can be seen in US 10-year bond rates, which have started to rise again.   Figure 1: 10-year government bond yield on the 4H chart and USD index on the daily chart   The US inflation at highest levels in 40 years Annual inflation in the US for February was 7.9%, the highest since January 1982. The biggest contributor to inflation is energy, which saw inflation reaching 25.6%, while gasoline prices were up 38%. These figures do not include recent developments in Europe. Continued supply-side logistics problems and strong demand, together with a tight labour market mean that higher inflation will last for a longer period. Figure 2: The inflation in the US   Next week, the US Fed will meet to respond to rising inflation. Interest rates are generally expected to rise by at least 0.25%.    The SP500 index Long-term investors in the SP 500 index track an indicator of the number of companies whose stock prices are above the 50-day average. Figure 3: The SP 500 Index and an indicator of the number of companies in the SP 500 Index above the 50-day moving average   This indicator has recently fallen to a value of 20. In the past, as the figure shows, reaching a value of 20 was mostly followed by an increase in the index. It is therefore likely that investors will now start buying the shares. Amazon shares gained significantly after the company announced a 20:1 stock split. The stock can thus be afforded by more retail investors. As for the current trend in the SP 500 index, it has been moving down recently. This may be a correction to the overall uptrend shown in Figure 3. In Figure 4 we have a short-term view.     Figure 4: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   From a technical analysis perspective, the moving averages suggest that the index is moving down. Investor interest in buying a dip has slowed this decline, which can be seen on the H4 chart where a higher low has formed.  Support is at 4,140 - 4,152. Resistance is at 4,288 - 4,300. The next resistance is at 4,385 - 4,415. The moving averages also serve as resistance.   The inflation in the Czech Republic has surpassed 11% Annual inflation in the Czech Republic for February 2022 was 11.1% (9.9% in January), higher than market expectations (10.3% was expected). This is the highest inflation in the Czech Republic since 1998. The largest contributors to inflation are housing (16%), electricity (22.6%) and gas (28.3%). This figure is likely to force the CNB to raise rates further. The Czech koruna has stalled against the euro at resistance around 25.80 - 25.90. The reason for the weakening of the koruna was geopolitical uncertainty regarding the war in Ukraine. Now it seems that the markets have absorbed this situation and this may be the reason for the appreciation of the koruna that occurred last week. If the war in Ukraine does not escalate further into new unexpected dimensions (such as the disruption of gas supplies to Europe from Russia), then the interest rate differential could again be an important factor, which, due to higher interest rates on the koruna, could lead to the koruna appreciation towards January levels.   Figure 5: EURCZK on the daily chart   Resistance: 25.80 - 25.90.  Support: 24.50 - 24.60 and then around 24.10   ECB and the euro The ECB left interest rates unchanged at 0%. At the same time, it surprised the market by ending its bond buying program in Q3, earlier than previous forecasts. The reaction to the news was a strong appreciation of the euro and it jumped to 1.1120 against the dollar. Eventually, however, the euro ended the session at around 1.10. The reason for this reversal is that tightening at a time when the economy is slowing could lead to stagflation. Strong US inflation data also contributed to the euro sell-off. The US is also much less vulnerable to sanctions against Russia than Europe.   Figure 6: EURUSD on the H4 and daily charts   From a technical point of view, we can see that the EURUSD has stalled right at the resistance band, which is at the 1.11-1.1130 level. The nearest support is 1.08-1.0850.   Crude Oil Brent crude oil reached $136 earlier this week, the highest level since July 2008. This was due to fears of a shortage of black liquid due to the conflict in Ukraine. However, Russia , which produces 7% of global demand, has announced that it will meet its contractual obligations. At the same time, Chevron said there was no shortage of oil and some other producers were ready to increase production if necessary. The EU has also announced that it will not impose an embargo on Russian oil imports, which would otherwise shock the market at a time when oil stocks are reaching multi-year lows, and will not join the US and the UK. Following this, oil began to retreat from its highs.   Figure 7: Brent crude oil on monthly and daily charts Resistance is in the 132-135 range. The nearest support is 103 - 105 USD per barrel. The next support is then in the band around USD 85 - 87 per barrel.  
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.
Diesel Supply Concerns Grow as Russia Bans Exports: Impact on Middle Distillate Markets

Fed Speaks Its Mind! Interest Rate To Be Raised Tomorrow!? What About Crude Oil Inventories? Economic Calendar by FXMAG.COM

Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 15.03.2022 11:38
16/03/22 is the date to remember as finally Fed will release its Interest Rate Decision. According to recent Jerome Powell's rhetoric the raise of rate is almost sure. Tomorrow, EIA releases Crude Oil Inventories as well - a lot to watch on Wednesday! Data: courtesy of Investing.com USA The day begins quiet lately at 12:30 p.m. as Core Retail Sales (MoM) is relased. This one previosuly amounted to 3.3%. At the same time appropriate department publishes Retail Sales (MoM) (prev. 3.8%). 2:30 p.m. - the first Big One actually - Crude Oil Inventories release. Previously this indicator amounted to -1.863M and we can predict the next value will hit higher levels. At 6 p.m. FOMC Economic Projections, FOMC Statement and, most importantly, new interest rate go public and many suppose the current interest rate (which is 0.25%) will be raised. After all the releases, at 6:30 p.m. FOMC speak to media. Canada There's "only" one major release on 15/03/22 in Canada - the Core CPI which previously hit 0.8%. New Zealand At the evening (9:45 p.m.) New Zealand's GDP (QoQ) is published - the indicator equaled to -3.7% previously.   Source: Investing.com Economic Calendar Time: GMT
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
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.
The Commodities Feed: Anticipating LNG Strike Action and Market Dynamics

AMC Stock Price: AMC Entertainment spikes 8% on Wednesday

FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.03.2022 08:29
AMC stock gains on Tuesday as equities and growth stocks rally. More gains are likely on Wednesday for AMC shares as peace hopes rise for Ukraine. AMC Entertainment also saw increased attention from its investment in Hycroft Mining. AMC shares are up 8% to $15.65 as better prospects for peace in Ukraine seem to be lifting up the entire market. The Nasdaq has risen an optimistic 2.7% about one hour into Wednesday's session. Further positivity is in motion with the start of the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee two-day meeting that is expected to usher in a 25 basis point rise in the fed funds rate. The rise in interest rates should slow this year's hike in inflation. This price action is certainly exciting for AMC apes, who have witnessed AMC stock drop to the low $13s earlier this week. AMC Entertainment did benefit in Tuesday's afternoon session from its acquisition of Hycroft Mining, but it seems the stock is gaining more interest on Wednesday for this buy. Now its acquisition target, HYMC, has seen its shares go in the opposite direction on Wednesday. HYMC stock is trading down 9% at $1.37 at the time of writing. AMC stock closed higher on Tuesday as investors took comfort from the continued collapse in oil prices and hoped for some form of peace in Ukraine. It was oil that was the big driver for equity markets, and growth stock, in particular, bounced hard as this sector had seen the bigger losses since the year began. It is hard to see guess whether this movie can be sustained long term though as yields have once again moved up. This should stall growth stocks. A peace deal would see further gains for all sectors, but then these may be capped if yields keep rising. The Fed decision later on Wednesday will give us more clarity on this. AMC Stock News The big news yesterday though for AMC apes was the investment in Hycroft Mining by AMC. This was right out of left field and remains a puzzling one to say the least. Hycroft Mining is a gold and silver miner with one mine in Nevada. The company has not turned a profit since 2013 and last November said it may need to raise capital to meet future financial obligations. The company also laid off over half of its workforce at the mine last November. This is a pretty high-risk investment and perhaps AMC and AMC apes are used to that. It was only a small outlet as CEO adam Aron alluded to. Nevertheless, the Hycroft Mining (HYMC) stock price soared as retail investors piled into the name. By the opening of the regular session on Tuesday, HYMC stock was trading nearly 100% higher, but it closed only 9% higher at $1.52 having traded up to $2.97. The reason for the dramatic turnaround was probably a bit of reality set into investors once they had a look at Hycroft Mining and its financial condition. The main reason was a Bloomberg report saying that Hycroft Mining could do a $500 million share sale by as early as next Tuesday. We understand the sale is ongoing and being led by B.Riley Securities. AMC Stock Forecast We were quite negative on this deal on Tuesday and remain so. At least it is not a big investment for AMC, but it still reads poorly. This will not endear AMC stock to further credibility in our view. CNBC carried out a report yesterday about the surge in price and volume trading in HYMC stock before the AMC announcement: "Small mining firm with troubled history saw big spikes in stock price, trading volume ahead of AMC deal." Tuesday's move took AMC back up to our resistance level at $14.54, which was a key breakdown level. Below this and AMC remains bearish. Above $14.54 is neutral. We remain bearish on AMC with a target price of $8.95. AMC stock chart, daily Prior Update: AMC stock opened higher on Wednesday as the stock market remains on edge over the potential for some form of a peace deal in Ukraine. Oil prices falling sharply has also helped investor sentiment. AMC is currently trading at $14.77 for a gain of exactly 2% after 5 minutes of the regular session on Tuesday. Hycroft Mining (HYMC) stock is trading 4% lower at the same stage on Wednesday. Later we get the Fed interest rate decision which may hamper more progress from growth stocks but for now, it is full steam ahead. AMC is back among the top trending stocks on social media sites and interest seems high. $14.54 remains a key level for AMC to hold above if it wants to have put a bottom formation in place. Otherwise, it will return to the bearish trend and look to target $8.95 in our view.
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
UK: Interest Rate Is 25bps Higher, The GBPUSD Chart Shows A Big Decline

UK: Interest Rate Is 25bps Higher, The GBPUSD Chart Shows A Big Decline

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 17.03.2022 15:02
The Bank of England raised the rate by 25 points to 0.75%. Such a move was, on average, predicted by market analysts. However, reports that one member of the Bank of England voted to maintain the rate was seen as less confidence in further hikes. The Bank’s deputy governor Jon Cunliffe voted against a rate hike, noting the risks of falling demand due to a jump in commodity prices. This vote against caused GBPUSD to immediately fall more than 120 pips, briefly sending GBPUSD below 1.3090. However, the weakening pound supported the stock market, bringing the FTSE100 back to its opening levels, in contrast to the declines in most foreign indices. Earlier, the FOMC made less harsh comments on interest rates than the market expected to see. The Bank of England, like the Fed yesterday, raised its inflation forecasts considerably and pushed back the forecast peak further, given the latest price hike. Like after the 2008 financial crisis, the Fed and the Bank of England are leaving the economy at the forefront in an attempt to tighten policy. The currency market was ready to see more determination in raising rates. The current measured approach forms a more favourable environment for financial markets than expected at the start of March.
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.
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
Bank of England survey highlights easing price pressures

BOE Quick Analysis: GBP/USD buying opportunity? Three reasons see upside from here

FXStreet News FXStreet News 17.03.2022 16:34
The BOE has raised rates by 0.25% as widely but not unanimously expected. GBP/USD has tumbled on a dovish dissent, also reverting a rise beforehand. Further rate hikes, hopes for a deal on Ukraine, could help GBP/USD recover. A dovish hike – the Bank of England has delivered a cautious increase of interest rates, similar to what investors had expected from the Federal Reserve. One dovish dissenter – Jon Cunliffe who preferred to leave rates unchanged – and a subtle change in tone are genuine reasons to sell sterling. The bank previously said that further modest tightening is likely to be appropriate, and now it says it may be appropriate. One dovish dissenter out of nine and that single word do not go the full length to explain the 100-pip downfall of GBP/USD. A quick look at the chart reveals the main reason – a classic "buy the rumor, sell the fact" response. Cable has reverted to levels seen early in the day. Investors bet on a 50 bps rate hike that – 40% chance according to bond markets, and that wager totally failed. What's next? GBP/USD has room to recover from these lows, for several reasons. First, the BOE forecasts inflation to hit 8%, an alarming level and a substantial upgrade from previous projections. It would have to act to curb it, especially as long as Britain's labor market looks strong. Second, the bank's mood may swing back to a hawkish mood next time – Governor Andrew Bailey shocked markets by refraining from lift-off in November but then provided a surprising hike in December – without a press conference to explain it. The pendulum swing to the hawkish side may follow. Third, there is room for short-term recovery on hopes for a Ukraine-Russia deal, or at least a truce. Investors remain optimistic, and that could weigh on the safe-haven dollar. China's pledge to support the economy and the stock market also underpins sentiment, another greenback-adverse development. All in all, a buying opportunity seems to be on the cards after a "buy the rumor, sell the fact" response.
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.
Bonds Speculators continue to raise Eurodollar bearish bets to 170-week high

Bonds Speculators continue to raise Eurodollar bearish bets to 170-week high

Invest Macro Invest Macro 19.03.2022 15:51
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 March 15th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT bonds data is the steady rise in the Eurodollar bearish bets. Eurodollar futures speculator bets fell for a second consecutive week and for the fourth time in the past five weeks. This has brought the current net position to the most bearish standing of the past one hundred and seventy weeks, dating back to December of 2018. The Eurodollar futures are the largest futures market as open interest in these contracts usually numbers over 10 million contracts (sometimes three times more than the second highest market) and are used to wager or hedge on short-term interest rates (3-month Libor). A declining Eurodollar futures contract shows a rise in (deposit) interest rates while a gaining Eurodollar futures contract shows the opposite. In times of financial upheaval or strong risk-off situations such as the Great Financial Crisis or the recent Covid Crisis, Eurodollar futures have seen strong trends higher and in times of normalization and rising interest rates, Eurodollar futures typically trend downward. The current path to normal interest rates (off the near-zero floor for the Fed Funds) is happening at the moment and the Eurodollar speculator positions are reflecting that with their multi-year lows. The bond markets with higher speculator bets this week were the 2-Year Bond (92,313 contracts), 10-Year Bond (56,723 contracts), Fed Funds (32,857 contracts), 5-Year (104,839 contracts) and the Ultra US Bond (18,174 contracts). The bond markets with lower speculator bets this week were the Eurodollar (-143,781 contracts), Ultra 10-Year (-35,370 contracts) and the Long US Bond (-3,130 contracts). Data Snapshot of Bond Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-15-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index Eurodollar 10,624,293 37 -2,528,477 0 2,952,797 100 -424,320 11 FedFunds 2,057,322 76 -105,281 27 120,855 75 -15,574 20 2-Year 2,155,448 15 -20,433 78 89,684 39 -69,251 14 Long T-Bond 1,118,301 35 44,238 99 -29,752 11 -14,486 41 10-Year 3,561,445 34 -320,997 23 512,812 86 -191,815 34 5-Year 3,796,317 37 -347,302 22 590,098 85 -242,796 14   3-Month Eurodollars Futures: The 3-Month Eurodollars large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -2,528,477 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -143,781 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,384,696 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 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.1 percent. 3-Month Eurodollars Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.0 76.6 3.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.8 48.8 7.6 – Net Position: -2,528,477 2,952,797 -424,320 – Gross Longs: 421,782 8,135,944 386,903 – Gross Shorts: 2,950,259 5,183,147 811,223 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 1.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 11.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.3 7.6 3.6   30-Day Federal Funds Futures: The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -105,281 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 32,857 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -138,138 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 26.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 74.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.1 percent. 30-Day Federal Funds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 3.4 78.3 1.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 8.5 72.4 2.2 – Net Position: -105,281 120,855 -15,574 – Gross Longs: 70,601 1,610,540 30,462 – Gross Shorts: 175,882 1,489,685 46,036 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 26.6 74.6 20.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -17.0 15.8 19.9   2-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -20,433 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 92,313 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -112,746 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 78.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 39.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.3 percent. 2-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.5 76.3 6.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.4 72.1 9.6 – Net Position: -20,433 89,684 -69,251 – Gross Longs: 312,101 1,644,077 138,269 – Gross Shorts: 332,534 1,554,393 207,520 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 78.1 39.4 14.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -13.7 7.8 14.3   5-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -347,302 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 104,839 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -452,141 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 22.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.4 percent. 5-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 8.8 82.3 6.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.0 66.8 13.0 – Net Position: -347,302 590,098 -242,796 – Gross Longs: 335,536 3,125,740 251,950 – Gross Shorts: 682,838 2,535,642 494,746 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 22.3 85.2 14.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -39.8 22.3 11.9   10-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -320,997 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 56,723 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -377,720 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 22.6 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 34.0 percent. 10-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 8.2 79.8 8.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 17.2 65.5 14.1 – Net Position: -320,997 512,812 -191,815 – Gross Longs: 293,043 2,843,812 311,433 – Gross Shorts: 614,040 2,331,000 503,248 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 22.6 86.0 34.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.1 -6.3 22.6   Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures: The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -69,750 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -35,370 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -34,380 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 9.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 99.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.2 percent. Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.5 79.7 8.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.9 64.5 18.8 – Net Position: -69,750 198,122 -128,372 – Gross Longs: 137,331 1,038,528 116,422 – Gross Shorts: 207,081 840,406 244,794 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 9.3 99.8 38.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -38.9 28.3 27.7   US Treasury Bonds Futures: The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 44,238 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -3,130 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 47,368 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 99.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.1 percent. US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 11.2 72.1 14.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 7.3 74.7 15.3 – Net Position: 44,238 -29,752 -14,486 – Gross Longs: 125,767 805,967 156,315 – Gross Shorts: 81,529 835,719 170,801 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 99.0 10.7 41.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 26.3 -27.8 5.1   Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures: The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -266,244 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 18,174 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -284,418 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 76.6 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 26.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 55.2 percent. Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 7.0 80.1 12.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.1 61.9 9.3 – Net Position: -266,244 228,742 37,502 – Gross Longs: 87,587 1,008,627 154,454 – Gross Shorts: 353,831 779,885 116,952 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 76.6 26.8 55.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 27.5 -39.2 9.0   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.
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
Bank of Japan will not keep the yen from falling

Bank of Japan will not keep the yen from falling

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 22.03.2022 14:53
The Japanese yen has fallen for the third week in a row, and the amplitude of this decline has become rather scary on Tuesday. It seems yen traders' stop-lines have been blown as the markets have become increasingly aware of the monetary authorities' reaction to inflation and the outlook for the balance of payments. In addition, over the past three weeks, we have seen a careful return of investors to risky assets, which is causing the yen to sell-off.USDJPY is trading above 120.70, which was last seen six years ago, having gained more than 5% since March 7th, while GBPJPY has soared 6% and EURJPY is up 7%. Against the yen are new comments from the Bank of Japan, which shows no sign of a change in its monetary policy, while central banks in other parts of the world issue increasingly hawkish statements.The pressure on the yen is exacerbated by its dependence on oil and metal imports, which widens the trade deficit of the historically export-oriented country. The value of exports in February 2022 was 18% higher than in 2020, while imports soared by 49%. Booming prices for energy, metals, and agricultural products set Japan up for a further plunge into trade deficits.In former years, sustained surpluses helped the yen maintain its strength or even strengthen during periods of market turbulence, ignoring anaemic economic growth and rising government debt to GDP levels.The resulting crisis in commodity prices will force central banks to unambiguously choose their policy towards government bonds on the balance sheet and the general level of government debt. While the USA and Europe are tightening their rhetoric on interest rates, Japan is deliberately lagging. At the same time, the government maintains an apparent calm, pointing out that there are both disadvantages and advantages of a weak exchange rate. The yen problem is not bothering the authorities right now.We should wait and see if investor confidence in the Japanese currency is undermined. Losing control of the exchange rate would risk an escalation of selling into Japanese government debt more than 250% of GDP. The only realistic soft solution is to deflate the national debt by accelerating inflation, but only if the central bank remains a big buyer to prevent an appreciation of the national debt. Such a policy would lead to sustained pressure on the yen.
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.
The Swing Overview - Week 11 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 11 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 23.03.2022 16:13
The Swing Overview - Week 11 The fall in the indices that we have seen in recent days has stopped. The indices strengthened on expectations of a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than three weeks. However, these negotiations have not led to any significant breakthrough yet, so the upside potential for the indices could be limited. In addition, the Fed has started its own war against inflation and raised interest rates for the first time in three years, which is rather negative news for equity indices in the short term. However, the statistics say that in the long run it does not mean a trend reversal for the SP 500 index. The Bank of England also raised rates, but the pound surprisingly weakened. The reason for this is in our article. The war in Ukraine   The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than three weeks now and there is still no end in sight. Sentiment has started to improve after reports on negotiations for a diplomatic solution to the war. However, Russia continues to make unrealistic demands that Ukraine cannot agree to. Negotiations have therefore have not led to a solution yet.   Meanwhile, the economic situation in Russia continues to deteriorate rapidly as a result of the sanctions. The credit rating agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded Russia's credit rating from the current grade CCC- to CC. Russia has already announced that it is having difficulty repaying its bonds. However, Russia managed to pay the coupon payments that were due this week, averting the country's imminent bankruptcy for now.   The war in Ukraine will have a negative impact on the global economy. World economic growth for 2022 is expected to fall from 4% to 3.2%. Apart from Russia and Ukraine, Europe and the UK will be hardest hit, where there is a significant risk of recession.   The Fed has raised interest rates The US Fed has launched a war on inflation and raised interest rates for the first time since December 2018. The current rate is 0.50% and further increases will continue. The Fed disclosed that rates are expected to rise to 2.80% within a year.  Figure 1: The evolution of interest rates in the US   The evolution of interest rates, over the last 25 years, is shown in Figure 1.   Jerome Powell commented that the Fed's main goal is to achieve price stability and maximum employment. He expects inflation, which has now reached 7.9%, to reach the target of 2%, but this will take longer than originally expected.    The problem is a persistent labour shortage, which is putting upward pressure on wages. However, the situation is already starting to normalise in some sectors, suggesting that this should not be an uncontrollable spiral wage growth that would strongly support inflation.   According to Powell, the US economy is in good shape and ready for monetary policy normalisation. Therefore, the Fed will start in May to reduce the bonds in its balance sheet, which has grown considerably to almost $9 trillion thanks to the support of the economy during the covid pandemic.   The Index SP500 As far as the impact of interest rate hikes is concerned, this should not change the long-term bullish market. Statistics confirm that over the following 12 months from the date of the hike, the index has reached higher levels in every case since 1983. Figure 2: The impact of the first interest rate hike on the performance of the SP 500 index. Source: Bloomberg     However, the statistics also show that in the short term, there were declines in the index within 3 months and this cannot be ruled out now as well. As for the current developments on the SP 500 index, it has recently bounced off its supports. The reason for this was the hope for a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine. However, this has stalled. The Fed also gave optimism to the indices with its statement about the economy doing well. Figure 3: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   Overall, the index is currently in a downtrend. In terms of technical analysis, the price has reached the resistance level which is at 4,383 - 4,420. According to the daily chart, the price has reached the EMA 50 moving average, which also serves as resistance. Support according to the H4 chart is at 4,328 - 4,334.  Significant support according to the daily chart is at 4 105 - 4 152.  German DAX index Figure 4: The German DAX index on H4 and daily chart   There was a significant deterioration in economic sentiment in Germany in March, as shown by the ZEW index, which reached a negative reading of -39.3. However, the DAX index, which is much more affected by the war in Ukraine than the US indices, strengthened last week.  The reason for the index's rise was mainly due to signs of a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The price climbed up to the resistance level on the H4 chart last week, which is in the area near the 14,500 price. The strong resistance according to the daily chart is in the range between 14,800 - 15,000.  The closest support according to the H4 chart is at 14,030 - 14,100.   The euro strengthened after the Fed announcement The euro price retested the resistance area which is in the area near 1.1130 - 1.1150 according to the daily chart. However, the Euro remains under pressure and although the ECB was surprisingly hawkish at the last meeting, it is still lagging behind compared to the US Fed. Moreover, the war in Ukraine, and according to some, the looming recession in the Eurozone, does not give much room for the Euro to strengthen. Therefore, it would not be surprising if the EURUSD falls to levels around 1. 0890 - 1. 0900, where the nearest support level is.     Figure 5: The EURUSD on the H4 and daily charts.   From a technical point of view, we can see that EURUSD is still in a downtrend according to the daily chart, so the current pullback may be an opportunity for trades in the short direction.   The Bank of England also raised interest rates The Bank of England raised its key interest rate by 0.25%.  Therefore, the rate is currently at 0.75%. By raising interest rates, the central bank is responding to rising inflation, which is expected to hit 8% in June 2022. But the pound surprisingly weakened sharply after the rate announcement. This was because the central bank was much more cautious in its expectations for the future of the economy. There are already signs that the war in Ukraine is having a negative impact on consumer confidence and is also having a negative impact on household incomes. This would slow economic activity. That is why the central bank has moved away from its previous aggressive hawkish tone.   Figure 6: The British Pound on H4 and daily chart.   A resistance is in the area of 1.3170 - 1.3200, where the price has halted. A support is at 1.3000.  
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
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 15/3/2022

Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 15/3/2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 23.03.2022 19:52
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 15/3/2022 Total net speculator positions in the USD index fell by 5,664 contracts last week. This change is the result of a decrease in long positions by 6,264 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 600 contracts. The decline in total net speculator positions occurred last week in the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen. The increase in total net positions occurred in the New Zealand dollar, the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar and the Swiss franc. The significant growth in positions of large speculators in the commodity currencies AUD, NZD and CAD can be explained by the rising prices of commodities exported by these countries. A large number of options and futures contracts expired last week, which explains the large decline in open interest for each currency. The positions of speculators in individual currencies The total net positions of large speculators are shown in Table 1: If the value is positive then the large speculators are net long. If the value is negative, the large speculators are net short. Table 1: Total net positions of large speculators Date USD Index EUR GBP AUD NZD JPY CAD CHF Mar 15, 2022 28380 18794 -29061 -44856 3653 -62340 17740 -5229 Mar 08, 2022 34044 58844 -12526 -78195 -12379 -55856 7646 -9710 Mar 01, 2022 34774 64939 -337 -78336 -14172 -68732 14140 -15248 Feb 22, 2022 36084 59306 -5809 -84080 -11551 -63187 9253 -10987 Feb 15, 2022 35386 47581 2237 -86694 -9333 -66162 12170 -9715 Feb 08, 2022 33765 38842 -8545 -85741 -10366 -59148 14886 -9399   Note: The explanation of COT methodolody is at the the end of the report.   Notes: Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. ​The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.   Detailed analysis of selected currencies   Explanations:   Purple line and histogram: this is information on the total net position of large speculators. This information shows the strength and sentiment of an ongoing trend. It is the indicator r_COT Large Speculators (by Kramsken) in www.tradingview.com. Information on the positions of so-called hedgers is not shown in the chart, due to the fact that their main goal is not speculation, but hedging. Therefore, this group usually takes the opposite positions than the large speculators. For this reason, the positions of hedgers are inversely correlated with the movement of the price of the underlying asset. However, this inverse correlation shows the ongoing trend less clearly than the position of large speculators.​ We show moving average SMA 100 (blue line) and EMA 50 (orange line) on daily charts. ​Charts are made with the use of www.tradingview.com. The source of numerical data is www.myfxbook.com The Euro date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Mar 15, 2022 666010 202040 183246 18794 -72980 -40643 -593 -40050 Weak bullish Mar 08, 2022 738990 242683 183839 58844 19015 14298 20393 -6095 Weak bullish Mar 01, 2022 719975 228385 163446 64939 23293 14190 8557 5633 Bullish Feb 22, 2022 696682 214195 154889 59306 -5365 -3704 -15429 11725 Bullish Feb 15, 2022 702047 217899 170318 47581 1949 -1074 -9813 8739 Bullish Feb 08, 2022 700098 218973 180131 38842 14667 5410 -3716 9126 Býčí         Total Change -19421 -11523 -601 -10922     Figure 1: The euro and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the EURUSD on D1   The total net positions of speculators reached 18 794 contracts last week and they are down by 40 050 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 40,643 contracts and an increase in short positions by 593 contracts. These data suggest a weakening of the bullish sentiment in the euro. The open interest, which fell by 72,980 contracts in the last week, shows that the upward movement that occurred in the euro last week was not supported by a volume and it is therefore a weak price action. The euro continues to weaken under the influence of the war in Ukraine. Last week it returned to a resistance level which could be an opportunity to trade short in the event of a downtrend.  Long-term resistance: 1.1120 – 1.1150. Support: 1.080-1.0850. The next support is at 1.0640-1.0700.   The British pound date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Mar 15, 2022 188323 32442 61503 -29061 -57989 -18540 -2005 -16535 Bearish Mar 08, 2022 246312 50982 63508 -12526 34443 3303 15492 -12189 Bearish Mar 01, 2022 211869 47679 48016 -337 23426 5430 -42 5472 Weak bearish Feb 22, 2022 188443 42249 48058 -5809 -6859 -7902 144 -8046 Bearish Feb 15, 2022 195302 50151 47914 2237 -2646 5442 -5340 10782 Bullish Feb 08, 2022 197948 44709 53254 -8545 13941 15112 52 15060 Weak bearish         Total Change 4316 2845 8301 -5456     Figure 2: The GBP and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the GBPUSD on D1   The total net positions of speculators last week amounted to -29,061 contracts and they are down by 16,535 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 18,540 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 2,005 contracts. This suggests bearish sentiment as the total net positions of large speculators are negative while there is also their further decline. Open interest, which fell by 57,989 contracts last week, means that the rise in the pound price that occurred last week was not supported by volume and it is therefore a weak price action. Risk off sentiment due to the war in Ukraine continues to weigh on the pound and therefore the pound is weakening strongly. Although the Bank of England raised interest rates by 0.25% to 0.75% last week, it also warned of a decline in economic growth as a result of the war in Ukraine. The change in central bank rhetoric is a bearish signal for the pound. Long-term resistance: 1.3180-1.3210.  Next resistance is near 1.3270 – 1.3330. Support is near 1.3000.     The Australian dollar   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Mar 15, 2022 124521 24281 69137 -44856 -72573 4760 -28579 33339 Weak bearish Mar 08, 2022 197094 19521 97716 -78195 7427 6801 6660 141 Weak bearish Mar 01, 2022 189667 12720 91056 -78336 -2912 1167 -4577 5744 Weak bearish Feb 22, 2022 192579 11553 95633 -84080 1 -139 -2753 2614 Weak bearish Feb 15, 2022 192578 11692 98386 -86694 -3825 -5631 -4678 -953 Bearish Feb 08, 2022 196403 17323 103064 -85741 -510 -1512 4400 -5912 Bearish         Total Change -72392 5446 -29527 34973     Figure 3: The AUD and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the AUDUSD on D1     The total net positions of speculators last week reached - 44 856 contracts, having increased by 33 339 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to an increase in long positions by 4,706 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 28,579 contracts. This data suggests a weakening of bearish sentiment in the Australian dollar. Last week we saw a decline in open interest of 72,573 contracts. This means that the upward move that occurred last week was not supported by a volume and it was therefore a weak move as new money did not flow into the market. The Australian dollar strengthened strongly again last week and reached a resistance level. Long-term resistance: 0.7370-0.7440 Long-term support: 0.7160-0.7180.  A strong support is near 0.7080 – 0.7120.   The New Zealand dollar   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Mar 15, 2022 39200 21493 17840 3653 -14050 5718 -10314 16032 Bullish Mar 08, 2022 53250 15775 28154 -12379 2861 5290 3497 1793 Weak bearish Mar 01, 2022 50389 10485 24657 -14172 -6247 -6858 -4237 -2621 Bearish Feb 22, 2022 56636 17343 28894 -11551 -7469 -7580 -5362 -2218 Bearish Feb 15, 2022 64105 24923 34256 -9333 9228 7755 6722 1033 Weak bearish Feb 08, 2022 54877 17168 27534 -10366 -3590 -2037 -3369 1332 Weak bearish         Total Change -19267 2288 -13063 15351     Figure 4: The NZD and the position of large speculators on a weekly chart and the NZDUSD on D1   The total net positions of speculators reached 3,653 contracts last week and they are up by 16,032 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to an increase in long positions by 5,718 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 10,314 contracts. This data suggests that there was bullish sentiment on the New Zealand dollar last week. Open interest fell significantly by 14,050 contracts last week. Therefore, the upward movement in the NZDUSD that occurred last week was not supported by volume and therefore the move was weak. The NZDUSD strengthened strongly last week and reached the resistance level. Long-term resistance: 0.690 – 0.6930 Long-term support: 0.6730-0.6740 and the next support is at 0.6590 – 0.6600.   Explanation to the COT report The COT report shows the positions of major participants in the futures markets. Futures contracts are derivatives and are essentially agreements between two parties to exchange an underlying asset for a predetermined price on a predetermined date. They are standardised, specifying the quality and quantity of the underlying asset. They are traded on an exchange so that the total volume of these contracts traded is known.   Open interest: open interest is the sum of all open futures contracts (i.e. the sum of short and long contracts) that exist on a given asset. OI increases when a new futures contract is created by pairing a buyer with a seller. The OI decreases when an existing futures contract expires at a given expiry time or by settlement. Low or no open interest means that there is no interest in the market. High open interest indicates high activity and traders pay attention to this market. A rising open interest indicates that there is demand for the currency. That is, a rising OI indicates a strong current trend. Conversely, a weakening open interest indicates that the current trend is not strong. Open Interest Price action Interpretation Notes Rising Rising Strong bullish market New money flow in the particular asset, more bulls entered the market which pushes the price up. The trend is strong. Rising Falling Strong bearish market Price falls, more bearish traders entered the market which pushes the price down. The trend is strong. Falling Rising Weak bullish market Price is going up but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures contracts expire or are closed. The trend is weak. Falling Falling Weak bearish market Price is going down, but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures expire or are closed, the trend is weak.   Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. Traders should try to trade in the direction of these large speculators. The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. The COT data are usually reported every Friday and they show the status on Tuesday of the week. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.
Falling Japanese yen suggests a changing world order

Falling Japanese yen suggests a changing world order

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 24.03.2022 15:23
The collapse of the Japanese yen continues, and so far, there are no signs of a trend reversal. The rise in the Yen is often linked to capital flight from risky assets, and the weakening is a sign of increased demand for risky assets. But that explanation hardly fits with what is happening now. We likely see the start of a significant reassessment by the markets of Japan's position in the financial system. In a worst-case scenario, this may turn into a debt crisis in the Land of the Rising Sun and be an even bigger disaster for financial markets than the eurozone debt crisis of a decade ago.The starting point for the weakening of the Yen was at the start of February. At that time, equities were in demand as a haven for capital to maintain the purchasing power of investments. The flow into equities was interrupted by the war in Ukraine but accelerated in the last couple of weeks on signs that these events have hyped up the processes that were taking place before. And these processes are now most visible in the dynamics of the Japanese yen against those currencies where the central bank can respond adequately to inflation.Since the start of February, the USDJPY has risen by 6.5%, and almost all of this increase has taken place since March 7th, taking the pair back to levels last seen at the end of 2015. A much more impressive rally is taking place in the Aussie and Kiwi against the Yen. Since the start of February, they have soared by more than 12%. So far this month, the strengthening is the largest in 11 years for AUDJPY and in more than 12 years for NZDJPY.The interest rate differential game, which was so beloved by traders in Japan before the global financial crisis, has found a second life. Australia and New Zealand have the economic potential to raise interest rates, as they are experiencing a surge in exports due to the boom in their export prices. However, the situation in Japan looks considerably more alarming, as Japan's debt-to-GDP ratio has risen by 77 percentage points to 170% since the financial crisis. Permanent QE from the Bank of Japan has kept government debt costs down but doesn't solve the problem.In the last decade, Japan has turned into a net commodity importer due to its growing dependence on energy and metals and increasing competition from China and Korea. The exchange rate should act as a natural mechanism to stabilise trade in this situation.But this adjustment is difficult for debt-laden Japan because selling currency would de facto mean selling bonds denominated in that currency. Under these circumstances, the Bank of Japan will either have to openly accept that it will finance the government (i.e. increase purchases despite inflation) or soften QE. The first option risks triggering a historic revaluation of the Yen. The second option would deal a blow to the economy and finances by raising questions about whether Japan can service its debt.
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.
Bonds Speculators take a pause on their 10-Year Treasury Notes bearish bets

Bonds Speculators take a pause on their 10-Year Treasury Notes bearish bets

Invest Macro Invest Macro 27.03.2022 13:27
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 March 22nd and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT bonds data is the pullback in the 10-Year Bond bearish bets this week. The speculative position in the 10-Year Bond has risen for two straight weeks following three straight weeks of declines (or rising bearish bets). The last two week’s rise has shaved off over 113,886 contracts from the total bearish position and brings the current standing to the least bearish level of the past five weeks at a total of -263,834 contracts. The 10-Year has been under pressure like most all bond markets as the Federal Reserve has started raising interest rates with an outlook of more rate increases to come. The 10-Year yield (as bond prices fall, yields rise) has been sharping surging to the upside with the close this week right around the 2.50 percent level, marking its highest yield since May of 2019. The speculator’s 10-Year bond pullback this week will likely be short-lived and it will be interesting to see if this latest bout of inflation, growth and central bank rate rises will be enough to finally break the multi-decade bull market for bonds. The bond markets with higher speculator bets were the 10-Year Bond (57,163 contracts), Fed Funds (91,899 contracts) and the 5-Year Bond (50,964 contracts). The bond markets with lower speculator bets were the 2-Year Bond (-27,015 contracts), Eurodollar (-128,245 contracts), Ultra 10-Year (-21,571 contracts), Long US Bond (-11,687 contracts) and the Ultra US Bond (-32,279 contracts). Data Snapshot of Bond Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-22-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index Eurodollar 10,832,338 41 -2,656,722 0 3,074,395 100 -417,673 13 FedFunds 2,132,176 81 -13,382 38 29,682 63 -16,300 18 2-Year 2,297,315 20 -47,448 73 126,538 48 -79,090 10 Long T-Bond 1,128,229 36 32,551 95 -5,394 18 -27,157 31 10-Year 3,807,553 51 -263,834 31 464,339 80 -200,505 32 5-Year 3,774,450 36 -296,338 31 544,383 80 -248,045 13   3-Month Eurodollars Futures: The 3-Month Eurodollars large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -2,656,722 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -128,245 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,528,477 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 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.5 percent. 3-Month Eurodollars Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.2 75.7 3.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.7 47.4 7.4 – Net Position: -2,656,722 3,074,395 -417,673 – Gross Longs: 451,791 8,204,977 389,102 – Gross Shorts: 3,108,513 5,130,582 806,775 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 1.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 12.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -11.9 11.0 5.8   30-Day Federal Funds Futures: The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -13,382 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 91,899 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -105,281 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 38.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 63.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.3 percent. 30-Day Federal Funds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 7.1 77.0 1.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 7.7 75.6 2.6 – Net Position: -13,382 29,682 -16,300 – Gross Longs: 150,828 1,640,744 38,998 – Gross Shorts: 164,210 1,611,062 55,298 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 38.0 63.5 18.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.2 5.6 -10.5   2-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -47,448 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -27,015 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -20,433 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 72.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 47.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.9 percent. 2-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.9 73.9 6.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.0 68.4 9.6 – Net Position: -47,448 126,538 -79,090 – Gross Longs: 365,795 1,697,892 140,374 – Gross Shorts: 413,243 1,571,354 219,464 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 72.7 47.5 9.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.3 5.2 5.5   5-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -296,338 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 50,964 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -347,302 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 79.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.9 percent. 5-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.1 81.6 7.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.9 67.2 13.7 – Net Position: -296,338 544,383 -248,045 – Gross Longs: 342,471 3,081,019 268,697 – Gross Shorts: 638,809 2,536,636 516,742 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.2 79.7 12.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -28.8 21.1 -2.5   10-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -263,834 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 57,163 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -320,997 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 31.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 80.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.0 percent. 10-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.8 77.9 7.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 17.8 65.7 13.2 – Net Position: -263,834 464,339 -200,505 – Gross Longs: 412,030 2,966,196 302,390 – Gross Shorts: 675,864 2,501,857 502,895 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.4 80.0 32.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.5 -2.3 18.6   Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures: The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -91,321 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -21,571 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -69,750 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 3.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.2 percent. Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.7 80.5 9.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.7 63.9 18.8 – Net Position: -91,321 214,698 -123,377 – Gross Longs: 125,921 1,045,958 120,546 – Gross Shorts: 217,242 831,260 243,923 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.3 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 3.6 100.0 41.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -35.7 27.0 20.8   US Treasury Bonds Futures: The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of 32,551 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -11,687 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 44,238 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 95.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 31.0 percent. US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.7 72.6 13.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 6.9 73.1 16.3 – Net Position: 32,551 -5,394 -27,157 – Gross Longs: 109,965 819,658 156,236 – Gross Shorts: 77,414 825,052 183,393 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 95.2 18.4 31.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 21.3 -18.7 -5.4   Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures: The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week equaled a net position of -298,523 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -32,279 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -266,244 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 63.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 40.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.1 percent. Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 5.6 81.2 12.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 29.2 61.0 9.2 – Net Position: -298,523 255,630 42,893 – Gross Longs: 70,425 1,026,988 158,649 – Gross Shorts: 368,948 771,358 115,756 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 63.4 40.0 59.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.1 -14.1 8.3   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.
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
10-Year Treasury Bonds Speculator bets surge to 177-week bearish high

10-Year Treasury Bonds Speculator bets surge to 177-week bearish high

Invest Macro Invest Macro 02.04.2022 17:53
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 March 29th and shows a quick view of how large traders (for-profit speculators and commercial entities) were positioned in the futures markets. Highlighting the COT bonds data is the surge in the 10-Year Bond bets this week. The speculative position in the 10-Year Bond saw a sharp jump in bearish bets this week (by -212,723 contracts) that marked the largest one-week bearish gain in the past two hundred and seventy-eight weeks, dating all the way back to November 29th of 2016. The 10-Year had shed bearish bets in the previous two weeks but has now seen higher bearish bets in four out of the past six weeks. This rising bearish sentiment has pushed the current net speculator standing (total of -476,557 contracts) to the most bearish level in the past one-hundred and seventy-seven weeks, dating back to November 6th of 2018 when positions were over -500,000 contracts. The 10-Year Bond price has also been dropping sharply and the 10-Year Bond yield rose to the highest level since April of 2019 above the 2.50 percent level this week (interest rates rise as bond prices fall). The outlook for Central Bank interest rate increases likely signals that there is much more weakness ahead for bonds (and gains in bond yields) and speculator sentiment will likely become more bearish. The bonds markets that saw higher speculator bets this week were Eurodollar (233,321 contracts) and the Ultra 10-Year (17,885 contracts). The bonds markets that saw lower speculator bets this week were 2-Year Bond (-11,754 contracts), 10-Year Bond (-212,723 contracts), Long US Bond (-16,550 contracts), Fed Funds (-1,024 contracts), 5-Year Bond (-65,052 contracts) and the Ultra US Bond (-25,035 contracts). Data Snapshot of Bond Market Traders | Columns Legend Mar-29-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index Eurodollar 10,936,414 43 -2,423,401 4 2,851,684 96 -428,283 10 FedFunds 2,130,653 81 -14,406 38 35,287 64 -20,881 7 2-Year 2,251,100 18 -59,202 70 161,882 55 -102,680 0 Long T-Bond 1,109,506 33 16,001 90 -3,123 19 -12,878 42 10-Year 3,669,449 41 -476,557 0 657,549 100 -180,992 36 5-Year 3,756,307 35 -361,390 20 598,864 86 -237,474 16   3-Month Eurodollars Futures: The 3-Month Eurodollars large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -2,423,401 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 233,321 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -2,656,722 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 4.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 95.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.2 percent. 3-Month Eurodollars Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.1 74.7 3.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.2 48.6 7.9 – Net Position: -2,423,401 2,851,684 -428,283 – Gross Longs: 447,292 8,166,593 431,468 – Gross Shorts: 2,870,693 5,314,909 859,751 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 4.5 95.9 10.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -2.5 2.2 2.2   30-Day Federal Funds Futures: The 30-Day Federal Funds large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -14,406 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -1,024 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -13,382 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 37.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 64.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.6 percent. 30-Day Federal Funds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 8.1 77.1 1.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 8.8 75.4 2.3 – Net Position: -14,406 35,287 -20,881 – Gross Longs: 172,450 1,642,231 27,817 – Gross Shorts: 186,856 1,606,944 48,698 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 37.8 64.2 6.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -4.6 4.7 -4.0   2-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 2-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -59,202 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -11,754 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -47,448 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 with a score of 70.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 0.0 percent. 2-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.0 76.4 6.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.6 69.2 10.8 – Net Position: -59,202 161,882 -102,680 – Gross Longs: 314,664 1,719,719 140,420 – Gross Shorts: 373,866 1,557,837 243,100 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.1 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 70.3 55.2 0.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 11.4 -4.9 -15.1   5-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 5-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -361,390 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -65,052 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -296,338 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 19.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.8 percent. 5-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 8.2 82.6 7.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 17.9 66.6 13.5 – Net Position: -361,390 598,864 -237,474 – Gross Longs: 309,236 3,101,800 270,067 – Gross Shorts: 670,626 2,502,936 507,541 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 19.8 86.3 15.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -29.8 21.9 -2.7   10-Year Treasury Note Futures: The 10-Year Treasury Note large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -476,557 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -212,723 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -263,834 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 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.5 percent. 10-Year Treasury Note Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 7.5 80.2 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 20.5 62.2 13.9 – Net Position: -476,557 657,549 -180,992 – Gross Longs: 276,588 2,941,177 328,695 – Gross Shorts: 753,145 2,283,628 509,687 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.3 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 36.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -46.0 26.3 18.9   Ultra 10-Year Notes Futures: The Ultra 10-Year Notes large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -73,436 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 17,885 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -91,321 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 8.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 35.8 percent. Ultra 10-Year Notes Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.7 80.7 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.2 65.2 18.9 – Net Position: -73,436 205,679 -132,243 – Gross Longs: 128,735 1,071,757 119,198 – Gross Shorts: 202,171 866,078 251,441 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.2 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 8.4 97.6 35.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -23.1 20.1 7.5   US Treasury Bonds Futures: The US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 16,001 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -16,550 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 32,551 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 89.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 42.4 percent. US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 9.1 73.1 14.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 7.7 73.4 15.7 – Net Position: 16,001 -3,123 -12,878 – Gross Longs: 100,986 810,834 161,498 – Gross Shorts: 84,985 813,957 174,376 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 89.8 19.1 42.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.3 -14.7 4.1   Ultra US Treasury Bonds Futures: The Ultra US Treasury Bonds large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -323,558 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -25,035 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -298,523 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 53.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 53.1 percent. Ultra US Treasury Bonds Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 5.3 82.2 11.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.4 59.8 9.2 – Net Position: -323,558 288,970 34,588 – Gross Longs: 68,282 1,059,413 152,895 – Gross Shorts: 391,840 770,443 118,307 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 53.2 56.4 53.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 2.7 -4.7 2.2   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.
COT Currency Speculators boost Australian Dollar bets to best level in 37-weeks

COT Currency Speculators boost Australian Dollar bets to best level in 37-weeks

Invest Macro Invest Macro 09.04.2022 20:09
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 April 5th 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 was the further retreat of bearish bets in the Australian currency futures contracts. Australian dollar speculators reduced their bearish bets for a second straight week this week and for the sixth time in the past seven weeks. Over this seven-week time-frame, Aussie bets have improved by a total of +49,181 contracts, going from -86,694 net positions on February 15th to -37,513 net positions this week. This improvement in speculator sentiment has brought the current net position (-37,513 contracts) to the least bearish level of the past thirty-seven weeks, dating back to July 20th when the net position totaled -35,690 contracts. The speculator level for the Aussie has not registered a bullish or positive net weekly position since May 18th of 2021, a span of forty-seven weeks. Despite the bearish level of speculators, the AUD has been one of the stronger currencies over the past month and has been helped along by the outlook that the Reserve Bank of Australia will start to raise interest rates for the first time since 2010. The currencies with higher speculator bets this week were the US Dollar Index (911 contracts), Australian dollar (12,093 contracts), Mexican peso (9,157 contracts), Euro (5,996 contracts), Brazil real (2,910 contracts), Canadian dollar (8,458 contracts) and Bitcoin (27 contracts). The currencies with declining bets were the Japanese yen (-1,698 contracts), Swiss franc (-814 contracts), British pound sterling (-1,688 contracts), New Zealand dollar (-702 contracts) and the Russian ruble (-263 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each currency 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 Apr-05-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 49,049 65 31,852 81 -35,194 16 3,342 53 EUR 663,589 67 27,370 43 -49,617 62 22,247 11 GBP 238,266 63 -41,758 44 57,779 64 -16,021 22 JPY 242,217 83 -103,829 2 125,224 98 -21,395 10 CHF 40,005 14 -12,393 48 20,743 54 -8,350 39 CAD 157,562 35 6,923 54 -30,414 38 23,491 77 AUD 148,898 44 -37,513 50 22,332 36 15,181 89 NZD 35,788 16 -1,569 69 171 31 1,398 68 MXN 172,712 36 910 28 -5,778 70 4,868 64 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 65,870 61 45,526 95 -47,961 4 2,435 93 Bitcoin 11,374 61 -244 89 -397 0 641 28   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 31,852 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 911 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 30,941 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 80.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 53.1 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 83.7 2.9 10.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 18.7 74.6 3.9 – Net Position: 31,852 -35,194 3,342 – Gross Longs: 41,038 1,417 5,243 – Gross Shorts: 9,186 36,611 1,901 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.5 to 1 0.0 to 1 2.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 80.7 16.1 53.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.3 10.3 -21.2   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 27,370 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 5,996 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 21,374 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 43.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 61.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.3 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 31.8 53.8 11.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.7 61.3 8.4 – Net Position: 27,370 -49,617 22,247 – Gross Longs: 210,914 357,140 77,946 – Gross Shorts: 183,544 406,757 55,699 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 43.4 61.7 11.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.8 13.7 -27.3   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -41,758 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -1,688 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -40,070 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 43.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 63.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 22.4 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.1 73.6 8.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 32.6 49.4 15.1 – Net Position: -41,758 57,779 -16,021 – Gross Longs: 35,873 175,429 19,923 – Gross Shorts: 77,631 117,650 35,944 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 43.9 63.9 22.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -25.9 28.2 -24.4   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -103,829 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,698 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -102,131 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 2.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 98.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.0 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 6.0 84.7 7.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 48.9 33.0 16.8 – Net Position: -103,829 125,224 -21,395 – Gross Longs: 14,583 205,209 19,190 – Gross Shorts: 118,412 79,985 40,585 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 2.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 2.4 98.4 10.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -25.7 21.2 -4.3   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -12,393 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -814 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -11,579 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 48.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 54.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.8 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.6 73.5 21.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 35.6 21.6 42.6 – Net Position: -12,393 20,743 -8,350 – Gross Longs: 1,860 29,392 8,694 – Gross Shorts: 14,253 8,649 17,044 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 3.4 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 48.3 54.2 38.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -2.5 1.8 -0.7   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 6,923 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 8,458 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,535 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 Bearish with a score of 37.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 76.6 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 23.7 49.4 26.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 19.3 68.7 11.1 – Net Position: 6,923 -30,414 23,491 – Gross Longs: 37,325 77,906 40,906 – Gross Shorts: 30,402 108,320 17,415 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.7 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 54.4 37.6 76.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -2.3 -11.7 37.0   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -37,513 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 12,093 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -49,606 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 50.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 35.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 89.5 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 23.4 53.9 21.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 48.6 38.9 11.5 – Net Position: -37,513 22,332 15,181 – Gross Longs: 34,871 80,207 32,313 – Gross Shorts: 72,384 57,875 17,132 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.5 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 50.1 35.5 89.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 43.2 -55.1 66.3   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -1,569 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -702 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -867 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 68.6 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 67.8 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 43.1 44.3 12.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 47.5 43.8 8.1 – Net Position: -1,569 171 1,398 – Gross Longs: 15,428 15,863 4,311 – Gross Shorts: 16,997 15,692 2,913 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 68.6 30.7 67.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 16.7 -21.2 43.0   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 910 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 9,157 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -8,247 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 27.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 70.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 63.7 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 45.6 49.6 4.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.1 53.0 1.6 – Net Position: 910 -5,778 4,868 – Gross Longs: 78,728 85,690 7,698 – Gross Shorts: 77,818 91,468 2,830 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 27.7 70.4 63.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -6.8 6.4 2.8   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 45,526 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 2,910 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 42,616 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 95.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 93.3 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 76.7 16.4 6.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 7.6 89.2 2.9 – Net Position: 45,526 -47,961 2,435 – Gross Longs: 50,518 10,795 4,319 – Gross Shorts: 4,992 58,756 1,884 – Long to Short Ratio: 10.1 to 1 0.2 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 95.1 4.5 93.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 20.7 -20.4 -2.4   Russian Ruble Futures: The Russian Ruble large speculator standing this week recorded 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 recorded a net position of -244 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 27 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -271 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 89.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 27.5 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 77.5 3.8 11.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 79.6 7.3 6.0 – Net Position: -244 -397 641 – Gross Longs: 8,811 437 1,322 – Gross Shorts: 9,055 834 681 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.5 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 89.1 9.6 27.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.8 -11.3 2.3   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.
The Swing Overview - Week 14 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 14 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 11.04.2022 06:41
The Swing Overview - Week 14 Equity indices weakened last week on news of rising interest rates and a tightening of the US economy. The euro is also weakening not only because it is under pressure from the ongoing war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, but also from the uncertainty of the upcoming French presidential election. The outbreak of the coronavirus in China has fuelled negative sentiment in oil, where the market fears an excess of supply over demand. The US dollar was the clear winner in this environment.  The USD index strengthens along with US bond yields According to the US Fed meeting minutes released on Wednesday, the Fed is prepared to reduce its balance sheet by the USD 95 billion per month from May this year.  In addition, the Fed is ready to raise interest rates at a pace of 0.50%. Thus, at the next meeting, which will take place in May, we can expect a rate increase from the current 0.50% to 1.00%. This option is already included in asset prices.     As a result of this the yields on US 10-year bonds continued to rise and has already reached 2.64%. The US dollar in particular is benefiting from this development and is approaching the level 100. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   Equity indices under pressure from high interest rates The prospect of aggressive interest rate hikes is having a negative impact on investor sentiment, particularly for growth stocks. However, it is positive for financial sector stocks. High yields on the US bonds are attractive to investors, who will thus prefer this yield to, for example, investments in gold, which does not yield any interest. Figure 2: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The US SP 500 index is currently moving in a downward correction, which is shown on the H4 chart. Prices could move in a downward channel that is formed by a lower high and a lower low. The SP 500 according to the H4 chart is below the SMA 100 moving average, which also indicates bearish tendencies.   The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is in the range of 4,513 - 4,520. The next resistance is around 4,583 - 4,600. A support is at 4 450 - 4 455.   German DAX index A declining channel has also formed for the DAX index. The price is below the SMA 100 moving average on the H4 chart, where at the same time the SMA 100 got below the EMA 50, which is a strong bearish signal. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart According to the H4 chart, the nearest resistance is in the range between 14,340 - 14,370. There is also a confluence with the moving average EMA 50 here. The next resistance is at 14,590 - 14,630. A support is at 14,030 - 14,100.   The DAX is influenced by the upcoming French presidential election, the outcome of which could have a major impact on the European economy.    The euro remains in a downtrend The Euro is negatively affected by the sanctions against Russia, which will also have a negative impact on the European economy. In addition, uncertainty has arisen regarding the French presidential election. Although the victory of the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen over the defending President Emmanuel Macron is still unlikely, the polls suggest that it is within the statistical margin of error. And this makes markets nervous.   A Le Pen victory would be bad for the economy and France's overall international image. It would weaken the European Union. That's why this news sent the euro below 1.09. The first round of elections will be held on Sunday April 10 and the second round on April 24, 2022.    Figure 4: EURUSD on H4 and daily chart. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.0930 - 1.0950. The significant resistance according to the daily chart is 1.1160 - 1.1190.  A support is at 1.080 - 1.0850.   According to the technical analysis, the euro is in a downtrend, but as it is currently at significant support levels, any short speculation could be considered only after the current support is broken and retested to validate the break.   The crude oil continues to descend The oil prices fell for a third straight day after the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) announced it would release 60 million barrels of its members' reserves to the open market, adding to an earlier reserve release of 180 million barrels announced by the United States. In total, 240 million barrels would be delivered to the market over six months, resulting in a net inflow of 1.33 million barrels a day.   That would be more than triple the monthly production additions of 400,000 barrels per day by the world's oil producers under the OPEC+ alliance led by Saudi Arabia and controlled by Russia.   Adding to the negative sentiment on oil was a coronavirus outbreak in Shanghai, the largest in two years, which forced a more than week-long closure of China's second-largest city. This raises concerns about demand among oil consumers in the Chinese economy, which has a significant impact on prices. Figure 5: Brent crude oil on the H4 and daily charts. Brent crude oil is thus approaching support, which according to the H4 chart is at around USD 97-99 per barrel. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at the price of USD 106 per barrel. The more significant resistance is at USD 111-112 per barrel of the Brent crude.   
The Swing Overview - Week 13 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 13 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 11.04.2022 06:41
The Swing Overview - Week 13 Equity indices closed the first quarter of 2022 in a loss under the influence of geopolitical tensions. The Czech koruna strengthened as a result of the CNB raising interest rates to 5%, the highest since 2001. The US supports the oil market by releasing 180 million barrels from its strategic reserves. War in Ukraine   The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than a month and there is still no end in sight. Ongoing diplomatic negotiations have not led to a result yet. Meanwhile, Russian President Putin has decided that European countries will pay for Russian gas in rubles. This has been described as blackmailing from Europe's point of view and is not in line with the gas supply contracts that have been concluded. A way around this is to open an account with Gazprombank where the gas can be paid for in euros. Geopolitical tensions are therefore still ongoing and are having a negative effect on stock markets.   Equity indices have had their worst quarter since 2020 US and European equities posted their biggest quarterly loss since the beginning of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and the global economy was in crisis. Portfolio rebalancing at the end of the quarter boosted demand for bonds and kept yields lower.   On Tuesday, the yield curve briefly inverted, meaning that short-term bonds yields were higher than  long-term bonds. An inverted yield curve is a signal of a recession according to many economists. It means that future corporate profits should be rather behind expectations and stock prices might reflect it.    On Thursday, the S&P 500 index fell 1.6%. The Dow Jones industrial index also fell by 1.6% and the Nasdaq Composite index fell by 1.5%. The European STOXX 600 index closed down by 0.94%. Even after last week's rally, as investors celebrated signs of progress in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the S&P 500 index is still down 5% for the first three months, its worst quarterly performance in two years.  Figure 1: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The SP 500 index reached the resistance level at 4,600, which it broke, but then closed below it. This indicates a false break. The new nearest resistance is in the range of 4,625 - 4,635. Support is at 4,453 and then significant support is at 4,386 - 4,422.   German DAX index The DAX index has rallied since March 8 and has reached the resistance level which is in the 14,800 - 15,000 range.  However, the index started to weaken in the second half of the week. The news that Russia will demand payments for gas in rubles, which Western countries refuse, contributed to the index's weakening. The fear of gas supply disruption then caused a sell-off.    Figure 2: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart Resistance is between 14,800 - 15,000 according to the daily chart. The nearest support according to the H4 chart is at 14,100 - 14,200.   The euro remains in a downtrend The euro was supported at the beginning of the week by hopes for peace in Ukraine. However, by the end of the week, the Ukrainian President warned that Russia was preparing for more attacks and the Euro started to weaken. News of Russia's demand to pay for gas in rubles had a negative effect on the euro as well. Figure 3: The EURUSD on the H4 and daily charts. From a technical point of view, we can see that the EURUSD according to the daily chart has reached the resistance formed by EMA 50 (yellow line). The new horizontal resistance is in the area of 1.1160 - 1.1180. Support is at 1.0950 - 1.0980. The euro still remains in a downtrend.   CNB raised the interest rate In the fight against the inflation, the CNB decided to further raise the interest rate by 0.50%. Currently, the base rate is at 5%, where it was last in 2001. The interest rate hike is aimed at slowing inflation by slowing demand through higher borrowing costs.   Figure 4: Interest rate developments in the Czech Republic In addition, a strong koruna should support the slowdown in inflation. The koruna could appreciate especially against the euro due to higher interest rates. However, the strengthening of the koruna is conditional on the war in Ukraine not escalating further.  We can see that the koruna against the euro is approaching a support around 24.30. The low of this year was 24.10 korunas for one euro. Figure 5: USD/CZK and EUR/CZK on the daily chart. The koruna is also strengthening against the US dollar. Here, however, the situation is slightly different in that the US Fed is also raising rates and is expected to continue raising rates until the end of the year. Therefore, the interest rate differential between the koruna and the dollar is less favourable than between the koruna and the euro. The appreciation of the koruna against the dollar is therefore slower.   Currently, the koruna is at the support of 22 koruna per dollar. The next support is at 21.70 and then 21.10 koruna per dollar, where this year's low is.   Oil has weakened Oil prices saw the deep losses after the news that the United States will release up to 180 million barrels from its strategic petroleum reserves as part of measures to reduce fuel prices. US crude oil fell 5.4% and Brent crude oil fell 6.6% on Thursday after the news. Figure 6: Brent crude oil on a monthly and daily chart We can see that a strong bearish pinbar was formed on a  monthly chart. The nearest support is in the zone 103 – 106 USD per barel. A strong support is around 100 USD per barel which will be closely watched.  
COT Currency Speculators drop their Japanese Yen bets to 183-week low

COT Currency Speculators drop their Japanese Yen bets to 183-week low

Invest Macro Invest Macro 16.04.2022 22:07
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 April 12th 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 was the further rise of bearish bets in the Japanese yen currency futures contracts. Yen speculators pushed their bearish bets higher for a fifth straight week this week and for the sixth time in the past seven weeks. Over the past five weeks, yen bets have fallen by a total of -55,971 contracts, going from a total of -55,856 net positions on March 8th to a total of -111,827 net positions this week. Speculator positions have now slid all the way to the lowest standing of the past one hundred and eight-three weeks, dating back to October 9th of 2019. This recent weakness in yen positions and the yen price has taken place while open interest has been increasing which shows an accelerating downtrend as prices have been falling as more traders have been entering the market on the bearish side. The speculator strength index is also showing that the Japanese yen positions are at a bearish extreme position with the strength index at a zero percent level (strength index is the current speculator standing compared to past three years, above 80 is bullish extreme, below 20 is bearish extreme). The fundamental backdrop has been the major driver of yen weakness. The Bank of Japan has continued on with its stimulus program and has not indicated any plans to move interest rates off their near-zero level while other central banks around the world have put the breaks on their stimulus actions and have started hiking their interest rates to try to tame inflationary pressures. The yen this week hit the lowest level in twenty years against the US dollar as the USDJPY currency pair trades above the 126.00 level. The other major currencies have all hit multi-year highs versus the yen as well. Overall, the currencies with higher speculator bets this week were the Euro (11,690 contracts), Brazil real (603 contracts), New Zealand dollar (1,280 contracts), Canadian dollar (5,235 contracts), Bitcoin (411 contracts), Australian dollar (8,798 contracts) and the Mexican peso (14,050 contracts). The currencies with declining bets were the US Dollar Index (-2,215 contracts), Japanese yen (-7,998 contracts), Swiss franc (-1,549 contracts) and the British pound sterling (-11,296 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each Currency 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 Apr-12-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 54,836 78 29,637 77 -36,045 15 6,408 87 EUR 678,607 73 39,060 47 -60,750 59 21,690 10 GBP 246,152 68 -53,054 36 70,949 72 -17,895 19 JPY 245,403 86 -111,827 0 131,902 100 -20,075 13 CHF 41,231 16 -13,942 46 22,299 56 -8,357 39 CAD 155,390 34 12,158 59 -33,450 35 21,292 72 AUD 150,939 45 -28,715 58 17,876 32 10,839 79 NZD 37,585 20 -289 71 -429 30 718 60 MXN 175,905 38 14,960 34 -19,553 65 4,593 62 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 67,772 64 46,129 96 -48,954 4 2,825 98 Bitcoin 10,632 56 167 98 -439 0 272 19   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 29,637 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -2,215 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 31,852 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 76.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.6 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 80.8 2.2 15.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.7 68.0 3.6 – Net Position: 29,637 -36,045 6,408 – Gross Longs: 44,303 1,226 8,402 – Gross Shorts: 14,666 37,271 1,994 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.0 to 1 0.0 to 1 4.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 76.9 14.7 86.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.9 5.6 19.6   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 39,060 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 11,690 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 27,370 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 47.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 58.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.3 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 32.7 53.0 11.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.9 62.0 8.5 – Net Position: 39,060 -60,750 21,690 – Gross Longs: 221,645 359,853 79,165 – Gross Shorts: 182,585 420,603 57,475 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 47.0 58.6 10.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.9 9.7 -14.0   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -53,054 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -11,296 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -41,758 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 35.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 71.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.6 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.4 75.7 8.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 36.0 46.9 15.3 – Net Position: -53,054 70,949 -17,895 – Gross Longs: 35,514 186,343 19,803 – Gross Shorts: 88,568 115,394 37,698 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 35.8 71.6 18.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -38.0 33.6 -8.5   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -111,827 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -7,998 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -103,829 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 0.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.7 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.0 86.7 8.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 49.6 33.0 16.3 – Net Position: -111,827 131,902 -20,075 – Gross Longs: 9,925 212,850 20,022 – Gross Shorts: 121,752 80,948 40,097 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 2.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 0.0 100.0 12.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -26.5 25.5 -18.8   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -13,942 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -1,549 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -12,393 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 45.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.8 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 4.0 74.7 21.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.8 20.6 41.5 – Net Position: -13,942 22,299 -8,357 – Gross Longs: 1,642 30,798 8,742 – Gross Shorts: 15,584 8,499 17,099 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 3.6 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 45.6 55.9 38.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 2.3 1.6 -8.0   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 12,158 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 5,235 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 6,923 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 58.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 35.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 72.2 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 24.3 49.5 25.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.5 71.0 11.3 – Net Position: 12,158 -33,450 21,292 – Gross Longs: 37,724 76,922 38,796 – Gross Shorts: 25,566 110,372 17,504 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.5 to 1 0.7 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 58.8 35.4 72.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -2.0 -8.6 27.6   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -28,715 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 8,798 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -37,513 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 58.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 32.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 78.9 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.3 53.9 19.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.4 42.1 12.1 – Net Position: -28,715 17,876 10,839 – Gross Longs: 39,770 81,396 29,106 – Gross Shorts: 68,485 63,520 18,267 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 58.2 32.2 78.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 46.0 -52.2 49.4   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -289 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 1,280 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,569 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 70.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 29.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 60.1 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 43.4 45.9 10.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 44.1 47.0 8.1 – Net Position: -289 -429 718 – Gross Longs: 16,295 17,233 3,773 – Gross Shorts: 16,584 17,662 3,055 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 70.8 29.7 60.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 23.3 -25.5 30.2   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 14,960 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 14,050 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 910 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 33.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 64.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.5 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 46.4 48.8 4.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.9 59.9 1.7 – Net Position: 14,960 -19,553 4,593 – Gross Longs: 81,582 85,784 7,517 – Gross Shorts: 66,622 105,337 2,924 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.7 64.6 62.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -11.7 10.9 4.9   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 46,129 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 603 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 45,526 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 95.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 97.9 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 77.6 15.6 6.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 9.6 87.9 2.5 – Net Position: 46,129 -48,954 2,825 – Gross Longs: 52,624 10,591 4,496 – Gross Shorts: 6,495 59,545 1,671 – Long to Short Ratio: 8.1 to 1 0.2 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 95.7 3.5 97.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -4.2 3.3 10.9   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 167 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 411 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -244 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 97.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.1 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 77.2 3.6 10.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 75.6 7.7 7.4 – Net Position: 167 -439 272 – Gross Longs: 8,207 382 1,058 – Gross Shorts: 8,040 821 786 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.5 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 97.9 6.3 19.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.9 6.3 -3.8   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.
The Swing Overview - Week 16 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 16 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 22.04.2022 15:00
The Swing Overview - Week 16 Jerome Powell confirmed that the Fed will be aggressive in fighting the inflation and confirmed tighter interest rate hikes starting in May. Equity indices fell strongly after this news. Inflation in the euro area reached a record high of 7.4% in March. Despite this news, the euro continued to weaken. The sell-off also continued in the Japanese yen, which is the weakest against the US dollar in last 20 years.  The USD index strengthens along with US bond yields Fed chief Jerome Powell said on Thursday that the Fed could raise interest rates by 0.50% in May. The Fed could continue its aggressive pace of rate hikes in the coming months of this year. US 10-year bond yields have responded to this news by strengthening further and have already reached 2.94%. The US dollar has also benefited from this development and has already surpassed the value 100 and continues to move in an uptrend. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart Earnings season is underway in equities Rising interest rates continue to weigh on equity indices, which gave back gains from the first half of the last week and weakened significantly on Thursday following the Fed’s information on the aggressive pace of interest rate hikes.   In addition, the earnings season, which is in full swing, is weighing on index movements. For example, Netflix and Tesla reported results last week.   While Netflix unpleasantly surprised by reducing the number of subscribers by 200,000 in 1Q 2022 and the company's shares fell by 35% in the wake of the news, Tesla, on the other hand, exceeded analysts' expectations and the stock gained more than 10% after the results were announced. Tesla has thus shown that it has been able to cope with the supply chain problems and higher subcontracting prices that are plaguing the entire automotive sector much better than its competitors.   The decline in Netflix subscribers can be explained by people starting to save more in an environment of rising prices. Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart The SP 500 index continues to undergo a downward correction, which is shown on the H4 chart. The price has reached the resistance level at 4,514-4,520. The price continues to move below the SMA 100 moving average (blue line) on the daily chart which indicates bearish sentiment.  The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 4,514 - 4,520. The next resistance is around 4,583 - 4,600. The support is at 4,360 - 4,365.   The German DAX index The DAX is also undergoing a correction and the last candlestick on the daily chart is a bearish pin bar which suggests that the index could fall further. Figure 3: The German DAX index on H4 and daily chart This index is also below the SMA 100 on the daily chart, confirming the bearish sentiment. The price has reached a support according to the H4 chart, which is at 14,340 - 14,370. However, this is very likely to be overcome quickly. The next support is 13 910 - 14 000. The nearest resistance is 14 592 - 14 632.   The DAX is affected by the French presidential election that is going to happen on Sunday April 24, 2022. According to the latest polls, Macron is leading over Le Pen and if the election turns out like this, it should not have a significant impact on the markets. However, if Marine Le Pen wins in a surprise victory, it can be very negative news for the French economy and would weigh on the DAX index as well.   The euro remains in a downtrend The Fed's hawkish policy and the ECB's dovish rhetoric at its meeting on Thursday April 14, 2022, which showed that the ECB is not planning to raise rates in the short term, put further pressure on the European currency. The French presidential election and, of course, the ongoing war in Ukraine are also causing uncertainty.  Figure 4: The EURUSD on the H4 and daily charts. The inflation data was reported last week, which came in at 7.4% on year-on-year basis. The previous month inflation was 5.9%. This rise in inflation caused the euro to strengthen briefly to the resistance level at 1.0930 - 1.0950. However, there was then a rapid decline from this level following the Fed's reports of a quick tightening in the economy. A support is at 1.0760 - 1.0780.   The sell-off in the Japanese yen is not over The Japanese yen is also under pressure. The US dollar has already reached 20-year highs against the Japanese yen (USD/JPY) and it looks like the yen's weakening against the US dollar could continue. This is because the Bank of Japan has the most accommodative monetary policy of any major central bank and continues to support the economy while the Fed will aggressively tighten the economy. Thus, this fundamental suggests that a reversal in the USD/JPY pair should not happen anytime soon. Figure 5: The USDJPY on the monthly chart In terms of technical analysis, the USD/JPY price broke through the strong resistance band around the price of 126.00 seen on the monthly chart. The currency pair thus has room to grow further up to the resistance, which is in the area near 135 yens per dollar.  
Currency Speculators raise their bullish bets for Canadian Dollar to 40-week high

Currency Speculators raise their bullish bets for Canadian Dollar to 40-week high

Invest Macro Invest Macro 23.04.2022 20:49
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 April 19th 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 is the rising of bullish bets in the Canadian ‘Loonie’ dollar currency futures contracts. CAD speculators raised their bullish bets for a fourth straight week this week and for the fifth time in the past six weeks. Over the past four-week time-frame, CAD bets have improved by a total of +26,166 contracts, going from -4,940 net positions on March 22nd to +21,226 net positions this week. These gains have brought this week’s speculator level to the most bullish position since July 13th of 2021, a span of forty weeks. This recent improvement in Loonie sentiment has been helped out by the hike in interest rates by the Bank of Canada (BOC). The BOC recently pushed its key interest rate higher by 50 basis points on April 13th and has in the past few days hinted that more interest rate rises were to come. The recent inflation numbers out of Canada were above expectations (6.7 percent) and according to Bloomberg, market participants have pushed their odds to 100 percent for another 50 basis point hike in June. Overall, the currencies with higher speculator bets this week were the US Dollar Index (2,943 contracts), Japanese yen (4,640 contracts), Swiss franc (2,492 contracts), New Zealand dollar (654 contracts), Canadian dollar (9,068 contracts)and the Mexican peso (6,704 contracts). The currencies with declining bets were the Euro (-7,759 contracts), Brazil real (-1,557 contracts), Australian dollar (-122 contracts), Bitcoin (-361 contracts) and the British pound sterling (-5,860 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 Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend Apr-19-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 54,524 77 32,580 82 -35,893 15 3,313 53 EUR 675,939 72 31,301 45 -49,726 62 18,425 5 GBP 249,529 70 -58,914 32 72,889 73 -13,975 27 JPY 251,291 90 -107,187 3 129,842 99 -22,655 7 CHF 44,269 20 -11,450 50 23,051 57 -11,601 29 CAD 153,302 32 21,226 68 -39,338 31 18,112 66 AUD 147,309 43 -28,837 58 20,800 34 8,037 72 NZD 41,098 26 365 72 503 31 -868 42 MXN 165,403 33 21,664 37 -26,214 62 4,550 62 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 70,553 68 44,572 94 -47,063 5 2,491 94 Bitcoin 11,276 61 -194 90 -175 0 369 21   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 32,580 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 2,943 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 29,637 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 82.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 52.8 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 85.6 3.3 9.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.9 69.1 3.5 – Net Position: 32,580 -35,893 3,313 – Gross Longs: 46,685 1,778 5,198 – Gross Shorts: 14,105 37,671 1,885 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.3 to 1 0.0 to 1 2.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 82.0 15.0 52.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -2.5 3.3 -5.8   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 31,301 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -7,759 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 39,060 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 44.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 61.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.9 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 32.7 53.7 11.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.1 61.0 8.7 – Net Position: 31,301 -49,726 18,425 – Gross Longs: 221,003 362,930 76,939 – Gross Shorts: 189,702 412,656 58,514 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 44.6 61.9 4.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.5 9.7 -10.9   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -58,914 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -5,860 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -53,054 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 31.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 26.7 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.8 74.6 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 38.4 45.4 14.4 – Net Position: -58,914 72,889 -13,975 – Gross Longs: 36,811 186,134 21,987 – Gross Shorts: 95,725 113,245 35,962 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.6 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.6 72.8 26.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -33.4 28.1 -2.2   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -107,187 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 4,640 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -111,827 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 2.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 99.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.4 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 5.1 86.0 8.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 47.7 34.3 17.3 – Net Position: -107,187 129,842 -22,655 – Gross Longs: 12,723 216,101 20,761 – Gross Shorts: 119,910 86,259 43,416 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 2.5 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 2.9 99.0 7.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -31.6 25.9 -3.8   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -11,450 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 2,492 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -13,942 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 50.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 29.2 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 6.6 71.7 21.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 32.4 19.6 47.9 – Net Position: -11,450 23,051 -11,601 – Gross Longs: 2,900 31,735 9,599 – Gross Shorts: 14,350 8,684 21,200 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 3.7 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 50.0 56.8 29.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -3.0 1.3 1.8   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 21,226 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 9,068 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 12,158 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 67.7 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 31.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 65.8 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.7 45.0 24.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.9 70.7 12.8 – Net Position: 21,226 -39,338 18,112 – Gross Longs: 44,063 68,989 37,784 – Gross Shorts: 22,837 108,327 19,672 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.9 to 1 0.6 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 67.7 31.1 65.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.4 -17.2 20.4   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -28,837 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -122 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -28,715 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 58.1 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 34.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 72.0 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 26.6 53.8 19.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.2 39.6 13.7 – Net Position: -28,837 20,800 8,037 – Gross Longs: 39,201 79,208 28,257 – Gross Shorts: 68,038 58,408 20,220 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.4 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 58.1 34.4 72.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 45.8 -42.8 19.6   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 365 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 654 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -289 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 71.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 31.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.9 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 46.4 45.9 6.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.5 44.6 8.9 – Net Position: 365 503 -868 – Gross Longs: 19,081 18,853 2,797 – Gross Shorts: 18,716 18,350 3,665 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 1.0 to 1 0.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 71.9 31.2 41.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 21.4 -20.2 4.0   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 21,664 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 6,704 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 14,960 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 36.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 61.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.3 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 44.6 50.0 4.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 31.5 65.8 1.9 – Net Position: 21,664 -26,214 4,550 – Gross Longs: 73,710 82,643 7,701 – Gross Shorts: 52,046 108,857 3,151 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 36.6 61.9 62.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -13.4 12.1 10.1   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week reached a net position of 44,572 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -1,557 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 46,129 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 94.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.0 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 76.2 17.6 6.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.1 84.3 2.5 – Net Position: 44,572 -47,063 2,491 – Gross Longs: 53,790 12,399 4,272 – Gross Shorts: 9,218 59,462 1,781 – Long to Short Ratio: 5.8 to 1 0.2 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 94.2 5.4 94.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -5.8 5.4 5.0   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week reached a net position of -194 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -361 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 167 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 90.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 27.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.3 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 73.3 3.6 10.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 75.0 5.2 7.0 – Net Position: -194 -175 369 – Gross Longs: 8,263 408 1,155 – Gross Shorts: 8,457 583 786 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 90.2 27.4 21.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.8 19.8 4.8   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.
The Swing Overview – Week 17 2022

The Swing Overview – Week 17 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 03.05.2022 11:04
The Swing Overview – Week 17 Major stock indices continued in their correction and tested strong support levels. In contrast, the US dollar strengthened strongly and is at its highest level since January 2017. The strengthening of the dollar had a negative impact on the value of the euro and commodities such as gold, which fell below the $1,900 per ounce. The Bank of Japan kept interest rates low and the yen broke the magic level 130 per dollar. The USD index strengthened again but the US GDP declined The US consumer confidence in the month of April came in at 107.3, a slight decline from the previous month when consumer confidence was 107.6.   The US GDP data was surprising. The US economy decreased by 1.4% in 1Q 2022 (in the previous quarter the economy grew by 6.4%). This sharp decline surprised even analysts who expected the economy to grow by 1.1%. This result is influenced by the Omicron, which caused the economy to shut down for a longer period than expected earlier this year.    The Fed meeting scheduled for the next week on May 4 will be hot. In fact, even the most dovish Fed officials are already leaning towards a 0.5% rate hike. At the end of the year, we can expect a rate around 2.5%.   The US 10-year bond yields continue to strengthen on the back of these expectations. The US dollar is also strengthening and is already at its highest level since January 2017, surpassing 103 level.  Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and the USD index on the daily chart   Earnings season is underway in equities Earnings season is in full swing. Amazon's results were disappointing. While revenue was up 7% reaching $116.4 billion in the first quarter (revenue was $108.5 billion in the same period last year), the company posted an total loss of $8.1 billion, which translated to a loss of $7.56 per share. This loss, however, is not due to operating activities, but it is the result of the revaluation of the equity investment in Rivian Automotive.   Facebook, on the other hand, surprised in a positive way posting unexpectedly strong user growth, a sign that its Instagram app is capable of competing with Tik Tok. However, the revenue growth of 6.6% was the lowest in the company's history.    Apple was also a positive surprise, reporting earnings per share of $1.52 (analysts' forecast was $1.43) and revenue growth of $97.3 billion, up 8.6% from the same period last year. However, the company warned that the closed operations in Russia, the lockdown in China due to the coronavirus and supply disruptions will negatively impact earnings in the next quarter.   Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart In terms of technical analysis, the US SP 500 index is in a downtrend and has reached a major support level on the daily chart last week, which is at 4,150. It has bounced upwards from this support to the resistance according to the 4 H chart which is 4,308 - 4,313. The next resistance according to the H4 chart is 4,360 - 4,365.  The strong resistance is at 4,500.   German DAX index German businessmen are optimistic about the development of the German economy in the next 6 months, as indicated by the Ifo Business Climate Index, which reached 91.8 for April (the expectation was 89.1). However, this did not have a significant effect on the movement of the index and it continued in its downward correction. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The index is below the SMA 100 on both the daily chart and the H4 chart, confirming the bearish sentiment. The nearest support according to the H4 is 13,600 - 13,650. The resistance is 14,180 - 14,200. The next resistance is 14,592 - 14,632.   The euro has fallen below 1.05 The euro lost significantly last week. While the French election brought relief to the markets as Emmanuel Macron defended the presidency, geopolitical tensions in Ukraine continue to weigh heavily on the European currency. The strong dollar is also having an impact on the EUR/USD pair, pushing the pair down. The price has fallen below 1.05, the lowest level since January 2017.    Figure 4: EURUSD on H4 and daily chart The euro broke through the important support at 1.0650 - 1.071, which has now become the new resistance. The new support was formed in January 2017 and is around the level 1.0350 - 1.040.   Japan's central bank continues to support the fragile economy The Bank of Japan on Thursday reinforced its commitment to keep interest rates at very low levels by pledging to buy unlimited amounts of 10-year government bonds daily, sparking a fresh sell-off in the yen and reviving government bonds. With this commitment, the BOJ is trying to support a fragile economy, even as a surge in commodity prices is pushing the inflation up.   The decision puts Japan in the opposite position to other major economies, which are moving towards tighter monetary policy to combat soaring prices. Figure 5: The USD/JPY on the monthly and daily chart In fresh quarterly forecasts, the central bank has projected core consumer inflation to reach 1.9% in the current fiscal year and then ease to 1.1% in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, an indication that it views the current cost-push price increases as transitory.   In the wake of this decision, the Japanese yen has continued to weaken and has already surpassed the magical level 130 per dollar.   Strong dollar beats also gold Anticipation of aggressive Fed action against inflation, which is supporting the US dollar, is having a negative impact on gold. The rising US government bond yields are also a problem for the yellow metal. This has put gold under pressure, which peaked on Thursday when the price reached USD 1,872 per ounce of gold. But then the gold started to strengthen. Indeed, the decline in the US GDP may have been something of a warning to the Fed and prevent them from tightening the economy too quickly, which helped gold, in the short term, bounce off a strong support. Figure 6: The gold on H4 and daily chart Strong support for the gold is at $1,869 - $1,878 per ounce. There is a confluence of horizontal resistance and the SMA 100 moving average on the daily chart. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is 1 907 - 1 910 USD per ounce. The strong resistance according to the daily chart is then 1 977 - 2 000 USD per ounce of gold. Moving averages on the H4 chart can also be used as a resistance. The orange line is the EMA 50 and the blue line is the SMA 100.  
Currency Speculators drop Euro bets into bearish territory on interest rates & low growth

Currency Speculators drop Euro bets into bearish territory on interest rates & low growth

Invest Macro Invest Macro 07.05.2022 14:13
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 May 3rd 2022 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 was the continued drop in speculator bets for European common currency futures contracts. Euro speculators reduced their bets for the third straight week this week and have now trimmed the net position by a total of -45,438 contracts over this three-week period. This decreasing sentiment among speculators accelerated this week with a large drop of -28,579 contracts and knocked the net contract level back into a bearish position for the first time since the beginning of October 2021. The fundamental backdrop for the euro is one of weak growth and low interest rates compared to many of the other major currency countries. The Eurozone GDP for the first quarter of 2022 amounted to just 0.2 percent growth following a fourth quarter of 2021 growth reading of 0.3 percent. The war in Ukraine combined with surging inflation and weakening consumer demand has some banks believing a GDP contraction could be on the horizon while others see parity in the euro versus the US dollar as inevitable. Eurozone interest rates are forecasted to rise this year but they have been behind their major currency counterparts. The US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand have all raised their benchmark interest rates over the past quarter and look likely to see more over the year, possibly widening the interest rate differential even more if the European Central Bank does not act. This week was a very rare week when all the currencies we cover had lower speculator bets including the Euro (-28,579 contracts), Canadian dollar (-11,852 contracts), New Zealand dollar (-6,676 contracts), Mexican peso (-5,503 contracts), Japanese yen (-5,259 contracts), Brazil real (-5,096 contracts), British pound sterling (-4,192 contracts), Swiss franc (-1,038 contracts), US Dollar Index (-808 contracts), Australian dollar (-865 contracts) and Bitcoin (-24 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-03-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 54,092 76 33,071 83 -35,684 15 2,613 45 EUR 694,926 80 -6,378 33 -24,586 69 30,964 26 GBP 268,496 82 -73,813 21 89,026 82 -15,213 24 JPY 254,813 92 -100,794 7 120,264 94 -19,470 14 CHF 49,385 31 -13,907 46 30,542 68 -16,635 7 CAD 152,779 32 9,029 56 -12,959 51 3,930 38 AUD 152,257 46 -28,516 58 34,225 44 -5,709 39 NZD 50,844 45 -6,610 60 9,879 46 -3,269 14 MXN 151,933 27 14,623 34 -18,552 65 3,929 60 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 61,549 56 41,788 91 -43,371 9 1,583 83 Bitcoin 10,051 52 388 100 -429 0 41 14   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 33,071 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -808 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 33,879 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 82.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 45.1 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 85.5 2.7 9.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.4 68.6 5.0 – Net Position: 33,071 -35,684 2,613 – Gross Longs: 46,264 1,439 5,296 – Gross Shorts: 13,193 37,123 2,683 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.5 to 1 0.0 to 1 2.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 82.8 15.3 45.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.9 -3.6 -13.9   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -6,378 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -28,579 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 22,201 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 33.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 69.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 25.7 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 30.0 55.1 12.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.9 58.7 8.2 – Net Position: -6,378 -24,586 30,964 – Gross Longs: 208,449 383,222 88,267 – Gross Shorts: 214,827 407,808 57,303 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.0 69.0 25.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.3 6.2 13.9   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -73,813 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -4,192 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -69,621 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 20.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 82.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 24.1 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 12.5 77.7 7.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 40.0 44.6 13.3 – Net Position: -73,813 89,026 -15,213 – Gross Longs: 33,536 208,754 20,590 – Gross Shorts: 107,349 119,728 35,803 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 1.7 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 20.8 82.3 24.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -26.3 22.8 -4.3   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -100,794 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -5,259 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -95,535 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 6.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 94.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.9 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 7.3 84.6 7.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.8 37.4 14.7 – Net Position: -100,794 120,264 -19,470 – Gross Longs: 18,585 215,563 18,007 – Gross Shorts: 119,379 95,299 37,477 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 2.3 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 6.8 94.3 13.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -13.7 7.5 13.9   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -13,907 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -1,038 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -12,869 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 45.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 68.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.3 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 8.8 75.8 15.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.0 13.9 48.7 – Net Position: -13,907 30,542 -16,635 – Gross Longs: 4,357 37,429 7,397 – Gross Shorts: 18,264 6,887 24,032 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 5.4 to 1 0.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 45.7 68.3 7.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -9.6 11.9 -14.5   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 9,029 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -11,852 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 20,881 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 55.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 51.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 37.6 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.2 47.5 21.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 23.3 56.0 18.4 – Net Position: 9,029 -12,959 3,930 – Gross Longs: 44,670 72,629 32,093 – Gross Shorts: 35,641 85,588 28,163 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 55.7 51.2 37.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.8 -4.0 -17.1   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -28,516 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -865 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -27,651 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 58.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 44.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.5 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 30.9 52.6 14.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 49.6 30.2 17.8 – Net Position: -28,516 34,225 -5,709 – Gross Longs: 46,995 80,147 21,330 – Gross Shorts: 75,511 45,922 27,039 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.6 to 1 1.7 to 1 0.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 58.4 44.4 38.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 21.0 -10.6 -20.8   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -6,610 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -6,676 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 66 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 60.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 45.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 14.4 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 34.3 60.6 4.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 47.3 41.1 11.2 – Net Position: -6,610 9,879 -3,269 – Gross Longs: 17,427 30,789 2,423 – Gross Shorts: 24,037 20,910 5,692 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 60.2 45.6 14.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -15.3 18.4 -32.3   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 14,623 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -5,503 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 20,126 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 33.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 65.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.7 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 42.0 52.3 4.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 32.4 64.5 1.9 – Net Position: 14,623 -18,552 3,929 – Gross Longs: 63,860 79,394 6,771 – Gross Shorts: 49,237 97,946 2,842 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.8 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.6 65.1 59.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.9 -13.5 -0.9   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 41,788 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -5,096 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 46,884 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 91.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 83.3 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 81.2 13.5 5.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 13.3 83.9 2.8 – Net Position: 41,788 -43,371 1,583 – Gross Longs: 49,991 8,280 3,278 – Gross Shorts: 8,203 51,651 1,695 – Long to Short Ratio: 6.1 to 1 0.2 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 91.4 9.0 83.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.2 1.1 -15.4     Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 388 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -24 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 412 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 99.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 7.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.9 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 80.8 3.0 8.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 76.9 7.2 8.2 – Net Position: 388 -429 41 – Gross Longs: 8,121 298 867 – Gross Shorts: 7,733 727 826 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 99.5 7.1 13.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 8.0 4.2 -10.0   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.
Welcome Back to 1994! [Redux]

Welcome Back to 1994! [Redux]

David Merkel David Merkel 10.05.2022 03:17
Image Credit: Aleph Blog with help from FRED || Look at the mortgage rates fly! Okay, you might or might not remember the last piece. But since that time, 30-year mortgage rates have risen more than 1%. Is the Fed dawdling? Maybe, but the greater threat is that they become too aggressive, and blow up the financial economy, leading us into another decade-long bout of financial repression. As it stands right now, mortgage rates are in a self-reinforcing rising cycle, and it will not end until the Fed raises the Fed funds rate until it inverts the Treasury yield curve. But if I were on the FOMC, I would ignore inflation and the labor markets, and I would watch the financial economy to avoid blowing things up. The FOMC won’t do this. They are wedded to ideas that no longer work, or may never have worked, like the Phillips Curve. They imagine that the macroeconomic models work, when they never do. They forget what Milton Friedman taught — that monetary policy works with long and variable lags. Instead, in tightening cycles, the FOMC acts as if there are no lags. And, in one sense, they are correct. The financial economy reacts immediately to FOMC actions. The real economy, with inflation and unemployment, may take one or two years to see the effects. And because the FOMC forgets about the lags, they overshoot. The FOMC, far from stabilizing the economy, tends to destabilize it. We would be better off running a gold standard, and regulating the banks tightly for solvency. Remember, gold was never the problem — bad bank regulation was the problem. ======================= One more thing — the Fed needs to be quiet. The chatter of Fed governors upsets the markets, as do Fed press conferences and the dot-plot. The Fed was most effective under Volcker and Martin. They said little, and let their actions be known through the Fed’s Open Markets Desk. That allowed the Fed to surprise and lead the markets. The current Fed (since Greenspan) made the mistake of following the markets. Following the markets exacerbates volatility, and promotes oversupplying liquidity. ======================= At present I am pretty sure 30-year mortgage rates will rise to 6%, and maybe 7%. No one is panicking enough on this, so it will likely go higher. MBS hedging is a powerful force, and will continue until people no longer want to buy houses at such high interest rates.
Cautious optimism

ECB's Lagarde Teases Rate Hike, Bitcoin Price (BTC/USD) Defends From Deep Plunge

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 11.05.2022 17:06
Stock markets are pushing cautiously higher again on Wednesday as investors await a huge inflation report from the US ahead of the open on Wall Street. The report is expected to be the first that will indicate inflation has peaked and a sharp decline is underway. That doesn’t mean inflation is expected to return to target any time soon but it will come as a massive relief to investors, households and businesses alike after months of watching price pressures accelerate higher. The fear is that the data today doesn’t tell us what we want to hear. A slower deceleration or worse, none at all, would be an enormous blow and I expect equity markets would feel the full effects of it. The extent to which that would be the case would obviously depend on how bad the data is. On the flip side, considering the shock to equity markets recently, a low reading that marks the end of the ascent and falls in line with the view that price pressures will ease considerably in the months ahead could be very positive for stock markets. Investors will be hoping the inflation data can provide a tailwind for equity markets for the rest of the year and perhaps even allow for interest rate expectations to be pared back. There may be some scarring from the last six months which may stop investors from getting too excited initially but indices are at a steep discount now after recent moves and a low inflation reading could tempt some back in. Lagarde drops subtle rate hike hint After months of pushback, it seems the ECB is forming a consensus around raising interest rates in the coming months. Noises from policymakers in recent weeks have alluded to that and Christine Lagarde today ever so slightly deviated from her policy of ambiguity to hint at the possibility of a July hike. That would align with where markets stand on the lift-off and make the ECB the latest central bank to abandon its transitory argument and belatedly start tightening. Whether Europe will pay the price for their hesitation, as may be the case in the UK, US, New Zealand and many other countries, isn’t clear. It may well depend on how swiftly it agrees to raise rates and how entrenched inflation becomes. There’s no doubt they don’t quite have the problem the UK and US have, for example. Bitcoin stays above crucial support as Terra plunges Bitcoin survived a brief dip below USD 30,000 on Tuesday and is making small gains so far today, easing pressure on the critical support in the process. It could have been much worse for bitcoin if it got caught up in the Terra debacle, which is down more than 50% on the day despite being a stablecoin by definition. That it hasn’t sent shockwaves throughout the broader crypto space will come as a relief to bitcoin HODLers for now. But that could change and a break below USD 30,000 could make them very uncomfortable. 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 Swing Overview - Week 18 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 18 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 16.05.2022 10:51
The Swing Overview - Week 18 In the war against rising inflation, central banks in the US, the UK and Australia raised interest rates this week. Britain, meanwhile, warned of the risk of a recession. The CNB also raised rates. They have thus reached their highest levels since 1999. The key interest rate in the Czech Republic is now 5.75%.   The main stock indices have weakened strongly in response to the monetary tightening policies of the major economies and are at significant support levels. The negative sentiment on the indices is confirmed by the VIX fear indicator, which is above 30. The US dollar, on the other hand, continues to ride on the winning wave. The Fed raised interest rates by 0.5% The Fed raised rates by 0.5% points on Wednesday as expected, the highest jump in 22 years. This took the interest rate to 1%. The Fed chief announced that further half a percentage point rate hikes will continue at the next meetings in June and July. Powell also stated that the US economy is doing well and that it can withstand interest rate hikes without the risk of a recession and a significant increase in unemployment.   In addition to the rate hike, the Fed announced that in June it would begin reducing the assets on the bank's balance sheet that the central bank had accumulated during the pandemic. In June, July and August, the Fed will sell $45 billion of assets a month, and starting in September it will sell $95 billion a month.   Although Powell ruled out a 0.75% rate hike at the next meetings, interest rate futures markets continue to expect that possibility with about an 80% probability. Figure 1: The CME Fed Watch tool projections of the target interest rate for the next Fed meeting on June 15, 2022 Based on these expectations, US 10-year Treasury yields continue to strengthen and have surpassed the 3% mark. The US dollar is also strengthening and it is at the highest level since January 2017 and approaching 104.  Figure 2: The US 10-year bond yields and the USD index on the daily chart   Equity indices remain under pressure The SP 500 index initially rallied strongly following the announcement of the rate hike, after Powell ruled out a 0.75% rate hike in subsequent meetings. However, markets gave back all the gains the following day as interest rate futures continue to estimate an 80% probability that the next rate hike, which will take place in June 2022, will be 0.75%.   Figure 3: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart Thus, in terms of technical analysis, the US SP 500 index continues to move in a downtrend below both the SMA 100 and EMA 50 moving averages with resistance, according to the 4 H chart, at 4,308 - 4,313. The next resistance, according to the H4 chart, is 4,360 - 4,365.  Strong resistance is at 4,500. The current support is 4 070 - 4 100.   German DAX index German industrial orders fell by 4.7% in March, which is more than expected. A major contributor to this negative result was a reduction in orders from abroad as the war in Ukraine hit demand in the manufacturing sector. The outlook is negative and some analysts suggest that the German economy is heading into recession. The reasons are the war in Ukraine, problems in supply chains and high inflation. The Dax index confirms these negative outlooks with a downward trend. Figure 4: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The index continues to move below the SMA 100 on the daily chart and on the H4 chart, confirming the bearish sentiment. The nearest support according to the H4 is 13,600 - 13,650. Resistance is 14,300 - 14,330. The next resistance is 14,592 - 14,632.   The outlook for the euro remains negative HSBC bank on Thursday significantly cut its forecast for the euro, saying it expects the euro to weaken to parity against the US dollar this year, the first major investment bank to make such a prediction.   The post-pandemic economic environment, which has been damaged by the ongoing war in Ukraine, looks challenging for the European economy, potentially forcing the European Central Bank to tighten policy slowly compared to the U.S. Federal Reserve, which has begun an aggressive rate-hiking cycle.  This has raised the prospect of the single currency falling to levels not seen in two decades. HSBC said it expects the move to happen by the fourth quarter of 2022.   ECB board member Isabel Schnabel said this week that rates may need to be raised as early as July. The precursor to any rate hike must be an end to bond purchases and that could come in late June. Markets are pricing in a 90 basis point tightening in rates this year.   Figure 5: The EURUSD on H4 and daily chart The EUR/USD pair is in a clear downtrend with resistance at 1.0650 - 1.071. The important support is 1.05, but it has already been tested several times and could be broken soon. The next support is from January 2017 at around 1.0350 - 1.040.   The Czech koruna got another injection in the form of an interest rate hike The CNB raised the interest rate by 0.75%, which exceeded analysts' expectations who projected a 0.50% rise. The current rate now stands at 5.75%, the highest since 1999. Consumer price growth continues to rise and by raising the interest rate the central bank is trying to dampen this growth by raising the interest rate. Inflation is expected to reach 15% by mid-year. The CNB has an inflation target of 2% and inflation is expected to reach these levels in 2024.   The problem is economic growth, which is slowing significantly.  But maintaining price stability is clearly more important than the negative effects of higher rates on the real economy.  Figure 6: The USD/CZK and the EUR/CZK on the daily chart The Czech koruna has so far done best on the pair with the euro, as interest rates are zero on the euro. The koruna has been weakening significantly on the USD pair in recent days. The current significant resistance on the USD/CZK is CZK 23.50 per dollar and on the EUR/CZK it is 24.70.    Bank of England warned of recession and more than 10% inflation The Bank of England sent out a strong warning that Britain faces the twin dangers of recession and inflation above 10% when it raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point to 1% on Thursday. The pound fell more than a cent against the US dollar and hit its lowest level since mid-2020, below $1.24, as the gloominess of the BoE's new forecasts for the world's fifth-largest economy caught investors off guard.    The BoE also said it was also concerned about the impact of renewed COVID-19 lockdowns in China, which threaten to hit supply chains again and increase inflationary pressures.    The BoE's rate hike was the fourth since December, the fastest pace of policy tightening in 25 years. The central bank also revised up its price growth forecasts, which suggest it will peak above 10% in the final three months of this year. Previously, it had expected it to peak at around 8% in April. Markets expect interest rates to reach 2-2.25% by the end of 2022.  Figure 7: The GBP/USD on weekly and daily charts In terms of technical analysis, the GBP/USD is in a downtrend. The pound is trading at levels below 1.24 pounds per dollar and has reached to the support of 1.225-1.2330. The nearest resistance according to the weekly chart is at 1.2700-1.2750.   
The Swing Overview - Week 19 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 19 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 16.05.2022 10:59
The Swing Overview - Week 19 Stock indices continued to weaken strongly last week, while the US dollar has already surpassed the mark 104 and is at 20-year highs. However, a set of important data is behind us, which could bring some temporary relief to the equity markets. The Czech koruna weakened sharply after the appointment of the new CNB Governor Ales Michl, who is a proponent of a dovish approach. Thus, the rise in interest rates in the Czech Republic appears to be close to its peak.   Macroeconomic data The US consumer inflation for April was reported on Wednesday, which came in at 8.3% on year-on-year basis. Analysts were expecting inflation to be 8.1%. Although the figure achieved was higher than expectations, it was still lower than the 8.5% inflation figure achieved in March. On a month-on-month basis, the price increase in April was 0.3%, significantly lower than in March when prices rose by 1.5%.   On Thursday, industrial inflation was reported at 8.8% year-on-year and 0.4% month-on-month for April.   The positive thing about this data is that inflation declined from previous readings. However, it is important to note that the year-on-year comparison is based on data where inflation was also higher in the previous year due to the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.   The Fed chief reiterated that he expects another 0.50% point rise in interest rates at the next two Fed meetings. He also mentioned that a higher rate hike cannot be ruled out if necessary.   The US 10-year bond yields came down from their peak and made a slight correction. However, the US dollar continued to strengthen and broke the resistance at 104. The dollar is thus at 20-year highs. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   Equity indices heavily oversold The strong dollar, rising US bond yields, the war in Ukraine and the effects of the lockdown in China were the main reasons for the decline in equity indices. The SP 500 index hit 3,860, the lowest level since March 2021. This is also where long-term support is. However, the important macro data is behind us and the market has processed all the available fundamental information. This could bring temporary relief to the markets and the index could make an upward correction. The fall in 10-year bond yields, gives this move some boost as well.   Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart However, from a technical analysis perspective, the US SP 500 index remains in a current downtrend as the markets have formed lower low and is also below both the SMA 100 and EMA 50 moving averages on the H4 and daily charts. The nearest resistance is 4040 - 4070. The next resistance is at 4,140 and especially 4,293 - 4,300. The support is at 3,860 - 3,900.   German DAX index In macroeconomic data, the German ZEW Economic Sentiment for May was reported last week and showed a reading of -34.3, an improvement from the previous month's reading of -41.0. Inflation in Germany for April is at 7.4% on year-on-year basis and up 0.8% from March (the previous month's increase was 2.5%). Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The index continues to move in a downtrend along with the major world indices. The price has reached the SMA 100 moving average on the H4 chart, which tends to signal resistance in a downtrend. The price is moving below the SMA 100 on both the daily chart and the H4 chart, confirming the bearish sentiment. The nearest support according to the H4 is 13,600 - 13,650. The resistance is 14,300 - 14,330. The next resistance is 14,592 - 14,632.   The big sell-off in the euro continues The euro fell to 1.0356 against the dollar, the lowest value since January 2017. This value is also an area of significant support where price could stall. Fundamentally, the euro's depreciation is due to the strong dollar and the Fed's hawkish policy, which contrasts with the ECB's policy of not raising rates yet.    Figure 4: The EURUSD on H4 and daily chart Eurozone inflation data will be reported next week, which could be an important catalyst for further movement. The significant support is priced around 1.0350 - 1.040. The current resistance is at 1.05.   Czech koruna weakened strongly on the new governor appointment The President Miloš Zeman surprised with the appointment of Ales Michl for the governor of the CNB. Michl is known for his dovish views, having spoken out against raising interest rates at recent meetings. His appointment was welcomed in the markets by a strong depreciation of the Czech koruna. However, the bank later intervened in the markets by selling part of its foreign exchange reserves to prevent further depreciation of the Czech koruna.   It is important to know that the Bank's monetary policy is decided by the seven-member Bank Board. So far, the proportion for voting on rate hikes has been 5:2. But by the end of June, the president must appoint 3 new board members. This could significantly change the voting ratio on the board and set a new course for the bank's policy, which would mean a halt to the rise in interest rates. However, it is likely that at the June board meeting the board, still with the old composition, will decide on further interest rate increases. Figure 5: The USD/CZK and the EUR/CZK on the daily chart The Czech koruna has reached 24.36 against the dollar and 25.47 against the euro, from which it started to descend after the CNB interventions.  
Currency Speculators reboot their Euro bullish bets to a 6-Week High

Currency Speculators reboot their Euro bullish bets to a 6-Week High

Invest Macro Invest Macro 28.05.2022 21:32
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 May 24th 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. Click to Enlarge Highlighting the COT currency data is the bounce-back for the Euro currency futures contracts. Euro speculative positions jumped by over +18,000 contracts this week and rose for a third consecutive week. This week marked the second time in the past three weeks that speculator positions increased by more than +18,000 contracts (+22,907 contracts on May 10th) and now Euro bets have gained by a total of +45,308 contracts over the past three weeks. The speculator’s bullish position marks the highest standing of the past six weeks at +38,930 contracts. Euro speculator positions had recently fallen into a bearish speculative level on May 3rd (-6,378 contracts) after dropping by a total of -45,438 contracts from April 19th to May 3rd. This was the first bearish position for the Euro since early January. The speculator sentiment has been weaker so far in 2022 compared to preceding years as Euro bets are averaging just +29,199 weekly contracts in 2022. This compares to the Euro bets average of +60,837 weekly contracts over 2021 and an average of +92,464 weekly contracts over 2020. The recent improvement in Euro positions comes amid increasing expectations for the European Central Bank to start raising interest rates higher and end their negative interest rate regime in the third quarter. The Euro exchange rate recently hit its lowest level versus the US Dollar since January of 2017 with a drop to approximately 1.350 (EUR/USD) on May 13th. Since then, the Euro has rallied over the past couple of weeks and closed Friday at the 1.0733 exchange rate. Overall, the currencies with higher speculator bets this week were the Euro (18,591 contracts), US Dollar Index (1,826 contracts), Japanese yen (2,865 contracts), Brazil real (619 contracts), Canadian dollar (1,809 contracts), Mexican peso (1,577 contracts) and Bitcoin (43 contracts). The currencies with declining bets were the Australian dollar (-804 contracts), Swiss franc (-3,081 contracts), British pound sterling (-1,131 contracts) and the New Zealand dollar (-1,554 contracts). Speculator strength standings for each market 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-24-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 61,857 93 38,039 91 -40,877 7 2,838 48 EUR 708,938 86 38,930 47 -72,600 55 33,670 30 GBP 253,864 73 -80,372 16 97,042 87 -16,670 21 JPY 237,256 80 -99,444 8 106,699 88 -7,255 39 CHF 49,918 38 -19,673 31 31,694 76 -12,021 17 CAD 138,508 22 -12,687 30 6,933 71 5,754 41 AUD 158,615 51 -45,446 43 53,269 59 -7,823 33 NZD 59,279 61 -19,321 39 22,703 65 -3,382 13 MXN 177,125 39 29,792 40 -34,352 58 4,560 62 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 63,976 59 38,714 88 -40,501 12 1,787 86 Bitcoin 11,729 64 849 100 -817 0 -32 12   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week was a net position of 38,039 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 1,826 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 36,213 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 91.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 47.6 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 86.8 3.5 8.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 25.3 69.6 3.6 – Net Position: 38,039 -40,877 2,838 – Gross Longs: 53,675 2,157 5,076 – Gross Shorts: 15,636 43,034 2,238 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.4 to 1 0.1 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 91.4 6.7 47.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 14.5 -8.0 -39.1   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week was a net position of 38,930 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 18,591 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 20,339 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 47.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 55.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 30.2 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 33.4 51.7 12.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.9 61.9 7.6 – Net Position: 38,930 -72,600 33,670 – Gross Longs: 237,072 366,345 87,892 – Gross Shorts: 198,142 438,945 54,222 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.2 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 47.0 55.4 30.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.0 -3.4 19.8   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week was a net position of -80,372 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -1,131 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -79,241 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 16.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.1 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.2 80.3 7.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 41.9 42.1 14.1 – Net Position: -80,372 97,042 -16,670 – Gross Longs: 25,936 203,802 19,107 – Gross Shorts: 106,308 106,760 35,777 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 1.9 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 16.1 87.1 21.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -19.7 15.4 2.5   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week was a net position of -99,444 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 2,865 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -102,309 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 7.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 38.7 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 7.0 81.0 10.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 48.9 36.0 13.5 – Net Position: -99,444 106,699 -7,255 – Gross Longs: 16,567 192,215 24,858 – Gross Shorts: 116,011 85,516 32,113 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 2.2 to 1 0.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 7.6 87.7 38.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.6 -12.3 26.0   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week was a net position of -19,673 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -3,081 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -16,592 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 30.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 76.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 16.8 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 2.7 80.0 16.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 42.1 16.5 40.7 – Net Position: -19,673 31,694 -12,021 – Gross Longs: 1,355 39,913 8,308 – Gross Shorts: 21,028 8,219 20,329 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 4.9 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 30.8 76.2 16.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -10.8 12.1 -12.4   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week was a net position of -12,687 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 1,809 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -14,496 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 30.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 71.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 41.2 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 20.9 54.1 23.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.1 49.1 19.0 – Net Position: -12,687 6,933 5,754 – Gross Longs: 28,999 74,953 32,048 – Gross Shorts: 41,686 68,020 26,294 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.1 to 1 1.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 30.4 71.1 41.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -25.9 32.1 -30.9   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week was a net position of -45,446 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -804 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -44,642 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 42.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 58.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 33.4 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 23.1 62.7 11.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 51.7 29.1 16.7 – Net Position: -45,446 53,269 -7,823 – Gross Longs: 36,579 99,401 18,615 – Gross Shorts: 82,025 46,132 26,438 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.2 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 42.7 58.6 33.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -15.5 26.4 -45.5   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week was a net position of -19,321 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -1,554 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -17,767 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 38.8 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 65.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.1 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 18.1 76.7 3.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 50.7 38.4 9.4 – Net Position: -19,321 22,703 -3,382 – Gross Longs: 10,749 45,458 2,202 – Gross Shorts: 30,070 22,755 5,584 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.0 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 38.8 65.4 13.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -31.9 35.7 -46.9   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week was a net position of 29,792 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 1,577 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 28,215 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 58.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.4 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 46.9 47.7 4.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 30.1 67.1 1.7 – Net Position: 29,792 -34,352 4,560 – Gross Longs: 83,031 84,474 7,605 – Gross Shorts: 53,239 118,826 3,045 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.6 to 1 0.7 to 1 2.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 40.1 58.5 62.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 6.3 -6.2 -0.1   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week was a net position of 38,714 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 619 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 38,095 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 88.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 11.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 85.7 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 70.5 22.1 6.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 9.9 85.4 3.2 – Net Position: 38,714 -40,501 1,787 – Gross Longs: 45,076 14,132 3,826 – Gross Shorts: 6,362 54,633 2,039 – Long to Short Ratio: 7.1 to 1 0.3 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 88.4 11.8 85.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -7.3 8.2 -12.2   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week was a net position of 849 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 43 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 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 Bullish-Extreme with a score of 100.0 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 12.2 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 82.9 1.2 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 75.7 8.2 9.4 – Net Position: 849 -817 -32 – Gross Longs: 9,723 141 1,072 – Gross Shorts: 8,874 958 1,104 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.1 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 100.0 3.6 12.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 13.0 -23.6 -6.9   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.
The Swing Overview – Week 20 2022

The Swing Overview – Week 20 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 02.06.2022 16:36
The Swing Overview – Week 20 The markets remain volatile and fragile, as shown by the VIX fear index, which has again surpassed the level 30 points. However, equity indices are at interesting supports and there could be some short-term recovery. The euro has bounced off its support in anticipation of tighter monetary policy and the gold is holding its price tag above $1,800 per troy ounce. Is the gold back in investors' favor again? Macroeconomic data The week started with a set of worse data from the Chinese economy, which showed that industrial production contracted by 2.9% year-on-year basis and the retail sales fell by 11.1%. The data shows the latest measures for the country's current COVID-19 outbreak are taking a toll on the economy. To support the slowing economy, China cut its benchmark interest rate by 0.15% on Friday morning, more than analysts expected. While this will not be enough to stave off current downside risks, markets may respond to expectation of more easing in the future. On a positive note, data from the US showed retail sales rose by 0.9% in April and industrial production rose by 1.1% in April. Inflation data in Europe was important. It showed that inflation in the euro area slowed down a little, reaching 7.4% in April compared to 7.5% in March. In Canada, on the other hand, the inflation continued to rise, reaching 6.8% (6.7% in March) and in the UK inflation was 9% in April (7% in the previous month). Several factors are contributing to the higher inflation figures: the ongoing war in Ukraine, problems in logistics chains and the effects of the lockdown in China. Concerns about the impact of higher inflation are showing up in the bond market. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield has come down from the 3.2% it reached on 9 May and is currently at 2.8%. This means that demand for bonds is rising and they are once again becoming an asset for times of uncertainty.  Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on a daily chart   Equity indices on supports Global equities fell significantly in the past week, reaching significant price supports. Thus, there could be some form of short-term bounce. Although a cautious rally began on Thursday, which was then boosted by China's decision to cut interest rates in the early hours of Friday, there is still plenty of fear among investors and according to Louis Dudley of Federated Hermes, cash holdings have reached its highest level since September 2001, suggesting strong bearish sentiment. Supply chain problems have been highlighted by companies such as Cisco Systems, which has warned of persistent parts shortages. That knocked its shares down by 13.7%. The drop made it the latest big-stock company to post its biggest decline in more than a decade last week. The main risks that continue to cause volatility and great uncertainty are thus leading investors to buy "safe" assets such as the US bonds and the Swiss franc. Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart From a technical analysis perspective, the US SP 500 index continues to move in a downtrend as the market has formed a lower low while being below both the SMA 100 and EMA 50 moving averages on the H4 and daily charts. The nearest resistance is 4,080 - 4,100. The next resistance is at 4,140 and especially 4,293 - 4,300. Support is at 3,860 - 3,900 level. German DAX index The index continues to move in a downtrend along with the major world indices. The price has reached the support which is at 13,680 – 13,700 and the moving average EMA 50 on the H4 chart is above the SMA 100. This could indicate a short-term signal for some upward correction. However, the main trend according to the daily chart is still downwards. The nearest resistance is at 14,260 - 14,330 level. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The euro has bounced off its support The EUR/USD currency pair benefited last week from the US dollar moving away from its 20-year highs while on the euro, investors are expecting a tightening economy and a rise in interest rates, which the ECB has not risen yet as one of the few banks. Figure 4: The EURUSD on H4 and daily chart   Significant support is at the price around 1.0350 - 1.040. Current resistance is at 1.650 - 1.700.   The Gold in investors' attention again The gold has underperformed over the past month, falling by 10% since April when the price reached USD 2,000 per ounce. But there is now strong risk aversion in the markets, as indicated by the stock markets, which have fallen. The gold, on the other hand, has started to rise. Inflation fears are a possible reason, and investors have begun to accumulate the gold for protection against rising prices. The second reason is that the gold is inversely correlated with the US dollar. The dollar has come down from its 20-year highs, which has allowed the gold to bounce off its support.  Figure 5: The gold on H4 and daily chart The first resistance is at $1,860 per ounce. The support is at $1,830 - $1,840 per ounce. The next support is then at $1,805 - $1,807 and especially at $1,800 per ounce.
The EUR/USD Pair Maintains The Bullish Sentiment

Euro Currency Speculators continue to boost their bullish bets for 4th Week

Invest Macro Invest Macro 04.06.2022 22:45
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 May 31st 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 was the further gains in bullish bets for the Euro currency futures contracts. Euro speculators boosted their bullish bets for a fourth straight week this week and for the sixth time in the past ten weeks. Over the past four-week time-frame, Euro bets have risen by a total of +58,650 contracts, going from -6,378 net positions on May 3rd to a total of +52,272 net positions this week. This week marks the highest Euro speculator standing in the past twelve weeks. The recent improvement in Euro positions has taken place with a very strong change in sentiment as just four weeks ago the overall position had fallen into bearish territory. The Euro sentiment has been so bad that analysts have been making predictions for an inevitable decline of the Euro into parity versus the dollar. However, recently there has been rising expectations that the European Central Bank will be more hawkish towards interest rates in the near future (despite the weak outlook for EU GDP growth) and will end their negative interest rate policy. Over the past few weeks, the EUR/USD exchange rate has rebounded after falling to a multi-year low of 1.0350 in early May. This week the EUR/USD hit a weekly high of 1.0787 before closing at the 1.0719 exchange rate. Overall, the currencies with higher speculator bets this week were the Euro (13,342 contracts), Brazil real (6,602 contracts), British pound sterling (6,267 contracts), Canadian dollar (5,680 contracts), Mexican peso (5,657 contracts), Japanese yen (5,005 contracts) and the New Zealand dollar (597 contracts). The currencies with declining bets were the US Dollar Index (-501 contracts), Australian dollar (-3,236 contracts), Swiss franc (-785 contracts) and Bitcoin (-446 contracts). Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that most of the currency markets are below their midpoint (50 percent) of the last 3 years. The Brazil Real, US Dollar Index and Bitcoin are currently in extreme bullish levels. Strength score trends (or move index, that show 6-week changes in strength scores) shows the recent strong weakness in the commodity currencies (AUD, NZD and CAD) as well as the Swiss franc. Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend May-31-2022OIOI-IndexSpec-NetSpec-IndexCom-NetCOM-IndexSmalls-NetSmalls-Index USD Index 63,863 98 37,538 91 -41,327 6 3,789 58 EUR 706,317 85 52,272 51 -85,186 52 32,914 29 GBP 252,881 72 -74,105 21 87,172 81 -13,067 29 JPY 239,080 81 -94,439 11 105,049 87 -10,610 32 CHF 49,579 40 -20,458 10 29,851 87 -9,393 26 CAD 135,929 21 -7,007 34 -327 68 7,334 44 AUD 153,661 48 -48,682 40 51,128 57 -2,446 46 NZD 55,134 53 -18,724 40 21,374 63 -2,650 21 MXN 212,843 55 35,449 42 -40,143 56 4,694 63 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 74,146 73 45,316 95 -47,670 5 2,354 92 Bitcoin 10,900 58 403 92 -503 0 100 15   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 37,538 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -501 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 38,039 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 5.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 58.0 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 85.9 3.7 8.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.1 68.4 2.8 – Net Position: 37,538 -41,327 3,789 – Gross Longs: 54,859 2,355 5,605 – Gross Shorts: 17,321 43,682 1,816 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.2 to 1 0.1 to 1 3.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 90.5 5.9 58.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 8.6 -9.0 5.2   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 52,272 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 13,342 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 38,930 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 51.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 51.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 28.9 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 33.5 51.7 12.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.1 63.8 7.7 – Net Position: 52,272 -85,186 32,914 – Gross Longs: 236,553 365,434 87,138 – Gross Shorts: 184,281 450,620 54,224 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 51.0 51.9 28.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 6.4 -10.1 24.0   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -74,105 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 6,267 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -80,372 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 20.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 28.6 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 12.2 76.6 7.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 41.5 42.2 12.9 – Net Position: -74,105 87,172 -13,067 – Gross Longs: 30,788 193,786 19,446 – Gross Shorts: 104,893 106,614 32,513 – 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): 20.6 81.2 28.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -10.9 8.4 1.9   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -94,439 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 5,005 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -99,444 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 10.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 31.9 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 6.4 82.2 9.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.9 38.3 13.9 – Net Position: -94,439 105,049 -10,610 – Gross Longs: 15,201 196,584 22,605 – Gross Shorts: 109,640 91,535 33,215 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 2.1 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 10.7 86.9 31.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.9 -12.1 24.5   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -20,458 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -785 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -19,673 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 10.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 87.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 25.7 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 5.3 75.6 17.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 46.6 15.4 36.3 – Net Position: -20,458 29,851 -9,393 – Gross Longs: 2,641 37,473 8,596 – Gross Shorts: 23,099 7,622 17,989 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 4.9 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 10.3 87.0 25.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -21.5 10.4 7.5   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -7,007 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 5,680 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -12,687 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 33.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 68.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.4 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 22.5 51.5 24.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.6 51.7 18.6 – Net Position: -7,007 -327 7,334 – Gross Longs: 30,520 70,006 32,660 – Gross Shorts: 37,527 70,333 25,326 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.7 68.5 44.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -30.7 32.5 -21.5   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -48,682 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -3,236 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -45,446 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 39.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 57.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 46.5 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 21.4 63.1 12.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 53.1 29.9 14.4 – Net Position: -48,682 51,128 -2,446 – Gross Longs: 32,897 97,031 19,659 – Gross Shorts: 81,579 45,903 22,105 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.7 57.0 46.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.4 22.6 -25.6   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of -18,724 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 597 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -19,321 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 63.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.5 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 16.6 76.2 5.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 50.6 37.4 9.8 – Net Position: -18,724 21,374 -2,650 – Gross Longs: 9,179 42,010 2,762 – Gross Shorts: 27,903 20,636 5,412 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 2.0 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.8 63.3 21.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -32.0 32.2 -20.4   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 35,449 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 5,657 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 29,792 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 42.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 62.9 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 53.8 41.8 3.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.1 60.6 1.3 – Net Position: 35,449 -40,143 4,694 – Gross Longs: 114,480 88,894 7,396 – Gross Shorts: 79,031 129,037 2,702 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 2.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 42.5 56.1 62.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.9 -5.8 0.6   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 45,316 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 6,602 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 38,714 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 94.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 92.3 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 71.3 22.4 5.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 10.2 86.7 2.7 – Net Position: 45,316 -47,670 2,354 – Gross Longs: 52,896 16,595 4,372 – Gross Shorts: 7,580 64,265 2,018 – Long to Short Ratio: 7.0 to 1 0.3 to 1 2.2 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 94.9 4.8 92.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.7 -0.6 -1.6     Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week came in at a net position of 403 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -446 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 849 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 91.5 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 23.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 15.2 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 79.6 1.5 9.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 75.9 6.1 8.6 – Net Position: 403 -503 100 – Gross Longs: 8,680 159 1,033 – Gross Shorts: 8,277 662 933 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.2 to 1 1.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND:       – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 91.5 23.2 15.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX:       – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 11.3 -20.4 -6.1   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.
The Swing Overview - Week 22 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 22 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 07.06.2022 13:59
The Swing Overview - Week 22 Equity indices continued to rise for a second week despite rising inflation and sanctions against Russia. Economic data indicate optimistic consumer expectations and the easing of the Covid-19 measures in China also brought some relief to the markets. The Bank of Canada raised its policy rate to 1.5%. The Eurozone inflation hit a new record of 8.1%, giving further fuel to the ECB to raise interest rates, which is supporting the euro to strengthen.   Macroeconomic data The US consumer confidence in economic growth for May came in at 106.4. The market was expecting 103.9. This optimism points to an expected increase in consumer spendings, which is a positive development. The optimism was also confirmed by data from the manufacturing sector. The ISM PMI index in manufacturing rose by 56.1 in May, an improvement on the April reading of 55.4. The manufacturing sector is therefore expecting further expansion.   On the other hand, data from the labour market were disappointing. The ADP Non Farm Employment indicator (private sector job growth) was well below expectations as the economy created only 128k new jobs in May (the market was expecting 300k new jobs). The unemployment claims data held at the standard 200k level. However, the crucial indicator from the labour market will be Friday's NFP data.   Quarterly wage growth for 1Q 2022 was 12.6% (previous quarter was 3.9%). This figure is a leading indicator on inflation. Faster inflation growth could lead to a higher-than-expected 0.50% rate hike at the Fed's June meeting.   The US 10-year Treasury yields have rebounded from 2.6% and have started to rise again. They are currently around 2.9%. However, the US Dollar Index has not yet reacted to the rise in yields. The reason is that the euro, which has appreciated significantly in recent days, has the largest weight in the USD index. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The SP 500 index has continued to strengthen in recent days. The market seems to be accepting the expected 0.50% rate hike and while economic data points to some slowdown, forward looking consumers‘ and managers’ expectations are optimistic.  Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The US SP 500 index is approaching a significant resistance level, which is in the 4,197-4,204 range. The next one is at 4,293 - 4,306. The nearest support is at 4 075 - 4 086.    German DAX index Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart Germany's manufacturing PMI for May came in at 54.8. The previous month it was 54, 6. Thus, managers expect expansion in the manufacturing sector. Surprisingly, German exports rose in April despite the disruption of trade relations with Russia. Exports in Germany grew by 4.4% even though exports to Russia fell by 10%.  The positive data has an impact on the DAX index. However, the bulls in DAX may be discouraged by the expected ECB interest rate hike.   The DAX has reached resistance in the 14,600 - 14,640 area. The nearest significant support is at 14,300 - 14,330, where the horizontal resistance is coincident with the moving average EMA 50 on the H4 chart.   The euro continues to rise Bulls on the euro were supported by inflation data, which reached a record high of 8.1% in the eurozone for the month of May. Inflation increased by 0.8% on a monthly basis compared to April. Information from the manufacturing sector exceeded expectations, with the manufacturing PMI for May coming in at 54.6, indicating optimism in the economy. The ECB will meet on Thursday 9/6/2022 and it might be surprising. While analysts do not expect a rate hike at this meeting, rising inflation may prompt the ECB to act faster.  Figure 4: The EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart The EUR/USD currency pair is reacting to the rate hike expectations by gradual strengthening. A resistance is at 1.0780 The nearest support is now at 1.0629 - 1.0640 and then at 1.0540 - 1.0550.   The Bank of Canada raised the interest rate The GDP in Canada for Q1 2022 grew by 2.89% year-on-year (3.23% in the previous period). On a month-on-month basis, the GDP grew by 0.7% (0.9% in February). This points to slowing economic growth.  Canada's manufacturing PMI for May came in at 56.8 (56.2 in April ), an upbeat development. The Bank of Canada raised its policy rate by 0.50% to 1.5% as expected by analysts. In addition to the rate hike, the Canadian dollar is positively affected by the rise in oil prices as Canada is a major exporter. Figure 5: The USD/CAD on H4 and daily chart The USD/CAD currency pair is currently in a downward movement. The nearest resistance according to the daily chart is 1.2710-1.2730. Support according to the daily chart is in the range of 1.2400-1.2470.  
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 31/5/2022

Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 31/5/2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 07.06.2022 15:38
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 31/5/2022 Total net speculator positions on the USD index fell by 501 contracts last week to 37,538 contracts. This change is the result of an increase in long positions by 1,184 contracts and an increase in short positions by 1,685 contracts. Significant fact is the further bullish movement in speculators' positions for the euro currency futures contracts. This week, the euro speculators increased their bullish positions for the fourth consecutive week and the sixth time in the last ten weeks. Over the past four weeks, speculators' total net positions in the euro have increased by a total of +58,650 contracts, from -6,378 net positions on May 3 to a total of +52,272 net positions last week. Total net positions for the euro are the highest in twelve weeks. The recent improvement in euro positions has come with a very significant change in sentiment, as just four weeks ago the total position had fallen into bearish territory. Sentiment in the euro was so bad that analysts were talking about the inevitable decline of the euro to parity against the dollar. Recently, however, expectations have been growing that the European Central Bank will become more hawkish on interest rates in the near future and end its negative interest rate policy, causing the euro to strengthen. In addition to the euro, speculators' total net positions rose on the British pound, the New Zealand dollar, the Canadian dollar and the Japanese yen. On the Australian dollar and the Swiss franc, total net positions fell last week. The positions of speculators in individual currencies The total net positions of large speculators are shown in Table 1: If the value is positive then the large speculators are net long. If the value is negative, the large speculators are net short. Table 1: Total net positions of large speculators DatE USD Index EUR GBP AUD NZD JPY CAD CHF May 31, 2022 37538 52272 -74105 -48682 -18724 -94439 -7007 -20458 May 24, 2022 38039 38930 -80372 -45446 -19321 -99444 -12687 -19673 May 17, 2022 36213 20339 -79241 -44642 -17767 -102309 -14496 -16592 May 10, 2022 34776 16529 -79598 -41714 -12996 -110454 -5407 -15763 May 03, 2022 33071 -6378 -73813 -28516 -6610 -100794 9029 -13907 Apr 26, 2022 33879 22201 -69621 -27651 66 -95535 20881 -12869   Note: The explanation of COT methodolody is at the the end of the report.   Notes: Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. ​The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.   Detailed analysis of selected currencies   Explanations:   Purple line and histogram: this is information on the total net position of large speculators. This information shows the strength and sentiment of an ongoing trend. It is the indicator r_COT Large Speculators (by Kramsken) in www.tradingview.com. Information on the positions of so-called hedgers is not shown in the chart, due to the fact that their main goal is not speculation, but hedging. Therefore, this group usually takes the opposite positions than the large speculators. For this reason, the positions of hedgers are inversely correlated with the movement of the price of the underlying asset. However, this inverse correlation shows the ongoing trend less clearly than the position of large speculators.​ We show moving average SMA 100 (blue line) and EMA 50 (orange line) on daily charts. ​Charts are made with the use of www.tradingview.com. The source of numerical data is www.myfxbook.com     The Euro   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment May 31, 2022 706317 236553 184281 52272 -2621 -519 -13861 13342 Bullish May 24, 2022 708938 237072 198142 38930 2226 6302 -12289 18591 Bullish May 17, 2022 706712 230770 210431 20339 1666 2540 -1270 3810 Bullish May 10 2022 705046 228230 211701 16529 10120 19781 3126 22907 Bullish May 03, 2022 694926 208449 214827 -6378 6477 -14544 14035 -28579 Bearish Apr 26, 2022 688449 222993 200792 22201 12510 1990 11090 -9100 Weak bullish         Total change 30378 15550 -5421 20971     Figure 1: The euro and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the EUR/USD on D1   The total net positions of speculators reached 52,272 contracts last week, up by 13,342 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 519 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 13,861 contracts. This data suggests bullish sentiment as the total net positions are positive while there has been an increase. Open interest fell by 2,621 contracts in the last week. This shows that the move that occurred in the euro last week was not supported by the volume and it was therefore a weak price action. The price has reached the EMA 50 moving average on the daily chart, at which it is oscillating, showing that there is a resistance here. Long-term resistance: 1.0800 – 1.0840 Support: 1.0620 – 1-0630. The next support is in the zone 1.0340 – 1.0420.   The British pound   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment May 31, 2022 252881 30788 104893 -74105 -983 4852 -1415 6267 Weak bearish May 24, 2022 253864 25936 106308 -80372 53 -677 454 -1131 Bearish May 17, 2022 253811 26613 105854 -79241 -10783 -2856 -3213 357 Weak bearish May 10, 2022 264594 29469 109067 -79598 -3902 -4067 1718 -5785 Bearish May 03, 2022 268496 33536 107349 -73813 -4296 -6900 -2708 -4192 Bearish Apr 26, 2022 272792 40436 110057 -69621 23263 3625 14332 -10707 Bearish         Total change 3352 -6023 9168 -15191     Figure 2: The GBP and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the GBP/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators last week amounted to 74,105 contracts, up by 6,267 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to an increase in long positions by 4,852 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 1,415 contracts. This indicates weak bearish sentiment as the total net positions of large speculators are negative, but at the same time there has been an increase in total net positions. The open interest fell by 983 contracts last week, indicating that the downward movement in the pound that occurred last week was not supported by the volume and it was therefore a weak price action. Long-term resistance: 1.2700 – 1.2760.    Support: 1.2160 – 1.2200.     The Australian dollar   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment May 31, 2022 153661 32897 81579 -48682 -4954 -3682 -446 -3236 Bearish May 24, 2022 158615 36579 82025 -45446 -5194 -4894 -4090 -804 Bearish May 17, 2022 163809 41473 86115 -44642 10600 4604 7532 -2928 Bearish May 10, 2022 153209 36869 78583 -41714 952 -10126 3072 13198 Bearish May 03, 2022 152257 46995 75511 -28516 5167 -110 755 -865 Bearish Apr 26, 2022 147090 47105 74756 -27651 -219 7904 6718 1186 Weak bearish         Total change 6352 -6304 13541 -19845     Figure 3: The AUD and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the AUD/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators last week amounted to 48,682 contracts, down by 3,236 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 3,682 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 446 contracts. This data suggests bearish sentiment on the Australian dollar, as the total net positions of large speculators are negative, while at the same time there has been a further decline in the past week. There was a decline in open interest of 4,954 contracts last week. This means that the upward movement that occurred last week was not supported by the volume and it was therefore weak price action. The price has currently reached the horizontal resistance at 0.7260 where a reaction occurred. If this resistance is  broken, a further bullish movement could continue. Long-term resistance: 0.7250-0.7260                                                                                                              Long-term support: 0.6830-0.6850     The New Zealand dollar   date Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions change Open Interest change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment May 31, 2022 55134 9179 27903 -18724 -4145 -1570 -2167 597 Weak bullish May 24, 2022 59279 10749 30070 -19321 -1525 -4249 -2695 -1554 Bearish May 17, 2022 60804 14998 32765 -17767 4569 -205 4566 -4771 Bearish May 10, 2022 56235 15203 28199 -12996 5391 -2224 4162 -6386 Bearish May 03, 2022 50844 17427 24037 -6610 4334 -4658 2018 -6676 Bearish Apr 26, 2022 46510 22085 22019 66 5412 3004 3303 -299 Weak bullish         Total change 14036 -9902 9187 -19089     Figure 4: The NZD and the position of large speculators on a weekly chart and the NZD/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators reached -18,724 contracts last week, having grown by 597 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 1,570 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 2,167 contracts. This data suggests that there has been a weakening of bearish sentiment on the New Zealand Dollar over the past week as the total net positions of large speculators are negative, but there has also been an increase in total net positions. The open interest fell by 4,145 contracts last week.  The move in NZD/USD that occurred last week was not supported by the volume and therefore the move was weak. The NZD/USD has reached the resistance band at 0.6570 and also the EMA 50 moving average on the daily chart, which is a strong confluence and there has already been some bearish reaction there. If this resistance is broken, further strengthening could occur.  Long-term resistance: 0.6540 – 0.6560 Long-term support: 0.6220 – 0.6280     Explanation to the COT report The COT report shows the positions of major participants in the futures markets. Futures contracts are derivatives and are essentially agreements between two parties to exchange an underlying asset for a predetermined price on a predetermined date. They are standardised, specifying the quality and quantity of the underlying asset. They are traded on an exchange so that the total volume of these contracts traded is known.   Open interest: open interest is the sum of all open futures contracts (i.e. the sum of short and long contracts) that exist on a given asset. OI increases when a new futures contract is created by pairing a buyer with a seller. The OI decreases when an existing futures contract expires at a given expiry time or by settlement. Low or no open interest means that there is no interest in the market. High open interest indicates high activity and traders pay attention to this market. A rising open interest indicates that there is demand for the currency. That is, a rising OI indicates a strong current trend. Conversely, a weakening open interest indicates that the current trend is not strong. Open Interest Price action Interpretation Notes Rising Rising Strong bullish market New money flow in the particular asset, more bulls entered the market which pushes the price up. The trend is strong. Rising Falling Strong bearish market Price falls, more bearish traders entered the market which pushes the price down. The trend is strong. Falling Rising Weak bullish market Price is going up but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures contracts expire or are closed. The trend is weak. Falling Falling Weak bearish market Price is going down, but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures expire or are closed, the trend is weak.   Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. Traders should try to trade in the direction of these large speculators. The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. The COT data are usually reported every Friday and they show the status on Tuesday of the week. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.
COT Week 23 Charts: Forex Speculators Positions mostly higher led by Canadian dollar & Swiss franc

COT Week 23 Charts: Forex Speculators Positions mostly higher led by Canadian dollar & Swiss franc

Invest Macro Invest Macro 12.06.2022 17:16
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 June 7th 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. COT Currencies market speculator bets were mostly higher this week as eight out of the eleven currency markets we cover had higher positioning this week while three markets had lower contracts. Leading the gains for currency markets was the Canadian dollar (5,945 contracts) and the Swiss franc (4,326 contracts) with the British pound sterling (3,295 contracts), Japanese yen (2,793 contracts), Brazil real (1,389 contracts), Australian dollar (786 contracts), US Dollar Index (400 contracts) and Bitcoin (87 contracts) also showing a positive week. Meanwhile, leading the declines in speculator bets this week were Mexican peso (-2,723 contracts) and Euro (-1,729 contracts) with New Zealand dollar (-1,047 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week. Currency Speculators Notes: US Dollar Index speculator bets have continued their upward climb in four out of the past five weeks as well as nine out of the past twelve weeks. USD Index remains in an extreme-bullish strength level and is very close (currently +37,938 contracts) to the highest net speculator position (+39,078 contracts on January 4th) of this recent bullish cycle, emphasizing the strong speculator bias. The Euro speculator position saw a pullback this week (-1,729 contracts) after huge gains in the previous three weeks (+58,650 contracts). Speculator sentiment is still pretty strong currently (+50,543 contracts) despite a very weak exchange rate (EURUSD at 1.0524 to close the week) and weak outlook for the Eurozone economy with rising inflation. British pound sterling speculator sentiment has crumbled in the past few months. The net speculator position managed to poke its head above its negative bias on February 15th with a total of +2,237 net contracts but sentiment has deteriorated since. From February 22nd to this week, speculator bets have dropped by a total of -73,047 contracts and recently hit a 139-week low on May 24th, the lowest level of speculator sentiment dating back to September of 2019. Japanese yen speculator positions are the most bearish of the major currencies just under -100,000 contracts. The USDJPY exchange rate is at a 20-year high and there has been no sign that the BOJ is interest in raising interest rates while other central banks commit to higher rates. These factors seem to say that the rout of the yen will continue ahead for some time (but how far can it go?). Commodity currency speculator bets are on the defensive lately. Australian dollar spec bets have fallen in five out of the past six weeks. Canadian dollar bets are now in bearish territory for a 5th straight week. New Zealand dollar speculator positions have declined in six out of the past seven weeks and the net position has now fallen to the lowest level since March of 2020 Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that the Brazilian Real, US Dollar Index and Bitcoin are all in extreme-bullish levels at the current moment. On the opposite end of the extreme spectrum, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc are very weak in relative speculator sentiment and sit in the extreme-bearish levels. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that the commodity currencies have been losing sentiment over the last six weeks. The Australian dollar, Canadian dollar and the New Zealand dollar have all had changes of at least -18.8 percent in their strength scores with the New Zealand dollar leading the decline with a -33.3 percent drop in six weeks. The US Dollar Index, Euro and Mexican Peso have had small but rising scores over the past six weeks. Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend Jun-07-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 65,163 100 37,938 91 -41,863 5 3,925 59 EUR 730,667 95 50,543 51 -88,189 51 37,646 37 GBP 258,623 76 -70,810 23 80,465 77 -9,655 36 JPY 266,054 100 -91,646 12 109,109 89 -17,463 18 CHF 49,794 41 -16,132 16 27,216 87 -11,084 20 CAD 167,373 42 -1,062 40 -13,401 58 14,463 59 AUD 166,422 57 -47,896 40 47,413 54 483 54 NZD 63,540 70 -19,771 38 22,681 65 -2,910 19 MXN 248,184 72 32,726 41 -38,117 57 5,391 66 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 72,371 70 46,705 96 -48,954 4 2,249 91 Bitcoin 10,990 58 490 93 -529 0 39 14   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 37,938 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 400 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 37,538 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 91.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 5.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 59.5 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 85.1 3.2 8.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 26.9 67.5 2.8 – Net Position: 37,938 -41,863 3,925 – Gross Longs: 55,460 2,090 5,780 – Gross Shorts: 17,522 43,953 1,855 – Long to Short Ratio: 3.2 to 1 0.0 to 1 3.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 91.2 5.0 59.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 7.0 -8.8 13.4   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 50,543 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -1,729 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 52,272 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 50.5 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 51.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 36.7 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 31.5 50.0 12.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.6 62.1 7.3 – Net Position: 50,543 -88,189 37,646 – Gross Longs: 230,248 365,628 90,978 – Gross Shorts: 179,705 453,817 53,332 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.3 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 50.5 51.0 36.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 8.7 -11.9 22.7   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -70,810 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 3,295 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -74,105 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 23.0 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 35.6 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 13.4 74.1 8.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 40.8 43.0 12.1 – Net Position: -70,810 80,465 -9,655 – Gross Longs: 34,618 191,742 21,602 – Gross Shorts: 105,428 111,277 31,257 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 1.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 23.0 77.3 35.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.9 -4.4 17.9   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -91,646 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 2,793 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -94,439 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 12.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 88.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.0 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 6.9 79.3 8.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 41.4 38.3 15.3 – Net Position: -91,646 109,109 -17,463 – Gross Longs: 18,466 210,889 23,226 – Gross Shorts: 110,112 101,780 40,689 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.2 to 1 2.1 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 12.4 88.9 18.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 2.4 -2.8 3.9   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -16,132 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly advance of 4,326 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -20,458 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-Extreme with a score of 15.6 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 86.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 20.0 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 5.2 69.3 18.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 37.6 14.6 41.1 – Net Position: -16,132 27,216 -11,084 – Gross Longs: 2,609 34,494 9,378 – Gross Shorts: 18,741 7,278 20,462 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.1 to 1 4.7 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 15.6 86.9 20.0 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -8.3 2.4 6.0   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -1,062 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 5,945 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -7,007 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 40.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 57.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 58.6 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 23.5 44.2 22.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 24.1 52.2 13.7 – Net Position: -1,062 -13,401 14,463 – Gross Longs: 39,288 74,044 37,463 – Gross Shorts: 40,350 87,445 23,000 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.8 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 40.2 57.6 58.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -23.8 14.2 9.7   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -47,896 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 786 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -48,682 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 40.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 54.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 53.6 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 19.1 59.9 14.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 47.8 31.4 14.2 – Net Position: -47,896 47,413 483 – Gross Longs: 31,720 99,747 24,197 – Gross Shorts: 79,616 52,334 23,714 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 40.4 54.3 53.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -18.8 13.8 4.3   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of -19,771 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -1,047 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -18,724 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 38.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 65.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.5 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 19.4 69.1 4.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 50.5 33.4 8.6 – Net Position: -19,771 22,681 -2,910 – Gross Longs: 12,310 43,890 2,538 – Gross Shorts: 32,081 21,209 5,448 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 38.1 65.4 18.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -33.3 31.2 -4.3   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 32,726 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -2,723 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 35,449 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 41.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 56.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 65.9 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 48.0 35.4 3.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 34.8 50.8 1.2 – Net Position: 32,726 -38,117 5,391 – Gross Longs: 119,162 87,884 8,441 – Gross Shorts: 86,436 126,001 3,050 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.4 to 1 0.7 to 1 2.8 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 41.3 56.9 65.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.4 -6.1 8.3   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 46,705 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 1,389 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 45,316 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 96.3 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 3.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 91.1 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 81.1 13.5 5.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 16.5 81.2 2.3 – Net Position: 46,705 -48,954 2,249 – Gross Longs: 58,657 9,780 3,931 – Gross Shorts: 11,952 58,734 1,682 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.9 to 1 0.2 to 1 2.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 96.3 3.5 91.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.2 -0.2 4.4   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week recorded a net position of 490 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 87 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 403 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 93.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 21.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 13.8 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 81.5 1.5 9.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 77.1 6.4 9.3 – Net Position: 490 -529 39 – Gross Longs: 8,959 169 1,063 – Gross Shorts: 8,469 698 1,024 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.2 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 93.2 21.6 13.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.5 -6.4 0.6   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.
The Swing Overview – Week 23 2022

The Swing Overview – Week 23 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 17.06.2022 08:53
The Swing Overview - Week 23 Major global stock indices broke through their support levels after several days of range movement in response to the tightening economy, the ongoing war in Ukraine, slowing economic growth and high inflation. The Reserve Bank of Australia raised its interest rate by 0.50%. The ECB decided to start raising interest rates by 0.25% from July 2022. The winner of last week is the US dollar, which continues to strengthen. Macroeconomic data Data from the US labour market was highly anticipated. The job creation indicator, the so-called NFP, surprised the markets positively. Analysts expected that 325,000 new jobs had been created in May. In fact, 390 thousand jobs were created in the US. Unemployment is at 3.6%. The information on the growth of hourly wages, which is a leading indicator of inflation, was important. Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% in May, less than analysts who expected 0.4%.   Unemployment claims reached 229,000 this week. This is the highest levels since 3/3/2022. However, this is not an extreme increase. The number of claims is still in the pre-pandemic average area. Nevertheless, it can be seen that since 7/4/2022, when the number of applications reached 166 thousand, the number of applications is slowly increasing and this indicator will be closely monitored.  The ISM index of purchasing managers in the US service sector reached 55.9 in May. This is lower than the previous month's reading of 57.1. A value above 50 still points to expansion in the sector although the decline in the reading indicates  economy.   The yield on the US 10-year bond is close to its peak and is currently around 3%. The rise in yields has been followed by a rise in the US dollar. The dollar index has surpassed 103. The reason for the strengthening of the dollar is the aggressive tightening of the economy by the US Fed, which began reducing the central bank's balance sheet on June 1, 2022. In practice, this means that the Fed will let expire the government bonds it previously bought as part of QE and will not reinvest them further. The first tranche of bonds will expire on June 15, so the effect of this operation remains to be seen. Figure 1: The US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The SP 500 index has been moving in a narrow range for the past few days between 4,200, where resistance is and 4,080, where support has been tested several times. This support was broken and has become the new resistance as we can see on the H4 chart.   Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The catalyst for this strong initiation move is the strong US dollar and rising bond yields. Therefore, the current resistance is in the 4,075 - 4,085 range.  The nearest support is 3,965 - 3,970 according to the H4 chart. The next support is 3,879 - 3,907.   German DAX index Macroeconomic data that affected the DAX was manufacturing orders for April, which fell 2.7% month-on-month, while analysts were expecting a 0.3% rise. Industrial production in Germany rose by 0.7% in April (expectations were for 1.0%). The war in Ukraine has a strong impact on the weaker figures. The catalyst for breaking support was the ECB's decision to raise interest rates, which the bank will start implementing from July 2022. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX is below the SMA 100 moving average according to the daily and H4 chart. This shows a bearish sentiment. The nearest resistance is 14,300 - 14,335. Support is at 13,870 - 13,900 according to the H4 chart.   The ECB left the interest rate unchanged  The ECB left interest rates unchanged on June 9, 2022, so the key rate is still at 0.0%. However, the bank said that it will proceed with a rate hike from July, when the rate is expected to rise by 0.25%. The next hike will then be in September, probably again by 0.25%. The bank pointed to the high inflation rate, which is expected to reach 6.8% for 2022. Inflation is expected to fall to 3.4% in 2023 and 2.1% in 2024.  Figure 4: The EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart According to the bank, a significant risk is Russia's unjustified aggression against Ukraine, which is causing problems in supply chains and pushing energy and some commodity prices up. The result is a slowdown in the growth of the European economy. The bank also announced that it will end its asset purchase program as of July 1, 2022. This is the soft end of this program, as the money that will flow from matured assets will continue to be reinvested by the bank. In practice, this means that the ECB's balance sheet will not be further inflated, but for now, unlike the Fed’s balance sheet, the bank has no plans to reduce its balance sheet. This, coupled with the more moderate rate hike plans and the existence of the above risks, has supported the dollar and the euro has begun to weaken sharply in response to the ECB announcement. The resistance is 1.0760-1.0770. Current support at 1.063-1.064 is broken and it will become new resistance if the break is confirmed. The next support according to the H4 chart is 1.0530 - 1.0550.   Australian central bank surprises with aggressive approach In Australia, the central bank raised its policy rate by 0.50%. Analysts had expected the bank to raise the rate by 0.25%. Thus, the current rate on the Australian dollar is 0.80%. However, this aggressive increase did not strengthen the Australian dollar, which surprisingly weakened. The reason for this is the strong US dollar and also the risk off sentiment that is taking place in the equity indices.  Also impacting the Aussie is the situation in China, where there is zero tolerance of COVID-19. This will impact the country's economic growth, which is very likely to fall short of the 5.5% that was originally projected.  Figure 5: The AUD/USD on H4 and daily chart According to the H4 chart, the AUD/USD currency pair has broken below the SMA 100 moving average, which is a bearish signal. The nearest resistance is 0.7140 - 0.7150. The support is in the zone 0.7030 - 0.7040. 
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 7/6/2022

Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 7/6/2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 17.06.2022 10:30
Positions of large speculators according to the COT report as at 7/6/2022 Total net speculator positions on the USD index rose by 400 contracts last week to 37,938 contracts. This change is the result of a 600-contract increase in long positions and a 200-contract increase in short positions. On the euro, there was a decrease in total net positions after a significant previous increase. A reduction in total net positions also occurred on the New Zealand dollar last week. Increases in total net positions occurred last week on the British pound, the Australian dollar, the Japanese yen, the Canadian dollar, and the Swiss franc. The markets experienced high volatility last week, triggered by concerns that the economy was tightening more rapidly on the back of rising inflation. As a result, equity indices have continued to fall and this risk-off sentiment has led to a strengthening of the US dollar and a weakening of more or less all currencies tracked. The positions of speculators in individual currencies The total net positions of large speculators are shown in Table 1: If the value is positive then the large speculators are net long. If the value is negative, the large speculators are net short. Table 1: Total net positions of large speculators DatE USD Index EUR GBP AUD NZD JPY CAD CHF Jun 7, 2022    37938 50543 -70810 -47896 -19771 -91646 -1062 -16132 May 31, 2022 37538 52272 -74105 -48682 -18724 -94439 -7007 -20458 May 24, 2022 38039 38930 -80372 -45446 -19321 -99444 -12687 -19673 May 17, 2022 36213 20339 -79241 -44642 -17767 -102309 -14496 -16592 May 10, 2022 34776 16529 -79598 -41714 -12996 -110454 -5407 -15763 May 03, 2022 33071 -6378 -73813 -28516 -6610 -100794 9029 -13907   Note: The explanation of COT methodolody is at the the end of the report.   Notes: Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. ​The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.   Detailed analysis of selected currencies   Explanations:   Purple line and histogram: this is information on the total net position of large speculators. This information shows the strength and sentiment of an ongoing trend. It is the indicator r_COT Large Speculators (by Kramsken) in www.tradingview.com. Information on the positions of so-called hedgers is not shown in the chart, due to the fact that their main goal is not speculation, but hedging. Therefore, this group usually takes the opposite positions than the large speculators. For this reason, the positions of hedgers are inversely correlated with the movement of the price of the underlying asset. However, this inverse correlation shows the ongoing trend less clearly than the position of large speculators.​ We show moving average SMA 100 (blue line) and EMA 50 (orange line) on daily charts. ​Charts are made with the use of www.tradingview.com. The source of numerical data is www.myfxbook.com   The Euro   DatE Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions Change Open Interest Change Long Change Short Change Net Positions Sentiment Jun 07, 2022 730667 230248 179705 50543 24350 -6305 -4576 -1729 Weak bullish May 31, 2022 706317 236553 184281 52272 -2621 -519 -13861 13342 Bullish May 24, 2022 708938 237072 198142 38930 2226 6302 -12289 18591 Bullish May 17, 2022 706712 230770 210431 20339 1666 2540 -1270 3810 Bullish May 10, 2022 705046 228230 211701 16529 10120 19781 -3126 22907 Bullish May 03, 2022 694926 208449 214827 -6378 6477 -14544 14035 -28579 Bearish         Total Change 42218 7255 -21087 28342     Figure 1: The euro and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the EUR/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators reached 50 543 contracts last week, down by 1 729 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 6,305 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 4,576 contracts. This data suggests weak bullish sentiment as total net positions are positive but at the same time there has been a decline. Open interest rose by 24,350 contracts in the last week. This shows that the downward movement that occurred in the euro last week was supported by volume and it was therefore a strong price action. The price bounced off resistance at the EMA 50 moving average and is approaching horizontal support which is in the band at 1.0400. The weakening euro is a result of the ECB's approach to inflation. The ECB announced to raise the rate by 0.25% from July, which is significantly less than the interest rate increase implemented by the US Fed.  Long-term resistance: 1.0620 – 1.0650. The next resistance is at 1.0770-1.0780. Support: 1.0340 – 1.0420 The British pound DatE Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions Change Open Interest Change Long change Short change Net Positions Sentiment Jun 7, 2022 258623 34618 105428 -70810 5742 3830 535 3295 Weak bullish May 31, 2022 252881 30788 104893 -74105 -983 4852 -1415 6267 Weak bearish May 24, 2022 253864 25936 106308 -80372 53 -677 454 -1131 Bearish May 17, 2022 253811 26613 105854 -79241 -10783 -2856 -3213 357 Weak bearish May 10 2022 264594 29469 109067 -79598 -3902 -4067 1718 -5785 Bearish May 03, 2022 268496 33536 107349 -73813 -4296 -6900 -2708 -4192 Bearish         Total Change -14169 -5818 -4629 -1189     Figure 2: The GBP and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the GBP/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators last week reached - 70,810 contracts, having increased by 3,295 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to the growth in long positions by 3,830 contracts and the growth in short positions by 535 contracts. This suggests weak bearish sentiment as the total net positions of large speculators are negative, but at the same time there has been an increase in them. Open interest rose by 5742 contracts last week, indicating that the downward movement in the pound that occurred last week was supported by volume and it was therefore a strong price action. The pound is weakening strongly in the current risk off sentiment and has reached its long term support. Long-term resistance: 1.2440 – 1.2476.    Support: 1.2160 – 1.2200   The Australian dollar   DatE Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions Change Open Interest Change Long Change Short Change Net Positions Sentiment Jun 7, 2022 166422 31720 79616 -47896 12761 -1177 -1963 786 Weak bearish May 31, 2022 153661 32897 81579 -48682 -4954 -3682 -446 -3236 Bearish May 24, 2022 158615 36579 82025 -45446 -5194 -4894 -4090 -804 Bearish May 17, 2022 163809 41473 86115 -44642 10600 4604 7532 -2928 Bearish May 10, 2022 153209 36869 78583 -41714 952 -10126 3072 13198 Bearish May 03, 2022 152257 46995 75511 -28516 5167 -110 755 -865 Bearish         Total Change 19332 -15385 4860 -20245     Figure 3: The AUD and COT positions of large speculators on a weekly chart and the AUD/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators reached 47,896 contracts last week, up by 786 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to a decrease in long positions by 1,177 contracts and a decrease in short positions by 1,963 contracts. This data suggests weak bearish sentiment on the Australian dollar, as the total net positions of large speculators are negative, but at the same time there was an increase in them in the previous week. There was an increase in open interest of 12,761 contracts last week. This means that the downward movement that occurred last week on the AUD was supported by volume and it was therefore a strong price action. The Australian dollar is weakening sharply even though the Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates by 0.50% last week. The reason for this bearish decline is the current risk-off sentiment which is particularly threatening commodity currencies, which includes the Australian dollar. Long-term resistance: 0.7250-0.7260                                                                                                              Long-term support: 0.6830-0.6850  (the support zone begins at 0.6930 according to a weekly chart).   The New Zealand dollar   DatE Open Interest Specs Long Specs Short Specs Net positions Change Open Interest Change Long Change Short Change Net Positions Sentiment Jun 7, 2022 63540 12310 32081 -19771 8406 3131 4178 -1047 Bearish May 31, 2022 55134 9179 27903 -18724 -4145 -1570 -2167 597 Weak bearish May 24, 2022 59279 10749 30070 -19321 -1525 -4249 -2695 -1554 Bearish May 17, 2022 60804 14998 32765 -17767 4569 -205 4566 -4771 Bearish May 10, 2022 56235 15203 28199 -12996 5391 -2224 4162 -6386 Bearish May 03, 2022 50844 17427 24037 -6610 4334 -4658 2018 -6676 Bearish         Total Change 17030 -9775 10062 -19837     Figure 4: The NZD and the position of large speculators on a weekly chart and the NZD/USD on D1 The total net positions of speculators last week amounted to -19,771 contracts, down by 1,047 contracts compared to the previous week. This change is due to an increase in long positions by 3,131 contracts and an increase in short positions by 4,178 contracts. This data suggests that there has been bearish sentiment on the New Zealand Dollar over the past week as the total net positions of large speculators have been negative and there was further decline in them as well. Open interest rose by 8,406 contracts last week. The downward move in NZD/USD that occurred last week was supported by volume and therefore the move was strong. The NZD/USD bounced off the resistance band at 0.6570 and approached significant support. The decline in the New Zealand Dollar is mainly due to risk off sentiment in equity markets. Long-term resistance: 0.6540 – 0.6570 Long-term support: 0.6220 – 0.6280   Explanation to the COT report The COT report shows the positions of major participants in the futures markets. Futures contracts are derivatives and are essentially agreements between two parties to exchange an underlying asset for a predetermined price on a predetermined date. They are standardised, specifying the quality and quantity of the underlying asset. They are traded on an exchange so that the total volume of these contracts traded is known.   Open interest: open interest is the sum of all open futures contracts (i.e. the sum of short and long contracts) that exist on a given asset. OI increases when a new futures contract is created by pairing a buyer with a seller. The OI decreases when an existing futures contract expires at a given expiry time or by settlement. Low or no open interest means that there is no interest in the market. High open interest indicates high activity and traders pay attention to this market. A rising open interest indicates that there is demand for the currency. That is, a rising OI indicates a strong current trend. Conversely, a weakening open interest indicates that the current trend is not strong. Open Interest Price action Interpretation Notes Rising Rising Strong bullish market New money flow in the particular asset, more bulls entered the market which pushes the price up. The trend is strong. Rising Falling Strong bearish market Price falls, more bearish traders entered the market which pushes the price down. The trend is strong. Falling Rising Weak bullish market Price is going up but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures contracts expire or are closed. The trend is weak. Falling Falling Weak bearish market Price is going down, but new money do not flow into the market. Existing futures expire or are closed, the trend is weak.   Large speculators are traders who trade large volumes of futures contracts, which, if the set limits are met, must be reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Typically, this includes traders such as funds or large banks. These traders mostly focus on trading long-term trends and their goal is to make money on speculation with the instrument. Traders should try to trade in the direction of these large speculators. The total net positions of large speculators are the difference between the number of long contracts and the number of short contracts of large speculators. Positive value shows that large speculators are net long. Negative value shows that large speculators are net short. The data is published every Friday and is delayed because it shows the status on Tuesday of the week. The total net positions of large speculators show the sentiment this group has in the market. A positive value of the total net positions of speculators indicates bullish sentiment, a negative value of total net positions indicates bearish sentiment. When interpreting charts and values, it is important to follow the overall trend of total net positions. The turning points are also very important, i.e. the moments when the total net positions go from a positive value to a negative one and vice versa. Important are also extreme values ​​of total net positions as they often serve as signals of a trend reversal. The COT data are usually reported every Friday and they show the status on Tuesday of the week. Sentiment according to the reported positions of large players in futures markets is not immediately reflected in the movement of currency pairs. Therefore, information on sentiment is more likely to be used by traders who take longer trades and are willing to hold their positions for several weeks or even months.
Currency Speculators boost US Dollar Index bets to 5-year high while Euro bets dip into bearish level

Currency Speculators boost US Dollar Index bets to 5-year high while Euro bets dip into bearish level

Invest Macro Invest Macro 18.06.2022 20:13
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 June 14th 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. There were many really large moves this week in the COT positioning as the data was recorded on Tuesday – just one day ahead of the Federal Reserve’s announcement of a 75 basis point increase in the US benchmark Fed Funds rate. Currency market speculator bets were mostly higher this week as eight out of the eleven currency markets (Russian ruble futures positions have not been updated by the CFTC since March) we cover had higher positioning this week while two markets had lower contracts. Leading the gains for currency market positions was the Canadian dollar (24,264 contracts) and the Japanese yen (21,891 contracts) with the New Zealand dollar (12,933 contracts), Swiss franc (9,324 contracts), US Dollar Index (6,538 contracts), British pound sterling (5,214 contracts), Australian dollar (4,642 contracts), Bitcoin (571 contracts) and Brazil real (508 contracts) also showing positive weeks. Meanwhile, leading the declines in speculator bets were the Mexican peso (-59,107 contracts) and the Euro (-56,561 contracts) this week. Currency Speculators Notes: US Dollar Index speculators raised their bullish bets for a second straight week this week and for the seventh time in the past ten weeks. These increases pushed the large speculator standing (+44,476 contracts) to the highest level in the past two hundred and seventy-three weeks, dating back more than five years to March 21st of 2017. The most bullish level ever was +81,270 contracts on March 10th of 2015. The US dollar strength keeps rolling along and the overall standing has now remained bullish for the past fifty consecutive weeks, dating back to July of 2021. The US Dollar Index price has continued its strength as well and reached a high this week of over 105.75 which is the best level for the DXY since back in December of 2002. Euro speculators sharply dropped their positions this week by the most on record with a huge decline of -56,561 contracts. This record decline beat out the previous high of -52,107 contracts that took place on June 19th of 2018. Euro bets had been gaining over the past month and were at a total of +50,543 contracts before this week’s sharp turnaround which has now tipped the overall spec positioning into bearish territory for the first time since January. Japanese yen speculator bets surged this week (+21,891 contracts) and gained for the fifth straight week. Yen speculator positions have been in bearish territory for over a year and have been extremely week since many central banks around the world started raising their interest rates. The Bank of Japan has not raised rates and has signaled that it will not do so, creating large interest rate differentials compared to the other major currencies. Despite the spec bets increase this week, the yen exchange rate came under further pressure this week with the USDJPY price closing over the 135.00 exchange rate (and remaining near 20-year highs). Mexican Peso speculator bets fell sharply by -59,381 contracts this week and flipped the MXN speculator positioning from bullish to bearish. The weekly speculator decline is the largest fall in the past thirteen weeks and the decrease into a bearish standing is the first time since March 29th. Canadian dollar bets jumped this week by the most in the past seventy-seven weeks and brought the speculator position back into bullish territory for the first time in six weeks. CAD speculator bets have now gained for four straight weeks and the overall spec standing is residing at the highest level since July 2021. New Zealand dollar speculators also boosted their bets this week after the NZD positions had dropped in six out of the previous seven weeks. This week’s rise in weekly bets was the most in the past thirteen weeks but the overall speculator standing remains in bearish territory for the seventh straight week. Strength scores (3-Year range of Speculator positions, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that the US Dollar Index (100 percent), Bitcoin (100 percent) and the Brazilian Real (96.8 percent) are leading the strength scores and are all in extreme bullish positions. On the downside, the Mexican peso (16.1 percent) has fallen into extreme bearish positioning followed by the Japanese yen (25.9 percent) and British pound (26.7 percent) which are just above the 20 percent extreme bearish threshold. Strength score trends (or move index, that calculate 6-week changes in strength scores) shows that the US Dollar Index (19.5 percent), Japanese yen (19.1 percent) and Swiss franc (18 percent) have the highest six-week trend scores currently. The Mexican peso also leads the trends on the downside with a -17.5 percent trend change. Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend Jun-14-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 61,144 91 44,476 100 -47,736 0 3,260 52 EUR 668,164 69 -6,018 33 -28,495 68 34,513 32 GBP 238,322 63 -65,596 27 81,063 78 -15,467 24 JPY 232,513 77 -69,755 26 86,443 78 -16,688 20 CHF 39,362 20 -6,808 39 18,147 72 -11,339 19 CAD 175,219 47 23,202 65 -30,284 43 7,082 44 AUD 142,857 39 -43,254 45 44,710 52 -1,456 49 NZD 45,410 35 -6,838 60 9,773 45 -2,935 18 MXN 197,375 48 -26,381 16 23,148 82 3,233 57 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 69,931 67 47,213 97 -48,458 4 1,245 79 Bitcoin 12,242 68 1,061 100 -947 0 -114 10   US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 44,476 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 6,538 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 37,938 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 Bullish with a score of 52.2 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 86.9 2.9 9.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 14.2 80.9 3.8 – Net Position: 44,476 -47,736 3,260 – Gross Longs: 53,133 1,752 5,553 – Gross Shorts: 8,657 49,488 2,293 – Long to Short Ratio: 6.1 to 1 0.0 to 1 2.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 100.0 0.0 52.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 19.2 -19.1 7.1   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -6,018 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -56,561 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 50,543 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 33.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 67.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 31.6 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 31.0 54.1 12.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 31.9 58.3 7.5 – Net Position: -6,018 -28,495 34,513 – Gross Longs: 206,986 361,159 84,823 – Gross Shorts: 213,004 389,654 50,310 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.7 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 33.2 67.9 31.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 0.1 -1.1 5.9   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -65,596 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 5,214 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -70,810 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 26.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.6 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 23.6 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 12.3 77.2 8.7 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 39.8 43.2 15.1 – Net Position: -65,596 81,063 -15,467 – Gross Longs: 29,343 184,011 20,625 – Gross Shorts: 94,939 102,948 36,092 – 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): 26.7 77.6 23.6 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.9 -4.7 -0.5   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -69,755 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 21,891 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -91,646 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 25.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.8 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.5 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.0 75.6 9.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 44.0 38.4 16.8 – Net Position: -69,755 86,443 -16,688 – Gross Longs: 32,441 175,789 22,340 – Gross Shorts: 102,196 89,346 39,028 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.3 to 1 2.0 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 25.9 77.8 19.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 19.1 -16.5 5.7   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -6,808 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 9,324 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -16,132 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 39.2 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.4 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.1 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 10.9 66.2 22.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 28.2 20.1 51.7 – Net Position: -6,808 18,147 -11,339 – Gross Longs: 4,291 26,045 9,026 – Gross Shorts: 11,099 7,898 20,365 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 3.3 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 39.2 72.4 19.1 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 18.0 -19.8 17.9   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 23,202 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly boost of 24,264 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -1,062 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 65.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 43.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.3 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 32.3 45.1 16.8 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 19.0 62.4 12.7 – Net Position: 23,202 -30,284 7,082 – Gross Longs: 56,550 79,064 29,357 – Gross Shorts: 33,348 109,348 22,275 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.7 to 1 0.7 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 65.4 43.5 44.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 15.9 -14.4 6.3   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -43,254 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lift of 4,642 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -47,896 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 44.7 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 52.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 48.9 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 22.2 59.9 14.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 52.4 28.6 16.0 – Net Position: -43,254 44,710 -1,456 – Gross Longs: 31,660 85,591 21,342 – Gross Shorts: 74,914 40,881 22,798 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 44.7 52.2 48.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -13.7 7.8 10.4   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -6,838 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 12,933 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -19,771 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 59.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 45.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 18.2 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 32.8 61.8 4.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 47.9 40.3 11.4 – Net Position: -6,838 9,773 -2,935 – Gross Longs: 14,894 28,062 2,236 – Gross Shorts: 21,732 18,289 5,171 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 59.8 45.5 18.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -0.4 -0.2 3.8   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of -26,381 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -59,107 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 32,726 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 16.1 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 82.5 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 56.7 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 57.8 38.3 3.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 71.2 26.5 1.5 – Net Position: -26,381 23,148 3,233 – Gross Longs: 114,093 75,532 6,170 – Gross Shorts: 140,474 52,384 2,937 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.4 to 1 2.1 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 16.1 82.5 56.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -17.5 17.4 -2.9   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 47,213 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 508 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 46,705 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 96.8 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 4.0 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: 83.0 12.5 4.6 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 15.5 81.8 2.8 – Net Position: 47,213 -48,458 1,245 – Gross Longs: 58,023 8,711 3,197 – Gross Shorts: 10,810 57,169 1,952 – Long to Short Ratio: 5.4 to 1 0.2 to 1 1.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 96.8 4.0 79.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 5.3 -5.0 -4.0   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week resulted in a net position of 1,061 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly increase of 571 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 490 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 10.3 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 81.7 0.5 8.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 73.0 8.2 9.2 – Net Position: 1,061 -947 -114 – Gross Longs: 9,996 62 1,008 – Gross Shorts: 8,935 1,009 1,122 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 100.0 0.0 10.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 12.3 -30.9 -3.5   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.
The Swing Overview – Week 24 2022

The Swing Overview – Week 24 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 17.06.2022 16:54
The Swing Overview - Week 24 We've had a week in which the world's major stock indices took a bloodbath in response to rising inflation, which is advancing faster than expected. Central banks have played a major part in this drama. As expected, the US, the UK and, surprisingly, Switzerland raised interest rates. Japan, on the other hand, is still one of the few countries that decided to keep interest rates at their original level of - 0.10%. Macroeconomic data The 0.75% interest rate hike to 1.75%, which was 0.25% higher than the Fed announced at the last meeting, might not have come as a surprise to the markets given that inflation for May was 8.6% on year-on-year basis (8.3% for April). The market reacted strongly in response to the inflation data, and a sell-off in equity indices and a strengthening US dollar followed.   The 0.75% rate hike is the highest since 1994 and the next Fed meeting is expected to see another rate hike again in the range of 0.50% to 0.75%. The Fed is trying to stop rising inflation with this aggressive approach. The problem is that economic projections point to slowing economic growth. Retail data for May fell by 0.3%, which was a surprise to the markets. This is the first drop in consumer spending in 2022. The Fed also lowered GDP growth projections and unemployment is expected to rise as well. All of this points to the risk of stagflation.     But the labour market data is still good. The number of initial claims in unemployment reached 229k last week, down from 232k the previous week. The US dollar hit a new high for the year at 105.86 in response to high inflation and a faster tightening economy. The US 10-year bond yields also rose, reaching 3.479%. Figure 1: The US 10-year bond yields and the USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The SP 500 index, like other global indices, was in a bloodbath last week as data on rising US inflation in particular surprised. Major supports according to the H4 chart were very quickly broken and the market is showing that it is still in a bearish mood. According to the daily chart, another lower low has formed which together with the lower highs confirms this bearish trend.   Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   A support according to the H4 chart is in the 3,645 - 3,675 range. The nearest resistance is at 3,820 - 3,835. A broken support in the 3,710 - 3,732 area can also be considered as resistance. The most important news is behind us and the market could take a breath for a while. The low levels could also be noticed by long-term investors who will be buying dip. But for speculators, it is very risky to speculate on a market reversal in a downtrend.   German DAX index The German DAX index offers a very similar picture to the SP 500. The ZEW economic sentiment indicator in Germany for the month of June showed a deterioration in sentiment among institutional investors and analysts, with the index reading coming in at -28.0. The ongoing war in Ukraine is undoubtedly influencing this pessimism. The end of this tragic event is still not in sight. What is clear, however, is that the longer the conflict continues, the stronger the impact on the European economy will be.    Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX is in a clear downtrend and broke through significant support at 13,300 last week. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is 13,250 - 13,300. Significant resistance is at 13,650 - 13,700. A new support according to the H4 chart is at 12,950 - 12,980.   The euro has rejected lower readings  Information about higher inflation in the US and a rate hike sent the EUR/USD pair to support levels at 1.0370. However, the level was not broken and the euro then took a strong move from this area. Investors seem to assume that the ECB will have to respond with a higher than 0.25% rate hike announced at the last meeting. Figure 4: The EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart According to the H4 chart, the nearest resistance is at 1.0560 - 1.0600. The next resistance is then at 1.0760-1.0770. Current support is at 1.0340 - 1.0370 according to the daily chart.   The Bank of England raised rates as expected Rising inflation did not leave the Bank of England in dovish mood as it raised its key rate by 0.25% as expected. The current rate is 1.25%. Inflation may be approaching double digits, but the bank could not afford to be more aggressive. In Britain, economic activity has already fallen and the GDP is falling at its fastest pace in a year. On a month-on-month basis, the GDP in Britain fell by 0.3%.  Manufacturing production fell by 1% in April. Figure 5: The GBP/USD on H4 and daily chart The GBP/USD currency pair had a very dramatic week, first breaking below 1.20, only to stage an unprecedented rally later. Anyway, according to the H4 chart and also the daily chart, the pound is below the SMA 100 moving average, which indicates a bearish sentiment. There are also clear lower lows and lower highs on the daily chart, confirming the downtrend.   The UK interest rate hike did send the GBP/USD currency pair to 1.24, but the price did not stay there for long time as the pound descended from higher values, underlining the overall downtrend. The nearest resistance is at 1.24. A support is then at 1.1930 - 1.2000.   Central Bank of Japan still dovish   In the early hours of Friday morning, the Bank of Japan was also deciding on rates. There, as expected, everything remains as it was, i.e. the rate remains negative at - 0.10%. This situation means a favourable interest rate differential between the US dollar and the Japanese yen in favour of the dollar. It is therefore no surprise that the USD/JPY pair has reached its highest level since 2002. However, the weak yen is a big problem for the Japanese economy, as it makes imports of basic manufacturing raw materials more expensive and thus contributes to inflation. Figure 6: The USD/JPY on H4 and monthly charts The USD/JPY pair has reached the resistance level at 134.5 - 135.0, the highest level since 2002. A support according to the H4 chart is at 131.50 - 131.80.  
The Swing Overview – Week 25 2022

The Swing Overview – Week 25 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 27.06.2022 13:52
The Swing Overview – Week 25 There was a rather quiet week in which the major world stock indices shook off previous losses and have been slowly rising since Monday. However, this is probably only a temporary correction of the current bearish trend.  The CNB Bank Board met for the last time in its old composition and raised the interest rate to 7%, the highest level since 1999. However, the koruna barely reacted to this increase. The reason is that the main risks are still in place and fear of a recession keeps the markets in a risk-off sentiment that benefits the US dollar. Macroeconomic data We had a bit of a quiet week when it comes to macroeconomic data in the US. Industrial production data was reported, which grew by 0.2% month-on-month in May, which is less than the growth seen in April, when production grew by 1.4%. While the growth is slower than expected, it is still growth, which is a positive thing.   In terms of labor market data, the number of jobless claims held steady last week, reaching 229k. Thus, compared to the previous week, the number of claims fell by 2 thousand.   The US Dollar took a break in this quiet week and came down from its peak which is at 106, 86. Overall, however, the dollar is still in an uptrend. The US 10-year bond yields also fell last week and are currently hovering around 3%. The fall in bond yields was then a positive boost for equity indices. Figure 1: US 10-year bond yields and USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The SP 500 index has been gaining since Monday, June 20, 2022. However, this is probably not a signal of a major bullish reversal. Fundamental reasons still rather speak for a weakening and so it could be a short-term correction of the current bearish trend. The rise is probably caused by long-term investors who were buying the dip. Next week the US will report the GDP data which could be the catalyst for further movement.  Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The index has currently reached the resistance level according to the H4 chart, which is in the region of 3,820 - 3,836. The next strong resistance is then in the area of 3,870 - 3,900 where the previous support was broken and turned into the resistance. The current nearest support is 3 640 - 3 670.    German DAX index The manufacturing PMI for June came in at 52.0. The previous month's PMI was 54.8. While a value above 50 indicates an expected expansion, it must be said that the PMI has essentially been declining since February 2022. This, together with other data coming out of Germany, suggests a certain pessimism, which is also reflected in the DAX index. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX broke support according to the H4 chart at 12,950 - 12,980 but then broke back above that level, so we don't have a valid breakout. Overall, however, the DAX is in a downtrend and the technical analysis does not show a stronger sign of a reversal of this trend yet. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is 13,130 - 13,190. The next resistance is then at 13 420 - 13 440. Strong support according to the daily chart is 12,443 - 12,600.   Eurozone inflation at a new record Consumer inflation in the Eurozone for May rose by 8.1% year-on-year as expected by analysts. On a month-on-month basis, inflation added 0.8% compared to April. The rise in inflation could support the ECB's decision to raise rates possibly by more than the 0.25% expected so far, which is expected to happen at the July meeting.  Figure 4: EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart From a technical perspective, the euro has bounced off support on the pair with the US dollar according to the daily chart, which is in the 1.0340 - 1.0370 range and continues to strengthen. Overall, however, the pair is still in a downtrend. The US Fed has been much more aggressive in fighting inflation than the ECB and this continues to put pressure on the bearish trend in the euro. The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.058 - 1.0600. Strong resistance according to the daily chart is at 1.0780 - 1.0800.   The Czech National Bank raised the interest rate again Rising inflation, which has already reached 16% in the Czech Republic, forced the CNB's board to raise interest rates again. The key interest rate is now at 7%. The last time the interest rate was this high was in 1999. This is the last decision of the old Bank Board. In August, the new board, which is not clearly hawkish, will decide on monetary policy. Therefore, it will be very interesting to see how they approach the rising inflation.   The current risks, according to the CNB, are higher price growth at home and abroad, the risk of a halt in energy supplies from Russia and generally rising inflation expectations. The lingering risk is, of course, the war in Ukraine. The CNB has also decided to continue intervening in the market to keep the Czech koruna exchange rate within acceptable limits and prevent it from depreciating, which would increase import inflation pressures. Figure 5: The USD/CZK and The EUR/CZK on the daily chart Looking at the charts, the koruna hardly reacted at all to the CNB's decision to raise rates sharply. Against the dollar, the koruna is weakening somewhat, while against the euro the koruna is holding its value around 24.60 - 24.80. The appreciation of the koruna after the interest rate hike was probably prevented by uncertainty about how the new board will treat inflation, and also by the fact that there is a risk-off sentiment in global markets and investors prefer so-called safe havens in such cases, which include the US dollar.  
The Swing Overview - Week 27 2022

The Swing Overview - Week 27 2022

Purple Trading Purple Trading 08.07.2022 10:27
The Swing Overview - Week 27 2022 The fall in US bond yields, the rise in the US dollar and the sharp weakening in the euro, which is heading towards parity with the dollar. This is how the last week, in which stock indices cautiously strengthened and made a correction in the downward trend, could be characterised. It is worth noting that Germany has a negative trade balance for the first time since May 1991. Is the country losing its reputation as an economic powerhouse of Europe? Macroeconomic data The ISM in manufacturing, which shows purchasing managers' expectations of economic developments in the short term, came in at 53.0 for June.  While a value above 50 still indicates an expected expansion in the sector, the trend since the beginning of the year has been declining, indicating worsening of optimism.   Unemployment claims reached 231,000 last week. This is still a level that is fairly normal. However, we note that this is the 6th week in a row that the number of claims has been rising. The crucial news on the labour market will then be shown in Friday's NFP data.   On Wednesday, the minutes of the last FOMC meeting were presented, which confirmed that another 50-75 point rate hike is likely in July. The minutes also stated that the Fed could tighten further its hawkish policy if inflationary pressures persist. The Fed's target is to push inflation down to around 2%.   The Fed's hawkish tone has led to a strengthening of the dollar, which has reached a level over 107, its highest level since October 2002. Following the presentation of the FOMC minutes, the US Treasury yields started to rise again. Figure 1: The US 10-year bond yields and the USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index The temporary decline in US Treasury yields was the reason for the correction in the bearish trend in equity indices. However, the bear market still continues to be supported fundamentally by fears of an impending recession.  Figure 2: The SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart   The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is in the 3,930 - 3,950 range. A support is at 3,740 - 3,750 and then 3,640 - 3,670.    German DAX index The German manufacturing PMI for June came in at 52.0 (previous month 54.8). The downward trend shows a deterioration in optimism.    It is worth noting that Germany's trade balance is negative for the first time since May 1991, i.e. imports are higher than exports. The current trade balance is - EUR 1 billion. The market was expecting a surplus of 2.7 billion. Rising prices of imported energy and a reduction in exports to Russia have contributed to the negative balance. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart The DAX is in a downtrend. On the H4 chart, it has reached the moving average EMA 50. The resistance is in the range of 12,900 - 12,960. Strong support on the daily chart is 12,443 - 12,500, which was tested again last week.    Euro is near parity with the USD Even high inflation, which is already at 8.6%, has not stopped the euro from falling. It seems that parity with the dollar could be reached very soon. The negative trade balance in Germany has contributed very significantly to the euro's decline.  Figure 4: EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.020 - 1.021. Support according to the daily chart would be only at parity with the dollar at 1.00. Reaching this value would represent a unique situation that has not occurred on the EUR/USD pair since 2002.   Australia raised interest rates The Reserve Bank of Australia raised the interest rate by 0.50% as expected. The current interest rate now stands at 1.35%. According to the central bank, the Australian economy has been solid so far thanks to commodity exports, the prices of which have been rising. Unemployment is 3.9%, the lowest level in 50 years.   One uncertainty is the behaviour of consumers, who are cutting back on spending in times of high inflation. A significant risk is global development, which is influenced by the war in Ukraine and its impact on energy and agricultural commodity prices.   Figure 5: The AUD/USD on H4 and daily chart The AUD/USD is in a downtrend and even the rate hike did not help the Australian dollar to strengthen. However, there has been some correction in the downtrend. The resistance according to the H4 chart is 0.6880 - 0.6900. The support is at 0.6760 - 0.6770.  
Euro, Mexican Peso & Brazilian Real lead Currency Speculators bets lower

Euro, Mexican Peso & Brazilian Real lead Currency Speculators bets lower

Invest Macro Invest Macro 16.07.2022 19:19
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 July 12th 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. Weekly Speculator Changes COT currency market speculator bets were mostly lower this week as just three out of the eleven currency markets we cover had higher positioning while the other eight markets had lower speculator contracts. Leading the gains for the currency markets was the Australian dollar with a weekly gain of 6,021 contracts while the New Zealand dollar (1,773 contracts) and the Swiss franc (1,411 contracts) also had positive weeks. The currencies leading the declines in speculator bets this week were the Mexican peso (-8,820 contracts) and the Euro (-8,392 contracts) with the Brazilian real (-6,128 contracts), Japanese yen (-5,553 contracts), British pound sterling (-2,881 contracts), US Dollar Index (-897 contracts), Canadian dollar (-788 contracts) and Bitcoin(-591 contracts) also registering lower bets on the week.     Highlighting this week’s COT currency data is the continued decline in the Euro speculator positions which fell for a second straight week and for the fifth time in the past six weeks. Euro bets have now dropped by -77,516 contracts in just the past six weeks, going from +52,272 contracts on May 31st to -25,244 contracts this week. This weakness put the current speculator position at the lowest level since March of 2020 but it is nowhere near the extremely bearish levels of years past (for example: -114,021 contracts in 2020 or -182,845 contracts in 2015). There seems to be a lot of room for the speculator position to fall further. Will this bring the Euro price even lower? That is a fascinating question as the largest currency news story of the past few weeks has been the EURUSD reaching parity for the first time in over twenty years. The EURUSD actually hit 0.9952 on Thursday before closing the week near the 1.0080 exchange rate and with the US Federal Reserve poised to raise interest rates further soon – the EURUSD will likely remain under pressure but how low can it go? The other side of the COT data this week is the continued strength of the US Dollar Index speculator positions. The USD Index speculator bets fell this week for a third straight week but remain very much near their recent highs. Speculative positions recently had three straight weeks of over at least +40,000 net contracts for the first time since 2019 while the speculator position also topped +45,000 contracts (on June 21st) for the first time since March 21st of 2017, a span of 274 weeks. The strong sentiment for the dollar has helped boost the US Dollar Index price to a high over 109.00 this week, reaching the highest level since 2002. With the two largest components of the US Dollar Index, the Euro at 57.6 percent of the index and the Japanese yen at 13.6 percent, so weak at the moment, the DXY might challenge the 110 exchange rate in the weeks to come. Data Snapshot of Forex Market Traders | Columns Legend Jul-12-2022 OI OI-Index Spec-Net Spec-Index Com-Net COM-Index Smalls-Net Smalls-Index USD Index 59,565 88 38,354 89 -40,895 11 2,541 44 EUR 682,031 75 -25,244 27 5,760 78 19,484 7 GBP 231,945 59 -59,089 31 75,405 74 -16,316 22 JPY 223,539 71 -59,998 32 75,067 72 -15,069 23 CHF 41,255 23 -8,724 34 19,882 75 -11,158 20 CAD 139,297 23 3,505 43 -4,653 65 1,148 32 AUD 158,263 51 -41,600 46 52,490 58 -10,890 26 NZD 45,837 36 -5,283 62 8,979 44 -3,696 9 MXN 195,611 47 -23,238 17 20,317 81 2,921 55 RUB 20,930 4 7,543 31 -7,150 69 -393 24 BRL 41,034 28 10,205 60 -10,868 41 663 73 Bitcoin 13,505 77 -171 77 -201 0 372 21   Strength Scores Strength Scores (a normalized measure of Speculator positions over a 3-Year range, from 0 to 100 where above 80 is extreme bullish and below 20 is extreme bearish) show that the US Dollar Index (88.9 percent) leads the currency markets near the top of its 3-year range and in a bullish extreme position (above 80 percent). Bitcoin (77.2 percent) comes in as the next highest in the currency markets strength scores with the New Zealand Dollar (62.4 percent) and the Brazilian Real (60.4 percent) rounding out the only other markets above 50 percent or above their midpoint for the past 3 years . On the downside, the Mexican Peso (17.4 percent) comes in at the lowest strength level currently and the only one in a bearish extreme level.  The EuroFX (27.3 percent) continues to fall and is the second lowest strength score this week. Strength Statistics: US Dollar Index (88.9 percent) vs US Dollar Index previous week (90.4 percent) EuroFX (27.3 percent) vs EuroFX previous week (29.8 percent) British Pound Sterling (31.4 percent) vs British Pound Sterling previous week (33.5 percent) Japanese Yen (31.9 percent) vs Japanese Yen previous week (35.3 percent) Swiss Franc (34.4 percent) vs Swiss Franc previous week (30.8 percent) Canadian Dollar (43.3 percent) vs Canadian Dollar previous week (44.2 percent) Australian Dollar (46.3 percent) vs Australian Dollar previous week (40.7 percent) New Zealand Dollar (62.4 percent) vs New Zealand Dollar previous week (59.4 percent) Mexican Peso (17.4 percent) vs Mexican Peso previous week (21.2 percent) Brazil Real (60.4 percent) vs Brazil Real previous week (66.4 percent) Russian Ruble (31.2 percent) vs Russian Ruble previous week (31.9 percent) Bitcoin (77.2 percent) vs Bitcoin previous week (87.9 percent) Strength Trends Strength Score Trends (or move index, calculates the 6-week changes in strength scores) show that the Swiss Franc (29.7 percent) leads the past six weeks trends for the currency markets this week. The New Zealand Dollar (22.6 percent) and the Japanese Yen (21.2 percent) round out the next highest movers in the latest trends data as the CHF, NZD and the JPY have seen improving sentiment from speculators. The Brazilian Real (-34.5 percent) leads the downside trend scores this week while the next markets with lower trend scores were the Mexican Peso (-25.0 percent) followed by the Euro (-23.8 percent). Strength Trend Statistics: US Dollar Index (1.4 percent) vs US Dollar Index previous week (2.0 percent) EuroFX (-23.8 percent) vs EuroFX previous week (-17.1 percent) British Pound Sterling (10.8 percent) vs British Pound Sterling previous week (17.4 percent) Japanese Yen (21.2 percent) vs Japanese Yen previous week (27.7 percent) Swiss Franc (29.7 percent) vs Swiss Franc previous week (24.2 percent) Canadian Dollar (11.8 percent) vs Canadian Dollar previous week (19.1 percent) Australian Dollar (6.6 percent) vs Australian Dollar previous week (-2.0 percent) New Zealand Dollar (22.6 percent) vs New Zealand Dollar previous week (20.6 percent) Mexican Peso (-25.0 percent) vs Mexican Peso previous week (-18.9 percent) Brazil Real (-34.5 percent) vs Brazil Real previous week (-22.0 percent) Russian Ruble (-15.6 percent) vs Russian Ruble previous week (9.1 percent) Bitcoin (-10.4 percent) vs Bitcoin previous week (-7.8 percent) Individual Markets: US Dollar Index Futures: The US Dollar Index large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 38,354 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly fall of -897 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 39,251 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 88.9 percent. The commercials are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 10.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 44.3 percent. US DOLLAR INDEX Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 85.8 3.9 9.0 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 21.4 72.5 4.7 – Net Position: 38,354 -40,895 2,541 – Gross Longs: 51,109 2,305 5,365 – Gross Shorts: 12,755 43,200 2,824 – Long to Short Ratio: 4.0 to 1 0.1 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 88.9 10.9 44.3 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish-Extreme Bearish-Extreme Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 1.4 0.7 -13.7   Euro Currency Futures: The Euro Currency large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -25,244 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -8,392 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -16,852 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 27.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 77.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 6.7 percent. EURO Currency Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 28.9 56.5 12.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 32.6 55.6 9.4 – Net Position: -25,244 5,760 19,484 – Gross Longs: 197,240 385,039 83,394 – Gross Shorts: 222,484 379,279 63,910 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 27.3 77.7 6.7 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -23.8 25.8 -22.2   British Pound Sterling Futures: The British Pound Sterling large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -59,089 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly reduction of -2,881 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -56,208 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 31.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 74.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.8 percent. BRITISH POUND Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 14.6 75.3 8.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 40.1 42.8 15.2 – Net Position: -59,089 75,405 -16,316 – Gross Longs: 33,850 174,748 18,999 – Gross Shorts: 92,939 99,343 35,315 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.8 to 1 0.5 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.4 74.3 21.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 10.8 -7.0 -6.7   Japanese Yen Futures: The Japanese Yen large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -59,998 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -5,553 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -54,445 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 31.9 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 72.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 22.8 percent. JAPANESE YEN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 15.9 71.8 10.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 42.7 38.3 17.1 – Net Position: -59,998 75,067 -15,069 – Gross Longs: 35,533 160,589 23,147 – Gross Shorts: 95,531 85,522 38,216 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 1.9 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 31.9 72.3 22.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 21.2 -14.6 -9.1   Swiss Franc Futures: The Swiss Franc large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -8,724 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly rise of 1,411 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -10,135 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 34.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 75.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 19.8 percent. SWISS FRANC Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 17.0 63.5 19.4 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 38.2 15.4 46.4 – Net Position: -8,724 19,882 -11,158 – Gross Longs: 7,017 26,217 7,984 – Gross Shorts: 15,741 6,335 19,142 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 4.1 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 34.4 75.2 19.8 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 29.7 -15.9 -6.0   Canadian Dollar Futures: The Canadian Dollar large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 3,505 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decrease of -788 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 4,293 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 43.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 64.9 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 32.4 percent. CANADIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 29.9 46.4 22.9 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 27.4 49.8 22.0 – Net Position: 3,505 -4,653 1,148 – Gross Longs: 41,613 64,673 31,834 – Gross Shorts: 38,108 69,326 30,686 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.1 to 1 0.9 to 1 1.0 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 43.3 64.9 32.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 11.8 -3.6 -12.4   Australian Dollar Futures: The Australian Dollar large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -41,600 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 6,021 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -47,621 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 46.3 percent. The commercials are Bullish with a score of 58.0 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 25.9 percent. AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 19.3 67.0 10.5 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 45.6 33.9 17.4 – Net Position: -41,600 52,490 -10,890 – Gross Longs: 30,527 106,112 16,570 – Gross Shorts: 72,127 53,622 27,460 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.4 to 1 2.0 to 1 0.6 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 46.3 58.0 25.9 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish Bullish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 6.6 1.0 -20.6   New Zealand Dollar Futures: The New Zealand Dollar large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -5,283 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly gain of 1,773 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -7,056 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 62.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 44.2 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish-Extreme with a score of 9.2 percent. NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 32.6 61.7 5.3 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 44.1 42.1 13.4 – Net Position: -5,283 8,979 -3,696 – Gross Longs: 14,926 28,261 2,436 – Gross Shorts: 20,209 19,282 6,132 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.7 to 1 1.5 to 1 0.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 62.4 44.2 9.2 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish-Extreme NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: 22.6 -19.1 -12.0   Mexican Peso Futures: The Mexican Peso large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -23,238 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly lowering of -8,820 contracts from the previous week which had a total of -14,418 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 17.4 percent. The commercials are Bullish-Extreme with a score of 81.3 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 55.4 percent. MEXICAN PESO Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 53.5 43.1 3.1 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 65.4 32.7 1.6 – Net Position: -23,238 20,317 2,921 – Gross Longs: 104,715 84,247 6,023 – Gross Shorts: 127,953 63,930 3,102 – Long to Short Ratio: 0.8 to 1 1.3 to 1 1.9 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 17.4 81.3 55.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bearish-Extreme Bullish-Extreme Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -25.0 25.2 -7.5   Brazilian Real Futures: The Brazilian Real large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of 10,205 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -6,128 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 16,333 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 60.4 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 40.7 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bullish with a score of 72.5 percent. BRAZIL REAL Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 46.8 46.0 7.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 21.9 72.5 5.6 – Net Position: 10,205 -10,868 663 – Gross Longs: 19,197 18,878 2,957 – Gross Shorts: 8,992 29,746 2,294 – Long to Short Ratio: 2.1 to 1 0.6 to 1 1.3 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 60.4 40.7 72.5 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bullish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -34.5 35.9 -19.8   Bitcoin Futures: The Bitcoin large speculator standing this week totaled a net position of -171 contracts in the data reported through Tuesday. This was a weekly decline of -591 contracts from the previous week which had a total of 420 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 77.2 percent. The commercials are Bearish with a score of 46.1 percent and the small traders (not shown in chart) are Bearish with a score of 21.4 percent. BITCOIN Statistics SPECULATORS COMMERCIALS SMALL TRADERS – Percent of Open Interest Longs: 76.5 1.6 9.2 – Percent of Open Interest Shorts: 77.7 3.1 6.5 – Net Position: -171 -201 372 – Gross Longs: 10,325 216 1,247 – Gross Shorts: 10,496 417 875 – Long to Short Ratio: 1.0 to 1 0.5 to 1 1.4 to 1 NET POSITION TREND: – Strength Index Score (3 Year Range Pct): 77.2 46.1 21.4 – Strength Index Reading (3 Year Range): Bullish Bearish Bearish NET POSITION MOVEMENT INDEX: – 6-Week Change in Strength Index: -10.4 17.5 6.2   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.
What Does Inflation Rates We Got To Know Mean To Central Banks?

What Does Inflation Rates We Got To Know Mean To Central Banks?

Purple Trading Purple Trading 15.07.2022 13:36
The Swing Overview – Week 28 2022 This week's new record inflation readings sent a clear message to central bankers. Further interest rate hikes must be faster than before. The first of the big banks to take this challenge seriously was the Bank of Canada, which literally shocked the markets with an unprecedented rate hike of a full 1%. This is obviously not good for stocks, which weakened again in the past week. The euro also stumbled and has already fallen below parity with the usd. Uncertainty, on the other hand, favours the US dollar, which has reached new record highs.   Macroeconomic data The data from the US labour market, the so-called NFP, beat expectations, as the US economy created 372 thousand new jobs in June (the expectation was 268 thousand) and the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%. But on the other hand, unemployment claims continued to rise, reaching 244k last week, the 7th week in a row of increase.   But the crucial news was the inflation data for June. It exceeded expectations and reached a new record of 9.1% on year-on-year basis, the highest value since 1981. Inflation rose by 1.3% on month-on-month basis. Energy prices, which rose by 41.6%, had a major impact on inflation. Declines in commodity prices, such as oil, have not yet influenced June inflation, which may be some positive news. Core inflation excluding food and energy prices rose by 5.9%, down from 6% in May.   The value of inflation was a shock to the markets and the dollar strengthened sharply. We can see this in the dollar index, which has already surpassed 109. We will see how the Fed, which will be deciding on interest rates in less than two weeks, will react to this development. A rate hike of 0.75% is very likely and the question is whether even such an increase will be enough for the markets. Meanwhile, there has been an inversion on the yield curve on US bonds. This means that yields on 2-year bonds are higher than those on 10-year bonds. This is one of the signals of a recession. Figure 1: The US Treasury yield curve on the monthly chart and the USD index on the daily chart   The SP 500 Index Apart from macroeconomic indicators, the ongoing earnings season will also influence the performance of the indices this month. Among the major banks, JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley reported results this week. Both banks reported earnings, but they were below investor expectations. The impact of more expensive funding sources that banks need to finance their activities is probably starting to show.   We must also be interested in the data in China, which, due to the size of the Chinese economy, has an impact on the movement of global indices. 2Q GDP in China was 0.4% on year-on-year basis, a significant drop from the previous quarter (4.8%). Strict lockdowns against new COVID-19 outbreaks had an impact on economic situation in the country. Figure 2: SP 500 on H4 and D1 chart The threat of a recession is seeping into the SP 500 index with another decline, which stalled last week at the support level, which according to the H4 is in the 3,740-3,750 range. The next support is 3,640 - 3,670.  The nearest resistance is 3,930 - 3,950. German DAX index The German ZEW sentiment, which shows expectations for the next 6 months, reached - 53.8. This is the lowest reading since 2011. Inflation in Germany reached 7.6% in June. This is lower than the previous month when inflation was 7.9%. Concerns about the global recession continue to affect the DAX index, which has tested significant supports. Figure 3: German DAX index on H4 and daily chart Strong support according to the daily chart is 12,443 - 12,500, which was tested again last week. We can take the moving averages EMA 50 and SMA 100 as a resistance. The nearest horizontal resistance is 12,950 - 13,000.   The euro broke parity with the dollar The euro fell below 1.00 on the pair with the dollar for the first time in 20 years, reaching a low of 0.9950 last week. Although the euro eventually closed above parity, so from a technical perspective it is not a valid break yet, the euro's weakening points to the headwinds the eurozone is facing: high inflation, weak growth, the threat in energy commodity supplies, the war in Ukraine. Figure 4: EUR/USD on H4 and daily chart Next week the ECB will be deciding on interest rates and it is obvious that there will be some rate hike. A modest increase of 0.25% has been announced. Taking into account the issues mentioned above, the motivation for the ECB to raise rates by a more significant step will not be very strong. The euro therefore remains under pressure and it is not impossible that a fall below parity will occur again in the near future.   The nearest resistance according to the H4 chart is at 1.008 - 1.012. A support is the last low, which is at 0.9950 - 0.9960.   Bank of Canada has pulled out the anti-inflation bazooka Analysts had expected the Bank of Canada to raise rates by 0.75%. Instead, the central bank shocked markets with an unprecedented increase by a full 1%, the highest rate hike in 24 years. The central bank did so in response to inflation, which is the highest in Canada in 40 years. With this jump in rates, the bank is trying to prevent uncontrolled price increases.   The reaction of the Canadian dollar has been interesting. It strengthened significantly immediately after the announcement. However, then it began to weaken sharply. This may be because investors now expect the US Fed to resort to a similarly sharp rate hike. Figure 5: USD/CAD on H4 and daily chart Another reason may be the decline in oil prices, which the Canadian dollar is correlated with, as Canada is a major oil producer. The oil is weakening due to fears of a drop in demand that would accompany an economic recession. Figure 6: Oil on the H4 and daily charts Oil is currently in a downtrend. However, it has reached a support value, which is in the area near $94 per barrel. The support has already been broken, but on the daily chart oil closed above this value. Therefore, it is not a valid break yet.  
Russia-Ukraine War - October 10th: Russian Air Strikes

Risk, Uncertainty And Invasion Of Ukraine. Is Risk Unavoidable Nowadays?

Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 10.08.2022 10:00
Summary:  Concentrated equity portfolios are common for many retail investors leading to very high risk. We show that by blending a 5-stock portfolio 50/50 with an ETF that tracks the broader equity market the risk is brought down considerably without sacrificing the long-term expected return. If an investor is willing to lower return expectations a bit then the ETF tracking the equity market can be switched to track an asset allocation and reduce risk even more. Finally, we highlight the risk to real wealth from inflation and what can potentially offset some of that risk. Risk is...? What should you know about it? Last year I wrote about my personal approach to managing my own capital which we got a lot of positive feedback from. Given equities would peak a few months later the note was quite timely. With equities significantly lower from their recent peak and the recent bounce in equities, we are taking a slightly different angle to risk management. We are laying out what risk is and what the typical retail equity investor can do to avoid having too much risk should equities begin falling again. First we need to distinguish between risk and uncertainty. Risk can formally be described as process that is quantifiable with a certain confidence bound related to the sampling size; in other words, a process in which can have statistics. Uncertainty is defined as unquantifiable such as the invasion of Ukraine, because the event is unique and thus has no meaningful prior. If we look broader at risk it all starts with the ultimate definition of risk which is avoidance of ruin. While being an important concept and something that can be avoided if an investor refrain from using leverage, ruin can also be losing 98% of wealth; it is just not complete ruin. But it is ruin enough that you need a 4900% gain to get back illuminating the asymmetry between gains and losses. The most normal definition of risk is the variance of some underlying process (for instance a stock) which is a statistically measure of how much a process varies around its mean value. The higher the variance the higher probability of big moves in either direction. Since most retail investors are equity investors, and thus long-only investors, we should care more about the downside risk than the upside risk (gains) as I want as much variance if its lower bound is above zero return. Focusing on downside risk/returns leads to a concept called semi-variance which only focuses on the returns below a certain threshold, often zero, and describes the downside risk. The problem with this approach is that the underlying assumption is a well-behaved distribution of negative returns. Now, we know financial markets and equities are fat-tailed meaning that we observe many more big moves (both gains and losses) than what the normal distribution would indicated. This means that the semi-variance will underestimate the true risk because of the asymmetry in returns. These observations have lead to concepts such as conditional value-at-risk which is a fancy word for calculating the average return of the say 1% or 5% worst returns. This measure has many wonderful statistical properties with one of them being that it is less sensitive to the assumptions of the underlying distribution of returns. A somewhat related concept which is easier to understand is maximum drawdown which is defined as the decline in portfolio value from the maximum value to the lowest value over the entire investment period. Because of the asymmetry of gains and losses, traders focus a lot on this measure and cut losses to avoid big drawdowns or large single period losses (daily, weekly, monthly). How to reduce risk? 5-stock rule The typical return investor has limited capital and thus often end up with portfolios holding only 3-5 stocks as minimum commission otherwise would equates to high transaction costs. The first plot shows the returns of a 5-stock portfolio in European equities in which we select randomly five stocks in January 2010 and let them run through time. If one stock is delisted or bought we just place the weight in cash. We do this 1,000 times to the intrinsic variance in outcomes of such portfolios. A considerable percentage of these 1,000 portfolio end up with a negative return over this 12,5 year period which in itself is remarkable, but the number of portfolios that end with extremely high total returns is also surprisingly high. In other words, a 5-stock portfolio is a lottery ticket with an extreme variance in outcome. The blue line and area represent the median total return path and its variance if these random 5-stock portfolios are blended 50/50 with a the STOXX 600 Index. The striking result is that the median expected return is not changed but total risk (both gains and losses) is reduced considerably. The sharpe ratio, which measures the annualised return relative to the annualised volatility, improves 20% on average by adding an equity market component. So most retail investors can drastically improve their risk-adjusted returns by adding an ETF that tracks the overall equity market without sacrificing the expected return. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group If move on to the maximum drawdown concept we see on the first plot how much the maximum drawdown is reduced by adding the equity market to the 5-stock portfolio. All retail equity investors that have a small concentrated equity portfolio should seriously move to a portfolio where the 5 stocks are kept but reduced to 50% of the portfolio with the freed up cash invested in an ETF that tracks the overall equity market. If an investor is willing to lower expectations for long-term returns, then the ETF tracking the equity market can be substituted with an ETF holding a balanced basket of many different asset classes including government bonds, credit and different types of equities. We use the Xtrackers Portfolio UCITS ETF as an example and should not be viewed as a recommendation but one example of a diversified asset allocation. As the second plot shows the expected distribution of maximum drawdowns from combining 5 stocks with an ETF tracking multiple asset classes is better compared to the other solution combining only with the equity market. The risk-adjusted return is now 43% better than the simple 5-stock portfolio. Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group Given equities have bounced back in July and so far also in August retail investors have an unique opportunity to bolster portfolios in the case we get another setback in equity markets. Our view is still that inflation will continue to surprise to the upside and that financial conditions will continue to tighten further adding headwinds for equities. At the same time deglobalisation is accelerating adding unpredictable sources of risk to the overall system. Inflation always says its' word These classical approaches to reduce equity risk mentioned above hold for normal environments but if we get into trouble with a prolonged inflationary period such as in the 1970s or a deflation of equity valuation among technology and health care stocks then we could get prolonged period of negative real rate returns. We have two periods in US equity market history since 1969 in which it took 13 and 14 years to get back to a new high in real terms. Our overall theme in our latest Quarterly Outlook was about the tangible world and our bet is that tangible assets will continue to be repriced higher against intangible assets and if we are right investors should consider commodities to offset the risk to real wealth from inflation. Source: Bloomberg Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/the-retail-equity-investors-guide-to-risk-management-09082022
Hungarian Forint (HUF) May Be Rising! ING Economics Expects Bank Of Hungary To Hike The Rate By 100bp!

Hungarian Forint (HUF) May Be Rising! ING Economics Expects Bank Of Hungary To Hike The Rate By 100bp!

ING Economics ING Economics 26.08.2022 12:09
We expect the Hungarian central bank to continue its decisive tightening with another 100bp hike next week. Our updated inflation outlook leads us to expect additional measures to hike rates sooner rather than later, which could reduce the excess liquidity, thus improving the monetary transmission and supporting the forint The Hungarian National Bank in Budapest +100bp ING's call Change in the base rate The rationale behind our call The better-than-expected second-quarter GDP growth cemented our view that this year’s performance will be sound. Our upgraded outlook sees a 5.2% GDP growth in 2022, which takes into account strong first and second quarters but weak third and fourth quarters. We see a technical recession coming, caused by an unfolding cost-of-living crisis. Therefore, we have downgraded our 2023 outlook to 1.0-1.5% with further downside risks. Our view about the cost-of-living crisis is based on our updated inflation forecast. The changes in the fuel price cap regulation will add roughly 1ppt to the August inflation, while the modified utility bill support scheme and significantly hiked public parking prices could boost the CPI by another 1-1.5ppt from September. Whether the peak comes in October or later depends on the fuel price cap, as it expires on 1 October if the government doesn't change the decree. We expect a gradual phase-out of the fuel price cap, so the peak could come in December at 22% year-on-year. In all, the regulatory changes, the upside surprise in July inflation and the rising commodity prices lead us to call a 14% headline inflation in 2022, followed by a 15.3% average CPI in 2023. As for now, we expect price changes to drop to the range of 3-4% only in the first half of 2024. At first sight, this screams for more tightening. But in our view, the terminal rate could be more of a function of the behaviour of the forint rather than the CPI peak. Moreover, despite the already double-digit interest rate environment, the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) couldn’t shield the forint from the shocks of a confidence crisis. A crisis that lies in the Rule-of-Law debate and the negative impact of the energy crisis on the economic outlook and the external balance. ING's inflation and base rate forecasts for Hungary Source: HCSO, NBH, ING We see further rate hikes and more In this regard, we maintain our 14% terminal rate call, reached by the end of this year. The next step in this route comes on 30 August with yet another 100bp move to 11.75%. But in our assessment, interest rate hikes alone won’t do the trick to give the forint enough support. What could help is an active quantitative tightening to reduce the excess liquidity in the system. However, due to the structure of the central bank’s balance sheet, we don’t see this as a viable option. However, we could think about some options which could have the same impact, reducing the excess liquidity in a significant way. First, a stricter reserve requirement regulation could do the trick. The ratio is now only at 1%. Here the ECB’s two-tier system, or more recently the Polish central bank, could provide an example, as the latter raised the RRR from 0.5% to 2.0% last October. Or there is the reverse FX swaps example. First, it was an ad-hoc tool, then a quarter-end tool which finally became a regular one, improving the monetary transmission in short-dated rates. The same route is open in front of the central bank’s short-term discount bill: making this instrument a permanent tool, tendering regularly and not just occasionally at the end of quarters. Of course, the NBH could come up with yet another creative, out-of-the-box solution to give an effective sidekick to its interest rate cycle. But one thing is for sure: the sooner the better. What to expect in rates and FX markets FX weakness in recent days has boosted market expectations and pushed the priced-in terminal rate just above 14%, in line with our forecast but taking a reasonable cutting trajectory for the end of next year. And given the current volatility and low liquidity, it is hard to look for opportunities in this environment. For this meeting, expect the markets to raise their short-term bets for the terminal rate even further under the prospect of headlines coming from the NBH, which is the only central bank open to rate hikes in the CEE region at the moment. This should lead to further flattening of the curve as seen in recent days. However, from a long-term perspective, the inversion of the HUF curve remains extreme, and we should see some normalisation later on, just as the fly trades in the last few days. Hungarian yield curve Source: Government Debt Management Agency, ING   On the bond side, we estimate AKK (the government debt management agency) has covered roughly 80% of the total financing needs, but supply should remain buoyant in the months ahead. On the other hand, given the recent sell-off across the CEE region, we see Hungarian government bonds (HGBs) as the most expensive within the region at the moment and are awaiting a correction in nominal and relative terms. So, we like HGB asset-swap (ASW) cheapeners. CEE currencies vs EUR (1 Feb = 100%) Source: NBH, ING   The forint has recently become heavily dependent on gas prices, adding to uncertainty about further moves. Moreover, markets are waiting for progress on the government's negotiations with the European Commission. We still believe that a positive scenario may offer the forint the biggest appreciation within the region, however a bumpy road is a more likely scenario at the moment. For the NBH meeting next week, we expect a short-term strengthening of the forint in response to the decision, however we believe this would only be a temporary boost and the real story of the forint is elsewhere, i.e. the gas and EU story. Read this article on THINK TagsPreview NBH National Bank of Hungary Monetary policy Hungary 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
Hungary: Budget deficit jumps above full-year cash flow target by ca. 10%

HUF And PLN May Be Fluctuating This Week! Hungarian Forint Meets Economic Data And National Bank Of Poland Is Expected To Hike The Rate

ING Economics ING Economics 03.09.2022 23:00
A busy week ahead for Hungary with July's economic activity data and August's inflation reading. Retail sales should improve while inflation is expected to lift further. We're also expecting a 25bp rate hike from the National Bank of Poland In this article Poland: central bank decision on rates Russia: inflation subsiding after a big spike Turkey: annual inflation expected to increase further Hungary: August core inflation reading expected to be 18.6% Kazakhstan: above expected inflation calls for another key rate hike Source: Shutterstock Poland: central bank decision on rates In recent public statements, Polish policymakers pointed out the need to continue monetary tightening albeit at a smaller scale than before. Rate-setters mainly mentioned a 25bp rate hike and some even seemed reluctant to hike at all. An upward surprise from the August flash CPI means that a 25bp rate hike to 6.75% (our baseline scenario) looks like a done deal and the Council may even discuss a 50bp rate hike. Still, the end of the rate-hiking cycle is nearing and we currently see the terminal National Bank of Poland rate at 7.0-7.5%. Russia: inflation subsiding after a big spike Following a sharp spike to 17.8% year-on-year in April, Russia has been on a disinflationary path due to weaker demand, ruble appreciation and a good harvest. Next Friday’s CPI numbers for August are likely to show a 0.6% month-on-month decline in prices and a deceleration in the annual rate to 14.2% YoY. This challenges our year-end expectations of 13% and suggests that the actual print is likely to be at the lower end of the Bank of Russia’s 12-15% range. This means that the key rate, which has already been cut from 20.0% in February-March to 8.0% in July, has room to go lower. Yet given the stabilisation of households’ inflationary expectations and unclear supply-side prospects, we expect CPI to remain elevated next year and doubt that this downside to the key rate could exceed 100 basis points by year-end. The next Central Bank of Russia meeting is scheduled for 16 September. Turkey: annual inflation expected to increase further We expect annual inflation to have risen further in August to 81.6% (2.2% on monthly basis) from 79.6% a month ago, despite a decline in gasoline prices, as pricing pressures will likely remain broad-based with a largely supportive policy framework leading to currency weakness and external factors weighing on import prices. Hungary: August core inflation reading expected to be 18.6% We are facing a really busy calendar in Hungary next week. The first set of data will be July economic activity. Retail sales could improve a bit as pensioners got extra transfers from the government which is practically a retroactively increased pension due to higher-than-expected inflation. This could boost food consumption, while non-food retail got a boost from the new (less favourable) utility bill support scheme, which urged households to replace old household appliances with newer, more energy-efficient ones. Based on PMI data, July industrial production could still be OK, though we see some downside risk here due to planned summer shutdowns. While industry is doing well despite the plethora of challenges, the trade balance is rather driven by the ever-rising energy bill of the country, and so we see further deterioration in the trade deficit in July. The highlight of the week is going to be the August inflation reading. Due to a refined fuel price cap, which narrowed the range of beneficiaries, the Statistical Office will recalculate the fuel price higher in the consumer basket (some weighted average of capped and market prices). This might explain 0.9-1.0ppt from the 2.3% month-on-month inflation, which will lift the yearly reading up to 16.2%. As rising energy and agricultural commodity prices spill over into processed food and service providers adjusting their prices to the rising utility bills, we see core inflation at 18.6% year-on-year. However, there is one beneficiary of this sky-high inflation environment: the government budget, where we expect yet another surplus on rising revenues in August. Kazakhstan: above expected inflation calls for another key rate hike National Bank of Kazakhstan is likely to make another key rate hike on Monday from the current level of 14.50% to 15.00% or higher. Following the latest 50bp hike at the end of July, inflation continued to outperform the market and NBK expectations, reaching 16.1% YoY in August. Higher inflationary pressure appears to be broad-based in terms of structure and most likely calls for an adjustment in the key rate level. Key events in EMEA next week Source: Refinitiv, ING TagsEmerging Markets 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
Rising Interest Rates. How High Can They Rise?

Rising Interest Rates. How High Can They Rise?

Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 04.09.2022 10:36
Global inflation is higher, reflecting the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ongoing supply constraints, and strong demand. Many central banks are tightening monetary policy to combat inflation, and the resulting tighter financial conditions are moderating economic growth. Bank of Canada expected to raise interest rate In July, the Bank of Canada raised interest rates by 100 bp. It was the largest single rate increase since August 1998 after a series of hikes that began in March. Previously, the rate had been at 0.25 per cent where it sat since it was slashed to near-zero early in the pandemic.The BoC increased its target for the overnight rate to 2,5%, with the Bank Rate at 2,75% and the deposit rate at 2,5%. The Bank is also continuing its policy of quantitative tightening (QT). At press conference, Tiff Macklem - Governor explain what prompted your decision. The most important stimulus was that inflation in Canada was higher and more persistent than the Bank expected in its April Monetary Policy Report (MPR) and the fear of further growth as well as the lack of workers and many goods and services. Demand needs to slow down for supply to catch up and the price pressure to ease off. And the most important goal of monetary policy is to restore inflation to 2% and to achieve price stability. Source: www.bankofcanada.ca As shown by data from the Canadian bank, inflation slightly decreased. As inflation fell, the unemployment rate also fell in 22Q2. What could be positive news for the Canadian economy. According to the Bank's July speculation, inflation will fall to around 3% by the end of 2023 and will return to the 2% target by the end of 2024. Therefore, economists predict that there will be another rate hike in September. Some of Canada's major banks are forecasting the central bank will raise the key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, bringing it to 3.25 per cent. The next scheduled date for announcing the overnight rate target is September 7, 2022. Some economists think Wednesday's hike could be the last for a while. The RBA will raise rate by 50 bp? At meeting at 2 August 2022, the Board of RBA decided to increase the cash rate target by 50 basis points to 1.85 %. In the simplest terms, the RBA cash rate is Australia’s official interest rate. It also increased the interest rate on Exchange Settlement balances by 50 basis points to 1.75 %. The Board places a high priority on the return of inflation to the 2–3% range over time, while keeping the economy on an even keel. The path to achieve this balance is a narrow one and clouded in uncertainty, not least because of global developments. Inflation in Australia is the highest it has been since the early 1990s. In headline terms, inflation was 6.1 % over the year to the June quarter; in underlying terms it was 4.9 %. Global factors explain much of the increase in inflation, but domestic factors are also playing a role. There are widespread upward pressures on prices from strong demand, a tight labour market and capacity constraints in some sectors of the economy. The Bank's central forecast is for CPI inflation to be around 7,75% over 2022, a little above 4 % over 2023 and around 3 % over 2024. Australia Inflation is expected to peak later this year and then decline back towards the 2–3 % range. The expected moderation in inflation reflects the ongoing resolution of global supply-side problems, the stabilisation of commodity prices and the impact of rising interest rates. Forecasts that the RBA will raise the monetary rate by 50 basis points at its meeting on September 6, raising rates to 2.35%. Not only the economic situation shows this, but also the analysis of previous decisions. The interest rate hypotheses will be confirmed or disproved at the Tuesday meeting. Source: www.bankofcanada.ca, www.rba.gov.au
The Price Of EUR/USD Pair Will Develop Sideways Movement

Despite The Rising Rates, What Does Change Of Interest Rate Policy Means To Eurozone

ING Economics ING Economics 06.09.2022 12:24
Eurozone government deposits at the central bank are subject to a 0% rate cap. This means hundreds of billions of euros could be shifted around. In some cases, this will reduce repo lending or boost demand for safe bonds, all exacerbating the existing collateral shortage Source: Shutterstock The return to positive policy rates will change the incentives for public sector actors in markets Germany’s and Austria’s debt agencies no longer want to lend securities against cash Exiting negative and eventually zero interest rate policies does not simply mean higher rates, but it also means some of the incentives that have dictated the basic market structure and functioning we have become accustomed to over the years of extraordinary policies will change as well. One such change has been highlighted by reports that Germany’s and Austria’s debt agencies are planning to change their repo rules. They no longer want to lend out their securities against cash, but only against other collateral. Why now? And what are the amounts involved? Government cash deposits held at central banks are remunerated at the ECB's deposit facility rate, but importantly that remuneration is capped at zero. Given the vast amounts of excess liquidity in the banking system, short term market rates have traded noticeably below the deposit facility rate. With the deposit facility rate below or at zero the incentive for governments to park cash outside of the central bank were low. But the ECB is now expected to hike the deposit facility rate at a fast pace to well above zero, possibly by 75bp already this week – and the gap to the remuneration capped at 0% will widen quickly. For the abovementioned repos that means that the economics of  government debt agency lending out a security against cash and redepositing at the ECB will change dramatically. Ballooning government central bank deposits are a problem as their remuneration is capped at 0% Source: Refinitiv, ING Germany’s government deposits at the Bundesbank amount to currently €176bn, €120bn of which from the central government Eurozone government deposits at their respective central banks amount to around €600bn currently, fluctuating between €600 to 700bn over the past year. Pre-pandemic they were in the region of €200 to 300bn, already up from around €50 to 150bn before negative interest rates (and then QE) were introduced. But it was the pandemic that has led governments to build up vast cash buffers. Remuneration at the negative depo rate did not matter, it was actually better than market rates. Germany’s government deposits at the Bundesbank amount to currently €176bn, €120bn of which from the central government. Those of Austria at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank amount to €17bn. Certainly not all of that cash originates from the debt agencies' repo operations for which the rules are now tweaked. The operations affected are those that the agencies conduct to support market functioning and market liquidity. Collateral scarcity is set to worsen It all boils down to the one burning issue, the scarcity of high quality collateral. The incentives for the German debt agency to reduce its cash holdings at the central bank are clear. The options are to either seek alternative short term investments, or –  in this special case the simpler solution – to tweak the rules to avoid generating the cash in the first place. Crucially, allowing market participants to effectively only swap securities does not add to the overall availability of government bonds as lending against cash does. While it may still ease price distortions for individual securities, the overall high price for already scarce collateral is unaddressed. As an aside, the ECB's own securities lending against cash (capped at 150bn) has gained importance since late last year, tripling in volume to now account for half of the ECB's overall securities lending. Worsening collateral scarcity is already visible in widening 2Y German swap spreads Source: Refinitiv, ING   There should be an incentive to reduce the cash holdings at the central bank Looking beyond the case where just repo rules are tweaked, there should be an incentive to reduce the cash holdings at the central bank, thus limiting those holdings to the need for safety liquidity buffers. Some countries already have institutional arrangements in place to transfer the cash back to the banking system, via daily repos or the collection of non-collateralised deposits. Those arrangements were more likely meant to smoothen the volatility of the accounts to facilitate the ECB’s liquidity management rather than to structurally reduce the vast amounts that have now accumulated. Cash could of course also be invested in high quality liquid assets - think government bills or similar assets. Alternatively, debt agencies could run down cash buffers, simply by issuing less government paper. All of this to the same effect that the market's collateral availability for is further reduced. This is already visible in the stretched bond valuations (2Y German Schatz in the chart above) relative to swaps. Read this article on THINK
Poland's Inflation Expected to Reach Single Digits in August, but Disinflation to Slow Down

The Australian Dollar (AUD) Reacts Negatively To The RBA's Decision

TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 04.10.2022 10:05
AUD/USD meets with some supply after RBA hikes interest rates by 25 bps on Tuesday. A modest USD uptick further exerts some pressure, though the downside seems limited. Retreating US bond yields, the risk-on impulse seems to cap the buck and offers support. The AUD/USD pair comes under fresh selling pressure on Tuesday and erodes a part of the previous day's strong gains. The pair maintains its offered tone through the early European session and is currently placed near the lower end of its daily trading range, just above mid-0.6400s. The Australian dollar reacts negatively to the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision to slow the pace of policy tightening and raise interest rates by 25 bps against expectations for a 50 bps hike. This, along with a modest US dollar uptick, exerts downward pressure on the AUD/USD pair. The downside, however, seems limited, at least for the time being, warranting some caution for bearish traders. In the accompanying monetary policy statement, the Australian central bank said that it expects to keep raising interest rates this year as inflation is trending well above the target range. Furthermore, RBA Governor Philip Lowe noted that inflation is likely to rise in the coming months and end the year at about 7.75%. This, along with a tight labour market, gives the RBA more space to tighten further. The USD, on the other hand, has been struggling to gain any meaningful traction amid the ongoing fall in the US Treasury bond yields. Apart from this, the risk-on impulse - as depicted by a strong follow-through rally in the US equity futures - acts as a headwind for the safe-haven greenback. This, in turn, offers some support to the risk-sensitive aussie and helps limit losses for the AUD/USD pair. Market participants now look forward to the US economic docket - featuring JOLTS Job Openings and Factory Orders data. This, along with speeches by FOMC members and the US bond yields, will influence the USD and provide some impetus to the AUD/USD pair. Traders will further take cues from the broader market risk sentiment to grab short-term opportunities around the major.
Reserve Bank of New Zealand: Kenny Fisher says he expects a 25bp rate hike on May 24th

Reserve Bank Of New Zealand Raised Rates By 50bp Yet Again | In Anticipation Of The Next OPEC Meeting

Kamila Szypuła Kamila Szypuła 05.10.2022 09:27
Today there will be a lot of data from all over the world. The most important decisions and reports may affect the situation of the currency or commodities market. Retail Sales (MoM) Australia has published a retail sales report MoM. The reading has reached the expected level of 0.6%. The previous reading was at 1.3%, which means that it fell this time, but it was an expected drop. RBNZ Interest Rate Decision Today at 3:00 CET another decision on interest rates was made. Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) raised rates from 3.0% to 3.5%. In 2022. The market expected such a decision. The RBNZ raised rates by 50bp each time. Source: investing.com UK Purchasing Managers' Index reports At 10:30 CET, the UK will publish its Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) reports. The first one will concern the activity level of purchasing managers in the both sectors. It is expected to drop from 49.6 to 48.4 in September. This year it will be the second time that U.K. Composite Purchasing Managers' Index is below 50. This will mean another contraction in this sector. Another report will be on the activity level of purchasing managers in the services sector. It is expected to drop below 50 for the first time this year and reach 49.2. This means that the compression of this sector will begin as well. OPEC meeting The monthly OPEC meeting will take place at 12:00 CET. Meetings are attended by representatives from 13 oil-rich nations. They discuss a range of topics regarding energy markets and agree on how much oil they will produce. What kind of decisions can we expect? OPEC aims to change the price of oil by adjusting the volume of supply. If its members want to raise the price of oil, they can lower their production quotas to limit supply. In early September, OPEC surprised the markets and announced a slight reduction in oil production. We can expect that also this time the decision will be made to reduce production by OPEC+. The group may announce that it is expanding a general cooperation agreement between OPEC, Russia and other producing countries, which expires in December. Crude Oil Inventories At 16:30 U.S. will published report about the weekly change in the number of barrels of commercial crude oil held by US firms. This number is expected to increase from -0.215M to 2.052M which means it implies weaker demand and is bearish for crude prices. Source: investing.com ADP Nonfarm Employment Change At 14:15 CET, the U.S. report will appear. ADP Nonfarm Employment Change. It is a measure of the monthly change in non-farm, private employment, based on the payroll data of approximately 400,000 U.S. business clients. And this time it is expected to reach 200K. This would be a significant increase from 132K. Such a reading would be positive for the US currency (USD). ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI The Institute of Supply Management (ISM) will publish a report on Business, a composite index is calculated as an indicator of the overall economic condition for the non-manufacturing sector. The reading is expected to be at 56.0. It will be lower than its previous reading of 56.9. Despite expectations of a decline, the situation in this sector is positive, as it is above 50 for the entire period this year. Summary 2:30 CET Retail Sales (MoM) 3:30 CET RBNZ Interest Rate Decision 10:30 CET UK Composite PMI (Sep) 10:30 CET UK Services PMI (Sep) 11:00 CET German Buba Beermann Speaks 12:00 CET OPEC Meeting 14:15 CET ADP Nonfarm Employment Change (Sep) 16:00 CET ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI (Sep) 16:30 CET Crude Oil Inventories Source: https://www.investing.com/economic-calendar/
EUR: Stagflation Returns Amid Weaker Growth and Sticky Inflation

2022 Was One For The Record Books, Interest Rates Rose, Spreads Also Rose Across The Board

Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 08.01.2023 12:53
Time with loved ones over the new year provides the right perspective to focus on what is important.  So, before I dive into my market outlook, allow me to wish you a happy and prosperous new year. For fixed income, 2022 was one for the record books. Interest rates rose more than most predicted, and inflation continued its decade-long ability to surprise forecasters. Spreads also rose across the board, with few exceptions, and the US dollar was strong against developed and emerging market currencies, leaving little room to avoid financial market pain. Bonds in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries1 as well as global sukuk markets did an admirable job relieving much of that pain. Contrary to most investors’ perceptions of this region and asset class as volatile and risky, GCC fixed income and global sukuk markets delivered on their defensive attributes, declining 61% and 43% of the drawdown of emerging markets, respectively (see Exhibit 1 below.)2 Exhibit 1: 2022 Performance Normalized to 100 on December 31, 2021 Normalized Fixed Income PerformanceDecember 31, 2021–December 27, 2022   Source: Bloomberg, as of December 27, 2022. 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 guarantee of future results. See www.franklintempletondatasources.com for additional data provider information.   The major reason for this outperformance came from the stability of credit spreads. Whereas spreads across emerging markets widened by as much 80% and currently sit at approximately one-third higher than the beginning of 2021, GCC and global sukuk credit spreads were very resilient, spending much of the past year 20%-40% below their levels of 24 months ago (see Exhibit 2.)3 Exhibit 2: Index Credit Spreads Normalized to 100 on December 21, 2020 Normalized SpreadsJanuary 1, 2021–December 27, 2022   Source: Bloomberg, as of December 27, 2022. Actual Credit Spreads: Global Sukuk 83 bps, GCC 189 bps, EMBIDGD 499 bps, Global HY SS 823 bps)BP=basis point; one basis point is equal to 0.01%. 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 guarantee of future results. See www.franklintempletondatasources.com for additional data provider information.    Several factors come into play here. Part of this stability comes down to fundamentals. The GCC had a successful public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a robust reopening that, according to the International Monetary Fund, came at a fraction (about 1/6) of the cost it took advanced markets to engineer the same recovery (1.5% versus 7.5% of their 2020 gross domestic product as a fiscal response to COVID-19).4  Ukraine and Russia are remote from the GCC and the linkages are limited, which together with higher oil prices, supported the relative strength of GCC economies.  From a technical perspective, bond and sukuk issuance was down approximately 48% from a year ago,5 with demand stable or arguably increasing as foreign investors gradually reduced their structural underweight to the GCC. This last point is important. The GCC represents over 20% of the JPM EMBI Global Diversified Index and over 10% of JPM CEMBI Index, which we believe requires a thoughtful, active approach to regional allocations.  This explains much of the past, but where do we go from here? When we came into 2022, we expected the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to raise real rates and tighten financial conditions. By the middle of the year, we thought the job may have been done, with 10-year Treasury real rates above 0.75%, having moved from negative 1%.6 Real rates kept rising to above 1.5%, presenting attractive opportunities to take advantage of yields that had reached levels we have not seen in two decades. In a relatively short period of time, the Fed raised rates by 425 basis points, transforming the potential income production and protection fixed income can provide portfolios. Looking into 2023, we believe investors will want to take advantage of these yields. The turnaround in fixed income may have already started in November, but the outlook for bonds and sukuk remain more attractive to us than other risk assets—certainly on a risk-adjusted basis, but potentially also on an absolute basis. Exhibit 3: Historical Average Index Yield to Maturity in Percent Absolute Yields Approaching Highest Levels in Two Decades (Excluding the Global Financial Crisis)January 1, 2002–December 27, 2022   Sources: Bloomberg, as of December 27, 2022. 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. See www.franklintempletondatasources.com for additional data provider information.   The challenge of course is that the Fed seems intent on continuing to tighten financial conditions, against what we see as an ongoing economic slowdown. We believe the Fed is guiding to a higher terminal rate well above 5%,7 intends to stay there at least through 2023, and only cut rates gradually thereafter. The market may change its view as economic data comes through—particularly inflation data—but for now has lowered its estimate for the terminal rate slightly to 4.9% by March 2023, and expects rate cuts to begin by July 2023. Implicit in both projections is that inflation has peaked, and the majority of rate hikes are behind us.  From our perspective, it seems sensible to at least project stable benchmark rates, that may also decline faster if the recession in the United States is more significant, or inflation declines more rapidly. We recognize these as critical inputs and enter the year long duration. Credit spreads are more challenging to forecast; there is a risk they widen. That is why we have a pronounced preference for higher-quality credits that have financial buffers to manage slowing economic activity. This is not to say we are not taking any risk, as there are opportunities in emerging markets that reflect dire outcomes that we think may not materialize, or at least compensate us for the risks involved. On average, however, our portfolios do have higher credit quality than the recent past. Oil may be vulnerable to slowing demand, but we think both OPEC+, through production cuts, and the US administration, through commitments to replenish its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR), should manage to keep oil prices above US$70 a barrel, which is enough to keep pressure on GCC credit trajectories at a modest level. It is worth considering that this oil-price cycle, because of reforms to national oil companies and fiscal budgets, has had a more benign impact on local liquidity, so financial conditions will likely remain tight across the GCC without further domestic monetary intervention. Exhibit 4: GCC Banks’ Liquidity Measured Using Loans-to-Deposit Ratios (2017-August 2022) GCC Bank Loans to Deposit Ratios at Various Brent Oil Prices2017–August 2022   Source: Franklin Templeton Research, as of October 2022.   The outlook for issuance appears set to improve, returning to annual levels of US$75-$80 billion on average. GCC governments are expected to see US$199.3 billion in fixed income maturities over the next five years (2023-2027), with corporate maturities at US$169.1 billion, for a total of US$368.4 billion).8 Saudi Arabia is expected to see maturities of US$125 billion until 2027, followed by UAE and Qatari issuers at US$109.8 billion and US$73.1 billion, respectively.9 The GCC’s share of emerging market issuance is set to increase, especially if lower rated (single B and below) issuers continue to struggle accessing primary markets. Exhibit 5: GCC Bonds, Loans and Sukuk Issuance and Projected Bond Redemptions 2022 Issuance Declines 48%Maturities Set to Increase from 2023 (in US$, Thousands)2023–2027 (Forecast)   Source: Bloomberg, as of December 27, 2022. There is no assurance that any estimate, forecast or projection will be realized.   After every sharp drawdown in fixed income, there have been strong recoveries. Though one must be careful not to discount the adjustment that bond markets have just lived through, we believe high-quality bonds have the potential to deliver the best risk-adjusted returns.    Faced with continued uncertainty and an abundance of risk, one may be tempted to time the market or wait for attractive entry levels. We believe this may be a mistake. In our view, it would be more prudent to focus on asset allocation and consider an increase in higher-quality fixed income sectors, including GCC bonds or global sukuk, that look poised to better defend portfolios and provide attractive levels of income.  Endnotes The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic union of Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf. Established in 1981, its six members are the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. The Dow Jones Sukuk Total Return Index is designed to track the performance of global Islamic fixed income securities, known as sukuk. The index measures an investment (excluding reinvestment) in US dollar-denominated, investment-grade sukuk that have been screened for Shariah compliance. The JP Morgan EMBI Global Index measures total returns for traded foreign debt instruments in emerging countries. The FTSE MENA Broad Bond Index tracks GCC corporate and sovereign bonds. The Bloomberg Global High Yield Index measures the global high yield debt market, representing the US High Yield, the Pan-European High Yield, and Emerging Markets Hard Currency High Yield Indexes. The Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index measures global investment-grade debt from 28 local currency markets including treasury, government-related, corporate and securitized fixed-rate bonds from both developed and emerging markets issuers. 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 guarantee of future results. See www.franklintempletondatasources.com for additional data provider information. Spreads are measured in basis points. The JP Morgan Middle East Composite Index (MECI) measures the performance of Middle East corporate and sovereign bonds. The J.P. Morgan Emerging Market Bond Index Global Diversified Index (EMBIGD) is a uniquely weighted USD-denominated emerging markets sovereign index. The Dow Jones Sukuk Total Return Index is designed to track the performance of global Islamic fixed income securities, known as sukuk. The index measures an investment (excluding reinvestment) in US dollar-denominated, investment-grade sukuk that have been screened for Shariah compliance. The J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index Global ("EMBI Global") tracks total returns for traded external debt instruments in emerging markets. Source: IMF, COVID-19 Policy Tracker and staff calculations. Source: Bloomberg, as of December 27, 2022. Source: Bloomberg. FOMC “Dot Plots” as of December 14, 2022, show a median of 5.125%, and a high of 5.625%. There is no assurance that any estimate, forecast or projection will be realized. Sources: Bloomberg, Kamco Invest Research, GCC Fixed Income Market Update, December 2022. Ibid. WHAT ARE THE RISKS? All investments involve risks, including the 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. 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 lower-rated bonds include higher risk of default and loss of principal. Changes in the credit rating of a bond, or in the credit rating or financial strength of a bond’s issuer, insurer or guarantor, may affect the bond’s value. In general, an investor is paid a higher yield to assume a greater degree of credit risk. The risks associated with higher-yielding, lower-rated debt securities include higher risk of default and loss of principal. Treasuries, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fixed principal value; their interest payments and principal are guaranteed. Investments in foreign securities involve special risks including currency fluctuations, economic instability and political developments. Investments in emerging markets, of which frontier markets are a subset, 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. Because these frameworks are typically even less developed in frontier markets, as well as various factors including the increased potential for extreme price volatility, illiquidity, trade barriers and exchange controls, the risks associated with emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets. To the extent a strategy focuses on particular countries, regions, industries, sectors or types of investment from time to time, it may be subject to greater risks of adverse developments in such areas of focus than a strategy that invests in a wider variety of countries, regions, industries, sectors or investments.
FX Daily: Hawkish Riksbank can lift the krona today

US dollar: judging from Jing Ren's words, 25bp Fed rate hike by is almost cemented

Jing Ren Jing Ren 26.01.2023 12:48
Amidst all the debate of whether the US is heading into a recession this year, we get the first look at last year's GDP figures. This could be the biggest market moving event of the week, especially if expectations are not met. And there is something of a wide range of forecasts. The Fed's GDPNow tool is saying it will be 3.5%, while the consensus among economists is that it will be 2.6%. That compares to the prior quarter's revised 3.2% result. But it's important to remember that just as a country can have a "technical recession", it can have "technical growth" as well. One of the main drivers for third quarter GDP growth was an unexpected decline in imports. Meaning that the trade calculation contributed to GDP, but only because Americans were buying less. It's all inflation's fault Given the context of high inflation at the time, it's logical Americans were buying less. At the time, the dollar was relatively strong, meaning that imports constituted deflationary pressures. Since then, the dollar has gotten weaker in anticipation that the Fed will stop raising rates. That means imported goods have increased in price, which could technically support a growing GDP figure. The other interesting factor is that a recent review of leading indicators by the Conference Board showed that all segments of the US economy were decreasing except for two. Those were employment and personal consumption. The unemployment rate remains remarkably low, just a couple decimals off a multi-decade low. But that is likely because it's still dislocated from covid. Where's the money coming from? Turning to address the personal consumption factor, Americans have been spending down their savings of late. More worrisome for the long-term resilience of the economy, they have been taking on increasing amounts of debt. Major US banks pointed this out in their latest earnings, as deposits have diminished. Concurrently, net charge-offs (a measure of distressed debt) have been creeping higher, as Americans struggle to pay for their credit cards. Read next: McDonald's earnings: Currently, it is anticipated by several analysts that the EPS forecast for the quarter ending December 2022 is $2.44 | FXMAG.COM The head of JPMorgan, who's rather pessimistic about the economic future of the US, pointed to the rate of savings among his bank's customers is dwindling and would run out by October of this year. If interest rates remain high, it would be much harder for people to take on debt to continue spending. The largest driver of the US economy, and one of only two positive sectors at the moment, is dwindling. Gauging the market reaction The market might not particularly like a good GDP figure, since that would imply the Fed could keep hiking in order to tame inflation. But, even if that hurts stocks, it could give the dollar a bit of a boost. Meanwhile, a disappointing figure could give the markets some relief over rate hikes, as it could be interpreted as a sign that the Fed's forecasts are a little too optimistic, and they might even have to cut rates in the near future. The Fed meets next week, and there is a pretty solid consensus that there will be just a 25bps hike. This is the last major data point before the meeting, because January NFP figures won't be released until the Friday after the FOMC. Therefore this data could be pivotal for expectations for the Fed.
FX Daily: Resuming the Norm – Dollar Gains Momentum as Quarter-End Flows Fade

US: Fed raises interest rate again

FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 02.02.2023 12:49
The first meeting of the Open Market Committee this year is behind us. The FOMC, as expected, decided to raise interest rates in the US for the eighth time in a row, this time by 25 basis points. Thus, the range of the federal reserve funds reserve ratio increased to the highest level since October 2007: 4.50-4.75%. Given that basically no one expected the Fed to make a decision other than half the rate hike than last December, what is more important from the perspective of the markets is what the governor of the US central bank, Jerome Powell, has to say. Summary: at the February meeting of the Open Market Committee, as expected, interest rates increased by 25 basis points this means that the federal reserve funds rate range has increased to 4.50-4.75% Market expectations assume that the Federal Reserve will end the cycle of interest rate hikes after its March meeting, and that the beginning of the Fed 's rate cut will take place later this year Fed decision in February 2023 At the first meeting of the Open Market Committee this year, an increase in interest rates by 25 basis points was approved . This means that the Federal Reserve Funds rate range increased to 4.50%-4.75% . Once again, the Fed did not surprise the market with its decision - long before the FOMC meeting, analysts agreed that the members of the committee would vote for a gradual phasing out of the monetary policy tightening in the US. On the eve of this year's first FOMC meeting, over 99% of positions on future interest rate contracts were betting on a 25 basis point increase in interest rates . Less than 1% of positions assumed leaving interest rates at last year's level (range 4.25-4.50%). It is interesting, however, that for the first time in many months, none of the participants of the FRA contracts market took into account the scenario of a 50 basis point rate hike. It is worth noting that at the end of December last year, over 32% of futures positions bet that the FOMC will vote for a rate hike of another 50 basis points at the February meeting. Such a radical change in the proportion of future interest rate contracts within just one month is a clear signal that the baseline scenario for market participants is the imminent end of the interest rate hike cycle in the US. Read next: Eurozone inflation: We believe the issue's roots were building up before the war, and some are saying it was groundwork set by the ECB| FXMAG.COM Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's conference more important than the decision itself Taking into account the fact that the Fed was a kind of hostage to market expectations and that a decision other than a 25 bp rate hike . would be quite a shock for him, more interest was aroused by Jerome Powell's conference after the FOMC meeting. What next, i.e. when will the Fed stop raising rates? The first interest rate hike in the United States this year is also the eighth in a row in this cycle of monetary tightening conducted by the Fed since March 2022. For investors from all over the world, however, it is important when the US Federal Reserve decides to end the rate hikes and when the first signals and then the first reductions in the dollar interest rate will appear. Looking at the current distribution of positions on FRA contracts of various series, it can be seen that market participants expect the end of the cycle of interest rate increases already at the third FOMC meeting this year , which is scheduled for May 3rd. More than 82% of positions on March futures bet that interest rates will also go up by 25 basis points at the next meeting. Less than 17% of positions on FRA contracts assume keeping rates at the current level (4.50-4.75%). As for the May series of futures contracts (which are betting on the third FOMC meeting this year), almost 55% of positions assume that the Fed will not raise interest rates in May , thus ending the monetary tightening cycle in the United States that has lasted over a year. The implementation of this scenario assumes an increase in interest rates in the US to the range of 4.75-5.00% . An equally burning issue is when the Fed will begin to ease monetary policy Of course, no one knows the answer to this question yet, especially since central bankers' decisions are shaped in a dynamic macroeconomic environment. In the coming months, a lot of things can happen that can both accelerate and significantly postpone the Fed 's decision to start interest rate cuts in the US. Much will depend on the rate of decline in inflation and the condition of the labor market. It is interesting, however, that on the day of this year's first FOMC meeting, most participants in the FRA contracts market expect that already at the end of this year... the Fed will start to cut interest rates. For example, on the December contract series, over 30% of positions assume the range of the federal reserve funds rate of 4.25-4.50%, which is exactly the same as before today's Fed decision . More than 33% of positions assume the range of interest rates at 4.50-4.75% at the end of the year, which assumes the scenario of the last 25 bp rate hike this year . in March, means one interest rate cut at the end of 2023. The market therefore hopes that the Fed will quickly turn from a hawk into a dovish one that will not delay cutting rates as soon as the macroeconomic readings and the general climate in the US economy allow it.
There’s still life in the US jobs market, but challenges are mounting

US PCE Price Index is forecast to reach 0.4%, what can support further Fed rate hikes

Michalis Efthymiou Michalis Efthymiou 24.02.2023 12:04
Stocks drop to a new monthly low as the economy faces low growth and more monetary pressure. On the other hand, the price of Gold continues to move within February’s previously formed trend. The US released its latest Quarterly Gross Domestic Product figure yesterday, triggering increased volatility. The GDP figure showed 2.7%, lower than the expected 2.9% but still higher than the last 2 quarters. The figure also confirms the US is not in a recession. Today’s investors will fix their eyes on the Core PCE Price Index, which the Fed closely watches However, the economic growth is still lower than previously thought, but the Federal Reserve is still likely to stick to its hawkish stance. The issue for the stock market is that companies are now under pressure from poor growth and high-interest rates. Today’s investors will fix their eyes on the Core PCE Price Index, which the Fed closely watches. The PCE Price Index is expected to rise from 0.3% to 0.4%. This would take the index to its highest point since October. Most economists believe a figure of 0.4% above will further support more rate hikes. Read next: According to NAGA analyst, Fed rate hike of more than 50bp can significantly pressure the price of Gold | FXMAG.COM
Fed's Kashkari is open to a rate pause next month. Hopefully, this week's minutes give us a few more details

Fed Chair testimony summary: Powell emphasized that the final decision has not been made and it would largely depend on the jobs data coming out on Friday

Santa Zvaigzne Sproge Santa Zvaigzne Sproge 09.03.2023 11:21
Fed Chair, Jerome Powell testified yesterday, so markets have more information to digest in the following days as everybody is awaiting the next Fed decision later this month. What's more, we're between higher-than-expected ADP print and tomorrow's NFP, so the US dollar may find itself in the eye of the storm shortly. Let's hear from Santa Zvaigzne-Sproge (Conotoxia), who summarizes yesterday's testimony. The final decision has not been made and it would largely depend on the jobs data coming out on Friday Santa Zvaigzne-Sproge (Conotoxia): Mr. Powell’s testimony on Tuesday was cautiously awaited by the majority of investors. His sentiment during the speech signaled that the Fed is ready to continue raising the interest rates if economic data continues to come out stronger than anticipated. The same message was reaffirmed by him also on Wednesday’s Q&A session. Although, he emphasized that the final decision has not been made and it would largely depend on the jobs data coming out on Friday, 10/03 at 13:30 GMT and inflation readings coming out on Tuesday, 14/03 at 12:30 GMT. While such an answer may not provide clarity on the upcoming interest rate decision, it gives a valuable pointer to investors about what macroeconomic data should be watched in the upcoming days for more clarity. The probability of a 50bp rate hike increased to 69% during Mr. Powell’s speech on Tuesday but hiked to 77.1% after Wednesday’s Q&A session, according to CME Group data Investors should be ready that not only the terminal rate previously anticipated at 5.1% may go higher, but also that the slower rate hike in the previous month may have been short-lived and we may expect a return to a 50bp rate hike in the Fed meeting later this month if the above-mentioned data come out higher than expected. The probability of a 50bp rate hike increased to 69% during Mr. Powell’s speech on Tuesday but hiked to 77.1% after Wednesday’s Q&A session, according to CME Group data. At a current benchmark interest rate in the range of 4.5% – 4.75%, half a percent would increase the range to 5% - 5.25%. The Fed official appeared to be more cautious about ending the tightening cycle of monetary policy prematurely rather than keeping it tight for more than necessary Mr. Powell focused on lower inflation in the housing market and softening of the labor market as the key components of driving inflation to its target level. He also admitted that monetary policy affects economic stability and inflation with a certain time lag, meaning that the full effect of the previous interest rate hikes may still have some time to realize. Nevertheless, the Fed official appeared to be more cautious about ending the tightening cycle of monetary policy prematurely rather than keeping it tight for more than necessary. Read next: According to Rick Rieder (BlackRock) the high level of employment will likely keep inflation high and warrant a 6% interest rate for the Fed | FXMAG.COM S&P500 dropped 0.61% in the first five minutes of Mr. Powell’s speech on Tuesday and continued the downtrend until the end of the day giving up 1.45% The better-than-expected economic data leading to Mr. Powell’s speech may have prepared, or at least warned, investors of the potential further interest rate hikes, therefore financial markets took a hit on Tuesday but did not collapse. S&P500 dropped 0.61% in the first five minutes of Mr. Powell’s speech on Tuesday and continued the downtrend until the end of the day giving up 1.45%. Gold lost ground already before Mr. Powell’s speech giving up nearly 2% of its value during the whole trading day. On Wednesday, the market consolidated with S&P500 finishing the day with +0.14% and gold finishing the day with +0.07% although it tried to move higher intraday. Santa Zvaigzne-Sproge, CFA, Head of Investment Advice Department at Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis, and opinions contained, referenced, or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. The personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement, or 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. 76,41% 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.
The US PCE Data Is Expected To Confirm Another Modest Slowdown

Judging from bonds, central banks from both sides of the Atlatnic may cut rates

Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 30.03.2023 13:08
What are the implications of the ongoing volatility in the banking sector, and what does it mean for markets in Europe and globally? Check out highlights from our most recent discussion with Kim Catechis, Investment Strategist with the Franklin Templeton Institute. Given the ongoing volatility in the banking sector, Kim Catechis, Investment Strategist with the Franklin Templeton Institute, recently hosted a webinar with David Zahn, Co-Chair of the Stewardship and Sustainability Council and Head of Europe Fixed Income with Franklin Templeton Fixed Income, to discuss their perspective on recent events, where we are now, and what the implications are for markets in Europe and globally.   One week on from a shotgun marriage, credit markets seem more composed than rates The markets appear to have largely digested the events of last week, but we now see the credit markets demonstrating more composure than the rates markets. That’s unusual, and we think it’s a strong signal from investors. We have seen that many of the spread markets are not moving as much as we would expect, excluding the AT11 (Additional Tier 1 bonds) market. It does seem that the rates markets are pricing in that we're going to see rate cuts from the central banks, which we think is probably not appropriate. It's really the rate volatility that is the most extreme, as opposed to say high yield or credit, which has not been nearly as punished. The rates market is trying to figure out what's going on, whereas normally that's a calmer market than the AT1s. It makes sense, as we did witness that big selloff of the Credit Suisse AT1 bonds last week. AT1s are not dead—just reserved for the biggest and strongest The write-down of the Credit Suisse AT1s made investors question: Is this asset class viable? Overall, we still think it's a viable market. But it's going to be different in the future—only the bigger banks are going to be allowed to issue AT1s. Smaller banks will likely struggle to issue their AT1s, so they may have to go back to more equity, which isn't ideal from their perspective, but does makes sense given circumstances. We have seen a bounce back from the lows, but it is obvious that investors are still trying to get comfortable with the likely outcomes. For example, does this mean that banks will require more permanent capital as opposed to bonds that can be called? We think the process will still take some time, but the yields on AT1s are now really high, in the region of 9% to 11%. That’s the level of yields that will probably attract buyers once we see more stability. The hierarchy of equity and bondholders still holds—officially Everyone now knows that the Swiss banks (UBS and Credit Suisse) do have this clause that allows the regulatory authorities to execute a permanent write-down in the event of government involvement, just as they did in the case of Credit Suisse AT1 bondholders. All the other regulators in Europe and the United Kingdom have come out and said that they believe the equity needs to be wiped out first before the AT1s. And that's the way it's written in their prospectuses. This should provide some comfort, but some investors may look back and just say, well, it's been done before, so it could happen again. In theory, anything is possible. But overall, it looks like a different market now. Investors are going to focus on the standard calculation: What is the risk versus return? The balance between equity and fixed income Given the turmoil in capital markets and the surprise reverse hierarchy of the Credit Suisse resolution, investors are reconsidering their options in terms of how best to gain exposure in the banking sector. Thinking about a future with higher levels of regulation, higher capital requirements, potentially explicit limitations to certain activities and higher cost of capital, equity investors will wonder if it is worthwhile to take on the sector risks for structurally lower Return on Equity (RoE) and Return on Assets (RoA) than they have been used to. Maybe it’s turning into a sector for fixed interest? For bond investors, the senior debt, Tier 3 and Tier 2 issuance will be attractive parts of the capital structure. Tier 1 will be different, the natural buyers will be a reduced number, meaning a restricted pool of investors and, again, at a higher cost of capital. Something to watch! Banks should remain central to European economic activity but pay a higher cost of capital Clearly bank regulation will be more intense and banks will have to pay more for capital over the next several years, because they are now seen as riskier institutions. The investors’ perspective will be to demand a higher yield to own banking debt all the way up the capital structure, not just AT1s. But has anything fundamentally changed regarding how investors look at banks? Probably not. European economies are arguably more reliant on the intermediation of banks than in the United States; as a result, the regulators will avoid impinging on lending activities. A central focus will be the stability of the banks so that they can continue to help turn the wheels of economic activity. The recent volatility has clouded the situation, but ultimately investors will continue to invest in banks, albeit at a higher threshold asking price. Exactly how much higher will become clear when the interest-rate cycle is settled. The guessing game around interest rates continues Reading the signals from the bond markets on both sides of the Atlantic, it seems that they are pricing in rate cuts. Logically, this makes investor sentiment cautious. What does this tell us? Does it suggest we are heading into a recession? We don’t think so. Our base case is that we are unlikely to get rate cuts this year. In this scenario, owning relatively riskier assets probably makes sense. But we observe a lot of investors preferring to stay on the sidelines, to watch rather than to take action. We believe that there is an opportunity in rates, at the shorter end of the curve. Many are questioning if the traditional 2% inflation objective still holds. Read next: FX Daily: Unorthodox correlations| FXMAG.COM We think it is still appropriate. Over the next couple of years, they will be at higher levels, but that's where central bankers are getting a little caught up in the current data, and not enough in the forward-looking data because inflation expectations have not become an anchor. From that perspective, they want to make sure those inflation expectations two or three years out are really kept low. This could, of course, change very much in the next six months, depending on how inflation data comes out, possibly triggering a change. Remember that for a long time, especially in Europe, we had an inflation target of just 2% that we didn't meet for almost a decade. We believe that inflation pressures will be higher over the next couple of years, but you do want to bring it down to that lower line in the medium term. Good corporate citizenship is now central to the investment case Clearly we don't know all the details yet, but French prosecutors yesterday reportedly raided the Paris offices of BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Natixis, HSBC and several other banks as part of an alleged tax evasion scheme associated with dividend payments. It is related to an equivalent investigation in Germany that has already resulted in senior bankers and a tax inspector being imprisoned. While this event does not necessarily imply any liquidity or solvency risks to the institutions, it does add a layer of concern around environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations and tarnished reputations. Our early conclusion is that episodes like this are evidence of our fiduciary duty, of our obligation to look at the sustainability of our investments, and the behavior of these corporates and their management teams. It is an important area that will continue to be a focus. We want to first establish the facts: Is it a system-wide problem, is it confined to individual banks? How does that affect the sustainability of their business models? All the more damaging if you're a bank that says it embeds sustainability in its business, are you in the clear in these situations? Audience questions: Do short sellers and investment bankers take advantage of the mistakes of bank managers to try to force the central banks to change policy? What is the bond market trying to do? Is it trying to force the central banks to cut rates by pricing aggressively? That would be almost the opposite of the bond vigilantes.2 That could be what a segment of the market is trying to influence. But we had a huge number of short positions built up in rates even prior to this whole event. And we've seen several market players hit quite hard because they've had to cover their shorts quite quickly, which probably exacerbated this move. However, we believe that the central bankers are quite clear that they're not going to deviate. Inflation is still a problem. We don't know if it's coming down. We don't want to make the same mistake that we made in the 1970s. We'll make a different mistake of course, but not the same mistake. The central banks are going to continue along their process and that's why we have an opportunity to shorten up duration at least for the short term and look to add over the next three to six months. Does this situation, in your opinion, lead to deposits in banking systems being kept in Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)? We are unlikely to see that in the short term, but we'll see treasurers worrying about their treasury function. And clients’ individual exposure to banks is becoming much more diversified. Will the orientation toward money markets keep growing? In Europe there are many governmental programs that issue bonds or launch deposits that are fully guaranteed by the state and offer quite attractive value. On the flip side, you probably want to diversify your country exposure. There is no doubt we will see more diversification and at some point, maybe we do see Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs_ taking some deposits. Stephen Dover, CFAChief Investment Strategist,Franklin Templeton Institute Endnotes An AT1 is a form of Contingent Convertible (CoCo) bond which a bank struggling financially does not have to repay. A bond vigilante is a bond trader who threatens to sell, or actually sells, a large amount of bonds to protest or signal distaste with policies of the issuer.   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 fast-growing industries like the technology sector (which historically has been volatile) could result in increased price fluctuation, especially over the short term, due to the rapid pace of product change and development and changes in government regulation of companies emphasizing scientific or technological advancement or regulatory approval for new drugs and medical instruments. Buying and using blockchain-enabled digital currency carries risks, including the loss of principal. Any companies and/or case studies referenced herein are used solely for illustrative purposes; any investment may or may not be currently held by any portfolio advised by Franklin Templeton. The information provided is not a recommendation or individual investment advice for any particular security, strategy, or investment product and is not an indication of the trading intent of any Franklin Templeton managed portfolio. Franklin Templeton and our Specialist Investment Managers have certain environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) goals or capabilities; however, not all strategies are managed to “ESG” oriented objectives. Source: Quick Thoughts: Market volatility and developments in the banking sector | Franklin Templeton
ECB enters final stage of tightening cycle

ECB enters final stage of tightening cycle

ING Economics ING Economics 04.05.2023 14:38
The European Central Bank has hiked its policy interest rate by 25bp and seems to have entered the final stage of its current tightening cycle ECB President Christine Lagarde   The ECB has entered the final stage of its rate hike cycle. As expected, the central bank increased its main policy interest rates by 25bp, bringing the deposit rate to 3.25%. Since July last year, the ECB has hiked interest rates at every single policy meeting, by a total of 375bp. This is by far, the most aggressive monetary policy tightening cycle since the start of the monetary union.   While today’s hike is the seventh increase in a row, it is the smallest in the current cycle, suggesting that the ECB has entered the final stage of this tightening cycle. Although recent data has confirmed that underlying inflationary pressure is stickier than expected, weak credit growth and the latest results of the Bank Lending Survey have indicated that the rate hikes so far are leaving clear marks on the economy. And these effects have been stronger and materialised faster than the ECB probably expected. In fact, at current levels and given the lagged impact of monetary policy tightening both in the eurozone and the US, the risk is high that every single additional rate hike from here could turn out to be a policy mistake further down the road. Read next: Asia week ahead: Inflation readings from China and India| FXMAG.COM Today’s decision signals that the ECB has entered the final stage of its current tightening cycle. In the current, very complicated macro environment with the lagged impact from previous hikes, banking turmoil, and subdued growth but still sticky inflation, the ECB will tread more carefully. How far the ECB is willing to go from here might become a bit clearer at the press conference, starting at 2.45pm CET. Read this article on THINK TagsMonetary policy Inflation 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
Debt Ceiling Drama! How the Bond Market Reacts and What It Means for Rates

Debt Ceiling Drama! How the Bond Market Reacts and What It Means for Rates

ING Economics ING Economics 30.05.2023 08:38
Rates Spark: Debt ceiling deal adds to bond angst A deal to raise the US debt ceiling increases selling pressure on Treasuries, but will also result in tighter financial conditions for the economy. This opens upside to EUR rates but a soggy economic backdrop means wider rate differentials near-term.   Once approved, the debt limit deal paves the way to a liquid crunch  The deal between President Biden and House leader McCarthy amounts to the removal of a tail risk for financial markets, that of a US default. Even if this was a tiny probability event to begin with, it'll allow markets to focus on the more important debate: whether the Fed is indeed done with its hiking cycle. The budget deal, which lifts the debt limit for two years and caps some categories of government spending, still needs to be approved by the House tomorrow.   The outcome of the vote is uncertain but the likely opposition by some Republicans means Democrat votes will be key. We expect the run-up to the vote to see Treasury Yields gradually climb higher if more lawmakers come out in favour of the deal.   Money markets can expect a $500bn liquidity drain over the coming months Beyond tomorrow, US rates will quickly look past the deal and turn their attention to the Treasury's task of rebuilding its cash buffer at the Fed. Two aspects matter here. On the liquidity front, money markets can expect a $500bn drain over the coming months as more debt is issued. In a context of $95bn/month Quantitative Tightening (QT) and of likely tightening of at least some banks' funding conditions, this should amount to an additional drag on financial conditions for the broader economy.   This should ultimately draw a line under the US Treasury selloff but, should the new borrowing come with an increase in maturity, some of that support may be weakened.   The case for a June hike has strengthened after Friday's higher than expected core PCE print and Treasuries are set to trade softly into Friday's jobs report as recent prints have demonstrated the labour market's resilience. 4% yield for 10Y now seems a more achievable level.   Weak European data prevents EUR rates from rising as fast as their US peers        
Upcoming Central Bank Meetings and China's LPR Rates: Asia's Economic Outlook

EUR/USD Outlook: Can China's Recovery Help Rescue the Euro?

ING Economics ING Economics 30.05.2023 08:49
EUR: Can China come to the euro's rescue? EUR/USD has quietly slipped below support at 1.0700/1.0720 and may be gently making its way to the March lows at 1.0515/0530. As we mentioned last week, we think   EUR/USD is relatively cheap given the massive reversal in energy prices over the last year and that, in time, the 1.05/1.07 area will come to be seen as a summer base.   Helping that proposition would be some kind of recovery in China. The release of the China Beige Book has shown some recovery in the China manufacturing sector in May.   Official May Chinese PMI figures are released later this week. A bounceback here, helping to reverse the recent run-up in USD/CNH, could provide the euro with some support.   For today, the eurozone focus will be on the release of industrial and consumer confidence figures for May. Consensus expects some further deterioration here and if so this should keep EUR/USD on the soft side. We will also hear from a raft of ECB speakers today.   Expect more hawkish rhetoric especially in advance of the May eurozone CPI data on Thursday. Consensus expects core eurozone CPI to edge lower to 5.5% year-on-year in May. Another upside surprise here – feeding the sticky inflation narrative – warns that investors could return to pricing a 4.00% ECB deposit rate.   - Chris Turner
Gold's Resilience Tested Amid Rising Dollar and Bond Yields

CEE: US Dollar Continues to Haunt the Region's FX Market

ING Economics ING Economics 30.05.2023 09:01
CEE: US dollar remains the region's nightmare The second print of first quarter GDP in the Czech Republic will be published today. Besides the GDP breakdown, we will also see the wage bill, which has been mentioned several times by the Czech National Bank as a potential reason for a rate hike in June.   Tomorrow, inflation for May and the details of first quarter GDP in Poland will be published. We expect headline inflation to fall from 14.7% to 13.0% YoY, below market expectations, mainly due to fuel and energy prices. On Thursday, we will see PMI numbers across the region, where we expect a slight deterioration in sentiment across the board.   Later, we will see state budget data in the Czech Republic, which posted its worst-ever result in April, raising questions about additional government bond issuance. The European Parliament is also scheduled to hold a session on Thursday, which is expected to cover the Hungarian EU presidency and is also likely to touch on the topic of EU money and the rule of law.   The FX market, as usual in recent weeks, will be dominated by the global story and the US dollar. So, even this week, CEE FX will not be in a bed of roses. We still see the Polish zloty as the most vulnerable, which despite some weakening in the past week remains near record highs. The market has built up a significant long position in PLN over the past two months.   Plus, we may hear more election noise. Moreover, the significant fall in inflation should push the interest rate differential lower. Thus, we see EUR/PLN around 4.540.   The Czech koruna remains the most sensitive currency in the region against the US dollar, which should be the main driver this week. On the other hand, the reversal in the rate differential has been indicating a reversal in EUR/CZK for a few days now.   Thus, at least a stable EUR/USD could allow the koruna to move toward 23.600. The Hungarian forint can expect a headline attack from the European Parliament this week, and given the current strong levels, we could easily see weaker levels again closer to 375 EUR/HUF.   However, we believe the market will use any spike to build long positions in HUF again.
Exploring the Future of Metaverse Technology: Insights from Akash Girimath

Brand24: Strong Financial Results and Positive AI Sentiment Drive Upside Potential - Adding to Our Portfolio

GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 30.05.2023 14:45
We add Brand24’s shares to the long side of our monthly portfolio. Brand24 is the company for which we prepare the reports for the Warsaw Stock Exchange SA within the framework of the Analytical Coverage Support Program 3.0. Rationale: (i) 1Q23 good financial results (in consequence, the realization of our FY revenues and profits forecasts is higher than a year ago) imply ceteris paribus the upside risk for our current FY forecasts, (ii) investors’ positive sentiment towards companies related to AI development/ implementation, and (iii) pending strategic options review.This is an excerpt from the Polish version of DM BOŚ SA’s research report prepared for the Warsaw Stock Exchange SA within the framework of the Analytical Coverage Support Program 3.0.   Upcoming events 1. Release of selected KPIs for 2Q23: mid-July2. Release of 2Q23 financial results: October 23. Release of selected KPIs for 3Q23: mid-October4. Release of 3Q23 financial results: November 295. Completion of the (co-funded by EU) AI project (Abstrakcyjna sumaryzacja danych multimodalnych): by 2023-end6. Completion of the strategic options review: by 2023-end   Catalysts 1. ARPU/ MRR growth ahead of expectations2. More dynamic new clients acquisition3. Commercial success of new products (e.g. Insights24)4. Progression of financial results ahead of expectations5. Stronger USD vs PLN6. Agility in the AI field proves to be the right approach7. Strategic options review effects boosting the Company’s development on foreign markets   Risk factors 1. Lower availability of Internet data, higher cost of their acquisition2. IT infrastructure/ software malfunction3. Maintaining financial liquidity4. Product concentration5. Inability to adapt promptly to changes in ways of presenting/ consuming content in the Internet6. FX risk (USD weakening vs PLN))7. Adverse changes in search engines algorithms8. Rise in competitive pressures in the sector9. Hike in R&D needs10. Transfer pricing risk11. RODO risk12. Inability to attract new clients and retain the existing ones13. Rising churn14. Low share liquidity15. Smaller than assumed further rise in ARPU/ MRR16. Losing eligibility to use the IP BOX tax relief   We add Brand24’s shares to the long side of our monthly portfolio. Brand24 is the company for which we prepare the reports for the Warsaw Stock Exchange SA within the framework of the Analytical Coverage Support Program 3.0.   Rationale:  1Q23 good financial results (in consequence, the realization of our FY revenues and profits forecasts is higher than a year ago) imply ceteris paribus the upside risk for our current FY forecasts, (ii) investors’ positive sentiment towards companies related to AI development/ implementation, and (iii) pending strategic options review.        BASIC DEFINITIONSA/R turnover (in days) = 365/(sales/average A/R))Inventory turnover (in days) = 365/(COGS/average inventory))A/P turnover (in days) = 365/(COGS/average A/P))Current ratio = ((current assets – ST deferred assets)/current liabilities)Quick ratio = ((current assets – ST deferred assets – inventory)/current liabilities)Interest coverage = (pre-tax profit before extraordinary items + interest payable/interest payable)Gross margin = gross profit on sales/salesEBITDA margin = EBITDA/salesEBIT margin = EBIT/salesPre-tax margin = pre-tax profit/salesNet margin = net profit/salesROE = net profit/average equityROA = (net income + interest payable)/average assetsEV = market capitalization + interest bearing debt – cash and equivalentsEPS = net profit/ no. of shares outstandingCE = net profit + depreciationDividend yield (gross) = pre-tax DPS/stock market priceCash sales = accrual sales corrected for the change in A/RCash operating expenses = accrual operating expenses corrected for the changes in inventories and A/P, depreciation, cash taxes and changes in the deferred taxes   DM BOŚ S.A. generally values the covered non bank companies via two methods: comparative method and DCFm method (discounted cash flows). The advantage of the former is the fact that it incorporates the current market assessment of the value of the company’s peers. The weakness of the comparative method is the risk that the valuation benchmark may be mispriced. The advantage of the DCF method is its independence from the current market valuation of the comparable companies. The weakness of this method is its high sensitivity to undertaken assumptions, especially those related to the residual value calculation. Please note that we also resort to other techniques (e.g. NAV-, DDM- or SOTP-based), should it prove appropriate in a given case.   BanksNet Interest Margin (NIM) = net interest income/average assetsNon interest income = fees&commissions + result on financial operations (trading gains) + FX gainsInterest Spread = (interest income/average interest earning assets)/ (interest cost/average interest bearing liabilities)Cost/Income = (general costs + depreciation)/ (profit on banking activity + other net operating income)ROE = net profit/average equityROA = net income/average assetsNon performing loans (NPL) = loans in ‘basket 3’ categoryNPL coverrage ratio = loan loss provisions/NPLNet provision charge = provisions created – provisions released   DM BOŚ S.A. generally values the covered banks via two methods: comparative method and fundamental target fair P/E and target fair P/BV multiples method. The advantage of the former is the fact that it incorporates the current market assessment of the value of the company’s peers. The weakness of the comparative method is the risk that the valuation benchmark may be mispriced. The advantage of the fundamental target fair P/E and target fair P/BV multiples method is its independence of the current market valuation of the comparable companies. The weakness of this method is its high sensitivity to undertaken assumptions, especially those  to the residual value calculation. Assumptions used in valuation can change, influencing thereby the level of the valuation.   Among the most important assumptions are: GDP growth, forecasted level of inflation, changes in interest rates and currency prices, employment level and change in wages, demand on the analysed company products, raw material prices, competition, standing of the main customers and suppliers, legislation changes, etc. Changes in the environment of the analysed company are monitored by analysts involved in the preparation of the recommendation, estimated, incorporated in valuation and published in the recommendation whenever needed.   KEY TO INVESTMENT RANKINGS This is a guide to expected price performance in absolute terms over the next 12 months:   Buy – fundamentally undervalued (upside to 12M EFV in excess of the cost of equity) + catalysts which should close the valuation gap identified; Hold – either (i) fairly priced, or (ii) fundamentally undervalued/overvalued but lacks catalysts which could close the valuation gap; Sell – fundamentally overvalued (12M EFV < current share price + 1-year cost of equity) + catalysts which should close the valuation gap identified.   This is a guide to expected relative price performance: Overweight – expected to perform better than the benchmark (WIG) over the next quarter in relative terms Neutral – expected to perform in line with the benchmark (WIG) over the next quarter in relative terms Underweight – expected to perform worse than the benchmark (WIG) over the next quarter in relative terms     The recommendation tracker presents the performance of DM BOŚ S.A.’s recommendations. A recommendation expires on the day it is altered or on the day 12 months after its issuance, whichever comes first. Relative performance compares the rate of return on a given recommended stock in the period of the recommendation’s validity (i.e. from the date of issuance to the date of alteration or – in case of maintained recommendations – from the date of issuance to the current date) in a relation to the rate of return on the benchmark in this time period. The WIG index constitutes the benchmark. For recommendations that expire by an alteration or are maintained, the ending values used to calculate their absolute and relative performance are: the stock closing price on the day the recommendation expires/ is maintained and the closing value of the benchmark on that date. For recommendations that expire via a passage of time, the ending values used to calculate their absolute and relative performance are: the average of the stock closing prices for the day the recommendation elapses and four directly preceding sessions and the average of the benchmark’s closing values for the day the recommendation expires and four directly preceding sessions.         This report has been prepared by Dom Maklerski Banku Ochrony Środowiska SA registered in Warsaw (hereinafter referred to as DM BOŚ SA) and commissioned by the Warsaw Stock Exchange SA (hereinafter referred to as WSE SA) pursuant to the agreement on the research report preparation between DM BOŚ SA and WSE SA within the framework of the Analytical Coverage Support Program 3.0 described on the WSE SA website: https:/www.gpw.pl/gpwpa (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement). DM BOŚ SA will receive a remuneration for the research report in accordance with the Agreement.  
Weak Second Half Growth Impacts Overall Growth Rate for 2023

Labour-Market Induced Sell-Off: Impact on US Treasuries and Rates Differentials! Comparing US and Euro Rates: Factors Influencing Policy Rate Paths

ING Economics ING Economics 31.05.2023 08:37
10Y US Treasury yields are more than 60bp away from the peak they reached in early March, prior to the regional banking crisis. The Fed has been pushing a more hawkish line disappointed by the lack of progress on the inflation front, but end-2023 Sofr futures still price a rate that is 50bp below the early March peak.   At least so far, this doesn’t feel like a wholesale reappraisal of the market’s macro view although a more forceful Fed communication at the 14 June meeting, with potentially a hike and a higher end-2023 median dot, could push us closer to this year’s peak in rates.     ECB pricing is hard to move but markets look to the BoE for guidance In Europe, today’s inflation prints from France, Germany, and Italy will, in addition to yesterday’s Spanish release, give us a pretty good idea of where the eurozone-wide number will fall tomorrow. If the drop in Spain’s core inflation is any guide, EUR markets will struggle to follow their US peers higher.   Add to this that it is difficult for euro rates to price a path for policy rates that materially diverges from their US peers. Even if the Fed hikes in June or July, the EUR swap curve already prices ECB hikes at both meetings. Swaps assign a low probability to another hike in September for now.   That probability may well rise but we think any labour-market induced sell-off in US Treasuries will reflect, in part, in wider rates differentials between the two currencies.   It is difficult for euro rates to price a path for policy rates that materially diverges from their US peers  
Bank of England and ECB Meetings Awaited! Uncertain Outlook for NZD. AUD/USD: RBA Governor's Pessimistic Briefing and Rate Hike Assessment

Bank of England and ECB Meetings Awaited! Uncertain Outlook for NZD. AUD/USD: RBA Governor's Pessimistic Briefing and Rate Hike Assessment

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 31.05.2023 08:55
The US and UK markets were closed on Monday, but European government bond yields sharply fell, which is a direct consequence of rumors that the Biden administration and the Republican majority in Congress are close to reaching an agreement.   The removal of the US default threat contributes to an increase in risk appetite and, at the same time, a slight decrease in demand for the US dollar as demand for bonds decreases. The dollar is also facing pressure due to the upcoming meetings of the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, where further rate hikes are anticipated, and uncertainty regarding the possible actions of the Bank of Japan at the June 16 meeting.   NZD/USD The Kiwi is facing increasing pressure as the reasons that could prompt the RBNZ to raise rates above the current 5.50% are diminishing, with the main one being the threat of an almost inevitable recession.   Retail sales showed zero growth in April (forecast was +0.2%), a decline of 1.4% in the first quarter, and a decline of 1% in the last quarter of the previous year. This means that consumer activity is declining despite high migration rates. Trade indicators have also deteriorated significantly, with a 3.4% decrease in terms of trade for goods in the first quarter and an expected decline in exports.   While expectations for an increase in the Fed rate are growing and markets are anticipating another hike in either June or July, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) announced a pause that is expected to last at least until November. Additionally, there is the threat of an economic slowdown amid still uncertain prospects for inflation.   Although inflation is expected to slow down in the second half of the year, it is currently only a forecast, while the threat of a recession is very real, as is the pause taken by the RBNZ.       Overall, based on the data, the demand for NZD is expected to decrease due to worsening trade indicators, pressure on the current account, and an increase in the yield spread in favor of the US dollar.   Positioning on NZD continues to balance at near-zero levels, with slight deviations in either direction. Over the reporting week, the net short position decreased by 107 million to -23 million, reaching a negligible level. The calculated price has shifted downwards.     Last week, we predicted that after the RBNZ decision, the Kiwi would move downwards towards support at 0.6020. This scenario has played out, and it can be assumed that the southward movement will continue. A probable correction will find resistance near 0.6079, where selling may resume.   We expect another test of support at 0.6020 and further movement towards the target of 0.5940/50, and then 0.5900. AUD/USD RBA Governor Lowe, as reported in the Australian media, held a "pessimistic" briefing behind closed doors with the parliamentary economics committee. Sources described the tone as "noticeably more pessimistic due to the emphasis on risks to achieving the bank's forecast targets for inflation and unemployment."   Markets are currently assessing the probability of another rate hike by the RBA and the likelihood of the bank taking a pause approximately equally. The key value will be the tone of Lowe's testimony before the Senate Economics Committee. The NAB Bank estimates the peak rate to reach 4.1%, which will be achieved in August or July.   On Friday, June 2, an important decision will be made regarding the minimum wage. Changes will be announced for two indicators - the minimum wage, which will affect around 200,000 workers, and the volume of bonus payments, which will be significant for 2.4 million workers.   Preliminarily, according to the Treasury, a 7% increase is expected for the first indicator and a 4% increase for the second, which will likely be seen by the markets as a factor fueling inflation. The net short position on AUD decreased by 323 million over the reporting week to -3.244 billion. The positioning remains persistently bearish, with the calculated price below the long-term average and directed downwards.     The bearish impulse we anticipated in the previous review has developed, although the price did not reach the stated target of 0.6466. Nevertheless, there are no grounds to expect a resumption of growth, and any potential upward retracement is likely to be halted in the 0.6560/80 zone, after which selling will resume.   The nearest target is 0.6466, followed by technically significant levels down to the local low of 0.6172.        
Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

The Paradox of US NFP: Modest Growth Signals Economic Threat and Potential Interest Rate Hikes

Andrey Goilov Andrey Goilov 01.06.2023 10:08
FXMAG.COM: Could you please comment on the US NFP? On Friday, the US will publish the employment data for May 2023. The average forecast suggests NFP growth by 180 thousand after rising to 253 thousand earlier.This is not a confident expectation. After a winter during which the US employment market added over 200 thousand new jobs per month, these statistics look modest. However, in this case, high digits might imply a threat to the US economy. If the Federal Reserve System sees that companies continue to compete for high-skilled workers, it might continue with its tough monetary policy.Strong employment market data will encourage further interest rate hikes to prevent inflation from rising.The situation turns out paradoxical. Good employment reports are no longer seen positively because they could be the basis for a further rise in crediting costs.Data that differs from forecasts will cause increased volatility in the US stock market.
EUR Reacts to ECB's Dovish Hike, Now More Influenced by the USD

UK Mortgage Approvals Show Promising Rebound, Fueling Optimism for Housing Market Recovery

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 29.05.2023 09:11
UK Mortgage Approvals (Apr) – 31/05 We've started to see a modest improvement in mortgage approvals since the start of the year, after they hit a low of 39.6k back in January, as the sharp rise in interest rates at the end of last year weighed on demand for property as well as house prices.   As energy prices have come down, along with lower rates, demand for mortgages has started to pick up again with March approvals rising to 52k, while net consumer credit has also started to improve after similar weakness at the end of last year.   With inflationary pressures starting to subside we could see this trend continue in the coming months, as long as energy prices remain at their current levels, and the Bank of England starts to signal it is close to being done on raising rates.     Manufacturing PMIs (May) – 01/06 Last week saw the latest flash PMIs show that manufacturing activity in France and Germany remained weak, while in Germany activity deteriorated further to its lowest levels since June 2020, when economies were still reeling from the effects of pandemic lockdowns.   We also found out that the German economy was in recession after Q1 GDP was revised lower to -0.3%. The UK and US on the other hand were able to see a modest pickup in economic activity. It is clear that manufacturing globally is in a difficult place, we're also seeing it in China, as well as copper and iron ore prices, which suggests that global demand is weakening sharply.   Italy and Spain economic activity is also expected to see further weakness in manufacturing when their latest PMIs are released later this week.
Eurozone Inflation Dilemma: CPI at 7% and Lingering Concerns Amidst Rising Food Prices

Eurozone Inflation Dilemma: CPI at 7% and Lingering Concerns Amidst Rising Food Prices

Andrey Goilov Andrey Goilov 01.06.2023 10:07
FXMAG.COM: Could you please comment on the CPI in eurozone? The CPI in the Eurozone in May might remain at 7% y/y. For Spain and Belgium, the problem of inflation is fading into the background. Here, inflation indices are below the consensus level. For France and Germany, on the contrary, the topic of prices remains acute. The food segment is still a key contributor to high inflation. Agricultural costs are decreasing, and energy is becoming cheaper. Yet, a number of products remain extremely expensive for consumers. By comparison, cheese in Germany now costs almost 40% more than last year, and potatoes are 14% more expensive. Throughout the EU, food inflation rose by almost 17% y/y in April and might be even higher in May. The constantly rising food prices force households to cut demand at a time of low income. In Italy, for example, there was a special meeting of politicians about the rising price of spaghetti. This is a real problem. Next, we see the following. The agricultural sector is reducing basic spending on food production. Yet labour costs are rising. In addition, supply chain issues persist. It is unlikely that food will become cheaper in the nearest future. Globally, rising prices might put pressure on the ECB to raise interest rates further.
Analysing the Potential for Radical Moves in EUR/GBP Price and Factors Influencing Fluctuations

Analysing the Potential for Radical Moves in EUR/GBP Price and Factors Influencing Fluctuations

Davide Acampora Davide Acampora 31.05.2023 10:40
FXMAG.COM: Do you expect any radical moves of EUR/GBP price in the near future? What can cause such fluctuations?  As forex traders keenly observe the EUR/GBP currency pair, there is speculation surrounding the likelihood of substantial price movements in the near future. Examining the underlying factors that can trigger notable fluctuations is essential for making informed decisions in the market.   Macroeconomic indicators, including GDP growth, inflation rates, and employment figures, offer valuable insights into the potential for significant moves in the EUR/GBP price.   Based on the latest available data for Q1 of 2023, Eurozone GDP growth experienced a 1.3% increase, while the UK maintained a stable growth rate of 0.10%. Political developments exert a considerable impact on the EUR/GBP exchange rate. Notably, events such as the recent UK election or updates related to Brexit have proven to be catalysts for volatility.   Staying well-informed about key political developments is crucial, as they can significantly influence the price of this currency pair. Central bank policies play a pivotal role in shaping the EUR/GBP exchange rate.   The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) periodically announce monetary policy decisions that affect this currency pair. It is important to keep a close watch on interest rate adjustments, quantitative easing programs, and forward guidance statements.   As of the latest interest rate decision on February 2, 2023, the ECB maintained rates at 3%, while the BoE held rates at 4.5% with a slight increase of 0.25% on May 11, 2023. Global economic trends and market sentiment can also influence the EUR/GBP price.   Trade relations between the Eurozone and the UK, as well as global economic conditions, can cause significant fluctuations. Monitoring geopolitical events, risk appetite indicators, and market sentiment can provide valuable insights into potential radical moves in this currency pair.   Predicting significant shifts in the EUR/GBP price is a complex task. However, analysing key factors such as macroeconomic indicators, political developments, central bank policies, and global economic trends can enhance your understanding of potential fluctuations. As of the latest available data on May 23, 2023, at 12:51, the EUR/GBP exchange rate stands at 0.87057. Stay well-informed about the latest news and events to navigate the market effectively and make informed trading decisions.
Rates on the Move: Dollar Rates Set to Rise, Sterling Rates Poised to Fall - US Labour Market Data Holds the Key!

Rates on the Move: Dollar Rates Set to Rise, Sterling Rates Poised to Fall - US Labour Market Data Holds the Key!

ING Economics ING Economics 31.05.2023 08:33
Rates Spark: Sterling rates most likely to fall, dollar rates more likely to rise US labour market data could trigger another leg higher in dollar rates but we doubt their euro peers will follow, barring a much stronger inflation print today. Hawkish BoE pricing is vulnerable to a pushback.   US labour market indicators take centre stage The start of the week is proving a constructive one for bonds. It seems the feel-good factor felt by markets, after the White House and House leader McCarthy reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling over the weekend, was short-lived. The deal is due to be voted on today by the lower chamber and later this week by the Senate. We think expectations are for the bill to pass, which also means the market-moving potential of a successful vote is limited. The same cannot be said of any delay on procedural grounds, although more would be needed to shake the market’s optimism.   Instead, the focus should now focus on more fundamental matters for interest rates valuations, namely this week’s two labour market releases. Today sees the publication of the ‘JOLTS’ job openings report, followed on Friday by the non-farm payroll report (which also includes wages). Rate cut expectations last month received a shot in the arm when job openings unexpectedly dropped but payroll data continues to go from strength to strength and we expect investors will be wary of chasing bond yields lower into the report as a result.   We expect investors will be wary of chasing bond yields lower into Friday's job report  
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Core Inflation Pressures Favor Hawkish Stance by ECB Officials Amid Uncertainty and Political Risks

ING Economics ING Economics 30.05.2023 08:43
Unacceptably high core price dynamics will lend a helping hand to ECB officials pushing for a hawkish line The most likely outcome to this week's inflation releases, still unacceptably high core price dynamics, will lend a helping hand to ECB officials pushing for a hawkish line.   Warnings that hikes may have to continue until September will stand a better chance of pushing longer term rates higher even if a subdued economic outlook, and growing doubts about the strength of China's post Covid recovery, should prevent European rates from rising as quickly as their US peers in the coming weeks. Wider USD-EUR rates differentials should only be a temporary development, however, and one resulting from a rise in global rates.   Market participants who, like us, expect lower rates into year-end, should also consider the possibility of US rates falling faster than their European peers, perhaps to sub-100bp levels for 10Y Treasury-Bund spreads.   This is all the more true since European markets have to contend with another dollop of political uncertainty in the form of early Spanish general elections on 23 July. The prime minister called for a vote after local elections defeat at the weekend and the opposition party PP is on the front foot, although it would likely rely on a coalition with another party due to the fragmented nature of the Spanish political landscape.   Spain’s still wide budget deficit (the European commission forecasts 4.1% of GDP this year and 3.3% next) mean a period of uncertainty is an unwelcome development and could lead to underperformance of Spanish government bonds vs peers such as Portugal and Italy.   Early elections mean Spanish bonds are at risk of underperformance vs Italy and Portugal   Today's events and market view Spain kicks off this week’s inflation releases. This will come on top of Eurozone monetary aggregate data and the European Commission’s confidence indicators for the month of May. One theme in European macro releases has been the softening of survey-based data, such as Germany’s Ifo (see above).   US releases feature house prices, the conference board’s consumer confidence, and the Dallas Fed manufacturing activity index.   Bond supply will take the form of Italian 5Y, 10Y fixed rate bonds, as well as 5Y floating rate bonds.    
Indonesia Inflation Returns to Target, but Bank Indonesia Likely to Maintain Rates Until Year-End

Indonesia Inflation Returns to Target, but Bank Indonesia Likely to Maintain Rates Until Year-End

ING Economics ING Economics 05.06.2023 10:11
Indonesia: Inflation back within target but BI likely on hold until end of year. Headline inflation finally reverted to target in May, with headline inflation slipping to 4.0% year-on-year   Headline inflation back to target after a year Headline inflation slipped below expectations to 4.0% YoY, roughly 0.1% higher compared to the previous month. Inflation is back within Bank Indonesia's (BI) 2-4% target after 12 months and will likely stay within target for the rest of the year. Headline inflation enjoyed a much more pronounced moderation this year, sliding back within target even ahead of BI's expectations. Lower energy and food prices from a year ago level helped push headline inflation lower or unchanged across all items in the CPI basket. Meanwhile, core inflation was also down, dipping to 2.7% YoY and also lower than market expectations (2.8%).       Price stability objective reached but BI likely on hold to steady the IDR Bank Indonesia was one of the first central banks in the region to pause its tightening cycle earlier this year. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo who had expected inflation to slow gradually and revert to target by 3Q, has kept rates at 5.75% since the 16 February policy meeting. Despite the quick reversion to target for inflation, we believe BI will carry out an extended pause to shore up support for the Indonesian rupiah, which was down roughly 2.15% for the month of May. Thus we expect BI to retain policy rates at 5.75% until the end of the year and only consider cutting policy rates should global central banks opt to ease monetary policy.
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Market Sentiment and Fed's Decision: Impact of Upcoming Economic Data and Central Bank Meetings

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 05.06.2023 14:18
Market sentiment could change depending on the Fed's final decision at its June monetary policy meeting. This decision, however, could be affected by upcoming economic data from the US. Ahead lies key manufacturing indicators from both the US and Europe, followed by reports on China's export volume, import volume, and trade balance. Equally important will be the meetings of other central banks, where key parameters of monetary policy will remain unchanged. Markets will likely establish equilibrium, as investors expect a 0.25% increase in the Fed's interest rates. However, the recently-released strong US labor market data for May changed the sentiment, pushing market players to opt for a pause. Now, only 19.6% expect a 0.25% increase in rates. Resolving the debt problem, as well as very positive employment data, allow investors to believe that the US will no longer face recession.   As such, the Fed may opt not to raise rates, primarily because they do not want to shake the markets and stimulate another sell-off in the government bond market, given the government's high need for new loans at relatively low interest rates. Most likely, until June 14, consolidation in broad ranges will be observed in the forex market. Similar expectations can be set for stock and commodity markets.   Forecasts for today:     EUR/USD The pair trades above 1.0685. A neutral or weakly positive market sentiment will push the quote between 1.0685 and 1.0825. However, a decline below 1.0685 mark could lead to a `further fall to 1.0540.   XAU/USD Gold trades within the range of 1933.75-1983.75. A pause in the fed's rate hike cycle will push the quote towards 1983.75. Pati Gani Analytical expert of InstaForex © 2007-2023 Back to the list  
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Market Update: Copper Inventory Withdrawals Tighten Spread, Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Prices

ING Economics ING Economics 06.06.2023 12:28
The Commodities Feed: Copper spread tightens on inventory withdrawals Oil prices are trading under pressure this morning on demand side uncertainties as Saudi Arabia increased the official selling price for July deliveries for all regions. LME copper continues to see inventory withdrawals as demand in Asia picks up.   Energy – Saudi increases the official selling price for oil Saudi Arabia increased its official selling price for all regions for July, a day after the nation pledged an additional oil supply cut for the same month. Saudi Aramco will sell the Arab Light crude for buyers in Asia at a US$3/bbl premium for July deliveries, an increase of US¢45/bbl compared to June 2023.The premium for the US and European deliveries has increased by US¢90/bbl, while buyers in the Mediterranean region will see an increase of US¢60/bbl. The hike in premium comes as a surprise considering ongoing demand concerns and that Saudi Arabia has been pushing for supply cuts to bring the oil market into balance.   Metals – Declining copper on-warrant stocks tighten LME spread Recent LME data shows that total on-warrant stocks for copper dropped by 17,750 tonnes – the biggest daily decline since October 2021 – for a second consecutive session to 71,575 tonnes (the lowest level in almost a month) as of yesterday. The majority of the outflows were reported from South Korea’s Busan warehouses. Meanwhile, cancelled warrants for copper rose by 18,025 tonnes after declining for three consecutive sessions to 27,375 tonnes yesterday, signalling potential further outflows. The cash/3m for copper stood at a contango of just US$4/t as of yesterday – compared to YTD highs of a contango of US$66.26/t from 23 May – indicating supply tightness in the physical market.   In mine supply, Peru’s latest official numbers show that copper output in the country rose 30.5% year-on-year (+1.2% month-on-month) to 222kt in April. The majority of the annual production gains came from the higher output levels from mines like Southern Peru Copper, the Las Bambas and Cerro. Cumulatively, copper production grew 15.7% YoY to 837.5kt in the first four months of the year. Among other metals, zinc production in the nation increased 31.4% YoY to 130.6kt in April.   In ferrous metals, the most active contract of iron ore trading at the Singapore Exchange extended its upward rally for a fifth consecutive session and traded above US$108/t this morning on speculations of more supportive steps from China to accelerate its economic growth. The recent market reports suggest that the People’s Bank of China is likely to cut the reserve-requirement ratio for banks and might also lower interest rates in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, BBG also reported that the Chinese government is preparing a new batch of measures to push growth in the property market.     Agriculture – US crop planting maintains the pace The USDA’s latest crop progress report shows that US corn plantings continue to rise with 96% of plantings completed as on 4 June, compared to 93% of planting done at this point in the season last year and the 5-year average of 91%. Similarly, soybean plantings are also growing, with 91% planted as of 4 June – well above the 76% seen at the same stage last year and the 5-year average of 76%. Meanwhile, spring wheat plantings are 93% complete. This is above the 81% planted at the same stage last season and in line with the 5-year average. Meanwhile, the agency rated around 36% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition, up from 34% a week ago and 30% seen last year.   The USDA’s weekly export inspection data for the week ending 1 June indicated a drop in demand for US grains over last week. The agency stated that US corn export inspections stood at 1,181kt, lower from 1,346.4kt in the previous week and 1,458.5kt reported a year ago. For wheat, export inspections stood at 291.6kt, down from 391.3kt from the previous week and 355.3kt reported a year ago. Similarly, soybean export inspections fell to 214.2kt, compared to 243.1kt from a week ago and 370kt from a year ago.   The director general of the Ivory Coast's cocoa regulator, Conseil Café Cacao, stated that the domestic cocoa crop is expected to improve in 2022-23 (compared to the previous year) despite intensifying concerns about a potential outbreak of the swollen shoot virus. Ivory Coast cocoa production is stabilizing despite a slow start, taking the season's harvest projections between 2mt-2.2mt. Last week, the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) projected an increase of 4% in Ivory Coast's cocoa output this season, reaching 2.20mt.
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%.
Bank of Canada Likely to Maintain Hawkish Stance: Our Analysis

Bank of Canada Likely to Maintain Hawkish Stance: Our Analysis

ING Economics ING Economics 07.06.2023 08:49
CAD: Our call is a BoC hawkish hold today The Bank of Canada moved considerably earlier than other central banks to the dovish side of the spectrum and has kept rates on hold since January. Now, stubborn inflation, an ultra-tight labour market and a more benign growth backdrop are building the case for a return to monetary tightening. Markets are attaching a 45% implied probability that a 25bp hike will be delivered today.   While admitting it’s a rather close call, we think a hawkish hold is more likely (here's our full meeting preview), as policymakers may want to err on the side of caution while assessing the lagged effect of monetary tightening. We still expect a return to 2% inflation in Canada in the early part of 2024 with the help of softer commodity prices. Developments in the US also play a rather important role for the BoC: recent jitters in the US economic outlook (ISM reports recently added to recession fears) and the proximity to a “toss-up” FOMC meeting would also warrant an extension of the pause.   Still, we expect another hold by the BoC to be accompanied by hawkish language. Markets are pricing in 40bp of tightening by the end of the summer, and we doubt policymakers have an interest in pushing back or significantly disappointing the market’s hawkish expectations given recent data. So, as long as a hold contains enough hints at potential future tightening, we think the negative impact on CAD should be short-lived and we keep favouring the loonie against other pro-cyclical currencies in the current risk environment.
Rates Diverge: Flattening Yield Curves in US and Europe

Rates Spark: Navigating Uncertainty in the European Central Bank's Monetary Policy

ING Economics ING Economics 07.06.2023 08:55
Rates Spark: Enough out there to nudge market rates higher Weak economic data dents the European Central Bank’s ability to push rates up. Even if July and September hikes were fully priced in, Bund and swap will find it hard to rise above the top of their recent range. Direction is far from clear, but our preference is to position for upward pressure on yields.     Soft economic data dents ECB hawkish rhetoric For financial markets, a flurry of weak economic activity data – most prominently in the manufacturing sector such as yesterday’s German factory orders and tofay's industrial production – sits awkwardly with the European Central Bank's (ECB) message that more monetary tightening is needed.   The pre-meeting quiet period starts tomorrow, making today the last opportunity to skew investor expectations but markets pricing a 25bp hike at this meeting are unlikely to move much. Another important clue as to future policy moves will be in the staff forecasts released at the same time as next week’s policy decision.   The 2025 headline and core inflation projections at the March meeting stood at 2.1% and 2.2% annualised, above the ECB’s target and a clear signal that more tightening is needed – even above and beyond the path for interest rates priced by the market in late February.   Dovish-minded investors can point to a decline in oil and gas futures since the March meeting, as well as a downtick in consumer inflation expectations in the most recent survey released yesterday. Will this be enough for the ECB to no longer signal that it has ‘more ground to cover’? Probably not, but markets may not care. The focus among hawks is squarely on core inflation and the modest decline from a 5.7% peak in March to 5.3% in May hasn’t been met with much relief by the Governing Council, but it has pushed euro rates down relative to their dollar peers.        
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.  
Eurozone's Improving Inflation Outlook: Is the ECB Falling Behind?

Eurozone's Improving Inflation Outlook: Is the ECB Falling Behind?

ING Economics ING Economics 13.06.2023 13:04
The eurozone’s improving inflation outlook could leave the ECB behind the curve Slowly but surely, the inflation outlook for the eurozone is improving. Headline inflation is normalising, but persistent core inflation is complicating things. While this remains the case, the European Central Bank will continue hiking interest rates – but for how long?   Inflation is moving in the right direction, but will core inflation remain stubborn? Headline inflation has come down sharply and is widely expected to continue to fall over the months ahead. The decline in natural gas prices has been remarkable over recent months, and while it would be naïve to expect the energy crisis to be completely over, this will result in declining consumer prices for energy. The passthrough of market prices to the consumer is slower on the way down so far, which means that there's more to come in terms of a downward impact on inflation. For food, the same holds true. Food inflation has been the largest contributor to headline inflation from December onwards, but recent developments have been encouraging. Food commodity prices have moderated substantially since last year already, but consumer prices are now also starting to see slowing increases. In April and May, month-on-month developments in food inflation improved significantly, causing the rate to trend down.   Historical relationships and post-pandemic shifts As headline inflation looks set to slow down further – at least in the absence of any new energy price shocks – the question is how sticky core inflation will remain. There are several ways to explore the prospects for core inflation.   Let’s start with the historical relationships between headline and core inflation after supply shocks. Data for core inflation in the 1970s and 80s are not available for many countries – but the examples below for the US and Italy show that an energy shock did not lead to a prolonged period of elevated core inflation after headline inflation had already trended down. In fact, the peaks in headline inflation in the 70s and 80s saw peaks in core inflation only a few months after in the US and coincident peaks in Italy. We know that history hardly ever repeats, but it at least rhymes – and if this is the case, core inflation should soon reach its peak.   During previous supply-side shocks, core inflation did not remain elevated for much longer than headline inflation
GBP/USD Trading Plan: Bulls Eyeing Further Growth, Resistance Level Holds Key, COT Report Signals Interest Rate Expectations

GBP/USD Trading Plan: Bulls Eyeing Further Growth, Resistance Level Holds Key, COT Report Signals Interest Rate Expectations

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 13.06.2023 14:11
Forex Analysis & Reviews: GBP/USD: trading plan for the US session on June 13 (analysis of morning deals). The pound climbed above 1.2553. In my morning forecast, I highlighted the level of 1.2553 and recommended making trading decisions based on it. Let's look at the 5-minute chart and analyze what happened there. The breakout and subsequent retest from above to below 1.2553 provided a buy signal, resulting in an upward movement of 18 pips. The technical picture has stayed the same for the second half of the day.       To open long positions on GBP/USD, the following conditions are required: As long as trading continues above 1.2553, further growth in GBP/USD can be expected. Buyers will particularly show themselves after news of a decrease in inflation in the US, leading to a surge in the pound to monthly highs of around 1.2596. Having another entry point around 1.2553 would be desirable, so protecting this level remains a priority task for the bulls. A breakout and retest from above to below 1.2596, similar to what I discussed earlier, will provide an additional signal to open long positions, strengthening the presence of bulls with a movement towards 1.2636, reinforcing the upward trend.   The ultimate target will be the area of 1.2674, where I will take profit. In the scenario of a pound decline towards 1.2553 and a lack of activity from buyers, pressure on the pair will return. The persistence of high inflation in the US will also limit the upside potential of the pair. In that case, I will postpone market entry until the support at 1.2516 is reached. I will only open long positions there on a false breakout.   I plan to buy GBP/USD on a rebound from 1.2479, targeting a 30-35 pip correction within the day. To open short positions on GBP/USD, the following conditions are required: Sellers were unable to show anything after the news that the unemployment rate in the UK dropped to a record 3.8%, which puts pressure on the Bank of England to continue raising rates. All hope now lies with strong inflation in the US, which will help defend 1.2596.   I will only open short positions after GBP/USD rises to monthly highs, forming a false breakout. This will allow a downward move towards support at 1.2553, which acted as resistance earlier in the morning. A breakout and retest from below to above this range will restore the chances of a downward correction and provide a signal to open short positions with a decline toward 1.2516. The ultimate target remains the minimum of 1.2479, where I will take profit.   In the case of further growth in GBP/USD and a lack of activity at 1.2596, which seems likely, buyers will continue to dominate. In that case, I will postpone selling until the resistance at 1.2636 is tested. A false breakout there will be an entry point for short positions. I plan to sell GBP/USD on a rebound from the May high of around 1.2674, but only with the expectation of a downward correction of 25-30 pips within the day.     The COT (Commitment of Traders) report for June 6th showed a reduction in both short and long positions. The pound has risen significantly recently. This indicates that many market participants continue to bet on an increase in interest rates by the Bank of England. Recent forecasts and expectations that the UK economy will avoid a recession this year also contribute to the demand for risk assets. We have paused the cycle of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve ahead, which will also support GBP/USD buyers.   The latest COT report states that short non-commercial positions decreased by 4,056 to 52,579, while long non-commercial positions fell by 5,257 to 65,063. This led to a slight decrease in the non-commercial net position to 12,454 from 13,235 the previous week. The weekly price rose to 1.2434 from 1.2398.     Indicator signals: Moving averages Trading is conducted above the 30-day and 50-day moving averages, indicating further growth in the pair. Note: The author considers the period and prices of the moving averages on the hourly chart (H1), which differ from the general definition of classical daily moving averages on the daily chart (D1).   Bollinger Bands In case of a decline, the lower boundary of the indicator, around 1.2479, will act as support. Description of Indicators: • Moving Average: Determines the current trend by smoothing volatility and noise. Period 50. Marked in yellow on the chart. • Moving Average: Determines the current trend by smoothing volatility and noise. Period 30. Marked in green on the chart. • MACD Indicator (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence): Fast EMA period 12, Slow EMA period 26, SMA period 9. • Bollinger Bands: Period 20. • Non-commercial traders: Speculators such as individual traders, hedge funds, and large institutions using the futures market for speculative purposes and meeting specific requirements. • Long non-commercial positions represent the total long open position of non-commercial traders. • Short non-commercial positions represent the total short open position of non-commercial traders. • The net non-commercial position is the difference between non-commercial traders' short and long positions.      
Navigating the Polish Real Estate Market: Assessing the First 5 Months of 2023

Navigating the Polish Real Estate Market: Assessing the First 5 Months of 2023

FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 13.06.2023 16:02
Polish market after 5 months - where are we at? We are approaching the halfway point of 2023. Before the semi-annual investment market reports are released, Avison Young is sharing the current results.     Market adaptability The current results do not look much optimistic. However, this is a temporary state. Poland’s real estate market has stable foundations, and investors are highly adaptable, which is confirmed by the results achieved in previous years. Let's take a quick look at how the market has responded to the challenges emerging in the last 3 years. COVID-19 had a huge impact on the economy and customers behaviour, which naturally translated into the real estate market and investors’ activity. In the face of restrictions and the growing importance of staying local, customers more often chose “convenience retail” than shopping centres; home office and the hybrid work model developed. The growing pandemic boosted e-commerce (according to the Statistics Poland, the share of online shopping doubled in just two months from 5.6% in January and February 2020 to nearly 12% in April 2020), which in turn influenced the dynamic development of the industrial sector. However, investors relatively quickly adapted to the new conditions, and the total investment volume in 2020 amounted to EUR 5.3 billion and EUR 5.9 billion in 2021. Certainly, these results were lower than the volumes from 2018 and 2019, but they secured the 3rd and 4th highest position in terms of volume in the history of the market. In 2020, investors focused on “core” office buildings, warehouse portfolios and retail parks. In 2021, we saw record market liquidity (166 transactions) and - due to the prolonged period of the pandemic – a shift in investors' attention to opportunistic transactions in shopping centres and office buildings.   In 2022, the outbreak of war in Ukraine triggered further market turmoil, record high inflation, rising interest rates and escalating investment uncertainty. Nevertheless, this challenging year ended with a volume close to 2021’s (5.8 billion), which once again confirmed the maturity and liquidity of Polish real estate market. During the noticeable slowdown and the wait-and-see strategy adopted by investors, the market saw 5 historically large transactions accounting for 40% of the total investment volume, including the sale of prime Warsaw office buildings (The Warsaw Hub and Generation Park Y), the first since 2018 major prime shopping centre transaction (Forum Gdańsk), the sale of Danica warehouse portfolio and the creation of two JVs by EPP. For comparison, the decline in transaction volumes compared to 2021 in Western Europe reached an average of nearly 20%, and in the region of Central and Eastern Europe less than 3%.   In 2022, investors turned their attention to regional markets outside the main cities, which applied to all real estate sectors. Office buildings in the regions accounted for 68% of transactions and 50% of the total volume on the office market. In the industrial sector, 40% of the volume concerned facilities outside the largest warehouse hubs. Transactions of shopping centres in medium-sized cities appeared on the retail market, but new players continued to focus on safe retail parks.   Current status We are estimating that the volume of closed transactions announced publicly from the beginning of this year to the end of May, amounted to only around EUR 800 million. For comparison, in 2021 and 2022, the volume of transactions in the same period amounted to over twice as much. There were no historically large transactions, which in the first quarter of 2022 (The Warsaw Hub, EPP’s two joint venture investments) alone accounted for 75% of the total volume. Nevertheless, compared to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, we still remain the most attractive and liquid market.   Offices slowed down On the office market, only 7 transactions were concluded during this period, concerning “core +” and opportunistic buildings located in Warsaw, outside the city centre. Avison Young investment team represented the seller in the divestment of Celebro and Wola Retro buildings.   Sale & leaseback at warehouses Since the beginning of the year, the dominance of the western regions in terms of location, mainly Lower Silesia, is clearly visible in the industrial sector. In turn, in the last 2 months, sale & leaseback transactions prevailed. Portfolio transactions are yet to be recorded.   Retail parks decelerate In the first 5 months of 2023, only one retail park transaction was completed and announced. In the first quarter, opportunistic smaller shopping centres and redevelopment schemes were the most popular. An example of such a transaction may be the sale of 4 commercial facilities portfolio located in Koszalin, Szczecin, Wałbrzych and Strzegom, where the Avison Young team represented the seller. In turn, in the last 2 months, the subjects of the announced transactions were large-format retail properties: 3W portfolio and Castorama in Płock.   Strategies of banks and strategies of buyers “One of the reasons for the reduced number of transactions and volume in the first 5 months of 2023, is that the process of adjusting price expectations on the seller-buyer line is still ongoing. However, we can see the first signs indicating that this situation may improve by the end of the year - says Marcin Purgal, Senior Director, Investment at Avison Young. - Banks, although still very selective, are analysing new financing products more and more efficiently. The situation related to interest rates seems to be quite predictable, inflation is slowing down, but it still takes time for the market to stabilize and get back on track. Currently, many buyers are trying to take advantage of the market situation and place bids far below property valuations, hoping to get a good deal. However, many sellers are in no rush to sell. That changes when the seller has to liquidate the fund, funding runs out, the property stops performing, or someone fails.”   What awaits us in the second half of the year? We expect that in the second half of the year, the commercial real estate market in Poland will be dominated by opportunistic and “value add” assets in every sector. Nevertheless, the best office buildings, whether in Warsaw or in major regional cities, as well as warehouses, should also be of interest to investors.   Authors: Paulina Brzeszkiewicz-Kuczyńska (Research and Data Manager) and Marcin Purgal (Senior Director, Investment)
Assessing the Czech Economy: Recession Lingers Amidst Declining Household Consumption and Inflationary Challenges

Assessing the Czech Economy: Recession Lingers Amidst Declining Household Consumption and Inflationary Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 14.06.2023 08:00
In 1Q23, we believe the Czech economy may have ended a soft recession, given the previous QoQ decline of 2H22 turned into stagnation but remained still negative in YoY terms (-0.4%). We expect the annual growth of GDP to remain negative in the first half of 2023.   This reflects a continued decline in household consumption, which fell deeply by 6.4% YoY, following a sharp decline in the inflation-driven fall of purchasing power of households, while corporates cut their investment on the back of weak foreign demand and high costs of lending. On a positive note, inflation is on a declining trend owing to an ongoing decline in core inflation, given a slowdown of food and fuel prices. This is likely to prevent the CNB from increasing interest rates despite the still tight labour market and the risk of a potential wage-inflation spiral.
Central Banks, Inflation, and the Ongoing Battle: Insights from ING's Webinar

Central Banks, Inflation, and the Ongoing Battle: Insights from ING's Webinar

ING Economics ING Economics 14.06.2023 08:25
Listen: Central banks, inflation and why the battle isn’t over In a live webinar event this week, ING's James Knightley, Carsten Brzeski, and James Smith discussed the outlook for inflation, economic growth and monetary policy around the world, while Chris Turner explained what it could all mean for markets.   Central bankers from the US and Europe meet again this week while the Bank of England will decide next week on whether to continue raising interest rates in the ongoing battle to contain inflation. The market’s view on the Federal Reserve has shifted markedly in the past few weeks, with investors now more convinced about a rate hike in July and far less convinced of rate cuts later this year. Meanwhile, investors are pricing in another four rate hikes by the BoE, and two more by the European Central Bank.   In this podcast, a replay of our live webinar event, ING's Chief International Economist James Knightley, Global Head of Macro Carsten Brzeski, Developed Markets Economist James Smith, and Global Head of Markets Chris Turner discuss what they expect from the forthcoming meetings and how markets may respond.
Stagnation and Struggles: Assessing the Czech Economy's Road to Recovery

Stagnation and Struggles: Assessing the Czech Economy's Road to Recovery

ING Economics ING Economics 14.06.2023 14:39
In 1Q23, we believe the Czech economy may have ended a soft recession, given the previous QoQ decline of 2H22 turned into stagnation but remained still negative in YoY terms (-0.4%). We expect the annual growth of GDP to remain negative in the first half of 2023.   This reflects a continued decline in household consumption, which fell deeply by 6.4% YoY, following a sharp decline in the inflation-driven fall of purchasing power of households, while corporates cut their investment on the back of weak foreign demand and high costs of lending. On a positive note, inflation is on a declining trend owing to an ongoing decline in core inflation, given a slowdown of food and fuel prices. This is likely to prevent the CNB from increasing interest rates despite the still tight labour market and the risk of a potential wage-inflation spiral.   Forecast summary   Macro digest After two consecutive declines in GDP growth during the second half of 2022, the Czech economy in 1Q23 stagnated but remained negative in YoY terms (-0.4%). The main obstacle in economic recovery remained private consumption, which declined in the first quarter of 2023 by 6.4% YoY, as double-digit inflation squeezed markedly the purchasing power of households, while high interest rates and soft foreign demand led companies to reduce the growth of investment.   We expect the annual growth of GDP to remain negative in the first half of 2023 due to still declining household consumption. During the remainder of 2023, however, the economy is likely to show signs of a recovery, as gradually receding inflation will weigh less on the real purchasing power of households and the ongoing improvement of the external environment should support a recovery of exports. Yet, investment demand is likely to remain weak due to persistently high interest rates.    Real GDP growth structure (ppt of YoY growth, SA adj)   The unemployment rate (ILO) fell 3.6% to 3.5% in May. However, it stagnated at 3.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis. Nevertheless, the overall labour market in the Czech Republic remains extremely tight, even though firms in the PMI survey reported further layoffs in May due to fewer new orders. However, recent developments in the Czech industry and retail sector are not very favourable, which could be reflected in the pressure to lay off employees. For the time being, however, companies are still trying to hold on to employees in the hope of a recovery in demand. The overheated labour market is thus also reflected in rapid wage growth, particularly in industry and construction. The first quarter showed nominal growth of 8.6% YoY, but in real terms growth is deep in negative territory and a turnaround can only be expected in the third quarter.    Czech PMI underperforming region   Inflation, in our view, posted its last double-digit reading in May and will continue its swift disinflation for the rest of the year. The slowdown or even decline in inflation can be seen across the consumer basket. However, the main drivers are and will be food, fuel and housing prices.   Food and housing prices in particular, in our view, still have the potential to collapse faster than expected and headline inflation will surprise more to the downside. At the moment, year-end inflation should be around 8% YoY and, thanks to a large base effect and the re-pricing of energy prices, we should be in the 3-4% range as early as January next year.   Structure of inflation (ppt)   Government promises fiscal package to tame deficit   May's state budget deficit of CZK270bn, the worst result in history, confirmed the trend of weak tax revenues. For this year, the government is projecting a deficit of CZK295bn, however, given current developments, it plans to introduce measures to tame the growing deficit. Thus, for this year, we expect a general government deficit of 3.8% of GDP.   Looking ahead, for the next two years, the government has unveiled a large consolidation package that will soon enter the legislative process. The government is targeting a deficit of 1.8% for next year and 1.2% of GDP for 2025, which would be by far the lowest number in the region. We expect slightly higher numbers (2.3% and 1.8%), but in any case, consolidation will be ongoing, which makes a difference.   General government balance (% of GDP)
UK Labor Market Signals a Need for Caution in Rate Hikes

NBU's Financial Stability Measures and Inflation Control During the War

ING Economics ING Economics 15.06.2023 08:28
NBU’s policy ensuring financial stability during the war Throughout the conflict the National Bank of Ukraine has remained active and effective in ensuring financial and exchange rate stability and has controlled inflation by hiking interest rates to 25%. In 2022, a part of the extraordinary public needs was monetised by the NBU, but the impact of these interventions was broadly neutralised by mopping up the liquidity of the banking sector.   In recent months, Ukraine has benefited from declines in global energy commodity prices and the inflation rate is dampened by the high statistical base.   CPI inflation slowed to 17.9%YoY in April, from 21.3% in March and 26.6% back in December. Core inflation slowed as well from 19.8% in March to 16.9% in April. Given heightened wartime uncertainty, we expect the NBU to wait for a more decisive period of disinflation and start interest rate cuts in early 2024.   Inflation and NBU policy rate (%)   Fiscal and external accounts driven by external aid Ukraine’s huge public and external financing needs have been met by foreign grants and loans, including a new four-year IMF programme of US$15.6bn.   In 2022, the fiscal balance reached almost 17% of GDP, without grants it was around 10% of GDP higher. A near 30% collapse in exports and fall in imports of less than 5% led to a huge trade gap but sizeable current account surplus as the gap was compensated for by foreign grants.   From 2023, the CA is expected to post a large deficit but accompanied by rising FDI flows.     The fiscal position is set to deteriorate further this year but improve gradually in the medium term. Nonetheless, the country will continue to rely heavily on donors’ support for internal defence, provision of social services and ensuring macroeconomic stability.   Fiscal and current account balance (% of GDP)    
Understanding the Bank of England's Approach to Interest Rates Amidst Heightened Expectations: A Balancing Act with Inflation and Market Pressures

Fed's Rate Hike Guessing Game: Managing Market Expectations. Inflation Concerns and Tightening Credit Conditions: Fed's Decision and Market Reaction

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 15.06.2023 08:52
The Federal Reserve (Fed) refrained from raising interest rates at this week's monetary policy meeting. Yet the median forecast on the Fed's dot plot suggested that there could be two more rate hikes before the end of this year. That came as a slap on the face of those expecting a rate cut by the end of the year, even though, I think that the doves haven't said their last word just yet. The credit conditions in the US are tightening, inflation is falling. Yesterday's PPI data revealed a faster than expected contraction in producer prices in May, while both headline and core CPI figures continued to ease over the same month.    Why, on earth, has the Fed started playing a guessing game, instead of hiking the rates right away?   It is because the US policymakers know that the idea of a 25bp hike - or two 25bp hikes - is more powerful than a 25bp hike itself, as future rate hikes are more effective in managing market expectations. The market is keen to go back to pricing the end of rate hikes - and rate cuts - when they know that the Fed is coming toward the end of the tightening cycle. To avoid that end-of-tunnel enthusiasm from jeopardizing tightening efforts, the Fed keeps the tightening suspense alive, without however acting on the rates. If all goes well - if inflation continues easing, and tighter financial conditions begin weighing on US jobs market - the Fed will have the option to step back and simply... not hike.  But for now, 'nearly all policymakers' remain concerned with the moderate cooling in core inflation, and they don't see inflation going below 3% this year.       Mild reaction  The US 2-year yield continues pushing higher, while enthusiasm at the long end of the yield curve is lesser, as higher rates increase recession odds. The S&P500 hit a fresh high since last year but closed almost flat. The US dollar rebounded off its 100-DMA, and the EURUSD rallied above its own 100-DMA and holds ground above the 1.08 mark this morning, into the widely watched European Central Bank (ECB) decision.    A hawkish ECB hike?  The ECB is broadly expected to hike the interest rates by 25bp when it meets today, and ECB chief Lagarde will likely sound hawkish at the press conference following the decision and insist that despite the recent easing in inflationary pressures – and perhaps the deteriorating economic outlook, the ECB will continue its efforts to fight.  Note that 500-billion-euro TLTROS will mature on June 28th and will pull a good amount of liquidity out of the market. While there is still around 4 trillion euros of excess liquidity in the financial system, the draining liquidity could cause anxiety among investors, especially if some European banks fail to find enough financing in the market to replace their TLTRO funding – a scenario which could sap investors' confidence and appetite in the coming weeks.     In this respect, Italian banks are under a close watch as they are behind their European pears in repaying their TLTRO and the funding through TLTROs are more than the excess cash its lenders parked with the ECB. That means that Italian banks must find money somewhere else – but where? – to repay their TLTROs.   I am not particularly worried about the stability of the European financial system, but I can hardly imagine European stocks extend rally in the environment of draining liquidity and rising rates. The Stoxx 600 index spiked above its 50-DMA yesterday, as a stronger euro may have reinforced appetite, yet European stocks will likely return to the 435-450 area.       China cuts.  In China, we have a completely different ambiance when it comes to inflation and monetary policy. The Chinese inflation remains flat and under pressure near 26-month lows, growth is not picking up the anticipated post-Covid momentum, and the People's Bank of China (PBoC) cut its one-year MLF rate by 10bp today, as broadly expected, to give a shake to the depressed Chinese economy. The problem is, there is now a talk that China could be entering a liquidity trap, meaning a period where lower rates fail to boost appetite and don't translate into faster growth.  
Consolidation Continues: The Rise of M&A in Dutch IT Services

Consolidation Continues: The Rise of M&A in Dutch IT Services

ING Economics ING Economics 15.06.2023 11:57
Consolidation in Dutch IT services: Slowing but not stopping M&A activity in the Dutch IT services sector has soared in recent years. Investment opportunities, financing conditions, and an increase in optimal scale have all been key drivers of this trend. As interest rates continue to rise, consolidation will slow but remain resilient.   The Dutch IT services sector is consolidating quickly M&A activity in the Dutch IT services sector has more than doubled in the past six years. This increase was driven by three main developments.   1 Client demand An increase in optimal scale for both small and large companies. Client demand has increased the minimum viable scale for smaller companies and further incentivised larger corporations to become a one-stop shop for their customers.   2 Elevated growth Second, the sector has shown high growth and is characterised by recurring business models which make it an attractive sector to investors.   3 Lower interest rates Third, lower interest rates made it an attractive time for M&A due to relatively low financing costs and high multiples. As financing conditions tighten, M&A activity in the sector will not continue to grow at the same pace as the past years, but consolidation will continue.   The Dutch IT services sector has become increasingly engaged in M&A in recent years. From 2017 to 2022, the number of M&A deals in the sector increased from 290 to 620, resulting in an annual growth rate of roughly 16.5%. The Dutch economy as a whole experienced a 12.5% year-on-year growth rate of M&A in the same period.   Low interest rates caused high multiples, which made for interesting sales – and coupled with the fact that many IT entrepreneurs started their companies in the 1990s, many saw this period as a good time to sell. The increase in M&A activity within the sector is partially driven by lower interest rates, but also by the attractiveness of the sector to investors and increases in required scale. We delve into this in more detail below.   M&A deals in IT services increased significantly over the last 6 years    
Eurozone and German Services PMIs Weaken in June as Markets Await Fed Minutes

Consolidation Trends in the Growing IT Services Sector: A Shift towards Larger Companies and Diversification Strategies

ING Economics ING Economics 15.06.2023 12:50
It's therefore no surprise that the share of large and medium-sized companies in the market is growing at a faster pace than smaller ones. From 2017 until 2022, the number of bigger corporations grew by 67% – nearly three times more than the number of small companies with 10 to 50 employees. This evolution emphasises the consolidation that is taking place in the IT services landscape.   The number of big companies is growing faster than smaller companies   Driving forces Two other factors that are driving consolidation are commoditisation and margin pressure. IT products have been commoditised in recent decades, as large IT services providers such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and SAP have gained a bigger share of the pie in some areas (e.g. office software applications and cloud setups). This in turn has incentivised diversification by IT service providers in the mid-market segment. As a result, many of them have moved into areas such as cyber security and off-premises data centres. This can further drive M&A as companies strive to acquire additional skills and technology, and aim to become more efficient and better equipped to serve their clients.     Further consolidation expected, but the pace will slow Overall, there is enough space in the sector for consolidation to continue in the coming years. The IT services sector is dynamic and still relatively young, and new value propositions occur often. It's set to remain in high demand as a vital element in the functioning of the economy, as is that for services such as cyber security, data analysis, software integration and automation. Given increasing interest rates and declining multiples, however, consolidation will continue at a slower pace than in the past six years.
BI and BSP Policy Meetings, Extended Pause, China Loan Prime Rates, Japan Inflation, PMI Indices, Asian Economic Calendar

BI and BSP Policy Meetings, Extended Pause, China Loan Prime Rates, Japan Inflation, PMI Indices, Asian Economic Calendar

ING Economics ING Economics 15.06.2023 12:54
Asia week ahead: Bank Indonesia and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas likely to extend pause Bank Indonesia and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas meet next week and we expect both to leave policy settings untouched.   BI and BSP likely to extend pause Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) both hold policy meetings next week. Moderating inflation coupled with the Federal Reserve hold at the June meeting means we are expecting both BI and BSP to hold rates steady. BI has been on hold since February, while this will be the second straight meeting that the BSP will leave the policy rate at 6.25%.   We expect BI Governor Perry Warjiyo and BSP Governor Felipe Medalla to be on hold in the near term while assessing the outlook for the Fed.   China rates to dip post PBoC cut Loan prime rates in China are setto track the recent cut from the People’s Bank of China (PBoC). Thus, we are looking for the 1Y loan prime rate to fall to 3.55% (from 3.65%) and the 5Y loan prime rate to settle at 4.2%.   Japan inflation and PMI numbers out next week Nationwide CPI inflation and PMI indices are due for release in Japan next week. Recently reported Tokyo CPI inflation numbers suggest that we could see a similar downtrend in the national figures with headline inflation possibly dipping to 3.2% year-on-year from 3.5%. Core inflation excluding food and energy however could be sticky and remain close to the 4% range. PMI indices recently posted record levels of expansion but we feel that we could see a reversal in June. Despite this potential pullback, we still expect both the services and manufacturing indices to report a solid expansion.   Asia Economic Calendar
Rising Chances of a Sharp Repricing in Hungarian Markets

Hawkish ECB Raises Rates Amidst Slowing Eurozone Growth and Surging Inflation Forecasts

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 16.06.2023 09:34
It was mostly a good day for the global markets, except for Europe, which saw the European Central Bank (ECB) expectedly raise interest rates by 25bp, but unexpectedly raised inflation forecast, as well.   European policymakers now expect core inflation to average past the 5% mark, while in March projection this forecast was only at around 4.6%. This could sound a bit counterintuitive, because we have been seeing slower inflation and slower activity across the Eurozone countries, with the latest growth numbers even pointing at a mild recession. Yet the strength of the jobs market, and the stickiness of services and housing prices keep ECB officials alert and prepared for a further rate hike in July... and maybe another one in September.       Euro rallies  At the wake of the ECB meeting, the implied probability of a July hike jumped from 50% to 80%, sending the EURUSD rallying. The pair rallied well past its 50-DMA and hit 1.0950, and is up by more than 3% since the beginning of this month. The medium-term outlook remains bullish for the EURUSD due to divergence between a decidedly hawkish ECB, and exhausting Federal Reserve (Fed). The next bullish target stands at 1.12.  The US dollar sank below its 50-DMA, impacted by softening retail sales, rising jobless claims, slowing industrial production and perhaps by a broadly stronger euro following the ECB's higher inflation forecasts, as well.   Elsewhere, rally in EURJPY gained momentum above the 150 mark, as the Bank of Japan (BoJ) decided to do nothing about its abnormally low interest rates today, which seem even more anomalous when you think that the rest of the major central banks are either hiking, or say they will hike. The dollar yen is back above the 140 mark, as traders see little reason to buy the yen when the BoJ outlook remains blurred. Note that some investors expected at least a wider YCC policy to 1% mark, but the BoJ didn't even bother to make a change on that front.       Japanese stocks overbought near 33-year highs  Good news is, Japanese stocks benefit from softer yen and ample BoJ policy, and consolidate gains near 33-year highs. The overbought market conditions, and the idea that Japan will, one day in our lifetime, normalize rates could lead to some profit taking, but it's also true that companies in geopolitically sensitive sectors like defense and semiconductors have been major drivers of the rally this year, and there is no reason for that appetite to change when the geopolitical landscape remains this tense. The former US Secretary of State just said he believes that a conflict between China and Taiwan is likely if tensions continue their current course.   By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank    
Hungary's Economic Prospects: Emerging from a Prolonged Recession

Poland's 2023 Budget Deficit Widens as Government Prioritizes Spending Over Liquidity Buffer

ING Economics ING Economics 16.06.2023 09:41
Poland's 2023 budget deficit higher as government plans to reduce liquidity buffer Last week, the Polish government presented an updated fiscal plan for 2023 with a PLN24bn (0.7% of GDP) higher deficit target, mainly on additional spending. Higher borrowing needs are intended to be financed by the reduction of the liquidity cushion rather than new issuance.   Loose fiscal policy in 2023 and 2024 Last Friday, Polish authorities announced that the 2023 budget act will be amended and the state budget deficit limit on a cash basis will be increased by PLN24bn from PLN68bn to PLN92bn (0.7% of GDP). The main reason behind such a move is the intention to boost one-off expenditure in 2023 (by PLN20.8bn), which we link to upcoming general elections in Poland in the autumn of this year. The majority of the spending will be on one-off higher subsidies to local governments (PLN14bn) and one-off bonuses for teachers (excluding academics). Total state budget revenues are expected to be PLN3.2bn lower than previously projected, with tax collections PLN8.5bn lower than assumed in the budget act. VAT receipts are PLN13.4bn short of initial assumptions.   As a reminder, a few weeks ago the government released a plan to increase permanent spending from 2024 onwards on child benefits (from PLN500 per child to PLN800) and provide free pharmaceuticals for youngsters and the elderly (totalling 0.7% of GDP next year). We hold our 2023 general government deficit estimate unchanged at 5.2% of GDP in 2023 and around 4% of GDP in 2024, as we already assumed loose fiscal policy in the election year.   Higher borrowing needs for 2023 but issuance lower The budget amendment means that 2023 net borrowing needs will increase to PLN150.6bn from PLN110.5bn initially planned, but it is not necessarily bad news for Polish government bonds (POLGBs) given plans regarding financing. According to the amended plan, the issuance of PLN T-bonds will be PLN21.9bn lower than initially planned. MinFin plans to cover new borrowing needs from an exceptionally high cash buffer, which should be reduced by PLN64.3bn. At the end of May, the Ministry of Finance had PLN117.6bn on budgetary accounts – since the Covid-19 pandemic it has stayed at a very high level.   Downward pressure on yields as demand-supply balance likely to improve POLGBs issuance so far this year is close to PLN60bn and by the end of 2023 fiscal authorities may tap domestic markets with PLN30bn given the amended financing plan. Taking into account the planned reduction in the budget account balance (liquidity buffer) this year and a more open approach to Eurobonds issuance (the equivalent of PLN38bn issued in euros and dollars by the government so far in 2023) it is likely to boost banking liquidity. Along with poor demand for mortgage loans due to high interest rates, and the rising chance of National Bank of Poland rate cuts before the end of 2023, it should support demand for POLGBs and may push its prices up.
Navigating Headwinds: Outlook for the Finnish Economy

ECB Raises Interest Rates: Market Reaction, Future Outlook, and Implications for EURUSD

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 16.06.2023 14:01
On Thursday, the ECB raised three key interest rates by 25 basis points, taking the benchmark lending rate to 4%, the highest since 2008. It also confirmed its intention to refuse to refinance coupons and maturing bonds, accelerating quantitative easing - another parameter of policy tightening.     Markets had anticipated this move, so the attention of traders and journalists was, as usual, focused on the comments that would determine the trajectory of future actions. In contrast to Fed Chairman Powell, ECB President Lagarde was much more reassuring about future moves. She confidently stated that a few more hikes would be needed, leaving little doubt about a hike at the next meeting. This sharply contrasted with Powell, who highlighted a July hike as the more likely scenario but did not rule out the possibility of no hike. Lagarde pointed to the strength of the labour market and rising core inflation as factors in domestic price pressures. Despite the reversal to a lower inflation trend, she maintained that the ECB still has ground to cover to contain inflation.     It took some time for the markets to appreciate the seriousness of the ECB's stance. An initial 0.5% rise in EURUSD on the release of the commentary, which did not soften the tone significantly from May, picked up after the press conference and continued for the rest of the day, giving EURUSD a 1.1% gain, with the pair stabilising around 1.0950. The pair's technical disposition should also be considered, as it adds to the amplitude. After rising above 1.0880, the EURUSD crossed the 50-day moving average, and a decisive take of this level further supports the buyers' resolve. The EURUSD has been trading in a broad bullish corridor since the beginning of the year after bouncing off its lower boundary earlier this month and confirming the seriousness of the short-term uptrend with yesterday's strong move. The bulls are now focusing on the 1.1050 area, the April high.     However, given the upward bias of the move, the pair could be as high as 1.1100 by the end of the month. The 1.1200 area will be the next major milestone, through which the ultra-long 200-week moving average trend passes, and many pivot points are concentrated. The dollar will struggle there.
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Navigating the Path Ahead: Unveiling the Fed's Inflation Fight and Future Steps

ING Economics ING Economics 16.06.2023 15:57
Watch: The next steps in the Fed’s inflation fight Encouraging signs of cooling inflation are beginning to emerge as the Federal Reserve inches closer to its 2% target, but the rising threat of recession is looming. ING's James Knightley says there are a couple of key data points to watch over the month ahead for more clarity on what could be next for the US economy.   A hawkish hold and the next steps in the Fed’s inflation fight A hawkish hold, signals of further rate hikes still to come and a clear determination to stamp out inflation once and for all accompanied the Fed's decision to leave interest rates unchanged at this week's meeting. Market expectations for where the US economy could be heading are moving in a very different direction from those of the central bank – so where next?    
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Rising Rates and Stock Markets: Finding Comfort in Unconventional Pairings

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 19.06.2023 09:44
Rising rates and rising stock markets aren't usually a combination that sits comfortably with a lot of investors but that's exactly what we saw last week, with European markets enjoying their best week in over 2 months, while US markets and the S&P500 enjoying its best week since March.     One of the reasons behind this rebound is a belief that Chinese demand may well pick up as the authorities there implement stimulus measures to support their struggling economy.   There is also a belief that despite seeing the Federal Reserve deliver a hawkish pause to its rate hiking cycle and the ECB deliver another 25bps rate hike last week, that we are close to the peak when it comes to rate rises, even though there is a growing acceptance that interest rates aren't coming down any time soon.     We did have one notable outlier from last week and that was the Bank of Japan who left their current policy settings unchanged in the monetary policy equivalent of what could be described as sticking one's fingers in one's ears and shouting loudly, and pretending core inflation isn't already at 40-year highs.   This week, attention turns to the Swiss National Bank, as well as the Bank of England, who are both expected to follow in the ECB's footsteps and hike rates by 25bps.   The UK especially has a big inflation problem, with average wages up by 7.2% for the 3-months to April, the Bank of England, not for the first time, has allowed inflation expectations to get out of control. This was despite many warnings over the last 18-months that they were acting too slowly, even though they were the first central bank to start hiking rates.     We heard over the weekend from former Bank of England governor Mark Carney that this state of affairs wasn't surprising to him, and that Brexit was partly to blame for the UK's high inflation rate and that he was proved correct when he warned of the long-term effects back in 2016.   Aside from the fact that UK inflation is not that much higher than its European peers, Carney's intervention is a helpful reminder of what a poor job he did as Bank of England governor. At the time he warned of an economic apocalypse warning that growth would collapse and unemployment would soar, and yet here we are with a participation rate at near record levels, and an economy that isn't in recession, unlike Germany and the EU, which are.     The reality is that two huge supply shocks have hit the global economy, firstly Covid and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that the UK's reliance on imported energy and lack of gas storage which has served to magnify the shock on the UK economy.   That would have happened with or without Brexit and to pretend otherwise is nonsense on stilts. If anything is to blame it is decades of poor energy policy and economic planning by successive and existing UK governments. UK inflation is also taking longer to come down due to the residual effects of the energy price cap, another misguided, and ultimately costly government policy.   Carney is probably correct about one thing, and that is interest rates are unlikely to come down any time soon, and could stay at current levels for years.   This week is likely to be a big week for the pound, currently at 14-month highs against the US dollar, with markets pricing in the prospect of another 100bps of rate hikes. UK 2-year gilt yields are already above their October peaks and at 15-year highs, although 5- and 10-year yields aren't.     This feels like an overreaction and while many UK mortgage holders are looking at UK rates with trepidation, this comes across as overpriced. It seems highly likely we will get one rate rise this week and perhaps another in August, but beyond another 50bps seems a stretch and would be a surprise.        With some US markets closed for the Juneteenth public holiday, today's European session is likely to be a quiet one, with a modestly negative open after US markets finished the end of a positive week, with their first daily decline in six days.       EUR/USD – pushed up to the 1.0970 area last week having broken above the 50-day SMA at 1.0880. We now look set for a move towards the April highs at the 1.1095 area. Support comes in at the 50-day SMA between the 1.0870/80 area.     GBP/USD – broken above previous highs this year at 1.2680 last week as well as moving above the 1.2760a area which is 61.8% retracement of the 1.4250/1.0344 down move. This puts us on course for a move towards the 1.3000 area. We now have support at 1.2630.      EUR/GBP – broken below the 0.8530/40 area negating the key reversal day last week and opening up the risk of further losses towards the 0.8350 area. Initial support at the 0.8470/80 area. Resistance at 0.8620.     USD/JPY – continues to push higher and on towards the next resistance at 142.50 which is 61.8% retracement of the 151.95/127.20 down move. Support now comes in at 140.20/30      FTSE100 is expected to open 35 points lower at 7,608     DAX is expected to open 92 points lower at 16,265     CAC40 is expected to open 34 points lower at 7,354   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)  
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Rising Rates and Stock Markets: Finding Comfort in Unconventional Pairings - 19.06.2023

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 19.06.2023 09:44
Rising rates and rising stock markets aren't usually a combination that sits comfortably with a lot of investors but that's exactly what we saw last week, with European markets enjoying their best week in over 2 months, while US markets and the S&P500 enjoying its best week since March.     One of the reasons behind this rebound is a belief that Chinese demand may well pick up as the authorities there implement stimulus measures to support their struggling economy.   There is also a belief that despite seeing the Federal Reserve deliver a hawkish pause to its rate hiking cycle and the ECB deliver another 25bps rate hike last week, that we are close to the peak when it comes to rate rises, even though there is a growing acceptance that interest rates aren't coming down any time soon.     We did have one notable outlier from last week and that was the Bank of Japan who left their current policy settings unchanged in the monetary policy equivalent of what could be described as sticking one's fingers in one's ears and shouting loudly, and pretending core inflation isn't already at 40-year highs.   This week, attention turns to the Swiss National Bank, as well as the Bank of England, who are both expected to follow in the ECB's footsteps and hike rates by 25bps.   The UK especially has a big inflation problem, with average wages up by 7.2% for the 3-months to April, the Bank of England, not for the first time, has allowed inflation expectations to get out of control. This was despite many warnings over the last 18-months that they were acting too slowly, even though they were the first central bank to start hiking rates.     We heard over the weekend from former Bank of England governor Mark Carney that this state of affairs wasn't surprising to him, and that Brexit was partly to blame for the UK's high inflation rate and that he was proved correct when he warned of the long-term effects back in 2016.   Aside from the fact that UK inflation is not that much higher than its European peers, Carney's intervention is a helpful reminder of what a poor job he did as Bank of England governor. At the time he warned of an economic apocalypse warning that growth would collapse and unemployment would soar, and yet here we are with a participation rate at near record levels, and an economy that isn't in recession, unlike Germany and the EU, which are.     The reality is that two huge supply shocks have hit the global economy, firstly Covid and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that the UK's reliance on imported energy and lack of gas storage which has served to magnify the shock on the UK economy.   That would have happened with or without Brexit and to pretend otherwise is nonsense on stilts. If anything is to blame it is decades of poor energy policy and economic planning by successive and existing UK governments. UK inflation is also taking longer to come down due to the residual effects of the energy price cap, another misguided, and ultimately costly government policy.   Carney is probably correct about one thing, and that is interest rates are unlikely to come down any time soon, and could stay at current levels for years.   This week is likely to be a big week for the pound, currently at 14-month highs against the US dollar, with markets pricing in the prospect of another 100bps of rate hikes. UK 2-year gilt yields are already above their October peaks and at 15-year highs, although 5- and 10-year yields aren't.     This feels like an overreaction and while many UK mortgage holders are looking at UK rates with trepidation, this comes across as overpriced. It seems highly likely we will get one rate rise this week and perhaps another in August, but beyond another 50bps seems a stretch and would be a surprise.        With some US markets closed for the Juneteenth public holiday, today's European session is likely to be a quiet one, with a modestly negative open after US markets finished the end of a positive week, with their first daily decline in six days.       EUR/USD – pushed up to the 1.0970 area last week having broken above the 50-day SMA at 1.0880. We now look set for a move towards the April highs at the 1.1095 area. Support comes in at the 50-day SMA between the 1.0870/80 area.     GBP/USD – broken above previous highs this year at 1.2680 last week as well as moving above the 1.2760a area which is 61.8% retracement of the 1.4250/1.0344 down move. This puts us on course for a move towards the 1.3000 area. We now have support at 1.2630.      EUR/GBP – broken below the 0.8530/40 area negating the key reversal day last week and opening up the risk of further losses towards the 0.8350 area. Initial support at the 0.8470/80 area. Resistance at 0.8620.     USD/JPY – continues to push higher and on towards the next resistance at 142.50 which is 61.8% retracement of the 151.95/127.20 down move. Support now comes in at 140.20/30      FTSE100 is expected to open 35 points lower at 7,608     DAX is expected to open 92 points lower at 16,265     CAC40 is expected to open 34 points lower at 7,354   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)  
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CEE Central Banks Set for Monetary Policy Meetings: Positive Outlook and Rate Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 19.06.2023 09:53
CEE: Good news for the region This week will see several central bank meetings in the region. Tomorrow, the Hungarian National Bank will meet for its monetary policy decision. We expect another 100bp cut in the overnight deposit rate, as in May, from 17% to 16%, in line with expectations. The forward guidance and the tone will remain unchanged as well, in our view. This means that the approach remains cautious and gradual and the decisions ahead are still data- and sentiment-driven. On Wednesday, we will see the Czech National Bank meeting leaving rates unchanged. The main question here is what the vote split will be. In May, three of the seven members voted for a rate hike. Since then we have seen lower inflation and wage growth numbers, which could change the outcome of the vote, but we expect the CNB to continue its hawkish tone. We will also see industrial and labour market data from Poland on Wednesday. The Central Bank of Turkey is scheduled to meet on Thursday, the first since the appointment of new economic names. We expect a big jump in interest rates from 8% to 20% and see upside risks.   On the FX market, the higher EUR/USD is clearly good news for the CEE region, and on top of that market remains in a positive mood and the drop in gas prices, which jumped last week to the highest levels since April, should play into the hands of HUF and CZK. And we should see positive news for FX at the local level as well. Markets like the story of monetary policy normalisation in Hungary and we believe the market will take the opportunity of a weaker forint as an opportunity to build new HUF positions and benefit from the significant carry. Thus, we expect the forint to return to 370 EUR/HUF. In the Czech Republic, the market is currently pricing in a first rate cut as early as September. In our view, the CNB governor will try to postpone the dovish market pricing, which, together with global factors, should help the koruna back to stronger levels below 23.70 EUR/CZK.
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Federal Reserve Holds Rates, Signals Hawkish Stance Amid Strong Labor Market and Inflation Concerns

Matt Weller CFA Matt Weller CFA 19.06.2023 10:13
FXMAG.COM: Could you please comment on the FOMC decision?  Fed Downshifts with "Hawkish Hold," All Eyes on Economic Data Heading into the Summer   The Federal Reserve (Fed) held its meeting and decided to maintain interest rates at their current levels, as widely anticipated. However, there were notable developments and insights provided during the meeting and subsequent press conference. Chairman Powell reaffirmed a hawkish stance and reiterated the Fed's commitment to achieving 2% inflation and a strong labor market. Powell highlighted that the full effects of tightening have not yet been felt, indicating the potential for further rate hikes in the future. The Fed's Summary of Economic Projections revealed an upward revision in GDP growth forecasts for 2023, reflecting an improved outlook for the US economy. Additionally, the dot plot indicated that the median FOMC member expects interest rates to be higher by the end of the year.  During the press conference, Chairman Powell emphasized that the labor market remains tight, although there are signs of supply and demand coming into better balance. He acknowledged that labor demand still exceeds the available workforce. Powell expressed caution regarding inflation, stating that getting it back to the target of 2% requires continued efforts. He highlighted that reducing inflation may necessitate below-trend growth and some softening of labor conditions. Powell also mentioned that decisions will be made meeting by meeting based on evolving data and the outlook. Looking ahead, the Fed's next meeting in July is expected to be significant, as Powell referred to it as a "live meeting." This indicates that decisions regarding interest rates and monetary policy may be made during that meeting. The Fed will closely monitor incoming data, the evolving outlook, and assess the impact of policy decisions before making any changes. Overall, the Fed's meeting underscored a hawkish tone, with an acknowledgment of the strong labor market and a willingness to address inflation concerns through potential rate hikes in the future.   Read more
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China Lowers Loan Prime Rates in Ongoing Easing Efforts

ING Economics ING Economics 20.06.2023 07:34
China: Loan prime rates lowered Following the earlier reduction in 7-day reverse repo rates and the 1Y medium-term lending facility (MLF), today was the turn of the loan prime rates (LPR) to be cut by 10bp - more cuts will follow.   Rates all coming down After lowering the window guidance for banks on deposit rates recently, this week has also seen the policy 7-day reverse repo rate reduced, the 1Y medium-term lending facility (1Y MLF) reduced, and today, the 1 and 5Y loan prime rates reduced. This brings to an end this round of formal rate reductions, though more will likely follow in the months ahead as the economy continues to struggle.   China's monetary policy framework is a little tricky to understand if you are used to a single rate like the US Federal funds rate, or the ECB's main refinancing rate as the point around which all other interest rates and bond yields tend to pivot. But in recent years, it has moved in the direction of a more market-based system, as this note, and the amended chart which we have borrowed from the People's Bank of China (PBoC) try to explain.   The 7-day reverse repo rate and the 1Y MLF are set with a view to driving money market rates and credit/bond market rates. Loan prime rates are the rates on which mortgage yields are based. The standing lending facility rate (SLF) is equal to the 7-day repo rate plus 100bp, and is the cap for the interest rate corridor, while the 7-day reverse repo forms the floor. Deposit rates for savers are notionally set by banks but within ranges indicated by the PBoC - the so-called window guidance.   So, there is a market mechanism at play, but the monetary framework is also subject to a lot more direct control by the PBoC than in many economies.   China's interest rates     A lot of action, but will it help? The first point to note is that despite all of the rate-cutting in recent days, we are only talking about 10bp of easing and a bit of increased loan issuance. This isn't going to do an awful lot to boost the struggling economy, though it clearly is better than nothing. Even with further reductions, and we expect more of the same in the coming months, perhaps several iterations of cuts, it is not likely that we will see demand for property swing around strongly, construction will likely remain weak, and local governments will continue to feel the pinch from reduced land sales and tight finances, limiting their ability to pursue expansionary infrastructure projects.   That said, lower mortgage rates will provide a little additional cash flow boost to households and help retail sales and consumer spending to provide some support. And at least China is not having the same spending-power-sapping inflation problems that the rest of the world is suffering from, so there are few impediments to further cuts in policy rates save the political desire not to overdo it and stoke bubbles in parts of the economy. The risk of that happening at the moment seems very low. That said, the current rate of retail sales growth does look to contain a fair bit of pent-up demand following the economy's re-opening at the end of last year, and it is likely to weaken in the months ahead. Further rate cuts may help to soften the adjustment downwards when it comes.    The reduced rate backdrop will likely continue to weigh on the CNY, at least until US Fed policy also turns lower, so we will probably need to make further amendments to our USDCNY profile, keeping it weaker through 3Q23 and maybe softening the turn when it comes.        
Pound Slides as Market Reacts Dovishly to Wage Developments

Mixed Markets as UK Gilt Yields Surge and China Cuts Lending Rates

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 20.06.2023 07:44
With US markets closed, markets in Europe underwent a weak and subdued session at the start of the new week with yesterday's declines predominantly on the back of the late Friday sell-off in the US, which saw markets there close off their highs of the week. The lack of any further details on a China stimulus plan, along with additional upward pressure on interest rates over uncertainty about further rate rises, and a slowing global economy, saw European investors engage with some modest profit taking.     Asia markets were mixed this morning, even as the People's Bank of China cut its 1 and 5 year lending rates by a modest 10 bps.     The UK gilt market was the main source of movement in the bond market, with 2-year yields pushing up to their highest level in 15 years, while 5- and 10-year yields came close to the highs we saw at the end of September last year, after the Kwarteng budget.       There is growing anxiety about the effect the recent rise in UK gilt yields is already having on the mortgage market, a concern that was played out in the form of weakness in house building and real estate shares yesterday, as 2-year mortgage deals pushed above 6%.     It is also feeding into a wider concern that economic activity in the second half of the year will be constrained by increased mortgage costs, which in turn will push up rents as well as shrinking disposable income.     All eyes will be on tomorrow's inflation numbers with Bank of England policymakers praying that we start to see rapid slowdowns in how fast prices are rising before the end of the summer.     While prices have been slowing here in the UK they have been slowing more rapidly in the US as well as in Europe, although in Europe they also fell from much higher levels.     Today we get the latest Germany PPI numbers for May which have been slowing sharply from peaks of 45.8% back in August, and had come down to 17.6% by January this year. In today's numbers for May it is expected to see annualised price growth slow further to 1.7%, while seeing a -0.7% decline month on month.     Another monthly decline in today's numbers would be the 7th monthly decline in the last 8 months, in a sign that disinflation is working its way through the system, and could also manifest itself in this week's UK PPI numbers as well.     The puzzle is why it is taking so long to bleed into the headline CPI and core CPI numbers, though it could start to by the beginning of Q3. The Bank of England will certainly be praying it does. As we look towards today's European open its likely to be a modestly higher one.          EUR/USD – have slipped back from the 1.0970 area having broken above the 50-day SMA at 1.0880 which now acts as support. We still remain on course for a move towards the April highs at the 1.1095 area.     GBP/USD – slipped back from 1.2845/50 area with support now at 1.2750 which was the 61.8% retracement of the 1.4250/1.0344 down move. If we slip below 1.2750, we could see further weakness towards 1.2680. Still on course for a move towards the 1.3000 area.      EUR/GBP – remains under pressure and on course for further losses toward the 0.8470/80 area. Currently have resistance at 0.8580 area and behind that at 0.8620.     USD/JPY – still on course for a move towards the next resistance at 142.50 which is 61.8% retracement of the 151.95/127.20 down move. Above 142.50 targets the 145.00 area. Support now comes in at 140.20/30      FTSE100 is expected to open unchanged at 7,588     DAX is expected to open unchanged at 16,201     CAC40 is expected to open 7 points lower at 7,307
Pound Slides as Market Reacts Dovishly to Wage Developments

Expert opinion on the aluminum market: an overview on the opportunities, risks and future of the sector

Maxim Manturov Maxim Manturov 19.06.2023 12:52
The aluminum industry plays a critical role in various sectors including transportation, building & construction, electrical engineering, consumer goods production, foil & packaging, machinery & equipment and many others. By some estimations, the global aluminum market is projected to grow from roughly $169 billion in 2022 to almost $256 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 6.1% in the forecast period. Current economic cooldown shouldn’t be a barrier for increased global demand for aluminum. Two major sectors, the transport, which accounts for almost a third of the global aluminum market share, and construction, are the two main drivers for the aluminum market. Another major growth factor is machinery demand, which has been growing in the aftermath of COVID-19 as industrial activities picked up. Some of the factors driving the demand for aluminum are the implementation of strict greenhouse gas (GHG) and carbon emission requirements, increase in focus on the use of lightweight aluminum for the fabrication of vehicle durable components, and low hazardous emission. Here are some key possibilities and risks emerging from the growing demand for aluminum worldwide.   Possibilities: Growing demand: Demand for aluminum is expected to increase due to its lightness, recyclability and its use in sectors such as electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure and lightweight building materials. Sustainability Focus: Aluminum's recyclability and low carbon footprint make it attractive to industries looking for sustainable solutions, making it attractive to companies and investors looking for sustainability. Technological advances: Continuous research and development is aimed at improving the properties and applications of aluminum, opening the door to new opportunities in various industries.   Risks: Price Volatility: The aluminum market is subject to price fluctuations, which are affected by factors such as global economic conditions, supply and demand dynamics, energy costs and geopolitical events. Raw material availability: Aluminum production is dependent on the availability and cost of raw materials such as bauxite and alumina. Any disruptions or price fluctuations in these markets could affect the profitability of aluminum companies. Regulatory and trade policy: Changes in regulations and trade policy, including tariffs and export restrictions, could affect the global aluminum market, which could lead to problems for companies operating in this sector. As the market is being shaped by these possibilities and possible risks, its future is ultimately dependent on whether it could satisfy the increased focus on sustainability and the transition to a low-carbon economy.  Demand for aluminum is expected to continue to grow as industries seek lightweight and energy efficient materials, especially fir the global infrastructure development projects in emerging markets, and the market could see significant growth if it succeeds in technological innovation.
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Best stocks for soft economy landing according to Goldman Sachs

Maxim Manturov Maxim Manturov 19.06.2023 12:55
Despite the weak GDP growth data, economists at Goldman Sachs still believe that the US economy will avoid a recession. Goldman Sachs' estimates are based on bold corporate earnings forecasts, steady decline in inflation and strong labour market data. While the economy is headed for a so-called soft landing, the investment bank recommends focusing on value stocks with strong balance sheets.   Goldman Sachs presented a list of the Russell 3000 stocks, which demonstrate stable financial performance and have reasonable valuations. Analysts from a Freedom Finance Europe, a company operating Freedom24 online brokerage platform, analysed the Goldman Sachs list and chose three stocks which have the best potential return per unit of risk accepted: 3M Company (MMM) PayPal Holdings (PYPL) Sealed Air Corporation (SEE)   3M Company: Manufacturing business with stable prospects Ticker: MMM.US Entry price: $99–$101 Target price: $129 Horizon: 12 months  About company   3M Company (MMM) is a diversified business conglomerate offering a wide range of products including adhesives, abrasives, laminates, medical dressings and healthcare information systems. 3M Company operates through four business segments: Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, Health Care, and Consumer.   Why do we like 3M Company? 3M Company has a strong competitive position thanks to its broad portfolio of over 100,000 patents, a recognizable brand and a corporate culture focused on innovation. Continuous investment in research and development allows the company to introduce new products and register more than 3,500 patents annually, which improves product quality and production efficiency. 3M owns 51 technology platforms covering areas such as ceramics, abrasives, adhesives, and nanotechnology. 3M serves a large number of end markets, including the most dynamic and promising markets of personal protective equipment and medical software. The growth of the personal protective equipment market is fueled by the increasing companies’ attention to the health and safety of employees, also monitored by government agencies. According to Grand View Research, in the US, the market will grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 6.7% until 2030 and reach $32.5 billion by the end of the period. The global market for personal protective equipment is also likely to grow, helped by rapid industrialisation in developing countries.  The medical software market is also experiencing strong tailwinds amid the rising rates of wound infections, diabetes and chronic diseases, and ageing population. According to Acumen Research and Consulting, the global healthcare software market was estimated at $41.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $104.1 billion by 2030, implying a CAGR of 10.9%. Last year, 3M announced a plan to spin-off its medical solutions business into a separate firm. With the medical equipment and healthcare companies trading at a significant premium to industrial enterprises, we expect the transaction to help 3M to unlock its value potential. The spin-off is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.   3M is a so-called dividend aristocrat, as the company has maintained dividend payments for more than 100 years and has increased its annual dividend for 64 years in a row. At the current market value, the dividend yield of the stock is about 6%, which is the highest level since 1996. We believe that 3M is able to maintain the current level of dividend payments because of the following reasons: In 2022, the company allocated 87.7% of free cash flow to dividends, which is a reasonable level for a mature business. Given the company’s restrained investment programme, we believe that 3M will continue to generate significant free cash flow. In Q1 2023, 3M announced a plan to improve operational efficiency, including a reduction in headcount by 6,000 people. The company plans to increase operating profit by $700–$900 million by the end of the year. That is, the payout ratio will decrease organically, due to the growth of cash flow. 3M has a healthy balance sheet (more below) with no significant debt repayments expected in coming years.   Financial performance 3M Company's financial performance in the trailing twelve months (TTM) can be summarised as follows: TTM revenue amounted to $33.43 billion, down by 2.3% from the end of the last year. The decrease was observed in all segments except healthcare. Gross profit decreased slightly from $15.00 billion to $14.41 billion. Gross margin stood at 43.11% against 43.81% for the year. Operating profit amounted to $6.14 billion versus $6.54 billion at the end of the last year. Operating margin decreased from 19.10% to 18.36%. Net income was down from $5.78 billion to $5.45 billion. Net margin decreased from 16.88% to 16.31%. Cash from operations increased from $5.59 billion to $5.86 billion, driven by a decrease in net working capital. Free cash flow rose from $3.84 billion to $4.06 billion.   During the latest conference call, the company's management announced efficiency measures that include cutting jobs, simplifying the structure of the supply chain and optimising operating expenses. In case of successful implementation of the presented measures, 3M is likely to return to the moderate growth trajectory.   Stock valuation Market headwinds have been overly reflected in the current 3M stock value. However, it does not fully reflect the business potential in case of successful implementation of efficiency measures. 3M currently trades at a significant discount to peers. The minimum price target from investment banks set by Crispidea is $103 per share. At the same time, Langenberg estimates MMM at $210 per share. According to the Wall Street consensus, the stock’s fair market value is $114, implying a 14.5% upside potential. Our estimate is based on industry average multiples. The sector average EV/Sales multiple is 1.71x (-17.79% to the current price), EV/EBITDA is 11.73x (+53.13%), P/Cash flow is 14.29x (+51.86%), and P/E is 19.30x (+86.47%). For each multiple, we assigned a specific gravity of 0.125. As noted above, the Wall Street consensus implies a 14.5% upside potential. We assigned a specific gravity for this factor at 0.50. Thus, we determined the stock’s fair market value at $129 per share, implying a 29% upside potential.   Key risks 3M Company operates in a highly cyclical industry. Although we believe that macroeconomic challenges have already been priced in, there is a possibility that the deterioration in consumer sentiment will have a greater impact than we think. In this case, the stock may remain under for an extended period of time. 3M’ margins have been declining steadily since 2020. If the efficiency plan is not implemented or does not produce the expected results, the stock could remain under pressure.   PayPal Holdings: Online payments benefiting from the market growth Ticker: PYPL.US Entry price: $63–$65 Target price: $93 Horizon: 12 months   About company PayPal Holdings (PYPL) operates a technology platform that allows users to make digital payments worldwide in 150 currencies and withdraw funds to their bank accounts. The company provides a digital alternative to traditional money transfer methods. PayPal was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.   Why do we like PayPal Holdings? Over the past few years, PayPal’s stock has shown disappointing returns. The lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, global supply chain issues, deteriorating consumer sentiment, monetary tightening and the war in Ukraine have all weighed on the firm's financials and growth potential. Changes in the company's management did not add confidence to investors either. As a result, one of the largest online payments market players has lost about 80% of its market cap compared to its highs of 2021. During the Investor Day 2021, PayPal’s management set a goal to increase the number of active accounts from 377 million to 750 million over five years, i.e. more than 70 million a year. However, already in Q4 of the same year, the company announced that it would not be able to achieve the goal and in 2022 the number of accounts would  increase by only 15–20 million. In fact, PayPal managed to attract only 9 million new customers in 2022, and the number decreased by 2 million in Q1 2023. The company’s inability to maintain growth was the main reason behind the stock price depreciation. However, in our view, the market has overreacted to the growth slowdown. PayPal is a mature business with a high penetration level. According to Oberlo, 8.2% of all digital shoppers in the world used PayPal in 2022. With this level of penetration, it is difficult for the company to continue to grow market share, and given the overall decline in sales in the e-commerce sector, PayPal's headwinds seem completely natural. The long-term outlook for the digital payments market remains promising. According to Mordor Intelligence, the market size will grow from $8.7 trillion in 2023 to $14.8 trillion by 2028, implying a CAGR of 11.08% over the forecast period. With its large user base, network effect, brand strength and business scale, PayPal has a significant competitive advantage. The company has 433 million active accounts and serves 35 million merchants worldwide. Over the last 12 months, the firm has processed payments worth $1.39 trillion, earned $28 billion in fee and commission income, and $5.1 billion in free cash flow. PayPal has been actively investing in its future. The company owns one of the leading digital wallets, Venmo, and plans to develop another “super app” that would provide users with a complete set of commercial and communication services in one package. According to the company, citing third-party research, 60% of consumers choose PayPal as their primary tool for making online transactions. Only 8% of respondents were in favour of the closest competitor. PayPal customers are twice as likely to make a purchase when they see the company’s icon. PayPal has significantly increased the number of new and repeating purchases, as well as improved the placed orders’ conversion rate. In other words, PayPal is an essential tool for any online merchant. The company seeks to maximise shareholder value through share buybacks. In Q2 2022, PayPal’s board of directors authorised a $15 billion buyback programme, of which only $4.1 billion was spent. Thus, the current programme allows the firm to buy back shares worth $10.9 billion, or about 15% of PayPal's current cap.   Financial performance PayPal’s financial performance in the trailing 12 months (TTM) can be summarised as follows: TTM revenue was $28.08 billion, up 2.0% YoY. The largest increase was observed in the company’s key market of the US (+13%). Operating income increased from $3.84 billion to $4.13 billion. Operating margin rose from 13.94% to 14.69%. Net income amounted to $2.71 billion versus $2.42 billion at the end of the last year. Net margin increased from 8.79% to 9.63%. Cash from operations declined slightly from $5.81 billion to $5.77 billion, driven by an increase in net working capital. Free cash flow amounted to $5.08 billion against $5.11 billion at the end of 2022. PayPal’s management seeks to increase business margins by cutting costs and focusing on the most active and profitable users. This strategy is already showing positive results: the firm raised its net income guidance twice in the past two quarters. PayPal has a strong balance sheet, with total debt of $10.48 billion, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $10.66 billion, and net debt of -$179 million.   Stock valuation PayPal trades at a significant discount to the industry average. The minimum price target from investment banks set by BNP Paribas is $58 per share. At the same time, Berenberg estimates PYPL at $145 per share. According to the Wall Street consensus, the stock’s fair market value is $93, implying a 46.4% upside potential.   Key risks Working in the market of cross-border money transfers makes PayPal susceptible to macroeconomic conditions. High inflation, tight monetary policy and a slowdown in economic growth — all these factors carry risks for people’s payment activity and, as a result, for the company's financial performance. Amid the rapidly increasing popularity of fintech platforms, competition in the cross-border money transfer market has intensified. Companies such as Wise, Payoneer and Revolut have established strong market presence and are constantly increasing their market shares. The current trend threatens PayPal's position.   Sealed Air Corp.: Packaging supplier with good chances to rise Ticker: SEE.US Entry price: $38–$40 Target price: $54 Horizon: 12 months    About company Sealed Air Corp. (SEE) provides packaging solutions for food, consumer goods, pharmaceutical and medical devices, and industrial manufacturing markets. The company operates through two business segments: Food and Protective. Sealed Air was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.   Why do we like Sealed Air Corp.? As a major supplier of consumer packaging, Sealed Air has benefited greatly from the tailwinds in the e-commerce sector during the pandemic. However, declining demand in the protective packaging segment and weakness in the retail end markets affected the company’s financials and market value. Over the past year, Sealed Air’s market cap has lost more than 36%. Sealed Air is not the only cyclical business company facing consumer weakness and destocking. Similar headwinds have been experienced by intermodal railroads and retailers, who continue to cut inventories to cope with declining consumer demand. However, headwinds are temporary. Sealed Air's management expects the challenges to remain in Q2 2023, but predict the market environment to normalise in H2 2023. The company cites China’s recovery from Covid lockdowns as one of the growth drivers. The long-term potentials of Sealed Air's target markets remain favourable. According to Grand View Research, the global food packaging market is valued at $362.9 billion and is expected to reach $565.4 billion by 2030, implying a CAGR of 5.7% over the forecast period. The segment accounts for more than half of Sealed Air's revenue. The industrial packaging market is also expected to grow faster than inflation. According to Mordor Intelligence, the industrial packaging market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 5.0% and reach $80.9 billion by 2028. Sealed Air has been regularly increasing its target markets by adding new offerings. In November 2022, the company signed a definitive agreement to acquire Liquibox and use its packaging solutions, such as bag-in-box, to expand into new markets. The company's management expects liquid packaging sales to reach $1 billion by 2027. Another area with significant potential is Automated Protective Solutions, which currently account for about 35% of Sealed Air's business. The segment targetes a variety of customers, from industrial enterprises to e-commerce. The company has been working to expand and optimise its existing portfolio while increasing its market penetration. The segment’s address market is estimated at $15 billion. Sealed Air plans to expand its portfolio by implementing a comprehensive strategy and aggressively expanding its fibre solutions and equipment independent systems. This will create new opportunities and provide an additional growth driver. Sealed Air seeks to maximise shareholder value through a prudent capital allocation strategy. The stock’s current dividend yield of 2% is not very high, but the company is buying back its shares. Under the current $1 billion share buyback programme, authorised by the board in August 2021, Sealed Air can purchase shares worth $537 million, or about 10% of the firm's current market cap.   Financial performance  Sealed Air's financial results in the trailing 12 months (TTM) can be summarised as follows: TTM revenue was $5.57 billion, down 1.2% YoY. The decline was driven by weak results in Q1, which saw the Protective segment shed 19% and the food segment up 6%. Gross profit decreased from $1.77 billion to $1.70 billion. Gross margin fell from 31.42% to 30.52%. Operating profit amounted to $852.2 million versus $944.8 million at the end of 2022. Operating margin decreased from 16.75% to 15.29%. Net profit amounted to $404.3 million against $491.6 million at the end of 2022. Net margin decreased from 8.71% to 7.25%. Cash from operations slightly increased from $613.3 million to $616.8 million due to a decrease in net working capital. Free cash flow amounted to $381.6 million versus $376.0 million at the end of the year.   The decline in financial performance in the last reporting period was due to the cyclical nature of the Protective segment, which offers packaging materials for consumer goods, pharmaceutical and medical devices, as well as industrial markets. We expect the segment to recover as end-market inventory levels stabilise, declining steadily after abnormal growth amid global supply chain issues. Sealed Air is heavily leveraged, with total debt of $4.83 billion, cash and cash equivalents of $303.1 million, and net debt of $4.53 billion. However, we do not see any risks to the firm's financial stability, as the interest coverage ratio remains within normal levels. In addition, the next repayment of the company's debt in the amount of $423.7 million is not expected until December 2024.   Stock valuation Sealed Air currently trades at the industry average on the main multiples: EV/Sales — 1.67x, EV/EBITDA — 9.21x, P/Cash flow — 9.04x, P/E — 13.98x, FWD P/E — 10.20x. However, the company enjoys a stronger market position compared to its peers as it has better margins (meaning the firm's cash flow is less volatile) and significant exposure for the non-discretionary and less cyclical food segment. The minimum price target from investment banks set by Morgan Stanley is $48 per share. At the same time, UBS values SEE at $59 per share. According to the Wall Street consensus, the stock’s fair market value is $54, implying a 40% upside potential.   Key risks Sealed Air operates in a highly cyclical industry. Although we believe that macroeconomic challenges have already been priced in, there is a possibility that the deterioration in consumer sentiment will have a greater impact than we think. In this case, the stock may remain under pressure for an extended period of time.   While we see no risks to Sealed Air's financial strength, the company's high leverage, coupled with the cyclical nature of the industry, could increase the volatility of the firm's stock.
Government Bond Auctions: Italy, Germany, and Portugal Offerings

GBP/USD: Strong Upward Trend Raises Concerns and Questions

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 20.06.2023 09:35
The GBP/USD currency pair experienced a slight correction on Monday but remained in a strong, short-term, upward trend. The current trend period raises many questions, as we have discussed before. Such explosive growth, reminiscent of Bitcoin, often serves as a precursor to a prolonged decline. Traders are using the last chance to buy in fully, but they will soon start to take profits on long positions, which will be a harbinger of a new downward trend. Of course, this is just a hypothesis, and any hypothesis requires confirmation. So far, there are none.   However, let's draw traders' attention again: even in the short term, the pound shows such strong growth that it needs to be more consistent with the macroeconomic and fundamental background. Over the past few months, we have repeatedly mentioned that we expect a decline in the British pound. The decline has yet to begin, and the British currency cannot even correct itself properly, especially in the 24-hour time frame. Let's ask ourselves: Is the British economy really that strong, and is the Bank of England's stance aggressive enough for the pound to show a rise of 2500 in three quarters? The answer is obvious. Of course, part of this trend should be attributed to a simple technical correction after a significant decline.   Another part of the trend is the pound's recovery after Liz Truss's departure. But even with these two "buts," it seems too much. Interestingly, such a momentum trend can continue for some time. The market sees that the pound is growing and logically continues to buy, even though there are no grounds for it. Therefore, the conclusion remains the same: the pound is rising illogically, and at any moment, this growth may end with a crash, but the upward trend can continue for as long as the market deems necessary, largely ignoring the fundamental background.   Events this week may cause a decline in the pound This week, the Bank of England will hold its regular meeting in the UK. The key rate is likely to increase for the thirteenth consecutive time, which is unsurprising. We receive very few comments and forecasts from Bank of England representatives, making it extremely difficult to predict the regulator's future actions. However, the market does not doubt that monetary policy will be tightened again.   If so, this decision has already been priced in. However, if even one "dovish" hint comes from the Bank of England's corridors, it could end badly for the pound. It is evident to everyone that the Bank of England can only maintain elevated interest rates for a limited period. The rate has already reached 4.5%, and after a deceleration in the tightening pace, two 0.25% rate hikes have already been implemented. This week might witness the occurrence of the third and final hike. The British economy has teetered on the brink of recession for four consecutive quarters, and each subsequent rate increase further raises the likelihood of a recession commencing within this year. However, we have been aware of all these factors for quite some time.       On Monday, there were no noteworthy developments concerning the dollar or the pound. Tuesday will also have scarce news. The real excitement will commence on Wednesday when Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, makes his debut appearance in Congress. This event might go unnoticed, as Mr. Powell will provide an account of the Federal Reserve's operations and respond to inquiries from senators and congress members. Since the Federal Reserve is an independent entity not subject to the control of the US government, Powell has no reason to fear. He will not face job loss and can address questions according to his own judgment. It is no secret that US authorities would prefer a less aggressive monetary policy since the regulator's actions have led to a banking crisis. But again, Powell and his colleagues have a different view on this matter: inflation is their top priority. We do not expect any "dovish" statements from Jerome. Accordingly, we do not expect the dollar to weaken after his speeches in Congress. The pound has excellent chances of starting a decline this week if the fundamental background means anything to the market.    
US Inflation Report Sets the Tone for Upcoming FOMC Meeting

Stocks in Denial: Fed's Tightening Stance and Bond Reality Shake the Market

David Haggith David Haggith 21.06.2023 08:27
Stocks have tried to deny reality since the Fed made it clear in multiple statements there is zero chance of the Fed returning to looser monetary policy this year and every chance of it taking interest rates higher one or two more times before the end of the year.     Stocks have also being trying to ignore the immediate bond reality that took over when the debt ceiling was lifted, setting the US Treasury free to transform the bond market by selling bonds as quickly as elephant ears at a fair or ice-cream on a hot day at the beach. The chart above shows how earnings from stock-traded companies have slowly settled as yields from bonds have soared to where the risk premium between stocks and bonds has disappeared. That means pushing risky stock prices even higher when Treasuries provide equal risk-free earnings makes no sense. And the two are just now crossing over to where they will make negative sense ... as in like opening an ice-cream cart at the North Pole....  
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NZD/USD down 1.3% this week! Powell to testify before a House Committee on Wednesday

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 21.06.2023 08:45
NZD/USD is down 1.3% this week New Zealand consumer confidence rises Powell to testify before a House Committee on Wednesday The New Zealand dollar is sharply lower for a second straight day. In the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6148, down 0.83%.   New Zealand consumer confidence rises New Zealand Westpac consumer confidence accelerated to 83.1 in May, up from 77.7 in April and above the consensus of 76.2 points. Still, this is a low level as consumers remain pessimistic about economic conditions. The Westpac survey found that even though household incomes were higher due to strong wage growth, household finances were squeezed for two reasons. First, the cost-of-living crisis has hurt households, with inflation climbing 6.7% over the past year. Second, high interest rates have impacted on many households as mortgage rates have shot up. Weak consumer confidence, which could well translate into a drop in consumer spending, would not be bad news at all for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which needs the economy to slow in order to pause interest rate hikes. The benchmark rate currently stands at 5.50% and the RBNZ meets next on July 12th. Last week’s GDP report for the first quarter showed growth contracted by 0.1%, which means that technically New Zealand is in a recession, with two consecutive quarters of negative growth. In the US, this week’s data calendar is very light. There are no tier-1 releases on Tuesday and the markets are looking ahead to Wednesday, with Jerome Powell testifying before the House Financial Services Committee. Powell will likely be grilled by lawmakers on the Fed’s unconventional interest rate path, as the Fed paused last week after ten straight hikes but has signalled that it plans to renew hiking at next month’s meeting. . NZD/USD Technical NZD/USD is putting strong pressure on support at 0.6147. Below, there is support at 0.6056 0.6198 and 0.6276 are the next resistance lines  
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Hang Seng Index Retreats After PBoC Rate Cuts; Short-term Uptrend Maintains Above 200-day Moving Average

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 21.06.2023 09:00
Hang Seng Index has dropped by -2.4% since last Friday’s high ex-post interest rate cuts by PBoC. Short-term uptrend from 31 May 2023 low remains intact as it still trades above the 200-day moving average. Key support to watch will be at 19,090.   This is a following-up analysis of our earlier publication, “Hang Seng Index Technical: Potential breakout from channel resistance” dated on 9 June 2023 (click here for a recap). The Hong Kong 33 Index (a proxy for the Hang Seng Index futures) has staged the expected bullish breakout and almost met the first resistance of 20,300 as it rallied by +5% from 9 June to an intraday high of 20,205 last Friday, 16 June in light of a shift in the China central bank, PBoC conservative targeted monetary policy stance to a more accommodating approach as it cut 3 key interest rates within two weeks; 7-day reverse repos, 1-year medium-term lending facility, and the 1-year & 5-year loan prime rates today, 20 June that are being used to price corporates/consumer loans and mortgages respectively. Since Monday, 19 June, the Index has tumbled by -2.4% which seems to have fallen victim to the “buy the rumours, sell on the actual news release” mantra as today’s cut on the loan prime rates have been almost fully priced in.      
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UK Inflation Challenges Bank of England: Rate Hike Expectations and Economic Impact in Focus

ING Economics ING Economics 21.06.2023 10:06
Headline inflation should come down more noticeably over the next couple of months, owing to some pretty hefty base effects. Last June saw a near 10% spike in petrol prices, whereas prices are currently falling, and of course in July we’ll see a material fall in household electricity/gas bills. Core inflation we think should come lower too, though to a much lesser degree and mainly because of further renewed downward pressure from certain goods categories.     Headline CPI, we think, will be just below 7% by July and around 4.5% by year-end. Core inflation will probably end the year above 5%.   All of this makes life even harder for the Bank of England. We think the bar for another 50bp hike is set pretty high, but a 25bp hike is basically guaranteed, as is another in August. But markets are now fully pricing a 6% peak for the Bank rate, which implies six more rate hikes from current levels. That seems excessive, and we suspect the Bank of England would privately agree.   When rates got this high last November, the BoE offered some rare pushback against market expectations and signalled a lower peak for rates. But this time, with inflation consistently coming in hotter than expected, we suspect officials will be more reluctant to offer any firm guidance on what comes next. Policymakers won’t want to steer market rate expectations lower, only to find that further inflation surprises force it to go further than it would like over the coming months.    UK inflation should come in lower in June/July on energy base effects   Ultimately though, 6% rates would be extremely restrictive. The current structure of the mortgage market – whereby the vast majority of households are fixed for either two or five years – means rate hikes filter through to the economy fairly gradually. That means that the length of time rates stay restrictive is arguably more important these days than the absolute level interest rates reach over the shorter term. As the BoE itself has made clear, the impact of all those past hikes is still largely to hit the economy – and just taking rates to 5% and keeping them there would exert a large drag on the economy. We also expect the news on inflation to get a little better through the summer. The BoE’s survey measures of inflation have been improving, and forward-looking indicators like producer prices point to more noticeable declines in headline CPI later this year. Crucially, we think the fall in gas prices is good news for service sector inflation, and suggests we could get more noticeable disinflation in this sector, even if wage growth takes longer to ease.
US 10-Year Bond Yields: Outlook and Forecasts from Saxo Bank's Senior Fixed Income Strategist

US 10-Year Bond Yields: Outlook and Forecasts from Saxo Bank's Senior Fixed Income Strategist

Althea Spinozzi Althea Spinozzi 21.06.2023 12:06
As the financial markets closely monitor the movements of US 10-year bond yields, investors are eager to gain insights into the future outlook and forecasts from industry experts. In this article, we turn to Althea Spinozzi, Senior Fixed Income Strategist at Saxo Bank, to provide her analysis and predictions regarding the trajectory of US 10-year bond yields. Over the past several months, these bond yields have shown a period of consolidation following a robust two-year uptrend. With this stabilization, the question arises: What can we expect next? Spinozzi's expertise in fixed income instruments offers valuable insights into the current market situation and sheds light on the potential future developments in long-term yield rates. Spinozzi suggests that there may still be limited upside for long-term yields in the US during the summer, contingent upon the Federal Reserve's decisions to hike interest rates while economic growth remains robust. However, she finds it challenging to envision 10-year yields surging to the 4% mark. As the number of rate hikes increases, the probability of the long end of the yield curve starting to decline rises, making a soft landing scenario less likely. FXMAG.COM: For several months, US 10-year bond yields have been consolidating after a 2-year robust uptrend, what's next?   Althea Spinozzi, Senior Fixed Income Strategist: I believe that there is still some limited upside for long term yields in the US during summer only if the Federal Reserve hikes rates while growth remains robust. However, I find it hard to envision ten-year yields to soar to 4%. The more hikes, the higher the probability for the long part of the yield curve to start to fall as a soft landing it ruled out. Also, we have to take into account that the Federal Reserve has not started to actively sell bonds under its balance sheet. We expect discussions surrounding disinvestments in the balance sheet to pick up after summer, as the Fed tries to underpin long term yields in order to avoid a further inversion of the yield curve. The ultimate goal is to continue to tighten the economy, and in order to do that, the fed will need to talk hawkish to support the front part of the yield curve and to begin with an active Quantitative tightening. Overall, in the next few weeks up to the Fed's July meeting we expect ten-year yields  to trade rangebound between a wide range of 3.64% and 3.90%. After summer the path for yields is less certain as it depends on monetary policies and economic activity.
Navigating Financial Markets: Insights on Central Bank Decisions and Currency Quotes

Navigating Financial Markets: Insights on Central Bank Decisions and Currency Quotes

FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 21.06.2023 14:00
In the dynamic world of financial markets, the interplay between macroeconomic data and central bank decisions can significantly impact various asset classes. We had the opportunity to speak with an FXPrimus expert to gain valuable insights into the current market situation and the influence of these factors on currency quotes, particularly the Turkish lira (TRY) and the British pound (GBP), as well as the broader effects on the US and European stock markets. FXMAG.COM: How will Thursday's (22.06) Turkish central bank's decision on interest rates affect TRY quotes? FXPrimus expert: The past rate cuts by Turkish President Erdogan led to a dramatic decline in the price of the Turkish lira, inflation hit 85.5% last year and as a result the overall cost of living of the country had dramatically increased . In a big U-turn, the central bank of Turkey is expected to increase interest rates to 20% to target the negative impacts of a rising inflation and attract investors to its currency.   FXMAG.COM: How will Thursday's (22.06) Bank of England interest rate decision affect GBP quotes? FXPrimus expert: The Market is already pricing in an interest rate hike from the Bank of England and given that CPI data on the 21st of June was higher than expected and at 8.7%, the BoE has no other choice but to act. More interest rate hikes will be expected after this one to target inflation but this will have negative effect on other aspects of the economy i.e. Bank crisis   FXMAG.COM: In the mid-term, how will last week's Fed and ECB decisions affect the US and European stock markets? FXPrimus expert: As interest rates increase, stock investors become unwilling to trade stock prices as the value for future earnings becomes less attractive against bonds which have a higher yield today, the FED have paused interest rate hikes but it remains to be seen in the upcoming economic data releases whether they will change course. The ECB has slowed the pace at which the interest rates where increased however they have indicated that more hikes are yet to come.
Unraveling UK Inflation: The Bank of England's Next Move

Unraveling UK Inflation: The Bank of England's Next Move

ING Economics ING Economics 21.06.2023 14:31
UK inflation has come in dramatically higher than expected yet again. As concerns over the rising threat of recession build, all eyes will be focused on the Bank of England's rate decision tomorrow – so what could be next for the central bank? ING's James Smith has a few answers.   UK inflation troubles weigh on the Bank of England UK inflation troubles weigh on the Bank of England Questions over the UK's persistent inflation problem and unfavourable comparisons with both the US and the eurozone are gaining momentum. As Bank of England officials find themselves in an increasingly difficult position, here's what could be next for UK interest rates    
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BoE Faces Inflation Challenge, Expected to Hike Rates; Central Bank of Turkey's New Leadership Takes Action; Swiss National Bank Set to Raise Rates

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 22.06.2023 08:08
BoE decides after another bad inflation report  The Bank of England (BoE) meets after another shocker inflation report, and is broadly expected to hike the rates by another 25bp points.   The BoE is the first major central bank that started hiking the rates to fight inflation. It proved to be the least efficient bank doing this job; British inflation is the worst among developed economies at nearly 9%. Consequently, the BoE will certainly be the last to finish hiking. The bank is expected to hike six more times, by 25bp, to reach a peak rate above the 6% by the end of this year, or the beginning of the next.   And I don't see how the UK will avoid recession in this morose macroeconomic setting.   The British pound didn't find an army of buyers after the UK inflation report yesterday. After an initial attack on the 1.28 resistance, Cable came back to pre-data levels and even traded at five-session lows. The EURGBP made a sharp U-turn from a nearly oversold market and jumped above 0.86. There is room for a hawkish surprise from the BoE (a 50bp hike?), and if not today, in one of the next meetings. The latter should keep Cable on path for more gains, in the actual environment of softening US dollar.    Let's see what's the new Team is worth!  The new leadership team of the Central Bank of Turkey (CBT) will give the first policy verdict of its new mandate today. The bank is expected to hike the rates from 8.5% to 20%. It looks like a big hike – and it is a big hike – but the Turkish Central Bank will have to   1. regain its credibility that has been shattered   2. repeat a similar operation in the next few meetings to bring the Turkish rates to where they should be in accordance with the economic fundamentals, and not where the government wants them to be.   3. if all goes well, get rid of the expensive and ineffective side measures – like FX interventions and FX protected savings – that served to keep the lira afloat while the monetary policy was no longer.   The USDTRY is again put to sleep near the 1.23 level after a tentative relaxation of FX interventions at the start of this month. Hiking interest rates, regaining credibility, then relaxing FX interventions sounds like a plan, but it will take ZERO verbal intervention from the government to conduct a healthy policy normalization.   Note that, in no case, do I expect the selloff in lira to stabilize or the reverse – without external intervention – below the 30/35 range – if left free.    Swiss will hike as well The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is about to announce a 25bp hike at today's meeting taking the Swiss policy rate to 1.75%. The dollar-franc sees resistance into the 0.90 psychological level, but most of the price action is driven by USD appetite. Given the sharp fall in Swiss inflation toward the 2% target, the SNB will unlikely let the franc run too strong from here. 0.88 seems to be a floor to franc appreciation.    
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Swiss National Bank Anticipated to Raise Interest Rates Amid Hawkish Stance

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 22.06.2023 08:24
Swiss National Bank expected to raise interest rates on Thursday Fed Chair Powell testifies before Congress Wednesday and Thursday The Swiss franc is showing little movement on Wednesday, trading at 0.8984 in the North American session.   Will Swiss National Bank deliver a hawkish surprise? The Swiss National Bank will announce its rate decision on Thursday, and the meeting is live, as the markets have priced a 0.50% hike at 60% and a 0.25% at 40%. The current benchmark rate is 1.50%. SNB Chair Jordan hasn’t missed an opportunity to send out warnings that inflation remains too high. Earlier this month, Jordan stated that inflation “is more persistent than we initially thought” and that with rates at a low 1.5%, it wasn’t a good idea to keep rates low and face higher inflation later. Jordan’s rhetoric has remained hawkish even though inflation is low in Switzerland and fell to 2.2% in May. Other central bankers would be happy to switch roles with Jordan, with inflation around 2%, but the SNB is not happy with the inflation picture. Inflation remains above the Bank’s 0%-2% target and Jordan appears willing and able to continue hiking in order to curb inflation. The SNB, once known for its negative rates, has been aggressive, raising rates by 225 points in the current tightening cycle. It should be remembered that since the SNB meets only four times a year, the SNB may opt for a 0.50% hike at Thursday’s meeting in order to get “a bigger bang for the buck”.
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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.  
EU Investigates Chinese Electric Vehicle Subsidies, Impact on the EV Market

Central Banks Navigate Rate Hikes and Market Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 22.06.2023 09:26
Rates Spark: No pushback Central banks continue to signal that their work is not done. The Bank of England is set to hike rates today, but more importantly, it is unlikely to push back against aggressive market pricing given its own uncertainty about near-term inflation. These circumstances add to the persistence of the curve's flattening bias, even around record inversions.   No change in message means no change in curve flattening bias for now The spillover into other markets was limited in the end, but the higher-than-anticipated UK inflation data yesterday is a reminder of what drives the current hawkish stance of central banks. The focus on current (core) inflation to determine policy success will also mean that the flattening bias for yield curves will not pass quickly. Just as EUR and Sterling curves have moved to record inversions, a similar test of previous lows looks imminent in the US as well. Market circumstances such as the still punitive carry on steepening positions and declining liquidity going into summer only add to the persistence of the bias.   Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated the Fed’s “strong” commitment to bring inflation back to the 2% target, even though the prepared remarks of his testimony to the House broadly stuck to the script of last week’s FOMC meeting.   Policy rates were held to give time to assess the impact of past policy tightening while "nearly all FOMC participants expect that it will be appropriate to raise interest rates somewhat further by the end of the year." Recall that the Fed's dot plots had been adjusted to see two more rate hikes this year. At the same time, with the messaging not going beyond what was said earlier, market pricing of the near-term Fed path was little changed - one hike is close to being fully discounted. If anything, there was a tendency to further price out cuts from the peak policy rate.   The BoE is unlikely to push back against market pricing The Bank of England will make its decision today against a backdrop of inflation data continuing to surprise on the upside. The consensus is unanimously looking for a 25bp rate hike today, though likely most replies came ahead of yesterday’s data and some might now at least highlight growing risks of a 50bp move today. And indeed, the BoE itself might see one or two of its members voting for a larger move today. Our economist thinks the bar for a 50bp hike remains high, but a 25bp hike today and another one in August now look like a given.    
GBP: BoE Stands Firm on Bank Rate and Mortgage Interest Relief, EUR/GBP Drifts Lower

Falling Retail Sales in Poland Signal Weakness in Second Quarter Consumption"

ING Economics ING Economics 22.06.2023 12:24
Falling retail sales in Poland confirm consumption weakness in the second quarter Retail sales fell by 6.8% year-on-year in May, pointing to continued weakness in household consumption in the second quarter. Price pressure is abating in the short run, but mid-term upside risks remain substantial due to the tight labour market, buoyant wage growth and expansionary fiscal policy. More decisive monetary easing is expected in late 2024. Retail sales fell by 6.8% year-on-year in May (ING and consensus: -5.7%), following a 7.3% year-on-year decline in April. Seasonally adjusted sales fell by 1.1% month-on-month, after rising at the same rate a month earlier. Weakness in consumption will facilitate disinflation in the short term, while medium-term trends are more uncertain. The decline in sales was broad-based. In real terms, sales declined in all categories. Durable goods fell at a double-digit rate: furniture, consumer electronics, and household appliances saw declines of -14.8% YoY, while newspapers and books fell by -15.2% YoY. The exception was car sales (-2.7% YoY), where deliveries of pre-ordered cars that were delayed due to supply chain disruptions and processor shortages were most likely still taking place. On the other hand, a positive sign is a decline in the implied retail sales deflator to single-digit levels. The deceleration of inflation amid sustained double-digit growth in nominal wages should promote a gradual improvement in real household incomes and, consequently, a recovery in private consumption, but the process is slow. At the moment, everything indicates that the second quarter of this year was the third consecutive quarter of declining household consumption, and we should expect increases only in the second half of the year.   Real disposable income of households will continue to recover   Weakness in consumption will promote disinflation in the short term, while medium-term trends are uncertain. Against the backdrop of a tight labour market, high wage growth, minimum wage hikes, and expansionary monetary policy, it will be increasingly difficult for inflation to continue to fall after reaching high single-digit levels. As a result, the prospect of inflation returning to the NBP's target remains distant, and this means that the elevated level of interest rates will remain for longer. At the same time, the Monetary Policy Council has expressed a willingness to cut rates later this year in the event of single-digit inflation in September and the prospect of further declines. In our view, this would be a one-off move, and the full monetary easing cycle will not begin until the fourth quarter of next year.
Bank of England Faces Rate Decision: Uncertainty Surrounds Magnitude of Hike

Bank of England Faces Rate Decision: Uncertainty Surrounds Magnitude of Hike

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 22.06.2023 12:28
Bank of England set to raise rates again, but by how much?    By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)     European markets fell for the third consecutive day yesterday, after the IFO in Germany warned that a recession would be sharper than expected in the second half of the year, and UK core inflation unexpectedly jumped to a new 32 year high. US markets also fell for the third day in a row after Fed chairman Jay Powell doubled down on his message from last week to US lawmakers yesterday, that US rates would need to rise further to ensure inflation returns to target.     This weakness in US markets looks set to translate into a lower European open, as we look towards another three central bank rate decisions, from the Swiss National Bank, Norges Bank and the Bank of England all of whom are expected to raise rates by 25bps today. Up until yesterday's CPI number markets were predicting with a high degree of certainty that we would see a 25bps rate hike from the Bank of England later today. That certainty has now shifted to an even split between a 25bps rate hike to a 50bps rate hike after yesterday's sharp jump in core CPI to 7.1% in May.     As inflation readings go it's a very worrying number and suggests that inflation is likely to take longer to come down than anticipated, and even more worrying price pressure appears to be accelerating, in contrast to its peers in the US and Europe where prices now appear to have plateaued. This has raised the stakes to the point that the Bank of England might feel compelled to hike rates by 50bps later today, and not 25bps as expected.     Such an outcome would be a surprise from the central bank given their cautious nature over the years, however such has been the strong nature of recent criticism, there is a risk that they might overreact, in a sign that they want to get out in front of things. Whatever they do today it's not expected to be a unanimous decision, but the surge in core inflation we've seen in recent months, does make you question what it is that Swati Dhingra and Silvana Tenreyro are seeing that makes them think that the last few meetings were worthy of a no change vote.      In the absence of a press conference to explain their actions a 50bps rate move would be a risky strategy, as it could signal they are panicking. A more measured response would be to hike by 25bps with a commitment to go more aggressively at the next meeting if the data warrants it. The big problem the bank has is that they won't get to see the July inflation numbers, when we could see a big fall in headline CPI, until after they have met in August, putting us into the end of Q3 until we know for certain that inflation is coming down.   The resilience in UK core inflation has got many people questioning why it is such an outlier, compared to its peers, however if you look closely enough the reason is probably staring us in the face in the form of UK government policy and the energy price cap, which has kept gas and electricity prices artificially high for consumers. If you look at the price of fuel at the petrol pump it is back at the levels it was prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, due to the slide in oil prices from their peaks of $120 a barrel, with consumers already benefitting from this disposable income uplift into their pockets directly in a lower bill when it comes to refilling the family car.  Natural gas prices have gone the same way, yet these haven't fed back into consumers' pockets in the same way as they have in the US and Europe.   This has forced employers here, in the face of significant labour shortages, to increase wages to attract the staff they need, as well as keep existing staff to fulfil their business functions. We already know that average weekly earnings are trending upwards at 7.6% and in some sectors, we've seen wage growth even higher at between 15% and 25%.      These increased costs for businesses inevitably feed through into higher prices in the cost of delivering their services, and voila you have higher service price inflation which in turn feeds into core prices, in essence creating a price/wage spiral. It is perhaps a supreme irony that an energy price cap that was designed to protect consumers from rising prices is now acting in a fashion that is making UK inflation a lot stickier, and making the UK's inflation problem a lot worse than it should be.   So, while a lot of people are blaming the Bank of England for the mess the UK is in, we should also direct some of the blame at the energy price cap, a Labour Party idea that was hijacked by the Conservatives and is now acting as moron premium in the UK gilt market. It is these sorts of poorly thought through political interventions that always have a tendency to come back and bite you in ways you don't expect, and the politicians are at it again, with the Lib Dems calling for a £3bn mortgage protection scheme, another crackpot idea that would push back in the opposite direction and simply make the task of getting inflation under control even more difficult.     On the plus side there are reasons to be optimistic, with the energy price cap set due to be reduced in July, while PPI inflation has also been falling sharply, with the monthly numbers in strongly negative territory, meaning it can only be a matter of time before the year-on-year numbers go the same way.   This trend of weaker PPI suggests that market forecasts of a terminal bank rate of 6% might be overly pessimistic, and that subsequent data will pull gilt yields lower, however we may have to wait another 2 to 3 months for this scenario to play out in the data.     This should still feed into headline CPI by the end of the year, though core prices might prove to be slightly more difficult to pull lower.    EUR/USD – remain on course for the April highs at 1.1095 while above the 50-day SMA at 1.0870/80 which should act as support. Below 1.0850 signals a move towards 1.0780.     GBP/USD – fell back to the 1.2680/90 area yesterday before recovering, having found resistance at the 1.2845/50 area at the end of last week. Still on course for a move towards the 1.3000 area, while above the 50-day SMA currently at 1.2510.      EUR/GBP – found support at the 0.8515/20 area and has move up towards the recent highs at 0.8620. A move through 0.8630 could see a move towards 0.8680. While below the 0.8620 area the bias remains for a return to the recent lows.     USD/JPY – currently finding itself rebuffed at the 142.50 area, which is 61.8% retracement of the 151.95/127.20 down move. Above 142.50 targets the 145.00 area. Support now comes in at 140.20/30.      FTSE100 is expected to open 45 points lower at 7,514     DAX is expected to open 82 points lower at 15,941     CAC40 is expected to open 34 points lower at 7,227
Turbulent Times Ahead: ECB's Tough Decision Amid Soaring Oil Prices

The Bank of England Hikes Rates Amid Concerns of Inflation, MPC Split, and Pound's Volatility

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 22.06.2023 13:46
The Bank of England accelerated its tightening efforts after meeting this week, hiking rates by 0.5% in response to another raft of worrying inflation data.  And it's not just yesterday's CPI data that will have caused considerable discomfort for the MPC, the April figures were also far too high and wage numbers we've had in the interim suggest its becoming increasingly embedded. That had to have caused serious alarm within the BoE, within seven members of the committee anyway. Two policymakers voted to hold rates steady for the fourth meeting highlighting the widening gulf between the views on the MPC which may make finding a consensus going forward that much more challenging.  There's every chance that those backing 50 basis points did so in the hope that doing more now may necessitate the need to do less later on and for a shorter period of time. That's not how markets are initially perceiving it though, with the odds of Bank Rate rising above 6% increasing. It could get rather painful in inflation doesn't improve soon. The pound appears to be weighing up both of these considerations, as is evident in the very volatile response we've seen in the currency. Rate hikes are generally good for a currency but when they're rising to levels that could seriously threaten the economy, there's certainly an argument for the opposite to happen.     Turkish interest rates finally heading in the right direction  Another interest rate decision was announced alongside the BoE, with the CBRT reverting back to hiking interest rates aggressively in order to put a lid on inflation and steady the currency which has fallen another 15% in recent weeks.   President Erdogan won the election promising to defend lower interest rates having led a campaign of aggressive rate cuts under Governor Åžahap KavcıoÄŸlu, before immediately replacing him and the finance minister after the vote. A rate hike today was widely expected but the range of forecasts was vast and if anything, the 6.5% hike was at the lower end of the range.  Turkey faces many problems going forward as a result of the misguided policies over the last couple of years and that will likely warrant more aggressive tightening in the future. For now, investors may be mildly relieved that rates are heading in the right direction, if not fast enough. The risk is that Erdogan hasn't really hesitated to sack Governors that raise rates in the past so investors will never feel fully at ease as long as he's President.
US Inflation Report Sets the Tone for Upcoming FOMC Meeting

UK Inflation Rate at 8.7% Sparks Expectations of Bank of England Interest Rate Hike: Economic Calendar Highlights and Trading Analysis

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 22.06.2023 13:51
Details of the economic calendar on June 21 UK inflation rate for May amounted to 8.7%, remaining at the level of the previous month. Analytical agencies had predicted a slowdown in price growth to 8.4%. Given this data, there is confidence that the Bank of England will increase its key interest rate. The speeches of representatives of the Federal Reserve System and the European Central Bank have become the main leverage for speculators. The speech by ECB board member Isabel Schnabel at the conference   "New challenges for the Economic and Monetary Union in the post-crisis environment" caused a wave of speculation on the euro. Schnabel clearly indicated that a high level of inflation may persist for a prolonged period. This will lead to subsequent increases in the key interest rate. Almost at the same time as the ECB representative, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, spoke in Congress, but he did not say anything new, only reiterating that most members of the Federal Reserve are inclined to raise the rate by the end of the year, which was already known. Analysis of trading charts from June 21 The EUR/USD currency pair completed a correction phase with a new upward cycle.   During this phase, not only was the local high of the previous week surpassed, but the exchange rate also reached the psychological level of 1.1000. The GBP/USD pair slowed down its correction formation around the 1.2700 level. This led to a partial recovery of long positions, but there are no radical changes on the trading chart. Economic calendar for June 22 Today, market participants will pay special attention to the outcomes of the Bank of England meeting. Investors expect the possibility of a significant interest rate hike after a new inflation shock. Markets are pricing in a 45% probability of a rate increase to 5% at the June meeting and a 55% probability of a more conventional increase of 25 basis points. Special attention will be given to the regulator's comments regarding their view on future inflation and interest rates.     Time targeting: Bank of England meeting outcome – 11:00 UTC Minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting – 11:00 UTC Bank of England inflation letter – 12:00 UTC EUR/USD trading plan for June 22 A sharp price change and approaching the key level could have led to the euro being overbought. However, speculators may ignore technical signals if the price continues to hold above the 1.1000 level. In the event of a price rebound from the psychological level, traders will consider a downward scenario.  
Energy and Metals Decline, Wheat Rallies Amid Disappointing Chinese Growth

Central Bank Surprises: BoE Hikes, SNB and Norges Bank Follow Suit - Analysis and Outlook

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 23.06.2023 11:36
Keeping up with the central banks.  There were three major surprises from three central banks yesterday.     BoE hikes 50bp, peak rate seen unchanged past 6%.  The Bank of England's (BoE) decision to step up the pace of rate hikes at the 13th meeting since the start of the tightening policy has been broadly unwelcomed from households, to bond and stock investors, and to FX traders.   The 2-year gilt yield stabilized above the 5% mark, yet didn't take a lift on doubt that the BoE could hike by another full percentage point without wreaking havoc across the British economy, especially in the property market. The 10-year yield fell on the morose economic outlook. At this point, it would be a miracle for Britain to avoid recession, and even a property crisis.   The FTSE 100 slumped below its 200-DMA, and tipped a toe below the 7500 mark. Trend and momentum indicators are negative, and the index is now approaching oversold conditions. It is worth noting that falling energy and commodity prices due to a softish Chinese reopening didn't play in favour of the British big caps this year. The rising rates step up the bearish pressure. The outlook remains neutral to negative until we see a rebound in global energy prices - which is not happening for now.   The pound fell as a reaction to the 50bp hike. You would've normally expected the opposite reaction, but the bears remained in charge of the market, pricing the fact that the dark clouds that are gathering over Britain will destroy more value than the higher rates could create.   In summary, it was a disastrous week for Britain. But at least one person didn't get discouraged by the data and the BoE hike, and it was Rishi Sunak who said that the British economy is 'going to be ok' and that he is '100% on it'.     He is not scared of being ridiculous.  Moving forward, the Gilt market will likely remain under pressure, the longer end of the yield curve will do better than the shorter end. The British property market will be put at a tougher test, and could crack under the pressure at any time, in which case the economic implications would go far beyond the most pessimistic forecast. And any government help package to help people go through higher mortgage costs would further fuel inflation and require more rate hikes. The outlook for pound weakens and the FTSE100's performance is much dependent on China, which is struggling with low inflation and sluggish growth on the flip side of the world. Long story short, there is not much optimism on the UK front.  Elsewhere, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) raised by 25bp as expected, Norges Bank surprised with a 50bp hike, said that there will be another rate hike in August, while Turkey hiked from 8.5% to 15% vs 20% expected, raising worries that Turkey's new central bank team could not shrug off the low-rate-obsessed goventment influence. The dollar-try spiked above the 25 level, the highest on record, but not the highest on horizon.       Consume less!  The US existing home sales came in better than expected, adding to the optimism that the US real estate market could be doing better after months of negative pressure. The surprising and unexpected progress in US home data is welcomed for the sake of the economic health, but a strong housing market, along with an unbeatable jobs market hint that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will keep hiking rates. Powell confirmed that there could be two more rate hikes in the US before a pause at his semiannual testimony before the Congress, while Janet Yellen said she sees lower recession risks, but that consumer spending should slow.   The US dollar rebounded on hawkish Fed expectations. 
US Retail Sales Mixed, UK Inflation Expected to Ease: Impact on GBP/USD and Monetary Policy

Key Economic Updates: UK and US GDP Figures, Core PCE Deflator, and UK Mortgage Approvals

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 26.06.2023 07:53
UK Q1 GDP final – 30/06 – in the recent interim Q1 GDP numbers the UK economy managed to avoid a contraction after posting Q1 growth of 0.1%, although it was a little touch and go after a disappointing economic performance in March, which saw a monthly 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%. There is a risk that this modest expansion could get revised away, however recent PMI numbers have shown that, despite rising costs, business is holding up, even if economic confidence remains quite fragile. US Q1 GDP final – 29/06 – the first iteration of US Q1 GDP was disappointing with the economy growing by 1.1%, slowing by more than expected, largely due to a bigger than expected scaling down in inventories. This was subsequently revised up to 1.3%, helped by an upward revision to 3.8%, which was a strong rebound from 1% in Q4, as US consumers went out on a New Year splurge. Slightly more concerning was rise in core PCE over the quarter, from 4.4% in Q4 to 5%. We're not expecting to see much of a change in this week's revisions, although headline might get revised to 1.4%, while most of the attention will be on the core PCE number for evidence of any downward revisions, as more data gets added to the wider numbers. US Core PCE Deflator (May) – 30/06 – this week's core PCE deflator numbers could go some way to pouring further cold water on the Fed's claims that it has another 2 rate rises in its locker. A couple of weeks ago the US central bank warned that while it had taken the decision to implement rate increase pause, it still felt that inflation risk was skewed to the upside and that the market should prepare itself for a terminal rate of 5.6%. This was a little unexpected given the current direction of travel we've been seeing over the past few months, when it comes to prices. When the Core PCE Deflator numbers were released in April headline inflation did edge up from 4.6% to 4.7%, while the deflator itself pushed up to 4.4% from 4.2%, begging the question as to whether central bank officials are right to be cautious. This week's core PCE numbers, along with personal spending numbers ought to offer markets an additional insight as to whether these concerns are valid, or whether the Fed's recent hawkishness is justified.   UK Mortgage Approvals (May) - 29/06 - since the start of the year we've seen a modest improvement in mortgage approvals, after they hit a low of 39.6k back in January. The slowdown towards the end of last year was due to the sharp rise in interest which weighed on demand for property as well as house prices. As energy prices have come down, along with lower rates, demand for mortgages picked up again with March approvals rising to 51.5k, before slipping back to 48.7k in April. This could well be as good as it gets for a while with the renewed increase in gilt yields, we've seen in the past few weeks, prompting weaker demand for new borrowing. Similarly net consumer credit has also started to improve after similar weakness. Although inflationary pressures are starting to subside, the increase in wages is prompting concern over higher rates and higher mortgage costs in the coming months. Given current levels of uncertainty consumer credit numbers could well increase further, while net lending could see a further decline after April lending fell by -£1.4bn, the weakest number since July 2021.   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)
Likely the Last Hike for a While: FOMC Meeting Insights

Key Corporate Earnings Reports: US Bank Stress Test, Associated British Foods, Carnival Cruise Lines, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Nike

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 26.06.2023 07:56
US bank stress test results – 28/06 –  these stress tests couldn't be timelier given the meltdown in the US regional banking sector in March. In February the US central bank released its criteria which included a severe recession with stress in commercial and residential real estate markets, as well as corporate debt. One of the main criticisms of these tests was a lack of a scenario that factored in a sharp rise in interest rates which brought down Silicon Valley Bank as well as First Republic. Furthermore, US regional banks were not covered under the stress test scenario as they were considered too small and not systemically important enough. As recent experience in Europe has taught us and particularly in Spain where a large cohort of Spanish Cajas nearly brought the economy to its knees and resulted in a banking bailout, just because a bank is small doesn't mean it won't cause a financial meltdown if its troubles spread. The problems in US regional banks were well known at the time, however, there appears to have been a serial underestimation of the risks that a sharp rise in rates would have on some of the smaller parts of the US banking sector, none of which are covered by this week's stress test results.           Associated British Foods Q3 23 – 26/06 –  the recovery in the Associated British Foods share price since the 10-year lows posted back in October appears to have ground to a halt after hitting 15-month highs back in April, just before the release of its H1 results. H1 group revenues rose by 21% to £9.56bn, while adjusted profit before tax came in at £667m. sales across all ABF businesses were higher from the previous year, partly due to higher prices, while its Primark business which has seen an expansion in the US performing particularly well. The company is also hoping to expand its new UK click and collect scheme. On the various businesses Primark sales rose 19% to £4.23bn while margins came in at 8.3%. The various food businesses saw revenues rise to £5.33bn, a rise of 23%, with the ingredients business posting strong profit growth. On the outlook management warned that input costs are a priority, even as some have started to reduce, saying they expect adjusted operating profit in the food business to be ahead of last year. With respect to the Primark business management expressed concern about consumer spending holding up in the face of rising interest rates, and the higher cost of living. H2 margin is still expected to in line with H1 at 8.3%, while adjusted operating profit for the year is expected to be in line with last year.   Carnival Cruise Lines Q2 23 – 26/06 –  the travel and leisure sector has been one of the hardest hit from the Covid shutdowns, and the journey back for the cruise ship sector has taken longer than most, with the industry still struggling to turn a profit even as revenues start to return to pre-Covid levels. For Carnival the journey has been a long one given that in the first year of lockdowns annual revenues fell from $20.8bn in 2019 to a mere $1.9bn in 2021, with the industry undergoing a near death experience. Last year the company managed to turnover $12.17bn in revenue with management optimistic that the new fiscal year would see a return to normal for the first time in 4 years. In Q1 the company said that revenues came in at $4.43bn as losses narrowed to $690m, against a forecast of -$759.7m. On the outlook management said that cruises are well booked for the remainder of the year at higher prices, however, the higher cost of fuel and other costs is acting as a headwind. On annual EBITDA Carnival says it expects to see a figure of around $4bn, which includes a $500m impact from higher fuel prices. For Q2 revenues are expected to come in at $4.75bn while losses are expected to come in at -$0.35c a share. Annual revenues are expected to exceed pre-Covid levels this year. On the downside while total operating expenses are only forecast to rise modestly from $12.9bn to $13.8bn, interest expenses have surged from $206m in 2019 to over $2bn.        Walgreens Boots Alliance Q3 23 – 27/06 –  Walgreens share price has performed poorly year to date, the shares down over 10%. When the company reported in Q2 revenues slid by 3% to $34.9bn, although profits came in above expectations at $1.16c a share. In Q1 the company also posted profits of $1.16c a share, however this was wiped out by a $5.2bn provision in relation to litigation the company was required to pay for opioid related litigation after several US states alleged the retailer mishandled prescriptions by overprescribing. Walgreens has found that its business has suffered through a decline in footfall since the pandemic a situation that it has struggled to adapt to. It has invested into the provision of primary health care, paying $3.5bn towards the acquisition of Summit Health, by VillageMD, putting it near the top of the pack in primary care provision. Walgreens reaffirmed its full year earnings forecast of mid $4.55c a share. Q3 profits are expected to come in at $1.08c a share on revenues of $34.15bn.        Nike Q4 23 – 29/06 –  back in February Nike shares hit their highest levels in 10 months, but have slipped back since then, despite a significant pick-up in their Greater China business. When they reported in Q3, revenues came in at $12.39bn well above forecasts, however a bigger than expected build up in inventory served to drag on its margins which fell more than forecast to 43.3%. Inventory levels were 16% above the levels they were last year at $8.9bn, while their forecasts for Q4 were also relatively conservative, with an expectation of flat to low single digit revenue growth. Given the lacklustre nature of recent Chinese consumer spending even these forecasts could miss expectations, while Nike sales may have also taken a hit due to recent publicity over its new brand ambassador Dylan Mulvaney, and the company's recent advertising campaign. Q4 revenues are expected to come in at $12.57bn pushing annual revenues to a record $50.9bn, with direct to consumer expected to rise to $21bn. Annual gross margins are expected to slip back to 43.5%. Q4 profits are expected to come in at $0.66c a share.   
Barclays H1 2023: Mixed Performance with Strong Investment Banking and Consumer Division

Navigating Uncertainty: Shifting Sentiment in European and US Stock Markets

ING Economics ING Economics 26.06.2023 08:04
European and US stock markets have seen a significant shift in sentiment over the past few days when it comes to the global economy. Rising bond yields, driven by more hawkish central banks, which has prompted investors to reassess the outlook when it comes to valuations and growth.     While European markets saw their biggest weekly loss since March, US markets also took a tumble, albeit the first one in 8 weeks, as a succession of central banks pledged that they had significantly further to go when it comes to raising rates. Bond markets also started to flash warning signs with yield curves becoming more inverted by the day whether they be France, Germany, or the UK. Friday's weak finish hasn't translated into a strongly negative vibe as we start a new week for Asia markets, even allowing for events in Russia at the weekend which aren't likely to have helped the prevailing mood, with the US dollar slightly softer this morning after getting a haven bid at the end of last week.     With economic data continuing to show varying signs of vulnerability, particularly in manufacturing the situation could have got even spicier over the weekend when Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin set his troops on the road to Moscow in an insurrection against the Kremlin, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.   As it turns out a crisis was quickly averted when it was announced that Prigozhin would go into exile in Belarus, with any charges against him dropped, and Wagner troops would return to their bases. One can only imagine the reaction if that news had broken if markets had been open at the time, however it only adds to the general uncertainty surrounding the war in Ukraine and how quickly things can start to unravel.   This weekend's events also serve to indicate how fragile Vladimir Putin's position is given that one of his most trusted advisors suddenly went rogue.   As we look ahead to the final week of June and the end of the quarter, as well as the first half of the year we can reflect to some extent that markets have held up rather well when all things are considered. They have been helped in that by the sharp falls in energy prices back to pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine levels, as well as the low levels of unemployment which have served to keep demand reasonably resilient.     The elephant in the room has been the stickiness of core inflation as well as signs that demand is starting to falter, and this week we could get further confirmation of that trend.   Today we get the latest Germany IFO Business Climate survey for June, which if last week's flash PMI numbers are any guide could well show that the confidence amongst German business is faltering, with expectations of a slowdown to 90.6, from 91.7.     We also get flash CPI inflation numbers from Germany, France and the EU where headline prices are likely to show further signs of softening, with core prices set to remain sticky. At around the same time we get the latest PCE inflation numbers from the US for May.   These are likely to be important in the context of the Federal Reserve's stated intention to raise interest rates at least twice more before the end of the year.     In April the core PCE Deflator edged up from 4.6% to 4.7%, an area it has barely deviated from since November last year. You would have thought that even with the long lags seen from recent rate hikes they would start to have an impact on core prices.   This perhaps explains why central banks are being so cautious, even as PPI prices are plunging and CPI appears to be following.       EUR/USD – pushed briefly back above the 1.1000 level yesterday before slipping back, with the main resistance at the April highs at 1.1095. This remains the next target while above the 50-day SMA at 1.0870/80 which should act as support. Below 1.0850 signals a move towards 1.0780.     GBP/USD – currently holding above the lows of last week, and support at the 1.2680/90 area. Below 1.2670 could see a move towards the 50-day SMA. Still on course for a move towards the 1.3000 area but needs to clear 1.2850.      EUR/GBP – failed to rebound above the 0.8630/40 area last week. The main support is at last week's low at the 0.8515/20 area. A move through 0.8640 could see a move towards 0.8680. While below the 0.8630 area the bias remains for a return to the recent lows.     USD/JPY – has finally moved above the 142.50 area, which is 61.8% retracement of the 151.95/127.20 down move, as it looks to close in on the 145.00 area. This now becomes support, with further support at 140.20/30.      FTSE100 is expected to open 6 points higher at 7,468     DAX is expected to open 28 points higher at 15,858     CAC40 is expected to open 8 points higher at 7,171
The cost of green steel production compared to conventional steel

Market Reaction and Potential Implications: Wagner Group's Rebellion, Inflation Reports, and Central Bank Policies

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 26.06.2023 08:06
Slow start following an eventful weekend.    The weekend was eventful with the unexpected rebellion of the Wagner Group against the Kremlin. Yevgeny Prigozhin's men, who fight for Putin in the deadliest battles in Ukraine walked towards Moscow this weekend as Prigozhin accused the Kremlin of not providing enough arms to his troops. But suddenly, Prigozhin called off the attack following an agreement brokered by Belarus and agreed to go into exile. The Kremlin took back control of the situation, but we haven't seen Vladimit Putin, or Prigozhin talk since then. The Wagner incident may have exposed Putin's weakness, and was the most serious threat to his rule in two decades. It could be a turning point in the war in Ukraine. But nothing is more unsure. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, there are no indications that Wagner fighters are retreating from the battlefield.  The first reaction of the financial markets to Wagner's mini coup was relatively calm. Gold for example, which is a good indication of market stress at this kind of moment, remained flat, and even sold into the $1930 level. The dollar-swissy moved little near the 90 cents level. Crude oil was offered into the $70pb level, as nat gas futures jumped more than 2% at the weekly open, and specific stocks like United Co. Rusal International, a Russian aluminum producer that trades in Hong Kong, gapped lower at the open but recovered losses.  Equities in Asia were mostly under pressure from last week's selloff in the US, while US futures ticked higher and are slightly positive at the time of writing.    The Wagner incident will likely remain broadly ignored by investors, unless there are fresh developments that could change the course of the war in Ukraine. Until then, markets will be back to business as usual. There is nothing much on today's economic calendar, but the rest of the week will be busy with a series of inflation reports from Canada, Australia, Europe, the US, and Japan.     Except for Japan, where the Bank of Japan (BoJ) doesn't seem urged to hike the rates, higher-than-expected inflation figures could further fuel the hawkish central bank expectations and add to the weakening appetite in risk assets.     The Federal Reserve (Fed) will carry its annual bank stress test this week, to see how many more rate hikes the baking sector could take in and the potential for changes in capital requirements down the road. The big banks are likely not very vulnerable to higher capital requirements, yet the profitability of the US regional banks could be at jeopardy and that could cause investors to remain skeptical regarding the US banking stocks altogether. Invesco's KBW bank ETF slipped below its 50-DMA, following recovery in May on the back of decidedly aggressive Fed to continue hiking rates, and stricter requirements could further weigh on appetite.    Zooming out, the S&P500 is down by more than 2% since this month's peak, Nasdaq 100 lost more than 3% while Europe's Stoxx 600 dipped 3.70% between mid-June and now on the back of growing signs that the aggressive central bank rate hikes are finally slowing economic activity around the world. A series of PMI data released last Friday showed that activity in euro area's biggest economies fell to a 5-month low as manufacturing contracted faster and services grew slower than expected. The EURUSD tipped a toe below its 50-DMA last Friday but found buyers below this level. Weak data weakens the European Central Bank (ECB) expectations, but that could easily reverse with a strong inflation read given that the ECB is ready to induce more pain on the Eurozone economy to fight inflation.     Across the Channel, the picture isn't necessarily better. Both services and manufacturing came in softer than expected. And despite the positive surprise on the retail sales front, retail sales in Britain slumped more than 2% in May, due to the rising cost of living that led the Brits back from loosening their purse string. One thing though. UK's largest lenders agreed to give borrowers a 12-month grace period if they missed their mortgage payments as a result of whopping costs of keeping their mortgages due to the aggressively rising interest rates. Unless an accident – in real estate for example, the Bank of England (BoE) will continue hiking the rates and reach a peak rate of 6.25% by December.   The only way to slow down the pace of hikes is to find a solution to the sticky inflation problem. And because the BoE has limited influence on prices, Jeremy Hunt will meet industry regulatory this week to discuss how they could prevent companies from taking advantage of inflation and raising prices more than needed, which adds to inflationary pressures through what we call 'greeflation'. But until he finds a solution, the BoE has no choice but to keep hiking and the UK's 2-year gilt yield has further to run higher, whereas the widening gap between the 2 and 10-year yield hints at growing odds of recession in the UK, which should also prevent the pound from gaining strength on the back of hawkish BoE. Cable will more likely end up going back to 1.25, than extending gains to 1.30.       By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank  
Navigating the European Landscape: Assessing the Significance and Variations of Non-Bank Financial Institutions

Global Economic Outlook: US, Eurozone, UK, and Russia Face Economic Challenges

Ed Moya Ed Moya 26.06.2023 08:09
US While Europe appears at great risk for a recession as traders bet on aggressive rate rises by all the European central banks, the Fed is still expected to be nearing the end of their respective rate hiking campaign.  The focus in the US will fall on the PCE readings. If inflation comes down as expected, the swap futures might grow even more confident that the Fed will only deliver one more rate hike.  Wall Street will also pay close attention to the Conference Board’s consumer confidence reading, which is expected to show a modest rebound.  Friday’s Personal income and spending data will also be closely watched as incomes continue to grow, while spending softens. Fed’s Williams speaks at the Bank for International Settlements on Sunday.  Fed Chair Powell heads to Europe and speaks at the ECB’s global banking forum in Portugal.  The Fed will also release the results of their annual banking stress tests.   Eurozone There’ll be a lot of attention on ECB President Christine Lagarde’s appearances early in the week, particularly in light of what we’ve seen recently with central banks continuing to raise interest rates amid stubborn inflation. But it’s the flash HICP data on Friday that investors will be most interested in. The ECB recently warned that it will take a significant improvement in the data to avoid another rate hike next month and another repeat performance of the May report could be just that. Instead, we’re expected to see a small move in the other direction as base effects become less favourable for a couple of months, enabling the ECB to hike again in July before reassessing the situation in September. Inflation data from individual countries earlier in the week may offer some insight into what we can expect on Friday.   UK In light of the Bank of England decision to hike interest rates by 50 basis points last week, focus will be on what MPC members have to say. There’s been a lack of unity for months but that was increasingly evident at the June meeting. Going forward, the decisions aren’t going to get easier which means there’s likely to be less unity, rather than more. It won’t take many votes to pause the tightening cycle and so, despite the clear inflation problem, comments from MPC members will become increasingly scrutinized.   Russia A few data releases on the agenda next week including unemployment, retail sales, industrial output and monthly GDP.  
USD/JPY Climbs Above 143 as Japan's Core CPI Remains Above 3%

USD/JPY Climbs Above 143 as Japan's Core CPI Remains Above 3%

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.06.2023 08:34
USD/JPY climbs above 143 Japan’s core CPI remains above 3%   The Japanese yen has stabilized on Friday after falling close to 1% a day earlier.  In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 143.05, down 0.04%. Earlier, USD/JPY touched a high of 143.45, the highest level since early November 2022. On the data calendar, the US releases ISM Services PMI later today. The consensus stands at 54.0 for June, following 54.9 in May. The services sector has posted four straight readings over the 50 level, which separates expansion from contraction.     Japan’s core inflation higher than expected Japan continues to grapple with high inflation and core CPI for May was higher than expected. With inflation around 3%, other central banks would love to trade places with the Bank of Japan, but Japan’s inflation remains above the 2% target and has become an issue for the central bank after decades of deflation.   Nationwide core CPI, which excludes fresh food but includes energy items, climbed 3.2% in May y/y, down from 3.4% in April but above the consensus of 3.1%. What was more worrying was the “core-core index”, which excludes fresh food and energy, jumped 4.3% in May, up from 4.1% in April. This was above expectations and marked the highest level since June 1981.     Core CPI has now remained above the BoJ’s inflation target of 2% for 14 consecutive months. This puts into question the BoJ’s stance that cost-driven inflation is temporary and therefore there is no need to tighten monetary policy. Inflation risks are tilted to the upside and the BoJ will find it more difficult to defend its ultra-loose policy if inflation pressures don’t ease.   The BoJ maintained its policy settings at last week’s meeting and has no plans to tighten interest rates anytime soon. This puts the BoJ at odds with other major central banks, which have been aggressively tightening rates in order to curb inflation. The US/Japan rate differential has been widening as the Fed raises rates while the BoJ stands pat. This has sent the yen sharply lower, raising concerns that the government could intervene in the currency markets in order to prop up the yen.   The Ministry of Finance stunned the global financial markets in September and October when it intervened, at a time when the yen had fallen below the 150 line. The yen hasn’t fallen quite that low, but I would expect to hear louder verbal intervention out of Tokyo if the yen falls below 145.     USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY tested support at 142.82 earlier. The next support level is 142.07 There is resistance at 143.83 and 144.27  
Greece's New Democracy Party Secures Absolute Majority, Confronts Geopolitical and Economic Tests

Greece's New Democracy Party Secures Absolute Majority, Confronts Geopolitical and Economic Tests

ING Economics ING Economics 26.06.2023 13:59
Challenges lie ahead on both the geopolitical and economic front Having obtained an absolute majority, Mitsotakis will very likely announce that he will not seek any form of coalition. In his second four-year mandate, Mitsotakis will soon have to confront non-trivial challenges, both on the geopolitical and the economic front.     On the first, the search for some normalisation of bilateral relations with Turkey (where elections were held in May) will likely be a top priority. On the economic front, he will have to try to meet electoral promises (wage and pension increases) in a changing external environment, where the availability of resources will likely be constrained by the reinstallation of budgetary rules. The implicit call for (and support of) continuity from voters might not be easy to satisfy. To be sure, some support might come from the economic impact of a possible rating upgrade (Greece is still sub-investment grade) but, for this to materialise, the reform plan, delayed over the recent crisis years, will have to be revitalised.   Greek economy set to remain an outperformer within the eurozone, for now In the short run, the Greek economy will not be immune to the impact of rising interest rates on domestic demand, but a resilient labour market and positive tourism inflows should help the country post positive, if unspectacular, quarterly growth rates over the second and third quarters. If this is the case, Greece is likely to be confirmed, at least temporarily, as an economic outperformer among countries in the eurozone.
Tokyo Issues Warning as Yen Depreciates, USD/JPY in Positive Territory

Tokyo Issues Warning as Yen Depreciates, USD/JPY in Positive Territory

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.06.2023 15:55
Tokyo sends warning over yen’s deprecation Yen has slumped over 7% against US dollar since April USD/JPY is in positive territory on Monday. In the European session, the yen is trading at 143.15, down 0.36%.   Tokyo issues warning over slumping yen The Japanese yen continues to lose ground and the Japanese government is not amused. The yen slipped 1.26% last week and fell as low as 143.87 on Friday, its lowest level since November 7th. Since the start of April, the yen has plunged over 7% against the dollar. On Monday, Japan’s top currency diplomat, Masota Kanda warned that the yen’s weakening was “rapid and one-sided”. Kanda said he would not rule out any options, including currency intervention. The markets have become accustomed to verbal intervention when the yen drops sharply and these verbal warnings don’t have much effect. The concern is that the government could intervene and purchase yen, as it did in September and October 2022. At that time, the yen was below 151, but Tokyo could decide that it doesn’t want to wait for the yen to fall that low before it intervenes. The Bank of Japan maintained its ultra-loose policy at last week’s meeting, and the divergence between the BoJ and other major central banks keeps hammering at the yen. The US/Japan rate differential has been widening as the Fed has tightened aggressively and is expected to raise rates further in the second half of the year. The BoJ could provide some fast relief to the yen if it raised interest rates, but that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon. A more likely scenario is for the central bank to tweak its yield currency curve control, which sparked a yen rally when the BoJ widened its target band for interest rates. Governor Ueda, who took over in April, has sounded more receptive to tightening policy than his predecessor but so far he has toed the line and maintained a dovish stance. . USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY is testing support at 143.45. The next support level is 142.35 There is resistance at 144.65 and 145.59  
Tokyo Raises Concerns Over Yen's Depreciation, Considers Intervention

Tokyo Raises Concerns Over Yen's Depreciation, Considers Intervention

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 27.06.2023 10:30
Tokyo sends warning over yen’s deprecation Yen has slumped over 7% against US dollar since April USD/JPY is in positive territory on Monday. In the European session, the yen is trading at 143.15, down 0.36%.   Tokyo issues warning over slumping yen The Japanese yen continues to lose ground and the Japanese government is not amused. The yen slipped 1.26% last week and fell as low as 143.87 on Friday, its lowest level since November 7th. Since the start of April, the yen has plunged over 7% against the dollar. On Monday, Japan’s top currency diplomat, Masota Kanda warned that the yen’s weakening was “rapid and one-sided”. Kanda said he would not rule out any options, including currency intervention. The markets have become accustomed to verbal intervention when the yen drops sharply and these verbal warnings don’t have much effect. The concern is that the government could intervene and purchase yen, as it did in September and October 2022. At that time, the yen was below 151, but Tokyo could decide that it doesn’t want to wait for the yen to fall that low before it intervenes. The Bank of Japan maintained its ultra-loose policy at last week’s meeting, and the divergence between the BoJ and other major central banks keeps hammering at the yen. The US/Japan rate differential has been widening as the Fed has tightened aggressively and is expected to raise rates further in the second half of the year. The BoJ could provide some fast relief to the yen if it raised interest rates, but that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon. A more likely scenario is for the central bank to tweak its yield currency curve control, which sparked a yen rally when the BoJ widened its target band for interest rates. Governor Ueda, who took over in April, has sounded more receptive to tightening policy than his predecessor but so far he has toed the line and maintained a dovish stance.   USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY is testing support at 143.45. The next support level is 142.35 There is resistance at 144.65 and 145.59    
ECB Bank Forum: Ueda and Powell's Insights on Rate Policy and USD/JPY

ECB Bank Forum: Ueda and Powell's Insights on Rate Policy and USD/JPY

Ed Moya Ed Moya 29.06.2023 08:26
Ueda, Powell participating in panel at ECB Bank Forum Japanese yen slips below 144 US consumer confidence surges higher USD/JPY continues to push higher and is closing in on the 145 line. In the North American session, the yen is trading at 144.60, up 0.37%.   Will Ueda provide any clues at ECB Bank Forum? It’s a quiet day on the data calendar, with no important US releases. In Japan, retail sales are expected to improve to 5.4%, up from 5.0%. Today’s highlight is the ECB Bank Forum in Sintra, with the heads of the major central banks taking part in a panel on policy. Bank of Japan Governor Ueda and Fed Chair Powell will participate and any hints about rate policy could move USD/JPY. The Fed and the BoJ are in very different situations, which could make the ECB event all the more interesting. The Fed is close to its tightening cycle, in which it has raised rates by some 500 points. Fed Chair Powell has hinted at a couple of more rates this year, but if inflation continues to fall, the Fed could start chopping rates early in 2023. The BoJ has maintained its ultra-loose policy, even as all the other major banks have raised rates in order to curb inflation. The BoJ has insisted that inflation is temporary, even though it remains above the Bank’s target of 2%. The BoJ isn’t looking at raising interest rates anytime soon, although it could tweak its yield curve control policy in order to prop up the ailing Japanese yen, which has plunged 3.7% in the month of June.  
EUR/USD Edges Lower as German Consumer Confidence Falls

EUR/USD Edges Lower as German Consumer Confidence Falls

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 29.06.2023 08:32
German consumer sentiment falls ECB’s Lagarde will participate in a panel discussion on policy   EUR/USD has edged lower on Wednesday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0939, up 0.20%.   German consumer confidence dips The German GfK Consumer Sentiment report found that consumer confidence is expected to fall in July to -25.4, down from a downwardly revised -24.4 in June. The report noted that the German consumer is reluctant to spend due to economic uncertainty, and high inflation has eroded the purchasing power of households. The consumer confidence release comes on the heels of the German Ifo Business Climate index, which fell from 91.7 to 88.5 in June. This missed expectations and marked the index’s lowest level this year. The weak confidence numbers highlight a persistent lack of confidence in the German economy.   The ECB, which continues to signal that more rate hikes are coming, finds itself between a rock and a hard place. The Bank’s number one priority is curbing inflation, which will require more rate hikes. However, tightening too quickly runs the risk of choking economic activity and tipping the German economy into a recession. How far will the ECB go in raising interest rates? Investors hope to get some clues from ECB President Lagarde later today when she participates in a panel on policy at the ECB bank forum in Sintra. Lagarde said on Tuesday that eurozone inflation remains too high and reiterated that ECB policy “needs to be decided meeting by meeting and has to remain data-dependent.”   In the US, Tuesday’s strong releases were further proof of a solid economy. Durable Goods Orders and New Home Sales were higher and beat expectations, and Conference Board Consumer Confidence jumped in June from 102.5 to 109.7, its highest level since January 2022. These strong releases will provide support for the hawkish Fed, which is expected to raise rates in July and again in September or October.   EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is putting pressure on support at 1.0916. Next, there is support at 1.0822 1.0988 and 1.1082 are the next resistance lines    
German Inflation and US Q1 GDP Awaited: Market Focus Shifts

German Inflation and US Q1 GDP Awaited: Market Focus Shifts

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 29.06.2023 09:24
German inflation in focus, ahead of US Q1 GDP       Having stopped the rot on Tuesday, ending a 6-day losing streak, European markets saw another positive session yesterday, although gains were tempered by remarks from Fed chairman Jay Powell who warned that several more rate hikes could be expected in the coming months, in comments made in an ECB panel discussion in Sintra, Portugal.     US markets finished the day mixed with little in the way of direction, as they digested the various remarks from central bankers, as they all peddled a similar narrative, of further rate rises to come. The Japanese yen continued to decline, already at record lows on a trade-weighted basis, Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda gave little indication that officials were any close to stemming the recent losses. The subdued finish in the US is likely to translate into a flat European open.     There is the hope that upcoming data could prompt a softening of this hawkish message starting today with the latest June inflation numbers from Germany. We've seen a sharp deceleration in the last few months, falling from 7.6% in April to 6.3% in May. Today's June numbers could see a modest increase to 6.8%, which will do little to assuage ECB concerns that inflation is falling back sharply. In the UK the sharp rise in gilt yields in the wake of surging inflation is prompting concerns about the housing market, and more specifically the ability of consumers to pay their existing mortgage or take out new ones.        Since the start of the year, we've seen a modest improvement in mortgage approvals, after they hit a low of 39.6k back in January. The slowdown towards the end of last year was due to the sharp rise in interest rates which weighed on demand for property, as well as weighing on house prices.     As energy prices have come down, along with lower rates at the start of the year, demand for mortgages picked up again with March approvals rising to 51.5k, before slipping back to 48.7k in April. This could well be as good as it gets for a while with the renewed increase in gilt yields, we've seen in the past few weeks, prompting weaker demand for new borrowing. Similarly net consumer credit has also started to improve after similar weakness.     Although inflationary pressures are starting to subside, the increase in wages is unlikely to offset concern over higher rates and higher mortgage costs in the coming months. Given current levels of uncertainty, consumer credit numbers could well increase further, while net lending could see a further decline after April lending fell by -£1.4bn, the weakest number since July 2021.     We also have the final iteration of US Q1 GDP, which was revised up to 1.3% from 1.1% a few weeks ago. The main drag was down to a bigger than expected scaling down in inventories, as well as an upward revision to personal consumption to 3.8%, which was a significant improvement from 1% in Q4, as US consumers went out on a New Year splurge.     Slightly more concerning was rise in core PCE over the quarter, from 4.4% in Q4 to 5%. We're not expecting to see much of a change in today's revisions, although headline might get revised to 1.4%, while most of the attention will be on the core PCE number for evidence of any downward revisions, as more data gets added to the wider numbers. Weekly jobless claims are expected to come in unchanged at 265k.   EUR/USD – holding above the 50-day SMA and support at the 1.0870/80 area, but unable to move through the 1.1000 level. The main resistance remains at the April highs at 1.1095. Below 1.0850 signals a move towards 1.0780.   GBP/USD – slid back sharply below the 1.2670 area, now opens a move towards the 50-day SMA at 1.2540. If this holds, we remain on course for a move towards the 1.3000 area.    EUR/GBP – broken above 0.8630, heading towards the 50-day SMA at 0.8673, which is the next resistance area. Support comes in at the 0.8580 area.   USD/JPY – continues to edge higher towards the 145.00 area. We have support at the 142.50 area, which was the 61.8% retracement of the 151.95/127.20 down move. A fall below this support area could see a deeper fall towards 140.20/30.    FTSE100 is expected to open 2 points higher at 7,502   DAX is expected to open 7 points higher at 15,956   CAC40 is expected to open 10 points higher at 7,296   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)  
Growing Strike Risk in Australian LNG Industry Spurs Commodities Market Volatility

Fed's greenlight for more rate hikes after stress test. Crude oil jumps on decline in US inventories, resistance at $70pb

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 29.06.2023 09:28
Fed's got the greenlight for more hikes. US and European stocks were up on Wednesday. The US chipmakers dampened appetite across the Atlantic Ocean on news that the Biden Administration will bring more restrictions to the US chipmakers' exports toward China, but Nasdaq still eked out gains.     Unfortunately for Nvidia, its A800 chips which were launched as a response to last year's export ban could be included in the new set of restrictions. Nvidia stock fell yesterday, but not as bad as premarket trading suggested. Taking a closer look to Nvidia's revenue per region, revenue slowed by around $2bn in China amid the chip export ban last year, but the fall in Chinese revenue was compensated with a doubling revenue for the US. This means that, even though the Chinese growth potential is weakened, there is potential to grow business for Nvidia. For others, AMD was almost flat, and Micron was up following an upbeat forecast for the current period amid the easing chip glut.     Same, same  The major central bankers' speeches were the same background music. The Federal Reserve's (Fed) Powell, the Bank of England's (BoE) Bailey, and the European Central Bank's (ECB) Lagarde agreed that their fight against inflation wasn't done yet, and that more rate hikes are on the pipeline.   What was interesting however was that the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) Ueda didn't necessarily think that the Fed, the BoE and the ECB overtightened, while he, on his end, didn't move an inch to fight back inflation. What's even funnier is, Powell, Bailey and Lagarde acknowledged that their policy actions come with a lagging effect, but BoJ's Ueda joked saying that because Japan hasn't started hiking yet, the lag effect could be 'at least 25 years'. I don't know if it makes you laugh or cry, but it made the central bankers, and the yen shorts laugh.  The dollar yen is now at the highest levels since November last year, a touch below the 145 mark, and on its way toward higher waters. Yet, a rapid and extended period of yen depreciation remains concerning for Japanese officials and could end up with direct FX intervention to halt bleeding. That's one risk that the short yen positions carry right now, as the yield differential plays clearly in favour of further yen selling.   Elsewhere, sentiment in euro was weak yesterday on the back of a mixed set of data. The Italian PPI fell much slower than expected in May, but consumer price inflation eased more than expected. The ECB's money supply slowed, and loans to the private sector grew slower than expected as a sign of tighter credit due to higher rates. Germany will reveal its own inflation figures today, and we could see an uptick in German inflation according to a consensus of analyst expectations. It would be bad news for the ECB. So many hikes, and so many more promised by the ECB, and inflation is hanging around.   It is because the Fed, ECB and BoE's balance sheets remain the elephant in the room, and they are the reason why economies don't react efficiently to interest rate hikes, and inflation doesn't slow at the desired speed. Yes, the Fed, ECB and BoJ's combined balance sheet size has been shrinking since last year, but total assets remain indisputably HIGH - almost 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels. So, you bet, the higher rates don't do much harm to the economy, except for those who have to renew their mortgages.  For the ECB however, the fact that the cheap loans are drying out could achieve some faster results. But it could trigger a divergence between core and periphery, widen the spread between Germany and the periphery and the latter could slow down the euro's appreciation.     Fed's stress test gives the greenlight for more hikes  The US banks passed the Fed's stress test, giving a greenlight to the Fed for more rate hikes. The US banks gained in the afterhours trading, with Bank of America and Wells Fargo leading gains, but the new regulations regarding capital requirements will likely hold back investors from full heartedly going back to banks.     Crude jumps  Crude oil jumped off below the $67pb level on the back of an almost 10mio barrel decline in US crude inventories last week. There is now a triple bottom formation at around the $67pb level, and that could throw a floor under any short-term selloff in crude oil. But the $70pb resistance remains strong, and more offers are waiting into the 50-DMA, a touch below the $72pb level. The chances are that we will see some back and forth between $67 and $72 range, until one side gives in. 
Challenges Ahead for Austria's Competitiveness and Economic Outlook

Central Bank Dilemma: Balancing Balance Sheet Strategies Amid Cautious Voices and Inflation Pressures

ING Economics ING Economics 29.06.2023 09:35
But there are also more cautious voices on the topic. Just as Lagarde pointed out in yesterday’s panel, interest rates remain the ECB’s primary monetary policy tool. In another background report by Econostream released in the afternoon, ECB officials signalled that the current passive run-off was sufficient, and especially speeding it up via the changes to the PEPP guidance and/or reinvestments would unnecessarily risk financial stability.   After all, the possibility to flexibly reinvest PEPP holdings is one of the main tools that the ECB still has to quickly react to spread widening pressures in bond markets. At some point the ECB has to decide on the balance sheet size it wants to target, which goes hand-in-hand with an ongoing review of the ECB’s operational framework. Yesterday, Lagarde flagged that this work could hopefully be completed in the next “six to nine months”. This indicates some upside risk to previous communication which saw the review being concluded by the end of the year.   Today's events and market view Inflation remains the central banks’ one needle in the compass that dictates their policy nowadays. This puts the focus squarely on today’s inflation readings out of Germany and Spain. German headline and core rates are seen higher on the back of base effects and statistical tweaks. Spain’s headline rate is seen falling below the 2% level but, more importantly, the core rate is seen to come down only marginally.   Alongside Italy’s data from yesterday this should already give a good idea of where tomorrow’s eurozone reading is headed – and it should signal no let up in the pressure on central banks to continue to act forcefully.   In this set-up yield curves will remain inverted for some time. Markets will see the softness in wider data, such as in yesterday’s eurozone credit growth which shows that policy transmission is working. Still, if there is anything that could turn the market it is surprises in the inflation data, which markets might be quicker to extrapolate even if central banks themselves might want to see confirmation from more than just one reading.   In other data we will get the initial jobless claims out of the US, pending home sales, as well as a third reading for first quarter GDP growth.
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Navigating the Risks: Uncovering the Vulnerabilities of Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries

ING Economics ING Economics 29.06.2023 13:40
The sector is facing three main vulnerabilities Non-Bank Financial Intermediaries were thrust into the spotlight once again this year following the recent turmoil in the banking sector. The main concerns arise from the lighter regulations and consequent lack of data and estimation of their risk exposure. While it remains difficult to clearly assess the sector’s exact exposures, international institutions identify three main risk factors stemming from the current state of the sector namely: financial leverage, liquidity risk and interconnectedness.   1. High financial leverage in times of lower interest rates Low interest rates in recent years and asset price volatility incentivised investors to use leverage to boost returns. However, the level of vulnerability from leveraging has proved to be difficult to estimate both for authorities and market participants. The significant lack of data makes a concrete estimation of the risk challenging. Furthermore, the IMF has stressed that financial leverage used by NBFIs comes in many forms, such as the use of repurchase agreements, margin borrowing in prime brokerage accounts, or synthetic leverage associated with the use of various financial derivatives (like futures and swaps). The recent focus on the use of leverage comes from the increased risk of financial distress due to the higher vulnerability to sudden changes in asset prices as interest rates increase rapidly. This may force NBFIs to de-lever, amplifying the initial price decline, with the gilt crisis being a case in point. The graph below from the IMF highlights well the recent increase in the use of synthetic leverage (where banks and NBFIs are lumped together), hence the growing vulnerability to sudden interest rate shocks.   The proxy for synthetic leverage shows an increase in leverage use by banks and NBFIs since 2016 The use of leverage dropped between 2018 and 2020 before spiking again until 2021 and stabilising today  
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Week Ahead: RBA Holds Rates, China Manufacturing Struggles, Strong Growth in India

ING Economics ING Economics 29.06.2023 13:55
Asia week ahead: Australian central bank likely to keep rates on hold The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is likely to keep rates untouched at 4.1%, while inflation reports from the region are likely to show moderating readings.   RBA likely to keep rates untouched at 4.1% Following the surprisingly large fall in May headline CPI inflation to 5.6% year-on-year from 6.8% in April, there seems little prospect of the RBA hiking rates again following what, by its own admission, was a finely balanced decision in June. That hike only got over the line because of the large upward spike in April inflation, so it would seem extremely odd to hike again if inflation surprises on the downside. We are keeping an open mind on one final hike this cycle, and the September meeting looks like the most likely candidate to us. July CPI will have to absorb a large electricity tariff spike of 20% YoY, or more by some estimates, and the base effects are less helpful over the third quarter too. But that will probably be it for the RBA, in our view.   China Caixin PMI numbers to show struggling sector Caixin PMI data will take their cue from the official PMI numbers due out on 30 June. These are likely to show that the manufacturing sector is still struggling, but may also show service sector strength waning, as re-opening pent-up demand starts to normalise again.    India's strong PMI reading points to strong growth Both India’s manufacturing and service sector PMIs are running at extremely strong levels. The manufacturing sector, in particular, has shown an acceleration in recent months, but may now be due a slight correction lower. Not being very exposed to either China or the global semiconductor slowdown is helping India.
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Equity Markets: Reflecting on the First Half and Looking Ahead to the Second

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 03.07.2023 09:20
The last six months have been an eventful one for equity markets in general with many of the questions that we were faced with at the start of the year, still just as relevant now.   The main question was whether the rebound that started from the lows back in October was simply part of a bear market rally, or whether it was the beginning of a move towards new record highs.   Others included how many more rate hikes could we expect to see, and when would rates start to come down again, with markets pricing in rate cuts in the second part of 2023.   We got the answer to the main question with new record highs for the FTSE100, CAC 40 and the DAX, while US markets also managed to continue their strong performance, breaking out of their own downtrend from their 2021 peaks, during February, shrugging off a March wobble in the process.   Despite the records highs being set by European markets in the first half of this year, one index above all the others has disappointed, that being the FTSE100, which managed to get off to a flier in the early part of the year, hitting a record high above 8,000, before sinking to a six-month low in the space of 4 weeks. Of all the major indices its greater weighting towards banks, and commodities has seen it underperform, largely due to the weakness of the rebound in the Chinese economy, and the fall in oil and gas prices.   The FTSE100 aside, what has been surprising is that, aside from a couple of exceptions, the stock market gains of the last few months have given few signs of disappearing despite interest rates that are significantly higher than they were at the start of the year, with little sign that they will come down any time soon.   That fact alone is a significant shift from where we were at the start of the year, where we had bond markets pricing in rate cuts as soon as Q3 of this year. This always came across as wishful thinking on the markets part, however we've shifted to the other side of the spectrum of market pricing in the prospect of another 100bps of rate hikes by the Bank of England by the end of the year.   In the same way that rate cuts by year end proved to be mispriced, at the start of the year, this pricing by the market could well go the same way.   One thing that has come as a surprise is how resilient equity markets have been in the face of a much sharper rise in 2-year yields from where we were in early January.   What's more there is no sign that central banks are in any mood to slow down their pace of rate hikes, something that is very much reflected in the way 2-year yields have pushed higher this year. US 2-year yields are higher by almost 50bps year to date, UK 2-year gilt yields by an astonishing 169bps, and German 2-year yields by 43bps.   This big jump in UK yields has seen the pound outperform against its peers, rising by 5% against the US dollar, and by as much as 13.5% against the Japanese yen.   While financial markets try to determine how many more rate hikes are coming, the next question is how long they will have to stay at current levels, and what happens when the deflation that is already being seen in the PPI numbers starts to manifest itself in the core inflation numbers.   For now, there is little evidence of that happening with the focus this week more on the continued divergence between manufacturing and the services sector in the form of the PMI numbers, as well as the US payrolls numbers on Friday.     Today's manufacturing PMIs are set to confirm the weak nature of this part of the global economy, with Spain, Italy, France, and Germany PMIs all forecast to slip back to 47.9, 45.3, 45.5, and 41 respectively. UK and US are also expected to remain soft at 46.2 and 46.3 respectively, while the US ISM manufacturing survey, is also forecast to remain below 50, at 47.2, with prices paid at 44.     Markets are already pricing in further rate hikes this month from the Federal Reserve, as well as the ECB, followed by the Bank of England in August, however the bigger question is what comes after these. One suspects we may not see many more after these hikes, however for now markets seem reluctant to come to that conclusion.   That said as we look towards H2 the bigger question is having seen such a positive H1, is there anything left in the tank, to build on those gains over the course of the rest of the year?   A decent Asia session looks set to translate into a positive start for European markets although current unrest in France is likely to prompt questions about economic activity there in the coming weeks.         EUR/USD – finding support at the 1.0830/40 area and 50-day SMA for now, with resistance remaining at the 1.1000 area. A break below the lows last week opens the way for a potential move towards 1.0780.     GBP/USD – still holding above the 50-day SMA at 1.2540, as well as trend line support from the March lows. If this holds, the bias remains for a move back to the 1.3000 area. Currently have resistance at 1.2770.       EUR/GBP – capped last week just below resistance at the 50-day SMA which is now at 0.8663. Behind that we have 0.8720. Support comes in at the 0.8570/80 area.     USD/JPY – saw a key reversal day after popping above 145.00 last week. We currently have support at the 143.80 area, with a break below targeting the 142.50 area. Above 145.20 opens up 147.50.      FTSE100 is expected to open 32 points higher at 7,563     DAX is expected to open 50 points higher at 16,198     CAC40 is expected to open 30 points higher at 7,430
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Equities Defy Expectations: A Strong First Half for Stocks and Bond Market Struggles

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 03.07.2023 09:30
The first half of the year ends on a positive note for equities and not so much for the bonds. This is the exact opposite of what was predicted. The bond markets were supposed to recover due to economic pains which should have led to a more dovish central bank landscape, while equities should have suffered due to the economic woes, slowing spending and recession. But no. Equities did well. Even though profits fell, they fell less than expected and more importantly, AI saved the day sending the Big Tech stocks to a nice bull market. Bonds on the other hand tumbled as US spending and growth remained resilient. The latter convinced the Federal Reserve (FeD) that it should keep hiking the interest rates. The spread between the US 2 and 10-year yield hit nearly 110bp, as an indication of recession in the coming months.  But last week's strong economic data released in the US, combined with Friday's softer-than-expected PCE figures supported, yet again, the idea of a soft landing and further fueled the rally in stocks. As such, the S&P500 hit a fresh year high at the last trading day of the first half and gained more than 17% so far this year, while Nasdaq 100 soared more than 40%! Apple hit $194 per share, and closed last week with a valuation above $3 trillion.   Of course, this incredible performance makes many investors wonder whether the equit rally could continue in the second half.     On the data dock  The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is expected to keep its rate unchanged at this week's policy meeting, after being partly responsible of the latest hawkish spree in global central bank expectations when it raised rates unexpectedly the last time. A no action from the RBA could calm down the nerves this week. But for that, we must also see loosening in US jobs data. Due Friday, the US NFP is expected to print more than 220K nonfarm job additions in June, with steady wage growth of around 0.3% over the month. The best scenario for stock investors is a strong NFP read combined with softening wages growth.   In China, Caixin manufacturing index for China came in slightly better than expected, and slightly above the 50 threshold, though sentiment weakened to an 8 month low and new orders rose at a softer pace. China could recover in the H2 amid People's Bank of China's (PBoC) efforts to boost growth, but we won't get the growth bang that we were looking for. That means that we will probably bypass a dangerous long-lasting rally in energy and commodity prices, which could help central banks contain inflationary pressures with more success.   For now, oil prices remain mostly ranged despite OPEC's malicious efforts to boost them artificially. The barrel of crude jumped past the $70 level on the back of a broad-based risk rally following the US softer than expected PCE read, which fueled some dovish central bank expectations. The Chinese data also give some support this morning, but the 50-DMA, near $71.30pb will likely act as a solid resistance. This week, risks remain tilted to the upside, as OPEC meets with the industry heads. This week's meeting is not a policy meeting so there won't be any production cuts, or any important decision from OPEC, but what we could well hear slowing demand forecasts, which would then bring traders to assess another production cut from OPEC down the road. In all cases, we have seen clearly that cutting production hasn't been enough for a sustained price rally so far. Therefore, any rally triggered by comments could be interesting top selling opportunities for short-term traders.   Tesla delivered a record number of cars worldwide in Q2, something like 466K cars, as Elon Musk is up to aggressively cutting prices to boost volume. It looks like it is paying off. The latest figures will likely keep Tesla shares on a positive path to challenge the $280 level again. But competition is not far. The Chinese BYD did better than Tesla, selling more than 700K cars last quarter, its best-ever quarter as well. BYD shares jumped 2.70% in Hong Kong.   
CEE: Busy Week Ahead Drives FX Strength

CEE: Busy Week Ahead Drives FX Strength

ING Economics ING Economics 03.07.2023 09:41
CEE: Busy week should lead to slightly stronger FX The region has a busy week ahead. PMI numbers across CEE countries will be released today. In Poland and the Czech Republic, we expect industrial sentiment to deteriorate again more than the market expects. Later today, we will see the Czech Republic's state budget result for June, which should finally show a reduction in the record deficit. The National Bank of Romania will meet on Wednesday and we expect interest rates to be stable in line with the market. Then on Thursday, data from industry, retail sales and the state budget in Hungary will be published. In the case of industry, we expect a higher decline than the market forecasts. Later, we will see a decision from the National Bank of Poland. Rates remain unchanged, but this time a new forecast will be published. Given the lower inflation last week, we can expect a dovish tone pointing to rate cuts after the summer months. June inflation in Hungary will be published on Friday. We expect a further decline from 21.5% to 19.9% year-on-year due to a favourable base effect and a fall in food, durables and energy prices. Also on Friday, Czech industrial data will be published and S&P will release a rating review in Hungary. Given the downgrade to BBB- this January, we do not expect any changes this time. In the FX market, the region should benefit today with a delay from Friday's upward movement of EUR/USD as well as the positive sentiment in Europe from the end of last week. On the other hand, the bad news for the Hungarian forint and the Czech koruna is the renewed rise in gas prices, which is once again becoming a strong player in this part of the region. A dovish NBP in the second half of the week should not come as a surprise to the market and therefore we do not expect much pain for the Polish Zloty. So overall, we are slightly bullish on FX in the CEE region this week. If gas prices calm down again, EUR/CZK should return below 23.70 and EUR/HUF to 370 EUR/HUF. EUR/PLN should stay below 4.450.
Oil Range-Bound, Gold Struggles Amid US Interest Rate Concerns

Oil Range-Bound, Gold Struggles Amid US Interest Rate Concerns

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 03.07.2023 10:31
Oil remains range bound but ending the week on a positive Oil prices are edging higher again today but given how they’ve traded over the last couple of months I’m struggling to read too much into it. The inventory data on Wednesday was bullish on the face of it and the eurozone inflation data today won’t do it any harm either, but uninspiring Chinese PMIs overnight don’t fill me with confidence. Broadly speaking, it’s range-bound as it has been since early May, and showing little signs of breaking in either direction. The range is getting very gradually smaller but at such a slow pace that it doesn’t really tell us much at this point. It very much feels like traders are awaiting more information on inflation and, by extension, interest rates, and until we have a better idea of the outlook, it could remain in this pattern.   Gold struggling amid US interest rate concerns Gold continues to languish around $1,900 after slipping below here briefly on Thursday for the first time since March. Strong economic data from the US has reaffirmed fears that a resilient economy may stand in the way of the Fed ending the tightening cycle, increasing the possibility of more hikes and a harder landing. There are clear signs of progress on inflation but with the economy and labour market showing such resilience, officials may be concerned that getting from 4.4% to 2% may be much harder than what’s been achieved so far. And the longer it remains above, the longer rates will remain high which is a big risk to the longer-term economic prospects.  
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Global Manufacturing Hubs Show Weakness, US and Japan Stocks Bullish Despite Recession Risk

Kelvin Wong Kelvin Wong 03.07.2023 11:03
Global manufacturing hubs; South Korea, Singapore & China continued to indicate a weaker external demand environment. Several key stock markets; US & Japan are on bullish footing, ignoring global recession risk. Higher US consumer confidence & more positive earnings guidance are required to maintain the bullish animal spirits. Higher cost of funding & a deeply inverted US Treasury yield curve are key hurdles for the bulls. The great divergence continues between the state of the real global economy and risk assets such as equities. Latest data from key global manufacturing hubs in Asia have indicated more potential weakness ahead in the external demand environment for the second half of 2023. South Korea, a key provider of semiconductors and smartphones for the global economy saw its latest full monthly exports figure decline to -6% year-on-year in June, a lower magnitude of -15.2% recorded in May but lower than expectations of a 3% drop. Overall, it’s nine consecutive months of contraction for South Korea’s exports. In addition, soft data from South Korea’s Manufacturing PMI which tends to have a lead time over exports figures has remained in contraction mode for twelve consecutive months; it fell to 47.8 in June from 48.4 in May. Data from China’s Caixin Manufacturing PMI which provides coverage for small and medium enterprises fared slightly better than the official NBS Manufacturing PMI for June but remained lackluster; it dipped to a neutral level of 50.5 from 50.9 recorded in May and came in slightly above expectations of 50.2. Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) slumped by 14.7% year-on-year in May, worse than forecasts of an 8.1% decline after a 9.8% reading in April; so far it has marked its eighth consecutive month of contraction.   US Nasdaq 100 and Japan Nikkei 225 were star performers in H1 2023   Fig 1: Key cross-assets performances as of 30 Jun 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart   Fig 2: Nasdaq 100 long-term secular trend as of 30 Jun 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) In contrast, several major benchmark stock indices have continued to shrug off these “real negative growth backdrop”, entered bull market territories, and staged stellar performances. The top performer was the US Nasdaq 100 assisted by the Artificial Intelligence (AI) equity theme play rocketed to a gain of 38.75% in the first half of 2023 and outperformed the MSCI All-Country World Index which recorded a positive return of 13.03% over the same period. Japanese equities also performed well in the first half; the Nikkei 225 rallied by 27.19%, and the bulk of H1 2023 gains came from Q2 (+18.36). Thanks to a change in corporate governance that favoured shareholders’ activism, lower valuation over the US stock market, and rosy foreign funds’ inflows reinforced by prominent value investor, Warren Buffet’s increased stakes in several major Japanese trading firms made over the first six months.     In contrast, other Asian stock markets in general have been trapped in a muted tone due to a slowing China economy after a diminished growth spurt from the removal of stringent Covid-19 lockdown measures and rather lukewarm monetary and fiscal stimulus measures being implemented at this juncture. The MSCI All Country Asia ex-Japan has managed to score only a meagre gain of 2.55% in the first half, which still has a significant gap to cover to recoup its annual loss of -21.66% posted in the prior year. Over in Europe, Germany’s DAX managed to squeeze an H1 2023 return of 15.98% but do take note the bulk of its gain came in Q1 as the lackluster external growth environment has triggered a negative ripple effect where the DAX’s Q2 performance only stood at 3.32% that’s a huge gap of around 1,180 basis points over Nasdaq’s Q2 return of 15.16%. Markets are always forward-looking, around the end of Q1 2023, the bullish camp for equities had a “Fed Pivot” narrative where there were significantly high odds being priced into the Fed funds futures market that advocated rate cuts of 75 bps to 100 bps in the second half of 2023. Right now, given the Fed’s latest monetary policy guidance is to have “higher interest rates for longer periods”, rate cuts pricing in the futures market for H2 has evaporated, and even though further hikes may not be implemented in 2024 after two more hikes on the Fed funds rate that are being priced in before 2023 ends to bring its likely terminal rate to 5.50% to 5.75%, the start of an easing cycle may only kick in during the second half of 2024 based on latest data from CME FedWatch tool at this time of the writing. Thus, with the liquidity punch bowl being taken away for now. What are the possible catalysts that can continue to drive the positive animal spirits in the US stock market that can increase the odds of spreading to the rest of the world?   Higher consumer confidence and better-than-expected earnings guidance So far, US consumer confidence has been trending up modestly since July 2022. The final June reading of the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index has been revised higher to 64.4, its highest level in four months. Higher consumer confidence tends to lead to higher consumer spending in the US where the US consumers may take on a similar pre-pandemic role of the “global consumer” for goods and services. Q2 2023 earnings reporting season in the US will go full fledge in around two weeks. Based on FactSet data as of 30 June 2023, its estimated earnings decline compiled from analysts for the S&P 500 is at -6.8% year-on-year, a further drop from Q1’s -2% y/y. The key will be the number of positive earnings forward guidance from the cyclical sectors such as Industrials and Consumer Discretionary to take over the baton from Information Technology. So far, there is more positive earnings guidance for FY 2023/2024 in Industrials as the mix is 65% positive and 35% negative whereas else Consumer Discretionary share of positive guidance is only 48% (52% negative).   Higher cost of funding and a deeply inverted US Treasury yield curve are key hurdles for the bulls The bond market seems to be not “buying” into the H1 2023 bullish narrative seen in the stock market. On the last trading day of H1, the US Treasury yield curve spread (10-year minus 2-year) continued to invert deeply to -1.06%, its lowest level since March during the onset of the US regional banking turmoil which indicates an increase odd of a hard landing in the US economy coupled with a higher level of interest rates environment for a longer period that can drive up the cost of leverage and borrowings for corporates and depress profit margins. If such a scenario materializes, current lofty bullish expectations in the US stock market may see a swift downward adjustment that is at risk of spreading to the rest of the world, and to prevent such occurrences, perhaps China needs to implement more aggressive expansionary monetary and fiscal policies to fill up the liquidity punchbowl given that inflationary pressures are benign in China.  
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Money Markets Divided as RBA Decision Looms: Will Rates Rise or Pause?

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 03.07.2023 12:43
Money markets split on RBA decision on Tuesday US PCE Price Index eases in May The Australian dollar is showing some movement right off the bat on Monday. AUD/USD fell as much as 70 pips in the Asian session but has recovered most of those losses. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6657 down 0.03%.     Money markets split on RBA decision The Reserve Bank of Australia meets on Tuesday, and it’s a coin-toss as to whether the central bank will raise rates for a third straight time or will it take a pause. Traders have priced in a 52% chance of a pause, according to the ASX RBA rate tracker. Just one week ago, the odds of a pause were 70%, after May inflation declined more than expected. Headline CPI fell from 6.8% to 5.6%, its lowest level in 13 months. Core CPI eased to 6.1%, down from 6.7%. The split over what call the RBA will make on Tuesday is indicative of the case that can be made both for a hike and a pause. The drop in inflation is certainly welcome news, but the RBA wants inflation to fall faster, as it remains almost triple the target of 2%. Additional rate hikes would likely send inflation lower, but that would raise the risk of the economy tipping into a recession. The Australian economy has cooled down, but the labor market remains strong and consumer spending has been resilient, despite high inflation. Retail sales for May jumped 0.7% m/m, up from 0.0% in April and smashing the consensus of 0.1%. RBA members in favor of a hike can point to employment and retail sales data as evidence that the economy can withstand additional hikes. The RBA minutes, which can be considered a guide of its rate policy plans, might point to a pause at Tuesday’s meeting. The April and May minutes were hawkish and the RBA raised rates after these releases. The June minutes were more dovish, sending the Australian dollar lower. Could that signal a pause? In the US, the week wrapped up with the PCE Price Index, the Fed’s preferred inflation indicator. In June, the index rose 0.1% m/m, down from 0.4% in May. This indicates that the disinflation process continues and traders have raised the probability of a July hike to 88%, up from 74% a week ago, according to the CME FedWatch tool.   AUD/USD Technical 0.6659 is a weak resistance line. Above, there is resistance at 0.6722 0.6597 and 0.6534 are providing support    
Steel majors invest in green steel, but change might be driven by contenders

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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Economic Calendar and Bitcoin Consolidation: Assessing Trading Lull and Bullish Signals

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 04.07.2023 08:42
We may be seeing a bit of a trading lull at the start of the week with tomorrow’s US bank holiday tempting many into an extended weekend. The economic calendar looks busy but with a large portion being PMI revisions, that doesn’t necessarily equate to an abundance of trading activity. The revisions are often small and don’t really move the needle in terms of expectations for the economy and, at this moment, interest rates. And then there’s the fact that manufacturing being deep in contraction territory is nothing new and what revisions we did see doesn’t really change that. Even as far as prices are concerned, central banks at this stage are far more concerned with what’s happening in services than manufacturing so even that providing welcome disinflationary pressure won’t be enough.   Is the bitcoin consolidation a bullish signal? Bitcoin is continuing to fluctuate largely between $30,000-$31,000 in a manner that may feel encouraging to the crypto community after such a powerful rally a couple of weeks ago. While it hasn’t managed to capitalize any further, that it hasn’t given back a portion of those gains gives the impression that traders think there’s more to come and that this is merely a period of consolidation amid a bigger move. Time will tell whether that turns out to be the case and news flow may have a big part to play in the outcome but what we’ve seen so far is encouraging.  
AUD Faces Dual Challenges: US CPI Data and Australian Labor Market Statistics

Assessing Curve Dynamics: Hawkish Central Bankers, Quantitative Tightening, and Market Implications

ING Economics ING Economics 04.07.2023 09:17
Order a steeper curve, get wider spreads Her main point however, if correct, doesn’t necessarily scream curve flattening. In a nutshell, the new central banker pointed to the risk of a higher R* post-Covid, suggesting the assumption that inflation and rates will eventually fall to their pre-pandemic range may be misguided. Two interpretations ensue. In the short term, the comments suggest the BoE will err on the hawkish side rather than rely on mean-reverting models to forecast a fall in inflation. The longer-term implication is that a deeply inverted curve, premised on a relatively quick reversal of the current hikes, isn’t justified.   Given central banks’ track record in forecasting inflation, we do not blame markets for focusing on the near-term implications. We’ll hear from Joachim Nagel and Yannis Stournaras today, respectively ECB hawk and dove. It is fair to say, also in relation to the inverted curve, that hawks have won the argument. Recent comments suggest hawks are now succumbing to the temptation to accelerate Quantitative Tightening (QT) in order, perhaps, to transmit higher rates to the back end of the curve. The US and UK experience with QT, albeit different in some respects, suggest this is a tall order. Our view is that such comments would more likely affect risk premia across markets, from currently moderate levels.   Today's events and market view US markets are closed for Independence Day today so the responsibility of feeding market-moving developments will fall squarely on Europe’s shoulders. Unfortunately, the only data scheduled after the European open is Spanish employment. Bond supply will be lively on the other hand. The UK will sell £2bn of 30Y green gilt via auction. Austria will also be active in long-end primary markets, with 10Y and 30Y auctions.  Germany is scheduled to sell 10Y inflation-linked debt. Joachim Nagel and Yannis Stournaras, sitting at opposite ends of the ECB’s hawk-dove spectrum, are the two central bankers listed for today. Markets have been more sympathetic to the hawkish argument of late but the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision to keep rates unchanged overnight shows tighter policy could also be achieved through a much slower hiking pace.
EUR Under Pressure as July PMIs Signal Economic Contraction

Quiet Day in FX as US Markets Take a Break on Independence Day

ING Economics ING Economics 04.07.2023 09:18
FX Daily: A hawkish ‘skip’ by the Reserve Bank of Australia The RBA decided to focus on decelerating inflation rather than the strong labour market and kept rates on hold overnight. Still, it reiterated a data-dependent approach and signalled openness to more tightening ahead. In general, it should be a quiet day in FX today due to the US national holiday, but things will get hectic again from tomorrow.   USD: National holiday today, but volatility to pick up from tomorrow The week has started without very clear direction dynamics in dollar crosses, largely due to reduced flows in US markets around the Independence Day holiday: US bond and equity markets are closed and there are no data releases, so expect another quiet day in FX. Yesterday, the ISM manufacturing index was released and came in at 46.0, below consensus expectations. The print was in contractionary territory (i.e. below 50) for the eighth consecutive month and hit its lowest level since May 2020. It’s worth noting that ISM manufacturing has been a historically accurate leading indicator of GDP dynamics and it currently points to a substantial slowdown.   This week, markets will once again need to filter their rate expectations for the evidence offered by data releases in the US. The reaction to the ISM manufacturing index has been limited due to reduced volatility around the US holiday, and also because the ISM services (out on Thursday) has been a bigger market mover. USD-crosses volatility will pick up again tomorrow when the focus will shift to FOMC minutes.
GBP: Softer Ahead of CPI Risk Event

Central Banks Tread Cautiously as RBA Pauses, Markets Anticipate Tightening, Musk and Zuckerberg Head for Showdown

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 05.07.2023 08:30
It’s been a relatively quiet session with the US bank holiday naturally weighing on activity and those remaining having an eye on Friday’s jobs report but the day hasn’t been without interest as the RBA opted against hiking interest rates again. The central bank surprised last time out in raising rates another 25 basis points but this time around, policymakers opted for a hawkish pause. Like many other major central banks – BoE excluded – it has reached a point at which every decision could swing either way depending on recent developments. Central banks are keen not to overtighten due to the immense pressure past tightening has already put on households and businesses but after being so late to start the process, they desperately don’t want to pause too soon and risk inflicting higher rates for longer which could be much more damaging again. It would obviously be easier if they had seen more progress to this point but inflation is proving stubborn and economies, so far, very resilient. Further tightening still looks likely at this stage, with markets pricing in a 75% chance that we see that by the August meeting.   Things are going to get more heated between Musk and Zuckerberg Elon Musk may be aggravating his userbase at just the wrong time, with Meta announcing that it will launch its version of the platform, Threads, on Thursday. It will be a direct competitor to Twitter and, based on released screenshots, look and behave in a very similar fashion. With Musk desperately trying to push people to pay a subscription fee for Twitter, Threads may offer a simple alternative that may force a rethink of that strategy. Given the userbase Meta already has, Musk can’t afford to underestimate the threat that the new platform poses and it may be very hard to win the audience back if they rapidly switch en masse.
Turbulent Times Ahead: Poland's Central Bank Signals Easing Measures

EUR/USD Struggles in Flat Market: Assessing Volatility, Interest Rates, and Economic Landscape

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 05.07.2023 08:59
On Tuesday, the EUR/USD currency pair struggled to establish itself above the moving average line, failing to surpass the Murray level of "3/8"-1.0925, resuming its downward trend in the latter half of the day. However, to label this movement as a "decline" would be an overstatement, as the day's total volatility was merely 40 points. As such, the past week better embodies the idea of a "flat" market rather than a trending one. Currently, the currency market is experiencing a tranquil period.   The fundamental and macroeconomic landscapes are intact, but the market appears saturated by them. Time and again, macroeconomic reports are in line with market expectations. Statements by representatives of the Fed and ECB do not offer traders any new or crucial information. The euro continues to maintain a relatively high position but has been static in recent weeks. The subject of interest rates is becoming less pertinent to traders. It's worth noting that when a monetary tightening or easing cycle initiates, the market endeavors to anticipate it. If this happens concurrently in two or more countries, as is usually the case, the market also strives to consider all changes preemptively.     For instance, last year, the Fed began raising rates ahead of the ECB, resulting in an initial surge in the dollar's value (taking geopolitics into account). Subsequently, as inflation in the US began to ease, the euro began to appreciate. It has been on an upward trend for the past ten months, although it has been largely consolidating in the 1.05–1.11 range for the last 5–6 months. Consequently, we do not foresee any significant triggers for a sudden upswing in the value of the euro or the dollar.   The pair will likely continue to consolidate within the outlined range, and it might take considerable time before this process reaches completion. The market has already accounted for 90% of all forthcoming interest rate hikes by the Fed and ECB.   Currently, neither the euro nor the dollar holds a distinct advantage. Many experts have been forecasting a downturn, recession, and deceleration for the US economy, particularly for the labor market. These predictions have been circulating since last year, yet official statistics suggest no signs of a looming recession.   Over the past three quarters, the US economy has grown by at least 2%, significantly more than the growth observed in the European Union or Britain. The labor market continues to demonstrate robust performance month after month, even with the Fed's rate escalating to 5.25%. Unemployment has seen minimal growth, while Nonfarm Payrolls consistently reveal at least 200 thousand new job additions each month.     As such, the Fed can continue its monetary tightening policy as required, especially now that inflation has fallen to 4%. This factor might play against the dollar in the medium term. Since inflation is already approaching the target level, the Federal Reserve will begin to soften monetary policy in 2024. It is unknown when the ECB, dealing with higher inflation, will begin to soften. Nevertheless, inflation in the Eurozone continues to decrease steadily. It initially rose more than in the US. Hence, it needs more time to return to 2%. However, the ECB began raising the rate after the Fed. Thus, everything is in its place. The European regulator may start reducing the rate a few months later than the Fed.   The monetary policy of the Fed and the ECB currently does not imply a strong strengthening of the dollar or the euro. The average volatility of the euro/dollar currency pair for the last five trading days as of July 5 is 70 points and is characterized as "average." Thus, we expect the pair to move between levels 1.0779 and 1.0915 on Wednesday. A reversal of the Heikin Ashi indicator upwards will indicate a new round of upward movement.
Bank of England: Falling Corporate Price Expectations May Signal Peak in Rate Hike Cycle

Spanish Housing Market Contracts Amidst Challenges, but Soft Landing Expected

ING Economics ING Economics 05.07.2023 10:00
Spain’s housing market is contracting, but a soft landing remains likely The Spanish housing market has experienced a notable decline recently. However, despite the sharp rise in interest rates, there are enough mitigating factors that make a soft-landing scenario likely. We forecast 1% average price growth this year and 0% next year.   Spanish housing market sees 21% drop in sales in April The Spanish housing market has entered a clear slowdown recently, with several factors contributing to reduced demand for property. Rising interest rates, tighter credit conditions and global economic uncertainties, including geopolitical instability, have all dampened housing demand. In April, mortgage demand fell below its five-year average for the first time and the number of transactions also showed a clear downward trend in the first few months of this year. The latest figures from notaries, which are usually ahead of the official figures, suggest that this downturn is likely to continue in the coming months. According to the General Council of Notaries, home sales fell 21% in April compared to the same period last year, while the number of mortgage loans to buy a home fell by 32% year-on-year. However, the downturn is much less severe than in other countries, where mortgage demand has fallen even more sharply. This can partly be attributed to increased interest from foreign buyers following the relaxation of Covid restrictions in 2020 and 2021. Property scarcity also remains a persistent problem. Demand has exceeded supply in recent years, slowing the downturn in demand. Moreover, Spain's economy has performed better than the eurozone average, helped by a rebound in tourism, which has also supported the housing market.    
Eurozone Inflation Drops to 5.3% in July with Focus on Services

Spanish Property Market Faces Slowdown as House Price Growth Halts

ING Economics ING Economics 05.07.2023 10:03
House price growth comes to a halt Due to declining demand in the Spanish property market, there has been a marked slowdown in price growth. With a reduced number of potential buyers, sellers face fiercer competition, resulting in reduced pricing power. While house price growth peaked at 8.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, according to Eurostat, it fell to 3.5% in the first quarter of this year. Other price trackers such as TINSA also show a clear downward movement.   Spanish house prices, in % YoY   Rising interest rates pose challenge to housing market affordability Over the past year, the sharp increase in interest rates has put significant pressure on the buying power of potential homebuyers, making it challenging for prospective buyers to buy a home or to qualify for a mortgage loan at current price levels. According to calculations by the National Bank of Spain, affordability has dropped significantly over the past year. The bank regularly assesses the percentage of income an average household would have to spend if they bought a house with an 80% loan. These calculations show a remarkable deterioration in property affordability. At the beginning of 2022, households only needed to spend 30% of their income to repay loans, but by the fourth quarter of that year, this percentage had risen to more than 36%. Although wages are picking up, interest rates rose further in the first half of 2023, which has likely worsened housing affordability. Affordability will continue to be under strong pressure in the second half of the year due to further increases in interest rates.   Housing affordability has significantly worsened over the past year
Hungary's Budget Deficit Grows, Raising Concerns Over Fiscal Targets

Interest Rates Expected to Rise Further, Putting Pressure on Affordability

ING Economics ING Economics 05.07.2023 10:04
Based on current trends, it appears that interest rates have not yet reached their peak In the coming months, we expect more increases in interest rates, which could put further pressure on affordability. The 12-month Euribor benchmark interest rate, which guides mortgage rates, is expected to rise further, although interest rates are believed to be close to their peak. The European Central Bank (ECB) has already hinted at a 25 basis point rate hike at its upcoming meeting in July. Recent hawkish statements by some ECB members seem to indicate that one or more rate hikes will follow after the summer. This will put additional upward pressure on the Euribor. On top of that, mortgage rates have yet to catch up after the rapid rise in Euribor. Based on current trends, mortgage rates will continue to rise in the coming months. We expect the average variable rate (with a fixed-rate period of up to five years) for mortgages to potentially peak at 5% in the second half of this year. This projection reflects a significant increase from the rate of 3.9% recorded in April 2023. The upside potential for fixed interest rates is even bigger. Currently, there is an atypical scenario where floating rates are higher than fixed rates. This suggests that fixed interest rates have even more room to rise and again exceed floating rates.   Evolution of interest rates on mortgage loans and Euribor 12M    
National Bank of Poland Meeting Preview: Anticipating a 25 Basis Point Rate Cut

A Soft Landing: Spanish Housing Market Outlook and Price Forecast

ING Economics ING Economics 05.07.2023 10:05
An abrupt market crash seems ruled out All indicators point to a substantial slowdown in the housing market this year. A further rise in interest rates will continue to put pressure on affordability and further dampen demand for mortgages later this year. While a marked slowdown is expected, several factors are also reducing the likelihood of a severe price correction or abrupt market crash.  First, the drop in energy costs reduces uncertainty for households and frees up additional budget that can be spent on monthly mortgage payments. Second, incomes will continue to rise. Nominal wage growth will pick up after the sharp drop in real purchasing power in 2022. In addition, low unemployment ensures steady growth in gross national income. The combination of rising nominal incomes and a tight labour market will provide some support to the demand side of the real estate market. Finally, despite this current temporary dip, demand will continue to grow structurally in the coming years. Slower supply growth will create scarcity in the market, which will put upward pressure on prices.   Weak price growth in 2023 and 2024 We have updated our forecast for the current year and now assume price growth of 1%, which is an upward revision from our earlier estimate of 0%. This revision is due to the continued house price growth at the beginning of the year, albeit at a slower pace. Our price forecast assumes a slight decline in prices in the second half of this year. For 2024, we have revised our forecast downwards to 0% from our earlier estimate of 1% as we expect the continued rise in interest rates will dampen any recovery in the property market next year. Overall, this scenario forecasts a soft landing for the Spanish housing market. Although there is a risk of a slight drop in prices in the second half of this year, the overall price correction will remain modest in nominal terms. However, it is important to note that the correction in real terms will be significantly higher due to the impact of high inflation. Inflation-adjusted prices fell slightly last year and we expect further declines of around 2.5% to 3% in 2023 and 2024. Over a three-year period, the cumulative real price adjustment is expected to exceed 6%.   Evolution of Spanish house prices, including ING forecast
ECB Faces Dilemma as European Commission Downgrades Eurozone Growth Forecasts

Economic Data Paints Gloomy Picture, Risk Aversion Ahead of FOMC Minutes

Ed Moya Ed Moya 06.07.2023 08:28
We’re seeing some more risk aversion on Wednesday ahead of the release of the June FOMC minutes, with PMI data throughout the day painting a slightly more gloomy picture for the economy. Revisions in Europe were very modest, in the cases where we actually saw them, but they were to the downside and from already relatively depressed numbers. It’s clear that they point to a deceleration in the all-important services sector but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing if we ever want to see interest rates falling again. Nor is it a bad thing that there appear to be signs of cost pressures slightly softening in the surveys which will be encouraging for central banks, albeit not nearly enough to tempt them into pausing just yet. But it could suggest we’ll see more concrete signs of progress over the coming months. The data from China was no more encouraging, with the Caixin Services PMI falling quite markedly, further highlighting the challenging headwinds the economy is facing during its recovery from zero-Covid restrictions late last year.
Navigating the Risks: The Consequences of Aggressive Interest Rate Hikes and Banking Crisis on the Global Economy

Navigating the Risks: The Consequences of Aggressive Interest Rate Hikes and Banking Crisis on the Global Economy

ING Economics ING Economics 06.07.2023 13:07
What happens if central banks hike interest rates too much, and how a renewed crisis in the banking system could weigh on the global economy.   Aggressive interest rate hikes trigger a ‘hard landing’ Our base case: The most aggressive rate hike cycle in decades will no doubt take its toll. We’re more concerned about the US, where a tightening in lending standards post-banking crisis is likely to trigger more noticeable weakness in hiring and investment. Europe is currently enjoying the benefit of lower energy prices, which partly offsets the impact of higher rates in the short term. But the longer-term outlook for Europe remains one of subdued growth at best. In the US, we’re not expecting a deep downturn, and developed economies are insulated by the greater prevalence of fixed-rate mortgages relative to past crises. That makes for a longer/more drawn-out transmission to the economy. Stagnation is likely, and the impact of higher rates is less concentrated in any single quarter. Risk scenario and how it plays out: There are three ways things could be worse than we expect. Firstly, central banks hike more aggressively than currently expected – and with rates already well into restrictive territory, that would make deeper recessions in 2024 more inevitable. Rates at 6% or above in the UK and US, or 5% in the eurozone, would be challenging. Secondly, businesses begin to feel the pinch more acutely. Corporates have enjoyed pricing power over the past couple of years as economies emerge from Covid. But that’s fading as consumer demand – especially for goods – abates, and the impact of interest rates on unemployment could accelerate as debt servicing becomes a greater challenge. Finally, a high interest rate environment raises the risk of something breaking in the financial system. March’s banking crisis was a taster of that, and despite central banker assurances to the contrary, persistently higher interest rates clearly risk having knock-on effects for financial stability. The feedback loop could tighten lending standards yet further, adding to the pressure on smaller businesses as well as real estate and the construction sector. Wider economic impact: We’d expect to see many major economies enter recession through the early part of 2024, or perhaps earlier. Where economic weakness has so far been concentrated in manufacturing, we’d expect the service sector to enter a downturn too. That would see a corresponding easing in service-sector price pressure, via lower wage growth. Central banks would turn to rate cuts much earlier than we’re currently forecasting.  
Risks in the US Banking System: Potential Impacts and Contagion Concerns

Risks in the US Banking System: Potential Impacts and Contagion Concerns

ING Economics ING Economics 06.07.2023 13:08
US banking troubles flare up again Our base case: The European banking system has coped well with the bank worries at the beginning of the year. The positive impact from higher interest rates continues to support European banks, with the negative side effects still contained. The solid liquidity positions of banks have been confirmed by the very limited additional drawings from the ECB’s regular funding operations, despite the substantial TLTRO-III maturities that took place at the end of June. The European bank debt markets have also shown some promising signs with some action on the AT1 debt markets in mid-June, despite the full write-down of Credit Suisse's AT1 capital earlier this year. Concerns over the US banking system have eased in the course of the second quarter. The issues have not spread to larger US banks, we have not seen further severe liquidity stresses and deposit flows have broadly stabilised. The Fed published its bank stress test results in late June, which confirmed that the larger US banks could weather substantial weakness with their existing capital buffers. The Fed modelled a severe recession including US$541bn in forecast losses to result in a 230bp decline in the average CET1 ratio of the 23 banks. Large banks retained relatively solid modelled CET1 ratios. Banks with the lowest (and highest) stressed CET1 capital ratios were smaller or mid-sized banks. This group could be somewhat less well-positioned to weather weakness with their existing CET1 buffers.   Risk scenario and how it plays out:  The US bank problems were driven by a quick loss of confidence on the part of uninsured depositors towards regional banks. If the loss of confidence were to spread quickly to impact more institutions, it could result in several banks struggling to absorb deposit outflows simultaneously. This could create worries over contagion in the system and exaggerate further deposit instability. Finding buyers for assets to safeguard depositors and operational continuity for several, although smaller, banks at the same time could pose challenges. In the very worst-case scenario, several smaller lenders end up being absorbed by larger ones. The failing banks may, however, come with unforeseen additional risks, which may eventually result in the credit profiles of the larger acquirers weakening more than expected. If the issues are severe enough, they may pose risks to the stability of the larger acquiring banks. If investors start second-guessing the stability of the financial system, this may have severe consequences on financial markets.   Wider economic impact:  Fresh banking stresses would fuel a further tightening in lending standards than we’ve already seen in the US. History shows this is almost always followed by a sharp rise in the unemployment rate and would deepen the recession we already expect. While it’s uncertain whether contagion would spread directly to Europe, the prospect of a US downturn would inevitably have wider economic repercussions overseas. Central banks have so far been able to separate out financial stability and monetary policy tools, but such stresses, should they happen, are ultimately borne out of higher interest rates. This scenario would likely herald earlier and more aggressive rate cuts in both the US and Europe.  
Analyzing the Euro's Forecast Amidst Eurozone Data and Global Factors

Disinflationary Trend in the Eurozone: Spotlight on Core Inflation

ING Economics ING Economics 06.07.2023 13:18
  The disinflationary trend in the eurozone has started and should gain more momentum after the summer. It will take a while but core inflation should follow suit as well.   Slowly but surely, the inflation outlook for the eurozone is improving. Base effects as well as fading supply chain frictions and lower energy prices have and will continue to push down headline inflation in the coming months – a drop that the European Central Bank deserves very little credit for orchestrating. With headline inflation gradually normalising, the big question is how strong the inflation inertia will be. As long as core inflation remains stubbornly high, the ECB will continue hiking interest rates. How long could this be?   Inflation is moving in the right direction, but will core inflation remain stubborn? Headline inflation has come down sharply, which is widely expected to continue over the months ahead. The decline in natural gas prices has been remarkable over recent months and while it would be naïve to expect the energy crisis to be over, this will result in falling consumer prices for energy. The passthrough of market prices to the consumer is slower on the way down so far, which means that there will be more to come in terms of the downward impact on inflation. The same holds true for food. Food inflation has been the largest contributor to headline inflation from December onwards, but recent developments have been encouraging. Food commodity prices have moderated substantially since last year already, but consumer prices are now also starting to see slow. In April and May, month-on-month developments in food inflation improved significantly, causing the rate to trend down.   Headline inflation – at least in the absence of any new energy price shocks – looks set to slow down further, but the main question now is how sticky core inflation will remain. There are several ways to explore the prospects for core inflation.   Let’s start with the historical relationships between headline and core inflation after supply shocks. Data for core inflation in the 1970s and 1980s are not available for many countries, but the examples below for the US and Italy show that an energy shock did not lead to a prolonged period of elevated core inflation after headline inflation had already trended down. In fact, the peaks in headline inflation in the 1970s and 1980s saw peaks in core inflation only a few months after in the US and coincident peaks in Italy. We know that history hardly ever repeats, but it at least rhymes – and if this is the case, core inflation should soon reach its peak.   History is one thing, the present another. Digging into the details of current core inflation in the eurozone shows a significant divergence between goods and services, regarding both economic activity and selling price expectations. Judging from the latest sentiment indicators, demand for goods has been weakening for quite some time already. At the same time, easing supply chain frictions and lower energy and transport costs have taken away price pressures, leading to a dramatic decline in the number of businesses in the manufacturing sector that intend to raise prices over the coming months.      
Assessing Global Markets: From Chinese Stimulus to US Jobs Data

Recession Threat Looms as Student Loan Repayments Restart: Impact on Consumer Finances

ING Economics ING Economics 06.07.2023 13:23
Recession threat delayed, not averted This all appears to tally with the Federal Reserve’s own soft landing thesis, but we still see a high probability of a recession. Lending growth is slowing with the Fed’s Senior Loan Officer survey suggesting it could turn negative before the end of this year. Business confidence remains in recession territory based on data from the Conference Board and the National Federation for Independent Businesses, and we know that monetary policy operates with lags with the full effects of higher interest rates yet to be felt. A key reason that the economy has proved to be more resilient than we expected was consumers’ willingness to run down savings they had accumulated during the pandemic. We suspected they may choose to maintain larger savings buffers, while a $150bn surge in credit card borrowing since mid-2021, bringing the outstanding total to nearly $1tn, has additionally financed consumer largesse. But household savings and banks' willingness to lend are a dwindling finite resource and for many millions of Americans, the financial challenges are going to increase significantly over the next few months. That’s because as part of the deal to raise the US debt ceiling, the pandemic support for 43 million student loan borrowers has ended. From 1 September, interest is once again being charged on $1.6tn of outstanding debt and from 1 October payments restart. With the Supreme Court throwing out President Biden’s plans to forgive up to $20,000 of an individual borrower’s debt this means that from the start of the fourth quarter around 30 million of those 43 million borrowers will have to find an average of $350 per month to cover the loans - current students don't pay while some other borrowers have defaulted or have deferred. That works out at around $130bn in aggregate for a year in interest and repayment, equivalent to around 0.75% of consumer spending.  
ECB Hawkish Pushback and Key Inflation Test Await FX Markets

ADP Report Raises Expectations for Federal Reserve Ahead of Jobs Report

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 07.07.2023 08:59
Federal Reserve policymakers may well be dreading tomorrow’s jobs report now after today’s ADP number once again obliterated estimates, coming in more than double the consensus forecast. That’s almost become the norm on payrolls day but FOMC policymakers, along with investors, may have been hoping the tide would now turn after such as intense tightening cycle over the last 18 months. But if the ADP report is anything to go by, we’re headed for another red-hot jobs report. If a rate hike this month wasn’t already nailed on, it probably is now. The ADP isn’t often a great precursor to the NFP number but this is a report you simply can’t ignore. I’m sure everyone will be revising up their expectations on the back of it and wondering just how much longer this labour market resilience can last. How high must rates go? Jobless claims crept up again but were just about in line with expectations and still probably lower than what many will have anticipated at this stage. Next up is JOLTS and it will take something seriously shocking to bring balance back to this debate. It’s no longer a question of if the Fed hikes this month but how many more after that?
Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

Oil Retreats Despite Positive Momentum, Gold's Rebound in Jeopardy

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 07.07.2023 09:00
Despite positive momentum, oil falls short once more Oil prices are retreating in risk-averse trade today. The ADP report has clearly had a negative impact given it likely means we’re facing another red-hot jobs report tomorrow and the prospect of higher rates for longer. It also came at an opportune time, with the price flirting with the peak from two weeks ago, only to turn south having fallen just shy of surpassing it. That means we’re seen yet another failed new high or low in recent weeks and the gradual consolidation, roughly between $72-$77 is still in play. This time it was close and there was good momentum going into the ADP release but it seems the jobs number was just too big. A repeat performance tomorrow could cement that and undo the efforts of the Saudis and Russians earlier this week in seeking to drive the price higher.   Is gold vulnerable to another big break? Gold’s brief rebound is seemingly over, with the price already struggling around $1,930-$1,940 before ADP delivered a hammer blow to it. The yellow metal is back trading just above $1,900, a level that’s now looking very vulnerable ahead of tomorrow’s jobs report. If it manages to hold above in the interim, a hot report could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Suddenly it will become a question of whether another hike in September is unavoidable against the backdrop of such a hot labour market. These aren’t the only figures that matter but they do significantly weaken the case for another pause.
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Exploring the NBP/MPC Decision on Interest Rates in Poland and the Outlook for the PLN

Michael Stark Michael Stark 07.07.2023 10:26
In the ever-changing landscape of global finance, the decisions made by central banks play a crucial role in shaping currency movements. In this article, we shift our focus to Poland and examine the recent interest rate decision by the National Bank of Poland (NBP) and its implications for the Polish zloty (PLN). We are joined by Michael Stark, an expert from Exness, who provides valuable insights into the forecast for the PLN in light of the NBP's decision.   The NBP's recent monetary policy meeting held on July 6 resulted in the decision to keep the reference rate unchanged at 6.75%, aligning with market expectations. Looking ahead, there is increasing anticipation of a potential shift in the NBP's stance next quarter, as inflation is projected to return to single digits, possibly as early as October.   The euro-zloty (EURPLN) exchange rate holds a relatively high carry symbol, especially when compared to other tradable European currencies. This, coupled with Poland's strong quarterly GDP performance compared to many other OECD/G20 countries, suggests that EURPLN may continue its downward trajectory in the coming weeks. However, it is important to note that the summer season and associated holiday periods tend to have a clear impact on European symbols, resulting in lower trading volumes.     FXMAG.COM: Please comment on the NBP / MPC decision on interest rates in Poland and the forecast for the PLN.   Michael Stark, Exness: The National Bank of Poland kept its reference rate on hold on 6 July at 6.75% as almost universally expected. Participants increasingly seem to expect the beginning of a pivot by the NBP next quarter as inflation is likely to return to single digits, possibly as early as October. Euro-zloty remains a relatively high carry symbol, certainly as far as tradable European currencies go, so between that and strong quarterly GDP from Poland compared to many other OECD/G20 countries, EURPLN might continue downward in the next few weeks. Conversely, markets have now entered summer, and this season of holidays tends to have the most clear effect on European symbols in terms of lower volume. The focus for the zloty in the next few days is inflation from Poland on 14 July. Monthly non-core is expected to be nil while the annual figure is seen declining to 11.5%. If the rate of inflation slows more than that, there might be some positivity for EURPLN and possibly the current bounce could continue as traders price in a possible faster pivot by the NBP.
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NBP/MPC Decision on Interest Rates in Poland: Assessing the Outlook for the PLN

Pawel Majtkowski Pawel Majtkowski 07.07.2023 12:26
The recent decision of the National Bank of Poland (NBP) and the Monetary Policy Council (MPC) regarding interest rates has drawn attention to the economic landscape in Poland and its implications for the Polish zloty (PLN). In light of this development, market participants eagerly seek insights into the rationale behind the decision and the future forecast for the PLN. Paweł Majtkowski, eToro Market Analyst, highlights that the NBP and MPC have maintained the level of interest rates, aligning with analysts' expectations. The last interest rate hike in Poland occurred in October 2022, suggesting that there may be no further rate hikes in the near future.   FXMAG.COM Please comment on the NBP / MPC decision on interest rates in Poland and the forecast for the PLN.   Paweł Majtkowski, eToro Market Analyst said: The RPP once again did not change the level of interest rates. This was in line with analysts' predictions. The last interest rate hike in Poland took place in October 2022. It can therefore be concluded, although the Council did not officially state this, that there will be no further rate hikes in Poland. Although inflation has been falling sharply recently, it remains high all the time, reaching 11.5 percent in June. Despite the declines, Poland currently has the highest inflation in the European Union. In countries where inflation was previously higher, such as Latvia, it has fallen even more dramatically. And it seems that this state of affairs may continue in the coming months. Poland currently has the highest inflation in the EU, and at the same time the lowest unemployment, which seems an ideal mix for an interest rate hike. However, in the current situation, the first interest rate cut, which may occur in the fourth quarter of this year, seems more likely. However, this will be more of a political decision, due to the upcoming elections, than an economic one. The continued fight against inflation could be jeopardized by the increased level of budget spending associated with the upcoming elections. The race to the Sejm is very close, and this will create a temptation to settle the race by making ever more far-reaching social promises. With inflation falling, investor concerns about it are diminishing. In eToro's Retail Investors Beat survey covering the last quarter, the percentage of investors considering inflation as the biggest external risk fell from 27 percent to just 7 percent. At the same time, the number of investors worried about the state of the Polish economy rose strongly, from 8 percent to 36 percent. This is a result of concerns about a possible recession and the possible financial impact of the election campaign, also evident in the survey. Inflation is falling not only in Poland, but also in the US and the Eurozone. In the US, inflation fell from 6.6 percent in January to 4 percent in May. In the Eurozone, it went from 8.6 percent in January to 5.5 percent in June.  In both the U.S. and the Eurozone, we expect one more rate hike of 0.25 percentage points in late July. If the first rate cuts in the U.S. occur in the fall, the RPP will probably be more bold in making its own reductions.  
Foreign Demand Growth Limited: Outlook for Dutch Exports and Inventory Reduction

Foreign Demand Growth Limited: Outlook for Dutch Exports and Inventory Reduction

ING Economics ING Economics 10.07.2023 11:03
Limited growth in foreign demand After a weak first quarter, Dutch exports are expected to pick up over the rest of 2023 and 2024, in line with a recovery in global merchandise trade, which recently experienced a setback. Conditions have improved as supply chain disruptions are hardly hampering trade anymore, global destocking is gradually decreasing, and China is no longer having lockdowns. This expectation is also in line with the increased outlook of producers regarding foreign turnover in the next three months. However, goods exports are likely to grow only at a slow pace. The economies of the eurozone, the US, and the UK remain weak, and the shift from goods to services consumption continues.   Inventory reduction will gradually decrease Producers are still relying on their inventories due to reduced demand and significantly diminished supply chain issues. The historically large stock of materials and finished products is increasingly seen as a cost item since financing has become more expensive due to higher interest rates. With the long-lasting disrupted supply chains fresh in memory and considering the current geopolitical unrest, producers won’t deplete their buffer stocks completely. However, a majority of Dutch producers still consider their finished product inventory to be too large. Therefore, traders and final producers are aligning their inventories with expected sales. Suppliers are also reducing their inventories. This bullwhip effect has led to significant production declines at the beginning of value chains, such as in basic chemistry, basic metal, and plastic industries, but it will gradually decrease.   Bottom for energy-intensive industry in sight On the other hand, new orders in the chemical and plastics industries are picking up again. Energy prices are also significantly lower than the average of the past year. Therefore, some recovery in the energy-intensive industry is possible from the second quarter onwards. As a result, the energy-driven growth gap between manufacturing sectors is gradually disappearing. However, due to economic headwinds and energy prices expected to remain structurally higher than in 2021, the energy-intensive industry does not anticipate a quick return to previous production levels.
Market Digest: Fed Minutes and Employment Data Spark Pessimism, Impacting Global Stock Markets and Currency Pairs

Market Digest: Fed Minutes and Employment Data Spark Pessimism, Impacting Global Stock Markets and Currency Pairs

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 10.07.2023 12:01
Global stock markets edge lower amid pessimism sparked by the latest Fed minutes and contrasting employment figures from ADP and the US Department of Labor. Obviously, investors continue to be stirred up by the potential rate hikes by global central banks, primarily the Federal Reserve. The recent private sector employment data from the ADP, which indicated strong growth in new jobs, primarily in the services sector, increased the chances of seeing an increase in rates. However, the situation became uncertain after the US Department of Labor published its official data on the number of new jobs in the non-agricultural sector. Reportedly, employment rose by 209,000, lower than the 225,000 the previous month. Still, this figure remains above the threshold of 200,000, indicating an overall continuing positive pace of employment growth, but with the risk of a significant fall in the future. The currency and commodities markets reacted to the news rather coolly, effectively confirming the theory that the stabilization of US inflation or the resumption of its growth could force the Fed to continue raising interest rates. Latest inflation data from China, Germany, and the US lies ahead, but more focus will be given to the consumer price index in the US. Forecast says the overall figure will fall to 3.1% y/y, but increase by 0.3% m/m. Such figures will boost risk appetite, accompanied by a weakening of dollar as treasury yields fall. The chances of seeing further rate hikes will drop as well.     EUR/USD The pair hit 1.0970. Surpassing this level amid a decrease in US inflation will push the quote 1.1100.   GBP/USD The pair trades at 1.2835. A consolidation above it, which could be spurred by falling US inflation and steady expectations of rate hikes from the Bank of England due to high inflation, may bring the quote to 1.2985.  
ECB's Potential Hike Faces Limited Rate Upside as Macro Headwinds Persist

European Equity Markets Brace for a Shocking Week, Fueled by Economic Anxiety and Resilient Data

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 10.07.2023 12:56
It’s been a shocking week for European equity markets, on course to shed almost 5% and it could get worse if the US jobs report reflects what we saw yesterday from ADP. You wouldn’t always guess it when looking at the performance of stocks but there is mounting anxiety about the resilience of the economy and what that will mean for interest rates going into the end of this year and 2024. Investors always seem to find a way to look on the bright side which may explain the disconnect between economic fears on the back of rapidly rising interest rates and the performance of indices. And that may be rewarded if central banks can achieve the soft landing they’re hoping for but with every piece of resilient data and additional rate hike, that’s looking harder and harder. And you can see it reflected in their language more and more. That’s not to say investors have suddenly turned bearish on the basis of this week, although it has been quite a sharp sell-off, but we may have reached a point in which they are questioning whether markets are no longer reflecting reality. The ADP report doesn’t always attract that much attention, in fact for years it’s been borderline disregarded, but it’s impossible to ignore yesterday’s release. It smashed expectations and once again indicated we may be looking at another consensus-beating NFP number. Further signs that the labor market is red-hot and resilient.   Choppy trading in bitcoin but ultimately range-bound Trading has remained choppy in bitcoin over the last week or so but we haven’t yet seen any significant developments, with it still largely contained to the $30,000-$31,000 range it’s traded within since bursting higher last month. There’s more cause for optimism on the back of the ETF filings but there’s no guarantee they will yield a positive outcome even if the chances are enhanced by the backing of those involved. It could also be a lengthy process which may explain the stall we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks.  
ECB Meeting Uncertainty: Rate Hike or Pause, Market Positions Reflect Tension

UK Jobs Report Anticipated to Show Strong Employment and Wage Growth, US Nonfarm Payrolls Decline Weighs on Dollar

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 11.07.2023 08:20
UK jobs report expected to show strong employment and wage growth US nonfarm payrolls declined in June The British pound has drifted lower on Monday. GBP/USD is trading at 1.2827 in the European session, down 0.09%. UK employment data expected to remain strong The UK labour market remains resilient despite a cooling economy and high interest rates. Tuesday’s June jobs report is expected to show strong numbers. The economy is expected to produce 158,000 jobs in June, after a banner reading of 250,000 in May. The unemployment rate is projected to remain at a low 3.8% and unemployment claims are expected to continue declining. Wage growth is expected to rise to 6.8%, up from 6.5%. That sounds like great news, but not when you’re the Bank of England and need the labour market to show some cracks and wage growth to slow down. A tight labor market and strong wage growth have hampered efforts by the central bank to lower inflation and the OECD said last week that the UK was the only major economy where inflation is still rising. The May inflation report was a disappointment, with headline inflation remaining at 8.7% and the core rate rising from 6.8% to 7.1%. BoE Governor Bailey will likely comment on the job numbers and investors will be looking for clues about the BoE’s plans at the August 3rd meeting. The BoE has raised rates to 5.0%, but more tightening will be needed in order to curb inflation and the money markets have fully priced in a peak rate of 6.5% by February.   US dollar takes a hit after nonfarm payrolls decline The US dollar was broadly lower against the major currencies on Friday, after nonfarm payrolls slid to 209,000, below from the downwardly revised reading of 306,000 in May but not far from the 225,000 consensus estimate. The downturn may have surprised many investors who were caught up in the hype of a massive ADP employment release which showed a gain of 497,000. There was speculation of a blowout nonfarm payroll reading but in the end, the consensus estimate was close and the US dollar was broadly lower on expectations that the Fed could be close to winding up its rate-tightening cycle.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD tested support at 1.2782 earlier today. The next support level is 1.2716 There is resistance at 1.2906 and 1.2972  
Market Watch: Earnings Boost and Consumer Confidence Surge Ahead of Key FOMC Decision

US Dollar Slides Below Critical Support Amid Tougher Capital Requirements and Cautious Market Sentiment

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 11.07.2023 08:33
US dollar slides below critical support.   The week started on a cautious note as European and US stocks eked out small gains, but appetite was limited appetite on news that the new capital requirements for the US banks would be tougher. And mega caps didn't give much support. Tesla lost up to 2% during the session, while Amazon closed the session more than 2% lower before its Prime Day – which now became an industrywide shopping day and will give us a hint on how much US consumers are ready to up their spending online. Meta, on the other hand, advanced 1.23%, as Threads already amassed 100 mio users since its launch last week, while internet traffic data from Cloudflare showed that Twitter use 'tanked'.   Tougher rules Michael Barr said yesterday that he will recommend tougher capital rules for banks with $100 billion or more in assets, as opposed to those that have $700bn and more so far concerned with the tough rules. More importantly, unrealized losses (and gains) on security portfolios will be considered when calculating regulatory proposal, a thing that could've helped avoiding Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB) collapse, but that will also put a bigger pressure on banks that bought tons of US treasuries and that are now sitting on significantly discounted portfolios. The good news is that big banks like JP Morgan and Citi didn't react aggressively to the news, and even more reassuring news is that the smaller, regional bank stocks tempered the news quite well as well. Pacwest for example lost only around 1% and Invesco's KBW index even closed the session slightly higher. What's less reassuring, however, is the fact that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will continue pushing the interest rates higher, and that will put an extra pressure on lenders, and the regional lenders are the most vulnerable to rate changes.   By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank
EUR/USD Faces Resistance at 1.0774 Amid Inflation and Stagflation Concerns

UK Employment Falls, but Wage Growth Remains High; BoE Governor Bailey Signals More Rate Hikes Needed

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 11.07.2023 14:06
UK employment falls but wage growth remains high BoE Governor Bailey says inflation will fall but more rate hikes needed The British pound has edged upward on Tuesday. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2898, up 0.28%. The pound has put on an impressive rally, rising close to 200 pips against the dollar since Thursday.   UK employment softens, wages rise The UK delivered a mixed employment report for June. The economy created 102,000 jobs, far less than the 250,000 in May and shy of the consensus of 125,000. The unemployment rate rose from 3.8% to 4% and unemployment claims rose by 25,700, after a decline of 22,500 in May. However, wage growth excluding bonuses remained at 7.3% in the three months to May, above the consensus estimate of 7.1%. For Bank of England policymakers, the employment report is a good news/bad news release. The central bank needs the labour market to cool as it struggles to bring inflation down. To put it mildly, that battle has not gone as planned, with the OECD giving the UK the ignominious distinction of being the only major economy where inflation is rising. The June employment and unemployment numbers showed some cracks in the tight labour market, but wage growth, a key driver of inflation, remains stubbornly high. The takeaway from the jobs report is that the labour market is a bit less tight but wage growth remains inconsistent with the 2% inflation target and the BoE will have to continue to tighten policy. The cash rate is currently at 5.0% but the money markets have priced in a peak rate of 6.5%, which means that more pain is coming for businesses and households in the form of higher interest rates. BoE Governor Bailey is doing his best to put a brave face on a difficult situation. On Monday, Bailey said that inflation would fall “markedly” due to falling energy and food prices, but more rate hikes would be needed to bring inflation down from the current 8.7% to the 2% target.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD tested support at 1.2782 earlier today. The next support level is 1.2716 There is resistance at 1.2906 and 1.2972  
Unlocking the Future: Key UK Wage Data and September BoE Rate Hike Prospects

UK Banks Pass Stress Test: Resilient in Face of Rising Interest Rates

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 12.07.2023 09:29
UK banks pass stress test results By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   The latest set of stress tests by the Bank of England have shown that the UK banking sector is resilient and well able to handle the problems caused by the sudden rise in interest rates that is currently putting the UK economy and households under increasing pressure financial stress.   The criteria were adjusted higher from similar tests in 2019 and are based in the following.   It is assumed UK monetary policy tightens, with Bank Rate assumed to rise from under 1% to 6%, in the first three quarters of the scenario, above the 4% used in previous tests. UK GDP contracts by 5.0%, and unemployment more than doubles to 8.5%, while residential property prices fall by 31%.   The Bank of England went on to say that all 8 UK banks, would continue to be resilient in such a scenario and well positioned to support households and business, even if financial conditions worsened and rates were to go higher from here.    We've seen significant weakness so far this year particularly from the likes of Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest Group, who are particularly exposed to domestic factors after paring back their investment banking divisions so today's results are likely to be good news for these two especially, and should offer a respite to recent weakness in their share price.   The Bank of England went on to say that the portion of UK households with high debt ratios was likely to rise, and that while they are borrowing more, arrears are currently low. While this may be true this figure on arrears is likely to rise due to the lag effects of monetary policy.   Most mortgage borrowers are on fixed rate mortgages with about 4.5m set to see a rise in repayments on loans that were set more than two years ago. When these come up for refinancing any new rate could see a typical payment rise by £220 a month.   To give an indication of how much 2-year rates have risen, 12 months ago UK 2-year gilt yields were at 1.68%. They are now just below 5.5%. Similarly, 5-year gilt yields have risen from 1.55% to 4.9%. When these deals roll-off and refinance, the size of mortgage payers monthly repayment will soar, which means homeowners may well have to consider various options including switching to interest-only repayments if rates continue to remain high.   The rise in rates is already hitting the buy to let sector with the Bank of England saying that landlords are already starting to sell, which is positive in terms of new supply, however it also means that the rental sector will get tighter as supply comes off the market.   For businesses corporate insolvencies are increasing but are still low.
Eurozone's Price Tension and Business Activity: Assessing the ECB's Challenge - 07.07.2023

Exploring the Future Trajectory of Metaverse Technology Amid Economic Uncertainty

Andrey Goilov Andrey Goilov 07.07.2023 12:57
The metaverse, a virtual realm that blends the digital and physical worlds, has been a topic of growing interest in recent years. However, data from DappRadar reveals a notable shift in investment patterns. In the first half of 2023, investments in the metaverse accounted for just 10% of the figures recorded during the corresponding period of the previous year. This begs the question: What lies ahead for metaverse technology? Andrey Goilov, an analyst at RoboForex, sheds light on the current market dynamics surrounding metaverse investments. He highlights that the surge in interest in metaverses occurred during a relatively calm period in the economy. However, with the global economy facing the threat of a recession, investors are understandably focused on mitigating risks and ensuring the stability of their portfolios. The uncertainty surrounding the recession has made it challenging for investors to divert their attention and capital towards intangible assets such as metaverses.   FXMAG.COM: Data from DappRadar shows that in the first half of 2023, investments in the metaverse barely accounted for 10% of those in the corresponding half of the previous year. What's next for metaverse technology?   Andrey Goilov, analyst at RoboForex: A surge in interest in the development of metaverses happened during a relatively calm period in the economy. This year, investors are fully focused on the recession and its probabilities. It is difficult to invest in something that you cannot touch when your normal world is on the verge of serious trouble.At the same time, an inflow of money to metaverses remains, though not as lavish as previously. Market participants think that as soon as the situation stabilises, the demand will return.The future of metaverses fully depends on how the US and European economies will beat the threat of a recession. If the economic slump lasts for six to twelve more months, the interest of market players might increase.   Visit RoboForex
ECB Meeting Uncertainty: Rate Hike or Pause, Market Positions Reflect Tension

Eurozone's Price Tension and Business Activity: Assessing the ECB's Challenge

Andrey Goilov Andrey Goilov 07.07.2023 12:54
The Eurozone continues to grapple with price tension, presenting a significant challenge for the European Central Bank (ECB). The latest statistics highlight the persistent issue of prices remaining tense, underscoring the need for careful policy considerations. Andrey Goilov, an analyst at RoboForex, notes that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the Eurozone experienced a decline of 1.9% month-on-month in May, following a previous drop of 3.2%. While this decline is considered positive, the lack of a steady and continuous decrease in prices raises concerns.     FXMAG.COM: In light of the latest data from the Eurozone, what forecast can you make for the EUR?     Andrey Goilov, analyst at RoboForex: The latest statistics from the Eurozone show that prices remain tense. This is the main problem for the European Central Bank. The CPI in the Eurozone in May demonstrated a decline by 1.9% m/m after a previous drop by 3.2%. This is also quite good but the fact that prices are not falling steadily is not the best possible signal.At the same time, business activity in the region is not the most stable. The final PMI in production in June dropped to 43.4 points from 43.6 points. The PMI in services fell to 52 points from 52.4 points earlier. This decrease in business activity is not yet too noticeable, which means there are no reasons for panicking yet. However, the presented reports make it clear that business is still in trouble.Earlier the ECB gave indications of a rise in the interest rates. For the EUR, this is a good foothold but the potential for tightening the credit and monetary policy has already been accounted for in the quotes.   Visit RoboForex
Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

New Zealand Central Bank Hits Pause After 12 Consecutive Rate Hikes: Manufacturing Stalls and Inflation Expected to Decline

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 12.07.2023 13:23
New Zealand’s central bank takes a pause after 12 consecutive hikes New Zealand Manufacturing PMI expected to show manufacturing is stalled US inflation expected to decline to 3.1% The New Zealand dollar showed some gains after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand paused rates, but has given up most of those gains. In the European session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6206, up 0.14%.   RBNZ takes a breather There was no dramatic surprise from the RBNZ, which kept interest rates on hold at Wednesday’s meeting, as expected. The central bank has been aggressive, raising rates 12 straight times since August 2021 until Wednesday’s meeting. This leaves the cash rate at 5.50%. The RBNZ had signalled that it would take a break, with Deputy Governor Hawkesby stating last month that there would be a “high bar” for the RBNZ to continue raising rates. Today’s rate statement said that interest rates were constraining inflation “as anticipated and required”, adding that “the Committee is confident that with interest rates remaining at a restrictive level for some time, consumer price inflation will return to within its target range.” The RBNZ did not issue any updated forecasts or a press conference with Governor Orr, which might have resulted in some volatility from the New Zealand dollar. The central bank has tightened rates by some 525 basis points, which has dampened the economy and chilled consumer spending. Is this current rate-tightening cycle done? The central bank would like to think so, but that will depend to a large extent on whether inflation continues to move lower toward the Bank’s inflation target of 1-3%. The pause will provide policymakers with some time to monitor the direction of the economy and particularly inflation. If inflation proves to be more persistent than expected, there’s every reason to expect the aggressive RBNZ to deliver another rate hike later in the year. New Zealand releases Manufacturing PMI for June on Wednesday after the rate decision. The manufacturing sector has contracted for three straight months, with readings below the 50.0 line, which separates contraction from expansion. The PMI is expected to rise from 48.9 to 49.8, which would point to almost no change in manufacturing activity. The US will release the June inflation report later in the day. Headline inflation is expected to fall from 4.0% to 3.1%, but core CPI is expected to rise to 5.3%, up from 5.0%. If core CPI does accelerate, that could raise market expectations for a September rate hike. A rate increase is all but a given at the July 27th meeting, with the probability of a rate hike at 92%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.   NZD/USD Technical 0.6184 is a weak support level. Below, there is support at 0.6148 0.6260 and 0.6383 are the next resistance lines  
EUR/USD Downtrend Continues Amidst Jackson Hole Symposium Anticipation

A Call for Reform: Germany's Stagnating Economy and the Need for Agenda 2030

ING Economics ING Economics 12.07.2023 14:01
A stagnating economy, cyclical headwinds and structural challenges bring to mind the early 2000s and call for a new reform agenda As Mark Twain is reported to have said, “History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Such is the case with the current economic situation in Germany, which looks eerily familiar to that of 20 years ago. Back then, the country was going through the five stages of grief, or, in an economic context, the five stages of change: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. From being called ‘The sick man of the euro’ by The Economist in 1999 and early 2000s (which created an outcry of denial and anger) to endless discussions and TV debates (which revelled in melancholia and self-pity) to an eventual plan for structural reform in 2003 known as the 'Agenda 2010', introduced by then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. It took several years before international media outlets were actually applauding the new German Wirtschaftswunder in the 2010s. It's hard to say which stage Germany is in currently. International competitiveness had already deteriorated before the pandemic but this deterioration has clearly gained further momentum in recent years. Supply chain frictions, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis have exposed the structural weaknesses of Germany’s economic business model, and come on top of already weak digitalisation, crumbling infrastructure and demographic change. These structural challenges are not new but will continue to shape the country’s economic outlook, which is already looking troubled in the near term. Order books have thinned out since the war in Ukraine started, industrial production is still some 5% below pre-pandemic levels and exports are stuttering. The weaker-than-hoped-for rebound after the reopening in China together with a looming slowdown or even recession in the US, and the delayed impact of higher interest rates on real estate, construction and also the broader economy paint a picture of a stagnating economy. A third straight quarter of contraction can no longer be excluded for the second quarter. Even worse, the second half of the year hardly looks any better. Confidence indicators have worsened and hard data are going nowhere. We continue to expect the German economy to remain at a de facto standstill and to slightly shrink this year before staging a meagre growth rebound in 2024. Headline inflation to come down after the summer What gives us some hope is the fact that headline inflation should come down more significantly after the summer. Currently, inflation numbers are still blurred by one-off stimulus measures last year. Come September, headline inflation should start to come down quickly and core inflation should follow suit. While this gives consumers some relief, it will take until year-end at least before real wage growth turns positive again. At the same time, an increase in business insolvencies and a tentative worsening in the labour market could easily dent future wage demands and bring back job security as a first priority for employees and unions. In any case, don’t forget that dropping headline inflation is not the same as actual falling prices. The loss of purchasing power in the last few years has become structural. Fiscal and monetary austerity will extend economic stagnation With the economy on the edge of recession, the government’s decision to return to (almost) balanced fiscal budgets next year is a bold move. No doubt, after years of zero and sometimes even negative interest rates, Germany’s interest rate bill is increasing and there are good reasons to stick to fiscal sustainability in a country that will increasingly be affected by demographic change (and its fiscal impact). Nevertheless, the last 20 years have not really been a strong argument for pro-cyclical fiscal policies. With both fiscal and monetary policy becoming much more restrictive, the risk is high that the German stagnation will become unnecessarily long. Waiting for 'Agenda 2030' In the early 2000s, the trigger for Germany to move into the final stage of change management, 'acceptance' (and solutions), was record-high unemployment. The structural reforms implemented back then were, therefore, mainly aimed at the labour market. At the current juncture, it is hard to see this single trigger point. In fact, a protracted period of de facto stagnation without a severe recession may reduce the sense of urgency among decision-makers and suggests Germany could be stuck in the stages of denial, anger, bargaining and possibly depression for a long time. Two decades ago, it took almost four years for Germany to go through the five stages of change. We hope this time that history will not be repeated.   German economy in a nutshell (%YoY)  
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.    
China's August Yuan Loans Soar," Dollar Weakens Against Yen and Yuan, AUD/JPY Consolidates at 94.00 Level

Challenges Ahead: Declining Demand and Rising Interest Rates in Eurozone Housing Market

ING Economics ING Economics 12.07.2023 14:36
Drop in demand hinders recovery Mortgage rates have risen sharply over the past year, resulting in a slowdown in demand for housing loans. House prices in the region have also been pushed down as sellers have adjusted their asking prices. New production of housing loans in the eurozone in the first five months of this year was more than 60% below last year's volume, and the number of housing transactions has also seen a significant drop. In the first quarter of 2023, for instance, they fell 23% in Belgium and the Netherlands compared to the previous quarter, 16% in France, and 8% in Spain. With mortgage production leading housing transactions, a further decline in the number of transactions is still to be expected.   Looking ahead, it appears unlikely that we'll see a robust recovery any time soon   Eurostat figures published last Wednesday showed that the fall in demand led to a 0.9% quarter-on-quarter drop in property prices in the eurozone, after a 1.7% QoQ fall in the fourth quarter of 2022. Looking ahead, it appears unlikely that we'll see a robust recovery any time soon. We expect demand to pick up slightly only at the end of the year, with prices following suit in the first half of 2024. Besides the negative impact of the rise in financing costs on prices, the green transition in the housing market will play an increasingly important role in price setting.   House price growth 1Q23, % QoQ   Higher for longer means bottoming out later About a year ago, the European Central Bank (ECB) engaged in the most aggressive interest rate hike cycle since the start of the monetary union. Interest rates for housing loans have also shot up, financing costs have risen significantly and demand for housing loans dropped sharply. While the economic outlook has weakened lately and there are increasing signs that the monetary policy transmission is working, the fear of pausing too soon is currently greater within the ECB than the fear of doing so too late. We expect the central bank to raise policy rates by 25 basis points at both its July and September meetings. As a consequence, capital market rates will move up slightly and will only start to stabilise or begin to come down at the end of the year. Demand for housing loans will therefore be dampened for longer and may also follow a similar pattern. Rising interest rates drive affordability to historically low levels Higher for longer rates will keep additional pressure on affordability through 2024 The recent rise in interest rates has made a significant impact on the affordability of residential real estate, putting a heavier financial burden on prospective homeowners. The sharp rise in energy prices last year exacerbated the situation, leaving families with less money for mortgage payments after paying their energy bills. Consequently, many people chose to postpone their purchase plans, leading to a noticeable drop in demand for credit and downward pressure on house prices. Since interest rates will remain higher for longer, it seems likely that mortgage rates will increase somewhat further in the second half of the year, putting additional pressure on affordability. Several factors partially mitigated the negative effects of rising interest rates on the housing market. These include a tight labour market, a pick-up in nominal wage growth after a sharp fall in real wages last year, an extension of average loan maturities and the implementation of government support measures. The sharp fall in energy prices also took some pressure off as households had to spend a smaller proportion of their income on their energy bills. In some eurozone countries, house prices fell significantly from their peak levels. Those positive drivers, however, only offset part of the negative effect of interest rates this year. In our view, housing affordability is expected to remain low throughout 2024, mainly due to a ‘higher for longer’ interest rate environment. Green transition as structural key driver Looking further ahead, the role played by energy efficiency in the housing market is likely to grow. Both regulatory drivers and government investment, as well as changing consumer preferences are pulling in that direction. The surge of energy prices in 2022 and remaining uncertainty about future energy prices have made home buyers increasingly aware of the benefits of more energy-efficient homes. European and national initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings will further disrupt the market. This seems to have recently increased the price premium for energy-efficient homes compared to those which consume more energy. Demand for energy efficiency is growing, but a lack of labour capacity and higher material prices are bottlenecks to meeting the extra demand for energy-efficient homes. Given the structural nature of labour shortages, this delays the renovation of the housing stock needed to meet the climate goals. Overall, we expect house prices in the eurozone to fall by some 3.5% to 5% on average this year. House prices are likely to develop differently across eurozone countries, with Germany and the Netherlands seeing rather significant declines in house prices, while house prices in Belgium are only expected to fall slightly. However, there will be differences in price developments not only between countries but also between segments, with energy efficiency playing an increasingly decisive role in price-setting. The price of energy-efficient new buildings is likely to be higher, whereas older residential properties with poor energy efficiency are likely to see even greater price discounts than the new market environment already shows.  
Uncertain Path Ahead: Will Silver Regain Historic Highs?

Uncertain Path Ahead: Will Silver Regain Historic Highs?

Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 12.07.2023 15:42
The financial market is always keenly interested in the fluctuations of commodity prices, and silver, a crucial metal in the global economy, is no exception. In recent months, the price of silver has exhibited remarkable volatility, surging to a high of over $26 per ounce in April before retracing back to the $22 level. This intriguing situation prompts us to ponder what lies ahead for this precious metal. Will silver have the opportunity to revisit historic highs? To shed light on this matter, we turn to the expertise of renowned financial analyst, Walid Koudmani. With his extensive knowledge and insights into market dynamics, Koudmani delves into the various factors that could influence the future trajectory of silver prices in the coming months.   FXMAG.COM:  The silver price has made a retreat back to the area of $22 per ounce. What's next for the metal - does it have a chance to head toward historic highs?   Walid Koudmani: The price of silver has been very volatile in recent months, reaching a high of over $26 per ounce in April before falling back to the $22 level and the situation continues to be interesting. There are a few factors that could influence the price of silver in the coming months.  First, the global economy is facing a number of headwinds, including rising inflation, slowing growth, and the ongoing war in Ukraine which could weigh on demand for silver, as investors may turn to other assets, such as gold, for safety. Second, the Federal Reserve is expected to continue raising interest rates in an effort to combat inflation even though it seems to be nearing the end of its cycle which could also put pressure on the price of silver, as higher interest rates make it more expensive to borrow money and invest in commodities. However, there are also some factors that could support the price of silver in the coming months since silver is a relatively rare metal, and demand for it is expected to grow in the coming years as the global economy focuses on electric energy which utilizes the metal for many of the components needed in those devices such as batteries. Second, silver is often used in industrial applications, such as electronics and solar panels and as these industries grow, demand for silver is likely to increase. Overall, the outlook for the silver price in the coming months is uncertain as the metal is facing a number of obstacles while there are some things that point to some potential room for growth.It is too early to say whether silver will reach historic highs, but it is certainly a metal to watch in the coming months.
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. 
Euro's Rally Stalls as Focus Turns to Inflation and Data Disappointments

GBP Gains in Cable, EUR/GBP Remains Sideways

ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 08:53
GBP: Cable up, EUR/GBP sideways We are seeing a lot of correlation in short-dated yields around the world, where yesterday's soft US CPI data saw 22bp taken out of the Bank of England tightening cycle for early next year. The main takeaway from yesterday's Bank of England financial stability and subsequent communication appeared to be that consumers and businesses could withstand higher interest rates - were they to materialise. In addition, today's release of May UK GDP data has emerged marginally better than expected.  In some ways, sterling has already enjoyed its re-rating on the very hawkish BoE and thus may not outperform in this current dollar bear phase. However, many investors will now be targeting a move to 1.3300 in GBP/USD - assuming we can close the week above 1.30.  EUR/GBP has reversed off a low near 0.8500 - which now may mark the lower end of the trading range for this quarter
Germany's 'Agenda 2030': Addressing Stagnation and Structural Challenges

Germany's 'Agenda 2030': Addressing Stagnation and Structural Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 08:57
Germany needs an ‘Agenda 2030’. A stagnating economy, cyclical headwinds and structural challenges bring to mind the early 2000s and call for a new reform agenda   As Mark Twain is reported to have said, “History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Such is the case with the current economic situation in Germany, which looks eerily familiar to that of 20 years ago. Back then, the country was going through the five stages of grief, or, in an economic context, the five stages of change: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. From being called ‘The sick man of the euro’ by The Economist in 1999 and early 2000s (which created an outcry of denial and anger) to endless discussions and TV debates (which revelled in melancholia and self-pity) to an eventual plan for structural reform in 2003 known as the 'Agenda 2010', introduced by then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. It took several years before international media outlets were actually applauding the new German Wirtschaftswunder in the 2010s. It's hard to say which stage Germany is in currently. International competitiveness had already deteriorated before the pandemic but this deterioration has clearly gained further momentum in recent years. Supply chain frictions, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis have exposed the structural weaknesses of Germany’s economic business model, and come on top of already weak digitalisation, crumbling infrastructure and demographic change. These structural challenges are not new but will continue to shape the country’s economic outlook, which is already looking troubled in the near term. Order books have thinned out since the war in Ukraine started, industrial production is still some 5% below pre-pandemic levels and exports are stuttering. The weaker-than- hoped-for rebound after the reopening in China together with a looming slowdown or even recession in the US, and the delayed impact of higher interest rates on real estate, construction and also the broader economy paint a picture of a stagnating economy. A third straight quarter of contraction can no longer be excluded for the second quarter. Even worse, the second half of the year hardly looks any better. Confidence indicators have worsened and hard data are going nowhere. We continue to expect the German economy to remain at a de facto standstill and to slightly shrink this year before staging a meagre growth rebound in 2024.   Headline inflation to come down after the summer What gives us some hope is the fact that headline inflation should come down more significantly after the summer. Currently, inflation numbers are still blurred by one-off stimulus measures last year. Come September, headline inflation should start to come down quickly and core inflation should follow suit. While this gives consumers some relief, it will take until year-end at least before real wage growth turns positive again. At the same time, an increase in business insolvencies and a tentative worsening in the labour market could easily dent future wage demands and bring back job security as a first priority for employees and unions. In any case, don’t forget that dropping headline inflation is not the same as actual falling prices. The loss of purchasing power in the last few years has become structural.
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.  
Temporary Investment Slowdown Due to RRF Implementation, Friction with EU Reform

Temporary Investment Slowdown Due to RRF Implementation, Friction with EU Reform

ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 09:08
Investment at least temporarily affected by a slowdown in the RRF implementation In the current circumstances, the area more exposed to temporary hiccups is investment. According to the April bank lending survey (BLS), in the first quarter the general level of interest rates was acting as the most powerful drag on borrowing activity, with businesses needing to fund inventories and working capital more than new investments. A potential counterbalance might come from the push on investments coming from the European Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). A delay in the disbursement of the third tranche, due last January, is possibly causing some concerns, inducing extra prudence. However, a quick solution to the current impasse and, even more relevant, the much- awaited disclosure by the Italian government of its revised plan, could give businesses more visibility on viable projects and potentially revitalise investment action.   The pending ratification by Italy of the European Stability Mechanism reform remains a source of friction in the relationship with the European Union. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s claim to make it part of a comprehensive deal encompassing the revision of the RRF plan and the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact seems a bit illusory and overly ambitious. A piecemeal approach would have likely allowed the Italian government to have a better say in the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact, which will be finalised by year-end. All in all, we expect that the Italian economy will manage to post marginally positive growth in the middle quarters of 2023, mainly thanks to services. If that is the case, building on the strong carryover effect of the first quarter, then an average GDP growth of 1.2% in 2023 seems a reasonable base case call.   The Italian economy in a nutshell (% YoY)
Oil Prices Find Stability within New Range Amid Market Factors

Eurozone housing market faces challenges in search for stability

ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 10:10
Eurozone housing market is still searching for the bottom High interest rates, economic uncertainty, increasing renovation costs and questions over future energy efficiency requirements continue to add downward pressure on house prices. In our view, the bottoming out will only start towards the end of the year and the recovery of the eurozone housing market will take some time to materialise.   Drop in demand hinders recovery Mortgage rates have risen sharply over the past year, resulting in a slowdown in demand for housing loans. House prices in the region have also been pushed down as sellers have adjusted their asking prices. New production of housing loans in the eurozone in the first five months of this year was more than 60% below last year's volume, and the number of housing transactions has also seen a significant drop. In the first quarter of 2023, for instance, it fell 23% in Belgium and the Netherlands compared to the previous quarter, 16% in France, and 8% in Spain. With mortgage production leading housing transactions, a further decline in the number of transactions is still to be expected. Eurostat figures published last Wednesday showed that the fall in demand led to a 0.9% quarter-on-quarter drop in property prices in the eurozone, after a 1.7% QoQ fall in the fourth quarter of 2022. Looking ahead, it appears unlikely that we'll see a robust recovery any time soon. We expect demand to pick up slightly only at the end of the year, with prices following suit in the first half of 2024. Besides the negative impact of the rise in financing costs on prices, the green transition in the housing market will play an increasingly important role in price setting.   House price growth 1Q23, % QoQ    
Unraveling the Resilience: US Growth, Corporate Debt, and Market Surprises in 2023

Prognosis for Eurozone housing market: Bottoming out delayed by persistent higher interest rates

ING Economics ING Economics 13.07.2023 10:11
Higher for longer means bottoming out later About a year ago, the European Central Bank (ECB) engaged in the most aggressive interest rate hike cycle since the start of the monetary union. Interest rates for housing loans have also shot up, financing costs have risen significantly and demand for housing loans dropped sharply. While the economic outlook has weakened lately and there are increasing signs that the monetary policy transmission is working, the fear of pausing too soon is currently greater within the ECB than the fear of doing so too late. We expect the central bank to raise policy rates by 25 basis points at both its July and September meetings. As a consequence, capital market rates will move up slightly and will only start to stabilise or begin to come down at the end of the year. Demand for housing loans will therefore be dampened for longer and may also follow a similar pattern. Rising interest rates drive affordability to historically low levels The recent rise in interest rates has made a significant impact on the affordability of residential real estate, putting a heavier financial burden on prospective homeowners. The sharp rise in energy prices last year exacerbated the situation, leaving families with less money for mortgage payments after paying their energy bills. Consequently, many people chose to postpone their purchase plans, leading to a noticeable drop in demand for credit and downward pressure on house prices. Since interest rates will remain higher for longer, it seems likely that mortgage rates will increase somewhat further in the second half of the year, putting additional pressure on affordability. Several factors partially mitigated the negative effects of rising interest rates on the housing market. These include a tight labour market, a pick-up in nominal wage growth after a sharp fall in real wages last year, an extension of average loan maturities and the implementation of government support measures. The sharp fall in energy prices also took some pressure off as households had to spend a smaller proportion of their income on their energy bills. In some eurozone countries, house prices fell significantly from their peak levels. Those positive drivers, however, only offset part of the negative effect of interest rates this year. In our view, housing affordability is expected to remain low throughout 2024, mainly due to a ‘higher for longer’ interest rate environment.   Green transition as structural key driver Looking further ahead, the role played by energy efficiency in the housing market is likely to grow. Both regulatory drivers and government investment, as well as changing consumer preferences are pulling in that direction. The surge of energy prices in 2022 and remaining uncertainty about future energy prices have made home buyers increasingly aware of the benefits of more energy efficient homes. European and national initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings will further disrupt the market. This seems to have recently increased the price premium for energy efficient homes compared to those which consume more energy. Demand for energy efficiency is growing, but lacking labour capacity and higher material prices provide bottlenecks on the supply side of the market to meet the extra demand for energy efficient homes. Given the structural nature of labour shortages, this delays the renovation of the housing stock needed to meet the climate goals. Overall, we expect house prices in the eurozone to fall by some 3.5% to 5% on average this year. House prices are likely to develop differently across eurozone countries, with Germany and the Netherlands seeing rather significant declines in house prices, while house prices in Belgium are only expected to fall slightly. However, there will be differences in price developments not only between countries but also between segments, with energy efficiency playing an increasingly decisive role in price-setting. The price of energy efficient new buildings is likely to be higher, whereas older residential properties with poor energy efficiency are likely to see even greater price discounts than the new market environment already shows.
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.
Strong Gains for Canadian Dollar as Bank of Canada Raises Rates and US Inflation Falls

Strong Gains for Canadian Dollar as Bank of Canada Raises Rates and US Inflation Falls

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 13.07.2023 11:37
Bank of Canada raises rates by 0.25% US inflation falls to 3.0%, lower than expected The Canadian dollar has posted strong gains in Wednesday’s North American session. In the North American session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3146, down 0.63%. On the economic calendar, it has been a busy day, with the Bank of Canada raising interest rates and US inflation falling lower than expected.   Bank of Canada hikes by 0.25% The Bank of Canada raised rates by 0.25% on Wednesday, bringing the cash rate to 5.0%. The BoC has delivered 475 basis points in hikes since March 2022 and the aggressive tightening has sent inflation lower. Still, the BoC’s rate statement noted that it remains concerned that progress towards the 2% target could stall and that it does not expect to hit the target before mid-2025. This can be considered a hawkish hike and the Canadian dollar has responded with strong gains on Wednesday.   US inflation falls more than expected Wednesday’s US inflation report should please the Federal Reserve, which has circled high inflation has enemy number one. The June release showed headline inflation falling to 3.0%, down from 4.0% in May. This beat the consensus estimate of 3.1% and was the lowest level since March 2021. Even more importantly, the core rate fell from 5.3% to 4.8%, below the consensus estimate of 5.0%. On a monthly basis, both the headline and core rate came in at 0.2%, below the consensus estimate. The inflation release was excellent news, but isn’t expected to change the Fed’s plans to raise rates at the July 27th meeting. The inflation data didn’t change market pricing for the July meeting (92% chance of a hike), but did raise the chances of a September hike from 72% prior to the inflation release to 80% after the release. Although the jobs report on Friday showed nonfarm payrolls declining considerably, wage growth was higher than expected and likely convinced the Fed to raise rates at the July 26th meeting before taking a pause.   USD/CAD Technical There is resistance at 1.3191 and 1.3289 1.3105 and 1.3049 are providing support    
USD/JPY Weekly Review: Strong Dollar and Yen's Resilience in G10 Currencies

US CPI Report Sparks Speculation on Fed's Monetary Policy Path

Matthew Ryan Matthew Ryan 13.07.2023 12:18
The recent US Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading has ignited discussions and speculation regarding the future monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. Traders and investors have closely scrutinized the implications of this report, seeking insights into the direction of interest rates and the overall stance of the central bank. To gain further perspective on the matter, we reached out to Matthew Ryan, CFA, an expert in the field, for his analysis. Ryan emphasizes that the US dollar experienced a widespread sell-off in response to the soft US inflation report. The June data revealed a significant easing of headline inflation, reaching its lowest level in over two years. Equally notable was the unexpected drop in the critical core index, falling below 5% for the first time since November 2021, marking a significant turning point.     The dollar selling off across the board after soft US inflation report intensified bets that the Federal Reserve's rate hike cycle may soon be nearing an end. Headline inflation eased sharply in June, falling to its lowest level in more than two years, while the critical core index also unexpectedly dropped below 5% for the first time since November 2021 - somewhat of a watershed moment.   The retreat in the sticky core inflation measure will be particularly welcome news for the Fed, as it suggests that the bank's ultra-aggressive tightening cycle is finally bearing fruit. There remains a long way to go before underlying price pressures return to target, though the notion that almost all metrics of US inflation are trending in the right direction will be highly comforting for officials.     Recent hawkish communications from FOMC officials, including chair Powell, suggest that another 25 basis point rate hike remains highly likely later this month. We are, however, of the opinion that additional hikes beyond then are far from guaranteed, and are increasingly confident in our call that the July hike will be the last in the current cycle, before rate cuts commence at some point in H1 2024. We think that this dovish pivot should open the door to additional downside in the US dollar in the coming months.    - Matthew Ryan, CFA    
Market Highlights: US CPI, ECB Meeting, and Oil Prices

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.       
Key Economic Events and Earnings Reports to Watch in US, Eurozone, and UK Next Week

USD/IDR: Trade Surplus Contraction Weakens IDR

ING Economics ING Economics 14.07.2023 15:52
USD/IDR: IDR retreated after trade surplus narrows sharply       The IDR weakened after the trade surplus narrowed sharply to $0.4bn on frontloaded imports of energy.  This stark shift in the trade balance removed a key support for the IDR.   Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Warjiyo kept rates unchanged again (at 5.75%) in June with inflation back within target. BI opted however, not to cut rates to keep them at a level that would support the IDR. We expect the IDR to take its direction from the balance of trade in the coming months and the IDR could come under some additional pressure if policy interest rate differentials with the US narrow further.      
EUR: Stagflation Returns Amid Weaker Growth and Sticky Inflation

USD/PHP: Foreign Inflows and Trade Balance Support PHP

ING Economics ING Economics 14.07.2023 15:53
USD/PHP: PHP steadies on foreign inflows to the equity market   The PHP was on the backfoot early in the month against the dollar. But it rallied later on as foreign inflows to the local equity market helped provide support, while a narrowing trade deficit also helped ease selling pressure on the currency. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Medalla extended his pause in June, keeping rates at 6.25%. He was replaced by Dr. Remolona, a current Monetary Board member, who assumed the role of Governor in July.        The PHP could eventually face pressure should the interest rate differential narrow further with the Fed poised to hike in July.    
Euro Continues to Rise Despite Weak Euro Area Industrial Production Keywords

Euro Continues to Rise Despite Weak Euro Area Industrial Production Keywords

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 14.07.2023 16:22
Despite the fact that industrial production fell by 2.2% in the euro area, while in the previous month it grew by 0.2%, the euro still rose for another day. And this raises many questions since the euro did not have any reason to rise on Thursday. t was actually the opposite. Apparently, this is not just due to momentum or speculation. It seems that the latest US inflation report convinced many investors of the possibility that the interest rate level of the European Central Bank will be higher in the near future than that of the Federal Reserve. So there is a kind of global reassessment of positions. It doesn't make any sense to discuss the realistic possibility of such a scenario.   All answers will be given after the upcoming meetings of both central banks. For now we can take note of the fact that the dollar is extremely oversold. Therefore, a rebound is simply inevitable. The question is when exactly that will happen.   Clearly, economic data failed to do the job. Although it may be because it hasn't been long since the US inflation report was published. Maybe the market simply ignored yesterday's data. Today, the macroeconomic calendar is absolutely empty, and this is quite suitable for a rebound. But do not forget about the trend, which may persist and continue to push the euro upwards. Moreover, if the reassessment of expectations regarding the disparity of interest rates really is the main driving force, then there's a high degree of probability that we will see an extension of the euro's uptrend.   The EUR/USD pair strengthened in value almost by 300 points since the beginning of the trading week. Such an intense price change over a short period of time indicates that the euro is extremely overbought. On the four-hour chart, the RSI shows a strong signal of the euro's overbought conditions. The indicator moves at the values of 2017, which points to aggressive long positions. On the same time frame, the Alligator's MAs are headed upwards, which corresponds to an uptrend.   Outlook In this situation, a pullback would be the next logical step, however, speculative frenzy could well ignore signals from technical analysis. In this case, this will fuel the momentum of the uptrend, adding to the euro's overbought conditions. The complex indicator analysis unveiled that in the short-term, medium-term and intraday periods, indicators are pointing to an uptrend.    
Soft US Jobs Data and Further China Stimulus Boost Risk Appetite

Mixed Sentiment as China's Q2 Growth Disappoints; US Earnings Take Center Stage

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 17.07.2023 08:45
China growth disappoints. US earnings in focus The Chinese economy grew 6.3% in Q2 and that's faster than a 4.5% growth in Q1 but lower than the market estimate of 7.3%. Now don't be blindsided by the strong look of these numbers, because the latest figures were distorted by a low base effect last year when Shanghai and other big cities were in lockdown and life in China was running at a very low speed. If we look at a seasonally adjusted basis, the Chinese economy grew by only 0.8%, slowing sharply from a 2.2% rise in Q1.   Market sentiment regarding the weakening growth numbers is mixed. In one hand, weak growth means that the government and the People's Bank of China (PBoC) will step up efforts to further ease the financial conditions and pave the way for a quicker recovery. On the other hand, supportive policies put in place so far have had little impact. The Chinese property downturn, risk of disinflation, and falling exports have been difficult to reverse. As a result, the kneejerk reaction in markets was unenthusiastic. American crude extended retreat below the $75pb, after hitting and bouncing lower from the 200-DMA, that stands near $77pb last week. The rejection was expected, and the selloff could deepen toward the 100-DMA, near $73.50 level. Copper futures are also down this morning and testing the 100-DMA following a 7% rebound since the start of the month. Iron ore futures remain under pressure, and the Aussie is down nearly 1.30% against the US dollar, after forming a double top near the 69 cents level last week, on the back of a broad-based dollar weakness.   Zooming out, the US dollar is not further sold across the board this Monday, but the dollar index consolidates near the lowest levels since April 2022, and is below the 100 mark and is expected to further cool down. The softer dollar is good for cooling inflation elsewhere than the US, it could be good for boosting the revenues of US companies, including the Big Tech, which suffered from a rapid appreciation of the greenback last year, and it's good for boosting the US exports – which should support the US economic growth.   So, all eyes are now turning toward the US companies' earnings this week. The first earnings from the bis US banks came in better-than-expected last Friday and added to the overall investor enthusiasm after the US inflation data confirmed an encouraging easing in the US inflation, which in return softened the hawkish Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations and fueled a rally in both stock and bond markets.   JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo all reported stronger-than-expected earnings last quarter due to rising interest rates. Deposits in Citigroup were nearly flat, Welss Fargo for saw its deposits fall 1% compared to Q1, and 7% compared to a year ago, and the average interest rates that the banks had to pay on deposits to prevent them from evaporating and going toward higher-yielding investments, rose 1-3% and their interest expenses climbed significantly. But still, JP Morgan's net interest income rose 44%, Citi's 16% and Wells Fargo's nearly 30%! Some smaller banks like Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic struggled with the effects of higher interest rates, as well. And deposit levels at major banks have been declining, with growth turning negative and reaching -6%, its lowest level in April. Blackrock amassed some good inflows and closed the quarter just shy of $10 trillion under management. The mix of the good and the bad led Citigroup shares 4% down. Wells Fargo first rallied before closing the day in the negative on Friday. The upcoming earnings reports from Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs will be closely watched, among other big names.  On the list of companies that are due to release earnings this week, we find Netflix, Tesla, IBM, TSM, American Airlines and American Express. Overall, analysts project that S&P 500 companies will see the biggest contraction in earnings growth during the second quarter, where profits are expected to fall by 7-9% year-over-year. That doesn't really match what we see in the S&P500 chart, as the index advanced to a fresh high since April 2022 and is up by around 24% since last October dip. But the reality is that, with just over 5% of companies in the index having reported, profit growth for the period is on track to have contracted by 9.3% thus far, according to Bloomberg. It's too early to call of course because the tech is what carried the S&P500 this high over the past half-a-year and their earnings should be the ones to confirm the nice rally we saw on index level, but we could come down to earth with less shinier figures on that end. Yes, AI boosts revenue, and revenue expectations but Taiwan's exports of chips fell for the 6th consecutive month in June due to weaker global demand. Exports decreased more than 20% from a year earlier to a four-month low and when  you think that the island is home to some big and loved names like Apple and Nvidia's go-to chipmaker, TSMC, you question whether the biggest annual decline in Taiwan's chip exports since March 2009 isn't a warning that equity investors may have gone ahead of themselves when rushing to these stocks.     By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank  
RBA Minutes Signal Close Decision, US Retail Sales Expected to Rise

RBA Minutes Signal Close Decision, US Retail Sales Expected to Rise

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 18.07.2023 12:16
RBA minutes point to close call at July decision US retail sales for June expected to climb The Australian dollar has edged lower on Tuesday, trading at 0.6807, down 0.14%. We could see some further movement in the North American session when the US releases retail sales.   RBA minutes point to uncertainty about the economy The RBA minutes didn’t provide much in the way of insights and the Australian dollar barely showed a muted response. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the minutes was the spelling out of both sides of the argument about whether to raise rates or take a pause. In support of a hike, the minutes noted that wage growth is rising, inflation is falling and the labour market remains tight. The case for a pause relied on inflation remaining high and weaker growth. In the end, policy makers voted to pause since the arguments in favour of holding rates were more compelling. The minutes stated that monetary policy was “clearly restrictive” at the current rate level but that would not preclude the RBA from further tightening, which would depend on the economy and inflation. The money markets have priced a pause at the August 1st meeting at 75%, according to the ASX RBA rate tracker. At the July meeting, the decision to pause was a close call and that could repeat itself at the August meeting, so I am not as confident in a pause as the money markets.     US retail sales expected to climb The US releases the June retail sales report, with expectations that consumers remain in a spending mood. The consensus estimate for headline retail sales is 0.5% m/m, up from 0.3%, and the core rate is expected to rise 0.3%, up from 0.1%. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise rates at the July 27th meeting. If retail sales improve as expected, we could see the pricing for a September rate hike increase – currently, there is only a 14% chance of a rate hike, according to the CME Tool Watch.   AUD/USD Technical There is resistance at 0.6878 and 0.6947 0.6786 and 0.6676 are providing support        
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Challenges and Risks in Poland's Solar Power Industry: Connection Issues, Regulation, Supply Chain, and Transition Delays

GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 19.07.2023 08:36
Problems with new connections to the power system are now apparently a slowing factor for the development of solar power in Poland. More than 13GW of photovoltaic capacity is currently connected in the country, and another 11GW of connections are reserved for offshore wind power.  In recent years, there have been an increasing number of connection refusals issued by grid operators due to years of investment neglect and the need to reconfigure the grid for higher RES use and to include new consumption points, such as EV charging stations. Changes in the regulation of maximum energy prices, freezing energy prices for households introduces uncertainty in the industry regarding the payback period for RES investments and makes it more difficult to obtain financing for projects. Last year, the EC introduced a maximum electricity sale price of EUR 180/MW for RES sources. Some countries, such as Romania, have opted for even more drastic limits on energy prices for RES. In Poland, the government froze energy prices in the G tariff (households) in 2023 at the 2022 price level.It is worth noting that in the case of installing energy storage, the DNO (distribution network operator) must agree to an additional connection corresponding to the capacity of the source (i.e. PV installation of 20MW + storage of 2MW = connection for 22MW). The situation in the coming months may be improved by the amendment to the law being processed in the Sejm and Senate (after the first reading, without amendments in the Senate) giving the possibility to apply a direct connection to the consumer (industrial plant) bypassing the DNO.     Changes in the regulation of maximum energy prices, freezing energy prices for households introduces uncertainty in the industry regarding the payback period for RES investments and makes it more difficult to obtain financing for projects. Last year, the EC introduced a maximum electricity sale price of EUR 180/MW for RES sources. Some countries, such as Romania, have opted for even more drastic limits on energy prices for RES. In Poland, the government froze energy prices in the G tariff (households) in 2023 at the 2022 price level.     Rising interest rates negatively affect the investment attractiveness of RES and make it more difficult to raise capital for construction. Our calculations show that, on a contract with an industrial consumer (PPA), currently at prices of PLN 500- 600/MWh, PV projects pay off in 5-6 years, which still gives an attractive rate of return. On the other hand, higher interest rates and bank interest rates are increasing competition for funds to build new RES projects     Availability of components to build PV farms could be a problem for the industry in the future. In 2021-22, due to fractured supply chains from Asia and galloping deep-sea freight prices, the price of components (inverters, PV panels) became noticeably more expensive and their availability was hampered. China currently supplies more than 70% of the world's PV modules. Recently, China has also threatened to impose tariff barriers on the export of semiconductors, which are also used in PV farms     The delay in transferring coal power assets to NABE is prolonging the energy transition process in Poland. Currently, the authorities are supporting the mining sector and coal-fired power generation reluctantly, considering the shutdown of troublesome units such as Turów. Despite clear decarbonization trends in the EU, a number of investments in power units like Opole and Jaworzno have been made in Poland in recent years. Azoty Group is probably building the last new coal-fired unit in Pulawy. A more favourable view of renewable energy in Poland would likely accelerate the sector's transition.     Prolonged land preparation processes for farms next to grid connection conditions are the biggest brake on the industry's development. In order to prepare a photovoltaic farm project, construction permits and development conditions are necessary. It is becoming practically impossible in Poland to erect farms on agricultural land. It seems promising to erect farms on postindustrial land, which, on the one hand, often already has a connection to the grid, but on the other hand, requires additional expenditures on reclamation (there are sources talking about 1mn hectares of post-industrial land in Poland that can be developed by solar and wind power).     Risk of losing a key customer. Novavis is currently developing farms with a capacity of more than 400MW for Iberdrola under a payment-per-project-phase formula. The loss of a key customer could result in the need to look for an alternative buyer in the market, or a form of financing for the development. The market is currently more on the side of project sellers than buyers.     Liquidity risk. At the current scale of operations, Novavis has to pay a deposit to the DSO in the process of obtaining a grid connection (PLN 30,000/MW; which roughly translates to a freeze of PLN 17mn for more than 570MW of farm capacity). The deposit is not interest-bearing. Significant increases in operations may require significant spare funds.  
GBP: Strong June Retail Sales Spark Sterling Rally

GBP: Strong June Retail Sales Spark Sterling Rally

ING Economics ING Economics 24.07.2023 09:37
GBP: Strong June retail sales provide a brief lift Sterling is rallying this morning on the back of strong UK retail sales data for June. Unseasonably warm weather for the UK last month was seen to be behind the bounce. The data will also feed into the Bank of England's narrative that the consumer can handle higher interest rates. The release has triggered a 20 pip drop in EUR/GBP. However, we think EUR/GBP probably put in an important low near 0.8500 earlier this month and that corporates will now use any EUR/GBP dip below 0.8600 to increase hedges on sterling receivables.  As an aside, reports are suggesting that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be opting for a UK general election in November 2024, i.e. as late as possible to allow more chance for the UK economy to recover.
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ECB Decision – 27/07: Pressure Eases on Aggressive Rate Hikes Amidst Deflationary Concerns

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 24.07.2023 10:03
ECB decision – 27/07  If the Fed is close to the end of its rate hiking cycle which appears to be looking increasingly likely then the pressure for the ECB to be more aggressive in its own battle against inflation could recede. We've already seen the euro rise sharply against the US dollar which is in itself deflationary and will help. Furthermore, factory gate prices in German and Italy have been in freefall for months now, so while core CPI has remained sticky and close to record highs, it's also important to remember that the ECB has pushed rates from 2% to 4% this year already. We expect to see another 25bps this week, however the consensus that was so prevalent at the start of this year of more aggressive rate hikes is already starting to fray on the governing council, with the Stournaras of the Bank of Greece pushing back strongly against the idea of more aggressive action. He hasn't been the only one however, and we've also started to see more vocal political opposition to further tightening from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who has been publicly critical of the ECB when it comes to recent rate hikes.
NatWest Group Reports Strong H1 2023 Profits Amid Rising Economic Concerns

NatWest Group Reports Strong H1 2023 Profits Amid Rising Economic Concerns

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 24.07.2023 10:10
 NatWest Group H1 23 – 28/07 after starting the year on a fairly solid base, UK banks have seen their share prices slide back to levels last seen in the aftermath of the Kwarteng budget in the past few weeks. The sharp rise in UK interest rates, along with an anticipation that rates could go even higher is fuelling concerns over rising defaults and higher loan loss provisions as fixed rate mortgages expire and get re-fixed at higher rates. When the bank reported its Q4 and full-year numbers the bank was cautious saying it expects to generate full-year income of £14.8bn, and a full-year NIM of 3.2%, based on a base rate of 4%.   They retained this caution in their Q1 guidance, despite many expecting the base rate to go much higher. The base rate is now at 5% and looks set to go higher, the concern isn't so much about income, but about economic conditions over the course of the rest of the year, along with demand for loans, pressure on margins, as well as higher costs. Profits in Q1 came in higher than expected at £1.28bn, comfortably above the same quarter last year of £841m, but net revenues have come in higher than expected at £3.87bn. The numbers were also above Q4's £1.26bn, while impairments came in lower at £70m, while net interest margin rose to 3.27% for Q1.   Operating expenses did come in sharply higher than the same quarter last year, rising 12.5%, with most of that attributable to higher staff costs due to a £60m cost of living payment to help staff with the high inflation environment. Customer deposits did see a fall of £11.1bn during the quarter to £421.8bn, due to tougher liquidity conditions and increased competition for deposits. Net loans saw an increase to £352.4bn.     
UK Retail Sales Surge in June Amid Concerns Over Fed Rate Hikes

UK Retail Sales Surge in June Amid Concerns Over Fed Rate Hikes

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 24.07.2023 10:30
UK retail sales rise in May Former Fed Chair Bernanke says Fed hikes could be done after July The British pound is in negative territory on Friday. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2824, down 0.34%. The pound continues to show strong volatility – after gaining 2% last week, it has surrendered all of those gains this week.   UK retail sales beat expectations UK retail sales rebounded in June after a sluggish May due to King Charles’ coronation, which dampened consumer spending. Retail sales rose 0.7% m/m in June, up sharply from the 0.1% gain in May (revised downwards from 0.3%). Core retail sales jumped 0.8% in June, up from 0.0% in May (revised downwards from 0.1%). The hot weather in June contributed to strong sales and the uptick was broadly distributed throughout the economy. At the same time, high inflation means that consumers are getting less for their buck. Food prices have been especially high and jumped in June by 17.4% y/y according to the Office for National Statistics. Consumers may still be spending but that doesn’t mean they are a happy lot. GfK Consumer Confidence slipped to -30 in July, down from -24 in June and below the consensus of -26. This marked the first time that consumer confidence declined since January. High interest rates and an inflation rate of close to 8% have soured the mood of consumers. The Bank of England has struggled to curb inflation despite aggressive tightening, and the UK boasts the unwanted record of the highest inflation among the major economies.   Is the Fed finally done? The Federal Reserve meets on July 26th and investors have priced in a 0.25% hike as a near certainty.  Will that wind up the current tightening cycle? The markets seem to think so and have priced a hike in September at just 16%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Are the markets out of sync with the hawkish Federal Reserve? Fed members have said that inflation isn’t falling fast enough, which could mean that another hike is coming after July. Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke appeared to side with the market view, saying on Thursday that the July hike could be the final rate increase in the current tightening cycle. Bernanke said that the economy would slow further before the 2% inflation target was reached, but he expected any recession to be mild.     GBP/USD Technical There is weak support at 1.2816. Next, there is support at 1.2766  There is resistance at 1.2891 and 1.2995  
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Commodities Diverge: Oil Gains on Global Demand Optimism, While Gold Struggles Amid Tight Labor Market and Rate Hike Speculation

Ed Moya Ed Moya 24.07.2023 11:10
Commodities are starting to post some diverging trends as US soft landing hopes improve.  Oil has benefited from a resilient US economy, but gold has struggled as a tight labor market suggests the Fed may need to keep interest rates higher for longer.  A recent Bloomberg survey noted that firmer growth prospects are expected through Q3, potentially rising 0.5%.  The outlook for Q4 is GDP to contract 0.4%.   Oil Oil prices are rising on optimism that the outlooks for China and India should keep the global crude demand outlook intact, while OPEC+ will make sure the market remains tight. ​ UAE Energy Minister al-Mazrouei noted actions by OPEC+ to support the oil market were sufficient for now and the group is “only a phone call away” if any further steps are needed. He told Reuters that “But we are constantly meeting and if there is a requirement to do anything else then during those meetings, we will pick it up. We are always a phone call away from each other.” WTI crude has been rising since the end of June but has clearly found resistance just above the $77 level. ​ Next week, energy traders will have to pay attention to global flash PMI readings, a handful of major energy companies earnings, the standard weekly stockpile data points and some energy conferences which could provide some insight for the future shifts with supply and demand. WTI crude might continue its consolidation pattern between the $74 to $77 level.    
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Central Banks in Focus as Weak PMIs Impact Equity Markets; NAS100 Approaches Channel Lows Ahead of Fed Meeting

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 25.07.2023 08:56
Fed, ECB and BoJ all meet this week Weak PMIs point to further cooling in the economy NAS100 nears channel lows  Equity markets are treading water at the start of what is going to be a very lively week. There are some huge central bank meetings this week, the most notable naturally being the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. Interest rates are finally at or very close to their peaks and this week could see the Fed and ECB announce the last rate hike in their tightening cycles. And a look at the PMI data may help to explain why, with economies around the world cooling at a decent rate. Inflation is also falling, primarily driven by favourable base effects at this stage, as well as falling energy prices and decelerating food costs. The PMIs from the eurozone, the UK, and the US today all tell a pretty similar story. Manufacturing is continuing to struggle – although not as much as expected in the US – while services growth expectations are slowing. There are clear signs in the surveys of more cooling on the horizon, fewer inflationary pressures, and weaker hiring. Central banks will be relieved, though almost certainly not enough to claim victory or explicitly declare the end of the tightening cycle. Policymakers will proceed with extreme caution, albeit very much buoyed by the data they’ve seen over the last month or two.     NAS100 nears channel lows ahead of the Fed The NAS100 pulled back over the last couple of sessions after coming close to 16,000, a level it hasn’t traded at since the start of last year. It was previously a notable level of support and resistance as well, which may explain why we’ve seen some profit-taking. It’s now pulled back to 15,250-15,500 where it saw plenty of resistance over the last couple of months and now coincides with the bottom of the rising channel. A break of this could be a bearish development after such a strong recovery this year.      
US Inflation Rises but Core Inflation Falls to Two-Year Low, All Eyes on ECB Rate Decision on Thursday

Microsoft Falls, Google Jumps, and the Fed Makes a Decision - IMF Raises Global Growth Outlook

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 26.07.2023 08:23
Microsoft falls, Google jumps, Fed decides Surprise, surprise: Microsoft failed to meet investor expectations when it announced its Q2 results yesterday. Both revenue and earnings beat expectations, but the company reported a decelerating demand for its cloud computing services to 26%, and projected Azure to grow between 25%-26% for the current quarter. We are far from the 35% growth that we got used to in the good old days. Microsoft stock plunged up to 4% in the afterhours trading. Alphabet on the other hand a strong quarter for its search business advertisement, hinting that Google search withstood so far with the AI competition and its cloud business posted a 28% growth, more than Microsoft's. Google shares jumped 6% after the bell. Elsewhere, Snap tanked almost 20% as the overall sales declined and the forecasts remained short of analyst expectations, while GM lost 3.50% yesterday after raising its earnings forecast. But there is a catch: the forecast holds only if the workers don't go on a strike, and according to Evercore ISI, the chances of a strike is about 50-50. Today, Meta, Coca-Cola and Boeing will be among the big names that will report their earnings. The S&P500 advanced to the highest levels since April 2022, while Nasdaq 100 was up by 0.73% yesterday.    IMF raises global growth outlook  Zooming out, the IMF raised its outlook for the world economy this year and it now expects the global GDP to expand 3% in 2023. But it also warned that Germany will probably be the only G7 economy to suffer an economic contraction this year. Of course, the IMF also warned that there are some risks to their optimistic forecast, including the higher interest rates, the Chinese recovery that doesn't come, the debt distress and shocks from war and climate related disasters. But all in all, the US economy will likely end this year as the champion of soft landing – if all goes well.   I insist - if all goes well - because PacWest has been the latest US regional bank to succumb to this year's bank stress and its shares plunged 27% after Banc of California agreed to buy it.     Decision time!  Anyway, positiveness around the US economy is obviously giving some hawkish ideas to the Federal Reserve (Fed), which will likely announce another 25bp hike today, and warn that there could be more in the store. The US 2-year yield is in a wait-and-see more near the 4.90% level, either it will go back above the 5% with a hawkish Fed statement or it will retreat toward the 50-DMA, near the 4.65%, with a reasonably hawkish Fed statement, if the Fed opts for another 'skip' for example. The US dollar index pushes higher as expectations for other central banks soften due to the softer-than-expected economic data suggesting softer action from the likes of European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) in the coming months. The EURUSD continued its nosedive yesterday on IMF's less than ideal Germany outlook and the news that corporate loan demand plunged by the most on record in Q2, as higher rates started to bite European businesses.   Unfortunately, however, inflation expectations are getting stronger globally as the rising energy and crop prices hint that the upcoming inflation figures won't be a piece of cake. The barrel of US crude flirted with the $80pb level on Chinese stimulus hopes and the pricing of a soft landing, while wheat futures continue rising along with the escalating tensions in the Black Sea and Danube. Corn and soybean futures rise as well as hot weather in the US belt is adding to the positive pressure for corn.     By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank  
The Euro Dips as German Business Confidence Weakens Amid Soft Economic Data

The Euro Dips as German Business Confidence Weakens Amid Soft Economic Data

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.07.2023 09:15
The euro continues to lose ground and is in negative territory on Tuesday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.1036, down 0.26%. German Ifo Business Climate dips Germany continues to post soft numbers this week, pointing to weakness in the eurozone’s largest economy. The Ifo Business Climate index fell from 88.6 to 87.3 in July and missed the consensus estimate of 88.0. This was the lowest level seen since November 2022. Business Expectations also slowed slightly, from 83.8 to 83.5 points. This was just above the consensus of 83.4 points. The soft business confidence reading comes a day after disappointing PMI releases, which saw a deceleration in manufacturing and services in June. The numbers could impact the ECB’s rate policy after a widely expected hike at the Thursday meeting. The ECB has aggressively raised interest rates in order to curb inflation but runs the risk of tipping the weak eurozone economy into a recession. The ECB has signalled that it will raise rates on Wednesday, which would bring the main rate to 3.50%. What happens after July is less certain. This week’s soft German data will provide support to dovish ECB policymakers who want the ECB to ease up on rate hikes, even though inflation remains well above the 2% target. In the US, we’ll get a look at consumer confidence and manufacturing data later on Tuesday, with both expected to improve. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence index, which rose sharply in June to 109.7, is expected to rise to 111.8 in July. The Richmond Fed Manufacturing index, which has been mired in negative territory, is expected to improve in July to -2, up from -7 in June.   EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is putting pressure on support at 1.1063. The next support level is 1.1002 1.1170 and 1.1231 are the next resistance lines  
ECB Meeting Uncertainty: Rate Hike or Pause, Market Positions Reflect Tension

ECB Hikes Take Effect: Eurozone Bank Lending Declines in June

ING Economics ING Economics 26.07.2023 11:11
Eurozone bank lending falls again in June as ECB hikes take effect Bank lending to households and corporates remained on a downward trend in June, indicating that the transmission of interest higher rates is not abating. In an already weak economic environment with inflation falling, this makes the ECB debate about hikes beyond tomorrow’s meeting more heated.   Bank lending continued to trend down in June as higher interest rates and economic weakness weighed on business and household appetite to borrow. Annual growth in bank lending to non-financial corporates and households is trending down rapidly, for corporates down from 2.1% in May to 1.7% in June and for households down from 4% to 3%. Monthly changes are now negative for household bank borrowing, while corporate borrowing stagnated in June. Looking ahead, the picture is bleak. The ECB's bank lending survey indicates that there is further credit standard tightening ahead and that demand for loans continues to weaken, which should translate into a continued sluggish lending environment. This will result in weaker investment in the second half of this year and early next. That comes on top of an already stagnating eurozone economy and increases the risk of recession. Meanwhile, the money supply remains on a downward trend as well. Annual growth in broad money (M3) was down from 1% to 0.6% year-on-year, while the narrow definition of money (M1) showed a deepening contraction down from -7% to -8%. For the ECB, this week’s data about bank lending and money growth is all about the pace of monetary transmission. There are no signs of abating here, but at the same time, there is also no sign of a credit crunch emerging. For the moment, the weakening of bank lending is a gradual process. Still, this is set to have a substantial effect on economic activity and inflation down the road. This brings the peak in ECB rates closer and makes hikes beyond tomorrow’s meeting – in which we expect a 25bp rate rise – more fiercely debated.
Key Economic Events and Corporate Earnings Reports for the Week Ahead – September 5-9, 2023

ECB Set to Follow the Fed with 25bps Rate Hike as European Markets Look to React

ING Economics ING Economics 28.07.2023 08:25
ECB set to follow the Fed and raise rates by 25bps   European markets underwent a disappointing session yesterday, while US markets also underperformed after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25bps as expected, pushing them to their highest level in over 20 years. At the ensuing press conference chairman Powell reiterated his comments from June, that additional rate rises will depend on incoming data.     In the statement it was restated that inflation remained elevated, and that the committee was highly attentive to the risks that prices might remain high. Powell was non-committal on whether the Fed would raise rates again in September, merely restating that if the data warranted the central bank would do so. US yields finished the day mixed, as did US stocks with little in the way of surprises from last night's meeting, as we look ahead to today's ECB rate meeting. If the Fed is close to the end of its rate hiking cycle which appears to be looking increasingly likely, despite Powell's determination to keep markets guessing, the pressure on the ECB to be more aggressive in its own battle against inflation, is also looking as if it might recede.     We've already seen the euro rise sharply against the US dollar in the last few weeks, which is deflationary and will help. Furthermore, factory gate prices in German and Italy have been in freefall for months now, so while core CPI has remained sticky and close to record highs at 5.5%, it's also important to remember that the ECB has pushed rates from 2% to 4% this year already.     We expect to see another 25bps later today, however the consensus that was so prevalent at the start of this year of more aggressive rate hikes is already starting to fray on the governing council, with Stournaras of the Bank of Greece pushing back strongly against the idea of more aggressive action.     He hasn't been the only one however, and we've also started to see more vocal political opposition to further tightening from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni who has been publicly critical of the ECB when it comes to recent rate hikes. If, as expected last nights Fed hike is the last one then it is entirely feasible that the ECB could similarly be close to the end of its own rate hiking cycle.     EUR/USD – we've seen a modest rebound from levels just above the 1.1000 level, having retreated from the 1.1275 area which is 61.8% retracement of the 1.2350/0.9535 down move.  A break below 1.0980 could see a move towards 1.0850. Currently have resistance at the 1.1120 area.     GBP/USD – continues to pull away from the recent lows at 1.2795/00, having broken a run of 7 daily losses. While above the 50-day SMA the uptrend from the March lows remains intact with the next resistance at the 1.3020 area.         EUR/GBP – continues to look soft with support remaining at the recent lows at 0.8500/10. Resistance currently at the 0.8600 and the highs last week at 0.8700/10.     USD/JPY – continues to drift down away from the 142.00 area, with support at 139.70. A move below 139.50 opens up the risk of a move back towards the 200-day SMA at 137.20.     FTSE100 is expected to open 18 points higher at 7,695     DAX is expected to open 52 points higher at 16,183 CAC40 is expected to open 35 points higher at 7,350
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ECB Raises Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points Despite Disappointing Economic Data

ING Economics ING Economics 28.07.2023 08:31
ECB hikes rates by 25bp The European Central Bank hikes rates by 25bp and doesn't seem to blink, despite the latest batch of disappointing macro data.   The ECB just hiked its main policy interest rates by 25bp. The deposit interest rate is now at 3.75%. What is more interesting, the accompanying policy statement kept the door for further rate hikes wide open and did not strike a more cautious note. Let’s see whether this stance will be confirmed at the press conference, starting at 2.45pm CET. After the June pre-announcement, it was hard not to hike interest rates today. The ECB has been too explicit that the risk of stopping rate hikes prematurely is much higher than going too far. However, the recent batch of negative data from the eurozone, ie. weak PMIs and a weak Ifo index, another drop in demand for new bank loans, tighter lending standards and weak loan growth must have had a terrifying impact on sentiment in the EuroTower, even if this was not reflected in the policy statement. In fact, the ECB is again running the risk of being behind the curve. This time not by being too benign on inflation but rather by being too optimistic and too benign on the economic impact of its own policy measures. Looking ahead, today’s first announcement keeps the door to further rate hikes wide open. The mention of inflation coming down but staying above target “for an extended period” does not sound as if the ECB is yet willing to stop hiking rates. In fact, and a bit conditional on ECB President Christine Lagarde’s comments at the press conference, the ECB’s own growth and inflation projection in September will have to see a significant downward revision in order to stop the central bank from hiking rates at least once more after today.
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Asia Morning Bites: Bank of Japan's YCC Policy Change Amid Tokyo Inflation Surge

ING Economics ING Economics 28.07.2023 08:44
Asia Morning Bites Expectations for a tweak to the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) yield curve control (YCC) policy rise as Tokyo inflation remains high in July.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  The main market development yesterday stemmed from the more dovish commentary from the ECB, which in contrast to the attempt by Jay Powell the previous day to keep thoughts of tightening alive, seemed to suggest that this may be the peak in Europe. EURUSD dropped to 1.0978, and this pulled most other G-10 with it, helped also by stronger-than-expected GDP figures out of the US that dampened thoughts of rate cuts next year. The AUD dropped to 0.6709, Cable fell to 1.2794. But the JPY, bucked this trend, with possible tweaks to the yield curve control program at today’s Bank of Japan (BoJ) meeting (see also below), the JPY has strengthened to 139.271. The MYR and THB also made some decent gains yesterday, but the CNY weakened 0.34% to 7.1675 as optimism about stimulus measures continued to fade. Bond markets saw the spread of US yields widen over European yields. Germany’s 2Y govt yields fell 5.2bp yesterday to 3.033%, while US 2Y Treasury yields rose 7.7bp to 4.928%. And there was a large rise in US 10Y yields too, which pushed up 13.1bp to just under 4% and briefly traded above the 4% level. The equivalent German bond yield fell 1bp to 2.467%. Equities did not like the prospect that rates in the US may stay elevated thanks to rising prospects of a soft landing. Here, a bit of bad news might actually go down better than continued macro resilience. Both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ dropped by 0.64% and 0.55% respectively. Chinese stocks were mixed. The Hang Seng made a decent gain of 1.41%, but the CSI 300 lost 0.13% on the day. G-7 macro:  There was no shortage of macro excitement yesterday - first the ECB meeting which is covered by our European team here. Europe’s main policy rate is now 3.75%, which remains well below inflation, so on some measures, is barely even restrictive, and one of the reasons why our Eurozone economists don’t believe the ECB is done with hikes just yet. Christine Lagarde may not have shut the door to further hikes, but she has undoubtedly opened one to possible pauses should that be deemed appropriate by the run of data. One other tweak to their policy was to reduce the remuneration of minimum reserves to zero. The 2.4% annualized GDP growth rate from the US was also a surprise yesterday. The consumer spending figures did slow from 1Q23, but at 1.6%, were better than had been forecast. And the continued signs of slowing inflation were evident in the decline in the PCE deflator’s annualized growth rate to 3.8% from 4.9%. James Knightley describes this “Goldilocks: release here.    Japan: Tokyo inflation stayed at 3.2% YoY in July for a third month, which was higher than the market consensus of 2.9%. Even more surprising is that core inflation, excluding fresh food and energy, actually rose to 4.0% YoY (vs 3.8% in June, 3.7% market consensus). This shows that, unlike other major economies, Japan’s inflation hasn’t yet reached its peak. The only item to fall was utilities (-10.8%) thanks to the continued energy subsidy program. On a monthly comparison, inflation accelerated 0.3% MoM sa in July (vs 0.2% in June) and we saw a pickup in service prices of 0.4% while goods prices continued to rise 0.2%.  Headline inflation will continue to go down slowly due to base effects and falling global commodity prices, but core inflation will remain high for a considerable time. The BoJ is set to announce its policy decision in a few hours later today following this inflation surprise. We expect the BoJ to leave its policy rates unchanged, but we think there is a good chance of a YCC policy change at today’s meeting, which is a non-consensus view - the market believes that October is more likely. If the BoJ seeks to normalize its policy in the future, we think that delaying a YCC policy adjustment will create a larger burden for them. For a more detailed view of BoJ policy, please see here. The BoJ will also release its quarterly macro outlook today, and the focus will be the inflation outlook for 2024. We think that this is how the BoJ will assess the sustainability of inflation in this cycle and will be a good indicator against which to estimate the timing of the BoJ’s first rate hike move. South Korea:  Industrial production fell -1.0% MoM sa in June (vs revised 3.0% in May and -0.9% market consensus). Semiconductor output has now increased for four months in a row which is quite different from the industry’s reduction plan, and inventory data suggest that high-value chip output may have increased while general chip production slid. Also, shipments of semiconductors rose 41.1%. We believe that the chip cycle is bottoming out slowly. Meanwhile, vehicle output dropped quite sharply -12.9% but after having risen solidly for the previous three months, it seems likely that the auto sector is taking a breather for the time being. Forward-looking investment data were soft, which suggests that investment in the current quarter will continue to contract.   What to look out for: The BoJ and US core PCE Japan BoJ policy (28 July) Australia PPI (28 July) US personal spending, core PCE, University of Michigan sentiment (28 July)
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ECB Raises Rates by 25 Basis Points; Eurozone Yields Fall as Euro Slides

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 28.07.2023 08:46
ECB hikes rates by 25 basis points Signals the central bank may pause at the next meeting in September Euro slides as eurozone yields fall   The ECB raised rates for potentially the final time in the tightening cycle on Thursday, although it refused to give any indication of what will happen going forward. Instead, the central bank is insisting that decisions will be guided by the economic data and that interest rates will need to remain sufficiently restrictive for some time. This is consistent with what we heard from the Fed a day earlier and what most major central banks will be communicating soon enough if they aren’t already. We remain in a period of uncertainty on the economic data, despite the progress that has already been achieved and the further moves that are expected over the rest of the year. If the inflation data continues to improve as many expect, there’s every chance the ECB pauses in September and doesn’t then feel it necessary to hike further by October. There are, of course, an abundance of upside risks to the inflation data from the economy continuing to display significant resilience, as we’ve already seen this year, or fresh energy or food price shocks. These things and more could tempt the ECB to hike further later in the year.     Euro falls below 1.10 against the dollar The lack of commitment to further rate hikes from the ECB today weighed on the euro and saw eurozone yields decline. The single currency plunged against the dollar, slipping back below 1.10 after coming close to 1.1150 earlier in the day.       It would appear the ECB has failed to open the door to a pause without triggering too much excitement, as it would have preferred. President Lagarde was desperately trying to avoid doing so in the press conference, repeatedly referring back to previous comments rather than directly answering questions, and it seems in doing so, traders have instead opted to read between the lines. We may see efforts to correct this in the weeks ahead.  
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China's Politburo Meeting Sparks Positive Sentiment in Markets and Affects Yuan's Performance

Kelvin Wong Kelvin Wong 28.07.2023 08:48
The press release of the recently concluded China’s Politburo meeting consisted of a more expansionary tone such as the implementation of “counter-cyclical” measures. A dovish tilt is now being priced in by interest rates futures after yesterday’s FOMC meeting. Based on the CME FedWatch tool, the odds have increased to bring forward the expected first Fed Funds rate cut to March 2024 from May/June 2024. This latest set of dovish expectations on the future path of the Fed’s monetary policy has negated the prior steep depreciation of the yuan against the US dollar. Short-term positive animal spirits have been revived in China equities, and its proxies (the Hang Seng Indices) ex-post Politburo & FOMC.   The market’s reaction so far has been positive in terms of risk-on behaviour toward China equities and their proxies (Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng TECH Index & Hang Seng China Enterprises Index) ex-post press release on the outcome of the July’s Politburo meeting that concluded on Monday, 24 July after the close of the Asian session as well as yesterday’s ex-post US central bank, Federal Reserve’s FOMC meeting on its interest rate policy. The Politburo is a top decision-making body led by President Xi that set key economic policy agenda for China, and Monday’s meeting set the agenda for the coming months to implement expansionary policies to address the current weak internal demand environment. It vowed to implement a counter-cyclical policy to boost consumption, more support for the property market, and ease local government debt. The share prices of China ADR listed in the US stock exchanges have a remarkable intraday performance on Monday, 24 July US session. China’s Big Tech such as Alibaba (BABA), and Baidu (BIDU) ended the US session with gains of around 5%. A basket of China stocks listed as exchange-traded funds in the US soared as well, the KranShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB), and Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF (PGJ) rallied by +4.5% and +4% respectively, notched their best single day return since May 2023. Even though the press release lacks the details of the implementation of upcoming fiscal stimulus measures (again), and refrains from enacting major stimulus measures that increase the risk of debt overhang in the property sector, it is the choice of words, and tonality used that sparked the risk-on behaviour. Firstly, President Xi’s key phrase on China’s housing market, houses are for living, not for speculation” has been omitted for the first since mid-2019” which suggests that more leeway to negate the ongoing weakness in houses prices such as easing home buying restrictions in major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Secondly, the term “counter-cyclical” measures are being emphasized which suggests that boosting domestic demand takes priority over infrastructure spending. Given the heightened risk of a deflationary spiral taking shape in China and a “liquidity trap” situation where more accommodative monetary policy may lead to lesser marginal economic growth, the key solution to break the adverse deflationary spiral and its liquidity trap aftereffects is to shore up consumer confidence via expanding domestic demand actively.     Outperformance of China ADR exchange-traded funds supported by a stronger yuan     Fig 1: Relative momentum of China ADRs ETFs vs. MSCI All Country World ETF of 26 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) Overall, short-term sentiment seems to have turned bullish for China equities where China ADR ETFs have outperformed major US benchmark US stock indices on a month-to-date horizon as of yesterday, 26 July 2023; the KranShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB), and Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF (PGJ) gained by +12% and +13.14% respectively over S&P 500 (+2.61%), and MSCI All Country World Index ETF (+2.97%). Also, yesterday’s Fed Chair Powell ex-post FOMC press conference indicated that the Fed will be data-dependent in deciding whether to pause or hike the Fed Funds rate at its next FOMC meeting on 20 September. This implies that the Fed is likely not in a mode of raising interest rates at every other meeting after yesterday’s expected 25 basis points hike to bring the Fed Funds rate to a 22-year high at 5.25% to 5.50%. Markets seem to be pricing in a more dovish tilt on the expected start of the first Fed Funds rate cut. Based on the CME FedWatch tool derived from the 30-day Fed Funds futures pricing data, the odds have increased for the first expected cut to occur on the 20 March 2024 FOMC meeting with a combined probability of 56.07%. Previously, before yesterday’s FOMC, higher odds for the expected first-rate cut were clustered between the 1 May and 19 June 2024 FOMC meetings. The current dovish tilt on the expected future trajectory of the Fed Funds rate has negated further upside yield premium of the US’s 2-year Treasury note over China’s 2-year sovereign bond. Since Monday, 24 Jul, the yield premium has narrowed by 11 bps to 2.75% from 2.86% as of today at this time of the writing which in turn supported the yuan from a further deprecation against the US dollar. USD/CNH (offshore yuan) remained below its 20-day moving average     Fig 2: USD/CNH medium-term trend as of 27 Jul 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) The yuan has started to strengthen against the US dollar in the short-term horizon since last Thursday, 20 July which in turn created a positive feedback loop back that reinforces the bullish sentiment towards China equities. The USD/CNH (offshore yuan) has failed to break above its 20-day moving average, acting as a key intermediate resistance at 7.2160 with a bearish momentum reading seen on its daily RSI oscillator. Hence, further potential weakness in the USD/CNH is likely to be able to kickstart short-term uptrend phases for China equities and its proxies.
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EUR/USD Pair Faces Turbulence Amidst Conflicting Fundamentals: Traders Await Core PCE Index for Direction

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 28.07.2023 15:48
The EUR/USD pair has been caught in turbulence amid conflicting fundamental signals, causing the price to move sideways. Market participants still need to unravel this tangle of contradictions to determine the price's direction. Currently, traders are driven by emotions, experiencing a rollercoaster-like ride. The verdict of the Federal Reserve and the US GDP The results of the Federal Reserve's July meeting were not in favor of the greenback. Bulls returned to the 1.1150 resistance level (the Tenkan-sen line on the 1D chart) and tested it. However, when it comes to the overall outcome, it would be more accurate to say otherwise: the market interpreted the results of the July meeting against the US currency, while the Fed's verdict can be viewed from different angles. The US central bank avoided specifics, especially regarding the future prospects of tightening monetary policy. According to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, everything will depend on what new economic data shows: the September meeting may end with either a rate hike or keeping rates unchanged. Such rhetoric disappointed dollar bulls, as recent inflation reports came out in the "red," reflecting a slowdown in inflation in the US. It is logical to assume that if July's inflation follows the trajectory of June's, the September rate hike will be in question. These conclusions put significant pressure on the greenback – the US dollar index hit a weekly low, declining towards the 100 level. However, the situation changed drastically. Dollar bulls once again saw a "light at the end of the tunnel" thanks to the latest US GDP report. The data significantly surpassed forecasts.   According to preliminary calculations, US GDP increased by 2.4% in the second quarter, with a growth forecast of 1.8%. It is worth mentioning that the first quarter's result was recently revised upwards: the initial estimate showed a 1.3% growth in the US economy, while the final data showed a different result of 2.0%. The Bureau of Economic Analysis report (US Department of Commerce agency) indicates that this growth was driven by increased consumer spending, government and local government spending, growth in non-residential fixed investment, private investment in equipment, and federal government spending. Consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of the economy, increased by 1.6% in the second quarter, while government spending increased by 2.6%. EUR/USD sellers are back in action In addition to the GDP report, dollar bulls were also pleasantly surprised by another indicator.   Durable Goods Orders in the US increased 4.7% in June, compared to forecasts of 1.3%. This reading followed the 2.0% increase recorded in May. Orders for durable goods excluding transportation also rose by 0.6% last month. This component of the report also showed a positive outcome, as most experts expected a more modest growth of 0.1%.   As a result, hawkish expectations regarding the Fed's future actions have increased in the market. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, the probability of a 25 basis points rate hike in September is nearly 30%, whereas after the announcement of the July meeting's outcome, this probability fluctuated in the range of 19-20%. Such an information background contributed to the "revival" of the greenback.   The US dollar index fully recovered all lost positions, rising to the middle of the 101 level. Consequently, the EUR/USD pair plummeted and hit two-week price lows.       The European Central Bank also played its role in this. Following the July meeting, the ECB raised interest rates by 25 basis points but did not announce further steps in this direction.   Similar to the Fed, the ECB indicated that one additional rate hike from the central bank would now depend on key economic data, primarily inflation. According to ECB President Christine Lagarde, the central bank has "turned off the autopilot" – decisions on interest rates will be made from meeting to meeting and will be based on "inflation forecasts, economic and financial data, and the underlying inflation dynamics."   It is worth noting that after the previous meeting, Lagarde had directly announced the rate hike at the July meeting. Conclusions The latest US reports, as well as the outcomes of the ECB's July meeting, "redrew" the fundamental picture for the EUR/USD pair. There is one more important piece of the puzzle remaining: the core PCE index, which will be published at the start of the US session on Friday, July 28th. However, for another upward reversal, this indicator must deviate significantly from the forecasted value (naturally, in a downward direction), with experts predicting a declining trend to 4.2% (following the May increase to 4.6%).   From a technical perspective, you can consider short positions on the pair after sellers overcome the support level of 1.0950 (Tenkan-sen line on the weekly chart). In such a case, the next bearish target for EUR/USD would be at 1.0850 – the upper band of the Kumo cloud on the 1D chart.  
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Hungary's Economy: Disinflation and Technical Recession Impacting Growth Prospects

ING Economics ING Economics 31.07.2023 15:57
Monitoring Hungary: Disinflation shifts into a higher gear In our latest update, we reassess our economic and market forecasts for Hungary, as we expect disinflation to shift into a higher gear due to a marked collapse in domestic demand. In contrast, we see the technical recession ending in the second quarter, while the monetary normalisation will continue unabated if market stability prevails.   Hungary: at a glance Economic activity has slowed significantly in all sectors, except one. The positive contribution of agriculture will lift the economy out of the technical recession in the second quarter of 2023. However, unsurprisingly, the lack of domestic demand is weighing on both retail sales and industrial output, with the latter currently being supported only by export sales. Real wage growth has been negative for nine months, but we expect to see a turnaround as early as September, as the disinflationary process picks up speed. Weakening economic activity lowers import demand, which combined with lower energy prices is helping the country’s external balances to improve faster than expected. The rapid deterioration in the pricing power of businesses has contributed to the strengthening disinflationary process, which we expect to markedly accelerate, especially in food items. The normalisation cycle of monetary policy should continue unabated in 100bp steps until the September merger. Beyond that, we expect a pause and then further 100bp cuts. Currently we see a 0.5-1.0% of GDP slippage in this year’s budget, but a revision by the Ministry of Finance will only come in September. We still believe in a turnaround in forint due to FX carry and support by the improving current account and a better gas price story. We see the market underestimating further normalisation in the next year or two, opening the door for more curve steepening.     Technical recession will end in the second quarter, but no change to full-year outlook Hungary has been in a technical recession for three quarters (3Q22-1Q23) as sky-high inflation has stifled economic activity. Consumption has slowed markedly, and investments have come to a standstill due to high interest rates and fiscal savings. While most sectors continue to struggle with weak domestic demand, agriculture stands out. This is due to a combination of base effects and favourable weather conditions. In our view, these factors will lead to a significant positive contribution from agriculture to overall growth, lifting the economy out of the technical recession in the second quarter. As we expect domestic demand to remain subdued for the rest of the year, we believe that agriculture could be the only silver lining for growth prospects this year. However, we maintain our full-year GDP growth forecast of 0.2% as we await the official second-quarter data.   Real GDP (% YoY) and contributions (ppt)     Industrial performance hinges on export activity Industrial production surprised on the upside in May, as production volumes rose by 1.6% month-on-month but fell by 4.6% year-on-year. At a sectoral level, the picture remains unchanged, with volumes expanding only in the electrical equipment and transport equipment sub-sectors (e.g. electrical vehicle batteries and cars). We believe this trend underlines our view that only those sub-sectors that are linked to the automotive sector, and thus largely dependent on export sales, are performing well. Nevertheless, the heavy reliance on export sales is understandable in the context of subdued domestic demand. However, with global leading indicators suggesting that recessionary forces are building globally, this could weaken export prospects and thus delay the turnaround in overall output growth in industry until next year.   Industrial production (IP) and Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI)   Retail sales continue to plunge as real wages deteriorate The retail sector continues to suffer from the cost-of-living crisis, as the volume of sales in May fell by 12.3% YoY, adjusted for calendar effects. Short-term dynamics further cloud the picture, as retail sales volume fell by 0.8% MoM, with no recovery in sight. At the component level, food retailing was virtually flat, while non-food retailing fell slightly on a monthly basis. However, the lack of domestic demand is most evident in the case of fuel, as the volume of fuel retailing fell despite lowering fuel prices. In our view, this phenomenon underlines our view that the deterioration in household purchasing power is having a significant negative impact on retail sales. In this respect, we expect this downward trend to continue at least until real wage growth turns positive, which we expect to happen as early as September.   Retail sales (RS) and consumer confidence   We expect a turnaround in real wages as early as September Average wage growth remained strong in May, rising by 17.9% YoY on the back of higher bonus payments. However, after adjusting for inflation, real wages fell by 3% YoY, extending the streak of negative real wage growth to nine months. The good news is that we expect real wage growth to return to positive territory as early as September, in line with the strengthening of the disinflation process. As for other labour metrics, the three-month unemployment rate remained at 3.9% in the April-June period, showing that the cost-of-living crisis is encouraging people to work. In addition, strong demand for seasonal workers pushed the participation rate to a record high in June. In this regard, even if the seasonal effects fade, we expect the unemployment rate to peak in the vicinity of 4%, as the labour market faces structural shortage problems.   Growth of real wages in Hungary (% YoY)   Import pressure eased by subdued domestic demand The combination of high inflation and high interest rates is weighing heavily on domestic demand, reducing the need for imports. In addition, as the energy issue appears to be easing this year, the pressure on the trade balance from the import side is easing significantly. Conversely, the export side has huge growth potential due to new EV battery plants, while carmakers are still dealing with backlogs. Taking all these factors into account, the staggering €1.1bn trade balance surplus in May hardly comes as a surprise. In our view, high-frequency data point to a balanced current account (CA) at the end of the year. However, a looming recession in the eurozone, coupled with a weaker-than-expected economic rebound in China, could significantly weaken the export outlook, and thus may limit the upside to the CA.   Trade balance (3-month moving average)    
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Domestic Demand Collapse Spurs Disinflation Surge: Hungary Economic Update

ING Economics ING Economics 31.07.2023 15:59
The collapse in domestic demand strengthens disinflation Headline inflation eased to 20.1% YoY in June, mainly driven by the 0.4% MoM decline in food prices. Within this, the fall in processed food prices was the main driver, hence the sharp 2ppt deceleration in core inflation to 20.8% YoY. In our view, the rapid deterioration in firms' pricing power is evident, and will only accelerate going forward as competition among retail outlets for households' overall shrinking disposable income intensifies. Based on our high-frequency data collection, we expect disinflation to strengthen further going forward, driven mainly by food deflation. In this context, we expect average inflation to fall to single digits in the fourth quarter, while average inflation for the year as a whole is likely to be below, but close to 18%.    Inflation and policy rate   Rate cuts to continue in 100bp steps if market stability prevails At the July meeting, monetary policy normalisation continued as the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) lowered the effective interest rate by a further 100bp to 15%. The central bank emphasised cautiousness, graduality and predictability, so we expect same-sized cuts into the September merger of base and effective rates. After September, however, the NBH has several options to alter the interest rate complex. The central bank can either continue the easing cycle unabated in 100bp increments, setting the policy rate at 10% at the end of 2023. However, reducing the pace of cuts to 50bp seems to be another viable option, leaving the key rate at 11.5%. In our view, the NBH will cut both repo and deposit rates by 100bp in October, leaving room for market rates to adjust lower, but will only cut the base rate by 100bp in November and December. We, therefore, expect the policy rate to end the year at 11%.   Real rates (%)   VAT receipts hit hard by fall in domestic demand The Hungarian budget posted a deficit of HUF 132.7bn in June, bringing the year-to-date cash flow-based shortfall to 85% of the full-year target. The decline in domestic demand is weighing heavily on tax revenues. In this respect, VAT receipts in the first half of 2023 were only 2.2% higher than a year ago compared to the 24% average inflation during this period. Despite some ongoing adjustments (e.g. public investment cuts), we still see a slippage of 0.5-1% of GDP in this year's budget. A recent interview with the Finance Minister revealed that a revision could come as early as September, which in our view could lead to additional adjustments plus a minor increase in the 2023 EDP deficit target. From a cash-flow perspective, the fate of the EU funds remains a key issue, with the clock ticking (90 days) at the European Commission's table, as the government officially submitted the self-review on horizontal enabler (judiciary) reforms on 18 July.   Budget performance (year-to-date, HUFbn)   We still believe in a HUF turnaround Although we heard what we thought we would from the National Bank of Hungary – a cautious cut with a commitment to remain patient – market players were ignorant of the hawkish message. The NBH’s assurance that the cutting cycle will not be accelerated did not result in a turnaround in EUR/HUF as we expected. However, our market view remains unchanged. In case of further forint weakening, we expect the central bank to hit the wire and repeat some hawkish statements, trying to push against HUF underperformance versus Central and Eastern European peers. Moreover, we see some improvement in conditions at the global level, too. Last but not least, despite the whole EU fund issue being overly politicised, we still believe in a positive outcome before the year-end. Our ultimate argument would be that European politicians don’t want to bother with Hungarian issues when European Parliament elections are approaching (June 2024). On a local level, we think FX carry should continue to be the main positive driver for the HUF, supported by an improving current account, a record decline in gas prices, and despite cuts by a cautious central bank, overall pushing EUR/HUF closer to 370.   CEE FX performance vs EUR (30 December 2022 = 100%)   We continue to see further curve steepening In the rates space, we found the IRS curve a bit steeper again after the last NBH meeting and a steeper and lower curve remains our main view for the coming months. 2s10s spread has moved roughly 100bp since May, the first rate cut, and we still see room for further normalisation of the IRS curve, which remains by far the most inverted in the CEE universe. Market expectations for this year are more or less fair given that the September rate merge is a broad market consensus, however, NBH's next steps are unclear to the market, and we see the market underestimating further normalisation in the next year or two, opening the door for more curve steepening. On the other hand, the fall in core rates will slow the normalisation of the curve compared to previous months.   Hungarian sovereign yield curve   Hungarian government bonds (HGBs) eased in July and the rest of the region caught up with the swift rally. We therefore see current valuations of HGBs as more justifiable, which could attract new buyers. Despite the fiscal slippage risk, year-to-date issuance has reached 60% by our calculations, which we see as more than sufficient. Moreover, recent government measures supporting HGBs and the fastest disinflation in the region should be enough to sustain demand.
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EUR: Diverging Growth and Inflation Data Spark Debates on ECB's Next Move

ING Economics ING Economics 01.08.2023 10:19
EUR: Markets too dovish? Yesterday’s set of data releases in the eurozone showed the growth and inflation side moving in diverging directions. The euro area grew slightly more than expected, at 0.6% year-on-year (0.3% quarter-on-quarter) in the second quarter, while inflation slowed in line with consensus from 5.5% to 5.3% in July. Core inflation was, however, unchanged at 5.5%. The most interesting dynamic in inflation, and one that the ECB will likely follow closely, is related to service price pressure. While goods inflation continues to ease, service price pressure has kept mounting in line with wage growth and stronger demand.   In our view, yesterday’s figures leave the door open for another hike by the ECB before the end of the year, even in September. Markets, however, remain reluctant to endorse this scenario and only price in 17bp of tightening by December, likely having read last week’s ECB messaging as a dovish tilt. It is possible investors will want to hear more hawkishness from ECB members before aligning with the data’s indications and fully price in another hike. However, August is a quiet month for ECB speakers: we’ll hear from the dove Fabio Panetta later this week, and that will hardly help. EUR/USD should be primarily driven by the dollar leg and US data for the remainder of the week, and there are some downside risks to the 1.0900 handle.
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AUD: RBA Holds Rates, but September Hike Still Possible

ING Economics ING Economics 01.08.2023 10:21
AUD: RBA can still hike in September As we expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) kept rates on hold today, defying consensus expectations. The Bank pointed out how higher interest rates are “working to establish a more sustainable balance between supply and demand in the economy” and opted for a pause to better assess incoming data. The new CPI forecasts now see inflation declining to 3.25% by the fourth quarter of next year and fall back into target by the end of 2025. This is probably a dovish signal, as it implies the current pace of tightening is appropriate to take inflation back to target in an acceptable timeframe. However, the RBA has shown elevated sensitivity to data, and we doubt this will change very soon: another high inflation read may well convince it to add a hike before the peak. Our base case is still for one last 25bp increase to be delivered in September when electricity tariffs could deliver an inflation surprise. AUD may underperform other peers like the NZD and the Scandies until a bullish “pocket” emerges in September, should the RBA go ahead with one last hike.
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RBA Takes Another Breather, Leaves Room for Future Tightening

ING Economics ING Economics 01.08.2023 10:25
Reserve Bank of Australia takes another breather Pausing for a second consecutive meeting, today's rate decision is in line with some better inflation data this month and means the Bank can respond to future data events with less fear of overdoing the tightening.   Not clear why market was even looking for a hike It is a genuine mystery to us why there was a small majority of forecasters looking for a hike at today's meeting. We certainly were not. The June inflation data came in better than most of the expectations, including on the core measures. So that alone should have been enough to keep the RBA on hold. And none of the other data since the last meeting have been particularly alarming. Sure, the labour data wasn't exactly soft, but it wasn't super-strong either, and the unemployment rate while still very low, was stable from the previous month.  In the statement in July, Governor Philip Lowe noted that further tightening "will depend upon how the economy and inflation evolve", and in the event, the economy and inflation tended to indicate that they were on the right track. For a central bank that has been keen to give the economy a chance where at all possible, there was simply no good argument for a hike today.   There will be better excuses to hike than existed this month   More hikes are possible - probably one, maybe two That doesn't mean that there is no chance of any further tightening in this cycle. And while the June inflation figures were lower than expected, the month-on-month increase was not even close to what is required to get inflation back to target. And that will have to change. Today's statement notes that there is still a chance for some further tightening and that the RBA will "continue to pay close attention to developments in the global economy, trends in household spending, and the outlook for inflation and the labour market"  We think that this broad assessment means the RBA can be a bit more choosy when it does decide to tighten again. If it responded to every tiny mishap in the data, then rates would rapidly rise, and by the time the economy did finally show more evidence of turning, the odds are that they would by then have gone too far. This way, they are giving a soft landing the best chance of happening.  Base effects will become far less helpful after the July CPI release later this month, and the July reading of CPI will also incorporate substantial electricity tariff hikes which means that inflation could backtrack higher for July and August readings. That puts a September rate hike firmly into the frame, and possibly leaves the door open for a further hike before the base effects should turn more helpful once more - absent seasonal supply chain shocks, which is harder to take for granted in these climate-changed times.     So we will be looking for one more rate hike to 4.35% at the RBA's next meeting in September. And we will be reserving judgement on another and hopefully final one in October or November, if the macroeconomy remains resilient and if inflation is making insufficient progress lower. The September meeting would be Lowe's last meeting as governor, as the new Governor, Michele Bullock, will take over from 18 September. It would be a nice handover gift if the tightening were largely completed before she takes the helm. 
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Australia's Central Bank (RBA) Holds Policy Cash Rate Steady at 4.1% amid Data-Dependent Approach

Ed Moya Ed Moya 01.08.2023 13:24
Australia’s central bank, RBA has kept its policy cash rate unchanged at 4.1% for the second consecutive month. The tonality of the latest monetary policy implies that RBA is now data-dependent, and indirectly acknowledged the negative adverse lagged effects of higher interest rates towards economic growth. Overall, RBA may continue to remain on hold on its policy cash rate at 4.1% for the rest of 2023 which in turn negates any potential major bullish movement of the AUD/USD.   Expectations of interest rates traders were right in line with the Australian central bank, RBA’s latest monetary policy decision (no interest rate hike today) that was in contrast to the 25-basis points hike consensus from the majority of the economists surveyed. RBA has decided to hold on to its official policy cash rate at 4.1% for the second consecutive month; data from the ASX 30-day interbank cash rate futures as of 31 July 2023 has indicated a patty pricing of only a 14% chance of a 25-bps hike, down significantly from a 41% chance being priced a week ago. These are the key takeaways from today’s RBA monetary policy statement;   The Board has decided to hold the interest rate steady this month to access the impact of the prior rate increases and monitor the economic outlook. Risk of below-trend growth for the Australian economy due to weak household consumption growth and dwelling investment. The labour market has remained tight, with job vacancies and postings at high levels, though labour shortages have lessened. But the unemployment rate is expected to rise gradually from 3.5% to around 4.5% in late 2024. Even though wage growth has picked up due to the tight labour market and high inflation but wage growth, together with productivity growth remains consistent with the inflation target.   The current growth rate of 6% inflation in Australia is still considered too high. The central forecast expects CPI inflation will decline to around 3.5% by the end of 2024 and revert to the target range of 2% to 3% by late 2025. The Board may consider further tightening of monetary policy to ensure inflation returns to the target range of 2% to 3% depending on data and evolving risk assessments.   Switched to being “data-dependent” suggests RBA may stand pat on interest rates till end of 2023 The last point as mentioned above stood up starkly, in the previous July’s monetary policy statement, it was noted as “some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target in a reasonable timeframe, but that will depend upon how the economy and inflation evolve”. In today’s monetary policy, it has been stated as “that will depend upon the data and the evolving assessment of risks”. Hence, this latest framing of being data-dependent, and acknowledging the implied negative adverse lagged effects of a higher interest rate environment towards economic growth (risk assessment) seems to portray that if the recent trend of key economic indicators continues their respective trajectories, it is likely the RBA may continue to remain on hold on its policy cash rate at 4.1% for the rest of 2023 while monitoring the global inflationary environment.     Lacklustre sentiment for AUD/USD AUD/USD minor short-term trend as of 1 Aug 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart)  A “data-dependent” RBA has knocked out the bullish tone of AUD/USD after a reprieve rebound seen yesterday, 31 July where the pair staged a minor rebound of 117 pips from its last Friday, 28 July intraday low of 0.6622 to an intraday high of 0.6739 during yesterday’s US session. Right now, it has shed -81 pips to print a current intraday low of 0.6657 at this time of the writing, and the Aussie is the worst performer intraday today, 1 Aug (-0.65%) among the major currencies against the US dollar; EUR (-0.03%), CHF (-0.03%), GBP (-0.07%), CAD (-0.22%), and JPY, (-0.34%). The Aussie has resumed its underperformance against the US dollar seen in the last two trading days of last week where the AUD/USD recorded an accumulated loss of -1.68% from 27 July to 28 July versus EUR/USD (-0.63%), GBP/USD (-0.71%), and JPY/USD (-0.65%) over the same period ex-post FOMC, ECB, and BoJ. From a technical analysis standpoint, short-term bearish momentum remains intact as yesterday’s rebound has failed to surpass the 200-day moving average after a re-test on it, now acting as a key short-term pivotal resistance at around 0.6740 with the next major support coming in at 0.6600/6580.  
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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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RBA Holds Policy Cash Rate at 4.1% Amid Data-Dependent Approach, AUD/USD Suffers 1.3% Slide

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 02.08.2023 09:19
  Australia’s central bank, RBA has kept its policy cash rate unchanged at 4.1% for the second consecutive month. The tonality of the latest monetary policy implies that RBA is now data-dependent, and indirectly acknowledged the negative adverse lagged effects of higher interest rates towards economic growth. Overall, RBA may continue to remain on hold on its policy cash rate at 4.1% for the rest of 2023 which in turn negates any potential major bullish movement of the AUD/USD. Expectations of interest rates traders were right in line with the Australian central bank, RBA’s latest monetary policy decision (no interest rate hike today) that was in contrast to the 25-basis points hike consensus from the majority of the economists surveyed. RBA has decided to hold on to its official policy cash rate at 4.1% for the second consecutive month; data from the ASX 30-day interbank cash rate futures as of 31 July 2023 has indicated a patty pricing of only a 14% chance of a 25-bps hike, down significantly from a 41% chance being priced a week ago. These are the key takeaways from today’s RBA monetary policy statement; The Board has decided to hold the interest rate steady this month to access the impact of the prior rate increases and monitor the economic outlook. Risk of below-trend growth for the Australian economy due to weak household consumption growth and dwelling investment. The labour market has remained tight, with job vacancies and postings at high levels, though labour shortages have lessened. But the unemployment rate is expected to rise gradually from 3.5% to around 4.5% in late 2024. Even though wage growth has picked up due to the tight labour market and high inflation but wage growth, together with productivity growth remains consistent with the inflation target. The current growth rate of 6% inflation in Australia is still considered too high. The central forecast expects CPI inflation will decline to around 3.5% by the end of 2024 and revert to the target range of 2% to 3% by late 2025. The Board may consider further tightening of monetary policy to ensure inflation returns to the target range of 2% to 3% depending on data and evolving risk assessments.   Switched to being “data-dependent” suggests RBA may stand pat on interest rates till end of 2023 The last point as mentioned above stood up starkly, in the previous July’s monetary policy statement, it was noted as “some further tightening of monetary policy may be required to ensure that inflation returns to target in a reasonable timeframe, but that will depend upon how the economy and inflation evolve”. In today’s monetary policy, it has been stated as “that will depend upon the data and the evolving assessment of risks”. Hence, this latest framing of being data-dependent, and acknowledging the implied negative adverse lagged effects of a higher interest rate environment towards economic growth (risk assessment) seems to portray that if the recent trend of key economic indicators continues their respective trajectories, it is likely the RBA may continue to remain on hold on its policy cash rate at 4.1% for the rest of 2023 while monitoring the global inflationary environment.   Lacklustre sentiment for AUD/USD     AUD/USD minor short-term trend as of 1 Aug 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart)  A “data-dependent” RBA has knocked out the bullish tone of AUD/USD after a reprieve rebound seen yesterday, 31 July where the pair staged a minor rebound of 117 pips from its last Friday, 28 July intraday low of 0.6622 to an intraday high of 0.6739 during yesterday’s US session. Right now, it has shed -81 pips to print a current intraday low of 0.6657 at this time of the writing, and the Aussie is the worst performer intraday today, 1 Aug (-0.65%) among the major currencies against the US dollar; EUR (-0.03%), CHF (-0.03%), GBP (-0.07%), CAD (-0.22%), and JPY, (-0.34%). The Aussie has resumed its underperformance against the US dollar seen in the last two trading days of last week where the AUD/USD recorded an accumulated loss of -1.68% from 27 July to 28 July versus EUR/USD (-0.63%), GBP/USD (-0.71%), and JPY/USD (-0.65%) over the same period ex-post FOMC, ECB, and BoJ. From a technical analysis standpoint, short-term bearish momentum remains intact as yesterday’s rebound has failed to surpass the 200-day moving average after a re-test on it, now acting as a key short-term pivotal resistance at around 0.6740 with the next major support coming in at 0.6600/6580.    
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BRL: Speculation Mounts Ahead of Brazil's Central Bank Easing Cycle Decision

ING Economics ING Economics 02.08.2023 09:31
BRL: 25bp or 50bp to start the easing cycle? There is fevered speculation that Brazil’s central bank, BCB, will start its easing cycle later today. Having been pressured by the Lula administration for most of the year to cut rates, it now seems the BCB has sufficient ammunition to deliver a credible rate cut. Brazil’s congress has passed important fiscal reforms (fiscal policy always proving Brazil’s Achilles Heel) and a sharp decline in inflation has allowed inflation expectations to drop close to BCB’s target near the 3.50% area. The only question it seems for the market is whether the BCB will kick off the cycle with a 25bp or 50bp cut. Historically, when BCB makes the decision to adjust policy, it moves in large increments. Equally, BCB has been fighting the government all year and with two new additions to its board may not want to be seen as acting overly aggressively. Even though BCB has not provided much signalling on this easing (unlike the recent telegraphed cuts in Chile), we would not rule out a 50bp rate cut. The interest rates market already prices close to 500bp of easing over the next year – so may not drop too much further – but we think the Brazilian real may not need to sell off too harshly. After all, real interest rates remain hugely in positive territory and a recent sovereign rating upgrade – and lower volatility – suggest the Brazilian real will continue to be a recipient of carry trade flow.  
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Turkey's Inflation Struggle: Insights from Santa Zvaigzne-Sproge on Monetary Policy and Challenges Ahead

Santa Zvaigzne Sproge Santa Zvaigzne Sproge 03.08.2023 10:33
In this interview, we speak with Santa Zvaigzne-Sproge, CFA, Head of Investment Advice Department at Conotoxia Ltd., to gain insights into Turkey's current inflation situation and the effectiveness of the central bank's monetary policy. Turkey has experienced a significant drop in inflation since Ms. Hafize Gaye Erkan took over as the central bank's governor. However, recent CPI and PPI readings indicate that the battle against inflation is far from over. Inflation in Turkey has decreased from a staggering 85.51% in October 2022 to 38.21% in June 2023. Nevertheless, the latest data for July, with PPI at 44.50% and CPI at 47.83%, suggests that inflation remains a pressing concern. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey has responded to this challenge by raising interest rates from 8.5% to 17.5%, but questions remain about whether these measures will be sufficient to bring inflation to a single-digit level.   FXMAG.COM: What is your assessment of the CPI and PPI readings from Turkey, and do they allow the central bank to continue too loose a monetary policy? Does Turkey have any chance at all of returning to its inflation target?   Santa Zvaigzne-Sproge, CFA, Head of Investment Advice Department at Conotoxia Ltd. The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey has already gone a long way since Ms. Hafize Gaye Erkan was appointed as the central bank’s new governor. Previously, Turkey’s monetary policy was known to be ultra-accommodative, which provoked inflation that may be hard to imagine in the Western world. Turkey’s inflation plunged more than two times from 85.51% in October 2022 to 38.21% in June 2023, however, the July data of 44.50% for PPI and 47.83% for CPI show that the fight against inflation is certainly not over. After the new governor was appointed, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey doubled the key interest rates from 8.5% to 15% and later increased it to 17.5%. While the jump has been rather significant, the interest rates may still be too low to return the inflation to at least one-digit numbers. However, the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey has expressed that the country’s monetary policy would be further tightened as much as necessary in a timely and gradual manner. Reasons for such an uptick in last month’s inflation may be at least partially related to the government raising taxes in July on fuel and a variety of goods to repair the deteriorated public finances due to the costly presidential re-election campaign and financing needs to recover from the February earthquakes. Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan has announced that inflation may reach 58% by the end of this year (more than doubling the previous forecast) acknowledging that the process of driving down the inflation may take more time than previously expected. It is important to note that driving inflation down is a complicated and time-consuming process, and none of the Western countries have succeeded in reaching their 2% target yet despite aggressive rate hike cycles and considerably lower “starting points” (the highest CPI in the US was 9.1% versus Turkey’s 85.51%). Furthermore, while the commonly accepted target for inflation is 2%, Turkish inflation has not reached this level since 1969. During the relatively low period of inflation in Turkey (2004 – 2018) CPI varied mainly from 6% to 8%. Therefore, these numbers could be more realistic inflation targets for Turkey. In order for Turkey to successfully return to one-digit inflation, its first task would be to stop its currency from depreciating further. Turkish Lira has lost nearly 45% of its value against the US Dollar (USDTRY = 26.9684) this year. For it to happen, Turkey would need to return the investors’ trust in its currency which may not be an easy task to accomplish. However, interest rates have historically proved to be the most effective and easiest-to-control instrument for policymakers to drive down inflation. Therefore, there may be a high chance of further rate hikes in Turkey’s future    
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Bank of England's Bold Move: Implications for the British Economy and GBP

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 03.08.2023 10:54
In our conversation with Alex Kuptsikevich, an analyst from FXPro, we delve into the Bank of England's recent decision on interest rates and its implications for the British economy and the GBP. The central bank's move to raise its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.25% is a significant step, marking the highest rate since 2008. This decision comes as Britain grapples with one of the highest inflation rates among developed nations, leaving little room for inaction. Unlike the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, the Bank of England cannot afford to take a wait-and-see approach. The soaring inflation necessitates swift action, and indications suggest that the central bank may not stop raising interest rates until it reaches 5.75%, matching the peak of monetary tightening seen in 2007.   FXMAG: What is your assessment of the Bank of England's decision on interest rates? Should we still expect a hike in the Isles? And what's next for the GBP in the context of the BoE's decision? The Bank of England is expected to raise its key interest rate by 25 points to 5.25%, the highest since 2008. Britain's inflation rate, one of the highest in the developed world, makes it impossible to pause and look around - a privilege the Fed has used and the ECB may do in September. It is worth bracing for indications that the BoE will not stop raising interest rates before the end of the year, taking the rate to 5.75% - the peak of monetary tightening in 2007.   The Bank of England's hawkish stance is also likely to attract buyers to the Pound, which has weakened over the past three weeks. An appreciating currency will suppress imported inflation and dampen consumer demand, helping to bring CPI back to the 2% target. With explicit hawkish comments from the central bank, GBP can avoid breaking the upward trend of recent months and accelerating its decline.  
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S&P 500 Outlook: Resilience Amid Challenges - New Record Highs on the Horizon?

Marco Turatti Marco Turatti 03.08.2023 11:57
As the S&P 500 index continues its impressive performance, investors are keenly watching for the possibility of new record highs. Despite facing challenges like high inflation and interest rates, the S&P 500 and the broader market have shown resilience, with the index coming within 5% of its all-time high last week. The market's strength has been fueled by better-than-expected corporate results, with an impressive 81% beat rate to date. However, it is essential to recognize that the market has been on an extended rally, and valuations may no longer be considered cheap. Moreover, the recent US downgrade by Fitch has provided investors with a good opportunity to secure some profits. While we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of new highs, it is crucial to exercise caution.   FXMAG Are we facing new record highs for the S&P 500 index? The S&P 500 was doing very well, as was the broader market, despite high inflation and interest rates: at one point last week it was just <5% away from the ATH seen on the back of better-than-expected corporate results (81% beats to date). The market is, however, coming off a long rally and probably no longer cheap, and the recent US downgrade by Fitch was a good excuse to take some profits. It would be very risky for us to say that the possibility of new highs should be ruled out, but we believe that a consolidation is more likely at the moment - even given the seasonally unfavourable period of year - and that any move towards 4.700 would be difficult, at least for the next few weeks.
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Romanian National Bank Preview: Policy Rate to Remain Steady, Focus on Inflation and Growth

ING Economics ING Economics 03.08.2023 15:00
Romanian National Bank preview: on autopilot for a while The Romanian National Bank (NBR) will announce its latest policy rate decision on 7 August. We expect the key rate to be maintained at 7.00% with no forward guidance. A new Inflation Report will be approved and presented a few days later which should largely confirm the central bank's previous inflation forecasts. With the inflation dynamic largely matching the NBR’s expectations, the central bank’s focus might shift a tad from inflation to growth, with the latter starting to give more and more credible signs of slowing down rather abruptly. Having said that, there is actually not much that the NBR can do here on top of what has been done already, which was to allow a hefty liquidity surplus in the money market and make the deposit facility the de-facto policy rate. Given that there are still no depreciation pressures for the Romanian leu, it is likely the current policy stance will be extended well into the year-end.   Persistent liquidity surplus   A new Inflation Report should reconfirm the previous forecasts Maybe more interesting than the monetary policy decision itself will be the presentation of the May Inflation Report which should take place a few days later and incorporate the NBR’s latest inflation projections. It is most likely to be the second report in a row which doesn’t differ much from the previous forecasts. The NBR currently sees CPI inflation at 7.1% in December 2023 and 4.2% in December 2024, not far from our estimates of 6.9% and 4.1% respectively. We might see the official forecasts getting into the 1.5-3.5% target range at the end of the two-year forecast horizon, while in our scenario it looks most likely to hover around 4.0%. Moreover, core inflation could prove stickier and remain above the headline figure for most of this timeframe.   Stickier core inflation   We believe that the NBR will stay on course on 7 August and for the rest of the year, despite the more frequent dovish statements coming from other central banks in the region. We maintain our view of a first rate cut in the first quarter of 2024 with a key rate of 5.5% by the end of 2024. The easing cycle will be justified by the lower inflation but likely tempered by core and regional yields, as the interest rate differential cannot narrow excessively. On the domestic front, the new fiscal measures announced in order to contain the budget gap are unlikely to meaningfully change the situation on the issuance front, where the Ministry of Finance is in a comfortable position (more on this here).   What to expect in FX and markets The liquidity surplus fell only marginally in June, remaining at a near-record RON25.2bn, indicating scant central bank activity. EUR/RON briefly broke through 4.920 last week, again likely due to high demand for Romanian government bonds (ROMGBs) and has been higher since but still well below any line in the sand set by the central bank. FX implied yields have also risen a bit in the last two months but still remain firmly anchored. We expect the NBR to take the opportunity to withdraw some liquidity from the market if EUR/RON moves higher. In the long term, we expect the NBR to move the bar up for EUR/RON at least once more and we should see the 5.02 level by the end of the year. ROMGBs eased the pressure a bit in July and we see current valuations as more justified. The spread against Polish government bonds has returned above 100bps in the 10y tenor and even against other CEE peers, the levels seem more fair. The funding story remains unchanged. According to our calculations, the MinFin has secured about 82.5% of this year's planned issuance, the highest figure in the CEE region. We also saw strong activity in retail issuance in July, making the overall funding situation the best in the region. On the other hand, we see potential incoming problems on the fiscal side. The government is discussing further measures to improve the state budget and we should hear more in the coming days. Despite the fiscal issues, we should see a reduction in the supply of ROMGBs. However, we expect MinFin to want to stay on the safe side given the uncertainty and if market demand continues the MinFin will be open to issue more than indicated.
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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
US Nonfarm Payrolls Disappoint: Impact on Dollar and EUR/USD Analysis

Analyzing Oil Price Trends and Inflation Projections: Insights from RoboForex Analyst

Andrey Goilov Andrey Goilov 05.08.2023 11:00
In the intricate web of global economics, few elements have as profound an impact as the price of oil and inflation rates. These two factors are not only interconnected but also indicative of the overall health and trajectory of economies around the world. In an exclusive conversation with RoboForex analyst, we delve into the intricate dynamics that are currently shaping the oil market and U.S. inflation trends, offering insights into what lies ahead.     FXMAG.COM: How long can the oil price rise? Since 28 June, Brent has increased in price by 18% and is approaching resistance at 87 USD. A breakout beyond this level could result in further price growth, with the potential to reach 100 USD. However, the PMI, which tracks business activity in the manufacturing sectors of the US and Europe, fell below 50 again in July. This decline signals a slowdown in economic activity and, as a result, a decrease in demand for oil. To stabilise oil prices, OPEC+ members, particularly Saudi Arabia, reduced production by 1 million barrels per day in July and continued into August. Russia also joined in August, announcing a cut in oil exports by 500 thousand barrels per day. The decline in business activity in the US and EU along with reduced oil production could potentially stabilise the price in the range of 83-87 USD per barrel, but this balance could be disrupted by China and the US. In China, regulators are urging local authorities to accelerate bond sales to finance infrastructure projects and support the economy. The funds allocated for this purpose must be spent by November 2023. China is putting words into action, and this move could increase the demand for oil. Meanwhile, strategic oil reserves in the US have been depleted to the lowest level since 1983, reaching 354 million barrels, as they were sold to control fuel prices. The potential re-entry of the US into the oil market to replenish reserves could further push oil prices upward. On 1 August, it was reported that the US administration cancelled an order to purchase 6 million barrels of oil for reserve replenishment due to high prices. This indicates that the authorities are following a strategic approach to buying oil and potentially increasing demand – by monitoring the situation and waiting for the right moment to buy. In addition, the impact of the ongoing trend towards green energy is adding fuel to the fire, resulting in a lack of investments in the US oil industry. This is evident from the reduced number of active drilling rigs, which, according to Baker Hughes, decreased from 618 to 522 since the beginning of the year. Production cuts, China's economic stimulus, replenishment of strategic reserves in the US, and underinvestment in the oil sector – all these factors act as catalysts for potential further growth in crude oil prices. Consequently, we can assume that the price of oil in Q3 may continue to rise. The only event that could change this scenario is a global economic recession.     FXMAG.COM: Will inflation continue to fall in the U.S. in the third quarter? Since August 2022, the annual inflation rate in the US has been steadily decreasing, and according to July data, it has reached 3%. The Fed aims to achieve an inflation rate of 2%. To combat inflation, the Fed is raising interest rates and reducing its balance sheet to cool down the economy. Additionally, to curb fuel prices, the US government has turned to selling off strategic oil reserves, which also impacts the inflation level, leading to US oil reserves falling to levels not seen in 40 years. As a result, fuel prices in the US have been on a decline since August 2022, and during the same period, the inflation rate has also been decreasing. However, this trend reversed in June 2023. Along with the increase in the price of crude oil, petrol, and diesel prices in the US surged, surpassing the values seen in April. This could have a negative effect on the inflation rate. To control fuel prices, the US government can no longer rely on strategic reserves; instead, it is now attempting to replenish them, which could lead to a further increase in oil prices, and, consequently, fuel prices in the US. Another factor that may impact inflation is the unexpectedly high number of new jobs, reaching 324 thousand in July, compared to the forecasted 189 thousand. The data on the number of jobs in the US has significantly exceeded forecasts for the fourth consecutive month. As more people work and earn an income, the demand for goods and services increases, which is another factor supporting inflation growth. As a result, the decline in the inflation rate may halt in Q3, and if oil prices and job numbers continue their upward trend, we may even see a slight increase in inflation in September or October.     Visit RoboForex
Fed's Bowman Highlights Potential for More Rate Hikes; German Industrial Production Dips to 6-Month Low

Fed's Bowman Highlights Potential for More Rate Hikes; German Industrial Production Dips to 6-Month Low

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 08.08.2023 08:47
Fed’s Bowman reiterates that more hikes might be need to bring down inflation German Industrial Production fell to a 6-month low US inflation data expected to support a September pause, but possible coin flip for the November meeting   The US dollar is stronger across the board as the bond market selloff returns, sending the 10-year Treasury yield 6.9 basis points higher to 4.103%. After a mixed jobs report (slower job growth pace but higher wages) this week is all about an inflation report that will probably show moderate price growth.  The focus for many traders is all about the end of tightening and this weekend’s Fed speak supported the higher for longer stance.  Fed’s Bowman noted that it will likely need to raise interest rates further to bring down inflation.  A New York Times article this morning reported that Fed’s Williams stated that the central bank’s work to cool the economy is almost done and that he expects rate cuts could happen next year.    Heading into Thursday’s US inflation report, expectations are for headline CPI to rise from 3.0% to 3.3%, mainly due to base effects, but snapping a long streak of declines that has been in place since last August. Fixed income markets are growing confident that the September FOMC will support a rate pause.  The core readings are also expected to hold steady, but any hot surprises could keep the pressure on for a November hike.    At the end of last week, the euro saw some volatility after the Bundesbank said domestic government deposits would not receive any interest, sparking a move into bills and other high-yielding markets.  This decision surprised many traders and could lead to significant outflows for German debt.  Today’s disappointing German industrial production data also sent the euro lower as recession risks continue to rise.  Output continues to drop, falling to a 6-month low.   The weekly EURUSD chart shows price is approaching key trendline support at 1.0930. If downward momentum accelerates, downside targets include the 1.0850 region followed by 1.07667 level.  To the upside the 1.1050 provides initial resistance followed by the 1.1135 level.    
Navigating Australia's Disinflationary Path: RBA Rates, Labor Market, and Inflation Outlook

Navigating Australia's Disinflationary Path: RBA Rates, Labor Market, and Inflation Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 10.08.2023 08:38
Australia: How to ride a bumpy disinflationary path Australia's growth outlook has cooled off, but the labour market remains too tight and the decline in inflation has been primarily due to base effects. We disagree with markets' expectations that we have seen the peak in RBA rates, and expect at least one more hike. This should help a recovery in the undervalued (in the short- and medium-term) Aussie dollar.   After two months of 'no-change', the market has decided that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has finished hiking rates. We disagree. There has been only a modest slowdown in the economy, and most of the decline in inflation so far owes to base effects which are turning less helpful, while the run-rate for month-on-month inflation remains much higher than is consistent with the RBA’s inflation target. We expect at least one more hike, possibly in September or maybe waiting for the quarterly inflation numbers which will be known by the November meeting, and quite possibly two. That would take the cash rate target to 4.35% with an upper risk of 4.6%. If we are right that the US Fed has finished tightening, then this could see some outperformance of the AUD into year-end. AUD’s sensitivity to pro-cyclical trades and the shape of the yield curve, as well as its pronounced undervaluation, put it in a good position to potentially outpace other G10 peers in a multi-quarter USD decline.   The macro picture: Labour market remains tight GDP growth in Australia has slowed every quarter since the third quarter of 2022, and looks set to deliver another weak quarter of growth in the second quarter of 2023. NowCasting estimates are pointing to only about a 0.2% quarter-on-quarter increase, and 1.5% year-on-year annual growth rate in the second quarter.   Australian GDP projections   This suggests that the RBA’s rate tightening is indeed working, on top of the external factors weighing on growth (weak China re-opening, US and EU slowdown). But on many measures, the Australian economy remains robust, and this remains a concern when we dig into the inflation data and see that on some measures (admittedly not all) inflation is still running quite strong. In particular, Australia’s labour market shows only limited signs of slowdown. At 3.5%, the unemployment rate is close to its all-time low of 3.4% in October last year. And almost all of the jobs that have been created over that time have been full-time jobs, with commensurately higher weekly earnings, benefits and security than part-time jobs. That means household spending power is being supported. The consequence of this is that wages growth, though only measured quarterly, and with long lags, remains, according to the RBA’s own anecdotes, on an upward path. And this will help keep service sector inflation higher than would ideally be the case.   Wages, unemployment and inflation in Australia  
India's RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged Amid Tomato-Driven Inflation Surge

India's RBI Keeps Repo Rate Unchanged Amid Tomato-Driven Inflation Surge

ING Economics ING Economics 10.08.2023 09:08
India: RBI holds repo rate steady Not one of the 42 economists forecasting this Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meeting expected any change in the repurchase rate, and the RBI didn't disappoint. Things could get more interesting next month as food-price inflation surges.   Viewing the world through tomato-tinted glasses Although next week's inflation data for the July period will likely show Indian inflation surging above 8%YoY, the Reserve Bank of India left the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5%.  There are some good reasons for that. Firstly, the coming inflation surge owes very considerably to tomato prices. Sure, other prices have also risen, but back-to-back monthly 100%+ increases in the price of tomatoes in June and July are doing all the damage on the upside.  The cause of these tomato-price surges? This year's Monsoon started late, with a drier than usual June but wetter than normal July. However, the average rainfall over this entire period has been close to normal. What seems to have undone things is the erratic nature of the rainfall, with some areas experiencing much more rain than normal, while for other areas, it has been much drier. Either extreme will mess up the growing season and lead to shortages and food price rises, which is what seems to have happened   Monsoon anomalies   What goes up... The good news here is that such seasonal shortages tend to be just that - seasonal. This will pass - unless there are further seasonal anomalies, which of course are becoming more common these days thanks to climate change.  Assuming that normality is resumed over the coming months, then we can expect prices to slowly subside and return to something a bit more normal over the coming months. So what is a big contributor to inflation currently, can turn into a similar-sized drag over the coming months.  We expect Indian inflation to peak in August at over 8.5%YoY before drifting back down through the end of the year. And while this is unlikely to require any offsetting rate action from the RBI, it may make it harder for them to begin easing rates as soon as we had previously thought. That now looks more likely to be a story for 2024.     
Soft US Jobs Data and Further China Stimulus Boost Risk Appetite

Inflation Concerns Grow: US CPI Data and Rising Energy-Food Prices Trigger Alarm Bells

ING Economics ING Economics 10.08.2023 09:12
Rates Spark: Energy and food inflation is ringing more alarm bells Suddenly some inflation alarms are ringing again: energy and food prices are under rising pressure, as are market inflation expectations. We'll get US CPI today, which will paint a picture for July. What's beyond that is becoming a little more nuanced and troubling for bonds.   US inflation ahead is key, but so also are the wider impulses which can trouble bonds There is heightened discussion on where we are with inflation. While the US CPI reading is key for the near term, there is also an acknowledgement that inflation expectations coming from the market discount have become a little less anchored than they had been. The 5yr * 5yr inflation rate has returned to the 2.5% area, and the inflation swaps measure of the same has it up in the 2.7% area. These are not awful levels when you consider where inflation was, and at least these expectations are still comfortably below 3%. But it’s the path they’ve been on that creates the issue, as that path has been pointing upwards. At the same time, there is an ongoing rise in food and energy prices in play, which risks adding to headline pressure down the line. Given this backdrop, the US 10yr has managed to remain above 4%, and we think it should continue to do so. And remember, once we get through tomorrow’s US inflation report, we’ll likely see headline US inflation closer to 3.5% than 3% and core US inflation closer to 5% than 4%. There’s been progress made to the downside, but the burning issue for bonds is whether the inflation threat has actually been dealt a death blow. Based on the market expectations for inflation, it hasn’t. For that reason, we stick to our cautious approach to bonds, eyeing higher yields. We also remain under considerable supply pressure this week. Decent US 10yr auction yesterday. Minor tail, virtually none. High indirect bid, and reasonable cover. Not as good as the 3yr. But it did not tail, as some had feared. The 30yr auction is up next.   Market's long term inflation expectations still trended higher     Risk to inflation outlook also sets floor to EUR rates In the eurozone, the upward leg in the longer-term inflation swaps over the past weeks up until the latest correction has been even more striking. Although other measures, such as the European Central Bank surveyed consumer inflation expectations, have displayed further moves in the right direction earlier this week, the recent swings in the price for natural gas also highlight the lingering risk of supply disruptions to the more benign inflation dynamics of late. The ECB may have sounded less determined at the last meeting, not having pre-committed to a hike in September. But one should not underestimate the ECB’s resolve and persistence. Markets are still seeing a 70% chance for one more hike, even if a bit later than September. Further out, though, there is already a full discount of three 25bp cuts over 2024, which suggests not too much room for pricing in more.   Collateral scarcity remains a sensitive topic Bunds moderately cheapened relative to swaps on the back of an ICMA official’s opinion that the ECB would not follow the Bundesbank’s lead in cutting the remuneration of government deposits at the central bank to 0%. That would mean starting in October, only the roughly €50bn sitting at the Bundesbank would be impacted, but not the remaining around €200bn with other national central banks. Until October, the actual impact of the Bundesbank’s changes will remain a source of uncertainty and likely keep Bunds asset swap spreads elevated, but countering collateral scarcity fears are the ECB’s ongoing quantitative tightening, which was accelerated last month and the prospect of higher-than-anticipated issuance from Germany itself. Headlines to that end came from the government which announced yesterday that it was ramping up its climate fund from €30bn to €212bn from 2024 to 2027.      Bundesbank's government deposits are not the largest   Today's events and market view US CPI is key today. Expected are an increase to 3.3% in the headline and only a marginal decrease to 4.7% in the core year-on-year rates. This still means that the Fed’s inflation target is some distance away, although month-on-month readings of 0.2% for both headline and core point to more encouraging dynamics recently. The other release that has seen larger market reactions in the recent past is the initial jobless claims. Especially since the last official jobs data was a mixed bag, a more contemporaneous reading might get more weight to gauge the state of the jobs market. That said, consensus is looking for little change with 230k this week compared to last week’s 227k figure. Fed speakers Bostic and Harker are scheduled to speak on the topic of employment later today. In supply, the US Treasury caps off this week’s supply slate by auctioning US$23bn in a new 30Y bond.
EUR: Stagflation Returns Amid Weaker Growth and Sticky Inflation

US Inflation Takes Center Stage: Expectations and Impact on Markets

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 10.08.2023 09:10
All eyes on US inflation!  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   US equities fell, while yields pushed higher in the run up to today's most important US inflation data. Inflation in the U.S. is expected to have rebounded from 3 to 3.3% in July and core inflation may have steadied at around 4.8%. Any bad surprise on the inflation front could revive the Federal Reserve hawks, but we are far from pricing another hike in September just yet; activity on Fed funds futures assesses more than 85% chance for pause in September FOMC meeting. Rising oil, crop and rice prices are the major upside risks, while potential downside pressure on shelter could counter higher raw material prices. According to a latest publication from SF Fed shelter prices could see significant disinflation or deflation in the months ahead. They wrote that their 'baseline forecast suggests that year-over-year shelter inflation will continue to slow through late 2024 and may even turn negative by mid-2024', and that we could see 'the most severe contraction in shelter inflation since the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09'.  The idea of further Fed hikes is not helping sentiment in bond markets, especially since Fitch downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+. That's bad news for two reasons. First a lower credit rating means that the US should compensate for the higher risk investors take while buying the US government bonds so it's an additional upside pressure on yields. And combined to Fed hikes, the US interest payments will become an increasingly growing burden. In numbers, the US spends $1.8 bn interest payments every day. According to Peter Peterson foundation this number will double in the next decade and interest payments will become the fastest growing part of the federal budget. And if that's not enough, Moody's downgraded credit ratings for 10 small and midsize US banks, citing higher funding costs, potential regulatory capital weaknesses and risks tied to commercial real estate loans. And speaking of banks, Italian banks also sold off earlier this week on news of a new windfall tax. The latter triggered some risk averse inflows into bonds until Italy issued a clarification of its new tax on banks' windfall profits, saying that the impact may be limited for some banks and the levy won't exceed 0.1% of a firm's assets. Banks that have already increased the interest rates they offer to depositors 'will not have a significant impact as a consequence of the rule approved yesterday'. Phew....  The U.S. 2-year yield rebounded past 4.80%, while the 10-year yield is back to around%, after a spike to 4.20% on Fitch downgrade.  Troubled China  Chinese indices are up and down. Up, thanks to measures that the Chinese government announced to support the economy, down because of plunging export/import, deflation worries following another round of soft trade, CPI and PPI numbers since the start of the week, and the jitters that the US could limit investments to China. One interesting point is that the Chinese stock market shows decorrelation from the stock markets of developed countries. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF saw $342.23 million inflows last week, the biggest weekly inflow in 14 months. Yet impressive growth numbers are probably not in China's near future as the population is shrinking, the real estate crisis fuels the local debt crisis with Country Garden's potential default on its debt now making the headlines, investor and consumer confidence in Chinese government will take time to be restored, and further restrictions of US investments in China, especially in cutting-edge sectors like AI and quantum computing could further dampen appetite.   
Key Economic Events and Corporate Earnings Reports for the Week Ahead – September 5-9, 2023

Inflation Dynamics: New Zealand Expectations Rise, China's Slump Continues

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 10.08.2023 09:34
New Zealand inflation expectations rise to 2.83% China’s inflation decreases for the first time since February 2021 The New Zealand dollar is showing limited movement on Wednesday, trading at 0.6060 in the European session. New Zealand inflation expectations nudge higher to 2.83% Like most major central banks, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been waging a long and tough battle against inflation by raising interest rates. CPI fell to 6.0% in the second quarter, down from 6.7%. That’s certainly good news, but let’s remember that inflation is still rising sharply and is much higher than the RBNZ’s 2% target. The central bank is also concerned about inflation expectations, which can become embedded when inflation is high and translate into even higher inflation. Wednesday’s 2-year inflation expectations release showed a rise to 2.83% in the third quarter, up from 2.79% in the second quarter. One-year inflation expectations fell to 4.17% in Q3, down from 4.17% in Q2. The data indicates that inflation expectations remain high, and that perception could make the life of policy makers more difficult in the fight to bring down inflation. The RBNZ has a long way to go before inflation falls to the 2% target, and that will likely mean further rate hikes unless inflation levels fall sharply. The RBNZ held rates at 5 .50% in July and meets next on August 16th.   China is experiencing a bumpy recovery, and that is bad news for the global economy. Commodity currencies such as the New Zealand dollar are sensitive to Chinese economic releases and a soft Chinese trade release on Tuesday sent NZD/USD lower by as much as 80 basis points. The bad news continued on Wednesday as China’s CPI for July declined by 0.3% y/y, down from 0.0% in June and just above the consensus estimate of -0.4%. This marked the first decrease in CPI since February 2021 and points to weakness in the Chinese economy, which will likely mean less demand for New Zealand exports, a negative scenario for the New Zealand dollar.   NZD/USD Technical NZD/USD continues to put pressure on support at 0.6031. Below, there is support at 0.5964 0.6129 and 0.6196 are the next resistance lines  
Doubts Surround Euro Amid European Economic Concerns and Political Speeches

Australian Sentiment Shift: Consumer Confidence Slides, Business Confidence Holds Steady

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 10.08.2023 09:35
Australian consumer confidence declines, business confidence steady Fed member Harker says Fed may be done raising rates The Australian dollar has bounced back on Wednesday and is trading at 0.6552, up 0.13%. AUD/USD slipped 0.45% on Tuesday and dropped to its lowest level since June 1st. Australian consumer confidence slips, business mood stays steady Australia’s consumers remain deeply pessimistic about economic conditions. The Westpac consumer sentiment index declined in August by 0.4% to 81 points, well below the 100 level which divides optimists and pessimists. In July, the index rose 2.7%. Consumer sentiment fell despite the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision in July to hold rates steady for a second straight month. The RBA has raised rates by some 400 basis points in the current cycle and high borrowing costs continue to dampen consumer sentiment. Business confidence also remains low, but the situation is somewhat better. The National Bank Business Confidence (NAB) index for July improved to 2, up from a downwardly revised -1 in June. This was the highest level since January. The zero level divides optimists from pessimists. Business conditions eased slightly to 10, indicating that businesses continue to show resilience to higher borrowing costs. The strength of the business sector is an encouraging sign that the economy could avoid a hard landing despite the RBA’s aggressive tightening cycle. Fed’s Harker eyes rate cuts in 2024 Fed member Harker said on Tuesday that the Fed might be done raising rates, “absent any alarming new data”. Harker said that rates would need to stay at the current high levels “for a while” and went as far as saying that the Fed would likely cut rates at some point in 2024. Harker was careful not to express an opinion about the September decision, but the Fed rate hike odds are just 14%, according to the FedWatch tool. The Fed raised rates in July, and Fed Chair Powell has signalled that he would raise rates one more time a stance that is clearly more hawkish than that of the markets.   AUD/USD Technical There is resistance at 0.6607 and 0.6700 0.6475 and 0.6382 are providing support  
Portugal's Growing Reliance on Retail Debt as a Funding Source and Upcoming Market Events"

UK Q2 GDP Forecast: Potential Stall Amid Economic Outlook Uncertainty - Analysis by Michael Hewson

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 11.08.2023 08:07
UK economy expected to stall in Q2. By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European markets enjoyed their second successive day of gains yesterday, boosted by the announcement by China to end its ban on overseas travel groups to other countries has also helped boost travel, leisure, and the luxury sector. The gains were also helped by a lower-than-expected rise in US CPI of 3.2%, with core prices slipping back to 4.7%, which increased expectations that we could well have seen the last of the Fed rate hiking cycle, which in turn helped to push the S&P500 to its highest levels this week and on course to post its biggest daily gain since July.     Unfortunately, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly had other ideas, commenting that the central bank has more work to do when it comes to further rate hikes, which pulled US yields off their lows of the day, pulling stock markets back to break even.   This failure to hang onto the gains of the day speaks to how nervous investors are when it comes to the outlook for inflation at a time, even though Daly isn't a voting member on the FOMC this year, and she's hardly likely to say anything else. Certainty hasn't been helped this week by data out of China which shows the economy there is in deflation, despite recent upward pressure on energy prices.     It also means that we can expect to see a lower open for markets in Europe with the main focus today being on the latest UK Q2 GDP numbers, as well as US PPI for July. Having eked out 0.1% growth in Q1 of this year, today's UK Q2 GDP numbers ought to show an improvement on the previous two quarters for the UK economy, yet for some reason most forecasts are for zero growth. That seems unduly pessimistic to me, although the public sector strike action is likely to have been a drag on economic activity.     Contrary to a lot of expectations economic activity has managed to hold up reasonably well, despite soaring inflation which has weighed on demand, and especially on the more discretionary areas of the UK economy. PMIs have held up well throughout the quarter even as they have weakened into the summer. Retail sales have been positive every month during Q2, rising by 0.5%, 0.1% and 0.7% respectively. Consumer spending has also been helped by lower fuel pump prices, and with unemployment levels still at relatively low levels and wage growth currently above 7%, today's Q2 GDP numbers could be as good as it gets for a while.     Despite the resilience shown by the consumer, expectations for today's Q2 are for a 0% growth which seems rather stingy when we saw 0.1% in Q1. This comes across as surprising given that Q2 has felt better from an economic point of view than the start of the year, with lower petrol prices helping to put more money in people's pockets despite higher bills in April. This raises the prospect of an upside surprise, however that might come with subsequent revisions.       Nonetheless, even as we look back at Q2, the outlook for Q3 is likely to become more challenging even with the benefit of a lower energy price cap, helping to offset interest rates now at their highest levels for over 15 years. With more and more fixed rate mortgages set to get refinanced in the coming months the second half of the year for the UK economy could well be a lot more challenging than the first half.     Yesterday US CPI came in slightly softer than expected even as July CPI edged up to 3.2% from 3% in June. Today's PPI numbers might show a similar story due to higher energy prices, but even here we've seen sharp falls in the last 12 months. A year ago, US PPI was at 11.3%, falling to 0.1% in June, with the move lower being very much one way. We could see a modest rebound to 0.7% in July. Core prices have been stickier, but they are still expected to soften further to 2.3% from 2.4%. 12 months ago, core PPI was at 8.2% and peaked in March last year at 9.6%.       EUR/USD – squeezed above the 1.1050 area yesterday, before failing again, and sliding back below the 1.1000 area. Despite the failure to break higher we are still finding support just above the 50-day SMA. Below 1.0900 targets the 1.0830 area.     GBP/USD – popped above the 1.2800 area yesterday and then slipped back. We need to see a sustained move back above the 1.2800 area to ensure this rally has legs. We have support at the 1.2620 area. Below 1.2600 targets 1.2400. Resistance at the 1.2830 area as well as 1.3000.         EUR/GBP – pushed up to the 100-day SMA with resistance now at the 0.8670/80 area. Support comes in at the 0.8580 area with a break below targeting the 0.8530 area. Above the 100-day SMA targets the 0.8720 area.     USD/JPY – closing in on the June highs at the 145.00 area. This is the key barrier for a move back towards 147.50, on a break above the 145.20 level. Support now comes in at the 143.80 area.     FTSE100 is expected to open 42 points lower at 7,576     DAX is expected to open 70 points lower at 15,926     CAC40 is expected to open 30 points lower at 7,403
UK Manufacturing Surge Lifts Q2 Growth: Insights and Outlook

UK Manufacturing Surge Lifts Q2 Growth: Insights and Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 11.08.2023 10:16
UK manufacturing surge lifts second quarter growth A surprisingly large increase in manufacturing production has meant that second quarter GDP increased by more than we'd expected. For the Bank of England, next week's inflation and wage numbers matter much more.   Manufacturing surge boosts UK GDP growth The UK economy grew faster than expected in June, helped by a surge in manufacturing production. Monthly GDP rose by 0.5% on the month, though the 2.4% increase in manufacturing between May and June is extremely unusual (at least outside of the Covid-19 period). The result is that overall second-quarter economic growth came in at 0.2%, a bit higher than expected. The ONS puts this down to pharmaceuticals and car production. And while the latter can probably be partly explained by the ongoing improvement in supply conditions (production is up 15% since last summer’s low), it’s hard to explain why so much of this growth fell in June specifically. The impact of May’s bank holiday appears to have been fairly minimal in comparison to past royal events. Still, while much of the positive surprise can be explained by those manufacturing sectors, the rest of the economy looks fairly resilient too. That was helped by better weather in June which seems to have boosted the likes of hospitality and retail.   Third quarter looking better, but growth is likely to slow thereafter What next? Well, June’s large rebound means the starting level for the third quarter is pretty favourable. In other words, even if we get only very modest growth over the summer months, third quarter GDP is still likely to come in at roughly 0.4%. The gradual resolution of worker strikes also adds a bit of upside potential for some public industries, perhaps including transport. The circa 20% fall in household energy bills at the start of July should also offer a tailwind for consumption. Like many analysts, we are doubtful that this sort of growth figure will be repeated later in the year, as the mounting impact of higher interest rates weighs on the economy. So far, the average rate being paid on outstanding mortgages has risen from 2% to 2.9%, considerably less than the 6%+ rates being quoted on new lending. Around 85-90% of mortgages are fixed, albeit only for two or five years in the vast majority of cases. The impact of higher rates will therefore gradually increase over the next 12 months, although it’s worth remembering that a smaller share (less than 30%) of households now have a mortgage compared to the 1990s/2000s. A greater share of households own their home outright.   Services inflation and wage growth much more important Ultimately, today’s growth figures are of limited consequence for the Bank of England. That’s partly because they are only slightly above what it had expected (0.1% for the second quarter), and because its third-quarter forecast of 0.4% now looks reasonable, having looked a tad optimistic when it was released. But the Bank has also made it abundantly clear that it’s watching services inflation and wage growth much more closely. We’ll get fresh data on both of those next week, and on the former (services CPI), the Bank expects a slight uptick. We think the risks are tilted towards a flat or slightly lower reading, and if we’re right, that would boost the chances that a September rate hike will be the last such move.
UK Labor Market Shows Signs of Loosening as Unemployment Rises: ONS Report

Romanian Inflation Takes a Dive, Strong Wage Growth Looms Ahead"

ING Economics ING Economics 11.08.2023 12:52
Romanian inflation finally dips into single digits After a couple of months of questionable inflation data, July confirmed that double-digit inflation prints are now safely behind us. However, consistently strong wage advances might complicate the disinflation story as the 2024 electoral year approaches.   The 9.44% July inflation print surprised marginally to the downside (vs our 9.60% estimate) due almost exclusively to lower electricity prices. Recently-adopted caps on the mark-ups of basic food products seem to be working already, slightly ahead of schedule, and might cause another downside surprise to August inflation, which we currently estimate at around 9.0%. To put a number on it, food prices decreased in July by 0.5% versus June (+16.3% year-on-year), which marks a return to more usual seasonal behaviour. Non-food items advanced by 0.25% (+4.3% YoY) with pretty well-behaved price dynamics across the subcomponents, while services remained a mild outlier, advancing by 1.00% monthly (+11.6% YoY), a slight upset in an otherwise positive inflation print. Perhaps the less-than-positive news for today comes from core inflation which proves to be quite sticky, falling to 13.2% in July from 13.5% in June. At this moment it is not certain that we will see core inflation below 10% this year, though our base case is that it will dip below in December. In any case, core inflation is probably less of a concern for the National Bank of Romania (NBR) right now, as it most likely wants to see headline inflation safely lower first.   Inflation (YoY%) and components (ppt)   Strong wage growth is here to stay The average net wage advance continues to impress, printing at +15.7% in June and it looks increasingly likely we'll see full-year average wage growth above 15.0% in 2023. Besides the usual sectors which have posted above-average wage advances lately (e.g. agriculture, IT services, transportation etc.), June saw a whopping 28.7% increase in the public education sector’s wage, boosting the general public sector average wage growth to 14.0%, not far from the 16.1% growth in the private sector. This trend is most likely to continue in the coming quarters, given recent and ongoing public wage demands and the approaching electoral year. The extent to which the strong wage advance will filter into inflation is still unclear, given that it overlaps a period of fiscal uncertainties, economic slowdown and still relatively high interest rates which are more stimulative for savers. However, it is also difficult to believe that it will have no effect either. As recently underlined by the NBR’s Governor, Mugur Isarescu, wage-led inflation might prove quite dangerous and tricky to control, given that it could require a further restriction of the aggregate demand via even higher interest rates.   Positive real wages to support consumption   We maintain our estimate of a 6.9% year-end inflation reading, though we admit that risks are mildly to the upside on the back of the recently announced (but not yet adopted) fiscal package. These risks have been clearly underlined by the NBR as well, as they indeed have the potential to derail the disinflation story. On the other hand, next year’s profile hasn’t changed much, as we see headline inflation below 7.0% (NBR’s key rate) in February 2024, followed by a gradual descent toward the 4.0% area by the year-end, where our projection also stabilises for the medium-term. All in all, we remain reasonably confident that the NBR will start the cutting cycle in the first half of 2024, with a total of 150bp cuts by the year-end. If anything, risks are for the cycle to be more backloaded rather than frontloaded. To the extent that the global risk sentiment will not worsen, it is likely that the accommodative liquidity conditions are here to stay for longer, though we tend to be increasingly cautious about this.
Upcoming Corporate Earnings Reports: Ashtead, GameStop, and DocuSign - September 5-7, 2023

New Zealand Dollar Continues Slide Amid China's Economic Slowdown

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 11.08.2023 14:47
The New Zealand dollar has extended its slide for a fourth straight day. In the European session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6005, down 0.26%. New Zealand It’s been an awful ride for the New Zealand currency, which is down 1.50% this week. NZD/USD hasn’t posted a winning week since early July and has plunged 270 basis points since then. The latest setback for the New Zealand dollar is the soft data out of China, which is New Zealand’s biggest trading partner. China’s highly-touted recovery has been a bust. The government abruptly shifted its Covid policy from zero tolerance to reopening the economy, and the hope was that economic activity would soar. Instead, domestic demand has been weak and a soft global economy has meant less demand for Chinese goods. This week’s trade release indicated in a decline in China’s exports and imports. The economy has slowed to such an extent that the country is officially in a deflation phase – CPI for July declined for the first time since February 2021. A slowdown in China is especially bad news for commodity currencies like the New Zealand dollar, which has fallen sharply this week due to the soft trade and inflation reports out of China. If the Chinese economy weakens further, I would expect the New Zealand dollar to lose even more ground. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand meets on August 16th and there is a strong likelihood that it will hold rates for a second straight month. The RBNZ has been signalling that its rate-tightening cycle is over but that it will maintain rates in restrictive territory. This could well mean an extended pause until the central bank feels that conditions are ripe for rate cuts. New Zealand inflation has been moving in the right direction, but the current 6% clip is much too high. The key question is whether high rates will filter into the economy and continue to push inflation lower without the need for additional rate hikes. The RBNZ will be keeping a close eye on inflation and employment numbers in order to determine its future rate path.   US inflation rises, but Fed expected to pause US headline inflation rose in July to 3.2%, above the June gain of 3.0% but below the 3.3% consensus estimate. Core CPI nudged lower to 4.7% in July compared to the June reading of 4.8% which was also the estimate. The report was within expectations and should cement a pause in rates in September, with the odds of a rate hike at just 10%, according to the CME FedWatch. . NZD/USD Technical NZD/USD is testing support at 0.6031. Below, there is support at 0.5964 0.6129 and 0.6196 are the next resistance lines  
UK Inflation Expected to Slow Sharply in July: Market Analysis and Insights - August 16, 2023

UK Inflation Expected to Slow Sharply in July: Market Analysis and Insights - August 16, 2023

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.08.2023 11:10
05:35BST Wednesday 16th August 2023 UK inflation set to slow sharply in July  By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) European markets had a poor session yesterday, sliding sharply to their   lowest levels in over a month on the back of concerns over the Chinese economy, and a sharp slowdown in domestic demand. US markets also tumbled for the same reason, although banks also got hit on the back of a warning from ratings agency Fitch that it may have to downgrade the whole US banking sector, including the likes of JPMorgan Chase if financial conditions worsened.     Asia markets have continued this trend of market weakness, with the result we can expect to see a lower open for European markets. The pound had a decent day yesterday, buoyed by the stronger than expected wages data, raising the question as to whether the Bank of England will be forced to hike rates again in September? Yesterday's wages data, which saw a record increase of 7.8% for the 3-months to June, has not only given the central bank a headache, but it could end up giving the UK economy a migraine if the bank gets its policy response wrong. For several months now we've had to contend with tone-deaf warnings from the likes of Governor Andrew Bailey and chief economist Huw Pill for workers not to ask for pay rises. This warning has fallen on deaf ears, and rightly so, but such is the mindset of the stewards of monetary policy they seem unable to grasp that this as a good thing and is certainly no wage-price spiral. If anything, this is a consequence of the central bank's failure to grasp the inflation nettle over a year ago, when a lot of people were telling it to hike faster and harder.     What is happening now is that wages are recouping some of the real income loss that consumers have had to bear over the last 15-months, which is no bad thing for longer term demand considerations.  Today's UK CPI numbers will be the first to include the new lower energy price cap, with the inflation report for August also expected to point to weaker price growth. With several MPC members already saying that interest rate policy is already restrictive, even allowing for yesterday's wages numbers, there is a case for making the argument that we should be close to being done on the rate front, even though markets aren't currently pricing that.     We've already seen a sharp fall in headline CPI from 8.7% to 7.9% in June which offers hope that we can expect to see a fall below 7% in today's July numbers to 6.7%, with core inflation set to slow to 6.7% from 6.9%. On a month-on-month basis we are expecting to see a decline of -0.5%, as the effects of a lower energy price cap show up in the numbers. This welcome convergence between wages and prices is long overdue and will help consumers reset their finances at a time when interest rates are still rising, and the lag effects of previous rate hikes have yet to be felt. There is also the risk that in raising rates further the MPC will push rents higher, and thus make inflation stickier.     The MPC needs to look ahead to what is happening with PPI which is expected to see further declines in July with both input and output prices expected to decline by -2.8% and -1.3% respectively. The latest iteration of EU Q2 GDP is expected to show that the economy remained in expansion of 0.3%, although these numbers were flattered by a big gain of 3.3% in the Irish economy, compared to a -2.8% contraction in Q1. These swings tend to be due to how the big US multinationals which are based in Ireland book their sales which obscures how well or not the Irish economy is performing on an underlying level. We'll also get an insight into the deliberations at the most recent Fed meeting after the US central bank raised rates by 25bps at the July meeting after pausing in June.     There were no real surprises from the statement or for that matter from chairman Jay Powell's press conference, as he reiterated his comments from June that additional rate rises will be needed, although he also insisted that the Fed would be data dependant. In the statement it was restated that inflation remained elevated, and that the committee was highly attentive to the risks that prices might remain high. Powell was non-committal on whether the Fed would raise rates again at its next meeting in September, merely restating that if the data warranted it the central bank would do so. Recent commentary from several FOMC policymakers would appear to suggest growing splits between those who think that a lengthy pause is appropriate now, and those who want further tightening. It will be interesting to see whether these come to the fore in the minutes given how they are already manifesting themselves in recent commentary.     Hawks like Fed governor Michelle Bowman continues to push the line the Fed needs to do more, contrast with those like Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic who think the Fed needs to pause.     EUR/USD – slid below the 50-day SMA earlier this week falling to the 1.0875 area before rebounding. The main support remains at the 1.0830 area and July lows. Still feels range bound with resistance at the 1.1030 area.     GBP/USD – got a decent lift yesterday after slipping to the 1.2615 area on Monday but continues to find support above the 1.2600 area. A break below 1.2600 targets 1.2400. Until then the bias is for a move back above the 1.2800 area through 1.2830 to target 1.3000.         EUR/GBP – continues to slip back from the recent highs with the 100-day SMA acting as resistance at the 0.8670/80 area. A sustained move below support at the 0.8570/80 area opens the risk of a move towards the 0.8530 area. Above the 100-day SMA targets the 0.8720 area.     USD/JPY – continues to edge higher, with support now at the 144.80 area. The move above the previous peaks at 145.10, opens the prospect of further gains towards 147.50.     FTSE100 is expected to open 18 points lower at 7,371     DAX is expected to open 67 points lower at 15,700     CAC40 is expected to open 25 points lower at 7,242  
Soft US Jobs Data and Further China Stimulus Boost Risk Appetite

Rates Spark: Risk-Off Impact and FOMC Minutes in Focus

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 11:24
Rates Spark: Risk-off as a contributor Firm US retail sales were enough to cause the risk-off theme to sustain itself. And should we morph to risk-on, market rates are likely to come under upward pressure. Damned if you do, damned if you don't for market rates, at least for now.   Risk-off is managing to temper room to the upside for yields just for now The risk-off mode of late has become a central containment factor for US Treasuries. Had it not been for that, US Treasury yields would most likely have hit higher levels in the past few weeks. We also know there have been some solid inflows into Treasuries as a theme in the past month or so. There have also been ongoing and material inflows into money market funds. Against that backdrop there has been the build of a risk-off preference in both credit and equities. It’s not been severe, but it’s been there. US data released on Tuesday was all over the place. Yes, there was manufacturing survey weakness, but that’s not new. We’ve had that practically for a year now, and still no macro-wide recession. There was also a fall back in the housing market index. This had shown a remarkable tendency to rise in recent months, but then snapped back to its long-run average at around 50 for August. The big surprise though was retail sales, which were strong for July. Too strong for the Fed to consider easing up just yet. Hence the risk-asset heaviness. This week is shaping up as one that will likely see the US 10yr consolidate at comfortably over 4%. It’s been in the 4.15% to 4.20% area in the past couple of days, with mild breaks above. It may well consolidate a bit from here. Unlikely to break back below 4.1% for now, and more likely to trek up to the 4.25% area and then 4.3%. At that point the issue is whether it gets bought into enough to manifest in a rally, or whether it pushes on towards 4.5%. It’s still to early to look that far, but the odds currently remain in favour of the latter.   A drag on the latest leg higher in yields   FOMC minutes against the backdrop of brewing inflation expectations Officials’ views on what the next steps of the Fed ought to be had been more diverse of late, with some seeing the need for more hikes, others stressing a lot had been done already. But given the resilience of the US economy, especially the consumer, and the brewing of longer-term market inflation expectations over recent weeks, the discussion of whether enough has been done to tackle inflation may gain more traction. Yesterday, it was the Fed’s Neel Kashkari who posed that question more explicitly. A pause in September still remains the base case also for markets, especially after the latest benign inflation print. Rather than pricing in hikes, the question now is more about how long that pause will last. Obviously all eyes are on the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium starting on 24 August for the next policy directives. Today, we will get the minutes of the July FOMC meeting, in which the Fed hiked by 25bp and retained a bias to do more. If that hawkish sentiment is reflected in the minutes it may well resonate with current market sentiment.      Markets price a Fed on hold, followed by cuts starting in the first half of 2024 Today's events and market view Poor risk sentiment finally caught up with rates, but it also looked like investors were covering their short positions. Initially, yesterday's upside surprise in UK wage growth data set the bearish tone for rates, but dynamics switched after the strong US retail sales data. This morning's UK CPI figures surprised slighly to the upside again, but it appears the market's focus is shifting - with China risks top of mind and the recent rating agency warnings around US banks, this time from Fitch. Ahead of this evening's FOMC minutes, markets will also have US housing starts as well as industrial production data to digest. In Europe, we will see 2Q GDP readings and also industrial production data.  In primary markets, the focus is on Germany’s €2.5bn 30Y bond auctions
Portugal's Growing Reliance on Retail Debt as a Funding Source and Upcoming Market Events"

Netherlands Faces Technical Recession as GDP Contracts Again

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 11:50
The Netherlands falls into a technical recession Dutch GDP contracted in the second quarter of 2023, declining by -0.3% compared to the first quarter. This follows a contraction in the first three months of the year, meaning the Netherlands is in a 'technical recession'. The contraction was mostly driven by declining international trade and household consumption.   Dutch GDP contracted in the second quarter of 2023 by -0.3% quarter-on-quarter, following a contraction of -0.4% between January and March. GDP in the second quarter was also -0.3% smaller compared to the same quarter in 2022. The main reasons for the quarter-on-quarter contraction were falling goods exports, falling consumption of households and an increase in imports. The performance of Dutch exports was as weak as during the first months of the year, with a contraction of -0.7% in the second quarter. This was solely due to a decline in goods exports of -1.4%, as service exports expanded by 2.5%. The net trade contribution to GDP growth (-1.0% point) was even worse than these numbers suggest, as imports rose (0.5%) both in goods (0.7%) and in services (0.1%). After net trade, it was the falling consumption of households that provided the largest drag on GDP growth (-0.7% point), as the contraction was a very considerable -1.6% quarter on quarter. This was much worse than anticipated based on preliminary monthly figures. Dutch consumers bought less abroad and, against expectations, also reduced their consumption of domestic services. At the same time, the consumption of domestic food, beverages and tobacco also fell, in line with forecasts. Consumers living abroad purchased more in the Netherlands, however. Investment excluding changes in inventories expanded as expected, by 1.3%. The quarter-on-quarter growth of gross capital formation was especially strong in transport equipment (9.9%), machinery and other equipment (2.6%) and non-residential buildings (1.2%). Investment in intangible assets (0.2%), such as software and databases and R&D, stagnated, while there was less investment in ICT equipment (-0.5%), infrastructure (-1.0%), and housing (-2.2%). The change in inventories was positive, providing a large contribution (0.9% point) to the GDP development. This increase came as a surprise, as a large share of firms in retail and manufacturing have considered inventories as “too large” for quite some time now (according to recent surveys by the European Commission) and therefore was expected to reduce further. Government consumption expanded by 0.7%. This direction was anticipated, in line with the ambitious coalition agreement of the government (that fell recently). Growth was particularly strong in collective government consumption (1.3%) but also visible in individual final government consumption (0.4%). Employment figures suggest that the latter could be driven by both healthcare and education consumption.   Contraction due to the trade, transport and hospitality and agricultural sectors Among Dutch industries, agriculture and fishery (-4.1% quarter-on-quarter) contracted the most. The trade, transport and hospitality sector (which includes retail, of which sales volumes dropped by -0.4% QoQ) declined by -2.0%, and given its large size provided the largest negative contribution to the GDP development (-0.4% point). Water utilities (-1.5%), construction (-0.5%) and manufacturing (-0.3% QoQ) also contributed to the recession. The contraction of industrial production was most pronounced in tobacco, beverages, machinery, basic metal, clothing and construction materials. There was growth in value added of mining and quarrying (i.e. oil and gas, at 10.9%), the energy supply sector (8.5%), recreation and culture (6.1%), semi-public services (1.2%), business services (0.8%), ICT (0.4%), the financial sector (0.2%), and real estate (0.1%).   Flat line ahead Looking ahead, we see a very flat GDP, with quarterly growth figures remaining close to zero. The second quarter figures at first glance do not seem to call for a substantial change to the view that there will be growth of a few tenths of a percentage point for all of 2023. One positive is that wage growth surpassed inflation, but the repercussions of higher interest rates and weak international developments continue to weigh on the Dutch outlook. We see that sentiment figures are worsening and the fall of the government may also slow government expenditure growth a little bit. With a still-tight labour market and firms expected to hoard labour, we're not anticipating a deep recession with high levels of unemployment.
National Bank of Poland Meeting Preview: Anticipating a 25 Basis Point Rate Cut

China's PBoC Cuts Rates Amid Data Weakness, Concerns Mount Over Macroeconomy

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 11:56
China: PBoC cuts rates amidst data weakness The market was expecting the PBoC to wait until September before easing again, and today's cuts suggest that the authorities' concern about the state of the macroeconomy is mounting. But that doesn't mean that they are about to undertake unorthodox policy measures.   Chinese policy rates   Rate cuts show that concern is mounting The 15bp cut to the medium-term lending facility (MLF) was unexpected. Almost all forecasters expected China's central bank, the PBoC, to wait until September to cut again. MLF lending volumes of CNY401bn were in line with expectations. The PBoC also cut the seven-day reverse repo rate by 10bp, which now stands at 1.8%.  The market responded abruptly. The CNY rose to close to 7.29 immediately after the decision, though eased lower soon after. And 10Y Chinese bond yields dropped about 6bp to 2.56%.  From a macro perspective, today's policy decisions are somewhat helpful. They will help improve the debt-service ability of cash-strapped local governments and property companies. But this isn't a game-changing outcome, and so we doubt that market sentiment will dramatically improve just on this.    Activity data remains extremely poor The activity data release contained no bright spots, and quite a few downside surprises. Perhaps the worst of these was the 2.5% YoY growth in retail sales. This has declined sharply from an admittedly base-effect inflated 18.4%YoY growth rate in April as the re-opening briefly led to a retail sales surge. Now the idea of a consumer-spending-led recovery is looking very vulnerable.  In year-on-year terms, industrial production slowed to 3.7% YoY, from 4.4% in June. Year-to-date, production growth remained at 3.8% for the second month. Property investment slowed at a faster pace in July, falling at an 8.5%YoY pace, weaker than the 7.9% YoY decline achieved the previous month. Property sales growth also slowed to almost a standstill in July, rising at only 0.7% YoY YTD, down from 3.7% in June. And fixed asset investment slowed to 3.4% from 3.8% YoY YTD. Topping all of this off, the surveyed unemployment rate rose to 5.3%.   China activity summary   What does this mean for policy? The question of the day based on the number of times it has been posed to this author is "Does this mean the PBoC will undertake Quantitative Easing (QE), and if so, when?"  At the current juncture, QE does not seem to be the right response to what we are seeing. Nor does a large dollop of fiscal stimulus.  China is undergoing a painful transition to a less debt-fuelled, less property-centric and more consumer-driven economy. An "emergency" policy like QE that primarily inflates real and financial asset prices does not appear to have a strong role to play here. QE would also put the CNY under further weakening pressure, which it is very clear the PBoC does not want and would make it much harder for them to manage the CNY. It would also raise the risks of capital outflows, which they will also be keen to avoid.   More policy measures will be needed and more will certainly be delivered. The PBoC has not ended the rate-cutting cycle yet, and there will be further iterations of policy rate cuts along the lines of what we have seen today. As for government stimulus policies, these, we think, will tend to be along the lines of the many supply-side enhancing measures that we have already seen. The way through a debt overhang is not to print more debt, though it may be to swap it out for lower-rate central government debt, or longer maturity debt to ease debt service. Enhancing the efficiency of the private sector will also play a key role, though this and all the supply-side measures will take a considerable time to play out. The tiresome chorus clamouring for more stimulus is unlikely to stop in the meantime. And we will continue to see weak macro data for the foreseeable future. It is a necessary part of the adjustment and is far preferable to resurrecting the debt-fuelled property model that propelled growth previously. But we do need to lower our expectations for China's growth. 
CHF/JPY Hits Fresh All-Time High in Strong Bullish Uptrend

China's Surprise Rate Cut: A Band-Aid Solution for Deeper Economic Woes

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 16.08.2023 11:58
China's surprise cut won't be enough.  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   China surprised by cutting its one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) rates by 15bp to 2.50% today to give a jolt to its economy that has not only completely missed the expectation of a great post-Covid recovery, but that deals with deepening property crisis, morose consumer, and investor sentiment – which is worsened by Country Garden crisis and missed payments from the finance giant Zhongzhi Enterprises. Data-wise, things looked as worrying as we expected them to look when China released its latest set of economic data today. Growth in industrial production unexpectedly dipped to 3.7%, retail sales unexpectedly fell to 2.5%, unemployment worsened, while growth in fixed investments dropped further. Foreign investment in China fell to the lowest levels since 1998, and the 13F filings showed that Big Short's Michael Burry already exited Alibaba and JD.com, just months after increasing his exposure to these Chinese tech giants. People's Bank of China's (PBoC) surprise rate cut will hardly reverse appetite for Chinese investments as meaningful fiscal stimulus becomes necessary to stop halting.       The Hang Seng remains under pressure, the Chinese yuan fell to the lowest levels against the US dollar since last November, before the post-Covid reopening, and crude oil stagnates around the $82.50pb, close to where it was yesterday morning at around the same time. Tight supply and warnings of increased risk to shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, which is a strategic waterway for oil transit for exporters like Saudi Arabia and Iraq, certainly helped tempering the China-related selloff. But the demand side is weakening and that could stall the oil rally at the actual levels, forcing a return of the barrel of US crude toward the $80pb level, as worries regarding the Chinese recovery are real, and China will have to deploy further stimulus measures to fix things and bring investors back on their side of the table. If that's the case however, oil prices could take a lift.      Elsewhere, Argentina devaluated its currency by 18% to 350 per dollar and hiked its interest rates by 21 percentage points to 118% after populist Javier Milei won the presidential primary, while the dollar ruble traded past the 100 mark for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine and the Indian rupee traded near record, as well. So all that helped the US dollar index shortly trade above its 200-DMA yesterday, a day before the release of the FOMC minutes which could hint that most Federal Reserve officials were certainly happy with the progress on inflation, but not yet convinced that the war against inflation is won just yet. And given the rebound in global energy and food prices, the Fed officials' careful approach to inflation looks like it makes sense. That's certainly why the US 2-year yield continued its advance toward the 5% mark yesterday, even though the latest survey from New York Fed showed that inflation expectations recorded a sharp drop to 3.6% for the next twelve months and fell to 2.9% for the next three years. The same survey showed that the mean unemployment expectation fell by 1 percentage point, giving support to goldilocks or to the soft landing scenario. Goldman now expects the Fed to cut rates in the Q2 of next year. It also said it expects core PCE to have fallen below 3% by that time.       Today, investors will focus on the US Empire manufacturing index and the retail sales data, and earnings from Home Depot will also hit the wire. While expectation for Empire manufacturing points at a negative number, consensus for July retail sales is a slight acceleration on a monthly basis. Any improvement on the US data is poised to further back the pricing of soft landing and give a further boost to both the US dollar and the US stocks.  The S&P500 recovered yesterday, as Nasdaq 100 advanced more than 1% with technology stocks leading the rebound. Nvidia was one of the best performers with a 7% jump after a Morgan Stanley analyst reiterated his $500 per share price target yesterday. But Tesla didn't benefit from the tech rally of yesterday and closed the session below $240 per share after cutting its car prices in China, yet again.    
EUR/USD Fragile Amidst Strong US Data and Bleak Eurozone News

Bearish Pressure Persists: US 10-Year Yield Approaches 4.25% Amidst Unconventional Curve Movements

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 12:01
Rates Spark: Bearish structure still The US 10yr hit 4.2%. It's likely to hit 4.25% and then 4.3% in the coming weeks. Watch the 10yr continuing to cheapen on the curve. It's unusual for that to happen at this stage, but that is what's happening. Oh, and the US 5yr*5yr inflation rate is almost at 2.8%, and still trending up. Not great.   The structure of the US curve continues to trade in a bearish fashion; don't fight it The US 10yr decided to touch 4.2% again, the second time in a couple of weeks. We continue to view the 10yr with a 4% handle as comfortable, and with little immediate hope of breaking back below 4%, the path of least resistance, for now, is to test higher.   The next obvious target to aim for is the prior cycle high at 4.25%, and the intra-day spike to 4.3% back in March. The 10yr is now above the yield highs seen just before Silicon Valley Bank went down, while the 2yr is approaching its prior high at that time (around 5%). So the main difference between now and the pre-SVB demise period is the curve today is less inverted, primarily as the 10yr yield is higher. It’s unusual as long tenor yields have typically tended to fall as the Fed peaks. In consequence, the curve is trading in a manner that questions whether the Fed has in fact peaked, and if the Fed has peaked, the market is openly questioning the extent of subsequent cuts. When SVB went down, the market was discounting a future funds rate at close to 2.5%. Now it’s barely discounting a funds rate much below 4%. That is a key difference and continues to limit the room for longer-tenor yields to fall. In the long bond area, the 30yr remains in the 4.25% area, and the interesting move here has been for the 10yr yield to rise relative to it – hence the 10/30yr spread has been flattening. Typically this would steepen as the Fed peaks, with the 10yr yield falling relative to the 30yr. That’s another difference in play. Less inversion on the 2/10yr segment and flattening on the 10/30yr segment has the belly cheapening on the 2/10/30yr combination. That too is unusual at this stage of the cycle. But we also expect it to continue some more. And by the way, the US 5yr*5yr inflation swap rate has spiked to 2.78%. That as a stand-alone number is troubling. It was at around 2.5% at the beginning of the year, and has slowly journeyed back to get uncomfortably close to 3%. It's volatile and reflective of steepening in the inflation swap curve. For as long as it's trending higher, it is in fact tough for the Fed to pack away its rate-hiking kit with any degree of conviction...   US curves are not showing the typical end-of-cycle vibes     Today's events and market view Rates remain exposed to upward pressure near term, one reason being brewing inflation concerns. UK wage growth has surprised to the upside this morning. We think the reason that especially long-end yields have not risen further may be owed in part to a more fragile risk sentiment as markets are eying the recent developments in China, including its property sector, with greater concern. The latest activity data released overnight contained no bright spots, and quite a few downside surprises, as our economist notes, prompting the People's Bank of China to ease. The main data release later today will be the US retail sales. It is seen posting a decent figure thanks in part to Amazon Prime Day lifting spending, higher gasoline prices boosting the value of gasoline station sales, and vehicle sales ticking higher. With inflation dynamics in focus, import prices should also see some attention, especially given the unusually large reaction to last Friday’s PPI figures. The Empire Manufacturing report rounds off today’s US releases. While the US economy continues to display resilience, the German ZEW release today will highlight the concerns around the German economy being stuck in a twilight zone. In supply, Germany sells €5.5bn in the 2Y Schatz.
Argentine Peso Devaluation: Political Uncertainty Amplifies Economic Challenges

Argentine Peso Devaluation: Political Uncertainty Amplifies Economic Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 12:52
ARS: The only way is down Argentine officials devalued the Argentine peso (ARS) by close to 20% yesterday, which now means one US dollar buys 350 pesos. At the same time, the local central bank hiked rates by 21% to 118% in an attempt to get on top of inflation which is now running at 115% year-on-year. The reason for the step-change in the pace of the depreciation in the official USD/ARS rate was politics. Weekend primary elections saw surprising support for libertarian candidate Javier Milei, who has no interest in the ongoing lending plans from the IMF and recommends dollarising the Argentine economy. The peso came under pressure on the back of these results and with no FX reserves to resist this pressure, the central bank was forced to speed up the ARS devaluation. The result makes the outcome of October's general election highly uncertain and will question Argentina's path ahead with the IMF, where the Washington-based lender is currently reviewing whether to disperse the next $7.5bn tranche of a $44bn four-year programme. Argentina has had a tough year with drought hitting core exports of wheat, corn and soy and it clearly needs some help. For multi-national corporates, the peso has been incredibly difficult to hedge. The one-year USD/ARS outright forward is already close to 1000 and hyper-inflation accounting means that even if corporates have been able to create local ARS liabilities to offset ARS assets, the ARS depreciation of local entity is still running through quarterly P&L accounts. The road ahead looks a tough one for the peso.
Australian Employment Surges in August Amid Part-Time Gains, While US Retail Sales and PPI Beat Expectations

Narrowing Trade Surplus Raises Concerns for Indonesia's Rupiah and Currency Stability

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 12:55
Indonesia: Trade surplus narrows further Indonesia’s July trade report showed both exports and imports in contraction.   Trade surplus down to $1.3bn Indonesia’s July trade report showed both exports and imports down for another month. The market consensus expected a 19.2% year-on-year fall in exports and a 15.3% YoY decline in imports with the trade surplus projected to slip to $2.6bn. Exports fell almost in line with expectations, down by 18% YoY but imports declined at a less pronounced pace of 8.3% YoY. This resulted in the trade surplus narrowing further to $1.3bn, down from the $3.5bn projection and also lower than the June level.  The decline in exports was likely driven by the 46.1% decline in coal exports and the 19.3% YoY drop in palm oil. Imports saw a less pronounced decline for both oil & gas (-29.7% YoY) and non-oil, which was down 2.7% YoY compared to last month’s drop of 13.9% YoY.   Trade surplus continues to narrow   Narrowing trade surplus means less support for currency The continued narrowing of the trade surplus for Indonesia points to a fading key support for the rupiah, which enjoyed a boost in 2022 when the trade surplus hit a record high of $7.5bn. This development could be telling for the IDR, which has been under pressure of late and down roughly 1.5% for the month of August. Indonesia recently asked exporters to retain a portion of export receipts onshore to help improve dollar liquidity, a potential counter to the narrowing trade surplus.  Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia (BI) has held off on adjusting rates after a long pause. However, with interest rate differentials extremely tight (25bp) we could see a potential rate hike from BI if the Federal Reserve does indeed hike again given BI's thrust to ensure FX stability. 
Record High UK Wages Raise Concerns for Bank of England's Rate Decision

Record High UK Wages Raise Concerns for Bank of England's Rate Decision

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.08.2023 12:59
UK wages surge to a new record high in June   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   There was always the likelihood that today's unemployment and wages numbers would give the Bank of England a headache when it comes to deciding what to do when it comes to further rate increases, and this morning's numbers have not just given the central bank a headache, but a migraine.   Not only has the unemployment rate jumped to its highest level since October 2021 at 4.2%, but wages growth surged in June, while the May numbers were also revised higher.   Average weekly earnings for the 3-months to June rose to a record 7.8%, while May was revised up to 7.5%, while including bonuses wages rose by 8.2%, in the process pushing well above core CPI inflation. This move to 8.2% was primarily due to NHS bonus one-off payments made in June, which is unlikely to be repeated.   The rise in wage growth saw public sector pay rise by 6.2%, while private sector wages rose 8.2% for the 3-months to June.   Inevitably this will increase the pressure on the Bank of England to raise rates again at its September meeting by another 25bps, even as headline CPI for July is expected to slow sharply below 7% in numbers released tomorrow.   On the broader employment picture there was a 97k increase in hiring during July as payrolled employees increased. On the overall UK employment rate, this fell back to 75.7%, and is still 0.8% below its pre-pandemic peak, with the economic activity rate also falling slightly to 20.9% on the quarter. Total hours work also declined.   While many people will decry the strength of these numbers and warn of the risk of wage/price spiral they rather miss the point that consumer incomes have been squeezed for months, with the gap finally narrowing, and now starting to work in consumer's favour.         Source: Bloomberg  This trend is likely to continue in the coming months as wage growth starts to slow and falling CPI starts to find a base, offering consumers some relief from the squeeze of the last 18 months.   It's also important to remember that wage price gap leading up the end of 2021, was very much in the consumers favour, however this comparison also comes with several caveats due to furlough payments and other support structures which skewed the numbers.   While today's wages data will undoubtedly grab all the headlines, there are growing signs of weakness in the labour market which may offer the Bank of England pause, and with another 2 CPI reports, one tomorrow, as well as another labour market survey before the next meeting, it doesn't mean that we can expect to see multiple rate hikes in the coming months. While the pressure on the Bank of England to hike in September has undoubtedly risen and is fully priced for September it doesn't necessarily mean we'll see more rate hikes after that. Trends are important and the Bank of England needs to think about that before it raises rates further, and inflation is trending lower. UK 2-year gilts have edged higher and back above 5.1%   The Bank of England needs to remember that they've already raised rates 14 times in the last few months and there is still a lot more tightening that has yet to kick in. On this data another rate hike does seem likely but when you look at the graph above perhaps there's a case for a pause in September given the direction of that graph above. What today's data does mean beyond little doubt is that rates will need to stay at current levels for longer. More rate hikes aren't necessarily the solution to every problem. Just because every problem is a nail, doesn't mean you need a hammer. Just leave rates where they are for longer.   Consumers are already struggling and although we've seen Marks & Spencer update its full year forecasts for profits this morning, the upgrade has come against a backdrop of a strong performance in its food business, which saw like-for-like sales rise 11%.   Clothing and home sales saw like for like sales rise by 6%, with M&S warning that a tightening consumer market could act as a headwind into the year end. Tellingly, management upgraded their outlook to show profit growth in fiscal 2022-23.  
Turbulent Times Ahead: Poland's Central Bank Signals Easing Measures

Record High UK Wages in June: Bank of England Faces Tough Decisions

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.08.2023 13:13
  UK wages surge to a new record high in June   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   There was always the likelihood that today's unemployment and wages numbers would give the Bank of England a headache when it comes to deciding what to do when it comes to further rate increases, and this morning's numbers have not just given the central bank a headache, but a migraine.   Not only has the unemployment rate jumped to its highest level since October 2021 at 4.2%, but wages growth surged in June, while the May numbers were also revised higher.   Average weekly earnings for the 3-months to June rose to a record 7.8%, while May was revised up to 7.5%, while including bonuses wages rose by 8.2%, in the process pushing well above core CPI inflation. This move to 8.2% was primarily due to NHS bonus one-off payments made in June, which is unlikely to be repeated.   The rise in wage growth saw public sector pay rise by 6.2%, while private sector wages rose 8.2% for the 3-months to June.   Inevitably this will increase the pressure on the Bank of England to raise rates again at its September meeting by another 25bps, even as headline CPI for July is expected to slow sharply below 7% in numbers released tomorrow.   On the broader employment picture there was a 97k increase in hiring during July as payrolled employees increased. On the overall UK employment rate, this fell back to 75.7%, and is still 0.8% below its pre-pandemic peak, with the economic activity rate also falling slightly to 20.9% on the quarter. Total hours work also declined.   While many people will decry the strength of these numbers and warn of the risk of wage/price spiral they rather miss the point that consumer incomes have been squeezed for months, with the gap finally narrowing, and now starting to work in consumer's favour.         Source: Bloomberg   This trend is likely to continue in the coming months as wage growth starts to slow and falling CPI starts to find a base, offering consumers some relief from the squeeze of the last 18 months.   It's also important to remember that wage price gap leading up the end of 2021, was very much in the consumers favour, however this comparison also comes with several caveats due to furlough payments and other support structures which skewed the numbers.   While today's wages data will undoubtedly grab all the headlines, there are growing signs of weakness in the labour market which may offer the Bank of England pause, and with another 2 CPI reports, one tomorrow, as well as another labour market survey before the next meeting, it doesn't mean that we can expect to see multiple rate hikes in the coming months. While the pressure on the Bank of England to hike in September has undoubtedly risen and is fully priced for September it doesn't necessarily mean we'll see more rate hikes after that. Trends are important and the Bank of England needs to think about that before it raises rates further, and inflation is trending lower. UK 2-year gilts have edged higher and back above 5.1%   The Bank of England needs to remember that they've already raised rates 14 times in the last few months and there is still a lot more tightening that has yet to kick in. On this data another rate hike does seem likely but when you look at the graph above perhaps there's a case for a pause in September given the direction of that graph above. What today's data does mean beyond little doubt is that rates will need to stay at current levels for longer. More rate hikes aren't necessarily the solution to every problem. Just because every problem is a nail, doesn't mean you need a hammer. Just leave rates where they are for longer.   Consumers are already struggling and although we've seen Marks & Spencer update its full year forecasts for profits this morning, the upgrade has come against a backdrop of a strong performance in its food business, which saw like-for-like sales rise 11%.   Clothing and home sales saw like for like sales rise by 6%, with M&S warning that a tightening consumer market could act as a headwind into the year end. Tellingly, management upgraded their outlook to show profit growth in fiscal 2022-23.    
US Retail Sales Boost Prospects for 3% GDP Growth, but Challenges Loom Ahead

US Retail Sales Boost Prospects for 3% GDP Growth, but Challenges Loom Ahead

ING Economics ING Economics 16.08.2023 13:19
Strong consumer keeps US on track for 3% GDP growth Retail sales provided another upside data surprise and indicates a 3% annualised GDP growth rate is possible for the third quarter. However, higher consumer borrowing costs, reduced credit availability, the exhausting of pandemic-era savings and the restart of student loan repayments pose major challenges for fourth quarter activity.   Retail sales lifted by Prime Day and eating out We have another US data upside surprise from the household sector with retail sales rising 0.7% month-on-month in July versus the 0.4% consensus. June's growth was also revised up 0.1 percentage point to 0.3% MoM. Importantly, the control groups which excludes volatile autos, gasoline, food service and building materials, rose 1% MoM versus 0.5% consensus, but here there was a 0.1pp downward revision to June's growth to 0.5% MoM. This category, historically, has a better correlation with broader consumer spending. Remember retail sales is only around 45% of consumer spending in total, with consumer services taking a greater share. Amazon Prime Day appears to have been the main driver with non-store sales up 1.9% MoM, but there was also strength in restaurants and bars (+1.4%) while sporting goods rose 1.5%, clothing was up 1% and grocery up 0.8%. Electronics (-1.3% MoM) and vehicles (-0.3%) and furniture (-1.8%) were the weak spots. All in it points to the US being on track to report 3% annualised GDP growth in the third quarter, which will keep the Fed's language hawkish even if they don't carry through with further rate hikes, as we expect.   Official retail sales growth versus weekly chain store sales growth (YoY%)   The challenges for spending are mounting Interestingly, there has been a bit of a breakdown in the relationship between official retail sales growth of the control group and the weekly Redbook chain store sales numbers, as can be seen in the chart above. Maybe this is the Prime day effect playing out and we see a reconvergence again in August. The Retail sales report is a good story for now, but we are expecting weakness to materialise in the fourth quarter. Higher market interest rates will add to upward pressure on what are already record high credit card borrowing rates and rising auto, mortgage and personal loan rates. With households also continuing to run down pandemic-related excess savings, as measured by Fed numbers on cash, checking and time savings deposits, this will act as a brake on growth.   US consumer borrowing costs (%)   Higher borrowing costs and reduced credit availability will hurt However, it is important to remember that reduced access to credit is just as important as the cost of credit in taking heat out of the economy. The latest Federal Reserve Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (SLOOS) underscores how the tightening of lending conditions will increasingly act as a headwind for activity and contribute to inflation sustainably returning to target. Banks are increasingly unwilling to make consumer loans and as the chart below shows, this has historically pointed to an outright contraction in consumer credit outstanding.   Fed's Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey points to negative consumer credit growth (YoY%)   Fed to keep rates on hold Add in the squeeze on household finances from the restart of student loan repayments for millions of households and it means further weakness in retail sales and broader consumer spending remains has to remain our base case. The concern is that it will also heighten the chances of recession, which we believe will discourage the Fed from any further interest rate increases. Instead, we expect interest rate cuts from March 2024 onwards as monetary policy is relaxed to a more neutral footing.  
ECB Meeting Uncertainty: Rate Hike or Pause, Market Positions Reflect Tension

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.
GBP Strength and EUR/GBP Testing Lows Amid Economic Data

GBP Strength and EUR/GBP Testing Lows Amid Economic Data

ING Economics ING Economics 17.08.2023 10:10
GBP: EUR/GBP ready to test the lows Higher than expected wage and inflation numbers pushed the Sonia curve to pricing-in 6.0% rates for the first time in a month. On the inflation side, our UK economist notes in this article how the surprise pick-up in service inflation was primarily due to rents, a factor that should not meet the Bank of England’s definition of “persistent”. While a 25bp September hike should be a done deal, we still think a November move is an open question, given indications of abating price pressures in other parts of the economy. Still, the pound is now enjoying a post-repricing strength that looks unlikely to abate rapidly, given the lack of market-moving data and BoE speakers. EUR/GBP looks on track to retest the 0.8505 July lows, also given the lack of strong idiosyncratic defence for the euro.  
Eurozone PMI Shows Limited Improvement Amid Lingering Contraction Concerns in September

Norges Bank Expected to Implement 25bp Rate Hike: NOK Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 17.08.2023 10:11
NOK: 25bp by Norges Bank today We expect Norges Bank to hike by 25bp today, in line with previous guidance. The previous hike was a larger one (50bp), but the trade-weighted strengthening in the krone and some improvements on the inflation side will allow policymakers to hike by a smaller amount today. Markets are pricing in a peak in Norwegian rates after today’s 25bp hike, but we feel they are underestimating the chances of another hike in September. Much will depend on the krone’s performance: we are positive on NOK in the medium term but cannot exclude some risk-off corrections to generate some “scares” for the central bank and trigger another rate hike. Anyway, today is an interim meeting with no new rate projections. We cannot exclude Norges Bank will hint at openness to more tightening, and we see upside risks for NOK anyway, given the rather flat market pricing.
CNH Finds Support Amid Battle for Funding in Money Markets

Norges Bank Raises Rates and Sets Stage for September Move: Krone's Outlook Brightens

ING Economics ING Economics 17.08.2023 11:55
Norges Bank hikes rates and signals a final move in September Norway's central bank is poised for one final rate hike in September, and with other major central banks either at or close to the peak for policy rates, the impetus to raise rates further is fading. The domestic backdrop continues to improve for the krone.   Norges Bank hikes to 4% Norway’s central bank has hiked rates by 25 basis points to 4%, and is continuing to signal that it has one final move left in the tank for September. None of this will come as a huge surprise, given that since Norges Bank’s (NB) larger 50bp hike in June, the krone has appreciated and is currently running 1.5% stronger on a trade-weighted basis than NB had assumed in its most recent projections. Inflation has also come in broadly in line with its expectations, and importantly has tentatively begun to come down from the 7% peak reached by underlying inflation in June. The latest statement points to an increasingly neutral bias for rates, with policymakers hinting at additional hikes if krone weakness returns, or earlier/steeper rate cuts if the economy starts to creak. While we don’t get a new rate projection this month, the last set of forecasts saw the policy rate peaking at 4.25% later this year and there’s little reason to doubt that. With other central banks likely to have either finished hiking already (Federal Reserve) or getting close (ECB), the impetus to keep hiking beyond September is likely to fade.   More good news for the krone NOK is moderately stronger after the Norges Bank announcement, largely due to markets having underpriced the chances of more rate hikes beyond August. External factors are set to remain dominant for the illiquid NOK, but a period of stabilisation in risk sentiment can make domestic drivers emerge and dramatically increase the attractiveness of the krone. We remain constructive about a broad-based rally in the undervalued NOK before the end of the year and in early 2024, and the commitment to more tightening by Norges Bank likely limits the scope of any large corrections. We expect the 11.00 level in EUR/NOK to be tested before the end of the year.
Will Entertainment Trends Spark a Retail Revival? Examining the Impact of Taylor Swift, Barbie, and More on UK Retail Sales

Will Entertainment Trends Spark a Retail Revival? Examining the Impact of Taylor Swift, Barbie, and More on UK Retail Sales

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 18.08.2023 07:58
Will Taylor Swift and Barbie help to lift UK retail sales? By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   This week hasn't been a good week for the FTSE100, with 4 days of declines on top of a poor finish to the end of last week, with the index down 4% over the last 5 days, and down at 5-week lows. The performance of the DAX has been slightly better, but it is still down by 2% over the same period as concerns about the health of the Chinese economy, along with a sell-off on global bonds causes investors to question how long rates are likely to stay at these sorts of levels.   For so long the debate has been about how high interest rates would be likely to go, and has been framed around the duration period before rates start to get cut again. In the last few days, the frames of reference have started to shift from how high rates are likely to go, towards how long they are likely to stay at current levels if inflation continues to be on the sticky side. US markets continued to slip lower after Europe had closed, as the momentum from the recent technical breaks on the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 gained momentum, both closing at 5-week lows, as US 10-year yields posted their highest daily close since 2008, with UK gilt yields already back at 2008 levels. Yesterday's weak US close looks set to translate into another weak open for markets here in Europe, putting the FTSE100 on course to post its worst run of daily losses since October last year. While we've heard plenty of alarmist headlines over the effects of global warming in the past few months, at least the weather gave UK consumers a reason to go out and spend in June, beating expectations of a gain of 0.2% by some amount, with a rise of 0.7%.     Not only did sales in supermarkets and food outlets see a decent rebound, but we also saw a strong showing from department stores and furniture outlets. Retail sales have proved to be remarkably resilient in the past few months with gains over the course of April, May, and June. The resilience in wages growth over the past few months may also have played a part in this resilience, however heading into Q3 the big question is whether this can be sustained. Recent spending data from Barclaycard showed entertainment spending rose 15.8% in July on the back of an uptick in spending for live events including Taylor Swift, as well as bookings for holidays after a warm June. We also saw the release of 4 big movie releases during July, including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, Barbie, and Oppenheimer. On the flip side, spending on clothing saw a decline due to the wet weather. If we see another positive month for July retail sales, could we call it a Barbie bounce? For the most part expectations aren't especially positive with an expectation that we could see a decline in July retail sales including fuel of -0.6%, which would be the first negative month since March when sales fell by -1.2%. The final reading of EU CPI for July is expected to be confirmed at 5.3%, with core prices at 5.5%.       EUR/USD – currently languishing close to the bottom of its recent range but just above the main support area at the 1.0830 area. Still feels range bound with resistance at the 1.1030 area.     GBP/USD – continues to edge higher back towards the 1.2800 area. Remains well supported above the recent lows at the 1.2600 area. A break below 1.2600 targets 1.2400. A move above the 1.2800 area through 1.2830 could see a move to target 1.3000.           EUR/GBP – slipped back to the 0.8520/30 area, which is holding for now. A move below 0.8500 could see 0.8480. Above the 100-day SMA at 0.8580 targets the 0.8720 area.     USD/JPY – continues to edge higher, towards the 147.50 area. The previous peaks this year at 145.10 should act as support.  A move below the 144.80 area, targets a move back to the 143.10 area.     FTSE100 is expected to open 25 points lower at 7,285     DAX is expected to open 50 points lower at 15,626     CAC40 is expected to open 16 points lower at 7,176  
Market Highlights: US CPI, ECB Meeting, and Oil Prices

UK Retail Sales Expected to Slip as Concerns about Inflation Persist

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 18.08.2023 10:09
UK retail sales expected to slip in July Fed minutes note concern about inflation The British pound has extended its gains on Thursday. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2772, up 0.32%. UK retail sales expected to decline The UK will wrap up a busy week with retail sales on Friday. The July report is expected to show a decline in consumer spending. Headline retail sales are expected to fall by 0.5% after a 0.7% gain in May and core retail sales are projected to decline by 0.7% after a 0.8% increase in May. The June numbers were higher than expected despite high inflation, helped by record-hot weather. Will the July data also surprise to the upside? The UK consumer has been grappling with the highest inflation in the G7 club, which means shoppers are getting less for their money. This has dampened consumption, a key driver of the economy. Energy prices are lower, thanks to the energy price cap, but food inflation continues to soar and was 17.4% y/y in June. Consumer confidence has been mired deep in negative territory and the GfK consumer confidence index, which will be released later today, is expected at -29, almost unchanged from the previous release of -30 points. The Bank of England would like to follow some of the other major central banks that are in a pause phase, but the grim inflation picture may force the BoE to keep raising interest rates, which could tip the weak economy into a recession. Wage growth jumped to 7.8% in the three months to June, up from 7.5% in the previous period. In July, headline CPI fell to 6.9%, down sharply from 7.9%, but core CPI remains sticky, and was unchanged at 6.9%. The data points to a wage-price spiral which could impede the BoE’s efforts to curb inflation.   The Federal Reserve remains concerned about high inflation and said that additional rate hikes might be needed, according to the minutes of the July meeting. At the meeting, the Fed raised rates by 0.25%, a move that was widely anticipated. Most members “continued to see significant upside risks to inflation, which could require further tightening of monetary policy”. At the same, time, members expressed uncertainty over the future rate path since there were signs that inflationary pressures could be easing.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD is testing resistance at 1.2787. The next resistance line is 1.2879  1.2726 and 1.2634 are providing support    
US August CPI: Impact on USD/JPY and Trading Strategies

China's Less-Than-Expected Key Loan Rate Cut Amplifies Market Concerns

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 21.08.2023 09:56
06:10BST Monday 21st August 2023 China cuts key loan rate by less than expected  By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)     The last 3 weeks haven't been good ones for markets in Europe, with the FTSE100 bearing the brunt of recent weakness posting its worst daily run of losses since October last year, as well as revisiting its March lows last week. The DAX has fared little better, revisiting the lows in July, as weakness in Asia markets, and China especially, pushed the Hang Seng down 5.89% and into bear market territory, as concerns over China's economy, the solvency of its real estate sector, and any risks of contagion into its financial system.   These concerns were amplified last week after Chinese asset manager Zhonghzi missed a coupon payment, as investors increasingly looked towards possible measures from Chinese authorities to support the economy and their financial system. Thus far we've seen little significant indication of support apart from some modest rate cuts or stimulus at a time when the economy is teetering in deflation, as well as a distinct lack of domestic demand.   This morning China did announce that they were cutting their one-year lending rate by 10bps to 3.45%, however they left their 5-year loan rate unchanged at 4.20%, having cut the medium-term loan rate last week. Unsurprisingly markets were less than impressed by this move, expecting authorities to be much more forceful. This lack of urgency has weighed on Asia markets and is unlikely to spark demand in an economy where loan demand appears to be low anyway. In the UK, the latest Rightmove House price survey saw asking prices cut by 1.9% in August the biggest decline this year as higher mortgage rates weighed on demand for houses. The prospect of another rate hike next month is also likely to be affecting confidence, although the fact we are in August, and in the middle of the school holidays probably also has a part to play.   US markets, which until recently had proved to be much more resilient have also succumbed to the recent weakness in equity markets, also sliding for the third week in succession, with both the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 breaking below their respective 50-day SMA's in a sign that further losses could be on the way.   The weakness in US markets is altogether being driven by a different concern, namely that of higher interest rates for longer as the US economy, which continues to defy expectations of an economic slowdown, sees Fed policymakers push the prospect of more rate hikes in the coming months, pushing up long term yields to multiyear highs in the process, as the prospect of rate cuts gets pushed even further into the future. With that the main investors focus has become less on how high rates might go, and more on how long they will stay there.     This week is likely to see investor attention on the Jackson Hole Symposium where the topic up for discussion is "Structural Shifts in the Global Economy" This will be closely scrutinised for evidence that we might see a rate pause next month when the Federal Reserve next meets to decide on monetary policy.       When Powell spoke last year, he made it plain that there was more pain ahead for US households and that this wouldn't deter the central bank in acting to bring down inflation, even if it meant pushing unemployment up. His tone this week is unlikely to be anywhere near as hawkish, although he will also be reluctant to declare inflation victory either. It is clear that the Fed believes the fight against inflation is far from over, and in that context it's unlikely he will deliver any dovish surprises       EUR/USD – still looking soft with the main support area at 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 – while above the twin support areas at 1.2610/20 bias remains for a move through the 1.2800 area, and on towards 1.3000. A break below 1.2600 targets 1.2400.        EUR/GBP – finding 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 – continues to edge higher, towards the 147.50 area. Below the 144.80 area, targets a move back to the 143.10 area.       FTSE100 is expected to open 10 points higher at 7,272     DAX is expected to open 15 points higher at 15,589     CAC40 is expected to open 10 points higher at 7,174  
USD/JPY Weekly Review: Strong Dollar and Yen's Resilience in G10 Currencies

China Rate Cuts Fall Short of Expectations Amid Growing Economic Concerns: Focus on Jackson Hole and BRICS Summit

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 21.08.2023 09:58
China rate cuts remain short of expectations, focus on Jackson Hole, BRICS  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The week starts with weak appetite as Chinese banks cut loan rates less than expected; the 1-year LPR was cut by 10bp to a record low versus 15bp cut expected by analysts, while the 5-year LPR was left unchanged despite pressure from Beijing. Chinese banks' decision to keep the 5-year rate steady is confusing for investors, in the middle of a property crisis. The Hang Seng index sank further into bear market, and the global risk sentiment is less than ideal as healthy economic data from the US, and darker clouds over China cast shadow on both stock and bond markets.   The US 10-year yield approached the highest levels since 2007, as the US 30-year yield hit the highest levels advanced towards levels last seen in 2011. The rising yields weigh on major stock indices. The S&P500 closed last week around 2% lower, and Nasdaq 100 lost 2.6% last week. Interestingly, the S&P500 has been down by around 3% since the beginning of this earnings season – while the earnings season was not that bad. Nearly 80% of the companies announced better-than-expected results and Refinitiv highlighted that the Q2 of 2023 had the highest rate of companies beating expectations since Q3 2021, and the earnings expectations rebounded to the highest levels since last October, when the major US indices bottomed out. This picture simply means that the fear of a further Fed tightening, prospects of higher interest rates, combined to the set of bad news from China simply didn't let investors enjoy the better-than-expected earnings.  
Navigating the Path Ahead: Inflation, Catalysts, and Lessons from the 1970s

CEE Economic Outlook: Focus on Data and Rates

ING Economics ING Economics 21.08.2023 10:05
CEE: Rates matter again This week, we will see a number of hard data from the Polish economy. Industrial production, PPI and wage numbers will be released today. Our economists expect another 0.5% year-on-year decline in industrial production – better than market expectations. However, the slowdown in China and the weak performance of German industry shows the risk of another weak result for Polish industry. On the other hand, wage growth should confirm steady double-digit growth. Tomorrow, Poland will remain the main focus with the release of retail sales and construction data. Thursday will see consumer confidence data in the Czech Republic, which could show further improvement thanks to a rapid slowdown in inflation.  On the sovereign rating side, Fitch will publish a review of the Czech Republic on Friday. The agency downgraded the outlook to negative from AA- stable in May last year, mainly due to the deteriorating fiscal policy trajectory. However, the negative scenario has not materialised since then, and the government has unveiled a large consolidation package resulting in a rough halving of the public deficit next year. We therefore expect the outlook to return to stable.   In the FX market, CEE currencies have gained some ground in the past week after some time despite the fact that US dollar levels are not making the region's life easier. In our view, the gains were mainly driven by rising market interest rates and support from the interest rate differential. Moreover, after weeks of weakness, more balanced positioning across the region is also helpful. Interest rates drivers seem to be back after a long time, and Friday's move indicates further gains for today. The Polish zloty seems most tempting from this perspective, almost touching 4.50 EUR/PLN last week, which we believe is the upper ceiling of the current 4.40-4.50 range. Unless today's data surprises on the negative side, we could see further gains below 4.44 EUR/PLN. The Czech koruna should finally settle below 24.00 EUR/CZK. 
Navigating the Path Ahead: Inflation, Catalysts, and Lessons from the 1970s

Forex Insights: Rising Real Yields, Evergrande Woes, and Dollar Strength

Ed Moya Ed Moya 21.08.2023 12:29
Soft landing hopes fizzle as real yields hit highest levels in a decade China jitters remain as Evergrande files for US bankruptcy Dollar index posts best win streak since May 2022  The Japanese yen is no longer acting like a safe haven currency. With global stocks having the worst week since March, dollar-yen appears poised to finish the week higher.  Wall Street has had a major reset, and now believes that interest rates will stay higher for longer, and is fearful that the Fed might have to deliver more tightly given the strength of the US economy. The global bond market selloff as taken treasury yields two levels that are forcing portfolio managers to adjust accordingly. Short term rates are too attractive, and that should provide some underlying strengths for the US dollar. Today, the yen is on firming footing but some of that is on profit-taking given the big week the dollar has had. With tech and communication stocks getting hit the hardest, expectations for a safe-haven trade could keep the dollar supported. The wildcard for the dollar trade will be Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech, which could remain hawkish or possibly contain a dovish twist     The USD/JPY daily chart has already tested key levels that are making Japanese officials uncomfortable, but given the potential FX flows following Jackson Hole, it seems Japan will wait before intervening. This combination of a return of the king dollar and lagging Japanese yen has served to boost USD/JPY beyond 145.00 and towards major psychological support around the 150.00 level. As long as markets continue to bet on an inflation-fighting Fed and patient BOJ, USD/JPY could target the 148.00 region next week.  With any dovish surprises from Powell, a breakdown could occur below the noted 145.00 psychological support level.
Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

UK Retail Sales Decline Amid Weather and Economic Factors

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 21.08.2023 12:58
UK retail sales post a sharp decline Rainy weather and high prices weighed on consumer spending The British pound has given up ground on Friday after several days of modest gains. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2736, down 0.07%.   UK retail sales decline more than expected The weather in the UK continues to have a major impact on consumer spending. The June retail sales report was stronger than expected, with record-hot weather contributing to an increase in spending. July brought cold and rainy weather, which led to a decline in spending as shoppers preferred to stay home. Retail sales declined -1.2% m/m in July, down from +0.6% in June and below the consensus estimate of -0.5%. The UK consumer’s spending appetite isn’t only dependent on the weather, of course. Consumer spending has been surprisingly resilient in a tough economic environment, but high inflation and rising interest rates are taking their toll. The cost-of-living crisis has created a situation in which sales volumes are falling but the value of goods purchased has been rising – in other words, consumer purchasing power has been falling as consumers are spending more to buy less. What is bad for consumers may be welcome news for the Bank of  England, whose battle with inflation hasn’t gone all that well. The BoE has raised interest rates to 5.25% in order to curb inflation, but a tight labour market and strong consumer spending have contributed to high inflation, which is currently running at a 6.8% clip. If the cracks we saw this week in the labour market and consumer spending continue, it could mean that the BoE has finally turned the corner in its tenacious battle to bring inflation closer to the 2% target.   GBP/USD TechnicalNew button GBP/USD is testing support at 1.2787. Below, there is support at 1.2634  1.2879 and 1.2940 are the next resistance lines  
Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 21.08.2023 14:03
It seems that August this year will remain the worst August month in history. Since early 2023, positive sentiment in the markets has increased significantly on a wave of expectations that inflation this year will fall in the US to the target level of 2% and, in turn, the Federal Reserve will stop further rate hikes. In practice, it became clear by August that such expectations are still not justified. What is the underlying reason for the deterioration of market investor sentiment? The theme of inflation in the US, which is projected onto other countries and financial hubs, and the Federal Reserve's future monetary policy proceeding from this, remains the crucial negative factor.   Recently, a slight rebound was recorded in the annual rate of the consumer price index (CPI) from 3.0% in June to 3.2% in July that assured the US central bank to raise interest rates by another 0.25%. Then, in Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and some policymakers of the rate-setting committee signaled another increase in the federal funds rate, although before that the regulator had refrained from raising rates. Of course, investors could not ignore such prospects in monetary policy, which led to a protracted downward correction in the stock markets and enabled growth in Treasury yields. At the same time, the ICE dollar index continues to move in a sideways channel, albeit slightly declining since the beginning of this year. Since mid-July, the index has notably recovered after a local breakout of a strong support level of 100 points. So, the investor community lack understanding about what will happen to inflation in America, whether it will continue to grow or resume its decline. Besides, investors are discouraged by regular threats from Fed policymakers about the possibility of further interest rate hikes.   Therefore, a fog of uncertainty descended on the markets, which set the stage for the decline in local and global stock indices. We believe that until the publication of August data on consumer inflation, which will serve as a benchmark for the Federal Reserve, the current market environment will not change. In this case, we expect a lower corrective decline in the US benchmark stock indices.   Treasury yields are likely to continue their growth. However, but at the same time, the ICE US dollar index may remain in a rather narrow range of 101.00-105.00 until the end of the month, unless, of course, Powell will not tell the markets anything new regarding the prospects for monetary policy at the symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which will be held later this week. An unexpected message may come as a big surprise for investors, since in general they do not foresee anything from the Federal Reserve's leader yet.     Intraday outlook USD/JPY The currency pair is consolidating above the level of 145.00. If the price falls below this level, there is a possibility of a limited decline towards 144.20. XAU/USD The price of gold remains under pressure due to the general negative market sentiment and expectations of another Fed rate hike, but the instrument may grow locally if it does not slip below 1,884.00. In this case, we should expect gold to rise to 1,900.50. 8
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  
Market Reaction to Eurozone Inflation Report: Euro Steady as Data Leaves Impact Limited

Rates Reach New Highs: Implications for Markets and Central Banks

ING Economics ING Economics 22.08.2023 08:45
Rates Spark: Kicking off with new highs The week has started with new yield highs for the cycle, with 10Y USTs having topped 4.34%. The bearish set-up with a waning Fed cut discount prevails, and with the 20Y Treasury sale and the Jackson Hole symposium looming large later this week, the appetite to take the other side is small.   The bearish set-up for rates persist The week has kicked off with rates selling off again. The 10Y UST yield has in fact hit a new cycle high of 4.35%, surpassing the previous peak seen last October. One now has to look back to November 2007 to find yields at similar levels. It is not clear where the impulse came from this time around. There were no data releases of note, although risk assets had stabilised somewhat. There is of course the anticipation of the Jackson Hole symposium, which may be the reason for market participants' reluctance to take the opposite side of the trade. The general consensus appears to be for a slightly hawkish leaning tone from the Fed Chair, not necessarily with regards to where the terminal rate should be, but with a pushback against the discount of rate cuts further out. We have cautioned for some time now that the waning discount of Fed cuts with the Fed funds strip pricing a trough not materially below 4% would even support 10Y UST yields at 4.5% accounting for a term premium. Looking to Europe, we note that Bunds also sold off, but the 10Y Bund yield has not managed to rise beyond last week’s highs, holding around 2.7%. The expectations of weaker flash PMIs tomorrow may provide some tailwind to Bunds. However, we did see the 30Y push to new cycle highs at 2.8%. With the macro outlook bleak, the eurozone narrative for higher rates is still more centred around inflation risks. Energy, and in particular gas prices, remain volatile. And more generally the German Bundesbank yesterday warned in its monthly bulletin that inflation could stay above target for longer. The Bundesbank presented a survey that showed the European Central Bank’s 2% target has gradually lost relevance in wage negotiations, and highlighted the risk of higher inflation expectations becoming entrenched.     
USD/JPY Breaks Above 146 Line: Bank of Japan's Core CPI in Focus

USD/JPY Breaks Above 146 Line: Bank of Japan's Core CPI in Focus

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 22.08.2023 09:05
The Japanese yen faced considerable losses on Monday as USD/JPY surged to 146.23 during the North American session, marking a 0.57% increase for the day. The US dollar's strength has propelled it dangerously close to pushing the yen below the critical 146 line, a scenario witnessed last week when the robust US dollar drove the struggling yen to a nine-month low. Once synonymous with deflation, the Japanese economy has undergone a significant transformation in the era of high global inflation. With Japan's inflation hovering slightly above 3%, a level that many major central banks would eagerly welcome, the landscape has shifted. Notably, inflation remains relatively high by Japanese standards, as both headline and core inflation have consistently outpaced the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) 2% target. Japan's inflation data is closely scrutinized as the prospect of elevated inflation sparks speculations that the BoJ might need to tighten its lenient policy stance. Although the central bank has maintained that the high inflation is transitory, it's worth remembering that other central banks have made similar claims only to backtrack later. The Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB) come to mind as examples. In the previous week, July's Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained steady at 3.3% year-on-year, while Core CPI experienced a slight dip to 3.1% year-on-year from the previous 3.3%. Looking ahead, Tuesday brings the release of BoJ Core CPI, the central bank's favored inflation metric, which is projected to decrease to 2.7% for July, down from June's 3.0%.   USD/JPY pushes above 146 line Bank of Japan’s Core CPI is expected to ease to 2.7% The Japanese yen has posted significant losses on Monday. USD/JPY is trading at 146.23 in the North American session, up 0.57% on the day. The US dollar has looked sharp and is within a whisker of pushing the yen below the 146 line, as was the case last week when the strong US dollar pushed the ailing yen to a nine-month low. The Japanese economy was once synonymous with deflation, but that has changed in the era of high global inflation. Japan’s inflation is slightly above 3%, a level that other major central banks would take in a heartbeat. Still, inflation is relatively high by Japanese standards and both headline and core inflation have persistently been above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. Japan’s inflation reports are carefully monitored as higher inflation has raised speculation that the BoJ will have to tighten its loose policy. The central bank has insisted that high inflation is transient, but the BoJ wouldn’t be the first bank to make that claim and then backtrack with its tail between its legs. Remember the Fed and the ECB? Last week, July’s CPI remained unchanged at 3.3% y/y. Core CPI dropped to 3.1% y/y, down from 3.3%. On Tuesday, Japan releases BoJ Core CPI, the central bank’s preferred inflation gauge, which is expected to dip to 2.7% in July, down from 3.0% in June. China’s economic troubles have sent the Chinese yuan sharply lower, with the Chinese currency falling about 5% this year against the US dollar. A weak yuan makes Chinese exports more attractive, but this is at the expense of other exporters including Japan. As a result, there is pressure in Japan to lower the value of the yen in order to compete with Chinese exports.   USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY pushed above resistance at 145.54 earlier today. The next resistance line is 146.41 There is support at 144.51 and 143.64    
Dollar Strength Continues as 10-year Treasury Surges to 4.34%, Reaching Highest Levels Since Financial Crisis

Dollar Strength Continues as 10-year Treasury Surges to 4.34%, Reaching Highest Levels Since Financial Crisis

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 22.08.2023 09:10
Canadian Dollar Experiences Biggest Intra-day Gain Since End of July. The Canadian dollar has been experiencing a steady weakening against the US dollar since mid-July. The ongoing bullish uptrend of USD/CAD is meeting resistance as foreign exchange traders speculate on the possibility of the Fed and BOC being close to completing their tightening cycles with one more rate hike. Major resistance at the 1.36 level could hold, potentially leading to a pullback targeting the 1.3454 level, the current 200-day SMA. The upcoming week might bring a hawkish stance from Fed Chair Powell, which could revive the king dollar trade. Oil Market Rally Fizzles Amid Strong Dollar Trade and Rising Real Yields Crude oil prices initially rallied in the morning, driven by expectations of a tight oil market due to current backwardation trends. However, the surge in real yields and a potential strong dollar resurgence after Jackson Hole are contributing to the reversal of the oil price rally. While risks to crude demand are emerging, the oil market's tightness should provide some support.     Dollar supported as 10-year Treasury hits 4.34%, highest levels since financial crisis Oil market to remain tight, but so far offers little help for the loonie Loonie was having biggest intra-day gain since end of July   The Canadian dollar has been steadily weakening against the greenback since the middle of July.  The USD/CAD bullish uptrend appears to be facing some resistance as FX traders anticipate both the Fed and BOC are possibly one more rate hike away from being done with tightening. It appears that major resistance from the 1.36 level might hold, so if a pullback emerges, downside could target the 1.3454 level, which is currently the 200-day SMA.  If markets get a very hawkish Fed Chair Powell this week could see the return of the king dollar trade.   Oil The morning oil price rally is fizzling as the strong dollar trade might be back given the surge in real yields.  Crude prices were much higher in early trade on expectations that the oil market would remain tight given the current backwardation. Risks to the crude demand outlook are growing, especially after China disappointed with last night’s easing, but for now a tight market should keep oil supported. The biggest risk for energy traders is if we see a massive wave of dollar strength after Jackson Hole. Right now there are so many oil drivers and most support higher prices. Heating oil prices are elevated and that might continue.  Iran nuclear talks won’t be having any breakthroughs anytime soon. Gulf of Mexico oil production could be at risk as a few formations build on the Atlantic.     Gold Gold’s worst enemy is surging real yields.  It was supposed to be a quiet start to the week for gold with China coming to the rescue and some calm before Friday’s Jackson Hole speech by Fed Chair Powell.  There is a little bit of nervousness from the long-term bulls as gold futures are getting dangerously close to the $1900 level, which could trigger a wave of technical selling.  It seems gold needs some disorderly stress in financial markets for it to rally and that doesn’t seem like it is happening anytime soon. The outlook for the next few quarters is cloudy at best, but it seems that there is still too much strength in the economy that is dampening safe-haven flows for gold.  It doesn’t help that hedge funds are throwing in the towel for gold, which now has net-long positions at a five month low.        
Market Reaction to Eurozone Inflation Report: Euro Steady as Data Leaves Impact Limited

Market Reaction to Eurozone Inflation Report: Euro Steady as Data Leaves Impact Limited

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 22.08.2023 09:12
The euro started the week on a stable note, with little response to the eurozone inflation report released on Friday. In the North American session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0886, reflecting a minor increase of 0.13%. Given the sparse data calendar for Monday, it is expected that the euro will maintain its calm trajectory for the rest of the day. Eurozone Inflation Trends: Headline Falls, Core Remains Unchanged The past week concluded with a eurozone inflation report that brought about a mixed reaction. The euro displayed minimal volatility in response to the data. The headline inflation rate for June was confirmed at 5.3% year-on-year (y/y), down from 5.5% in the previous month. This decline marked the lowest level observed since January 2022, primarily driven by a drop in energy prices.     Markets show little reaction to Friday’s eurozone inflation report Headline inflation falls but core rate unchanged The euro is steady at the start of the week. In the North American session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0886, up 0.13%. With a very light data calendar on Monday, I expect the euro to remain calm for the remainder of the day.   Eurozone headline inflation falls, core inflation unchanged The week ended with a mixed inflation report out of the eurozone and the euro showed little reaction. Inflation was confirmed at 5.3% y/y in June, down from 5.5% in June. This marked the lowest level since January 2022 and was driven by a decline in energy prices. Core CPI remained unchanged at 5.5% in July, confirming the initial reading. The news was less encouraging from services inflation, which rose from 5.4% to 5.6% with strong wage growth driving the upswing. The labour market remains tight and inflation is still high, which suggests that wage pressure will continue to increase. Inflation has been moving in the right direction but core inflation and services inflation remain sticky and are raising doubts, within the ECB and outside, if the central bank’s aggressive tightening cycle can bring inflation back to the 2% target. The deposit rate stands at 3.75%, its highest level since 2000. The ECB’s primary goal is to curb inflation but policy makers cannot ignore that additional rate hikes could tip the weak eurozone economy into a recession. The ECB meets next on September 14th and there aren’t many key releases ahead of the meeting. ECB President Lagarde has said that all options are open and investors will be listening to any comments coming out of the ECB, looking for clues as to whether the ECB will raise rates next month or take a pause.   EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD tested resistance at 1.0893 earlier. Above, there is resistance at 1.0940 There is support at 1.0825 and 1.0778    
ARM's US IPO Amidst Challenging Landscape: Will Investors Pay an ARM and a Leg?

ARM's US IPO Amidst Challenging Landscape: Will Investors Pay an ARM and a Leg?

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 22.08.2023 14:42
13:00BST Tuesday 22nd August 2023 Paying an ARM and a leg? By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   UK chipmaker ARM, which is owned by SoftBank has finally pulled the trigger on its US IPO, snubbing London, and testing the appetite of the market for new issues at a time when sentiment remains cautious as well as a little fragile given current trends of rising interest rates.   Having originally been listed here in the UK as well as on the Nasdaq back in 1998, ARM Holdings was delisted in 2016, when SoftBank acquired it for $32bn. Now looking to list the business for a price tag which could be as high as $70bn, SoftBank hopes to draw a line under an acquisition that has undergone mixed fortunes over the past few years, as well as trying to raise cash at a time when a lot of the value of its recent investments has declined sharply, prompting a loss of $29.5bn in last year's accounts.    Softbank still needs to buy back the 25% of the business it doesn't own to push the IPO through, and having posted such a huge loss, appears to be looking to free up some cash, after 5 quarters of losses. SoftBank initially tried to sell the business to Nvidia for about $40bn back in 2020, but that deal faced regulatory issues particularly when it came to national security, as well as fears it could give Nvidia too much of an advantage when it came to controlling the IP for chip designs in everything from mobile phones to data centres.    The UK based chipmaker could certainly do with a greater degree of autonomy, its performance under the stewardship of SoftBank has been mixed, swinging to a $65.5m loss in Q1. Total net sales declined 10.8% in the quarter ended 30th June, coming in at $641m, with most of the fall being down to a 19.3% fall in royalty revenues.    ARM generates a lot of its revenues from licensing its IP and the slowdown in mobile phone and other electronic device sales impacted its revenues in the most recent quarter. As the chip sector becomes even more strategically important with the development of AI, ARM is looking to develop new chipsets targeted at machine learning.   Earlier this year it introduced two new products, a CPU called Cortex-4, and a GPU called G720, which uses 22% less memory bandwidth than the chip it is replacing as well as better performance. There are risks and these were outlined in the proposal document including its China business which it has little control over.   As a fully functioning business there appears little risk that the company won't do well when it comes to generating cashflow, with the roadshow set to get underway in early September. The bigger question is what appetite there is for a company that is coming to market at a time when revenues have declined, and stock markets look toppy.   Investors will certainly want a piece of a business that could see its revenues grow quickly, as the enthusiasm for AI increases. The key factor will be getting the price right, as new investors may not want to pay an ARM and a leg for it.           
Sterling Slides as Market Anticipates Possible Final BOE Rate Hike Amidst Weakening Consumer and Housing Market Concerns

Gold Price Analysis: Technical Outlook and Potential Scenarios

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 22.08.2023 14:52
Early in the European session, gold (XAU/USD) is trading around 1,894.45, above the 21 SMA, and below the 200 EMA located at 1,904. On the H1 chart, we can see that gold broke the bearish trend channel formed since August 8 and it is expected to consolidate above 1/8 Murray located at 1,890 in the next few hours.     If this scenario occurs, then the instrument could reach the 200 EMA located at 1,904 or go up to 2/8 Murray located at 1,906. 10-year US Treasury yields are trading above 4.3% as investors expect the Fed to continue raising interest rates in September 2023. Bonds and gold are inversely correlated. Since these are overbought, a fall in bonds is expected in the next few days, so it will be seen as an opportunity to buy gold.   We can see that gold is overbought according to the 1-hour chart. Hence, we could expect a technical correction to occur in the next few hours towards the 1,888 area and then from there, a technical rebound could follow.   In case the XAU/USD pair continues to rise, we could expect it to reach 1,906. We could use this opportunity to sell. The eagle indicator is showing an overbought signal. We expect gold to reach the 1,888 level and this will give us an opportunity to buy at a low price. Conversely, a sharp break below the low reached so far around 1,885, could be seen as a continuation of the downward movement. Therefore, the instrument could reach 1,875 and finally 1,867.  
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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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New Inflation Methodology Sparks Hope for BoE as GBPUSD Faces Resistance

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 23.08.2023 10:33
New inflation methodology offers hope for BoE 1.28 could be major resistance point for GBPUSD A break of 1.26 could be bearish signal   Recent UK economic data has been a mixed bag, with wages rising at a much-accelerated rate but inflation decelerating as expected. While the Bank of England will be relieved at the latter, the former will remain a concern as wage growth even near those levels is not consistent with inflation returning sustainably to target over the medium term. The ONS released new figures overnight that appeared to suggest core inflation is not rising as fast as the CPI data suggests. The reportedly more sophisticated methodology concluded that core prices rose 6.8% last month, down from 7% the previous month and 7.3% the month before. The official reading for July was slightly higher at 6.9% but down from only 7.1% in May. So not only is the new methodology showing core inflation lower last month but the pace of decline is much faster. That will give the BoE hope that price pressures are easing and they’re expected to do so much more over the rest of the year.     GBPUSD Daily     It’s not clear whether this will prove to be a resumption of the uptrend or merely a bearish consolidation. It is currently nearing 1.28, the area around which it has previously run into resistance this month and around the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level. Another rebound off here could be viewed as another bearish signal, which may suggest we’re currently seeing a bearish consolidation, while a move above could be more promising for the pound. If the pair does rebound lower then the area just above 1.26 will be key, given this is where it has recently seen strong support. It is also where the 55/89-day simple moving average band has continued to support the price in recent months.
Worrisome Growth Signals in Eurozone PMI: Recession Risks Loom Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures

Worrisome Growth Signals in Eurozone PMI: Recession Risks Loom Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures

ING Economics ING Economics 23.08.2023 12:44
Eurozone PMI paints worrisome growth picture Another weak PMI for the eurozone confirms a sluggish economy with recession as a downside risk. Inflation pressures for services remain stubborn as wage pressures continue to be a concern. The latter adds to our expectations that the ECB's hiking cycle is not over yet.   There is very little to like about today’s PMI. In recent months, the PMI has painted a worsening picture of eurozone activity, and August data are no different. The composite PMI dropped from 48.6 to 47 with the services PMI also dropping below 50. Inflationary concerns are not over though. The manufacturing sector has been in contraction for some time, with new orders falling and backlogs of work easing. This is helping inflationary pressures subside quickly. Services activity held up for a while but is now also showing contraction, according to the survey. While goods inflation is easing on the back of lower costs and weak demand, services inflation remains elevated for now due to increased wage cost pressures – despite weakening demand. The economic picture that we're seeing is quite worrisome. Growth in the bloc was decent at 0.3% quarter-on-quarter between April and June, but strong Irish growth masked a lot of underlying weakness. While we expect tourism to have contributed positively to third-quarter growth, business surveys like the August PMI show a picture of deteriorating activity. This makes a recession a realistic downside risk to the outlook. The main concern that the European Central Bank will have with this reading is the inflationary effect of wage pressures. The economy is cooling off significantly, but hawks on the ECB board will be tempted to push for one more hike as wage pressures are translating into elevated inflation pressures for services. The fact that the selling price inflation indicator from the PMI inched up this month clearly leaves the door open to another ECB rate hike.
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EUR/USD Currency Pair Analysis: Dominant Trend, Rate Hikes, and Monetary Policy Outlook

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 23.08.2023 13:09
  Yesterday, the EUR/USD currency pair rose to its moving average line but almost immediately rebounded and began a stronger decline. This decline eloquently demonstrated who currently dominates the market. Traders shouldn't be misled by the movement toward and potentially beyond the moving average – this line is close to the price (due to low volatility) and can touch it almost daily. However, as we can see, the first attempt to rise above the moving average failed. Importantly, this cannot be blamed on strong macroeconomic data for the dollar or the fundamental backdrop. Technically, nothing has changed. The pair updated its local minimum yesterday, meaning the downward trend remains.   Thus, expecting the European currency to fall is the most logical under the current circumstances. As we have repeatedly stated, there have been no reasons for the euro to grow for a long time. The ECB increasingly signals a potential pause in tightening, and some experts do not anticipate more than one rate hike in 2023. This means the ECB rate will remain much lower than the Federal Reserve. Demand for the dollar will increase since, at present, one can earn much more from bank deposits and treasury bonds in the US than from similar instruments in the European Union. Additionally, inflation in the EU is higher, while it has already dropped to 3.2% in the US. Besides, it should be noted that the Federal Reserve can also raise its rate again.   It has far better opportunities for tightening than the European Union. However, we mentioned several months ago that the ECB is constrained in its monetary moves as it needs to consider the interests of all 27 member countries, some of which are economically weak and cannot withstand overly strict monetary policies. Lagarde is unlikely to protect the euro from falling. At this time, the macroeconomic background is irrelevant. It might lift the euro, but we advocate continuing the pair's decline. On Friday, speeches from Christine Lagarde and Jerome Powell are scheduled. If we are mistaken in our assessment of rate changes in the US and EU, the chairpersons of both central banks can convey the true information to the market. However, the symposium in Jackson Hole is not where Lagarde and Powell will be candid and make sensational announcements. However, a few hints might suffice for the market. The Fed's position is now even less critical than the ECB. If the Fed's rate doesn't increase in September, it will in November. On the other hand, if the ECB pauses in September, it will find itself in a much less favorable position since its rate is significantly lower than the Fed. Hence, ultra-hawkish rhetoric is required from Lagarde for the European currency to start growing again. On the 24-hour TF (Time Frame), the price has settled below the Ichimoku cloud, but this isn't the case. We are looking at the Senkou Span B line at the 1.0862 level, and there needs to be a clear and confident consolidation below this level. Nonetheless, we also didn't witness a strong upward recoil after this level was tested, meaning the quote decline might continue at a moderate pace.     The average volatility of the EUR/USD currency pair over the last five trading days as of August 23 is 64 points and is characterized as "average." Consequently, we expect the pair to move between the levels of 1.0794 and 1.0922 on Wednesday. A reversal of the Heiken Ashi indicator upwards will indicate a new upward correction phase. Near Support Levels: S1 – 1.0803 S2 – 1.0742 S3 – 1.0681   Near Resistance Levels: R1 – 1.0864 R2 – 1.0925 R3 – 1.0986   Trading Recommendations: The EUR/USD pair currently maintains a downward trend. For now, staying in short positions with targets at 1.0803 and 1.0794 is advisable until the Heiken Ashi indicator turns upwards. Long positions can be considered if the price consolidates above the moving average, with targets at 1.0986 and 1.1047.   Illustration Explanations: Linear regression channels help determine the current trend. The current trend is strong if both are pointing in the same direction. Moving average line (settings 20.0, smoothed) determines the short-term trend and the direction in which trading should proceed. Murray levels are target levels for movements and corrections. Volatility levels (red lines) are the probable price channel in which the pair will operate over the next day, based on current volatility indicators. CCI Indicator – Its entry into the oversold area (below -250) or the overbought area (above +250) indicates an impending trend reversal in the opposite direction.  
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The Bank of Korea's Inflation Concerns and Policy Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 24.08.2023 10:52
The Bank of Korea’s hawkish pause continued on the back of inflation concerns The Bank of Korea unanimously decided to leave its policy rate at 3.5%, extending its no-change action for five consecutive meetings. Meanwhile, the BoK maintained its forecasts for 2023 GDP and CPI while raising that of core CPI in its latest economic outlook.     The Bank of Korea won't chase the Fed, but market rates will The higher-for-longer US narrative is a concern for the BoK considering how it has led to volatile FX movements and a sharp rise in market interest rates impacting Korea’s macro economy. However, we don’t think the BoK will chase the Fed like it did last year.   Inflation will likely reaccelerate in the coming months, but we do not believe headline CPI inflation will return to the 3% range as expected by the BoK. And even if it does, it is likely only to be a temporary move that will not reverse the downward inflation trend. So while inflation may keep the BoK hawkish for the time being, it will not be enough to result in additional hikes, especially when considering the rapidly worsening growth outlook.   Inflation and growth outlook We think that there are several upside risks for inflation. Base effects will continue to push up the headline inflation rate over the remainder of the year; Global commodity prices have risen significantly along with the recent KRW depreciation; Severe weather conditions will likely push up fresh food prices, overlapping with the Chuseok holiday; Public service prices face planned hikes in 3Q23.     But we also see significant downside risks. The government has decided to extend its fuel tax cut program until the end of October to stabilize pump prices; Rental prices will continue to fall for more than a few quarters; and China’s disinflation will eventually lower domestic prices over time. On the growth front, soft survey data releases from the US and EU and ongoing market jitters surrounding China’s real estate market will increase downward pressure on Korea’s exports. Also, the recent pick-up in market rates will eventually put more downward pressure on household consumption and business investment. Consequently, we expect growth to remain quite subdued for the rest of the year, and that is why we believe that the BoK’s 1.4% growth view is quite optimistic. In our view, the BoK almost fully realizes the upside risk to the inflation outlook, while the downside risk to growth appears to be a relatively modest reflection.     BoK policy outlook By the end of this year, we think household debt and financial market conditions will become more important factors for monetary policy than inflation. Despite the tight monetary conditions, the impact on the real economy has been diminished as household debt has increased thanks to eased real estate policies. Also, the BoK's lending facility program was revised at the end of last month to provide timely liquidity to the financial market in case of an emergency, indicating the BoK's willingness to take macro-policy as tight as possible until prices stabilize at around 2%. Thus if household debt growth accelerates by the end of this year, the BoK’s first rate cut is likely to be postponed to next year, not the end of this year. 
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CBT's Tightening Efforts and the Turkish Lira: Analyzing the Path Forward

ING Economics ING Economics 24.08.2023 11:31
TRY: Will 250bp of CBT tightening be enough? The Central Bank of Turkey (CBT) meets today to set interest rates. In focus will be the pace at which monetary policy is tightened as new central bank governor Hafize Gaye Erkan pursues more orthodox monetary policy. So far, it is fair to say that the pace of policy tightening over recent months (900bp) has disappointed market expectations. And another 250bp rate hike to 20% in the one-week repo today would still leave real rates deeply in negative territory given inflation is running at close to 50%. As ING's Chief Economist Muhammet Mercan writes in his detailed preview of the meeting, the more modest tightening can perhaps be explained by the central bank looking at a variety of adjustments in the unorthodox tools and quantitative tightening to complement the rate hikes. There is also some speculation that the pace of rate hikes could possibly quicken given three newly appointed members to the Monetary Policy Committee. What does this all mean for the Turkish lira? While 35% implied yield through the three-month forwards does make the lira a high yielder, it does not seem as though the lira has yet attracted international demand for the popular carry trade. If the central bank can bring inflation and inflation expectations down, making real rates far less negative, then the lira could start to find some broader support. Otherwise, gradual depreciation on the back of high inflation looks to be the most likely path.
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Hungarian Central Bank's Rate Strategy: Balancing Stability and Inflation

ING Economics ING Economics 24.08.2023 11:42
National Bank of Hungary preview: The moment of truth With the expected merger of the base and effective rates next month seemingly a done deal, the time has come to think ahead. We see the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) using its meeting next week to manage market expectations for monetary policy in the fourth quarter. Plus, we expect an effective rate cut of 100bp.   The story hasn't changed We see no reason for the National Bank of Hungary (NBH) to change its recent monetary strategy. Even though the Hungarian forint has shown a lot of sensitivity to global factors, it has managed to remain in a roughly acceptable range since the central bank's July rate-setting meeting. The recent gravity line of 382 in EUR/HUF, combined with the settled rate cut expectations of the market, make the upcoming choice of the Monetary Council an easy one.   CEE currencies vs EUR (end 2022 = 100%)   Since we are still in phase one of monetary policy normalisation, where the effective rate is closing in on the base rate, the focus is mainly on market stability. Price stability issues will come to the fore when we enter the next phase of normalisation, after the merger of the effective rate and the base rate at 13% in September. This call is also telling in terms of our expectations for the rate decision next Tuesday. We think the National Bank of Hungary will cut the effective rate by 100bp to 14%, and we expect the O/N repo rate (the top end of the interest rate corridor) to be lowered by the same amount, reaching 16.5%. The central bank will replicate the 100bp rate cut in the FX swap tenders as well.   The main interest rate (%)   As this combination looks to be the market consensus by a wide margin, this outcome is unlikely to cause any surprises. What could be the wild card of the August meeting is the possible revelation of future monetary policy strategies. As a reminder, the Monetary Council’s pledge when it started the easing cycle was four-fold: Cautiousness. Graduality. Constant monitoring of market reactions and forward-looking rate expectations. Clear and forward-looking communication. If the central bank would like to live up to its pledges – which it has done so far – the August rate-setting meeting could be the perfect time to guide markets on what to expect after the September merger.   Moreover, as recent market history has shown that markets can be very volatile at the end of quarters and even more so at the end of the year, the National Bank of Hungary may use this rate-setting meeting to try to anchor expectations (and market rates) for the coming year-end.   The new era ahead requires an updated forward guidance What exactly the central bank’s new forward guidance will be we cannot predict. However, recent global risk-off scenarios (a US credit rating downgrade, Chinese property woes, energy-related issues related to threatened LNG worker strikes in Australia that could impact gas prices, the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, plus talk of further interest rate hikes by major central banks – even if they don't materialise) are adding a lot of unwanted uncertainty. In this regard, we won’t be surprised if there is some extra hawkishness from the central bank, underscoring the need to be super-cautious in its second phase of policy normalisation. Such a speech could emphasise patience, leading to a possible (short) pause from September and/or a reduction in the pace of rate cuts. In contrast with the growing uncertainty of market stability, price stability seems to be less of an uncertainty, at least in the short run. Headline inflation peaked at 25.7% in January and sat at 17.6% in July. Thanks to the base effects and collapsing domestic demand, disinflation will speed up in the coming months with the reading falling close to or even below 10% as soon as October. Such sharp disinflation will result in a massive positive real interest rate environment as the fourth quarter arrives. This clearly opens the door to base rate cuts, especially given the record-long technical recession, which has stretched out to four quarters after a significant downside surprise in economic activity in the second quarter.     ING's inflation and base rate forecasts for Hungary   All of this will make the Monetary Council's decision on interest rates after September quite delicate. There are opposing forces, such as green lights on the inflation outlook and some red flags on the market stability outlook. This is the main reason why we think the National Bank of Hungary will strike an extremely cautious tone in its revised forward guidance. It might try to steer investors to the hawkish side, as this seems to be a safer bet for the central bank in this environment.
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Canadian Retail Sales Show Weak Gain as Markets Focus on Jackson Hole Symposium

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 24.08.2023 12:26
Canadian retail sales post weak 0.1% gain Markets eye Jackson Hole Symposium as tightening cycles near end The Canadian dollar remains under pressure on Wednesday. In the North American session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3554, up 0.04%. Earlier, the Canadian dollar fell below the 1.36 line for the first time since May 31st.   Canada’s retail sales stagnant in June Canada’s retail sales for June barely moved, with a gain of just 0.1% m/m. This was unchanged from the May reading, which was downwardly revised from 0.2%, and just above the consensus estimate of zero. On a yearly basis, retail sales slipped 0.8% in June, compared to a gain of 0.2% (revised downwards from 0.5%) and shy of the estimate of 0.3%. The data indicates that consumer consumption is cooling down as higher interest rates continue to filter through the economy. Canada’s GDP in the first quarter was solid at 3.1%, but second-quarter growth is expected to be much more modest, at around 1%. Consumer spending has been a key factor in the Bank of Canada’s rate decisions. Earlier in the year, stronger-than-expected consumer spending resulted in the BoC raising interest rates in June and July. Today’s soft retail sales figures will provide support for the central bank to take a pause at the September 6th meeting, with GDP the final key release ahead of that meeting.   Markets await Jackson Hole There has been a whole lot happening this week and investors will be hoping for some interesting comments from central bankers who are meeting this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Many of the major central banks, including the Federal Reserve, are winding up their rate-tightening cycles and Jackson Hole has often served as a venue for announcing shifts in policy. That said, Fed Chair Powell has insisted that the fight against inflation is not done, although the dark days of high inflation appear to be over. There is talk in the markets of the Fed trimming rates next year, but I doubt that Powell will mention any cuts to rates, when he is yet to acknowledge that the Fed is done tightening.   USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD put strong pressure on the resistance at 1.3606 earlier. Above, there is resistance at 1.3660 1.3522 and 1.3468 are providing support    
UK PMIs Signal Economic Deceleration, Pound Edges Lower

UK PMIs Signal Economic Deceleration, Pound Edges Lower

Ed Moya Ed Moya 24.08.2023 12:45
UK manufacturing and services PMIs decelerate The British pound has edged lower on Wednesday. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2720, down 0.09%.     UK PMIs head lower The UK economy continues to cool down, and today’s PMI readings showed deceleration in both the manufacturing and services sectors. The Manufacturing PMI eased to 42.5 in August, down from 45.3 and below the consensus estimate of 42.5. The Services PMI disappointed and fell into contraction territory, with a reading of 48.7. This was lower than the July reading of 51.5 and missed the estimate of 50.8. GBP/USD fell over 100 basis points earlier but has recovered these losses. The weak data might not be such bad news as far as the Bank of England is concerned. The battle to curb inflation has not gone all that well, as the UK has the dubious honour of having the highest inflation among G-7 countries. If weakness in the manufacturing and services sectors dampens hiring and weighs on the tight labour markets, inflationary pressures could ease. The Bank of England meets in September and the markets have fully priced in a rate hike, but it’s unclear what will happen after that, with the markets pricing in one more hike before the end of the year. The BoE’s rate path after September will depend heavily on upcoming inflation and employment reports. It has been a light week on the data calendar and investors will be hoping for some interesting comments at the Jackson Hole Symposium which begins on Thursday. The Fed and other major central banks are expected to wind up their rate-tightening cycles and Jackson Hole has often served as a venue for announcing shifts in policy. Fed Chair Powell has insisted that the fight against inflation is not done, with inflation still above the 2% target. There is talk in the markets of the Fed trimming rates next year, but I would be surprised if Powell mentions rate cuts in his speech on Friday.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD pushed below support at 1.2714 and 1.2641 before rebounding higher  There is resistance at 1.2812 and 1.2885    
Market Analysis: EUR/USD Signals and Trends

Market Analysis: EUR/USD Signals and Trends

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 24.08.2023 13:35
Yesterday, the pair formed several good signals to enter the market. Let's analyze what happened on the 5-minute chart. In my morning review, I mentioned the level of 1.0870 as a possible entry point. Growth and false breakout of this level generated a sell signal, and the pair fell by more than 60 pips. During the US session, safeguarding the support level at 1.0808 and weak US data produced a buy signal. As a result, EUR/USD managed to compensate for all morning losses and rose by more than 50 pips.   For long positions on EUR/USD: Softer-than-expected preliminary US PMI data exerted downward pressure on the dollar and the euro strengthened in the second half of the day. Obviously, there's a lot of market manipulation, making the situation increasingly tense before the Jackson Hole symposium. Yesterday's data made it clear: if the Federal Reserve continues its tight policy stance, the economic situation will only worsen. This has further confused market participants, who were expecting hawkish statements from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. In the absence of EU reports in the first half of the day, I expect EUR/USD to trade within the channel. Therefore, it is advisable to trade on a dip following a false breakout near the low of 1.0849, which is in line with the bullish moving averages. An immediate resistance target is set at 1.0889, formed on Tuesday.   A breakout and a downward test of this range will strengthen demand for the euro, suggesting a bullish correction around 1.0928. The ultimate target is found at 1.0958, where I will be locking in profits. If EUR/USD declines and bulls are idle at 1.0849, the bear market will persist. Only a false breakout around the next support at 1.0827 will signal to buy the euro. I will initiate long positions immediately on a rebound from the low of 1.0804, aiming for an upward correction of 30-35 pips within the day.   For short positions on EUR/USD: The sellers lost all their advantage yesterday and now they need to start from the beginning. Today, to maintain the bearish momentum, sellers will have to assert their strength at the new resistance of 1.0889. The pair may test this level soon. The absence of economic reports will help the bears with a false breakout of this level and will lead to another descent towards the 1.0849 support. However, only a breakout below this range, followed by an upward retest, will generate another sell signal, paving the way to the low of 1.0827, where I expect big buyers to emerge in hopes of building the lower band of the new ascending channel. The ultimate target is seen at 1.0804, where I will be locking in profits. If EUR/USD moves upward during the European session and lacks bearish activity at 1.0889, the bulls may try to re-enter the market. In such a scenario, I would go short only when the price tests the new resistance at 1.0928 that was formed yesterday. Selling at this point is possible only after a failed consolidation. I will initiate short positions immediately on a rebound from the high of 1.0958, considering a downward correction of 30-35 pips within the day.     COT report: The COT (Commitment of Traders) report for August 15 shows a notable increase in long positions and a drop in short positions. These figures already factor in the crucial US inflation data, which brought back some buyers to the market. The Federal Reserve meeting minutes released last week also indicated that not all committee members are aligned with the idea of raising interest rates to combat inflation. This keeps the chances of the euro's recovery alive, especially following the Jackson Hole symposium happening later this week where Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak. His address might shed light on the central bank's future policy direction. It is important to note that the recent decline in the euro seems to be appealing to traders. The optimal medium-term strategy under current conditions remains buying risk assets on a dip. The COT report highlights that non-commercial long positions increased by 4,418 to stand at 232,466, while non-commercial short positions decreased by 5,634 to 72,603. Consequently, the spread between long and short positions surged by 1,125. The closing price was lower, settling at 1.0922 compared to 1.0981 the previous week.     Indicator signals: Moving averages: Trading is taking place around the 30-day and 50-day moving averages, indicating market uncertainty. Please note that the time period and levels of the moving averages are analyzed only for the H1 chart, which differs from the general definition of the classic daily moving averages on the D1 chart. Bollinger Bands If EUR/USD declines, the indicator's lower border near 1.0825 will serve as support.   Description of indicators: • A moving average of a 50-day period determines the current trend by smoothing volatility and noise; marked in yellow on the chart; • A moving average of a 30-day period determines the current trend by smoothing volatility and noise; marked in green on the chart; • MACD Indicator (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence) Fast EMA with a 12-day period; Slow EMA with a 26-day period. SMA with a 9-day period; • Bollinger Bands: 20-day period; • Non-commercial traders are speculators such as individual traders, hedge funds, and large institutions who use the futures market for speculative purposes and meet certain requirements; • Long non-commercial positions represent the total number of long positions opened by non-commercial traders; • Short non-commercial positions represent the total number of short positions opened by non-commercial traders; • The non-commercial net position is the difference between short and long positions of non-commercial traders.    
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UK Yields Fall Amid Economic Uncertainty as BoE Considers Further Rate Hikes

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 25.08.2023 09:34
UK yields fall amid economic uncertainty BoE expected to raise rates twice more this year to 5.75% Cable testing key support for a second day   The pound is on the decline again on Thursday, having fallen over the last couple of days on the back of some worrying economic figures from the UK. Whether we’re talking about a blip in the data or cracks finally appearing in the economy after a very aggressive tightening cycle from the Bank of England, traders are paring back expectations for interest rates once more. We’re seeing UK 10-year bonds rising today (yields falling) which goes against the trend we’re seeing across Europe, the US, and Japan, for example. Two more hikes are still priced in over the coming months but that could be pared back further if the data continues on the same path, especially if we see some better wage numbers following the spike in the three months to June. That weakness in the pound may be helping the FTSE to outperform today, with it being one of the only European indices still in the green after early gains – seemingly driven by knockout earnings from Nvidia – fizzled out over the course of the day.   Fourth time’s a charm? The pound has fallen close to 1.26 on three other occasions so far this month, each time falling a little short somewhere between 1.2610 and 1.2620 before rebounding higher.   The least convincing of these rebounds came yesterday, with the price once again trending down today to once again come close to those prior lows. The difference so far today is there’s no sign of a recovery and, at the time of writing, the price remains below the 55/89-day simple moving average band. On each of the last three occasions, the price closed back within here or higher. A close below here would be the first since March and if accompanied by a new two-month low and break of 1.26, could be a very bearish signal for cable. Of course, with Jackson Hole underway, there’ll be a lot of central bank speak over the next couple of days which could sway this one way or another which is worth bearing in mind. But right now, the pair is looking under some pressure.    
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Fed's Outlook Shift: Hints of Dovish Turn and Market Implications

Ed Moya Ed Moya 25.08.2023 09:36
Atlanta Fed’s GDP estimate sees real Q3 GDP growth of 5.9%, up from last week’s 5.8% Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole Speech is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:05 am EST Fed’s Harker (voter) says they’ve done enough with rates while Fed’s Collins (non-voter) more rate hikes may be needed   As Wall Street awaits Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech, some traders shifted their focus to Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Patrick Harker’s CNBC interview. When talking about interest Harker said, “Right now, I think that we’ve probably done enough.” Harker is a voting member of the FOMC and he appears to be positioning himself to turn dovish in the near future. He also noted that, “I’m in the camp of, let the restrictive stance work for a while, let’s just let this play out for a while, and that should bring inflation down.” He added that if inflation comes down quicker, they may cut rates sooner. A month ago, Harker was saying that they are making progress with inflation and that sometime next year the Fed will start cutting rates. Harker for most of this year has been viewed as a neutral FOMC voting member, one notch below Fed Chair Powell who has being leaning-hawkish.  Harker’s dovish comments don’t imply that is what we will get from Fed Chair Powell, but it does suggest the committee might be gaining confidence that they will be able to bring down inflation to the Fed’s 2% target. Fed’s Collins, a non-voter noted that “We may need additional increments, and we may be very near a place where we can hold for a substantial amount of time.”   Foreign Investment Flows US stocks initially rallied after Nvidia’s miraculous earnings reignited the AI trade.  If AI is the future, then Nvidia is the “fluxcapacitor” that will drive the biggest transformation in tech since the Back to the Future trilogy wrapped up in the 1990s.  With Europe looking more recession bound, foreign investment might steadily come to US equities and that should support US equities. It is clear that massive investments are coming AI’s way and that could keep stock market bulls very happy as long as we don’t have Fed Chair Powell spoil the party.  If the bond market selloff doesn’t resume after Powell’s speech, the stock market might have a bullish case to make a run at record highs, which should provide underlying support for the dollar.   US data keeps Fed rate hike expectations low for the September 20th This morning’s round of data didn’t really move the needle on Fed rate hike expectations.  Yesterday odds were at 12% and today they rose to 17% for the September 20th meeting. Filings for unemployment benefits came in less than expected, signaling that the labor market is slowly cooling.  Initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 230,000, while continuing claims dipped from 1.711 million to 1.702 million.  A surge in claims (+3.7K) came from Hawaii as they were heavily impacted by the devastating wildfires. Jobless claims will likely stabilize or rise going forward. Durable goods order data showed business spending activity barely increased as companies became more cautious with the budget. ​ Bookings for all durable goods tumbled ​ given softness with the volatile commercial aircraft orders. ​ Businesses are turning very cautious here given how high borrowing costs have gotten and over the deteriorating outlook for business equipment.   USD/JPY 60-minute chart   USD/JPY (60-minute chart) as of Thursday (8/24/2023) shows the bullish move that started yesterday has continued by respecting short-term trendline support(shown in purple).  If we see a substantial rally towards last October’s high, that could trigger intervention pressure from Japan.  If the surge in Treasury yields continues, that could provide some tactical bullish positioning between the 145.00-148.00 region. If risk aversion emerges post Jackson Hole, the 143.50  level provides major support and a possible re-entry for long-term bulls.  
Australian Dollar Volatility Persists with 1% Slide: Assessing Economic Factors and Technical Levels

Australian Dollar Volatility Persists with 1% Slide: Assessing Economic Factors and Technical Levels

Ed Moya Ed Moya 25.08.2023 09:38
Australian dollar slides close to 1% The Australian dollar continues to show strong volatility for a second straight day. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6426, down 0.84%. After a sleepy start to the week, the Aussie is showing some life. AUD/USD jumped 0.90% on Wednesday but has pared practically all of those gains today. The pair’s upswing on Wednesday was more a case of US dollar weakness than Aussie strength, as US PMIs pointed to deceleration in the manufacturing and services sectors. The US Manufacturing PMI fell to 47.0 in August, down from 47.0 in July and well below the consensus estimate of 49.3. The manufacturing sector has been unable to find its footing, with declines in ten of the last eleven months. New orders are down and weaker demand has meant a decrease in output. The services sector in the US is in better shape and posted a seventh straight month of growth in August. However, the Services PMI slowed to 51.0 in August, weaker than the July reading of 52.3 and the estimate of 52.2. Business activity in services has been falling and the August read was the lowest in six months. Consumer spending is down due to the usual suspects – high interest rates and broad-based inflation. Interestingly, business confidence improved in August, likely due to expectations that US interest rates are close to their peak. Weakness in manufacturing and services is not unique to the US, as we saw this week in PMI reports from Europe, the UK and Australia. Manufacturing and services continued to contract in Australia, as the August PMIs remained below the 50.0 level, which separates contraction from expansion. The weak PMIs are further signs of weaker economic activity, and the alarming slowdown in China will make it even more challenging for the Reserve Bank of Australia to guide the economy to a soft landing and avoid a recession.   AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is testing support at 0.6431. Next, there is support at 0.6339 There is resistance at 0.6588 and 0.6653
Understanding the Factors Keeping Market Rates Under Upward Pressure

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.    
Understanding the Factors Keeping Market Rates Under Upward Pressure

Global Bond Yields Dip on Soft PMI Data; Focus on USD/CAD and USD/JPY Trends

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 25.08.2023 09:52
Global bond yields have noticeably fallen in the last 24 hours after softer-than-expected preliminary PMI data. A significant drop in activity has been noted in the eurozone's services sector, especially in Germany. This reduces the chances of the European Central Bank raising rates in September and weighs on the euro. On Thursday, the market will focus on the report on durable goods orders and the weekly unemployment benefits. USD/CAD Retail sales in Canada showed weak results, leading to a decline in yields of short-term Canadian government bonds and a decrease in the CAD exchange rate.       At the same time, the pace of growth in average wages remains high, as the labor market supply lags behind demand. To curb inflation, there needs to be a swift deceleration in wage growth, which is only possible in conditions of a saturated labor market or a general economic slowdown. Another route is an increase in productivity, which remains low with no signs of improvement yet. The net short position on CAD increased by CAD 799 million for the reporting week, reaching CAD -845 million. Positioning is bearish, and the price is moving upwards.   A week earlier, we assumed that the upward movement would progress, and the main target is the upper band of the channel at 1.3690/3720. This target remains relevant. The consolidation is due to technical reasons rather than fundamental ones, and after the consolidation or minor correction concludes, we expect to see further growth.   We perceive support in the middle of the channel at 1.3360/80, but a potential decline to this zone before turning upwards seems unlikely. USD/JPY The core inflation rate (excluding fuel and food prices) in July accelerated from 4.2% to 4.3%, indicating that the Bank of Japan's cautious policy hasn't yielded significant results yet. The BOJ is the only one among major central banks continuing an ultra-soft policy, based on the assumption that inflation largely has an imported nature and will decrease as soon as global energy prices stabilize and the previously disrupted supply chains of goods and raw materials are restored       Such an approach might be justified, but the growth in core inflation indicates that there's more to it, and the Bank needs to be very cautious in choosing its next steps. The Ministry of Finance plans to allocate 28,142.4 billion yen to service the national debt in the 24th fiscal year, which is 2,892.1 billion yen more than in the 23rd fiscal year. The rate used to calculate JGB bond servicing costs remained at 1.1% for seven years, from the 17th to the 23rd fiscal year. If the Bank of Japan begins to raise the accounting rate, the calculated rate for servicing will also be increased for the first time in 17 years. Currently, there are no problems in servicing the national debt, but by the end of the 22nd fiscal year, the outstanding volume of JGBs amounted to a staggering 1,027 trillion yen. If Japan's economy continues to grow, increasing tax revenues will allow the debt to be serviced without significantly increasing borrowing.   However, if the global economic crisis intensifies, an increase in the BOJ's rate will lead to a rapid increase in the government's debt servicing expenses. For now, we must assume that any hints at an interest rate hike will lead to the yen's growth, complicating the debt servicing situation due to a deteriorating trade balance and reduced budget revenues. The Japanese government fears this scenario, hence any comments on monetary policy will continue to be very cautious. In the current circumstances, the yen is more likely to depreciate than strengthen. The net short position on JPY was slightly adjusted by 300 million, to -6.952 billion, with positioning decidedly bearish. The price is above the long-term average, the trend remains bullish, but the chances of an extended consolidation or a shallow correction has increased.     We expect an uptrend from the USD/JPY, with the upper band of the channel at 147.80/148.10 as the target. The risk of a deeper correction to the middle of the channel at 142.50/80 has increased, but the long-term trend remains bullish, and there's no reason to anticipate a reversal at the moment.  
GBP: ECB's Dovish Stance Keeps BoE Expectations in Check

Market Insights Roundup: A Glimpse into Economic Indicators and Corporate Performance

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 28.08.2023 09:11
In a world where economic indicators and market movements can shift with the blink of an eye, staying updated on the latest offerings and promotions within the financial sector is crucial. Today, we delve into one such noteworthy development that has emerged on the horizon, enticing individuals to explore a blend of banking and insurance services. As markets ebb and flow, being vigilant about trends and opportunities can lead to financial benefits. Let's explore this exciting promotion that brings together the worlds of banking and insurance to offer a unique proposition for consumers.     By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) US non-farm payrolls (Aug) – 01/09 – the July jobs report saw another modest slowdown in jobs growth, as well as providing downward revisions to previous months. 187k jobs were added, just slightly above March's revised 165k, although the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, from 3.6%. While the official BLS numbers have been showing signs of slowing the ADP report has looked much more resilient, adding 324k in July on top of the 455k in June. This resilience is also coming against a backdrop of sticky wages, which in the private sector are over double headline CPI, while on the BLS measure average hourly earnings remained steady at 4.4%. This week's August payrolls are set to see paint another picture of a resilient but slowing jobs market with expectations of 160k jobs added, with unemployment remaining steady at 3.5%. It's also worth keeping an eye on vacancy rates and the job opening numbers which fell to just below 9.6m in June. These have consistently remained well above the pre-Covid levels of 7.5m and have remained so since the start of 2021. This perhaps explain why the US central bank is keen not to rule out further rate hikes, lest inflation starts to become more embedded.                          US Core PCE Deflator (Jul) – 31/08 – while the odds continue to favour a Fed pause when the central bank meets in September, markets are still concerned that we might still see another rate hike later in the year. The stickiness of core inflation does appear to be causing some concern that we might see US rates go higher with a notable movement in longer term rates, which are now causing the US yield curve to steepen further. The June Core PCE Deflator numbers did see a sharp fall from 4.6% in May to 4.1% in June, while the deflator fell to 3% from 3.8%. This week's July inflation numbers could prompt further concern about sticky inflation if we get sizeable ticks higher in the monthly as well as annual headline numbers. When we got the CPI numbers earlier in August, we saw evidence that prices might struggle to move much lower, after headline CPI edged higher to 3.2%. We can expect to see a similar move in this week's numbers with a move to 3.3% in the deflator and to 4.3% in the core deflator.       US Q2 GDP – 30/08 – the second iteration of US Q2 GDP is expected to underline the resilience of the US economy in the second quarter with a modest improvement to 2.5% from 2.4%, despite a slowdown in personal consumption from 4.2% in Q1 to 1.6%. More importantly the core PCE price index saw quarterly prices slow from 4.9% in Q1 to 3.8%. The resilience in the Q2 numbers was driven by a rebuilding of inventory levels which declined in Q1. Private domestic investment also rose 5.7%, while an increase in defence spending saw a rise of 2.5%.             UK Mortgage Approvals/ Consumer Credit (Jul) – 30/08 – while we have started to see evidence of a pickup in mortgage approvals after June approvals rose to 54.7k, this resilience may well be down to a rush to lock in fixed rates before they go even higher. Net consumer credit was also resilient in June, jumping to £1.7bn and a 5 year high, raising concerns that consumers were going further into debt to fund lifestyles more suited to a low interest rate environment. While unemployment remains close to historically low levels this shouldn't be too much of a concern, however if it starts to edge higher, we could start to see slowdown in both, as previous interest rate increases start to bite in earnest.            EU flash CPI (Aug) – 31/08 – due to increasing concerns over deflationary pressures, recent thinking on further ECB rate hikes has been shifting to a possible pause when the central bank next meets in September. Since the start of the year the ECB has doubled rates to 4%, however anxiety is growing given the performance of the German economy which is on the cusp of three consecutive negative quarters. On the PPI measure the economy is in deflation, while manufacturing activity has fallen off a cliff. Despite this headline CPI is still at 5.3%, while core prices are higher at 5.5%, just below their record highs of 5.7%. This week's August CPI may well not be the best guide for further weakness in price trends given that Europe tends to vacation during August, however concerns are increasing that the ECB is going too fast and a pause might be a useful exercise.     Best Buy Q2 24 – 29/08 – we generally hear a lot about the strength of otherwise of the US consumer through the prism of Target or Walmart, electronics retailer Best Buy also offers a useful insight into the US consumer's psyche, and since its May Q1 numbers the shares have performed reasonably well. In May the retailer posted Q1 earnings of $1.15c a share, modestly beating forecasts even as revenues fell slightly short at $9.47bn. Despite the revenue miss the retailer reiterated its full year forecast of revenues of $43.8bn and $45.2bn. For Q2 revenues are expected to come in at $9.52bn, with same store sales expected to see a decline of -6.35%, as consumers rein in spending on bigger ticket items like domestic appliances and consumer electronics. The company has been cutting headcount, laying off hundreds in April as it looks to maintain and improve its margins. Profits are expected to come in at $1.08c a share.        HP Q3 23 – 29/08 – when HP reported its Q2 numbers the shares saw some modest selling, however the declines didn't last long, with the shares briefly pushing up to 11-month highs in July. When the company reported in Q1, they projected revenues of $13.03bn, well below the levels of the same period in 2022. Yesterday's numbers saw a 22% decline to $12.91bn with a drop in PC sales accounting for the bulk of the drop, declining 29% to $8.18bn. Profits, on the other hand did beat forecasts, at $0.80c a share, while adjusted operating margins also came in ahead of target. HP went on to narrow its full year EPS profit forecast by 10c either side, to between $3.30c and $3.50c a share. For Q3 revenues are expected to fall to $13.36bn, with PC revenue expected to slip back to $8.79bn. Profits are expected to fall 20% to $0.84c a share.         Salesforce Q2 24 – 30/08 – Salesforce shares have been on a slow road to recovery after hitting their lowest levels since March 2020, back in December last year, with the shares coming close to retracing 60% of the decline from the record highs of 2021. When the company reported back in June, the shares initially slipped back after full year guidance was left unchanged. When the company reported in Q4, the outlook for Q1 revenues was estimated at $8.16bn to $8.18bn, which was comfortably achieved with $8.25bn, while profits also beat, coming in at $1.69c a share. For Q2 the company raised its revenue outlook to $8.51bn to $8.53bn, however they decided to keep full year revenue guidance unchanged at a minimum of $34.5bn. This was a decent increase from 2023's $31.35bn, but was greeted rather underwhelmingly, however got an additional lift in July when the company said it was raising prices. Profits are expected to come in at $1.90c a share. Since June, market consensus on full year revenues has shifted higher to $34.66bn. Under normal circumstances this should prompt a similar upgrade from senior management.   Broadcom Q3 23 – 31/08 – just prior to publishing its Q2 numbers Broadcom shares hit record highs after announcing a multibillion-dollar deal with Apple for 5G radio frequency components for the iPhone. The shares have continued to make progress since that announcement on expectations that it will be able to benefit on the move towards AI. Q2 revenues rose almost 8% to $8.73bn, while profits came in at $10.32c a share, both of which were in line with expectations. For Q3 the company expects to see revenues of $8.85bn, while market consensus on profits is expected to match the numbers for Q2, helping to lift the shares higher on the day. It still has to complete the deal with VMWare which is currently facing regulatory scrutiny, and which has now been approved by the UK's CMA.
Fed Chair Powell Signals Cautious Approach to Monetary Policy, Suggests Rates to Remain Elevated

Fed Chair Powell Signals Cautious Approach to Monetary Policy, Suggests Rates to Remain Elevated

ING Economics ING Economics 28.08.2023 09:13
Powell signals Fed to tread carefully, but that rates will stay high Chair Powell acknowledges that monetary policy is “restrictive” and that policymakers will “proceed carefully” in determining whether to hike rates further. September is set for a pause, but robust growth means the door remains ajar for a further potential hike. Markets see a 50-50 chance of a final hike while we think rates have most probably peaked. 2% remains the target with the Fed prepared to hike further In his Jackson Hole address, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reaffirmed that the Fed remains focused on hitting the 2% inflation target and keeping it there. He spends a considerable amount of time breaking down inflation into different components and explaining the drivers, but as is usually the case, emphasises the non-energy, non-housing services. This remains the stickiest portion given relatively high labour input costs in a tight jobs market environment. Here, “some further progress… will be essential to restoring price stability”, but the expectation is that “restrictive monetary policy” will bring supply and demand into better balance and it will come down. In fact, the description “restrictive” with regards to monetary policy is used on seven occasions in his speech with higher borrowing costs and tighter lending conditions acknowledged as factors that will act as a brake on the economy and slow inflation to 2% over time. But Powell is wary the recent strength in activity data mean that the “economy may not be cooling as expected”. In turn, this “could put further progress on inflation at risk and could warrant further tightening of monetary policy.” As a result, the Fed "are prepared to raise rates further if appropriate, and intend to hold policy at a restrictive level until we are confident that inflation is moving sustainably down toward our objective". Monetary policy signalled to stay tight Nonetheless, he acknowledges that monetary policy assessment is “complicated by uncertainty about the duration of the lags” between implementation and the real world impact. With real interest rates “well above mainstream estimates for the neutral policy rate” there is clearly a concern that the Fed don’t want to tighten too much. This view point was echoed in the minutes to the July FOMC meeting that said  “a number of participants judged that… it was important that the Committee's decisions balance the risk of an inadvertent overtightening of policy against the cost of an insufficient tightening”. With Chair Powell concluding that “we will proceed carefully as we decide whether to tighten further or, instead, to hold the policy rate constant and await further data” we expect the Fed to leave the Fed funds target range unchanged at 5.25-5.5% at the September meeting. However, given the tight jobs market and strong third quarter activity the Fed will continue to signal the potential for one further rate rise before year-end in their forecast update, and will likely scale back the median forecast for 100bp of rate cuts in 2024 that it published in June.   We think rates have peaked and cuts will come in 2024 We don't think it will carry through with that final forecast hike though. The combination of higher borrowing costs, which is resulting in mortgage rates, credit card, auto loan and personal loan borrowing costs hitting two-decade plus highs, together with less credit availability, pandemic-era savings being run down and student loan repayments restarting should intensify the financial squeeze in the fourth quarter and beyond. So while the US economy may well expand at more than a 3% annualised rate in the current quarter, we expect to see a weaker performance in the fourth quarter together with further significant progress on inflation returning towards target. Our base case continues to be interest rate cuts through 2024 as monetary policy is relaxed to a more neutral footing.
Boosting Stimulus: A Look at Recent Developments and Market Impact

Boosting Stimulus: A Look at Recent Developments and Market Impact

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 28.08.2023 09:15
Here, get more stimulus!  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole speech was boring, wasn't it? Powell repeated that inflation risks remain to the upside despite recent easing and pointed at resilient US growth and tight US jobs market, and reiterated the Fed's will to keep the interest rates at restrictive levels for longer. The US 2-year pushed above 5%, as Powell's comments kept the idea of another 25bp hike on the table before the year end, but the rate hike will probably be skipped in September meeting and could be announced in the November meeting instead, according to activity on Fed funds futures. The US 10-year yield is steady between the 4.20/4.30%. The S&P500 gained a meagre 0.8% last week, yet managed to close the week above the 4400 mark and above its ascending trend base building since last October, while Nasdaq 100 gained 2.3% over the week, although Nvidia's stunning results failed to keep the share price above the $500 mark, even though that level was hit after the results were announced last week. And the disappointing jump in Nvidia despite beating its $11bn sales forecast and despite boosting its sales forecast for this quarter to $16bn, was a sign that the AI rally is now close to exhaustion.   What's up this week?  This week will be busy with some important economic data from the US. We will watch JOLTS job openings tomorrow, Australian and German CPIs and US ADP and GDP reports on Wednesday, to see if the US economy continues to be strong, and the jobs market continues to be tight. On Thursday, Chinese PMI numbers, the Eurozone's CPI estimate and the US core PCE will hit the wire, and on Friday, we will watch the US jobs report and ISM numbers. Note that the US dollar index pushed to the highest levels since May after Powell's Jackson Hole speech. The EURUSD is now trading a touch below its 200-DMA, even though the European Central Bank (ECB) chief Lagarde repeated that the ECB will push the rates as high as needed. Yet, the worsening business climate, and expectations in Germany somehow prevent the euro bulls from getting back to the market lightheartedly, while the yen shorts are comforted by the Bank of Japan (BoJ) governor's relaxed view on price growth – which remains slower than the BoJ's goal, but the possibility of a direct FX intervention to limit the USDJPY's upside potential keeps the yen shorts reasonably on the sidelines, despite the temptation to sell the heck out of the yen with the BoJ's incredible policy divergence versus the rest of the developed nations.   Here, get more stimulus!  The week started upbeat in China and in Hong Kong, after the government announced measures to boost appetite for Chinese equities. Beijing halved the stamp duty on stock trades, while Hong Kong said it plans a task force to boost liquidity. The CSI 300 rallied more than 2% and HSI jumped more than 1.5%. But gains remain vulnerable as data released yesterday showed that Chinese company profits fell 6.7% last month from a year earlier. That's lower than 8.3% printed in June, but note that for the first seven months of 2023, profits declined 15.5%, and that is highly disquieting given the slowing economic growth and rising deflation risks, along with the default risks for some of the country's biggest companies. Evergrande, for example, posted a $4.5 billion loss in the H1.  Therefore, energy traders remain little impressed with China stimulus measures. The barrel of US crude trades around the $80pb level, yet the failure to break below a major Fibonacci support last week – major 38.2% Fibonacci retracement on the latest rally, keeps oil bulls timidly in charge of the market despite the weak China sentiment. Oil trading volumes show an unusual fall since July when compared to volumes traded in the past two years. That's partly due to weakening demand fears and falling gasoline inventories, but also due to tightening oil markets as a result of lower OPEC supply. We know that the demand will advance toward fresh records despite weak Chinese demand. We also know that OPEC will keep supply limited to push prices higher. Consequently, we are in a structurally positive price setting, although any excessive rally in oil prices would further fuel inflation expectations, rate hike expectations and keep the topside limited in the medium run.    
Declining Bank Lending and Negative Money Growth Raise Concerns for Eurozone Economy

Euro Slides Below 1.08 Mark for First Time Since June, Fed's Harker Suggests Peak in Interest Rates

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 28.08.2023 09:24
Euro falls below 1.08 for first time since June Fed’s Harker says interest rates may have peaked The euro has extended its losses for a second straight day. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0785, down 0.23% and falling below the 1.08 line for the first time since June. Later today, Germany’s Business Climate is expected to ease for a fourth straight month. It has been a nasty slide for the euro, which has been unable to find its footing and has plunged a staggering 500 points over the past six weeks. EUR/USD is down 0.80% this week, in large part due to soft eurozone manufacturing and services PMI readings on Wednesday. The eurozone economy has been damaged by the war in Ukraine and Germany, known as the locomotive of Europe, is in trouble as well. The deterioration of China’s economy is more bad news for the eurozone’s export sector. The ECB’s rate-tightening cycle, aimed at curbing high inflation, has also dampened economic activity. Lagarde & Co. have a tricky task in charting out a rate path. If rates remain too low, inflation will remain well above the 2% target. However, too much tightening raises the risk of tipping the weak eurozone economy into a recession. Lagarde has a difficult decision to make and the markets are uncertain as well – ECB rate odds for the September meeting are around 50-50 between a hike or a pause. Harker says Fed could be done Investors are anxiously awaiting Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole later today. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Federal Reserve Harker made headlines on Thursday when he said that the Fed may have reached the end of its current rate-tightening cycle. Harker said that he didn’t see a need to raise rates further “absent any alarming new data between now and mid-September”.   At the same time, Harker stressed that he expected rates to remain at high levels for “a while” and ruled out rate cuts anytime soon. This was a pointed message to the markets not to assume that rate cuts are just around the corner.  I expect Fed Chair Powell to be even more cautious in today’s speech, perhaps with a reminder that inflation remains above target and that the door is still open to further tightening.   EUR/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.0893 and 1.0940 EUR/USD has support at 1.0825 and 1.0778    
Declining Bank Lending and Negative Money Growth Raise Concerns for Eurozone Economy

Declining Bank Lending and Negative Money Growth Raise Concerns for Eurozone Economy

ING Economics ING Economics 28.08.2023 16:25
Eurozone bank lending continues to weaken as money growth turns negative Higher interest rates and a stagnant economy keep bank lending on a weakening trend. Annual growth in broad money growth is now negative. This adds to expectations of a weak eurozone economy in the quarters ahead, but as the effects remain gradual this should not be a game-changer for the ECB ahead of its September meeting.   Annual growth in bank lending continues to trend down rapidly. Bank lending to the private sector grew by 7.1% year-on-year in September last year but fell back to just 1.6% in July. This has been driven by strong declines in business sector borrowing and a steady downward trend in household borrowing – which is mainly for mortgages. Non-financial corporate borrowing growth was 2.2% year-on-year in July, while household borrowing growth was just 1.3%. Money growth has been plummeting in recent months, as demand for borrowing weakens and the ECB starts quantitative tightening. This has resulted in the first negative reading of broad money growth (M3) in July, falling from growth of 0.6% to -0.4% year-on-year. Narrow money growth (M1) fell by -9.2% in July. Overall, monetary developments show that there is continued weakening of lending happening at the moment and that the money supply is shrinking. The trend remains rather gradual though. This means that the impact of higher rates on the economy continues to happen gradually and without any shocks. Still, there are no guarantees how this will develop further and weaker lending will result in lower investment down the line. With economic activity already in stagnation mode at the moment, monetary policy is set to contribute to a weak economic environment for the quarters ahead. The next ECB rate decision is in two-and-a-half weeks’ time and there are not too many key data points out in the interim that can sway the governing council’s decision. Today’s data show the continued significant impact of monetary policy, but the impact remains gradual. This means that they are unlikely to be game-changers for the no doubt heated debate among the governing council about whether another hike is necessary next month.
Australia Retail Sales Rebound with 0.5% Gain; AUD/USD Sees Volatility - 28.08.2023

Australia Retail Sales Rebound with 0.5% Gain; AUD/USD Sees Volatility

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 28.08.2023 16:26
Australia retail sales rebounds with 0.5% gain Fed’s Powell keeps door open to further hikes The Australian dollar started the week with gains but then retreated. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6408, up 0.09%. Last week, the Australian dollar showed significant swings of around 1%. Australia’s retail sales surprise on the upside Australian retail sales rebounded in July with a respectable gain of 0.5% m/m.  This followed a dismal -0.8% reading in June and beat the consensus estimate of 0.3%. The welcome uptick was driven by the Women’s World Cup which was held in Australia and was a massive boost for Australia’s travel and retail sectors. Much of the tournament took place in August, which means that the August retail sales report should also receive a shot to the arm. The August report showed that consumers still have an appetite for spending, but there are unmistakable signs that the economy is cooling. Inflation has been falling, wage growth in the second quarter was weaker than expected and unemployment rose to 3.7%. This all points to the Reserve Bank of Australia holding rates at the September 5th meeting, and the future markets have priced a hold at around 90%. The slowdown in China, which is Australia’s largest trading partner, could throw a monkey wrench into the central bank’s efforts to guide the economy to a soft landing. There is a always the concern that aggressive tightening, with the aim of curbing inflation, will choke economic growth and tip the economy into a recession. The Australian dollar is sensitive to Chinese releases and the recent batch of soft Chinese data has weighed on the struggling Australian dollar.   Federal Chair Jerome Powell delivered the keynote speech on Friday, but anyone looking for dramatic headlines walked away disappointed. Powell reiterated that the battle to lower inflation to the 2% target “still has a long way to go”. Powell was somewhat hawkish with regard to interest rates, saying that the Fed would “proceed carefully” with regard to raising rates or putting rates on hold and waiting for additional data. This was a deliberate omission of any mention of rate cuts, a signal that the Fed isn’t even thinking about lowering rates. The future markets responded by raising the odds of a rate hike in September to 21%, up from 14% a week ago.     AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is testing resistance at 0.6424. Above, there is resistance at 0.6470 There is support at 0.6360 and 0.6317    
Australia Retail Sales Rebound with 0.5% Gain; AUD/USD Sees Volatility - 28.08.2023

Australia Retail Sales Rebound with 0.5% Gain; AUD/USD Sees Volatility - 28.08.2023

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 28.08.2023 16:26
Australia retail sales rebounds with 0.5% gain Fed’s Powell keeps door open to further hikes The Australian dollar started the week with gains but then retreated. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6408, up 0.09%. Last week, the Australian dollar showed significant swings of around 1%. Australia’s retail sales surprise on the upside Australian retail sales rebounded in July with a respectable gain of 0.5% m/m.  This followed a dismal -0.8% reading in June and beat the consensus estimate of 0.3%. The welcome uptick was driven by the Women’s World Cup which was held in Australia and was a massive boost for Australia’s travel and retail sectors. Much of the tournament took place in August, which means that the August retail sales report should also receive a shot to the arm. The August report showed that consumers still have an appetite for spending, but there are unmistakable signs that the economy is cooling. Inflation has been falling, wage growth in the second quarter was weaker than expected and unemployment rose to 3.7%. This all points to the Reserve Bank of Australia holding rates at the September 5th meeting, and the future markets have priced a hold at around 90%. The slowdown in China, which is Australia’s largest trading partner, could throw a monkey wrench into the central bank’s efforts to guide the economy to a soft landing. There is a always the concern that aggressive tightening, with the aim of curbing inflation, will choke economic growth and tip the economy into a recession. The Australian dollar is sensitive to Chinese releases and the recent batch of soft Chinese data has weighed on the struggling Australian dollar.   Federal Chair Jerome Powell delivered the keynote speech on Friday, but anyone looking for dramatic headlines walked away disappointed. Powell reiterated that the battle to lower inflation to the 2% target “still has a long way to go”. Powell was somewhat hawkish with regard to interest rates, saying that the Fed would “proceed carefully” with regard to raising rates or putting rates on hold and waiting for additional data. This was a deliberate omission of any mention of rate cuts, a signal that the Fed isn’t even thinking about lowering rates. The future markets responded by raising the odds of a rate hike in September to 21%, up from 14% a week ago.     AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is testing resistance at 0.6424. Above, there is resistance at 0.6470 There is support at 0.6360 and 0.6317    
China's Supportive Measures and Metals Market Outlook

China's Supportive Measures and Metals Market Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 29.08.2023 10:10
Metals – Supportive measures from China China announced some measures on Monday to support the economy and financial markets. Beijing has reduced the stamp duty on stock trading by 50% (from 0.1% to 0.05%), with the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission also approving new retail funds to increase capital inflow and tightening IPO regulations to boost confidence among investors. Meanwhile, the National Development and Reforms Commission also pledged to increase private investments in the construction of national and key infrastructure projects including transportation, advanced manufacturing, and modern agriculture facilities among others. In addition, China announced some measures to support the flailing property sector. These measures have helped broader sentiment in financial markets. This is likely to see LME metals opening stronger today, with yesterday a bank holiday in the UK. Spot gold has managed to edge higher in recent days with the market reacting to hints from Jackson Hole that the Federal Reserve will likely keep rates unchanged at its September FOMC meeting. However, we could see some renewed pressure later in the year, with the market still coming around to the idea that the Fed may have to hike rates at least one more time later in the year. This continues to support the US dollar and treasury yields. However, we will need to keep a close eye on US data releases in the coming weeks, which could shed more light on what the Fed may do. This starts with the US jobs report on Friday. Despite strength in recent days, gold ETFs have seen 13 consecutive weeks of outflows. In addition, CFTC data show that over the last reporting week, speculators cut their net long in COMEX gold by 20,845 lots over the week to 25,695 lots, the lowest levels since March.
Quiet Start for Japanese Yen as USD/JPY Trades Higher

Quiet Start for Japanese Yen as USD/JPY Trades Higher

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 29.08.2023 10:31
The Japanese yen is trading quietly at the start of the week. In the North American session, USD/JPY is trading at 146.60, up 0.11%. The yen has plunged 3.05% in August against the US dollar and is trading at its lowest levels since November 2022.   Powell, Ueda speak at Jackson Hole  There was a degree of anticipation as major central bankers gathered at the Jackson Hole summit. The meeting has been used as a launch-pad for shifts in policy, but one would be hard-pressed to point to any dramatic news from the summit. Bank of Governor Kazuo Ueda stayed true to his script that underlying inflation remains lower than the BoJ’s target of 2% and as a result, the BoJ will stick with the current ultra-easy policy. Ueda has followed his predecessor Haruhiko Kuroda and insisted that he will not lift interest rates until there is evidence that domestic demand and stronger wage growth replace cost-push factors and keep inflation sustainably around the 2% target. Ueda continues to argue that inflation is below target and that he expects inflation to fall, but core inflation indicators continue to point to broad-based inflationary pressures and have remained above the 2% target for around 15 months. Still, the BoJ is sticking to its loose policy and trying to dampen speculation that it will tighten policy. The BoJ tweaked its yield curve control policy in July but at the time, Ueda insisted that the move was not a step towards normalization of policy. Federal Chair Jerome Powell delivered the keynote speech on Friday, but anyone looking for dramatic headlines walked away disappointed. Powell reiterated that the battle to lower inflation to the 2% target “still has a long way to go”. Powell was somewhat hawkish with regard to interest rates, saying that the Fed would “proceed carefully” with regard to raising rates or putting rates on hold and waiting for additional data. There was no mention of rate cuts, a signal that the Fed isn’t looking to trim rates anytime soon. The future markets responded by raising the odds of a rate hike in September to 21%, up from 14% a week ago.   USD/JPY Technical There is resistance at 147.19 and 147.95 145.86 and 145.10 are providing support    
Fed Officials Shift Focus to Inflation Amid European and British Currency Upside Momentum

Fed Officials Shift Focus to Inflation Amid European and British Currency Upside Momentum

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 29.08.2023 15:48
While the European currency and the British pound are trying to gain upside momentum to continue their bullish corrections initiated at the end of last week, Fed officials have shifted their focus from interest rates to inflation, particularly its target level. Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin stated that the US central bank could lose credibility if it were to consider changing its 2% inflation target before achieving that goal. "It's not like 2% is some magical unicorn of a number that we could never hit," he said at an event hosted by the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce in Danville, Virginia. Barkin, who doesn't vote on monetary policy decisions this year, did not express his opinion on when he believes rate cuts might start. According to him, criteria that might allow for a reduction in rates include monitoring when inflation cools month to month and how consumer demand, which remains at a fairly high level, stabilizes. A recent monthly survey of 68 economists conducted August 11-16 showed that no one expects the US central bank to cut rates until the second quarter of next year. This is three months later than the July estimate. Barkin also noted that the greater-than-expected easing in inflation in June could signal that the US economy is heading for a "soft landing," returning to price stability without a dmamging recession. At present, the regulator's preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures index — added 3% in June from a year earlier, marking the smallest increase in over two years. This is well below last year's figure of 7% when Fed representatives began the most aggressive policy tightening campaign in a generation. Some leading economists have repeatedly noted that central banks should not keep monetary policy so tight. Olivier Blanchard, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, believes that regulators should stop tightening policy, especially after inflation drops to 3%. Harvard University Professor Jason Furman, who was chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers from 2013 to 2017, even called for the Federal Reserve to consider raising the inflation target. Notably, last month, the Fed raised the key interest rate to a target range of 5.25% to 5.5%, the highest level in 22 years. Now, especially after the Jackson Hole symposium, the debate has shifted from how high rates need to go to how long they should remain elevated  
ECB Signals Rate Hike as ARM Goes Public: Market Insights

EUR/USD Reacts to Mixed Economic Data: Euro Recovers from Dip Below 1.08

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 30.08.2023 10:04
Euro slips below 1.08 but recovers German GfK consumer climate falls US consumer confidence and job openings decelerate The euro fell below the 1.08 line on Tuesday after a weak German consumer confidence report but has recovered in the North American session after soft US data. EUR/USD is currently trading at 1.0840, up 0.20%. Germany is the eurozone’s largest economy and is considered the powerhouse of the bloc. That has changed dramatically as the German economy is looking more like a dead weight than a locomotive. With the economy sputtering, it’s no surprise that German business and consumer confidence is in the doldrums. Germany’s GfK Consumer Climate is forecasting a reading of  -25.5 for September, down from the revised downward figure of -24.6 in August and below the consensus estimate of -24.3. This was the lowest reading since May, with consumers pointing to high inflation and concern about potential unemployment as key reasons for concern. Last week, German Ifo Business Climate fell in August for a fourth straight month to 85.7, down from an upwardly revised 87.4 and shy of the market consensus of 86.7 points.   German CPI expected to fall to 6.0% Germany will release the July inflation report on Wednesday. Inflation is currently at 6.2% and is expected to dip to 6.0%, considerably higher than eurozone inflation which is at 5.3%. The ECB is committed to bringing inflation back to the 2% target but it’s unclear if the central bank will raise rates for an eighth straight time or take a pause and monitor how the economy is performing. The benchmark rate is relatively low at 3.75%, but the eurozone and German economies aren’t in the best shape and higher interest rates would raise the likelihood of a recession. In the US, it was a bad day at the office.  The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell sharply to 106.1 in July, compared to 116.0 in August. JOLTS Jobs Openings slowed to 8.82 million in July, down from 9.16 million in June and well off the estimate of 9.46 million. The data is further evidence that the US economy is slowing as high rates continue to filter through the economy.   EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is testing support at 1.0830. The next support line is 1.0731 There is resistance at 1.0896 and 1.0996    
Oil Prices Find Stability within New Range Amid Market Factors

Oil Prices Find Stability within New Range Amid Market Factors

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 30.08.2023 10:11
Oil prices stabilize after establishing a new range Hurricane season may have a greater influence amid tight market Head and shoulder neckline remains intact   Oil prices appear to be stabilizing around the middle of their new higher range, in the aftermath of OPEC+ cuts (voluntary Russia and Saudi in particular). Brent crude currently sits a little shy of $85 after rebounding higher off $82 last week and peaking just above $88 earlier this month. There remains considerable uncertainty around the outlook for the global economy, from China’s sluggish rebound to interest rates and possible recessions elsewhere. But on the supply side, major producers appear committed to ensuring the market remains tight and prices higher. They had little success earlier in the summer but that is no longer the case and the market is now vulnerable to spikes on the back of surprise outages and hurricane-related issues in the US.     The failure to break the neckline of the head and shoulders last week suggests there’s plenty of support for Brent following on from what was a potentially very bullish move just a month ago.   The break above the 200/233-day simple moving average band was the first time in almost a year that the price had traded above it. Whether that is now failing or the price is naturally stabilizing having been heavily manipulated on the supply side, only time will tell. If it had in fact turned bearish, the neckline may have fallen, at which point we could have seen a decent corrective move, based on the size of the pattern. Instead, it’s edging higher and a move above the right shoulder could be seen to weaken or break the pattern altogether.  
Recent Economic Developments and Upcoming Events in the UK, EU, Eurozone, and US

Inflation's Second Wave: Are We Really Watching a 70s Rerun?

ING Economics ING Economics 30.08.2023 13:12
Inflation's second wave: Are we really watching a 70s rerun? Another wave of global inflation is far from inevitable. But there are good reasons to think inflation will be structurally higher and more volatile over the next decade than the last.   Are we heading for a 1970s re-run? Inflation has only been falling for a matter of months across major economies, but the debate surrounding a possible “second wave” is well underway. Social media is littered with charts like the ones below, overlaying the recent inflation wave against the experience of the 1970s. These charts are largely nonsense; the past is not a perfect gauge for the future, especially given the second 1970s wave can be traced back to another huge oil crisis. But central bankers have made no secret that nightmares of that period are shaping today's policy decisions. Policymakers are telling us they plan to keep rates at these elevated levels for quite some time.   Inflation: The 1970s versus today   Rewind 50 years and not only did inflation fail to return to prior lows in either the US or the UK after the initial 1974 spike, but both countries saw at least one additional spike over subsequent years. Germany fared better, but wages did respond to the second oil crisis, helping to push inflation up again.  The lesson was that for a second wave to really take off, you need a catalyst and an economic environment ripe for inflation to take hold. The twin oil price shocks in the 1970s fell on a US economy that was already running hot, a byproduct of persistent US trade and fiscal deficits that grew through the 1960s, aided by the often loose monetary policy of then-Federal Reserve Chair Arthur Burns. That excess demand helped end the Bretton Woods system of fixed currencies and the US dollar lost a quarter of its value between 1970 and mid-1973 as the agreement collapsed, amplifying the hit from higher energy costs. And all of this fell upon an economy that was much more manufacturing-centric than it is today, and it was also heavily unionised. Wage growth typically kept pace with inflation. Back to today, the economy looks very different. But we think there are valuable lessons, and these are our main conclusions:   A second wave isn’t inevitable, but we think there are good reasons to expect inflation to be both structurally higher and more volatile over the next decade. The same is true for central bank rates. The US is less vulnerable to energy shocks than in the 1970s, but further gas price spikes are possible, and that could prompt renewed waves of eurozone inflation. With prices still well above 2021 levels, a shock would likely be smaller. However, a second energy price shock could lead to more pronounced feedback between eurozone wages and inflation. Shortages of metals, be it due to lack of investment or geopolitics, are a growing inflation risk, especially amid the green transition. This probably wouldn’t generate a 2022-style inflation shock by itself, but it is likely to be a source of constant price pressure in future years. Extreme weather is also likely to make food prices more volatile. Unionisation is less widespread than in the 1970s, but there are signs that worker power is increasing amid structural worker shortages. The ability of workers to protect real wages in future inflation shocks is set to grow.  Tighter fiscal and monetary policy should act as a brake on inflation over the short-to-medium-term. Interest rates aren’t likely to return to pre-Covid lows in the foreseeable future, and quantitative easing is unlikely to be used as an economic bazooka. But Covid and the Ukraine war have lowered the bar to big government tax/spending intervention in future crises.   Like the 1970s, inflation is becoming more volatile Source: Macrobond, ING calculations
Central Banks and Inflation: Lessons from History and Current Realities

Central Banks and Inflation: Lessons from History and Current Realities

ING Economics ING Economics 30.08.2023 13:24
Central banks The situation with central banks looks decidedly different to the 1970s, for two key reasons. First, while the response to the initial Covid wave was huge – and in hindsight probably too aggressive – policymakers have not shied away from applying the brakes ever since. No central banker wants to be remembered as the modern-day Arthur Burns, and there’s a clear incentive to err on the side of keeping rates too high for too long. While we expect rate cuts in 2024, it’s highly unlikely that rates will return to the ultra-low levels seen before the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, central bank balance sheets are increasingly likely to be used for targeted financial stability interventions rather than to deliver large monetary stimulus.   The other major difference is that central banks are now independent, whereas with the exception of the German Bundesbank, that largely wasn’t the case in the 1970s. This independence, as well as monetary tightening in the 1980s, laid the basis for lower inflation expectations. Since the 1980s, central bank credibility has become an important asset in the fight against inflation. Therefore, central banks will be less inclined to ease monetary policy when inflation expectations are still high. Will that change? It’s unlikely, and independence has so far survived the era of populism relatively unscathed, at least among G10 economies. High interest rates are likely to be a key topic going into elections in the US and UK, among others, in 2024. But ultimately, central banks will be reluctant to return to the days of ultra-low rates.
Understanding Gold's Movement: Recession and Market Dynamics

Understanding Gold's Movement: Recession and Market Dynamics

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 30.08.2023 13:53
Gold is traditionally seen by investors as a hedge against inflation. However, it is not inflation that drives the XAU/USD quotes, but recession. In the spring, the precious metal confidently rose towards historical highs amid expectations of an impending downturn in the U.S. economy. However, a stable labor market and positive macroeconomic indicators suggested a soft landing. This led to a collapse in the price of gold during the summer. As autumn approaches, the cooling economy is once again translating into its rise. Disappointing statistics from the U.S. are a reason to buy gold. The weaker the data, the less likely the Federal Reserve will implement its June forecast and raise the federal funds rate to 5.75%. Regardless of how much Fed Chairman Jerome Powell argues otherwise in Jackson Hole.   Furthermore, once a tightening monetary policy cycle ends, a dovish pivot usually follows. Monetary expansion creates a favorable environment for XAU/USD. Dynamics of the federal funds rate and gold     In this respect, the sharp decline in consumer confidence from the Conference Board in August and the continued peak in job vacancies and layoffs in the U.S. labor market in June are alarming signs for the U.S. economy and great news for gold enthusiasts. The chances of the Fed raising borrowing costs in 2023 have once again dropped below 50%, which adversely affected the dollar and allowed XAU/USD to counterattack. In essence, asset managers who reduced their net short positions on precious metals to their lowest levels since mid-March were mistaken. Aswere investors who withdrew money from ETFs for 13 weeks in a row. They were betting on the highest yield of U.S. Treasury bonds in over a decade. However, as soon as the U.S. macro data began to deteriorate, U.S. debt market rates declined, and XAU/USD quotes went up.   Dynamics of market expectations on the Federal Reserve rate   What's next? Gradual cooling of the labor market, a sharp reduction in excess savings, and mortgage rates rising above 7% paint a picture of new cracks in the U.S. economy. The tightening of the Fed's monetary policy occurs with a temporary lag. The more time that passes since the beginning of the cycle, the more painful the monetary restriction will be. Under such circumstances, recession risks will increase again.   In the end, the markets will return to the original conditions that existed in the spring and pushed gold to $2,075 per ounce. However, there is another scenario. The U.S. economy will continue to pleasantly surprise; the likelihood of forming a new inflation peak increases, as do the chances of raising the federal funds rate to 5.75%. Technically, on the daily chart of the precious metal, there is a "Double Bottom" pattern. Thanks to this, gold broke above the EMA and has the opportunity to continue its rally towards the fair value of $1,962 per ounce. As long as prices hold above $1,929, traders should focus on buying.    
A Bright Spot Amidst Economic Challenges

Inflation Data Analysis: Will Key Numbers Prompt ECB's September Pause?

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 31.08.2023 10:25
Key inflation numbers set to tee up ECB for September pause?     By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European markets underwent a bit of a pause yesterday with a mixed finish, although the FTSE100 did manage to eke out a gain, hitting a two-week high as well as matching its best run of daily gains since mid-July. US markets continued to track higher, with the Nasdaq 100 and S&P500 pushing further above their 50-day SMAs, with both closing at a two-week high, for their 4th day of gains.   As we look towards today's European session, the focus today returns to inflation, and more importantly whether there is enough evidence to justify a pause in September from both the ECB as well as the Federal Reserve, as we get key flash inflation numbers from France, Italy, and the EU, as well as the latest core PCE inflation numbers for July from the US.   Over the course of the last few weeks there has been increasing evidence that the eurozone economy has been slowing sharply, with the recent flash PMIs showing sharp contractions in both manufacturing and the services sector. Other business surveys have also pointed to weakening economic activity although prices have also been slowing, taking some of the pressure off the ECB to continue to hike aggressively.   At the last ECB meeting President Lagarde suggested a pause might be appropriate at the September meeting, acknowledging that policy was starting to become restrictive. We've also seen some ECB policymakers acknowledging the risks of overtightening into an economic slowdown, while on the flip side head of the Bundesbank Joachim Nagel has insisted further rate hikes are likely.   Yesterday's Germany and Spain flash CPI numbers for August highlight the ECB's problem, with Spain CPI edging up in August to 2.4% with core CPI slowing modestly to 6.1%. Headline inflation in Germany only slowed modestly to 6.4% from 6.5%.   Today's headline EU flash CPI numbers are therefore expected to be a key test for the ECB, when they meet on 14th September especially if they don't slow as much as markets are pricing. French CPI is expected to accelerate to 5.4% in August while Italy CPI is forecast to slow to 5.6%.   EU headline CPI is forecast to slow to 5.1% from 5.3%, with core prices expected to slow to 5.3% from 5.5%, although given the divergent nature of the various CPI readings of the big four eurozone economies there is a risk of an upside surprise.    The weaker than expected nature of this week's US economic data has been good news for stock markets, as well as bond markets, in so far it has helped to reinforce market expectations that next month's Fed meeting will see US policymakers vote to keep rates on hold.   A slowdown in job vacancies, a downgrade to US Q2 GDP and a weaker than expected ADP jobs report for August appears to show a US economy that is not too hot and not too cold.   Even before this week's economic numbers the odds had already been leaning towards a Fed pause when the central bank meets in September, even if there is a concern that we might still see another rate hike later in the year.   These concerns over another rate hike are mainly down to the stickiness of core inflation which only recently prompted a sharp move higher in longer term rates, causing the US yield curve to steepen off its June lows. The June Core PCE Deflator numbers did see a sharp fall from 4.6% in May to 4.1% in June, while the deflator fell to 3% from 3.8%.   Today's July inflation numbers could prompt further concern about sticky inflation if we get a sizeable tick higher in the monthly, as well as annual headline numbers, reversing some of the decline in bond yields seen so far this week.   When we got the July CPI numbers earlier this month, we saw evidence that prices might struggle to move much lower, after headline CPI edged higher to 3.2%. This could translate into a similar move today with a move higher to 3.3% in the deflator, and to 4.2% in the PCE core deflator.     Personal spending is also expected to rise by 0.7% in July, up from 0.5% in June. Weekly jobless claims are expected to remain steady, up slightly to 235k.       EUR/USD – the rebound off the 1.0780 trend line support from the March lows continues to gain traction, pushing up to the 1.0950 area. We need to push through resistance at the 1.1030 area, to signal a return to the highs this year.   GBP/USD – another day of strong gains has seen the pound push back above the 1.2700 area. We need to push back through the 1.2800 area to diminish downside risk and a move towards 1.2400.       EUR/GBP – the failure to push through resistance at the 0.8620/30 area yesterday has seen the euro slip back towards the 0.8570/80 area. While the 50-day SMA caps the bias is for a retest of the lows.   USD/JPY – the 147.50 area remains a key resistance. This remains the key barrier for a move towards 150.00. Support comes in at last week's lows at 144.50/60.   FTSE100 is expected to open 6 points higher at 7,479   DAX is expected to open 30 points higher at 15,922   CAC40 is expected to open 13 points higher at 7,377  
Eurozone PMI Shows Limited Improvement Amid Lingering Contraction Concerns in September

Eurozone Economic Focus: Navigating Through August CPI and ECB Signals

ING Economics ING Economics 31.08.2023 10:32
EUR: Focus on the eurozone August CPI Flash August CPI data for the eurozone is released at 11:00 am CET today and is expected to show a gradual decline in both headline and core YoY readings to 5.1% and 5.3%, from 5.3% and 5.5% respectively. However, the decline is proving gradual and we are actually starting to see expectations of one more rate hike from the European Central Bank firm up a little. These peak at around 21bp of tightening priced in for January next year. Our macro team feels that the chances of a September rate hike are under-priced (now a 43% probability) meaning that EUR/USD could get a little support from the ECB story over the coming weeks. Today, also look out for a 09:00 am CET speech from ECB hawk Isabel Schnabel, speaking at a conference on 'Inflation: Drivers and Dynamics'. We will also see the ECB minutes for the July policy meeting released at 1:30 pm CET. EUR/USD has turned a little more bid over the last few days as US jobs data has softened the front end of the US yield curve and sticky inflation has kept EUR short-dated interest rates supported. Our short-term Financial Fair Value model sees EUR/USD fairly priced near 1.0900 - suggesting a probably range-bound session into tomorrow's US NFP release. Elsewhere, we note that Switzerland is planning some new large-scale Anti Money Laundering measures for 2024. This may be a slow-burn story, but one which may ultimately weigh on the Swiss franc in 2024.
Brent crude oil has reached a fresh ten-month high near $93 while WTI is approaching $90

USD/JPY Drifts into 145-150 Range: Assessing Alarm Signals and Market Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 31.08.2023 10:33
JPY: Where is the alarm? USD/JPY has quietly drifted into the 145-150 intervention zone without triggering many alarm bells in Tokyo. One difference between now and the intervention period last September and October is that FX conditions are much more orderly. For example, one month USD/JPY implied volatility is trading near 9% today versus levels in the 14-15% region during Japanese FX intervention last year.  At the same time, there is no sense of a 'sell Japan' mentality emerging, and Japanese authorities may actually tolerate a softer yen given the deflationary forces emerging from China and the weak export markets in Asia and Europe. Unless we see some financial shock that triggers an unwind of the carry trade, it looks as though USD/JPY can hang around this 145/150 region longer than we had originally forecast. A decisive turn lower may have to wait until the late September and October period when more evidence of a US slowdown should have emerged and speculation will be growing over a Bank of Japan policy change at the meeting in late October.
Unraveling the Resilience: US Growth, Corporate Debt, and Market Surprises in 2023

Unraveling the Resilience: US Growth, Corporate Debt, and Market Surprises in 2023

Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton 31.08.2023 10:50
The resilience of US growth, earnings, and markets in 2023 has surprised many. After more than a year of aggressive Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes, the fact that the United States managed to avoid a recession, experience an upswing in US corporate earnings expectations, and witness a strong rebound in major equity indexes was unexpected at the beginning of the year. While numerous explanations have been offered to account for these phenomena, one crucial factor seems to have been overlooked—US private sector debt. Over the past 15 years, significant changes have occurred in US household and corporate sector indebtedness, reshaping the economy, profits, and equity valuations. These changes have made these factors less sensitive to monetary policy than they have been in over a generation.     The resilience of US growth, earnings and markets has been the big surprise of 2023. Following more than a year of aggressive Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes, few would have believed at the beginning of this year that the United States would avoid a recession, see an upswing in US corporate earnings expectations, and enjoy a strong rebound of major equity indexes. While many explanations have been offered to explain these phenomena, one important factor has been generally overlooked—US private sector debt. Over the past 15 years, US household and corporate sector indebtedness has changed significantly and in ways that make the economy, profits and equity valuations less sensitive to monetary policy than at any time in over a generation. We will focus on the corporate debt story here. But we must note that household borrowing habits have also changed in important ways since the global financial crisis (GFC). Total household debt, as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), has fallen by nearly a third since 2008. Credit standards have tightened, with fewer at-risk households able to borrow or borrow as much. And, importantly, mortgage borrowing has reverted to conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgages and away from floating rate or adjustable-rate mortgages. As a result, the lags between the Fed’s short-rate hikes and debt servicing costs in the household sector have lengthened. Those factors alone help explain why the US economy and consumer spending have held up better than many thought they would at the onset of 2023. A strong labor market, underpinned by post-COVID re-hiring, shortages of able-bodied workers, and fiscal stimulus have also contributed significantly to the resilience of demand. But for economists, policymakers and investors, there has been another interesting debt development underway: the absence of any discernable impact of rising interest rates on corporate profitability. That outcome deserves closer attention, because it has important implications for growth, profits and equity as well as credit market outcomes.   What has changed? Just as for the household sector, the GFC unleashed significant changes in the way companies borrow. Although overall corporate de-leveraging was more modest for companies than households since the GFC, a similar development has taken place in the tenor of borrowing. Specifically, one of the consequences of the GFC was to reduce company reliance on short-term borrowings such as commercial paper or bank loans and replace it with public and private credit instruments with longer maturities and fixed terms. For example, the commercial paper market was roughly $2.2 trillion in mid-2007 and as of August 2023, it is close to $1.2 trillion.1 In that same span, US investment-grade and US high-yield debt markets have mushroomed from $2.1 trillion to $7.8 trillion, and from $0.7 trillion to $1.2 trillion respectively.2 Meanwhile, global private credit has grown by $1 trillion.3 Mostly, those borrowings are fixed rate and the average maturities across these three asset classes range from 4 to 10 years.   Accordingly, lags between rising interest rates (courtesy of Fed tightening) and corporate debt servicing costs have lengthened. As a result, the corporate sector, by virtue of structural changes in corporate finance, has thus far been sheltered from the harshest impacts of what has otherwise been an aggressive series of Fed rate hikes since early 2022. But that is not all. As the most recent data for the second-quarter 2023 earnings season shows, companies across many sectors are reporting falling net interest costs, despite higher interest rates at all maturities. How is that possible? Part of the answer resides in an inverted yield curve, with short-term rates above long-term rates. Companies with high cash balances (based on resilient earnings as well as prudent capital spending) are enjoying higher interest revenues by parking their money in short-dated notes, but low interest costs having locked in lower rates via longer-term borrowing. The corporate sector is, in sum, playing an inverted yield curve to its benefit. That is a contributing factor to explain why, for virtually every sector in the S&P 500 Index (except for consumer staples and health care), net interest expense as a percentage of net profit is lower today than it was 20 years ago. Indeed, for the S&P 500 as whole, net interest expense as a percentage of net profit is today only about 40% of its 2003 level.4 The result is higher earnings—boosting share prices—as well as a more resilient corporate sector to Fed tightening. But is this happy situation sustainable? In the long run, no. At some point, new borrowings are required and maturing debt must be rolled over. If borrowing costs remain elevated, the good times will go away. But the corporate debt shield may yet endure for longer. That is because maturity extension has been significant for many companies and across many sectors. Since the end of 2020, for example, the proportion of investment-grade debt maturing after 2028 has gone from roughly 48% to 56%.5 This trend is even more pronounced among high yield (sub-investment grade) borrowers, with the proportion of borrowings extending beyond 2028 rising from 20% to roughly 42% of the market.6 And, of course, if rates fall between now and then (as would seem likely as inflation recedes), then companies may refinance on more agreeable terms before their debt matures.   It is also interesting to see where these developments are particularly significant. Within investment- grade markets, financials lead the way with a 50% increase in longer dated debt.7 The energy and technology sectors have witnessed increases of over 25%.8 At the other end of the borrowing spectrum, health care has not recorded a similar shift in debt maturity and, perhaps as a result, it has seen net interest expense take a bigger chunk out of net earnings in recent quarters.     The fact that profits have been shielded from the impacts of Fed tightening helps explain continued company interest in hiring. It also points to a positive feedback loop between profits, employment and demand that, while not sustainable forever, has helped to support US economic growth well into 2023. If so, the resilience of earnings and growth has another key implication for investors—namely reduced default risk. Credit risk is more nuanced. Individual defaults remain possible, and some will be unavoidable. But barring a freezing up of lending markets, overall corporate default rates are likely to be lower in this cycle than in prior ones.
Summer's End: An Anxious Outlook for the Global Economy

Poland Poised for Interest Rate Cut in September Despite Double-Digit Inflation

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 08:35
Poland set to cut interest rates in September despite double-digit inflation Even though latest figures show Poland's inflation is still in double digits, we think the country's central bank will start its easing cycle in September. CPI fell to 10.1% in August from 10.8% in July, Year-on-Year. It reflects lower food and energy prices. Core inflation's drop came in third place; we estimate that fell to 10% from 10.6%.   Polish headline CPI inflation fell from 10.8% YoY to 10.1% YoY in August, marginally above expectations (ING 10.0% YoY and consensus 9.9% YoY; the forecast range was 9.7 to 10.6%). Food price dynamics subtracted 0.8pp from the CPI, energy carriers 0.3pp and core inflation only 0.3pp. In contrast, fuel prices rose in August and added 0.6pp to the headline figure. The release of double-digit CPI means that one of the conditions for easing, which the National Bank of Poland Governor mentioned, has not been met. However, we still believe the MPC will cut rates in September. Here's why:  We are on the path to single-digit inflation in September; the data will be published after the September MPC meeting. The CPI path in 2H23 should be either close to or slightly lower than the NBP's July projection. The MPC should consider this as a disinflation scenario materialising.  The pace of GDP growth in 2Q23 was lower than the NBP's projection, and data on economic activity in Poland and Europe suggests pushing back the economic rebound instead to 4Q23, so the state of the economy in the second half of this year will still be weak. In the short term, monetary easing is supported by strong disinflationary trends in global supply chains, resulting in a large drop in companies' inflation expectations, and these trends are still stronger than the rebound in oil and wheat prices. So, we expect the NBP to cut rates by 50-75 basis points this year, and the easing cycle may well continue into 2024. However, the inflation picture in Poland is not unequivocally positive. Poland's core inflation rate is declining significantly slower than elsewhere in the region; a roughly 20% increase in the minimum wage is expected in 2024, and a sizeable fiscal loosening is planned. Once the favourable impact of falling external prices ends, it's going to be difficult to bring inflation back to target on a sustained basis. 
Navigating the Path Ahead: Inflation, Catalysts, and Lessons from the 1970s

Navigating the Path Ahead: Inflation, Catalysts, and Lessons from the 1970s

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 08:51
Another wave of global inflation is far from inevitable. But there are good reasons to think inflation will be structurally higher and more volatile over the next decade than the last   Are we heading for a 1970s re-run? Inflation has only been falling for a matter of months across major economies, but the debate surrounding a possible “second wave” is well underway. Social media is littered with charts like the ones below, overlaying the recent inflation wave against the experience of the 1970s. These charts are largely nonsense; the past is not a perfect gauge for the future, especially given the second 1970s wave can be traced back to another huge oil crisis. But central bankers have made no secret that nightmares of that period are shaping today's policy decisions. Policymakers are telling us they plan to keep rates at these elevated levels for quite some time.   Inflation: The 1970s versus today Rewind 50 years and not only did inflation fail to return to prior lows in either the US or the UK after the initial 1974 spike, but both countries saw at least one additional spike over subsequent years. Germany fared better, but wages did respond to the second oil crisis, helping to push inflation up again. The lesson was that for a second wave to really take off, you need a catalyst and an economic environment ripe for inflation to take hold. The twin oil price shocks in the 1970s fell on a US economy that was already running hot, a byproduct of persistent US trade and fiscal deficits that grew through the 1960s, aided by the often loose monetary policy of then-Federal Reserve Chair Arthur Burns. That excess demand helped end the Bretton Woods system of fixed currencies and the US dollar lost a quarter of its value between 1970 and mid-1973 as the agreement collapsed, amplifying the hit from higher energy costs. And all of this fell upon an economy that was much more manufacturing-centric than it is today, and it was also heavily unionised. Wage growth typically kept pace with inflation.   Back to today, the economy looks very different. But we think there are valuable lessons, and these are our main conclusions: A second wave isn’t inevitable, but we think there are good reasons to expect inflation to be both structurally higher and more volatile over the next decade. The same is true for central bank rates. The US is less vulnerable to energy shocks than in the 1970s, but further gas price spikes are possible, and that could prompt renewed waves of eurozone inflation. With prices still well above 2021 levels, a shock would likely be smaller. However, a second energy price shock could lead to more pronounced feedback between eurozone wages and inflation. Shortages of metals, be it due to lack of investment or geopolitics, are a growing inflation risk, especially amid the green transition. This probably wouldn’t generate a 2022-style inflation shock by itself, but it is likely to be a source of constant price pressure in future years. Extreme weather is also likely to make food prices more volatile. Unionisation is less widespread than in the 1970s, but there are signs that worker power is increasing amid structural worker shortages. The ability of workers to protect real wages in future inflation shocks is set to grow. Tighter fiscal and monetary policy should act as a brake on inflation over the short-to-medium-term. Interest rates aren’t likely to return to pre-Covid lows in the foreseeable future, and quantitative easing is unlikely to be used as an economic bazooka. But Covid and the Ukraine war have lowered the bar to big government tax/spending intervention in future crises.            
Central Banks in the 21st Century: Independence, Credibility, and Interest Rate Challenges

Central Banks in the 21st Century: Independence, Credibility, and Interest Rate Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 08:56
Central banks The situation with central banks looks decidedly different to the 1970s, for two key reasons. First, while the response to the initial Covid wave was huge – and in hindsight probably too aggressive – policymakers have not shied away from applying the brakes ever since. No central banker wants to be remembered as the modern-day Arthur Burns, and there’s a clear incentive to err on the side of keeping rates too high for too long. While we expect rate cuts in 2024, it’s highly unlikely that rates will return to the ultra-low levels seen before the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, central bank balance sheets are increasingly likely to be used for targeted financial stability interventions rather than to deliver large monetary stimulus.   The other major difference is that central banks are now independent, whereas with the exception of the German Bundesbank, that largely wasn’t the case in the 1970s. This independence, as well as monetary tightening in the 1980s, laid the basis for lower inflation expectations. Since the 1980s, central bank credibility has become an important asset in the fight against inflation. Therefore, central banks will be less inclined to ease monetary policy when inflation expectations are still high. Will that change? It’s unlikely, and independence has so far survived the era of populism relatively unscathed, at least among G10 economies. High interest rates are likely to be a key topic going into elections in the US and UK, among others, in 2024. But ultimately, central banks will be reluctant to return to the days of ultra-low rates.  
Treading Carefully: Federal Reserve's Rate Hike Pause, ECB and Bank of England on the Horizon

Treading Carefully: Federal Reserve's Rate Hike Pause, ECB and Bank of England on the Horizon

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:27
We think the Federal Reserve has finished hiking rates, and the ECB and Bank of England aren't far behind.   Federal Reserve At the recent Jackson Hole Fed symposium, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged that monetary policy is “restrictive” and that policymakers will “proceed carefully” in determining whether to hike interest rates further. September appears set for a pause given recent encouraging signals on inflation and labour costs, but robust activity data means the door remains ajar for a further potential hike. Markets see a 50-50 chance of a final hike while we think rates have most probably peaked. Households are rapidly running down pandemic-era savings, and rising consumer loan delinquencies indicate growing stresses that will be intensified by the restart of student loan repayments. Amid weakening global activity, we are, unfortunately, in the camp that fears this is more of a downturn-delayed rather than recession-averted story. Fortunately, we think that inflation will continue to slow rapidly and this will afford the Federal Reserve the flexibility to respond swiftly to this challenging environment with interest rate cuts through 2024.  
Bank of England's Rate Dilemma: A September Hike and the Uncertain Path Ahead

Bank of England's Rate Dilemma: A September Hike and the Uncertain Path Ahead

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:30
Bank of England The Bank of England looks poised to hike rates again in September, but November is less certain. Private sector wage growth is at a cycle high and looks unlikely to slow dramatically by the end of the year, and certainly not before November. Meanwhile, services inflation has risen higher again. And while we think the impact of lower gas prices should start to show through here with a lag, progress is likely to be limited by the time of the November meeting. That said, the wider economy is showing signs of slowing amid higher interest rates, and the jobs market is also noticeably cooling. We’re likely to see more evidence of this over the next couple of months. We’re erring on the side of a pause in November, but we don’t rule out another hike. Bigger picture, the BoE is clear that it wants to keep rates high for a prolonged period. We’ve pencilled in the first cut for the second quarter of next year but we acknowledge that may end up being delayed.  
Assessing the Resilience of the US Economy Amidst Rising Challenges and Recession Expectations

Assessing the Resilience of the US Economy Amidst Rising Challenges and Recession Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:34
The US confounded 2023 expectations that it would fall into recession as households used pandemic-era savings and their credit cards to maintain lifestyles amidst a cost-of-living crisis. But with loan delinquencies on the rise, savings being exhausted, credit access curtailed and student loan repayments restarting, financial stress will increas.   Robust resilience in the face of rate hikes At the beginning of the year, economists broadly thought the US economy would likely experience a recession as the fastest and most aggressive increase in interest rates inevitably took its toll on activity. Instead, the US has confounded expectations and is on course to see GDP growth of 3%+ in the current quarter with full-year growth likely to come in somewhere between 2% and 2.5%. What makes this even more surprising is that this has been achieved in the face of banks significantly tightening lending conditions while other major economies, such as China, are stuttering and even entering recessions, such as in the eurozone.   Consumers still happy to spend with the jobs market looking so strong So why is the US continuing to perform so strongly? Well, the robust jobs market certainly provides a strong base, even if wage growth has been tracking below the rate of inflation. Maybe that confidence in job security has encouraged households to seek to maintain their lifestyles amidst a cost-of-living crisis by running down savings accrued during the pandemic and supplementing this with credit card borrowing. The housing market was another source of concern at the start of the year, but even with mortgage rates at 20-year highs and mortgage applications having halved, prices have stabilised and are now rising again nationally. Home supply has fallen just as sharply, with those homeowners locked in at 2.5-3.5% mortgage rates reluctant to sell and give up that cheap financing when moving to a different home and renting remains so expensive. This has helped lift new home construction at a time when infrastructure projects under the umbrella of the Inflation Reduction Act are supporting non-residential construction activity.   But lending is stalling and savings have been run down The Federal Reserve admits monetary policy is now restrictive, and while it could raise interest rates further, there is no immediate pressure to do so. With inflation showing encouraging signs of slowing nicely, this is fueling talk of a soft landing for the economy. With less chance of an imminent recession, financial markets have scaled back the pricing of potential interest rate cuts in 2024, with the resiliency of the US economy prompting a growing belief that the equilibrium level of interest rates has shifted structurally higher. This resulted in longer-dated Treasury yields hitting 15-year highs earlier this month.   Outstanding commercial bank lending ($bn)   Nonetheless, the threat of a downturn has not disappeared. We estimate that around $1.3tn of the $2.2tn of pandemic-era accumulated savings has been exhausted and at the current run rate all will be gone before the end of the second quarter of 2024. At the same time, banks are increasingly reluctant to lend to the consumer with the stock of outstanding bank lending flat lining since the banking stresses in March, having increased nearly $1.5tn from late 2021. We suspect that financial stresses have seen middle and lower income households accumulate the bulk of the additional consumer debt and have run down a greater proportion of their savings vis-à-vis higher income households so a financial squeeze for the majority is likely to materialise well before the second quarter of 2024.   Rising delinquencies will accelerate as student loan repayments resume Indeed, consumer loan delinquencies are on the rise, particularly for credit card and vehicle loans with the chart below showing data up until the second quarter of this year. Since then the situation has deteriorated further based on anecdotal evidence with Macy’s CFO expressing surprise at the speed and scale of the rise in delinquencies experienced through June and July on their own branded credit card (Citibank partnered). With credit card interest rates at their highest level since 1972 and with household finances set to become more stressed with the imminent restart of student loan repayments, something is likely to give. We see the risk of a further increase in delinquencies, which will hurt banks and lead to even further retrenchment on lending, together with slower consumer spending growth and potentially even a contraction.   Percent of loans 30+ days delinquent   Downturn delayed, not averted The manufacturing sector is already struggling and we see the potential for consumer services to come under increasing pressure too. On top of this there are the lingering worries about the demand for office space and the impact this will have on commercial real estate prices in an environment where there is around $1.5tn of loans needing to be refinanced within the next 18 months. With small banks the largest holder of these loans, we fear we could see a return to banking concerns over the next 12 months. Consequently, we are in the camp believing that it's more likely that the downturn has been delayed rather than averted. Fortunately, we think inflation will continue to slow rapidly given the housing rent dynamics, falling used car prices and softening corporate pricing power and this will give the Federal Reserve the flexibility to respond swiftly to this challenging environment. We continue to forecast the Federal Reserve will not carry through with the final threatened interest rate rise and instead will switch to policy loosening from late first quarter 2024 onwards.  
Challenges Loom Over Eurozone's Economic Outlook: Inflation, Interest Rates, and Uncertainty Ahead

Challenges Loom Over Eurozone's Economic Outlook: Inflation, Interest Rates, and Uncertainty Ahead

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:40
The third quarter may still be saved by tourism in the eurozone, but the latest data points to a more pronounced slowdown in the coming months. Inflation is falling, but a last interest rate hike in September is not yet off the table. The European Central Bank will be hesitant to loosen significantly in 2024, limiting the scope for a bond market rally.   Business sentiment in contraction territory In spite of heatwaves and wildfires, the tourist season seems to have been strong in Europe. It has continued to support growth in the third quarter following a better-than-expected growth figure in the second quarter. However, with the end of the summer in sight, we're now beginning to see a more sobering economic outlook emerge. The composite PMI survey for August was certainly a cold shower, falling to the lowest level in 33 months at 47 points. While the figure has already been in contraction territory in industry for some time, it has now fallen below the boom-or-bust level in the services sector. Deteriorating order books weighed on confidence in both the manufacturing and the services sector, which also explains why there were job losses in manufacturing while hiring plans in the services sector were put on a slow burner. This will probably stop the decline in unemployment in the eurozone. Disappointing external demand A softer labour market might lead to higher savings rates, thereby countering the positive impact on consumption of rising purchasing power. At the same time, the much-anticipated export boost is unlikely to materialise as the US economy eventually starts to cool while the Chinese recovery continues to disappoint. Finally, with a rapidly cooling housing market on the back of tighter monetary policy, the construction sector is also likely to see a slowdown. All of this explains why we still don’t buy the European Central Bank's story that economic recovery will strengthen on the back of falling inflation, rising incomes and improving supply conditions. We expect the winter quarters to see close to 0% growth, resulting in 0.6% annual GDP growth for both this year and next year.   Cooling housing market is likely to weigh on construction activity   Inflation is coming down, slowly While inflation is clearly trending down, the pace might still leave the ECB uncomfortable. Industrial goods prices have started to fall, but services prices are still growing monthly above 4% in annualised terms. Negotiated wage growth seems to have reached a plateau just below 4.5%. Still, given the slow productivity growth (with the decline in hours worked as one of the important drags), final demand will have to be very weak to prevent higher wages from feeding into higher prices. We expect headline inflation to hit 2% by the end of 2024, but over the coming months, core inflation remains likely to hover around 5%. As the recent trend in underlying inflation is one of the key determinants of monetary policy, this would lead to an additional rate hike.   Loan growth is close to stalling The ECB's job is almost done With credit growth now close to a standstill and money growth negative, there remains little doubt that monetary policy is already sufficiently restrictive and that the monetary transmission mechanism is working. On top of that, the median consumer inflation expectation for the period three years ahead fell back to 2.3% in June. So, it looks as though the job is nearly done. For now, we're still pencilling in a final 25 basis point hike for the ECB's September meeting – but it's a very close call. A pause would likely mean the end of the tightening cycle, as the faltering recovery will make it harder to continue raising rates afterwards. While we see the first rate cut by the summer of 2024, we can't imagine the central bank loosening aggressively next year. In her speech at Jackson Hole, President Christine Lagarde mentioned a number of structural changes that make the medium-term inflation outlook more uncertain, and we think that the ECB will keep short rates relatively high for some time to come. That will probably limit the potential for the bond market to rally strongly in the wake of the expected economic stagnation later this year.    
Weak Economic Outlook for China: Challenges in Debt Restructuring and Growth Prospects

Weak Economic Outlook for China: Challenges in Debt Restructuring and Growth Prospects

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:44
The outlook is for further weakness in economic activity China now looks set to endure a period of sub-trend growth while it restructures this debt and alleviates some of the debt-service cost strains that are apparently weighing on some local government financing vehicles. Much of this off-balance sheet debt will need to be brought back on the balance sheet. Clarity over the scale of the existing problem will help determine the central government’s response, as at this stage, we suspect that even they don’t know. But lower interest rates for official debt and longer payment schedules seem very likely to dominate proceedings. Bucketloads of new debt, however, will not. We think that China's longer-term potential growth rate is around the 5% mark. But in the near term, even this may present a challenge for policymakers to achieve. We have downgraded our GDP forecast for 2023 to 4.5% as the previous main engine of growth – consumer spending – is faltering. Estimating how long this balance sheet adjustment will weigh on the economy is pure guesswork at this stage, but a wet-finger estimate of two years seems a reasonable starting point. We are not looking for 5% growth to be achieved again until 2025.   Chinese inflation is just unwinding earlier food price spikes   Inflation is low, but will recover Such weakness is likely to keep inflation very subdued in the meantime. Much of the recent decline in overall inflation is due to falls in food price inflation, which spiked up to more than 10% in July last year on the back of swine fever-affected pork prices. This is yet another reason for dismissing deflation claims. Indeed, if you create a conventional CPI index from China’s year-on-year inflation series, then it looks like the price level rose by about 0.3% month-on-month in each of the last two months. So temporary base effects are doing most of the damage to inflation currently, and by November these will have passed. In the meantime, though, further negative year-on-year CPI inflation figures are likely to keep the 'deflation' argument alive for a while longer.      
UK Monetary Policy Outlook: A September Hike Likely, but November Uncertain

UK Monetary Policy Outlook: A September Hike Likely, but November Uncertain

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:47
Uncomfortably high inflation and wage growth should seal the deal on a September rate hike from the Bank of England. But emerging economic weakness suggests the top of the tightening cycle is near, and our base case is a pause in November. Markets have been reassessing Bank of England rate hikes Rewind to the start of the summer, and the view that the UK had a unique inflation problem had become very fashionable. At its most extreme, market pricing saw Bank Rate peaking at 6.5%, some 125bp above its current level. Since then, this story has begun to lose traction. The differential between USD and GBP two-year swap rates, a gauge of interest rate expectations, has halved. That reflects the growing reality that the UK inflation story looks less of an outlier than it did a few months back. Like most of Europe, food inflation has begun to slow, and further aggressive falls are likely judging by producer prices. Consumer energy bills fell by 20% in July, and another 5% decline is baked in for October. The Bank of England itself is now describing the level of interest rates as “restrictive” – a statement of the obvious perhaps, but nevertheless tells us that policymakers think they’ve almost done enough with rate hikes.   UK and US rate expectations have narrowed   A September hike is likely but November is less certain Still, we’re not quite there yet, and recent inflation data has continued to come in on the upside. Private sector wage growth – measured on a three-month annualised basis – is running at a cycle-high of 11%. Services inflation also edged higher in July, although this was partly attributable to some unusual swings in specific categories rather than broad-based moves. A September hike is therefore highly likely. Whether markets are right to be pricing another hike for November is less certain. We’ll only get one round of CPI and wage data between the September and November meetings. Wage growth is unlikely to have slowed much, but we’re hopeful for early signs that services inflation is inching lower. Various surveys suggest few service-sector firms are raising prices, and we think that reflects the sharp fall in gas prices. A lot also hinges on whether we continue to see signs of weakness in economic activity. Like Europe, the UK’s PMIs look worrisome and will have prompted some pause for thought at the Bank of England. The jobs market is also cooling, and the vacancy-to-unemployment ratio – which BoE Governor Andrew Bailey has consistently referenced – is closing in on pre-Covid highs. There’s also been an ongoing improvement in worker supply. We’re now at a point where survey numbers and various bits of official data suggest that both economic growth and inflation are losing steam. The inflation and wage growth figures aren’t there yet, but these are lagging perhaps most out of all economic indicators. A November pause isn’t guaranteed, but it remains our base case. To some extent, we’re splitting hairs. In the bigger picture, the Bank is becoming much more focused on how high rates need to go – and instead, the central goal will increasingly become keeping market rates elevated long after it stops hiking. Any further rate hikes should be seen as a means to that end.      
CHF/JPY: Bullish Momentum Peaks, Short-Term Bearish Trend Emerges

Romania's Economic Challenges: Navigating Slower Growth and Fiscal Adjustments

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:53
Romania: Fiscal adjustments needed to contain the widening deficit The second-quarter flash GDP print confirmed that the Romanian economy is slowing rather rapidly. GDP advanced by 1.1% in the second quarter and 1.7% in the first half of the year, visibly below our 2.3% estimate. While the detailed GDP data due on 7 September might shed a different light on the growth dynamic, we have already revised our 2023 GDP growth forecast from 2.5% to 1.5%, while maintaining 2024 at 3.7%. From a monetary policy perspective, the lower growth is likely to offset the marginal higher inflation forecast of the National Bank of Romania and lead to a stable interest rate environment for the rest of the year. We believe that the central bank is not yet contemplating the timing for a dovish pivot, despite the more frequent dovish statements coming from other central banks in the region. We maintain our view of a first rate cut in the first quarter of 2024 with a key rate of 5.5% by the end of 2024. Particularly relevant for future growth and the interest rates pattern is the final form of the fiscal package which is under discussion at the moment. We are likely to see a budget deficit target of around 5.0% of GDP (up from 4.4%) but how exactly it will be achieved is important. An emphasis on taxes such as VAT (e.g. a generalised VAT hike) will likely skew the inflation profile higher while it might have a lesser impact on growth, while a more aggressive stance on increasing income taxes (e.g. by eliminating some facilities for employees in IT, constructions, agriculture) could be more growth-detrimental in the short term, but more helpful on the inflation side.  
Supply Risks and Volatility in the European Natural Gas Market

Global Energy Markets: Oil Strengthens, Natural Gas Volatile, and Metal Concerns Loom

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:54
Oil prices have strengthened over the summer as fundamentals tighten, whilst natural gas prices have been volatile, with potential strike action in Australia leading to LNG supply uncertainty. Chinese concerns are weighing on metals, but grain markets appear more relaxed despite the collapse of the Black Sea deal.   Oil market tightness to persist Oil prices have strengthened over the summer, with ICE Brent convincingly breaking above US$80/bbl. The strength in the flat price has coincided with strength in time spreads, reflecting a tightening in the physical oil market. OPEC+ cuts, and in particular additional voluntary cuts from Saudi Arabia, mean that the market is drawing down inventories. We expect this trend will continue until the end of the year, which suggests that oil prices still have room to move higher from current levels. While the fundamentals are constructive, there are clear headwinds for the oil market. Firstly, it is becoming more apparent that the Fed will likely keep interest rates higher for longer and that, along with renewed USD strength, is a concern for markets. Secondly, Chinese macro data continues to disappoint, raising concerns over the outlook for the Chinese economy and what this ultimately means for oil demand. That said, up to now, Chinese demand indicators remain pretty strong. We expect the tight oil environment to persist through much of 2024 with limited non-OPEC supply growth, continued OPEC+ cuts and demand growth all ensuring that global inventories will decline. However, we could see some price weakness in early 2024, with the market forecast to be in a small surplus in the first quarter of next year before moving back into deficit for the remainder of 2024, which should keep prices well supported. The risks to our constructive view on the market (other than China demand concerns) include further growth in Iranian supply despite ongoing US sanctions and a possible easing in US sanctions against Venezuela, which could lead to some marginal increases in oil supply.  
Understanding the Factors Keeping Market Rates Under Upward Pressure

Understanding the Factors Keeping Market Rates Under Upward Pressure

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 09:58
Shouldn't market rates be falling by now? No, not yet and we'll tell you why they remain under upward pressure. Most of it reflects US resilience; that's reflected in the market discount to where rates get cut in the future, and that discount remains relatively tame. In fact, delivery of that discount justifies 10yr rates being higher versus now.   The rise in US market rates has been pulling eurozone ones higher One of the most persistent trends in the past number of months has been the re-widening of spreads between US and eurozone market rates. We tend to look at the 10yr differential here, as it's well clear of a direct central bank influence. The Treasury – (German) Bund spread, the classic reference, is now back out to 165bp. It was below 100bp in April. A better reference is the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) – (eurozone) ESTR spread, and that 10yr spread is now out to 100bp. It was around 25bp in April. The big driver of this has been US macro resilience, so much so that the upward pressure on US market rates has been strong enough to pull eurozone market rates up with them. So what now? A limited rate cut discount limits the ability for eurozone market rates to fall On the eurozone side, it seems that the European Central Bank is intent on remaining in a hiking mode even as activity gets hurt more, all in an effort to kill inflation. And European inflation has shown itself to be that bit stickier than its US counterpart. As a stand-alone impact, higher ECB rates heighten carry costs and place natural upward pressure on rates right out the curve. But there are also forces there that can cause longer-dated market rates to fall, namely the end of the rate hiking cycle, as longer rates would then begin to focus on where the ECB will be 18 months from now. That’s far enough forward to have a reasonable feel. It is currently discounted at cumulative cuts of around 100bp. That’s not a lot and provides little room for lower long tenor rates. Delivery of the US rate cut discount rationalises higher longer tenor rates In the US, there is a similar narrative in play. The size of discounted rate cuts is more - closer to 125bp - so not dramatically more. Again, that allows very little room for longer tenor rates to fall. Currently, 1yr SOFR is 5.5%, and 10yr SOFR is just under 4%, for example. So if the 1yr SOFR rate were to fall by 125bp, it would bring it to 4.25%, and that’s still higher than the current 10yr SOFR rate of just under 4%. And remember, when we get to the end of the next rate-cutting cycle, we should have an upward-sloping curve, typically 50bp at minimum. Based on that, longer tenor rates need to be higher than they currently are, both in the US and in the eurozone. And. by the way, in the US, there is an elevated supply projection to get worried about too. It's one that rationalises higher rates and steeper curves with all other things being equal.   We continue to identify net upwards pressure on market rates That all being said, when - or if - something really breaks in the US, there could be a radical re-pricing rate of cuts to come, pushing the discount towards much lower levels. That would be a game-changer, allowing longer tenor rates some run-way to move lower. But until - or if - that happens, the path of least resistance is for longer tenor (say the 10yr) rates to remain under upward pressure in the US and the eurozone and for curves to remain under dis-inversion (steepening) pressure. So, to sum all that up, we remain bearish on bonds and anticipate further upward pressure on market rates from a tactical view.  
Summer's End: Gloomy Outlook for Global Economy

Summer's End: Gloomy Outlook for Global Economy

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:08
Remember that 'back to school' feeling at the end of summer? A tedious car journey home after holiday fun, knowing you'll be picking up where you left off? I'm afraid we've got a very similar feeling about the global economy right now. 'Are we nearly there yet?'. No. Very few reasons to be cheerful Lana del Rey's Summertime Sadness classic comes to mind as we gear up for autumn. And I'm not just talking about chaotic weather or even, in my case, disappointing macro data. Most of us have had the chance to recharge and rethink over the past couple of months. and I'm afraid all that R&R has done little to brighten our mood as to where the world's economy is right now. Sure, the US economy has been holding up better than we thought. And yes, the eurozone economy grew again in the second quarter. Gradually retreating headline inflation should at least lower the burden on disposable incomes. And let's be thankful for the build-up of national gas reserves in Europe, which should allow us to avoid an energy supply crisis this winter unless things turn truly arctic. But that's about as upbeat as I can get. We still predict very subdued growth to recessions in many economies for the second half of the year and the start of 2024. The stuttering of the Chinese economy seems to be more than only a temporary blip; it seems to be transitioning towards a weaker growth path as the real estate sector, high debt and the ‘de-risking’ strategy of the EU and the US all continue to weigh on the country's growth outlook. In the US, the big question is whether the economy is resilient enough to absorb yet another potential risk factor. After spring's banking turmoil, the debt ceiling excitement, and more generally, the impact of higher Fed rates, the next big thing is the resumption of student loan repayments, starting in September. Together with the delayed impact of all the other drag factors, these repayments should finally push the US economy into recession at the start of next year. And then there's Europe. Despite the weather turmoil, the summer holiday season seems to have been the last hurrah for services and domestic demand in the eurozone. Judging from the latest disappointing confidence indicators, the bloc's economy looks set to fall back into anaemic growth once again   Little late summer warmth This downbeat growth story does have an upbeat consequence; inflationary pressure should ease further. It's probably not going to be enough to bring inflation rates back to central banks’ targets, but they should be low enough to see the peak in policy rate hikes. Central bankers would be crazy to call an end to those hikes officially; they don't want to add to speculation about when the first cuts might come, thereby pushing the yield further into inversion. And there's also the credibility issue - you never know, prices might start to accelerate again. So, expect major central bankers to remain hawkish at least until the end of the year. In our base case, we have no further rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve and one final rate rise by the European Central Bank.   However, in both cases, these are very close calls, and the next central bank meetings are truly data-dependent. Sometimes, a Golden Fall or Indian Summer can make up for any summertime sadness. But it doesn’t look as if the global economy will be basking in any sort of warmth in the coming weeks. The bells are indeed ringing loud and clear. Vacation's over; school is here. And while I'm certainly too old for such lessons, I'm taken back to that gloomy, somewhat anxious feeling I had as a kid as summer wanes and the hard work must begin once again.   Our key calls this month: • United States: The US confounded 2023 recession expectations, but with loan delinquencies on the rise, savings being exhausted, credit access curtailed and student loan repayments restarting, financial stress will increase. We continue to forecast the Federal Reserve will not carry through with the final threatened interest rate rise. • Eurozone: The third quarter may still be saved by tourism in the eurozone, but the latest data points to a more pronounced slowdown in the coming months. Inflation is falling, but a last interest rate hike in September is not yet off the table. The European Central Bank will be hesitant to loosen significantly in 2024. • China: The latest activity data has worsened across nearly every component. Markets have given up looking for fiscal stimulus, and have started making comparisons with 1990s Japan. We don’t agree with the Japanification hypothesis, but clearly a substantial adjustment is underway, and we have trimmed our growth forecasts accordingly. • United Kingdom: Uncomfortably high inflation and wage growth should seal the deal on a September rate hike from the Bank of England. But emerging economic weakness suggests the top of the tightening cycle is near, and our base case is a pause in November. • Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): Economic activity in the first half of the year has been disappointing, leading us to expect a gloomier full-year outlook. Despite this, we see a divergence in economic policy responses, driven by countryspecific challenges. • Commodities: Oil prices have strengthened over the summer as fundamentals tighten, whilst natural gas prices have been volatile, with potential strike action in Australia leading to LNG supply uncertainty. Chinese concerns are weighing on metals, but grain markets appear more relaxed despite the collapse of the Black Sea deal. • Market rates: The path of least resistance is for longer tenor rates to remain under upward pressure in the US and the eurozone and for curves to remain under disinversion (steepening) pressure. We remain bearish on bonds and anticipate further upward pressure on market rates from a tactical view. • FX: Stubborn resilience in US activity data and risk-off waves from China have translated into a strengthening of the dollar over the summer. We still think this won’t last much longer and see Fed cuts from early 2024 paving the way for EUR:USD real rate convergence. Admittedly, downside risks to our EUR/USD bullish view have grown.     Inflation has only been falling for a matter of months across major economies, but the debate surrounding a possible “second wave” is well underway. Social media is littered with charts like the ones below, overlaying the recent inflation wave against the experience of the 1970s. These charts are largely nonsense; the past is not a perfect gauge for the future, especially given the second 1970s wave can be traced back to another huge oil crisis. But central bankers have made no secret that nightmares of that period are shaping today's policy decisions. Policymakers are telling us they plan to keep rates at these elevated levels for quite some time.
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Turbulence in ECB's July Meeting Minutes: Inflation Concerns Amid Economic Uncertainties

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:10
ECB minutes confirm hawkishness amid growing concerns about growth The just-released minutes of the European Central Bank's July meeting illustrate the slightly changed tone; from pure hawkishness to more doubtful.   At the European Central Bank's July meeting, the central bank hiked interest rates by 25 basis points before stopping the autopilot, with President Christine Lagarde stressing that both a pause and a rate hike were possible at the September meeting. The just-released minutes of this July meeting give some background to these decisions. The minutes show an ECB that was still more concerned about inflation not returning to target than an economy falling into recession.   Here are some key phrases from the minutes: “Headline inflation on an annualised three-month over three-month basis was about 2% in June, reflecting the strong negative momentum in energy inflation.” “It was also noted that the three measures identified by staff as performing best as indicators of medium-term inflation were currently pointing in different directions, with the PCCI declining swiftly, while HICP inflation excluding energy, food, travel-related items, clothing and footwear and the measure of domestic price pressures still pointed to the upside.” “However, in view of the still elevated inflation outlook, together with the weaker growth outlook, the concern was also raised that the economy might be entering a phase of stagflation, in contrast to a more benign scenario of a soft landing.” “In view of the prevailing uncertainties and the large costs of bringing inflation down once it had become entrenched, it was argued that it was preferable to tighten monetary policy further than to not tighten it enough. Before deciding to stop the tightening cycle, the Governing Council needed clearer signs of whether inflation would converge to target once the effects of recent shocks had faded.” “Taken together, the September projections, the evolution of underlying inflation and incoming information on monetary transmission would help the Governing Council update its assessment of the appropriate monetary policy stance.”   The minutes also suggested that as long as the eurozone economy doesn’t slide into a full recession, the ECB could have a higher-than-expected tolerance for growth disappointing and coming in weaker than its own forecast. A remark was made that the ECB’s inflation forecasts had been more reliable recently than the growth forecasts. The fact that underlying inflation remained high and growth was not weak enough pointed to a subtle hawkishness, even though at least one ECB member seemed to have opposed the 25bp rate hike decision initially.    
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Turbulent Times Ahead: US Spending Surge and Inflation Trends

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:11
US spending surges, but it’s not sustainable US consumer spending is on track to drive third quarter GDP growth of perhaps 3-3.5%. However, this is not sustainable. American consumers are running down savings and using their credit cards to finance a large proportion of this. With financial stresses becoming more apparent and student loan repayments restarting, a correction is coming.   Inflation pressures are moderating Today’s main data release is the July personal income and spending report and it contains plenty of interesting and highly useful information. Firstly, it includes the Federal Reserve’s favoured measure of inflation, the core Personal  Consumer Expenditure deflator, which is a broader measure of  prices than the CPI measure that is more widely known. It rose 0.2% month-on-month for the second consecutive month, which is what we want to see as, over time, that sort of figure will get annual inflation trending down to 2% quite happily.   Services PCE deflator (YoY%)   The slight negative is the core services ex housing, which the Fed is watching carefully due to if being more influenced by labour input costs. It posted a 0.46% MoM increase after a 0.3% gain in June so we are not seeing much of a slowdown in the year-on-year rate yet as the chart above shows. With unemployment at just 3.5% a tight jobs market could keep wage pressures elevated and mean inflation stays higher for longer so we could hear some hawkishness from some Fed officials on the back of this. Nonetheless, the market is seemingly shrugging this off right now given signs of slackening in the labour market from the latest job openings data and the Challenger job lay-off series.
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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. 
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US Payrolls Report and Global Central Banks' Monetary Policies

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:17
05:55BST Friday 1st September 2023 A soft US payrolls report could seal a Fed pause later this month   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)     After 6 days of gains, the FTSE100 ended the month on a sour note bringing the curtain down on a negative month for European markets, as sentiment soured somewhat on concerns over the outlook for interest rates, and the China recovery story.     US markets also ended a similarly negative month on a downbeat note, although we have seen a shift in some of the negative sentiment in the past few days due to softer than expected US economic data which has brought yields lower and encouraged the idea that this month's Fed meeting will see US policymakers vote to keep rates on hold. This week we've seen the number of job openings for July slow to their weakest levels since March 2021, a sharp slowdown in August consumer confidence, a weaker than expected ADP payrolls report, and a downgrade to US Q2 GDP.     US continuing claims also rose sharply to a 6-week high, suggesting that recent rate hikes were starting to exert pressure on the US economy and a tight labour market. If today's non-farm payrolls report shows a similarly modest slowdown in the rate of jobs growth, then there is a very real sense that we could see further gains in stock markets, as bets increase that the Federal Reserve may well be done when it comes to further rate hikes. At the very least it could go some way to signalling a pause as the US central bank looks to assess the effects recent rate hikes are having on the US economy.     In July we saw another modest slowdown in jobs growth, along with downward revisions to previous months. 187k jobs were added, just slightly above March's revised 165k, although the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, from 3.6%.     While the official BLS numbers have been showing signs of slowing, up until this week's 177k, the ADP report had proven to be much more resilient, adding 371k in July on top of the 455k in June. The resilience in the US labour market is also coming against a backdrop of sticky wages, which in the private sector are over double headline CPI, while on the BLS measure average hourly earnings remained steady at 4.4% and are expected to stay around this level.       Today's August payrolls are set to see paint another picture of a resilient but slowing jobs market with expectations of 170k jobs added, with unemployment remaining steady at 3.5%, although it is important to remember that whatever today's jobs numbers tell us, vacancies in the US are still well above pre-Covid levels on a participation rate which is also lower at 62.6%.     After the payroll numbers we also have the latest ISM manufacturing report which is expected to continue to show that this part of the US economy is in contraction territory for the 10th month in a row. Before today's US payrolls report, we'll also get confirmation of the dire state of the manufacturing sector in Europe with the final August PMIs from Spain, Italy, France and Germany, with expectations of 48.8, 45.7, 46.4 and 39.1 respectively.     UK manufacturing PMI similarly is also expected to be confirmed at 42.5 and the lowest level since June 2020. Weak numbers here, along with similarly weak services numbers next week will also go a good way to ensuring that the ECB and perhaps even the Bank of England err on the side of a pause when they also meet later this month.     The bar to a pause for the Bank of England appears to be a much higher one, however yesterday's comments from Chief Economist Huw Pill would appear to suggest that the MPC is already leaning towards the idea that monetary policy in the UK is already restrictive. In a speech made in South Africa he said that he preferred to see a rate profile along the lines of a "Table Mountain" approach, in other words keeping them at current levels, or even a little higher for a lengthy period of time. The contents of the speech appeared to suggest that while inflation levels remained elevated, there was an acknowledgement that a lot of the recent rate hikes hadn't yet been felt, raising the risk of overtightening, and that monetary policy was already sufficiently restrictive. This would appear to suggest that a consensus is growing that the Bank of England could be close to the end of its rate hiking cycle, with perhaps one more at most set to be delivered in September.     There also appears to be an increasing debate over the sustainability of the current 2% inflation target as being too low given current levels of inflation, with arguments being made for increasing it to 3% or 4%. The 2% target has been a key anchor of central bank monetary policy over the last 30-40 years, and while it has served a useful purpose in anchoring inflation expectations some are arguing that trying to return it to 2% could do more harm than good.     That may well be true, but there is also the argument that in moving the goalposts on the current inflation target now sends the message that central banks are going soft in getting inflation under control, and that rather than return it to target over a longer period, it's easier to move the goalposts.     This comes across as unwise particularly in terms of timing. The time to have moved the inflation target was when inflation was below or at 2%, not while it is miles above it. Optics are everything particularly when inflation is well above target, with central banks needing to send the message that inflation remains their number one priority, and not water down their long-term commitment to it because it's too hard. The time to discuss a change of a target is when that target has been met and not before. Once that happens in perhaps 1-2 years' time the discussion on an inflation target, or an inflation window of between 1.5% to 3.5% can begin.       EUR/USD – the retreat off the 1.0950 area this week has seen the euro slip back with the 1.0780 trend line support from the March lows coming back into view. We need to push through resistance at the 1.1030 area, to signal a return to the highs this year. Below 1.0750 targets 1.0630.     GBP/USD – pushed up the 1.2750 area earlier this week but has failed to follow through. We need to push back through the 1.2800 area to diminish downside risk and a move towards 1.2400.         EUR/GBP – having failed at the 0.8620/30 area earlier this week has seen the euro slip below the 0.8570/80 area. While the 50-day SMA caps the bias is for a retest of the lows.     USD/JPY – the 147.50 area remains a key resistance and remains the key barrier for a move towards 150.00. Support comes in at last week's lows at 144.50/60.     FTSE100 is expected to open 16 points higher at 7,455     DAX is expected to open 50 points higher at 15,997     CAC40 is expected to open 21 points higher at 7,335
Turbulent FX Markets: Peso Strength, Renminbi Weakness, and Dollar's Delicate Balance

Turbulent FX Markets: Peso Strength, Renminbi Weakness, and Dollar's Delicate Balance

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:28
FX Daily: Peso too strong, renminbi too weak, dollar just right FX markets await today's release of the August US jobs report to see if we've reached any tipping point in the labour market. Probably not. And it is still a little too early to expect the dollar to embark on a sustained downtrend. Elsewhere, policymakers in emerging markets are addressing currencies that are too weak (China) and too strong (Mexico).   USD: The market seems to be bracing for soft nonfarm payrolls data Today's focus will be the August nonfarm payrolls jobs release. The consensus expects around a +170k increase on headline jobs gains, although the "whisper" numbers are seemingly nearer the +150k mark. Importantly, very few expect much change in the 3.5% unemployment rate. This remains on its cycle lows, continues to support strong US consumption, and keeps the Fed on its hawkish guard. We will also see the release of average hourly earnings for August, which are expected to moderate to 0.3% month-on-month from 0.4%. As ING's US economist James Knightley notes in recent releases on the US economy and yesterday's US data, there are reasons to believe that strong US consumption cannot roll over into the fourth quarter and that a recession is more likely delayed than avoided. But this looks like a story for the fourth quarter. Unless we see some kind of sharp spike higher in unemployment today, we would expect investors to remain comfortable holding their 5.3% yielding dollars into the long US weekend. That is not to say the dollar needs to rally much, just that the incentives to sell are not here at present. If the dollar is at some kind of comfortable level, policy tweaks in the emerging market space over the last 24 hours show Beijing trying to fight renminbi weakness and Mexico City trying to fight peso strength (more on that below). We suspect these will be long, drawn-out battles with the market. DXY can probably stay bid towards the top of a 103-104 range.
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GBP Rate Curve Softens as Bank of England Talks 'Table Mountain' Approach

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:52
GBP: Table top mountain The UK rates curve softened by 9-10bp yesterday on comments by Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill, that the policy rate profile would look more like a "table mountain" – the inference here is that high rates would be kept for longer than the need to take rates much higher per se. However, the market still prices another 50bp of tightening into next year, which is 25bp too much in our opinion. The risk of re-pricing looks greater for the BoE than the ECB curve and keeps us positive on EUR/GBP. Levels in the 0.8500/8550 area should be good for corporates to hedge GBP receivables or EUR payables.  
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MXN Outlook: Banxico's View on a Strong Peso Sparks USD/MXN Rally

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:56
MXN: Banxico expressing a view over a strong peso Unlike Chinese authorities which are battling renminbi weakness and cut the FX deposit required reserve ratio last night, Mexican authorities are seemingly expressing a view that the peso is too strong. Here USD/MXN spiked more than 2% last night after Banxico announced that it would allow its "hedge book" or short USD/MXN position in the FX forward market to roll off rather than be extended.  By way of background, Banxico has intervened to support the peso during two periods (February 2017 and March 2020) and has done this by auctioning dollars through the FX forward markets using one-month to 12-month tenors. The total size of those positions is now around $7.5bn. Banxico announced yesterday that it would allow this position to roll off gradually, effectively over the next 12 months. Investors have read this as Banxico expressing a view that the peso has come far enough. And given the peso has been a prime beneficiary of the carry trade, we should not underestimate the risk of a further correction higher in USD/MXN ahead of this long US weekend. Yet USD/MXN has traded below 17.00 for very good reasons, including high carry and nearshoring trends. And given our view that the dollar does turn lower next year, we see the Banxico move as slowing rather than reversing the USD/MXN trend. Two further quick points: returns on the MXN carry trade may now come more from carry than nominal MXN appreciation, and speculation may grow in the TIIE market (Mexican swap curve) that Banxico may prefer early rate cuts after all if it does not want its currency to strengthen much more.
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Metals Surge on China's Property Sector Stimulus and Positive Economic Data

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 10:59
Metals – Fresh stimulus from China for the property sector Base metals prices extended this week’s gains this morning as healthy economic data and fresh stimulus measures in China buoyed sentiment. Caixin manufacturing PMI in China increased to 51 in August compared to 49.2 in July; the market was expecting the PMI to remain around 49. This is the strongest manufacturing PMI number since February. Meanwhile, Beijing has announced fresh stimulus measures aimed at supporting the property sector. The People’s Bank of China has lowered the minimum downpayment for mortgages for both first-time buyers (from 30% to 20%) and second-time buyers (from 40% to 30%) while the minimum interest premium charged over the Loan Prime Rate has also been reduced. China is also allowing customers and banks to renegotiate interest rates on existing housing loans which could reduce interest expenses for borrowers. LME continues to witness an inflow of copper into exchange warehouses. LME copper stocks increased by another 3,675 tonnes yesterday, taking the total inventory to a year-to-date high of 102.9kt. Meanwhile, cancelled warrants for copper remain near zero levels, hinting that there may not be any inventory withdrawals from LME in the short term and total stocks could continue to climb over the coming weeks. Europe witnessed an inflow of 2,700 tonnes yesterday whilst 950 tonnes were added in the Americas and 25 tonnes in Asia. Gold prices have held steady at around US$1,940/oz as the latest economic data from the US eased some pressure on the Federal Reserve to continue with rate hikes. The core PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditure) deflator in the US increased at a flat 0.2% month-on-month in July, the second consecutive month at 0.2% which should help the Fed in getting inflation back on track to around 2%. On the other hand, data from Europe was not that supportive with core CPI falling gradually from 5.5% to 5.3% and CPI estimates remaining flat at 5.3%. The focus is now turning to today’s US non-farm jobs report which is expected to show a smaller rise in payrolls in August.
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Euro Falls as Eurozone Inflation Data Contradicts Expectations

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 01.09.2023 11:29
Flash HICP in August 5.3% (5.1% expected, 5.3% in July) Flash core HICP in August 5.3% (5.3% expected, 5.5% in July) Key moving average provides resistance once again   Eurozone economic indicators this morning have been something of a mixed bag, although traders seem enthused on the back of them rather than disappointed. We’ve seen regional data over the last couple of days which gave us some indication of how today’s HICP report would look and a drop in the core reading in line with expectations combined with no decrease in the headline seemed to make sense. Unemployment, meanwhile, remained at a record low despite an increase in the number of those unemployed. Perhaps there’s some relief that the headline HICP rate didn’t tick a little higher while the core did decline which combined with expectations for the coming months gives the ECB plenty to debate. Another hike in September still strikes me as more likely than not but on the back of this release, markets are swinging the other way, pricing in a near 70% chance of no increase.   ECB Probability   That’s helped the euro to slide more than 0.5% against the dollar this morning – similar against the yen and a little less against the pound while regional markets are seemingly unmoved and continue to trade relatively flat.   Further bearish technical signals following the eurozone data While the fall against the pound was a little less significant, it has enabled it to once again rotate lower off the 55/89-day simple moving average band, reinforcing the bearish narrative in the pair. EURGBP Daily   Source – OANDA on Trading View It’s run into resistance on a number of occasions around the upper end of this band, with the 100 DMA (blue) arguably being a more accurate resistance zone over the summer. Regardless, that still leaves a picture of lower peaks and relatively steady support around 0.85. While that may simply be consolidation, the lower peaks arguably give it a slight bearish bias, a significant break of 0.85 obviously being needed to confirm that.    
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Swiss Retail Sales Decline, Inflation Expected to Dip, US Unemployment Claims Drop

Kelvin Wong Kelvin Wong 01.09.2023 11:32
Swiss retail sales decline by 2.3% Swiss inflation expected to dip to 1.5% US unemployment claims drop to 228,000 US PCE Price Index rises by 3.3%     The Swiss franc has lost ground on Thursday. In the North American session, USD/CHF is trading at 0.8835, up 0.59%. Thursday’s Swiss retail sales for July looked awful, falling 2.3% m/m. This follows a revised gain of 1.5% in June. Market attention has now shifted to Swiss inflation, which will be released on Friday. Swiss inflation dropped to 1.6% in July, the lowest level since July 2022. The downtrend is expected to continue in August with a consensus estimate of 1.5%. Policy makers at the Swiss National Bank have to be pleased with the inflation rate. Switzerland boasts the lowest inflation rate in the developed world and both headline and core inflation are comfortably nestled in the central bank’s inflation target range of 0%-2%. Still, the SNB remains wary about inflation, with concerns that increases in rents and electricity prices could push inflation back up to 2%. Food inflation remains high and rose from 5.1% to 5.3% in July. Unlike other major central banks, the SNB meets quarterly, which magnifies the significance of each rate decision. At the June meeting, the central bank raised rates to 1.75% from 1.50% and hinted that further hikes were coming. The SNB has projected inflation will hit 2.2% in 2023 and 2024, above its target. That means the SNB expects to have to continue raising rates, although, as is the case with many other central banks, the peak rate appears to be close at hand. In the US, unemployment claims dropped to 228,000 last week, down from a revised 232,000 and below the estimate of 236,000. All eyes will be on Friday’s job report, with nonfarm payrolls expected to dip to 170,000, down from 187,000.   The Fed’s favourite inflation gauge, the PCE Price Index, increased in July by 0.2% for a second straight month, lower than the estimate of 0.3%. On an annualized basis, the PCE Price Index climbed 3.3% in July, up from 3.0% in June. Service prices rose by 0.4% in July, up from 0.3% from the previous month. The numbers indicate that the Fed’s battle with inflation is far from over, and the final phase of pushing inflation down to 2% may prove the most difficult. . USD/CHF Technical USD/CHF is testing resistance at 0.8827. Above, there is resistance at 0.8895 0.8779 and 0.8711 are providing support
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Eurozone Inflation Mixes Signals as ECB Faces Tough Decisions

Kelvin Wong Kelvin Wong 01.09.2023 11:28
The euro is lower on Thursday, after a 3-day rally which pushed the currency 1% higher. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0861, down 0.57%.   Eurozone CPI steady, core CPI falls Eurozone inflation was a mixed bag in August. Headline inflation was unchanged at 5.3%, missing the consensus estimate of a drop to 5.1%. There was better news from Core CPI, which dropped from 5.5% to 5.3%, matching the estimate. The ECB will be pleased with the decline in core inflation, which excludes food and energy and provides a more accurate estimate of underlying press pressures. Many central banks, including the Federal Reserve, have taken pauses in the current rate-tightening cycle, but the ECB has raised rates 13 straight times. Will we see a pause at the September 14th meeting? The answer is far from clear. Inflation remains above 5%, more than twice the ECB’s target of 2%. The central bank is determined to bring inflation back down to target, but that would require further rate hikes and the weak eurozone economy could fall into a recession as a result. ECB member Robert Holzmann said today’s inflation report indicated that inflation remained persistent and admitted that the latest inflation numbers pose a “conundrum” for the ECB. The markets aren’t clear on what to expect from the ECB, with the odds of a pause at 67% and a 25-basis point hike at 33%. ECB President Lagarde hasn’t provided much guidance, perhaps because she’s as uncertain as everybody else about the September rate decision.   Germany’s numbers continue to point downwards, as the eurozone’s locomotive has become an economic burden. The latest release, July retail sales, declined by 2.2% y/y, sharply lower than the revised -0.9% reading in June and below the consensus estimate of -1.2%. . EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is testing support at 1.0831. Below, there is support at 1.0780 1.0896 and 1.0996 are the next resistance lines
Europe's Economic Concerns Weigh as Higher Rates Keep US Markets Cautious

Gold Rises as Soft US Data Fuels Hopes of a Federal Reserve Rate Hike Pause

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 11:48
Gold gains after data fuels hopes of a Fed pause Gold prices are moving higher following the latest batch of softer-than-expected US economic data, which has caused investors to trim bets on a Federal Reserve hike next month.   US economic data in focus Ten-year Treasury yields have continued to decline after recently hitting levels last seen in 2007, after US data releases this week signalled that the US economy is cooling, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to continue raising rates. US inflation in July was in line with expectations, second-quarter economic growth was revised lower, and private payrolls increased less than expected in August. This followed data released earlier this week that showed job openings have fallen to their lowest level since early 2021. Focus will now turn to the headline US labour market report which is due later today. The latest data releases have lowered expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates this year. The central bank hiked rates by 25 basis points at its July meeting as economic data was strong. Both higher rates and yields are typically negative for non-interest-bearing gold.   Gold holds above $1,900/oz Gold has been unable to break the $2,000 level since mid-May     Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at the Jackson Hole conference last week that the Fed plans to keep policy restrictive until it is confident that inflation is steadily moving down toward its target. We will need to keep a close eye on US data releases in the coming weeks, which could shed more light on what the Fed may do. We believe gold will remain volatile in the near term given the implications of the uncertainty of persistent inflation on the US economy, and its trajectory will be influenced by US economic data in the coming weeks. We believe the threat of further action from the Fed will continue to keep the lid on gold prices for now.   ETFs continue to see outflows The rebound in gold prices has failed to draw buying interest from investors in exchange-traded funds or the Comex futures market. Gold ETF positioning, typically a strong driver of price direction, has been falling with holdings tumbling for a third month in August.   Hedge funds turn more bearish on gold   Hedge funds and other large speculators have also reduced their net long positions in gold, according to the latest CFTC data for the week ending 22 August. Net long positions in gold fell by 44.75% to 79.9 tonnes, equivalent to 25,695 contracts. Open interest decreased to 581,386 contracts from 598,932 contracts. Outright long positions declined by 7.33% or 28.5 tonnes, to 360.1 tonnes or 115,766 contracts. Short positions rose by 14.89% to 280.2 tonnes or 90,071 contracts          
US ISM Reports Indicate GDP Slowdown Despite Strong Construction; Manufacturing Continues to Contract

China's Gold Imports Decline in June, but First-Half Imports Rise YoY; Focus Shifts to US Fed Policy for Gold Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2023 11:49
China gold imports fall Meanwhile, China’s gold imports fell in June but ended the first half of the year with a year-on-year rise. In June, gold imports totalled 98 tonnes, 50 tonnes lower than in May, according to data from the World Gold Council. However, the month-on-month drop may have been driven by a low local gold price premium, disincentivising importers. The second quarter is also usually an off-season for gold demand in China. This brings China’s first half of the year gold imports to 792 tonnes, a pickup of 400 tonnes compared with the first half of 2022, according to the World Gold Council data. However, measures released by Beijing over the last couple of weeks to stimulate the flagging economy could benefit gold consumption in the country.   US Fed policy remains key theme for gold The future direction of Fed policy will remain a central theme for gold prices for the months ahead. We believe the downside remains limited for prices as the Fed is close to the end of its monetary tightening cycle. Rising interest rates have been a significant headwind for gold for more than two years now.  September appears set for a pause given recent encouraging signals on inflation and labour costs, but robust activity data mean the door remains ajar for a further potential hike. Markets see a 50-50 chance of a final hike while our US economist believes that rates have most probably peaked. We see gold prices moving higher towards the end of the year, given the Fed should start to cut rates in the first quarter of 2024, while geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic uncertainties will also provide headwinds for gold prices going forward. We forecast prices to average $1,900/oz in the third quarter and $1,950/oz in the fourth. We expect prices to move higher again in the first quarter of 2024 to average $2,000/oz on the assumption that the Fed will start cutting rates in the first quarter of next year.   ING forecast
Europe's Economic Concerns Weigh as Higher Rates Keep US Markets Cautious

Softening US Jobs Market Signals the Fed's Mission is Complete

ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 10:30
Softening US jobs market suggests the Fed’s work is done The US August jobs report shows modest jobs growth, benign wage pressures and a large jump in the unemployment rate as the labour market slackens. With inflation set to continue slowing, the Fed is surely not hiking interest rates in September and is unlikely to do so in November either.   Employment growth is softening US non-farm payrolls increased 187k in August versus the 170k consensus, but there are a net 110k of downward revisions to the past couple of months, indicating that the slowing trend in employment growth remains in place. The private sector created 179k of those jobs, led yet again by private education and health with 102k jobs. Leisure and hospitality also remains a healthy provider of employment with a 40k increase. Information (-15k), trade and transport (-20k – presumably Yellow bankruptcy related) and temporary help (-19k) were the key areas of weakness.     Those numbers are all from the establishment survey of employers. The household survey, which is used to calculate the unemployment rate, reported a slightly stronger jobs gain of 222k, but the number of people classifying themselves as unemployed rose 514k with it seeming that more and more people are returning to the labour market. This increase in the participation rate is what the Fed wants to see and at 62.8%, it has risen nicely since a year ago when it stood at 62.1% and should help to keep wage pressures in check.   Wages cooling and unemployment is rising In that regard, wage growth (average hourly earnings) is soft at 0.2% MoM, the smallest increase since February 2022, while the unemployment rate jumps to 3.8% from 3.5% (consensus 3.5%). It’s pretty safe to say the Fed isn't hiking in September with this backdrop, and we don't think they will in November either, with core CPI set to slow pretty rapidly in the next couple of months.   Tightening lending conditions point to a higher unemployment rate   The Fed's work is done The chart above shows the relationship between bank lending conditions and the unemployment rate. With higher borrowing costs, less credit availability and student loan repayments all set to increasingly weigh on economic activity we fear that the unemployment rate will climb further. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to be just through rising participation rates but will likely involve some job losses too. As such, we continue to believe that US interest rates have peaked and the next move will be a cut. We are currently forecasting that to happen in March 2024.
The UK Contracts Faster Than Expected in July, Bank of England Still Expected to Hike Rates

The Resilient Peso: A Closer Look at Mexico's Currency Strength Amidst Unwinding Hedges

ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 10:39
Peso positives remain in place Physically it looks like the majority of this hedge unwind will hit the USD/MXN market in September. However, the hedge unwind does nothing to reduce one of the key driving factors of peso strength this year – which is the risk-adjusted carry. Even Banxico in its meeting minutes highlights how the risk-adjusted yield is the dominant force in driving the peso. As we highlight below, the peso offers the higher carry-to-risk ratio in the EM space. This is the nominal implied yield available through the deliverable/non-deliverable FX forward market, adjusted by implied volatility from the FX options market. Unless Banxico plans to slash nominal rates or engineer some local factor that would command significantly higher implied volatility for USD/MXN, then this carry-to-risk ratio will remain a major boon to the peso.   EM currencies 'carry-to-risk' ratio and YTD performance versus USD   On the subject of potential rate cuts, it was noticeable that the Mexican TIIE swap curve barely budged on this announcement. If the FX market thinks Banxico may potentially even want to cut rates to put a floor under USD/MXN, the rates market is not buying the story. And Banxico this week has, in fact, said it will not be rushed into early rate cuts. Recall that Banxico had kept policy rates 600bp+ over the Fed to keep USD/MXN stable. We would be more worried for the peso if Banxico did threaten large, early rate cuts. New FX policies from central banks?     We tend to view this as more a commercial and financial stability-led decision from Banxico rather than a formal red flag to further peso strength. As an aside, Brazil’s central bank – the BCB – has a $100bn short USD/BRL position through the FX forwards following intervention and probably would not go near unwinding it for fear of crashing the Brazilian real. Chile’s central bank happens to be buying FX at the moment – but that looks a function of financial stability as it tries to rebuild FX reserves after losing half of them last year. In short, we do not think Banxico’s move is part of an effort to cap the strength in Latin currencies. Instead, we think Mexico’s high carry, decent growth, strong sovereign position and positioning for geo-political nearshoring should mean strong demand for the peso on any weakness this month. Additionally, foreign positioning in Mexcio’s local currency MBONO bond market is not particularly extreme; Mexico should be well positioned to receive funds when bond markets eventually come back into favour given its large 10% weight in the JPM GBI-EM local currency bond index. We currently forecast USD/MXN trading down through 16.50 next year when the broad dollar turns lower on a larger-than-expected Fed easing cycle. We do not think this Banxico announcement necessitates a forecast change, and the peso will comfortably outperform its steep forward curve.          Non-resident holdings of Mexican government securities  
EM: Renminbi Weakness Persists Despite Chinese Property Support

EM: Renminbi Weakness Persists Despite Chinese Property Support

ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 10:56
EM: A quick round-up Despite Chinese property-related stocks rallying on measures to support the sector, there seems no reason to expect a substantial reversal of renminbi weakness anytime soon. This should maintain the sluggish tone of Asian FX, although the Indonesia rupiah could out-perform as the low volatility environment continues to favour the carry trade. In EMEA, the Bank of Israel meets today to set interest rates. Only 1 of 11 surveyed economists expect a 25bp hike. With USD/ILS trading at 3.80, however, the chances of a hike look under-priced. The highlight of the week should be the start of Poland's easing cycle on Wednesday. This looks to have been reasonably well-telegraphed and should not unduly weigh on the zloty. In Latam, Chile is expected to follow up July's 100bp rate cut with another 75bp move. Latam real interest rates are all quite positive (especially if you use inflation expectations as the deflator for real rates), meaning that large rate cuts have not hit the currency. Those looking at the Brazil easing cycle will be taking notes on developments in Chile this week. Finally, we think the Mexican peso can hold onto gains despite Banxico's decision to unwind its forward book.  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  
China's August Yuan Loans Soar," Dollar Weakens Against Yen and Yuan, AUD/JPY Consolidates at 94.00 Level

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.  
US August Jobs Report: NFP Beats Expectations, Dollar Rallies, EURUSD Faces Bearish Pressure

US August Jobs Report: NFP Beats Expectations, Dollar Rallies, EURUSD Faces Bearish Pressure

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 04.09.2023 11:03
NFP 187,000 in August (169,000 expected, 157,000 previously) Average hourly earnings 0.2% (MoM), 4.3% (YoY)  EURUSD slips after making earlier gains   If you’re a Federal Reserve official, you’ll find it hard not to be very pleased with the way this week’s gone from a labor market data perspective. The JOLTS release at the start of the week was extremely encouraging as it continued a clear trend that brought the number of vacancies back to levels not seen in two years and not far from the pre-pandemic norm. Even without today’s report, that will have come as a huge relief for the Fed. When you consider today’s report on top of that, the week couldn’t have gone much better. The headline NFP may have been a little stronger than expected but it’s still below 200,000 and the beat was more than offset by last month’s revision. Then there’s average hourly earnings which fell back to 0.2%, a level far more consistent with the Fed’s goal if it can be repeated and again, below market expectations. The cherry on the cake is the participation beat and jump in unemployment, both of which point to more slack appearing in the labor market. To be clear, the Fed won’t get carried away with today’s report. It’s just one that needs to be repeated on a number of occasions but there’s plenty of cause for optimism in there. If there was any doubt that the Fed will pause in September, today’s report surely puts an end to that debate.   USD rallies after initially falling The initial move in the dollar made a lot of sense, it fell after the release as it was viewed as being beneficial for interest rates (less chance of a hike, earlier cut next year), but it didn’t take long to reverse course.   EURUSD Daily     The catalyst for that is irrelevant but from a technical perspective, it doesn’t look great for the pair. Rather than looking to test this week’s highs, it’s slipping back toward the lows and near the 200/233-day simple moving average band. A move below last Friday’s lows could be viewed as a very bearish move, particularly in light of today’s report.
UK Labor Market Signals a Need for Caution in Rate Hikes

Swiss Economy Faces Significant Slowdown Amid Global Headwinds and Stagnant GDP

ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 12:45
Swiss economy slows sharply Switzerland's GDP stagnated in the second quarter, with its industry suffering from the global economic slowdown. While inflationary pressures continue to ease, the Swiss economy is likely to remain sluggish over the next few quarters.   Swiss industry suffers Switzerland's GDP stagnated in the second quarter, following growth of 0.9% in the first quarter (adjusted for sporting events). This marked slowdown is primarily due to the downturn in manufacturing (-2.9% over the quarter), with the cyclical sectors suffering from the global economic slowdown. In addition, after years of very strong growth, the chemical-pharmaceutical industry is also contracting. This is weighing on Swiss exports of goods (-1.2% over the quarter). Meanwhile, the construction sector is being battered by rising interest rates. Investment in construction fell over the quarter (-0.8%), as did investment in capital goods (-3.7%). Private consumption remained strong (up 0.4% over the quarter), still buoyed by the post-pandemic rebound in the consumption of services, particularly in the hotel and catering sectors. Exports of services have also rebounded.   Headwinds likely to intensify Ultimately, while the Swiss economy has largely outperformed its European neighbours since the pandemic (Swiss GDP has risen by 5.6% since the end of 2019, compared with 3.1% for the eurozone), it now seems to have been caught up by major headwinds, namely the global economic slowdown and interest rate rises. It is only the strength of the service sector caused by the post-pandemic recovery, and in particular tourism, that has enabled Switzerland to avoid a contraction in GDP in the second quarter. The Swiss economy is likely to remain sluggish over the next few quarters, with all the leading indicators pointing to a continued slowdown. In particular, the PMI index for the manufacturing sector fell below 50 in December 2022 and has continued to decline since then, now reaching 39.9, its lowest level since 2008. Businesses are less confident and their order books are shrinking, while consumer confidence remains at a very low level. The Swiss economy is therefore likely to remain close to stagnation over the next few quarters. Ultimately, thanks to the strong start to the year, we are expecting growth to average 0.7% in 2023, compared with 2.7% in 2022. Growth in 2024 should remain weak and below the long-term average, at 0.6% for the year.   Inflationary pressures increasingly subdued Against this negative backdrop, one more positive factor remains. Inflationary pressures in Switzerland continue to moderate, and the loss of household purchasing power is smaller than elsewhere. In August, consumer price inflation stood at 1.6%, the same level as in July and slightly lower than in June (1.7%). For the past three months, Swiss inflation has therefore remained below 2%, in line with the Swiss National Bank's (SNB's) target. With wage growth remaining moderate, producer price growth back below 2%, import prices down year-on-year and the economy slowing, a sharp pick-up in inflation over the next few months seems unlikely. By intervening in the foreign exchange market to stabilise the overall effective exchange rate, as it did extensively in 2022, the SNB is able to control external inflationary pressures fairly easily. The only risk lies in rising rents, which in Switzerland are often indexed to the central bank's key rates, and could push inflation up a little in early 2024.   An uncertain central bank meeting Against this backdrop, the outcome of the SNB's monetary policy meeting scheduled for 21 September remains uncertain. It is not impossible that the SNB decides to make a final rate hike, focusing on the risks to inflation in the medium term and choosing to seize the opportunity as the end of the global rate hike cycle approaches. This would take the key rate to 2%, a total increase of 275 basis points since 2022, compared with 500 points for the Fed and 450 points expected for the ECB over the same period. However, with inflationary pressures moderating and the economy slowing, the likelihood of a further rate hike has clearly diminished.
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.    
RBA Expected to Pause as Inflation Moves in the Right Direction

RBA Expected to Pause as Inflation Moves in the Right Direction

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 04.09.2023 15:42
RBA expected to pause US nonfarm payrolls rise slightly to 187,000 The Australian dollar has started the week with slight gains. In Monday’s European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6464, up 0.21%.   RBA expected to pause The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to hold interest rates at 4.10% when it meets on Tuesday and a rate hike would be a huge surprise. The central bank has paused for two straight meetings and the odds of a third pause stand at 86%, according to the ASX RBA rate tracker. The most important factor in RBA rate policy is of course inflation. In July, CPI fell to 4.9% y/y, down from 5.4% y/y and better than the consensus of 5.2% y/y. Inflation is moving in the right direction and has dropped to its lowest level since February 2022. A third straight pause from the RBA will likely raise expectations that the current rate-tightening cycle is done but I don’t believe we’re at that point just yet. This is Governor Lowe’s final meeting and he is expected to keep the door open to further rate hikes. Incoming Governor Bullock stated last week that the RBA “may still need to raise rates again”, adding that the Bank will make its rate decisions based on the data. The RBA isn’t anywhere near declaring victory over inflation and has projected that inflation will not fall back within the 2%-3% inflation target until late 2025.   The week wrapped up with the US employment report for August. The Fed will be pleased as nonfarm payrolls remained below 200,00 for a third straight month, rising from a revised 157,000 to 187,000. Wage growth fell to 0.2% in August, down from 0.4% in July and below the consensus of 0.3%. The data cements a rate hold at the September 20th meeting, barring a huge surprise from the CPI report a week prior to the rate meeting. . AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is testing resistance at 0.6458. Above, there is resistance at 0.6516 There is support at 0.6395 and 0.6337    
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European Construction Sector Faces Challenges Amid Shifting Demand Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 15:55
No drop in the non-residential sector In the non-residential sector (excluding offices) there has been no decline in issued permits. The building permits in square meters even increased slightly in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period both one and two years earlier. This is mainly due to a rise in e-commerce which has increased the demand for new logistics centres and consequently the number of issued permits. Public spending on buildings for education and health also stabilised. However, the slowdown of economic growth, higher interest rates and both geopolitical and economic uncertainty all contribute to making companies in other sectors more hesitant toward investment in new premises. All in all, the amount of issued permits remains more or less stable.   Remaining uncertainty in the office marketThe office building sector is seeing a slight decline in issued permits. Uncertainty still remains over the future of working from home, and that makes current investment in new offices risky. Vacancy rates are also increasing in many European cities. Office workers favour working from home, but an increasing number of companies are now demanding that employees return to the office for at least a few days out of the week. These requirements are also being seen in the US from companies such as Zoom, Amazon, JP Morgan and Disney.     In the long term, the question now remains to what extent the trend of working from home will be permanent, as well as how much demand there will be for office space. The increasing trend of hybrid working could result in rising demand for the refurbishment of offices in order to make them suitable for a new way of working, as well as for new office buildings that meet this need.   Stable volume of issued non-residential building permits  New non-residential building permits in m2 (index 2018 Q1 = 100, Seasonally adjusted)   Number of EU contractor bankruptcies picks up speed The number of insolvencies of contractors is steadily increasing and has almost reached pre-Covid levels in many EU countries. In Belgium, it surpassed this level in the second quarter of 2023. Higher building material costs and declining demand are the leading causes. Bankruptcies in Spain have followed another path. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, more Spanish building companies had to close their doors, likely as a result of the contraction of construction volumes in Spain remaining relatively high from 2020 to 2022. In September 2022, the new Spanish law on insolvency was finally passed, which also gave creditors more power. Restructuring processes that often got stuck in court in the past can therefore be handled faster and this has resulted in more bankruptcies.   A low number of bankruptcies, except for Spain Development EU bankruptcies construction sector, (index 2019 Q3 =100, SA)
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The State of EU Construction Markets: Challenges and Opportunitie

ING Economics ING Economics 04.09.2023 15:56
Our view on EU construction markets Germany: Four years of contracting building volumesIn the first half of this year, German construction activity declined by 1.4% year-on-year after a decline in 2022 of 1.6%. For 2023, we forecast a moderate contraction of the largest construction market in the EU. The building industry continues to suffer under higher interest rates and increased construction costs, which led to three German project developers – Project Immobilien, Development Partner and Euroboden – filing for bankruptcy in August. Order book assessment of contractors also declined to 3.8 months in the third quarter of 2023 from 4.3 months a year earlier. A sharp decline in building permits for new residential buildings in the first half of this year also signals a further decrease still to come. Along with higher interest rates and construction costs, policy uncertainty regarding sustainability measures in the real estate sector added to the drop in the number of new permits. Spain: Construction sector at a turning pointBy the end of 2022, the production level was almost 25% lower than it was at the end of 2019. Yet, order books are now improving and the EU's recovery fund investments in the Spanish construction sector should generate a more positive outcome moving forward. The increase in permits will also have a positive effect on building volumes – although the question will remain as to how many approved projects will actually be built as challenging circumstances persist. Nevertheless, we have upgraded our forecast for Spain.   EU construction forecast Volume output construction sector, % YoY   The Netherlands: Construction faces sharp decline in 2024We expect Dutch construction volumes to experience a slight growth of 0.5% this year. A small contraction was previously anticipated, but unexpectedly high growth in the first quarter of this year has led to the possibility of ending 2023 with a small increase. Signs of cooling are already evident at the beginning of the Dutch construction value chain, with a visible contraction in project development and the production of building materials such as concrete, cement, and bricks. This trend will continue further down the supply chain. As a result, we expect a contraction of 2.5% in Dutch construction output next year – the largest decline since 2013. This is a relatively large drop compared to other countries. However, the Dutch building sector has performed well in recent years, and production levels should therefore remain at high levels.   Belgium: Low growth for the construction sector in 2023Belgian construction output rose by 0.3% in the first half of 2023. The Belgian construction confidence index has been hovering around a neutral level for months but reached its lowest point of -5.0 in more than two years in July, despite an increase in building production volumes in 2022. The issuance of building permits for both residential and non-residential buildings has decreased over the same period, but more moderately than in other countries. The government's stimulus plans include funding to improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings and funds to rebuild 38,000 homes damaged by the floods in 2021. Overall, we predict that the Belgian construction sector will still experience a low growth rate of around 0.5% in 2023 and 1% in 2024.   Strong development differences among countries Development volume construction sector (Index 2016=100)
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EUR Vulnerable Ahead of Possible ECB Surprise: What to Expect

ING Economics ING Economics 05.09.2023 11:21
EUR: Fragile before a potential ECB surprise Aside from any potential revision in the PMIs (August’s final release today), the eurozone’s calendar is rather quiet on the data side. It will be, however, quite interesting to hear what ECB speakers will have to say about the latest inflation numbers in the last two days before the pre-meeting quiet period kicks in.   We’ll hear from both sides of the spectrum today: the hawk Isabel Schnabel and the dove Ignazio Visco. Despite the resilience in headline inflation, markets focused on the consensus deceleration in August’s core inflation and have cut back expectations of a rate hike in September, currently priced in with an approximate 25% probability. Our economics team is calling for one last hike next week, meaning we are expecting a EUR/USD rally to materialise thanks to an ECB hawkish surprise, but before then EUR/USD looks quite fragile. We might see the 1.0700 support being tested before the ECB meeting, should risk sentiment stay soft. Francesco Pesole
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The Aussie Dollar's Plunge: RBA Paused, but the Door Remains Ajar

ING Economics ING Economics 05.09.2023 11:24
AUD: RBA paused, but kept the door open The Aussie dollar has dropped below the key 0.6400 support following the combined impact of grim PMI figures out of China and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) keeping rates on hold. But even when compounding these two drivers, the collapse in AUD/USD appears quite overdone. The Aussie dollar is already pricing in a considerable amount of risk premium related to the slowdown in the Chinese economy, meaning it can show an asymmetrically positive response to any positive news (e.g. fiscal/monetary stimulus) moving on. Domestically, the RBA pause had more than one string attached. The last statement under Governor Philip Lowe (Michele Bullock will replace him in two weeks) kept the door well open to more tightening if needed, essentially reiterating a data-dependent approach that has so far been closely followed by the RBA. Markets are not pricing in any more hikes by the RBA, meaning the room for any dovish surprises to hit AUD is small. Instead, we would be wary not to rule out any more hikes just yet. We see decent room for a recovery for the battered AUD.
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Rates Spark: Close calls as EUR rates drift higher ahead of ECB Decision and US Market Return

ING Economics ING Economics 05.09.2023 11:38
Rates Spark: Close calls EUR rates have drifted higher, contemplating the chances of further ECB tightening. Returning US markets today could extend the momentum of the late Friday sell-off while busy issuance could add to the upward pressure. Eventually data decides for how long 10Y UST yields can be supported in the 4 to 4.25% area, with eyes this week on tomorrow's ISM services.   With the US out for Labor Day, EUR rates drifted higher at the start of the week with the usually more policy-sensitive belly of the curve in the lead. European rates' main focus remains the ECB, given the proximity of the next meeting and given that it's the final chance officials have to communicate their policy preferences ahead of the quiet period. ECB President Lagarde’s speech yesterday yielded little concrete information regarding the ECB's  next steps –  even though the speech centred around the importance of communication. She did remark that “action speaks louder than words”. While she was arguably talking more about what the ECB has already achieved, hiking rates by 425bp over a relatively short time span of 12 months, the comment surely resonates with the ECB’s hawks' current thinking about the upcoming decision. Over the weekend the ECB’s Wunsch already opined that "a bit more" tightening was necessary. Bundesbank’s Nagel delved into more technical matters around the ECB’s decision to end the remuneration of banks' minimum reserves. He argued that more should be done on reserves – if via not rates, it seems some hawks are ready to consider other options for tightening financial conditions. Important inputs to the upcoming decision are measures of expected inflation. Market based measures, such as the 5y5y forward inflation swap, have recently come off their peaks but remain mired in relatively elevated territory. The aforementioned 5y5y forward is still close to 2.6%. As ECB's Schnabel noted in last week's speech this is also a reflection of growing uncertainty surrounding the longer inflation outlook and could in turn reflect slowly eroding credibility of the ECB’s commitment to get inflation to 2%. Today the ECB will release its consumer survey which has seen 3y median inflation expectations already drop from 3% at their peak to 2.3% as of June. That is also ready close to 2%, but before the turmoil of 2022 median expectations were usually even closer to 2%. The June survey results also pointed to a more pronounced tail in the distribution, towards higher inflation outcomes.   The last ECB hike had little traction further out the curve
The Euro's Fate Hangs in the Balance: Will the ECB Raise Rates Amid Stubborn Inflation?

The Euro's Fate Hangs in the Balance: Will the ECB Raise Rates Amid Stubborn Inflation?

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 05.09.2023 11:47
The euro has started the week with gains, after falling around 1.3% over the past two days. In the North American session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0795, up o.19%. With US markets closed for the Labour Day holiday, we can expect an uneventful day from the euro. Will she or won’t she? ECB President Christine Lagarde has avoided giving a clear signal about the ECB rate decision on September 14th. At the Jackson Hole symposium, Lagarde said that rates would have to remain at “sufficiently restrictive levels for as long as necessary” in order to bring down inflation to the ECB’s 2% target. Eurozone inflation remained stuck at 5.3% in August, which is more than double the target. Given that disparity, one could be forgiven for assuming that Lagarde would have followed up with a heavy hint about a rate hike in September. Instead, she steered clear of the rate debate. Fast forward to today, when Lagarde delivered a speech in London. The pattern was the same – a declaration that “we will achieve a timely return” to the 2% inflation target, but no mention of the September meeting. The lack of direction from Lagarde could mean that the doves and hawks continue to push their agendas and Lagarde hasn’t decided which way to roll the dice. Inflation remains high, but the eurozone economy is not in the best shape, which means that further rate hikes could trigger a recession. On Monday, ECB Governing Council member Mario Centeno, the head of the Bank of Portugal, warned there was a risk of “doing too much” by continuing to raise rates.   The manufacturing sector in Germany and the eurozone remains mired in contraction, as last week’s PMIs indicated. The services sector has been in better shape with readings above 50.0, which indicates expansion. Still, Service PMIs have been weakening in recent months and are expected to fall into contraction territory in both Germany and the eurozone on Tuesday.  The consensus for September stands at 47.3 in Germany and 48.3 in the eurozone, which would confirm the initial estimates last month. If investors show jitters over contraction in the services sector, the weak euro could lose ground. . EUR/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.0831 and 1.0889 1.0716 and 1.0658 are providing support    
Turbulent Times Ahead: ECB's Tough Decision Amid Soaring Oil Prices

Turbulent Times Ahead: ECB's Tough Decision Amid Soaring Oil Prices

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 06.09.2023 12:11
Rising oil prices give off a foul smell.  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Released yesterday, the European services PMI data came in softer than expected in all major euro area locations. The data showed that services sector in Italy and Spain slipped into the contraction zone in August - a month of big summer holidays where people flock to Italian and Spanish cities and beaches. The soft PMI data fueled the European Central Bank (ECB) doves and pushed the EURUSD under a bus yesterday; the pair fell to the lowest levels since the beginning of June and flirted with the 1.07 support on idea that the ECB can't raise interest rates next week when the economic picture is souring at speed. But I believe that it can. The ECB can announce another 25bp hike when it meets next week, or a faster reduction of its balance sheet, or the end of remuneration of banks' minimum reserves to tighten financial conditions, because the latest inflation figures from the Eurozone showed stagnation, instead of further easing, and the ECB will allow economic weakness to some extent to fight inflation. The most recent inflation expectations in the Eurozone showed that the next 12-month expectations remained steady at 3.4%, but the three-year inflation expectations spiked to 3.4%, and there is no reason for inflation expectations to continue easing when energy prices are going up toward the sky.
Rates Reversal: US Long Yields on the Rise as Curve Dis-Inverts

Rates Reversal: US Long Yields on the Rise as Curve Dis-Inverts

ING Economics ING Economics 06.09.2023 12:17
Rates Spark: Dis-inversion from the back end We rationalise why US longer tenor rates are rising – basically, the curve is inverted and getting used to discounting structurally higher rates. If so, reversion to a normal curve must mean dis-inversion from the back end. When something breaks, that will change. But for now, it's more of the same: upward pressure on long yields.   The US curve can't stay inverted forever. So if rates don't get cut, long rates must rise There are many theories swirling around as to why the US 10yr yield did an about-turn on Friday, post-payrolls. It had initially lurched towards 4%. But in a flash, it was heading back towards 4.25%. We rationalise this based on two factors. First, the curve remains very inverted, with longer tenor yields anticipating falls in official rates in the future. That’s a normal state of affairs. But as long as the economy continues to motor along, the wisdom of having many rate cuts at all is being questioned by the market. Less future rate cuts raise the implied floor being set by the Fed funds strip. That floor continues to edge higher. That’s the second (and related) rationale. Friday’s payroll report was not one that suggested anything had broken. Rather, it hinted at more of the same ahead. There are lots of stories floating around about the rise in the oil price and heavy primary corporate issuance, but we’re not convinced they are the dominant drivers. They certainly push in the same direction, but that's all – contributory rather than driving. Until activity actually stalls, there is no imminent reason for the Federal Reserve to consider rate cuts, and as that story persists, the floor for market rates is edging higher and becoming more structural at higher levels. In that environment, the only way for the curve to dis-invert is from longer maturity yields coming under rising pressure as shorter-tenor ones just hold pat. Something will break eventually, but so far it hasn’t. The path of least resistance therefore remains one for a test higher in longer tenor market rates.   Accommodating structurally higher rates as the Fed stays pat   Today's events and market views Rates are drifting higher and a busy primary market is a technical factor – though usually fleeting – that has added to the upward pressure. But it is the data that has provided markets with the waymarks, although first impressions can prove deceptive.  Today’s key data is the ISM services which is expected to soften marginally, suggesting the sector is losing momentum towards the fourth quarter. For now, it would not meaningfully alter the overall situation. Susan Collins, president of the Boston Fed, is scheduled to speak on the economy and policy. Later tonight, the Fed will also release its Beige Book with anecdotal information on current conditions in the Fed districts. In the eurozone, we will get retail sales data for July. Yesterday, the European Central Bank’s surveyed consumer inflation expectations saw a slight uptick, but this was balanced by downwardly revised final PMIs – the net impact on market pricing for the September ECB meeting was marginal. No ECB speakers are scheduled for today. In government bond primary markets, Germany taps its 10Y benchmark for €5bn. The Bank of Canada will decide on monetary policy today with no change widely expected after the economy surprisingly contracted in the second quarter.  
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GBP at Crossroads: BoE Governor Andrew Bailey's Upcoming Address

ING Economics ING Economics 06.09.2023 12:22
GBP: Look out for BoE Governor Andrew Bailey at 3:15 pm CET Sterling is coming under pressure against the strong dollar and marginally outperforming the pressured euro. High wage growth looks to be the primary reason for the market retaining expectations of a further 57bp of Bank of England (BoE) tightening in this cycle – making pivotal next Wednesday's release of the average earnings figures for July. Our base case is one more 25bp hike from the Bank on 21 September and then a prolonged pause. The manufacturing slump in the eurozone and these high energy prices suggest EUR/GBP can trade at the lower end of that 0.8500-0.8600 range into that BoE rate meeting on 21 September. GBP/USD looks more vulnerable to a firm test of 1.2500 psychological support.  
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Bank of Canada Maintains Status Quo: No Surprises for CAD

ING Economics ING Economics 06.09.2023 12:22
CAD: An unsurprising pause by the Bank of Canada today USD/CAD printed the highest level since March yesterday, briefly breaking above the 1.3660 April high following another round of USD strengthening and generalised softness in pro-cyclical currencies. We don’t expect today’s Bank of Canada meeting to be a turning point for the loonie, as policymakers should take into account the recent weakness in growth and the cooling labour market and opt for a pause – here is our full preview. The dovish move in market expectations has already happened and markets are expecting no change today, while a modest 9bp is left in the CAD OIS curve before year-end. This means that the downside risks for CAD from today’s pause should be limited, also because the BoC will likely want to avoid categorically closing the door to more tightening just yet. The rise in USD/CAD in the past month has not been mirrored by a divergence in the USD/CAD short-term divergence of similar magnitude, and the pair is currently 2.5% overvalued according to our short-term fair value model. While a turn in US activity data likely remains necessary to pull the trigger on a USD correction and close the mis-valuation gap, we think that further USD/CAD gains will prove increasingly unsustainable. A retracement to the 1.3460 200-day MA is our preferred bias for September.
Australian GDP Holds Steady at 0.4% as RBA Maintains Rates at 4.10%

Australian GDP Holds Steady at 0.4% as RBA Maintains Rates at 4.10%

ING Economics ING Economics 06.09.2023 13:05
Australian GDP unchanged at 0.4% RBA holds rates at 4.10% The Australian dollar has edged higher on Wednesday, after sustaining sharp losses a day earlier. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6391, up 0.19%. Australia’s GDP holds steady in Q2 The Australian economy grew by 0.4% q/q in the second quarter, unchanged from the upwardly revised reading in the first quarter and matching the consensus. On an annualized basis, GDP expanded 2.1% in the second quarter, compared to an upwardly revised 2.4% in the previous quarter. The GDP data didn’t knock anyone off their seats, but Australia’s economy has now posted growth for seven straight quarters despite weak global economic conditions. Still, household consumption was weak, falling from 0.3% to 0.1% and the household savings ratio fell from 3.6% to 3.2%. These lower readings reflect the squeeze that higher interest rates and inflation are having on households. The Reserve Bank of Australia held rates at 4.10% on Tuesday, as expected. The RBA has maintained rates for three straight months and Governor Lowe’s swan song included the usual rhetoric about inflation remaining too high and the door remained open for further rate hikes if needed. The markets are more dovish than the RBA and have priced in a 70% chance of no further hikes from the RBA, with cuts likely to begin in late 2024. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to pause at the September 20th meeting. The benchmark cash rate is currently in a range of 5.25%-5.50%, and a pause could signal that rates have finally peaked, although don’t expect any Fed members to publicly state that the rate-tightening cycle is over.   Inflation hasn’t been beaten and core CPI, which is a better gauge of underlying inflation than headline CPI, rose 4.2% in July, about double the Fed’s target of 2%. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said on Monday that the Fed can afford to “proceed carefully” with rate hikes, given that inflation has been falling, and if the downtrend continues, “we are in pretty good condition”. . AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD tested resistance at 0.6395 earlier. Above, there is resistance at 0.6458 There is support at 0.6325 and 0.6274      
Bank of Canada Keeps Rates Unchanged with a Hawkish Outlook, but We Believe Rates Have Peaked

Bank of Canada Keeps Rates Unchanged with a Hawkish Outlook, but We Believe Rates Have Peaked

ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 10:08
Hawkish hold from the Bank of Canada, but we think rates have peaked The BoC left the policy rate at 5% but warned that with inflation pressures remaining elevated it could yet hike again. We don’t think they will need to as high borrowing exposure and lagged effects of policy tightening increasingly weigh on an economy that is already showing some cracks. The negative implications for CAD are, however, limited.   BoC leaves the door open for more Having resumed hikes in June and July following a pause since January, the Bank of Canada opted to leave interest rates unchanged today at 5%. This was the widely expected outcome with just two of 30 or so economists expecting a hike and financial markets barely pricing 2bp of potential tightening following data showing the Canadian economy contracted in the second quarter, the manufacturing PMI moved deeper into negative territory and the unemployment rate crept higher. This was acknowledged by the BoC with the accompanying statement recognising that the economy has “entered a period of weaker growth" and that labour market tightness "has continued to ease gradually". Yet inflation remains well above the BoC’s target and the statement mentioned "broad based" pressures, with rising gasoline prices meaning headline inflation is likely to stay higher than the BoC was forecasting in the near term. As such, we have a hawkish hold with the BoC prepared to hike again 'if needed". We think they won't need to and rates have peaked at these levels as high exposure to borrowing and the lagged effects of monetary policy tightening become increasingly apparent.   CAD steady after the announcement The loonie was little changed against the dollar after the Bank of Canada announcement today. However, CAD is trading firmer than most other G10 pairs as strong ISM figures out of the US sent USD higher against most pro-cyclical currencies. The CAD OIS curve after the meeting shows markets are pricing in around 10bp of tightening by the BoC, meaning that if we are right and the Bank does not hike rates again, the repricing lower in Canadian rate expectations should not materially hit the loonie. USD/CAD has plenty of room to correct on the back of rate-gap and commodity dynamics, but solid US activity data is likely to keep the pair supported in the near term. 
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A Surprisingly Aggressive Start to Poland's Easing Cycle Amidst Inflation Concerns

ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 10:11
A sharp start to the easing cycle in Poland The direction is not a surprise, but its scale clearly is (75bp vs an expected 25bp cut). Poland joins other emerging markets in easing, despite a more risky inflation backdrop.   A 75 basis point cut On the anniversary of the last interest rate hike, the Monetary Policy Council (MPC) cut rates by 75bp. The direction is not a surprise, but its scale clearly is (we expected a 25bp cut). The MPC did not wait for inflation to fall to single-digit levels, despite this being a condition set by the National Bank of Poland (NBP) president. Also contrary to earlier declarations, the MPC did not start the cycle gradually.   A weaker GDP outlook, lower demand pressure and inflation expectations but important inflation risks omitted The main message from the post-meeting statement is that given a weaker global and Polish economic situation, the Council expects inflation to return to the NBP's target quicker than previously expected. The MPC pointed to lower demand pressures and a decline in inflation expectations. In our opinion, the Council overlooks many risks: expansionary fiscal policy, high wage growth, and the worrisome structure of core inflation (rapidly rising service prices). In addition, the post-meeting statement underlined that "a faster reduction in CPI would be supported by strengthening of the zloty", but today's decision results in the opposite move.   Thursday's press conference should provide guidance on the easing cycle The press conference by NBP President Glapiński on Thursday should underline the strategy behind the rate cut today. This may either be a one-time adjustment (the market had priced in about a 125bp cut by the end of the year prior to the decision), followed by a pause, or it is the decisive start of a longer cycle of interest rate cuts. The NBP's past track record disallows that to be settled today. Investors were surprised, as seen in the rapid zloty easing, just after the NBP decision was announced.   Short-term disinflation should continue, medium-term risks arise In theory, Poland joins the group of emerging markets that are starting to ease, but it is very different from them: core inflation is falling more slowly than in other Central European countries, while LATAM economies first brought real rates to very positive before launching their easing cycles. In the short term headline inflation should keep decreasing, but the medium-term outlook is more uncertain. The decline in inflation is due in large part to the receding of the earlier energy shock, but the deceleration in core inflation has been slow. So a further decline in inflation toward the NBP target in the medium term is not clear in our view. The labour market remains tight, resulting in upward pressure on wages. Fiscal policy also remains expansionary. In this context, we perceive the Council's decision as risky from the point of view of restoring price stability in the medium term.
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 Role in Shaping the Swedish Krona's Future Amid Economic Challenges

Riksbank's Role in Shaping the Swedish Krona's Future Amid Economic Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 10:48
Swedish krona still searching for the bottom, but the Riksbank can help EUR/SEK is close to the 12.00 level, trading at historic highs as external and domestic factors have added pressure to the already weak krona. In the medium term, we have few doubts SEK can recover and converge with higher fair value, but the timing is highly uncertain, and will be more dependent on the global market environment than on Sweden’s economic woes.   Why it’s still hard to pick the bottom for the krona Back in May, we published a note entitled “Sweden: Hard to pick a bottom for the unloved krona”. More than three months later, it is still hard to pinpoint an end to the EUR/SEK rally, and the key drivers behind the strength in the pair have not changed materially. Back then, the Riksbank had just lifted the cap on the pair with a dovish surprise, and while it later attempted to restore a currency-supportive hawkish stance, markets have continued to price a good deal of domestic downside risk into SEK. In the broader FX picture, pro-cyclical currencies like SEK are primarily responding to US data at the current juncture: the recent resilience in activity indicators has kept market expectations for Fed easing capped, global rates elevated, the dollar strong and high-beta currencies under pressure. Remember how NOK and SEK emerged as the two biggest underperformers during the core of the Fed tightening cycle? As the higher-for-longer narrative in the US consolidates, investors are once again turning their backs on the illiquid Scandinavian currencies. And with Sweden facing domestic headwinds and the eurozone’s economic outlook deteriorating, EUR/SEK is trading at fresh highs, and at risk of touching the 12.00 pain level.         The Riksbank can cap krona weakness The chart below shows the risk premium (orange line) that has been built in for the krona (against the euro) since the start of the year. That tells us how much higher EUR/SEK is trading compared to what we estimate is its fair value according to market drivers (like rates and equities).       Despite perceived real estate concerns building steadily into the end of April, EUR/SEK traded close to its fair value thanks to the Riksbank’s currency-supportive hawkish tone. The shift in narrative at the April meeting (when two members voted against a 50bp hike, and the rate path was more dovish than expected) led to a spike in SEK undervaluation, which lasted for two months. Crucially, the return of a currency-supportive hawkish stance at the Riksbank’s June meeting saw the EUR/SEK mis-valuation drop to zero. The following build-up in the EUR/SEK risk premium was much more short-lived compared to the one in May-June, and primarily a consequence of the bond sell-off in the US.   So, what is this telling us? The Riksbank can still impact the krona substantially. Despite not being able to fully insulate a high-beta currency like SEK from external drivers, it can prevent it from trading below its short-term fair value. To do this, it must meet or exceed market expectations on future rate tightening (i.e. via rate path projections), which has the additional benefit of signalling that the Bank is not so worried about the economic outlook and the risks to financial stability as to overlook its inflation mandate and the need to stabilise the currency. Markets are fully pricing in a 25bp hike in September, with a 50% implied probability of another 25bp hike at the November meeting. The Riksbank will likely have to signal one more hike in its rate path projections to support the krona when it raises rates in September. Our SEK forecast: the question is timing, not direction One aspect of the lingering SEK risk premium is that it has detached from short-term rate dynamics, which had been a key driver until April/May last year. Based on the EUR:SEK two-year swap spread alone, EUR/SEK should be trading around 11.00 (chart below). In the current market conditions that is, obviously, inconceivable.     We continue to base our medium-term forecast on the evidence that the krona is significantly undervalued, both against the euro and the dollar. On the back of this, our forecast profile for EUR/SEK is downward-sloping for 2024, and we expect the pair to trade below 11.00 by next summer. We must admit, however, that the timing of the SEK recovery remains quite uncertain. In our view, this is not excessively dependent on domestic factors; the krona is already pricing in a sizeable amount of weakness in the domestic economy, and markets will either see the most dramatic scenarios for the real estate sector materialise (not our base case) or will have to price them out of the krona next year. Missteps by the Riksbank, if anything, have a higher chance of causing FX damage.   External drivers hold the key to the recovery We think, instead, that SEK’s reconnection with its stronger fundamentals will be driven by the global FX narrative. A strong dollar on the back of higher-for-longer rates in the US is incompatible with a recovery in the krona. The past few months have been a clear testament to this. We expect US activity data to start turning from 4Q23, and the Federal Reserve to start cutting from March 2024, and that is the window when pro-cyclical currencies like SEK can stage a good rebound. However, we admit that the resilience in US economic data could persist for longer than we estimate, and delay as well as reduce the scope of the recovery in pro-cyclical currencies. A further deterioration in the eurozone growth outlook can also make the krona’s recovery harder.   Until a US data/dollar turn occurs, the krona will remain vulnerable, and we only see 12.00 as the really strong resistance level for EUR/SEK. So far, the Riksbank has ruled out FX intervention but might start throwing that idea around to gauge market reaction (the effective applicability remains doubtful) should we break above the 12.00 mark. We see room for a SEK rebound around the Riksbank’s upcoming meeting when we expect the SEK-supportive narrative to prevail and a good chance of another hike to be added to the rate path. EUR/SEK could be easing back to 11.70 by the end of September.
Positive Shift in Inflation Structure: Core Inflation Falls in Hungary

Dovish BoE Comments Drive EUR/GBP Rally

ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 11:00
GBP: BoE dovish comments hit the pound EUR/GBP has experienced a good rally in the past two sessions, now trading at around 0.8580 on the back of dovish comments by Bank of England members. Yesterday, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey stressed the downside potential of UK inflation and said that rates were likely near the top of the cycle. He was joined by two other MPC members at the Parliament testimony, Jon Cunliffe and Swati Dhingra, who also stressed inflation is at a turning point and gave few reasons to suggest multiple more hikes are on their way. It appears that the BoE may be transitioning to a higher-for-longer narrative. Markets are now for the first time starting to cast some doubts about whether the BoE will hike rates at all at the 21 September meeting, with pricing having dropped below 20bp after yesterday’s Parliament testimony. For now, our base case is that they will go ahead with a hike but that it will be the last one, meaning markets will have to price out the additional hike still priced for later this year. EUR/GBP upside potential remains decent in our view. Today, keep an eye on the BoE decision-making panel survey and on any evidence of abating inflationary pressure.
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.      
Rates Spark: Italy's Retail Bonds and Their Impact on Government Funding

Rates Spark: Italy's Retail Bonds and Their Impact on Government Funding

8 eightcap 8 eightcap 08.09.2023 12:50
Rates Spark: My home is my castle After the Belgian success story of its one-year retail issue, Italy yesterday announced the launch of its second 'BTP Valore' retail bond for early October. The large volumes involved have knock-on effects on other marketable debt issuance and are a supporting factor for government bond spreads, especially now that the ECB QT debate could pick up.   A stable funding source for governments: households Belgium has grabbed the headlines in recent days with a €22bn one-year retail issue. Beyond the implications for bank deposits, against which it was advertised as direct competition, the success of the sale also had implications for the country’s government bond and bills markets. The net funding via the bills market was reduced from a contribution of €2.8bn to a planned decline in the bills stock of €4.4bn. Long-term bond issuance (OLOs) was trimmed by €2.9bn to €42.1bn for the year.    Yesterday, Italy announced the launch of its second 'BTP Valore', a five-year instrument targeting retail savers. The first instalment launched in June attracted a total volume of €18bn. Such large sizes attract the attention of markets not just for their knock-on effects on issuance plans, but also as it sets the country on a more diversified and stable funding mix. Historically, Italy has had a larger footprint in the domestic market, but it has specifically tapped into the retail segment to a greater degree with dedicated Futura and Valore issues on top of the BTP Italia. At the end of August, these three types of retail government bonds accounted for €122bn or 5.1% of Italy’s central government debt instruments. Prior to the pandemic, the level stood at €78bn or 3.9% at the end of 2019. But since late 2022, households have started to dip more into government debt, raising their investments from €123bn to €185bn over two quarters through the first quarter of 2023. Italian households dipped into government debt again
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. 
Industrial Metals Outlook: Assessing the Impact of China's Stimulus Measures

Industrial Metals Outlook: Assessing the Impact of China's Stimulus Measures

ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 13:04
  Industrial Metals Monthly: China's stimulus in focus Our monthly report looks at the performance of iron ore, copper, aluminium and other industrial metals, as well as their outlook for the rest of the year. In this month's edition, we take a closer look at the recent impact of new stimulus measures introduced in China.   Metals markets assess China policy   China ramping up economic support A mixed picture of China's economy has been painted by the latest releases of official PMI data. While the manufacturing index increased slightly to 49.7 – its third consecutive rise since the lows of 48.8 seen in May – it's still falling short of the 50-level mark associated with expansion.  The non-manufacturing series, which had reflected the bulk of the post-reopening recovery, fell further in August. At 51.0, the index was a little lower than the forecast figures of 51.2 but at least remains slightly above contraction territory.   Meanwhile, the Chinese government has moved forward with a series of stimulus measures designed to turn around the flagging economy and its ailing property sector, which accounts for more than a quarter of China’s economic activity. Included in these measures was the decision to cut down payments and lower rates on existing mortgages. The nationwide minimum down payment will be set at 20% for first-time buyers and 30% for second home buyers. Mortgage rate cuts will be negotiated between banks and customers, and both policies will go into effect on 25 September. The introduction of these measures came after China’s home sales slumped in August. Sales by the country’s largest developers fell 34% from the previous year, according to China Real Estate Information Corp. It was the deepest drop seen in over a year. Further stimulus packages could also be introduced, which could boost the need for industrial metals. So far, Beijing has remained reluctant to back major stimulus that might be necessary to put a floor under falling home sales. News of a surge in home sales in two of China’s biggest cities has offered an early sign that government efforts to cushion a record housing slowdown are helping. Existing home sales for Beijing and Shanghai doubled over the last weekend (2-4 September) from the previous one. Reports of property developer Country Garden avoiding default with last-minute interest payments also restored some additional confidence in China’s property sector.   The metals markets will now be watching how sustainable this pickup in interest is and how long it will last. China’s recovery is still uncertain, and metals are likely to see some continued volatility for a while – at least in the near term. For the remainder of this year, the key factor for the direction of metals prices will be whether China will be able to stabilise its property market. Until the market sees signs of a sustainable recovery and economic growth in China, we will struggle to see a long-term move higher for industrial metals.   Fed pause bets bolster sentiment Sentiment in metals markets also received a boost after last week’s US jobs report that showed a steadily cooling labour market, offering the Federal Reserve room to pause rate hikes this month. Nonfarm payrolls increased 187,000 in August, while hourly earnings rose slightly less than the median economist forecast. The central bank hiked rates by 25 basis points at its July meeting following the recent strength seen in economic data. At the Jackson Hole conference last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced plans to keep policy restrictive until confidence that inflation is steadily moving down toward its target has been fully restored. Over the next few weeks, we'll be keeping a close eye on US data releases which could shed more light on what the Fed may do next.   Higher-for-longer interest rates will ultimately lead to a drop in metals prices September appears set for a pause given recent encouraging signals on inflation and labour costs, but robust activity data means the door remains open for a further potential increase. Markets see a 50% chance of a final hike, while our US economist believes that rates have most likely peaked. US interest rates remaining higher for longer would lead to a stronger US dollar and weakening investor confidence, which in turn would translate to lower metals prices.     US rate cuts to start by the spring   Iron ore rises on China property aid Iron ore prices held above the $100/t mark in August despite China’s worsening property crisis, which in typical years makes up about 40% of demand.   Iron ore has managed to stay above $100/t for most of 2023    
Tropical Tides: Asian Central Banks Set to Determine Policy Next Week

The British Pound Hits a 3-Month Low Against the US Dollar as UK House Prices Decline

ING Economics ING Economics 08.09.2023 13:42
British pound falls to 3-month low against US dollar UK house prices fall sharply BoE’s Bailey is non-committal about September rate decision The British pound has extended its losses on Thursday. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2472, down 0.28%. Earlier, the pound touched a low of 1.2445, its lowest level since June 8th. The pound has been unable to find its footing and has posted five losing sessions in the past six, falling 250 basis points during that span. UK housing data disappoints UK house prices continue to fall and posted a decline of 1.9% in August, the steepest drop since November 2022, according to the Halifax Bank of Scotland. The Halifax report noted that house prices have been resilient this year in the face of rising interest rates, but the lag effect of rate hikes may be making itself felt through higher mortgage costs. This week’s UK PMI releases highlighted the weakness of the UK economy and have pushed the wobbly pound lower. The Services PMI for August was revised higher to 49.5 from 48.7, following a July reading of 51.5 points. This marked the first decline in services business activity since January. This was followed by the Construction PMI, which decelerated and barely remained in expansion territory at 50.8, down from 51.7 in July. The manufacturing sector has been woeful, and last week’s PMI dipped to 43.0 in August, down from 45.3 in July.   With the struggling UK economy as the background, Governor Bailey said on Wednesday that it was “much nearer” to ending the current tightening cycle, but added that the BoE might have to raise rates further due to persistently high inflation. Bailey remained non-committal about the September 21st meeting, but the markets are confident that the Bank will deliver a quarter-point hike, with a probability of 82%. . GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD pushed tested support at 1.2449 earlier. Below, there is support at 1.2335  There is resistance at 1.2519 and 1.2633      
Doubts Surround Euro Amid European Economic Concerns and Political Speeches

Doubts Surround Euro Amid European Economic Concerns and Political Speeches

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 08.09.2023 13:54
While the euro is actively trying to find some kind of bottom against the US dollar, the speeches of European politicians are coming to an end. Perhaps after that, the pressure on the single currency will somehow decrease, but personally, I have strong doubts about this, as there are absolutely no reasons for it. And if we also consider the first possible pause in the cycle of interest rate hikes from 2022, as well as the actively shrinking European economy, then we can deduce that there will be fewer reasons to buy risky assets.   However, some hawkish European politicians continue to "stick to their guns." According to a member of the Executive Board, Klaas Knot, investors betting against the European Central Bank raising interest rates next week may underestimate the likelihood of it happening. While a slowdown in the eurozone's 20-nation economy is sure to damp demand, updated inflation projections won't differ much from the last round in June, the Dutch central bank chief said. "I continue to think that hitting our inflation target of 2% at the end of 2025 is the bare minimum we have to deliver," said Knot.   As I mentioned earlier, he made such statements before a week-long period of calm preceding the September meeting of the ECB Governing Council. Knot also noted that the markets are currently experiencing difficulties, which are also experienced by the central bank. Just recently, the central bank governors of Germany, Belgium, Austria, and Latvia expressed support for another quarter-point rate hike, likely the last in this cycle. However, their colleagues from Italy and Portugal are among those emphasizing that economic risks are starting to emerge. Recent eurozone PMI data and today's revised downward GDP report for the eurozone in the 2nd quarter clearly indicate this. ECB President Christine Lagarde, speaking earlier this week, also did not make any commitments, simply stating that inflation is too high, and the central bank is determined to tame it, with decisions based on appropriate data. Obviously, it's also challenging to assess the current progress in inflation. Underlying pressure has decreased, but the overall reading has increased due to a sharp spike in non-oil prices. European politicians have also recently discussed this, lamenting issues with the energy market. Wage negotiations and corporate price behavior will be crucial in determining how quickly inflation returns to the target level. As for today's technical picture for EUR/USD, the bears have slightly eased their grip. To maintain control, bulls need to stay above 1.0700. This will allow them to break back to 1.0750. From there, they can climb to 1.0770, but it will be quite difficult to do so without support from major players. In the event of a downtrend, I only expect significant action from major buyers around 1.0700. If there's no significant support there, it would be a good idea to wait for a new low at 1.0665 or open long positions from 1.0635. Regarding the technical picture for GBP/USD, the pound will continue to fall. We can only bet on a recovery once traders take control of the level at 1.2530. Returning to this range will restore hope for a recovery towards 1.2560, after that we can talk about a more significant surge towards 1.2700. In case the pair falls, bears will try to take control below 1.2484. If they succeed in doing so, breaking through the range will hit bullish positions and push GBP/USD towards the low at 1.2440 with the potential to reach 1.2400.
The American Dollar's Unyielding Strength Amidst Market Surprises and Economic Divergence

The American Dollar's Unyielding Strength Amidst Market Surprises and Economic Divergence

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 08.09.2023 14:06
The time is coming when the strongest trend is coming to an end. But this does not apply to the American dollar. In 2021, it strengthened due to expectations of monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve, and in 2022, due to its implementation. In 2023, investors expected the trend in the USD index to be broken. And at first, everything was going according to plan. However, in the summer, there was a 180-degree turnaround, which came as a real surprise to hedge funds. They remain short sellers of the American currency and are losing money.   Dynamics of the U.S. dollar and hedge fund positionsej     The September survey of Reuters experts suggests that in the short term, "bears" on EUR/USD will maintain their strength due to a strong economy and high U.S. Treasury bond yields. However, over the next three months, the euro will rise to $1.09. In 6 months, it will be worth $1.10, and in 12 months, $1.12. This forecast is based on the idea of a dovish pivot and the central bank's move towards reducing federal funds rates. Derivatives indicate that it will drop by 100 basis points in 2024. The same opinion was held about the U.S. dollar at the beginning of the year, but its opponents were proven wrong. At that time, investors were worried about a recession.   It was supposed to force the Federal Reserve to loosen its monetary policy. In the early autumn, markets began to fear not an economic downturn but its overheating. If the United States maintains its strength, inflation could accelerate, prompting the Federal Reserve to return to monetary tightening and further strengthen the American dollar. If we also consider that the American economy is the cleanest shirt in the basket of dirty laundry, the decline in EUR/USD seems logical. Indeed, following new manufacturing orders in Germany, German industrial production disappointed.   In July, it contracted by 0.8%. The leading economy in the eurozone has still not emerged from the slump. Is it surprising that the GDP of the currency bloc grew by only 0.1% in the second quarter? Less than the 0.3% in the initial estimate.     Thus, if in 2021-2022, the focus in the Forex market was on monetary policy and fear of high inflation, in 2023, they gave way to economic growth divergence. Judging by the strong labor market positions and the surge in business activity in the services sector to a six-month high, the U.S. GDP in the third quarter may expand by 3% or more. What's the point of selling the dollar? It's much more interesting to acquire securities denominated in it. The capital flow to North America has supported and will continue to support the "bears" on EUR/USD.     The ECB, on the other hand, can only sympathize. On the one hand, the European Central Bank is obliged to maintain "hawkish" rhetoric in the face of inflation exceeding 5%. On the other hand, the higher the interest rates rise, the greater the chances of a recession in the eurozone economy. Technically, on the daily chart of EUR/USD, the inability of the "bulls" to hold onto the key pivot level of 1.0715 indicates their weakness. The decline of the pair to 1.066 and 1.0595 continues. The recommendation is to hold shorts.  
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Risk Factors Affecting Mercor's Business and Operations

GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 08.09.2023 15:22
Mercor is exposed to a number of internal and external risks related to running a business, the most important of which are: ■ Economic situation in cubature and high-rise construction. The Company's clients are mainly general contractors. The weaker economic situation in the construction industry may translate into a decrease in demand for the Company's products/services and deterioration of financial results. ■ Prices of production materials. An increase in the prices of production materials in relation to the planned level at the time of submitting the offer may result in an increase in costs and deterioration of the Company's profitability. ■ Availability of significant raw material resources. In its production process, the Company mainly uses steel, aluminum and polycarbonate. Lower availability of raw materials may adversely affect the Company's ability to fulfill the signed contracts and cause an increase in the prices of these raw materials. ■ War in Ukraine. The ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine has a direct and indirect impact. The indirect impact is a possible change in investors' moods and preferences, increase in prices and problems with the availability of production and energy raw materials, potential disruptions in supply chains. In addition, Mercor holds a 55% share in the share capital of the company in Ukraine (TOB MERCOR UKRAINA sp. z o.o.) and a 55% share in the share capital of the company in Russia (OOO Mercor-PROOF LLC). Loss of control or other unfavorable events may result in a write-off, showing a loss in the financial statements and loss of markets. ■ Change in interest rates. Mercor has debt due to credits, loans and finance leases. An increase in interest rates may result in an increased cost of servicing this debt. ■ Changes in exchange rates. The Group has its branches and production plants abroad and concludes transactions in currencies other than the functional one. The Group uses hedging by concluding forward transactions, but it is not possible to completely eliminate the impact of changes in exchange rates. ■ Inflation rate. Higher prices may adversely affect the Company's profitability. In addition, higher inflation may increase employees' wage expectations. ■ Counterparty credit risk. In the event of a deterioration in the liquidity situation of customers, the Company may experience problems with recovering receivables on time. ■ Availability of workers with appropriate qualifications. The company provides its customers with ready-made solutions in the field of fire protection in buildings, for which it is necessary to have adequately qualified employees. The shortage of employees may adversely affect the ability to implement an appropriate number of projects and decrease revenues. ■ Risk of unfavorable tax decisions. There is a risk that the correctness of the calculated taxes will be questioned by the tax authorities and a risk of issuance of decisions unfavorable to the Company    
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Turbulent Times Ahead: US Inflation on the Rise Ahead of September FOMC Meeting

ING Economics ING Economics 11.09.2023 10:35
Next week in the US, the last major reports will be released ahead of the September FOMC meeting. The general theme is likely to be higher inflation than seen as of late. All eyes will also be on UK wage data, which will be key for locking in another rate hike from the Bank of England. In Poland, we expect to see CPI to drop below 9%   US: The general theme likely to be higher inflation It is a very big week for US data as the last major reports ahead of the Federal Reserve’s September FOMC meeting come in. Consumer and producer price inflation, retail sales and industrial production are all due, with the general theme likely to be higher inflation than seen of late versus weaker activity relative to recent trends. Nonetheless, Federal Reserve officials are seemingly of the mindset that they will likely pause interest rate hikes again and re-evaluate in November with just 2bp of policy tightening priced for later this month. For inflation, we look for fairly big jumps in August’s month-on-month headline readings with upside risk relative to consensus predictions. Higher gasoline prices will be the main upside driver, but we also see the threat of a rebound in airfares and medical care costs, plus higher insurance prices. These factors are likely to also contribute to core CPI coming in at 0.3% MoM rather than the 0.2% figures we have seen in the previous two months. Slowing housing rents will be evident, but it may not be enough to offset as much as the market expects. Nonetheless, the year-on-year rate of core inflation will slow to perhaps 4.4%. We are hopeful we could get down to 4% YoY in the September report and not too far away from 3.5% in October. We would characterise these relatively firm MoM inflation prints as a temporary blip in what is likely to be an intensifying disinflationary trend. Indeed, it was interesting to see the Fed’s Beige Book characterise recent consumer spending strength as being led by tourism expenditure, which had been "surging". But the general sense was that this would be "the last stage of pent-up demand for leisure travel from the pandemic era". Moreover, other spending was softer, "especially on non-essential items". This may well show up in the retail sales report. We already know that auto volume sales fell quite heftily too, but remember this is a value figure and that higher prices, particularly for gasoline, will help keep overall retail sales just about in positive territory. But with savings being rapidly exhausted and credit card delinquencies on the rise, there are concerns that weaker numbers are coming – particularly with student loan repayments restarting, which will add to financial stresses on the household sector. Rounding out the reports, we expect industrial production to be much softer than the 1% jump seen last month. Manufacturing surveys continue to point to contraction, and weakness in the component could offset a bit of firmness in utilities and mining/drilling activities.      
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A Week Ahead: Market Insights and Key Events with Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst at Swissquote Bank

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 11.09.2023 10:54
A busy week ahead By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The S&P500 ended last week on a meagre positive note, as the selloff in Apple shares slowed. Apple will be unveiling the new iPhone15 after the Chinese storm. Last week's selloff was certainly exaggerated. Once the Chinese dust settles, Apple's performance will continue to depend on the overall sentiment regarding the tech stocks, which will in return, depend on the Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations, the rates, energy prices, Chinese property crisis, deflation risks, and how that mix affects the global price dynamics.   China announced this morning that consumer prices rose by 0.1% y-o-y in August, slower than 0.2% penciled in by analysts and after recording its first drop in over two years of 0.3% a month earlier. Core inflation, excluding food and energy prices, rose 0.8% y-o-y, at the same speed as in July, and remained at the fastest pace since January. The numbers remain alarmingly low, and the recent stimulus measures announced by the government did little to boost investors' appetite. The CSI 300 was thoroughly sold on the rallies following stimulus news. And the yuan continued trending lower against the US dollar.  The US dollar is under a decent selling pressure this morning, particularly against the yen, after comments from the Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Ueda were interpreted as being 'hawkish'. Ueda said that 'there may be sufficient information by the year-end to judge if wages will continue to rise', and that will help them decide whether they would end the super-loose monetary policy and step out of the negative rate territory. The remarks were disputably hawkish, to be honest, but given how negatively diverged the Japanese monetary policy is, any hint that the negative rates could end one day boosts hope. The 10-year JGB yield jumped 5bp to 70bp on the news, and the USDJPY fell to 146.30. The USDJPY has a limited upside potential as the Japanese officials have been crystal clear last week that a further selloff would be countered by direct intervention. But the pair has plenty of room to drop significantly, when the BoJ finally decides to jump and leave the negative rates behind.   This week, the US inflation numbers will give the dollar a fresh direction, and hopefully a softish one. The headline inflation is expected to tick higher from 3.2% to 3.6% in August, on the back of rising energy prices, while core inflation may have eased from 4.7% to 4.3%. 'We've gotten monetary policy in a very good place' said the NY Fed President Williams last week. Indeed, the Fed hiked the rates by more than 500bp and shed its balance sheet by $1 trillion, while keeping the GDP around 2%, as inflation eased significantly from the 9% peak last summer to around 3% this summer. But crude oil cheapened by more than 40% between last summer and this spring, and the prices are now up by nearly 30% since then. The Fed will likely hold fire when it meets this month, but nothing is less sure for the November meeting. This week's inflation data will be played in terms of November expectations.   For the European Central Bank (ECB), the base case scenario is a no rate hike at this week's monetary policy meeting, but the European policymakers could announce a 25bp hike despite the latest weakness in economic data. The EURUSD is slightly better bid this morning, expect consolidation and minor correction toward the 200-DMA, 1.0823, into the meeting. The ECB, unlike the Fed, is not worried about surprising the market, on one side or the other. A no rate hike – even if it's a hawkish pause - could push the EURUSD to below 1.0615, the major 38.2% Fibonacci retracement, into a medium term bearish trend whereas a 25bp hike should trigger a rally toward the 1.09 level.   On the corporate calendar, ARM will go public this week, in what is going to be this year's biggest IPO. The company is expected to price on the 13th of September with a price range of $47-51 per share, and will start trading on Nasdaq the following day. ARM is expected to be valued at around $52bn, roughly 20 times its last disclosed annual revenue on expectation that the chips needed to power the generative AI will make ARM a sunny to-go place. Hope it won't be stormy.  
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BoE Hints at Balanced Debate for Next Meeting as Weakness Looms

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 11.09.2023 11:27
BoE hints at balanced debate at the next meeting Employment survey points to further weakness GBPUSD nearing major support zone   A big couple of weeks are in store for the Bank of England and figures today may support the case for a more balanced debate on 21st September, as policymakers hinted this week. Inflation is by no means under control but it is falling fast and, if the BoE is to be believed, it is expected to fall markedly over the remainder of the year. If the MPC is going to be confident of inflation returning sustainably to 2%, the labor market will likely be key to it so there’ll likely be a much greater focus on it going forward. We’re already seeing some progress on this front but much more is likely needed. Today’s survey from KPMG and REC suggests more weakness is on the horizon. Permanent placements, availability, and salaries are all promising from a BoE perspective and may contribute to some lively debate in a couple of weeks. Of course, surveys alone won’t be enough to convince them. The UK jobs report next week could offer another helping hand and put the decision on the 21st much more in the balance. Markets are currently convinced that another hike is coming but that may change if unemployment ticks higher again and wages soften.   GBPUSD continues to slide toward key SMA band The pound has continued to fall this week, aided by the comments from the BoE and perhaps today’s survey.   GBPUSD Daily Source – OANDA on Trading View After breaking below the August lows earlier this week, shortly after running into resistance from the 55/89-day simple moving average band, the pair is continuing to edge closer to the 200/233-day SMA band. This falls around 1.23-1.24 and also coincides with the lows from the second quarter of this year. A break below here could be a very bearish development, especially if aided by a weaker UK jobs report or stronger US inflation release.  
Tesla's Market Surge, Apple's Recovery, and Market Dynamics: A Snapshot

Tesla's Market Surge, Apple's Recovery, and Market Dynamics: A Snapshot

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 12.09.2023 08:49
Tesla fuels market rally By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank    Tesla jumped 10% yesterday and reversed morose mood due to the Apple-led selloff. Tesla shares flirted with the $275 per share on Monday, thanks to Morgan Stanley analysts who said that its Dojo supercomputer may add as much as $500bn to its market value, as it would mean a faster adoption of robotaxis and network services. As a result, MS raised its price target from $250 to $400 a share.   Tesla rally helped the S&P500 make a return above its 50-DMA, as Nasdaq 100 jumped more than 1%. Apple recorded a second day of steady trading after shedding almost $200bn in market value last week because of Chinese bans on its devices in government offices, and Qualcomm, which was impacted by the waves of the same quake, recovered nearly 4%, after Apple announced an extension to its chip deal with the company for 3 more years. Making chips in house to power Apple devices would take longer than thought.   Speaking of chips and their makers, ARM which prepares to announce its IPO price tomorrow, has been oversubscribed by 10 times already and bankers will stop taking orders by today. The promising demand could also encourage an upward revision to the IPO price, and we could eventually see the kind of market debut that we like!    Today, at 10am local time, Apple will show off its new products to reverse the Chinese-muddied headlines to its favour before the crucial holiday selling season. The Chinese ban of Apple devices in government offices sounds more terrible than it really is, as the real impact on sales will likely remain limited at around 1%.   In the bonds market, the US 2-year yield is steady around the 5% mark before tomorrow's much-expected US inflation data. The major fear is a stronger-than-expected uptick in headline inflation, or lower-than-expected easing in core inflation. The Federal Reserve (Fed) is torn between further tightening or wait-and-see as focus shifts to melting US savings, which fell significantly faster than the rest of the DM, and which could explain the resilience in US spending and growth, but which also warns that the US consumers are now running out of money, and they will have to stop spending. So, are we finally going to have that Wile E Coyote moment? Janet Yellen doesn't think so, she is on the contrary confident that the US will manage a soft landing, that the Fed will break inflation's back without pushing economy into recession. Wishful thinking?   But everyone comes to agree on the fact that the Eurozone is not looking good. The EU Commission itself cut the outlook for the euro-area economy. It now expects GDP to rise only 0.8% this year, and not 1.1% as it forecasted earlier, as Germany will probably contract 0.4% this year. The slowing euro-area economy has already softened the European Central Bank (ECB) doves' hands over the past weeks. Consequently, the EURUSD gained marginally yesterday despite the fresh EU commission outlook cut and should continue gently drifting higher into Thursday's ECB meeting. There is no clarity regarding what the ECB will decide this week. The economy is slowing but inflation will unlikely to continue its journey south, giving the ECB a reason to opt for a 'hawkish' pause, or a 'normal' 25bp hike. 
ECB Decision Dilemma: Examining the Hawkish Hike and Its Potential Impact on Rates and FX

ECB Decision Dilemma: Examining the Hawkish Hike and Its Potential Impact on Rates and FX

ING Economics ING Economics 12.09.2023 08:54
ECB cheat sheet: Is a hike hawkish enough? Markets are torn. Will the ECB hike this week or not? We think it will, but we look at how different scenarios can impact rates and FX. Even in our base case, we suspect that convincing markets that this is not the peak will be very hard, and dovish dissenters may get in the way. The upside for EUR rates and the euro may not be that big and above all, quite short-lived.       As discussed in our economics team’s European Central Bank meeting preview, we narrowly favour a rate hike this week. The consensus of economists is slightly tilted towards a hold, and markets also see a greater chance of no change (60%). In the chart above, we analyse four different scenarios, including our base case, and the projected impact on EUR/USD and 10-year bunds. We expect to see a more fragmented than usual Governing Council at this meeting. Whichever direction the ECB decides to take, the debate will likely be fiercer than in previous meetings, as lingering core inflationary pressure is being counterbalanced by evidence of rapidly worsening economic conditions in the euro area. Accordingly, expect the overall messaging by the ECB to be influenced not only by the written communication but also by: a) how much President Christine Lagarde manages to conceal growing division and disharmony within the Governing Council during the press conference and; b) any post-meeting “leaks” to the media, which could be used by dissenters to influence the market impact.        
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The ECB's Role: Lifeline or Trampoline for EUR/USD Amidst Rate Hike Speculation

ING Economics ING Economics 12.09.2023 08:57
ECB may be a lifeline not a trampoline for EUR/USD September’s ECB meeting will be a binary risk event for the euro. Our baseline scenario sees a rate hike, which would translate into a stronger euro in the aftermath of the announcement, as market pricing is leaning in favour of a hold. But with EUR/USD having been on a steady bearish path since the 1.12 July peak, the real question is whether a hike would invert the trend. The short answer is probably not, but there are some important considerations to make. First of all, it’s worth explaining why we think the FX impact of an ECB hike will be short-lived. One key reason is pricing: markets have doubted the ability of the ECB to hike this week (9bp priced in), but are still factoring in a total of 17bp of tightening to the peak by year-end. Arguably, the ECB hawks won’t have much interest in delivering one hike this week and striking a dovish tone, as the effective tightening via rates would be limited, so they should accompany a hike with openness to do more. However, with economic conditions deteriorating fast in the eurozone and dovish dissent within the ECB growing, it will be hard to convince markets to price in any additional tightening. When we look at the 2-year swap rate spread between the euro and the dollar, an important driver of currency fluctuations, we can tell that it has recently approached the -125bp support level (five central bank “lengths” between the Federal Reserve and ECB). Let’s remember that the swap rate tells us the expected average rate for the next two years, so includes expectations for the final moves in the tightening cycle (if any) and rate cuts. What has really driven the recent widening of the spread in favour of the dollar has not been any repricing higher in Fed rate hike expectations, but a downsizing of easing bets in the US for next year.   EUR/USD and short-term swap spread     With rate hike cycles coming to an end, swap rates are increasingly sensitive to expectations about the timing and pace of easing cycles. Those expectations are, however, far less controllable by central bank communication, and much more dependent on data. But can the ECB at least show signs of a united hawkish front and convincingly push back against rate cut speculation? (The first ECB cut is priced in for July 2024). If it can, then you have a trampoline for a sustainable EUR/USD rebound, otherwise – and we really think this will be the case – the best President Lagarde can do for the euro is to offer a lifeline. One way the ECB could, however, end up having a longer-lasting FX impact is via an acceleration in quantitative tightening. However, that obviously comes with non-negligible risks to peripheral spreads, and policymakers may want to tread quite carefully in that sense.   After the short-term impact, EUR/USD should revert to being driven primarily by the dollar leg, or in other words by Fed rate expectations and US data. We still expect a turn higher in the pair, but patience is the name of the game for EUR/USD bulls like us, and more downside corrections even after a potential ECB hawkish surprise are a very tangible risk.
Rates Spark: Preparing for Key Market Events and Hawkish Risks

Rates Spark: Preparing for Key Market Events and Hawkish Risks

ING Economics ING Economics 12.09.2023 09:13
Rates Spark: Slowly gearing up to the key events Markets are gearing up to this week’s main events. It is not just about this Thursday’s ECB meeting, but also about crucial data in the US and UK ahead of next week’s respective central bank meetings. Front-loaded issuance is helping to keep rates elevated, but we also expect hawkish risks to make a bearish case for rates this week.   Front end themes developing in a bear-steepening environment With central banks seen to be approachig their tightening cycle peaks it is only natural that the upcoming meetings are in the spotlight, kicking off with the ECB decison this Thursday.  With regards to central bank communications both the ECB and the Fed are in the pre-meeting black-out periods but we did hear from the BoE’s most hawkish member Catherine Mann yesterday, who noted that it was best to err on the side of further tightening. With regards to the market pricing of the BoE decision outcome, we have seen a notable shift towards the sense that the end of the tightening cycle is nearing. The implied probability for a hike next week had slipped below 80% at the end of last week – late last month the market was still more than fully pricing a 25bp hike.  The main focus in the US this week is still on data however, with the  August CPI release tomorrow. Our economist has flagged the risk of the month-on-month core inflation rate accelerating slightly. While that won’t move the needle for next week’s Fed decision, where a pause is widely anticipated, it would indicate hawkish risks to the broader Fed outlook. The market is attaching a 50% chance to another Fed hike by year-end.      Front loaded corporate issuance activity ahead of the events, especially in the US, is keeping upward pressure on rates. Markets will also have US Treasury supply in mind, where we saw a softer 3Y auction yesterday. The 10Y and 30Y reopenings follow today and tomorrow. It is a similar story in Europe, where we also saw the EU announcing a 7Y deal and – with greater market impact – the UK announcing a syndicated reopening of a 50Y Gilt which weighed on the long end of the curve.     10Y yields are again approaching the upper end of recent ranges
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GBP: Wage Data Not as Hawkish as It Appears – Implications for EUR/GBP

ING Economics ING Economics 12.09.2023 09:22
GBP: Wage data not as hawkish as it looks The UK has just released wage and employment data. On the face of it, an as-expected 7.8% three-month/year-on-year rise in ex-bonus weekly earnings in July makes the case for the Bank of England to remain hawkish. But here is what our UK economist, James Smith, thinks of the data.    The UK wage numbers are actually more dovish than they look at first glance. At the headline level, regular pay growth stayed at 7.8% on a 3M/YoY basis- - no surprises there. But drill down and if you strip out the public sector, private sector pay barely increased in level terms between June and July. And if we look at the altnerative wage measure based on payrolls, that actually fell in level terms for the second consecutive month. It is only one data point, admittedly, and several upside surprises preceded it. But with unemployment notching higher, the labour market data doesn't scream a need to keep hiking rates much further. We think it right not to chase EUR/GBP too much lower on this data (it is currently reversing from a brief dip to 0.8570) and what could prove a mildly hawkish ECB on Thursday warns of EUR/GBP breaking above 0.8600 later this week.
Bank of Japan Governor Hints at Rate Hike: A Closer Look

Bank of Japan Governor Hints at Rate Hike: A Closer Look

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 12.09.2023 10:46
Ueda hints that BoJ could raise rates How seriously should we take the comments amid intervention speculation? Divergences suggest traders becoming nervous A relatively quiet start to the week from an economic data perspective but we’re still seeing some decent moves in the markets this morning, particularly in the Japanese yen. The yen has jumped this morning on the back of comments from Bank of Japan Governor, Kazuo Ueda, who hinted that interest rates may not be negative for much longer. Ueda reportedly claimed that if they become confident that prices and wages will keep rising sustainably, which could be as early as year-end, then an end to negative interest rates could be one option on the table. The focus for so long has been on the central bank’s yield curve control policy but perhaps these comments suggest abandoning that will not be the first major move. Of course, at a time of so much speculation around currency intervention and a rapidly weakening yen, you have to wonder what the real motivation behind these comments is and how seriously to take them. Only time will tell but for now, they’ve managed to give the yen a boost.     Are we seeing signs of nerves? The dollar has run into resistance repeatedly over the last week around 148 against the yen which suggests there’s some apprehension around these levels.   Source – OANDA on Trading View   We are very much in the territory where interventions have occurred in the past which may explain those nerves and Ueda’s comments gave traders further reason to fear action that could significantly boost the yen. You can see from the MACD in particular that recent rallies have not been matched by increasing momentum and that divergence may support the idea of nerves creeping in. A move below 145 would be interesting, with the area around here having been notable support recently and resistance back in late June and early July. It’s also around where the Ministry of Finance intervened last September. Traders have not been fully deterred by verbal intervention in the past though and if we do see another move to the upside, it will be interesting to see whether it’s matched by momentum or a deepening divergence.    
British Pound Rallies Amidst Volatility Ahead of Key Employment Data

British Pound Rallies Amidst Volatility Ahead of Key Employment Data

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 12.09.2023 10:53
British pound posts strong gains UK to release employment report on Tuesday The British pound has started the week with strong gains. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2537, up 0.61%. The pound has been on a nasty slide, falling as much as 300 basis points since August 31st. The volatility could continue for the pound on Tuesday, with the release of key employment data. The labour market is showing signs of slowing down and the economy is expected to have shed 185,000 jobs in the three months to July on top of the loss of 66,000 a month earlier. If the consensus is within expectations, it would mark a massive job loss and would support the BoE taking a pause at next week’s rate meeting. At the same time, wage growth remains high, which is driving inflation. Average earnings including bonuses are expected to remain unchanged at 8.2% in the three months to July. The June reading was the highest since July 2021, as employers are in urgent need of workers. The Bank of England has been non-committal about what it will do at next week’s meeting, although Governor Bailey said last week that the BoE was “much nearer” to ending the current tightening cycle. Bailey also said that the BoE might have to raise rates further due to persistently high inflation. Inflation has been falling but has been stickier than expected.  Bailey may be trying to calm the markets with the message that rate hikes could end soon, while keeping further increases on the table, given that inflation remains above the Bank’s 2% target.   GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD is testing resistance at 1.2519. Above, there is resistance at 1.2592  There is support at 1.2441 and 1.2395      
The Illusion of Economic Stability: Navigating Uncertain Waters Beyond the Surface

The Illusion of Economic Stability: Navigating Uncertain Waters Beyond the Surface

Steen Jakobsen Steen Jakobsen 12.09.2023 11:00
Recessions are periods when the economy goes on a diet," Economist Paul Samuelson. In normal economic cycles, central banks raise interest rates in response to high inflation, a tight labour market and easy financial conditions, essentially the reality we see all around us. The central banks' tightening of policy is meant to cool the economy and prevent an overheating that worsens the eventual recession. However, since the 2008 financial crisis, central banks have been reluctant to trigger a recession and have become very nervous about tightening policy and taking interest rates into truly activity-dampening territory. The market believes that the Fed has done enough with its 500 basis points of hikes, but the reality is that in most economic cycles, the Fed Funds rate needs to at least match the nominal GDP growth rate in order to slow down economic activity enough to take the pressure off both inflation and a tight labor market. As of Q1 data, US GDP was growing at a nominal rate of 720 basis points year-on-year, suggesting that Fed policy is not tight, but neutral at best. It seems that the dual mandate of price stability and full employment has been replaced with a number one priority of no recession ever, or in Samuelson's metaphor quoted at the head of this article, "No diet!"   After the COVID-19 pandemic, many people believe that the economy is returning to a normal path. They believe that low interest rates will continue to support growth and that a "soft landing" is possible. However, this view is naive. The economy is currently loaded with excess debt and asset valuations are at all-time highs. A "soft landing" is very unlikely in this environment and, as an economic concept, is extremely rare!   The global economy is currently more like a river that has been dammed up. The dam represents the various factors that have been holding back economic growth, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions and the war in Ukraine. As these factors start to dissipate, the dam will begin to break and the river will flow more freely. This will lead to an extension and resurgence of economic growth and inflation, contrary to the prevailing consensus of an imminent recession together with a credit crunch and housing crisis. The freeing of obstacles will allow the overall economy to steer clear of a deep recession and possibly a minor recession, even in real GDP terms.   This means that the Fed and the economy will have a run rate in nominal GDP terms that is higher than expected. There is ample pent-up demand at state levels, company levels, and from the IRA (the Inflation Reduction Act) and the CHIPS and Science Act to keep employment firm. An insufficiently restrictive policy backdrop has set up a potential bubble in the stock market. The valuation this year has been driven by three impulses: the Silicon Valley Bank and regional bank mini-crisis, the trouble lifting the debt ceiling, and the super-valuation of the sub-set of mega caps and large cap stocks most associated with the introduction of generative AI applications (OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google's Bard). The first two created a liquidity injection of more than $1 billion. The third became the driver of super-exponential prices for the most directly AI-linked names. The hype surrounding AI is the chief driver of the latest stock market surge, with talks of this being a new iPhone moment or even akin to the introduction of the internet. This is not a knock on AI, as we are keenly aware of the potential for generative AI to increase productivity over time. But the market is getting ahead of itself in selecting winners, and current valuations are already discounting too much of the longer-term future gains to be had.   The surface of this economic sea may be calm, with volatility at extremely low levels. However, beneath the waterline, there are strong currents and countercurrents, which, to our minds, set up a difficult second half of 2023. We don't have the ability to time and project where the markets are going, but we do have the ability to recognise when a bubble is forming and where data doesn't support the narrative. This bubble, and all bubbles, are accelerating when the fundamentals don't support the narrative.   The good news is that a deep recession is unlikely to happen. The bad news is that interest rates will need to stay high for longer. We simply don’t think the “audio matches the video” looking at complacent market expectations versus the likely path from here.
Turbulent Times Ahead: USD Smile and JPY's Future - Q3 2023 Analysis

Turbulent Times Ahead: USD Smile and JPY's Future - Q3 2023 Analysis

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 12.09.2023 11:20
Q2 brought a reacceleration of central bank tightening expectations, as impact of the bank turmoil from March faded quickly. The USD is on its back foot as global markets continue to celebrate an eventual Fed rate peak and steady long US yields. On that note, USD shorts are set for a vicious reality check if the US economy remains resilient and core inflation remains sticky, possibly engaging both sides of the "USD smile" that drive USD strength: the Fed on the warpath and market turmoil. And the stakes are even higher for the Japanese yen if the longer yields of the major sovereign yield curves have to price in a new economic acceleration, as the BoJ will have to eventually capitulate on its yield-curve-control policy. We composed our Q2 quarterly update in the thick of the fallout just after the March banking turmoil. The cratering of investor confidence at the time and the belief that this would bring forward the end of the central bank tightening cycle due to in incoming credit crunch wrong-footed many, including this analyst. Instead, as core inflation levels nearly everywhere have proven sticky and economies largely resilient, global central banks have largely continued and even resumed tightening rates. As of late Q2, forward expectations for the Fed policy "terminal rate" have crept back close to the cycle highs from early March, before Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Elsewhere, two G10 central banks, the Bank of Canada and the Reserve Bank of Australia, abandoned the pause in their tightening cycles and resumed hiking rates in Q2. So yes, the banking turmoil was a milestone pointing in the direction of further tightening on credit that will eventually lead to an economic slowdown, but it looks like “eventually” will prove much further over the horizon than we anticipated. The most extreme example of a reacceleration in forward tightening expectations in Q2 was for the Bank of England, which reported an alarming spike in core inflation to a new cycle high of 6.8% in April with the market pricing BoE tightening to continue through early 2024. And yet global risk sentiment continues to soar, as markets apparently continue to believe in a Goldilocks soft landing of disinflation and no recession, or at least an extremely shallow one. That's the only way to interpret strong risk sentiment in an environment of increasingly inverted yield curves. The USD to smile and potential USD strength in Q3 Indeed, the markets remain reluctant to believe that inflationary dynamics and the economic cycle will extend much longer and were quick to celebrate the June FOMC rate tightening pause from the Fed, even as Powell and company penciled in two more rate hikes for later in the year. Powell's declaration of data dependency in the press conference at that meeting has set up markets for a wild ride in Q3 and Q4 on incoming data releases. The market will be poorly prepared for resilient inflation and activity data and for any ensuing need to reprice the Fed. This brings us to the "USD smile", a rule-of-thumb model for what drives the US dollar. The one side of the smile is the USD rising when there is any major form of global market turmoil. When markets are stressed, investors run for safety and scramble for the US dollars needed to service USD-denominated assets, which dominate global liquid assets. Once the Fed intervenes with sufficiently forceful easing to calm markets, the USD retreats. The other side of the smile that drives USD strength is any aggressive rise in US yields, especially at the front end due to Fed tightening (especially 2022, but arguably also 2015, when the contrast of slow Fed tightening with other central banks was great). A USD smile driven by long US treasury yields rise as well (for example, most traumatically from one moment to the next in the 2013 "taper tantrum" and again when both the Fed and market forces took the entire yield curve higher in 2018 after the Trump supply-side tax reforms of the prior year). The middle part of the smile is when there is no significant turmoil or when the Fed is not providing any drama. This allows USD direction to yield to external factors and generally means a weaker USD. For example, once the bulk of Fed tightening was priced by late 2022 and long US treasury yields had peaked (well ahead of what was the peak (so far!) at the front end of the curve this March), the USD eased off and more notable developments elsewhere could take center stage. In the case of late 2022, those developments were the ECB coming in more forcefully with tightening. Later, AUD, CAD and GBP grabbed the spotlight on the notable adjustment in policy expectations noted above. In Q3, our belief is that markets are overconfident in benign outcomes for inflation and therefore for central bank policy. This could engage either or even both sides of the USD smile: sticky inflation and a drum-tight labor market could force the Fed to continue hiking far more than the market imagines as we leave Q2. The most dramatic scenario would be renewed strength in the economy, as this could trigger an unmooring of longer US treasury yields. With global risk sentiment in near euphoria as of late Q2, we're watching the 10-year US Treasury benchmark, which would threaten a reality check and boost the USD as well on a move to new cycle highs. Sure, as long as incoming data cooperates with the disinflation and soft landing and anchored long US yields narrative, the USD can weaken, but beware the USD smile if the music changes. Waiting for the Bank of Japan dam break Broad measures of JPY in late Q2 show the currency edging toward the record modern lows posted last fall, even as the weaker USD has meant that USDJPY has yet to challenge the cycle highs. The most obvious driver of the weaker yen in Q2 was the fresh widening of policy spreads, as central banks elsewhere continued to tighten, while the Bank of Japan remains unmoved with its -0.10% policy rate and +/- 0.50% band on 10-year JGB's, or yield-curve-control. Our belief that the economic growth and hiking cycle could extend from here would prove a real challenge for the Bank of Japan and for the very stretched JPY valuation.
Sunrun's Path to Recovery: Analysts Place Bets on High Growth Amidst Renewable Energy Challenges

Sunrun's Path to Recovery: Analysts Place Bets on High Growth Amidst Renewable Energy Challenges

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 13.09.2023 08:28
Analysts are betting Sunrun to return to high growth This year has been a disaster for renewable energy stocks, as we have written about multiple times, and recently the collapse in Orsted shares has put questions around the viability of offshore wind power amid high material costs and high interest rates. Despite a negative narrative in financial markets the with a jump by a third in 2023 compared to last year making it the largest absolute increase ever at 440 GW taking the total installed capacity of renewable electricity production to 4,500 GW (equal to the total power output of China). Two thirds of the increase in capacity this year is coming from solar. It looks increasingly like solar will be the dominant renewable energy source in the future. Sunrun is the leading US home solar panel and battery storage company which has grown from a $859mn revenue business in 2019 to estimated $2.35bn in 2023. The company is still not profitable with an expected negative EBITDA of $263mn in 2023. From high growth rates during the pandemic (75% in 2021) revenue growth has slowed to just 1% in 2023 and the debt has ballooned to around $11.5bn. As a result, the default probability has risen dramatically since 2020 with Bloomberg’s default model score sitting just one notch above default. Sunrun shares are down 44% this year and the company has to quickly prove a path to profitability to avoid a potential restructure. The residential solar market is tough in the US with financing rates at much higher levels compared to the high growth years of 2020 and 2021. On a positive note, Sunrun is growing faster than its peers and its virtual power plant strategy is beginning to bear fruit compared with good uptake in its battery business. Sunrun expects to generate $200-500mn y/y cash generation over the coming quarters and has said that it needs no recourse financing. The investment thesis relies heavily on the path to positive cash generation and revenue growth rates hitting 15% in 2025.      
Sticky US Inflation Expected to Maintain Dollar Strength Ahead of FOMC Meeting

Sticky US Inflation Expected to Maintain Dollar Strength Ahead of FOMC Meeting

ING Economics ING Economics 13.09.2023 08:52
FX Daily: Sticky US inflation to keep dollar bid Today sees the last major US inflation report ahead of the next FOMC meeting on 20 September. Higher gasoline prices and base effects are expected to push August CPI up to 3.6% YoY, and on a core and month-on-month basis, we also see an upside risk to the 0.2% MoM consensus estimate – clearly not enough to feed a bearish dollar narrative.   USD: CPI figures to keep the dollar firm The highlight of today's session will be the August US CPI release. As our US economist James Knightley discusses here, the headline year-on-year rate is expected to rise to 3.6% from 3.2% on base effects and higher gasoline prices. And while the core YoY rate may drop to 4.4% from 4.7%, an above consensus core month-on-month reading – possibly on the back of airfares and medical costs – will hardly support any narrative of the Federal Reserve's work being done. This will probably lay the groundwork for a reasonably hawkish FOMC meeting this time next week, where despite unchanged rates, the Fed will (through its Dot Plots) hold out the threat of one further hike this year. All of the above should keep the dollar reasonably bid and keep policymakers in the likes of China and Japan busy fighting local currency weakness (more below). We are bearish on the dollar from the fourth quarter of this year, but this bearish narrative requires a few more weeks of patience. We favour DXY edging back to the top of its 104.50-105,00 range today.
GBP: Dovish Wage Developments Lead to Lower Sterling Prices

GBP: Dovish Wage Developments Lead to Lower Sterling Prices

ING Economics ING Economics 13.09.2023 08:56
GBP: Rolling lower As we discussed in yesterday's FX Daily, the market did read the latest wage developments slightly dovishly and re-priced both the Bank of England tightening cycle and sterling lower. It is quite incredible to see the Bank Rate now priced just above 5.50% next February. This terminal rate had been priced close to 6.50% just a few months ago. If we are right with our call for an ECB rate hike tomorrow, EUR/GBP could edge up towards the 0.8670 area. And given that we like a continued strong dollar in the short term, expect GBP/USD to press the 200-day moving average at 1.2430. Recall that based on speculative positioning data, both the euro and sterling look the most vulnerable to further dollar strength.
Inflation Resurgence in Australia: RBA's Rate Cycle Uncertainty

Turbulent Times for Australian Consumer Confidence and Business Conditions

Ed Moya Ed Moya 13.09.2023 08:59
Australia’s consumer confidence falls sharply Australia’s business conditions improve Markets eye US inflation report on Wednesday The Australian dollar has edged lower on Tuesday after starting the week with massive gains. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6412, down 0.28%. Australia’s consumer confidence slides Australian consumers are in a sour mood, as they feel the squeeze of high interest rates and stubborn inflation, which has led to heavily-debted households. The Westpac Consumer Sentiment Index fell by 1.5% in September to 79.7, following a decline of 0.4% in August. This missed the consensus estimate of 0.6%. Consumer sentiment remains at its lowest levels since 2020, during the Covid pandemic. The corporate sector is showing more confidence than consumers, as businesses have shown stronger resilience to higher rates and increasing inflationary pressures than consumers. NAB Business Conditions climbed to 13 in August, up from 11, while business confidence remained at 2 points, indicative of slight optimism. The Australian dollar roared out of the gates on Monday, gaining 0.85%. The driver of the uptick was China’s August inflation release. CPI rose 0.1% y/y, after a surprise decline of 0.3% in July. China’s slowdown has raised alarm bells about the impact it will have on global growth, and the Asian giant is Australia’s number one trading partner. The Aussie is sensitive to economic developments in China, as we saw on Monday, and China’s Industrial Production, which will be released on Friday, could be a market-mover for the Aussie. Next week features a host of central bank meetings, and one of the most closely watched will be the Federal Reserve meeting on September 20th. Jerome Powell has broadcast loud and clear that the battle against inflation isn’t over and rate hikes remain on the table, but are the markets paying attention? Investors have priced in a pause in September at 93% and are talking about rate hikes in 2024.   The US releases the August inflation report on Wednesday, which is unlikely to change expectations about a September hold, although the inflation release could have an impact on the Fed’s rate path for the final quarter of the year. . AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is putting strong pressure on support at 0.6405. Below, there is support at 0.6330 There is resistance at 0.6453 and 0.6528    
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.  
Japan's Economic Outlook: BoJ Policy and Scenarios

Japan's Economic Outlook: BoJ Policy and Scenarios

FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 14.09.2023 08:38
At the G20 New Delhi Summit, the leaders of key economies agreed that “headwinds to global economic growth and stability persist” and shared concerns of a potential global economic slowdown. The BoJ seems to be maintaining the view that “there are extremely high uncertainties for Japan's economic activity and prices, including developments in overseas economic activity and prices, developments in commodity prices, and domestic firms' wage- and price-setting behavior”. In order to pull Japan completely out of deflation, the BoJ seems ready to be one policy cycle behind key central banks in starting the normalisation process. We expect the government to maintain its commitment to the current accommodative fiscal/monetary policy framework even after the PM Fumio Kishida reshuffles the cabinet and LDP leadership. The government will likely maintain its accommodative fiscal policy stance under the banner of “new capitalism” to further stimulate investments and in turn economic growth. With the government maintaining a strong commitment to the Abenomics policy framework, the BoJ will likely remain cautious of any major policy changes in order to not repeat past mistakes of premature policy tightening. On the other hand, the risk scenario is if the global economy remains resilient and markets stop pricing policy rate cuts by key central banks next year, the BoJ could start the normalisation process in 2024 under the assumption that the global economy will continue to remain strong.   At the G20 New Delhi Summit, the leaders of key economies agreed that “headwinds to global economic growth and stability persist” and shared concerns of a potential global economic slowdown. The BoJ seems to be maintaining the view that “there are extremely high uncertainties for Japan's economic activity and prices, including developments in overseas economic activity and prices, developments in commodity prices, and domestic firms' wage- and price-setting behavior”. In order to pull Japan completely out of deflation, the BoJ seems ready to be one policy cycle behind key central banks in starting the normalisation process. As long as markets are pricing in a Fed rate cut sometime next year, the BoJ will likely continue with the current monetary easing policies. We continue to expect the BoJ will likely start the normalisation process by exiting from the YCC framework in 2025, once the global economy enters the next cyclical recovery. Meanwhile, we expect the government to maintain its commitment to the current accommodative fiscal/monetary policy framework even after the PM Fumio Kishida reshuffles the cabinet and LDP leadership. The government will likely maintain its accommodative fiscal policy stance under the banner of “new capitalism” to further stimulate investments and in turn economic growth. With many key ministers having experienced posts within METI, the government’s fiscal policy stance will likely focus on stimulating the economy rather than balancing the budget. With the government maintaining a strong commitment to the Abenomics policy framework, the BoJ will likely remain cautious of any major policy changes in order to not repeat past mistakes of premature policy tightening. On the other hand, the risk scenario is if the global economy remains resilient and markets stop pricing policy rate cuts by key central banks next year, the BoJ could start the normalisation process in 2024 under the assumption that the global economy will continue to remain strong.   The main scenario is that the central bank policy tightening cycle is approaching its end and the global economy will show stronger signs of slowing down as the cumulative effects of policy rate hikes so far suppress demand and dampen inflationary pressures. An economic slowdown and expectations for interest rate cuts by key central banks including the Fed will likely strengthen downward pressure on global bond yields and give the BoJ room to reduce its JGB purchases while maintaining the current YCC framework.   Based on the latest US financial accounts, the household savings rate (net asset change as percentage of GDP) seems to have bottomed out at around 2.2% of GDP in Q422, and has increased since then to 4.4% as of Q223. The household savings rate rising again combined with economic data showing signs of weakness and weaker inflationary pressures is likely the basis in which many market participants continue to see a soft-landing scenario as their main scenario.   The upside risk scenario is that the global economy remains resilient and inflationary pressures remain. Under such a scenario, central banks will be forced to continue tightening monetary policy and market expectations of a policy rate cut in 2024 would disappear. In such a scenario, upward pressure on JGB yields would strengthen and the JPY would weaken further. The BoJ will likely be forced to adjust or abandon YCC in such a scenario. However, to finance the continued increase of consumption activities, households will be forced to sell assets which will likely lead to a peak in asset prices. Combined with higher policy rates, the economy could face strong headwinds in such a scenario and an upside risk scenario could be followed by a hard landing scenario   The downside risk scenario is that the effect of cumulative rate hikes by central banks so far appears much stronger than anticipated. Under such a scenario, businesses will likely strengthen their cautious attitudes and lead to a much stronger-than-expected deleveraging move. Central banks will likely be forced to respond by cutting policy rates at a much faster pace than anticipated. In such a world, the JPY would likely appreciate significantly and the risk that Japan falls back into deflation will likely strengthen. The BoJ will likely be forced to respond by implementing additional easing measures, such as further cuts to its negative interest rate policy, while implementing measures to alleviate the side effects of further easing policies simultaneously. Under such a scenario, the global economy could fall back into a deflationary state but we believe the likelihood of such a scenario materialising at this juncture remains small        
US Inflation Report Sets the Tone for Upcoming FOMC Meeting

US Inflation Report Sets the Tone for Upcoming FOMC Meeting

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 08:39
Today sees the last major US inflation report ahead of the next FOMC meeting on 20 September. Higher gasoline prices and base effects are expected to push August CPI up to 3.6% YoY, and on a core and month-on-month basis, we also see an upside risk to the 0.2% MoM consensus estimate – clearly not enough to feed a bearish dollar narrative USD CPI figures to keep the dollar firm The highlight of today's session will be the August US CPI release. As our US economist James Knightley discusses here, the headline year-on-year rate is expected to rise to 3.6% from 3.2% on base effects and higher gasoline prices. And while the core YoY rate may drop to 4.4% from 4.7%, an above consensus core month-on-month reading – possibly on the back of airfares and medical costs – will hardly support any narrative of the Federal Reserve's work being done. This will probably lay the groundwork for a reasonably hawkish FOMC meeting this time next week, where despite unchanged rates, the Fed will (through its Dot Plots) hold  out the threat of one further hike this year. All of the above should keep the dollar reasonably bid and keep policymakers in the likes of China and Japan busy fighting local currency weakness (more below). We are bearish on the dollar from the fourth quarter of this year, but this bearish narrative requires a few more weeks of patience. We favour DXY edging back to the top of its 104.50-105,00 range today.   Chris Turner.
Euro Gets a Boost from ECB's Inflation Forecasts

Euro Gets a Boost from ECB's Inflation Forecasts

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 08:41
EUR: High ECB inflation forecasts provide a little support The euro received a little support overnight on a Reuters report that the new European Central Bank staff projections being released tomorrow would forecast CPI above 3% next year, compared to expectations of 2.7%. The implication here is that, based on these forecasts, the ECB would likely be more hawkish and supportive of the euro. As we discuss in our ECB cheat sheet, there are many moving parts to tomorrow's meeting. However, the biggest part should be a 25bp rate hike – which is only 54% priced – and a factor that should see EUR/USD hold support down at 1.0700. Chris Turner    
Pound Slides as Market Reacts Dovishly to Wage Developments

Pound Slides as Market Reacts Dovishly to Wage Developments

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 08:42
GBP Rolling lower As we discussed in yesterday's FX Daily, the market did read the latest wage developments slightly dovishly and re-priced both the Bank of England tightening cycle and sterling lower. It is quite incredible to see the Bank Rate now priced just above 5.50% next February. This terminal rate had been priced close to 6.50% just a few months ago. If we are right with our call for an ECB rate hike tomorrow, EUR/GBP could edge up towards the 0.8670 area. And given that we like a continued strong dollar in the short term, expect GBP/USD to press the 200-day moving average at 1.2430. Recall that based on speculative positioning data, both the euro and sterling look the most vulnerable to further dollar strength. Chris Turner    
Summer 2023: A Cool Down on the Inflation Front and Implications for Fed Policy

Summer 2023: A Cool Down on the Inflation Front and Implications for Fed Policy

FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 14.09.2023 09:03
KEY MESSAGES  We think a third straight 0.2% m/m core CPI print that lowers the y/y rate to 4.3% (from 4.7%) will help firm up a pause at the coming September FOMC meeting.  While Fed officials will likely look through a gasoline-driven 0.6% m/m rise in headline CPI, higher energy prices could risk amplifying inflation expectations, which generally remain anchored but at the high end of their ranges.  We expect a continued moderation in shelter inflation and another contraction in goods prices to keep core inflation relatively subdued. We anticipate little (if any) improvement in non-housing services inflation, which we see continuing to move sideways on a y/y basis.  We see a 0.3% m/m core CPI print as more likely than 0.1%, given large contractions in several “revenge spending” categories such as airfares over the past couple of months that we think will be hard to repeat in August.   Finally, a cool summer on the inflation front Summer 2023 has been one of cooling rather than heating, at least when it comes to inflation. With core CPI having increased by annualized rates of 1.9% in both June and July, a third straight such print should help firm up policymakers’ confidence in an emerging disinflationary trend. As in June and July, we expect goods and shelter inflation to help moderate core inflation for August. Wholesale usedvehicle prices are pointing to another decline for retail prices, while higher inventory levels suggest more downside for nonvehicle core goods inflation. Meanwhile, the slowdown in market rents should continue to feed into overall shelter inflation.   On the mend, but a “long way to go”: Though moderation in these two categories – goods and shelter – may persist in August, we expect little to no improvement in the key non-housing services inflation subset. Specifically, we look for another 0.3% m/m print that should leave the y/y rate steady at 5.3%.   We do not anticipate material improvement in non-housing services inflation without a corresponding softening in the labor market. Evidence is accumulating in that direction – e.g. openings are falling as wage growth is slowing – but we think further material loosening is needed before clearing disinflation for this sticky subset of prices takes hold. Fed Chair Powell hinted at a similar view in his Jackson Hole speech, noting that while the unwindings of both pandemicrelated demand and supply distortions “are now working together to bring down inflation, the process still has a long way to go, even with the more favorable recent readings.”    
ECB Meeting Uncertainty: Rate Hike or Pause, Market Positions Reflect Tension

ECB Meeting Uncertainty: Rate Hike or Pause, Market Positions Reflect Tension

FXMAG Team FXMAG Team 14.09.2023 10:16
The ECB meeting on Thursday is not likely to be as straightforward as many have seemed over the last year. Even before we get to the new economic forecasts and what that means for monetary policy over the remainder of the year, there isn’t much of a consensus in the markets around what the decision on interest rates will be tomorrow. Markets are pricing in a little more than a 60% chance of another rate hike – probably the final one – and almost a 40% chance of a pause, with around a 70% chance that one will still follow at one of the upcoming meetings.   ECB Interest Rate Probability     How are markets positioned? Obviously, with every currency pair, both components have to be taken into consideration but it’s interesting that EURUSD slipped below the 200/233-day simple moving average band a couple of weeks ago and has neither recovered or accelerated lower.   EURUSD Daily Source – OANDA on Trading View   Perhaps this is a result of some apprehension ahead of the ECB meeting – and today’s US inflation report which triggered some initial volatility but didn’t ultimately swing the pair one way or another – or some slightly dovish positioning in case the ECB opts for its first pause? That should become clearer tomorrow but with the pair already seeing some resistance around the prior lows – 1.0765 – a dovish outcome could see the pair accelerate lower. A significant move (initial volatility can produce big swings that don’t turn out to be significant) below 1.07 and the most recent lows would be very interesting and may suggest that dovish, and bearish, outcome has occurred.    
ECB's Potential Hike Faces Limited Rate Upside as Macro Headwinds Persist

ECB's Potential Hike Faces Limited Rate Upside as Macro Headwinds Persist

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 10:41
Rates Spark: A last one for the road A hike from the ECB today may have limited impact as a total of 25bp of tightening is already fully priced before year-end. Signalling will be at least equally important, with macro headwinds weighing on longer rates.   ECB may hike, but the upside to rates looks limited The European Central Bank meeting takes centre stage today. Going into the pre-meeting blackout period, surveys pointed to an almost even split between analyst calls for a pause and those for a hike. We think the ECB’s hawks will have their way today, pushing through one final hike, but it is a close call. From the market’s perspective, the probability of a hike has increased from 40% at the start of the week to now more than 60%, with 16bp priced in the OIS forward. A Reuters source story had tipped the balance, reporting that the ECB’s new inflation forecast for 2024 would come in above the 3% that had been pencilled in at the last update in June. The upside to rates from a hike today could be limited though. For one, we have seen the yield curve already bear flattening quite a bit as an increasing probability for a final hike was baked into the front end – looking beyond today towards year-end, 25bp is now fully priced. Raising rates today would probably be largely interpreted as pulling forward that final hike, but the appetite to price in more tightening on top of that may be limited. After all the subdued macro story is not going away, and with a likely downgrade of the ECB’s own growth projection the weaker backdrop should gain more weight in the governing council’s own deliberations as well. Markets could sense that this is the end of the interest rate hike cycle. Still, the ECB will likely want to counter the notion that this is the end of its overall inflation-fighting endeavours. We think the degree to which this is successful will determine how much of a curve bear flattening we get in the case of a hike. A renewed focus on quantitative tightening could help prop up longer rates on a relative basis.   Now or later? 25bp from the ECB is already fully priced by year-end   US CPI release leaves the bigger picture unchanged The US CPI data yesterday included a modest surprise in the month-on-month core print, which edged up to 0.3% from 0.2%. If anything, one would suspect that this underscores lingering inflation concerns. AAs our economists write, it should mean that the Federal Reserve will keep a final hike in their forecasts even while holding rates next week. The market reaction suggests that investors were braced for a larger hawkish surprise out of the data. In the end, the data being broadly in line with the consensus call can explain the relief rally that followed. It saw the 2Y UST slipping below 5% again with the curve bull steepening somewhat in the process, although price action here was quite choppy over the session. While some hawkish tail risks may thus have been priced out, it does not change the story that the economy is so far proving relatively resilient in the face of the overall substantial Fed tightening. Until we see activity actually stalling we think this still means more persistent disinversion pressure on the US curve from the back end, with a structural US supply story adding to the theme.   Today's events and market view The main focus will be the ECB decision and then the press conference in the afternoon, but we have a feeling that the usual post-meeting background reporting will also get more attention this time, given the closeness of the decision and the growing divides in the governing council. While we do see a chance for more curve flattening out of the ECB event, there is also a busy slate of US data to digest. Foremost will be US retail sales data for August, where the market is already positioned for a weaker figure after a higher July reading. At the same time we will also get PPI as well as initial jobless claims data
AUD Surges on Strong Employment Gains, RBA's Hawkish Outlook

AUD Surges on Strong Employment Gains, RBA's Hawkish Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 10:47
AUD: Stronger than expected employment gains The Aussie dollar is trading on the strong side this morning after a stronger-than-expected August jobs report in Australia. Employment rose 64.9k after July’s negative reading, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%. As explained by our economist in this note, the hiring spike was almost entirely related to part-time jobs. Still, some of those jobs will become full-time in the coming months, which can also push wages higher. We remain reluctant to pencil out another hike by the Reserve Bank from our forecasts, and still narrowly favour one last rate increase to 4.35% by year-end. The new Governor, Michele Bullock, may want to convey the message she is serious about bringing inflation down, and if inflationary pressures show some resilience, she could deliver a final hike at one of the three remaining meetings of 2023. Markets are pricing in a mere 9bp of tightening to the peak, even after the strong jobs figures, meaning there is ample room for a hawkish repricing and AUD to benefit from it. Still, the USD/US activity data story remains much more important for AUD/USD, and we see the pair being capped below 0.6500 for the remainder of September as the USD remains supported post-Fed.  
Tropical Tides: Asian Central Banks Set to Determine Policy Next Week

Tropical Tides: Asian Central Banks Set to Determine Policy Next Week

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 11:38
Asia week ahead: Key regional central banks to decide on policy Central banks in Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Taiwan will hold their respective policy meetings next week. China will also be announcing its 1-year and 5-year LPR rates.   China's 1-year and 5-year LPR rates likely to remain unchanged China will decide on one and five-year loan prime (LPR) rates next week. Given the current challenges, with the People's Bank of China helping to support the Chinese yuan, it is unlikely the central bank will announce any further rate cuts. We are expecting rates to remain unchanged.   Regional central banks to stand pat The Central Bank of the Republic of China (CBC), Bank Indonesia (BI) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) are all expected to retain current policy settings in line with the US Federal Reserve. For Taiwan, as inflation turned up recently and with the New Taiwan dollar being quite soft, we are expecting it to hold the rate steady. Similarly, BI will likely hold rates steady to support the Indonesian rupiah, which is down 0.78% for the month.  Lastly, the BSP will also likely stand pat as inflation pressures flare up, with the latest inflation reading surging to 5.3% year-on-year.   Inflation and trade figures for Japan next week We expect headline consumer inflation to slow to 3.1% YoY in August (vs 3.3% in July) with the ongoing energy subsidy programme, however, core inflation excluding fresh food and energy will likely edge up slightly to 4.4% (vs 4.3% in July), which will be a major concern for the Bank of Japan (BoJ). For the trade report, we expect exports in August to rebound from the recent dip, with strong auto shipments while imports could decline more sharply to -18% YoY compared to the previous month as base effects dominate the rise in commodity prices and weak Japanese yen. Meanwhile, the BoJ is likely to stay pat next week. The central bank could however probably send a subtle hawkish message to the market after higher-than-expected inflation and a weak JPY, combined with rising global oil prices, pushed inflation up further.   Key events in Asia next week
ECB's Tenth Consecutive Rate Hike: The Final Move in the Current Cycle

ECB's Tenth Consecutive Rate Hike: The Final Move in the Current Cycle

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2023 15:06
ECB announces final rate hike As they say, never put off till tomorrow what can be done today. And in that vein, the ECB just announced its tenth consecutive policy rate hike since July last year, hiking all interest rates by 25bp. Higher inflation and inflation forecasts look like the main drivers of the hike. The ECB's communication is clear: today was the last hike in the current cycle.   The fear of not getting inflation fully under control and the risk of stopping too early must have been a larger concern than the rising recession risk in the eurozone, motivating the European Central Bank to hike interest rates for the tenth consecutive time since last July. After a total of 450bp rate hikes, the ECB’s main policy rates are now at a record high. We will hear more about the considerations and the discussion at the press conference, starting at 2.45pm CET. For now, it clearly looks as if the ECB remains highly concerned about inflation, not only actual inflation but also future inflation as, for example, the newest ECB staff projections show headline inflation coming in at 3.2% in 2024. If you wonder why the ECB is not taking a step back and waiting until the full impact of the rate hikes so far has unfolded, the answer is very clear: it’s all about credibility. The ECB only has one job and this job is to maintain price stability. The eurozone has not seen price stability in almost three years. And even if the inflation surge is mainly due to factors outside of the ECB’s direct reach, the Bank simply has to show its determination to stamp it out. That this approach will eventually push the eurozone economy into a more severe slowdown does not matter to the ECB, at least not for now. Looking ahead, a further weakening of the economy and more traction in a disinflationary trend will make it very hard to find arguments for yet another rate hike before the end of the year. The remark in the official communication that “based on its current assessment, the Governing Council considers that the key ECB interest rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to the target” shows that today’s rate hike looks like the last. Today’s hike isn't only a credibility booster, it will also be the last in the current cycle.
ECB Rate Decision: A Close Call for Christine Lagarde"

ECB Rate Decision: A Close Call for Christine Lagarde"

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.09.2023 15:08
ECB rate decision expected to be a close call US to release retail sales and producer prices The euro is showing limited movement on Thursday, ahead of today’s ECB rate decision. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0736, down 0.06%. Will she or won’t she? All eyes are on ECB President Christine Lagarde, who will decide whether the ECB will increase rates by a quarter-point or hold off and take a pause after nine straight increases. Interest rate futures have priced in a hike at 65% but there is a lot of uncertainty among economists and the decision is expected to be a close call, as the Governing Council appears split on the issue. There are strong arguments on both sides, and Lagarde could end up with a type of compromise that ends up being a ‘hawkish hold’ or a ‘dovish hike’. The latest development was a report in Reuters on Wednesday that the ECB inflation forecasts will be increased at today’s meeting, which raised expectations for a hike. Traders should be prepared for volatility from the euro after the decision, which is a binary risk event for the euro. A rate hike would likely boost the euro while a hold could weigh on the currency. Still, any swings in EUR/USD could be immediate and short-lived. The markets will be paying close attention to the policy statement and whether the Governing Council decision was a close call. It’s a busy day in the US as well, with the release of retail sales and producer prices for August. Retail sales are expected to ease to 0.2% m/m, down from 0.7% m/m, while PPI is forecast to rise to 1.2% y/y, up from 0.8% m/m. The releases could trigger volatility from EUR/USD in the North American session.   The US inflation report on Wednesday was a mix, as headline inflation rose in August from 3.2% to 3.7%, while core CPI eased to 4.3%, down from 4.7%. The jump in headline inflation may have attracted media attention, but the Fed will be pleased with the drop in core CPI, which is a better gauge of underlying inflation. The inflation report has cemented a pause at next week’s meeting, with the future markets pricing in a pause at 97%, up from 93% prior to the inflation release. . EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is testing resistance at 1.0732. Above, there is resistance at 1.0777 There is support at 1.0654 and 1.060        
Strong Employment Surge in Australia: Is a Reversal in AUDUSD Imminent?

Strong Employment Surge in Australia: Is a Reversal in AUDUSD Imminent?

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 14.09.2023 15:11
Australian employment increased by 64,900 in August (2,800 full-time, 62,100 part-time) Participation hits 67%, a new high Is a double bottom forming in AUDUSD? The Australian jobs data on Thursday was surprisingly good, with the number of new jobs created vastly exceeding expectations, although the bulk were in part-time roles. Participation also unexpectedly improved, hitting 67% for the first time which will be very welcomed by the central bank as it, and every other one around the world, seeks to defeat inflation while achieving a soft landing. That job will be much easier if the tightness in the labour market is eased through more people joining it, rather than people losing their jobs at higher interest rates bite. Despite these promising figures, markets are still positioning for another possible rate hike from the RBA over the coming meetings under the new leadership of Governor Michele Bullock. One more hike between now and the middle of next year is around 40% priced in which is arguably quite high under the circumstances. RBA Interest Rate Probability Source – Refinitiv Eikon   The second is the potential double bottom that’s now formed during that consolidation period. With the neckline around 0.6520, a break above here could be quite a bullish move and, in theory, offer a possible price projection based on the size of the pattern. Obviously, there are no guarantees but a break of the neckline would make things interesting.
ECB's 25bp Rate Hike Signals End to Hiking Cycle Amid Inflation and Growth Concerns

ECB's 25bp Rate Hike Signals End to Hiking Cycle Amid Inflation and Growth Concerns

ING Economics ING Economics 15.09.2023 08:32
ECB hikes by 25bp and signals end to hiking cycle Another rate hike of 25bp from the European Central Bank, but a clear signal that the current hiking cycle has come to an end. These are the main takeaways from today’s meeting The fear of not getting inflation fully under control and the risk of stopping too early must have outweighed concerns around the rising recession risk in the eurozone, motivating the European Central Bank to hike interest rates for the tenth consecutive time since July 2022. After a total of 450bp rate hikes, the ECB’s deposit rate is now at a record high.   ECB's staff projections point to too high inflation and lower growth The ECB remains highly concerned about inflation, not only actual inflation but also future inflation. The newest ECB staff projections show headline inflation coming in at 3.2% in 2024 and 2.1% in 2025. However, the upward revision for 2024 is mainly the result of higher energy prices. The inflation forecast for 2025 was revised downwards. The ECB’s core inflation forecasts were slightly revised downwards to 2.9% in 2024 and 2.2% in 2025. Still, in the eyes of the ECB, both headline and core inflation above 2% in 2025 is not compatible with its own definition of price stability. It was not so much the direction of the revisions but rather the absolute levels and the long period of deviating from the target which motivated the ECB’s decision today. The ECB’s staff projections for eurozone GDP growth were also revised downward to 0.7% in 2023, 1.0% in 2024 and 1.5% in 2025. However, the downward revision for 2024 is purely the result of carry-over effects and the quarterly profile for 2024 remained unchanged, showing a return to potential growth from the second quarter of 2024 onwards. The ECB is still sticking to the view of a temporary slowdown and not of more structural growth weakness.   Dovish rate hike as a compromise The staff projections have probably increased the ECB’s dilemma: inflation, while coming down, remains too high but the growth outlook continues to deteriorate. With this macro backdrop, both a rate hike and a pause would have been plausible. This time, the ECB decided to compromise: a dovish hike, mainly aimed at strengthening credibility and probably bridging growing divergences between ECB hawks and doves. In this regard, one remark in the official communication is key: “Based on its current assessment, the Governing Council considers that the key ECB interest rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to the target”. Given the imprecision of the ECB’s own models over the last few years, it is questionable how the ECB has now come to the conclusion that the current level is enough. Why not 25bp less? Why not 25bp more? During the press conference, ECB President Christine Lagarde hinted at different views within the Governing Council. According to Lagarde, today’s decision was taken with a “solid” majority. A dovish hike as compromise to balance between credibility, inflation, growth and team spirit.   The final hike Looking ahead, the ECB would be crazy to completely rule out further rate hikes. Inflation has simply taken too many unexpected turns and the ECB has been wrong too often in the past. This is why today’s meeting still leaves the possibility of picking up hiking at a future stage. However, such a scenario is highly unlikely. A further weakening of the economy and more traction in a disinflationary trend will make it very hard to find arguments for additional rate hikes any time soon. For now, the ECB is determined to keep rates where they currently are, waiting for the 450bp of total rate hikes to filter through to the economy. The next discussion will be on how long the new “high for longer” can be sustained. Even if the door to future rate hikes remains open, today’s rate hike will soon be remembered as the final hike of the ECB’s most aggressive rate hike cycle in history.
Euro Hits May-Like Lows as ECB Hikes Rates, Slashes Growth Forecasts, and Upgrades Inflation Outlooks

Euro Hits May-Like Lows as ECB Hikes Rates, Slashes Growth Forecasts, and Upgrades Inflation Outlooks

Ed Moya Ed Moya 15.09.2023 08:34
Euro falls to the lowest levels since May after ECB hikes rates and delivers an abysmal growth forecasts, while upgrading 2023 and 2024 inflation outlooks Post ECB decision – October 26th ECB rate hike odds hover around 35.4% US retail sales remained strong on back-to-school spending and despite the extra energy costs at the pump The euro initially spiked after the ECB raised rates, but quickly tumbled after traders digested the ECB forecasts that suggest stagflation might be here.  Shortly after, the US posted robust retail sales and jobless claims data, which basically drove home the message that the US economy will easily outperform the eurozone economy throughout the rest of the year.  Investors were thinking that the US might be poised to deliver more rate cuts than the eurozone, but that seems like that won’t be happening anytime soon.   EUR/USD – 30 minute chart   ECB The summer break is over for the ECB and they have a tough job ahead.  Inflation remains too high and that is forcing the ECB to signal that they ” will ensure that the key ECB interest rates will be set at sufficiently restrictive levels for as long as necessary.” The market was split on whether they would raise rates, but when they processed the forecasts, they realized stagflation risks are here.   ECB Forecasts:  2023 GDP forecast cut from 0.9% to 0.7% 2024 GDP forecast cut from 1.5% to 1.0% 2023 GDP forecast cut from 1.6% to  1.5% 2023 Inflation forecast raised from 5.4% to 5.6% (core steady at 5.1%) 2024 Inflation forecast raised from 3.0% to 3.2%(a tick lower to 2.9% 2025 Inflation forecast lowered from 2.2% to 2.1%(core a tick lower to 2.2%) ECB’S Lagarde Press Conference When asked if she was done with rate hikes, Lagarde noted that some members preferred to pause, but that still a solid majority of members agreed with the decision.  One of the key takeaways from Lagarde is that they won’t be cutting rates anytime soon as inflation is still far from target.  Lagarde repeated this quote a few times, “based on current assessment…. the key ECB interest rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to the target.” EUR/USD – Daily Chart   The euro might not be ready to punch a one-way ticket to the 1.05 level, but it sure seems like it is heading there.  Price action on the EUR/USD daily highlights the bearish trend has firmly been in place since mid-July.  As the risks for growth continue to deteriorate even further, the euro could see short-term weakness before a bottom is put in place.  Major long-term support could be provided by the 1.04 level, which is the 50% Fibonacci retracement of the September low to July high move. On the other side of the Atlantic, another round of US data supported USD strength after it reminded investors how strong the US economy remains; retail sales ex-auto had a fifth straight increase, producer prices came in hotter-than-expected, and jobless claims remained low.    
ECB Raises Rates by 25 Basis Points but Hints It May Be the Last in the Cycle

ECB Raises Rates by 25 Basis Points but Hints It May Be the Last in the Cycle

Craig Erlam Craig Erlam 15.09.2023 08:37
ECB raises rates another 25 basis points but signals it may be the last New forecasts show stubborn inflation but weak growth Close above 55/89-day SMA band suggests breakout still valid   The ECB raised interest rates again today, probably for the last time in the tightening cycle although it did leave itself some flexibility on that front. This certainly falls into the dovish hike category, with the ECB acknowledging inflation remains too high but also that growth is suffering. What’s more, it clearly indicated that it believes the current stance should be tight enough to return inflation to target, given time. It would appear the decision wasn’t unanimous though, with only a solid majority backing the decision. Again, we shouldn’t be surprised at this stage of the cycle that, considering the uncertain outlook, not everyone is in agreement on their assessment of the situation. The euro slipped after the decision and following comments from President Christine Lagarde, as did euro area yields. Further progress on inflation over the coming months, as the ECB anticipates, should enable pauses over the coming meetings, at which point the focus will gradually shift to the timing of the first rate cut.   Does the dovish hike change the outlook for the pair? Not necessarily. While markets were leaning towards a pause today, it was always expected to be either a dovish hike or a hawkish hold.   EURGBP Daily Source – OANDA on Trading View   The difference that would mean for the euro probably isn’t enormously different as the terminal rate would highly likely have been the same. But does the chart confirm this or not? It’s hard to say whether it confirms it but what I would say is the decline we’ve seen in the pair doesn’t necessarily change it in a bearish way. The pair had already broken 55/89-day simple moving average band and closed above it so, in my opinion, this corrective move does invalidate that. The fib levels for the September lows to highs may offer clues on whether the decline we’ve seen today and yesterday is corrective or just bearish.        
Factors Impacting Selena FM: Exchange Rates, Competitive Pressures, Raw Material Prices, Construction Market, and M&A Risks

Factors Impacting Selena FM: Exchange Rates, Competitive Pressures, Raw Material Prices, Construction Market, and M&A Risks

GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 15.09.2023 09:21
Exchange rates Production realised in Poland represents approximately 45% of total sales, while the market share of sales in the Polish market is <30%. The ratio of raw material consumption costs to realised revenues is approximately 50% and purchases are mainly made in EUR and USD. However, a significant proportion of foreign currency costs overlap with realised revenues, and high exchange rate volatility makes it difficult to implement an optimal purchasing strategy. Competitive pressures In the past, weak market conditions have led to increased competitive and pricing pressure from some players, resulting in reduced margins in the industry. In addition, more aggressive pricing by competitors may lead to a redistribution of market shares among individual players. Raw material prices The market for raw material suppliers is highly consolidated and the company is therefore a market price taker. The company's multi-sourcing strategy - i.e. sourcing from a number of different sources depending on local market prices - allows it to optimise its purchasing structure to a large extent in terms of the margins it achieves. Situation in the construction market The company's sales are mainly focused on the housing and volume construction markets. High interest rates are leading to a reduction in the volume of new housing purchases and a reduction in the realisation of cubature investments, as investors find it difficult to access finance. In turn, high inflation limits the purchasing power of consumers, who postpone home improvements. Risk of unsuccessful M&A The Group's strategy is based on the acquisition of companies with a similar business profile (foams, adhesives, sealants) in markets where the Group's presence is negligible, as well as market shares in complementary product areas (e.g. glass wool). There is a risk that the acquired businesses will not meet the Board's performance expectations.        
European Central Bank's Potential Minimum Reserve Increase Sparks Concerns

Fed Likely to Pause with Potential for a Final Hike in Sight

ING Economics ING Economics 18.09.2023 09:09
Fed set to hold, but signal the potential for a final hike Mixed US data and Federal Reserve comments solidly back the market pricing of another pause at the 20 September FOMC policy meeting. However, inflation concerns linger and economic resilience suggest the Fed will continue to signal the potential for a final hike even if we don’t think it carry through with it.     Fed set to pause again on 20 September At the last Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting in July, the Federal Open Market Committee raised the Fed funds policy rate range 25bp to 5.25-5.5%. The minutes to the decision also showed officials continue to have a bias to hike further since “most participants continued to see significant upside risks to inflation, which could require further tightening of monetary policy". At the Fed’s Jackson Hole Conference in late August Chair Powell said that policymakers “are attentive to signs that the economy may not be cooling as expected”, indicating a sense that it may indeed need to do more to ensure inflation sustainably returns to target. Nonetheless, the FOMC minutes also suggested differences of opinion are forming. While all voting FOMC members backed the hike, there were two non-voting members who “indicated that they favoured leaving the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged”. Moreover, “a number of participants judged that… it was important that the Committee's decisions balance the risk of an inadvertent overtightening of policy against the cost of an insufficient tightening”. In recent months we have had some encouraging news on core inflation with two consecutive 0.2% month-on-month prints with a third coming in at 0.278%, much better than the 0.4-0.5% MoM consecutive prints we got over the prior six months. There has also been evidence of moderating labour costs (the Employment Cost index and cooling average hourly earning growth) together with more modest job creation. Yet we have to acknowledge that the activity data has remained strong with the US economy on track to grow at an annualised 3% rate in the current quarter. The commentary from officials, including the hawks, such as Neel Kashkari, suggest a willingness to pause again in September (just as it did in June), but to leave the door ajar for a further hike at either the November or December FOMC meetings.  Given this situation economists are universally expecting the Fed funds target rate range to be left at 5.25-5.5% with markets not pricing even 1bp of potential tightening. While the European Central Bank hiked rates but indicated it may be done, the Fed is set to pause, but keep its options open.   The potential for further hikes remains As with the June hold decision, the Fed is set to suggest that the decision should be interpreted as part of its process of a slowing in the pace of rate hikes rather than an actual pause. While inflation is moderating, it is still too high and with the jobs market remaining very tight and activity holding firm, the Fed can’t take any chances. The scenario graphic above outlines the range of possibilities outside of our core view of no change, but the door left open for future hikes. However, the other options have very low probabilities attached to them. We simply cannot see the point of the Fed softening its stance on the outlook for policy and give the markets the green light to sell the dollar and drive Treasury yields lower given this will undermine their fight against inflation. At the same time, a 25bp hike would be such a shock it could be seen as inconsistent with the Fed’s attempt to engineer a soft landing and would hurt risk appetite.   Dot plot to retain a final hike – but we don't see it being implemented This brings us onto the updated Fed’s forecasts. The key change in June was the inclusion of an extra rate hike in their forecast for this year, which would leave the Fed funds range at 5.5-5.75% by year-end. It seems highly doubtful this will be changed given the data flow, while the unemployment and inflation numbers seem broadly on track. GDP for 2023 is likely to be revised up substantially though given the remarkable resilience of activity and the consumer spending splurge over the summer, much of which appears to have gone on leisure activities.   ING expectations for the Federal Reserve's new forecasts
USD/JPY Climbs to Multi-Year High as BOJ Stands Firm on Policy

A Week of Central Bank Meetings and Currency Moves: FX Daily Insights

ING Economics ING Economics 18.09.2023 09:33
FX Daily: Up and down - a big week for policy rates and currencies There are a plethora of central bank policy rate meetings this week across the developed and emerging market economies. Rates could be raised as much as 500bp in Turkey, cut 50bp in Brazil, raised 25bp in four G10 economies, and left unchanged in the US. Our baseline assumes that the dollar holds onto its strength through the week.   USD: Dollar looks likely to hold gains It is a big week for policy rate meetings, with six of the G10 central banks in action. Setting the tone for global markets will be Wednesday's FOMC meeting. Here, our team sees a resolutely hawkish Federal Reserve, where despite unchanged rates the Fed, through its statement and dot plots, will hold out the possibility of one further hike to the 5.50-5.75% range later this year.  Even though we should see 25bp rate hikes across four European central banks through the week - see below - we doubt the dollar has to lose much ground - if any. The prospect of a prolonged period of unchanged rates is depressing US interest rates and cross-market volatility and leaving carry trade strategies very much en vogue. This - plus Brent trading close to $95/bbl - is keeping the likes of USD/JPY bid and few expect any substantial move in Bank of Japan policy this Friday. If there is to be a further move from Japan - it will likely come in late October when new economic forecasts are released. It is also a big week for policy rate meetings in emerging markets. In EMEA, the highlight will be whether the Central Bank of Turkey delivers another large hike on Thursday (+500bp expected) in a continuing return to policy orthodoxy, while Brazil should cut rates another 50bp in line with recent guidance. Given the strong interest in the carry trade this year, both the Turkish lira and Brazilian real could stay supported despite these diverging rate stories.  Elsewhere, Asia sees several rate meetings this week, but change is expected in neither China's Loan Prime Rates nor policy rates elsewhere in the region. DXY remains relatively strong and there does not seem a case for a decisive turn lower this week - unless we are all surprised by the Fed. There is a strong band of resistance in the 105.40/80 area, which may well cap this week. But equally, DXY should continue to find decent demand below 105.00. 
Gold's Resilience Amidst Market Headwinds: A Hedge Against FOMC's Soft-Landing Failure

Analyzing the Bank of England's Rate Hike Expectations and the Possibility of a Pause

ING Economics ING Economics 18.09.2023 15:47
Why the Bank of England might not raise rates on Thursday We're expecting one final rate hike from the Bank of England this week with wage growth and inflation both proving stubborn. But recent comments show the Bank is laying the ground for a pause, and we aren’t ruling that out on Thursday.   Investors have pared back BoE hike expectations Investor expectations for the Bank of England have come a long way since the start of July. Back then markets were pricing four more rate hikes, in addition to the one in August. Now it’s less than two, and investors are toying with the idea of a pause from the Bank of England on Thursday. Investors are pricing a 20% chance of a ‘no change’ decision, and that follows a series of comments from BoE officials that appear to be laying the ground for a pause. The Bank has made it abundantly clear that it thinks keeping rates elevated for a long period of time is now more important than how high they peak. Back in August, the BoE included a new line in its policy statement, saying that rates needed to stay “sufficiently high for sufficiently long”. The Bank is now also formally describing policy as "restrictive". That may be a statement of the obvious with rates above 5%, but it’s nevertheless significant that policymakers are now making a point of saying this.  To hammer home the message, Chief Economist Huw Pill said recently that he'd prefer a 'Table Mountain' profile for rates over a 'Matterhorn', or in other words a steadier path with a long period of no change, over a sharper pace of rate hikes and a swifter descent from the peak.   Markets have lowered expectations for peak Bank Rate   Could we get a pause on Thursday? This is a simple reflection of the UK mortgage market, where roughly 85% of lending is fixed, albeit for a relatively short amount of time. The average rate being paid on outstanding mortgages has risen from 2% to 3% so far, and we expect that to rise above 4% next year even if the BoE doesn’t hike rates any further. That's why the Bank is making it its mission to convince investors that rates need to stay high for a long time, and any further rate hikes should be seen as a tool to meeting this end. It does feel like the Bank is actively trying to set the stage for a pause. Could that happen this week? We wouldn’t totally rule it out. Policymakers will have had a keen eye on the Federal Reserve, which has succeeded in pushing back rate cut expectations with the so-called “skip strategy”. By drawing out its tightening cycle by pausing at every other meeting, the Fed has managed to keep the conversation about how many hikes we have left, rather than how long it will take before we get rate cuts. A similar strategy, whereby the BoE pauses in September but hints strongly that it could hike again in November, could be tempting for policymakers this week.     Our base case is one more rate hike None of that is our base case though, and we’re expecting one final hike on Thursday. The reality is that both wage growth and services inflation, the two key metrics upon which the BoE is basing policy, are higher than forecast back in August. We also still have one round of CPI data due the day before the meeting, and we expect services inflation to nudge slightly higher again.  Still, look closely enough and there are signs that wage growth may be starting to ease. The jobs market is clearly cooling now too, while a range of surveys suggest that fewer firms are raising prices, not least because lower energy prices are taking pressure off service sector costs. We expect this to show more readily in the services CPI numbers over the next few months. That means the Bank can probably afford to end its tightening cycle this week. Assuming though that the fall in services inflation and wage growth is pretty gradual, we think a rate cut is unlikely until at least the second quarter of next year.   Services inflation should start to come down later this year   Expect a faster pace of quantitative tightening (QT) The other decision the Bank will be making this week is on quantitative tightening as it decides whether to ramp up the pace over the next 12 months. The stock of gilts due to mature over the next year is roughly £10bn higher than over the last. The Bank has also completed its unwind of corporate bonds over the past year, and the implication is that it might boost gilt sales over the next 12 months to compensate. We therefore think the Bank will plan to reduce its gilt holdings by roughly £100bn over the next 12 months, up from £80bn over the last.   GBP: Biggest FX reaction comes on a pause On a trade-weighted basis, sterling has had a good year. It is still up over 5% year-to-date, although is now around 2% off the highs seen in July. Driving a large portion of that trend has been expected Bank of England rate policy. Most notably the recent repricing in the BoE terminal rate towards the 5.60% area from a peak near 6.50% has explained a large part of sterling's softness over the last couple of months. As policy tightening cycles in the G10 (ex-Japan) policy space reach their conclusions, one could argue that 8-10bp adjustments in money market curves will contribute only noise not trend to FX markets. And certainly, an as-expected 25bp BoE rate hike Thursday amid some hawkish rhetoric looks unlikely to be a game-changer for sterling.  That said, a surprise pause would have a big impact on sterling. And while the BoE may try to market a pause like a Fed 'skip', the market would doubt that the BoE would be in a position to raise rates later in the year. The FX options market prices a 95bp GBP/USD range for the 24-hour event risk covering the Fed and BoE meetings this week. A BoE pause could well push cable below the May lows just above 1.2300.  Perhaps surprising to some has been sterling underperforming the euro too - despite very poor eurozone confidence figures and the European Central Bank pointing to the end of the tightening cycle. Again this looks largely down to the greater downside for expected UK interest rates - a factor which should weigh on sterling into 2024. Our year-end 2023 EUR/GBP forecast remains 0.8800.    
California Leads the Way: New Climate Disclosure Laws Set the Standard for Sustainability Reporting

How Will Central Banks Respond to Current Challenges?

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 19.09.2023 13:28
Hawkish pause?  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Strikes at GM, Ford and Stellantis factories dampened overall market sentiment on Monday. The walkout led by United Auta Workers (UAW) began last Friday and saw little progress as the union refused a 21% pay rise offered to workers. Shawn Fain, who is at the helm of the movement, demands a 40% pay rise and 32-hour workweek – unprecedented for the US. Good luck to both parties in these negotiations.   GM, Ford and Stellantis fell yesterday. The barrel of US crude traded past the $92 level, as Brent crude advanced past $95pb. I believe that we are approaching a peak in the actual oil rally and we should see a downside correction of at least 5-6% from the actual levels, yet the damage from rising oil prices is already showing in inflation numbers. That's partly why the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 'dovish hike' last week.  A hawkish pause?  This week, the US policymakers will certainly opt for a 'hawkish pause'. The Fed will likely revise its growth expectations significantly higher on the back of resilient consumer spending and solid growth. The looming talk of another government shutdown, the student loan repayments and the UAW strikes will sure have a negative impact on US growth numbers, but US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defends the scenario of 'soft landing' as labour market is still healthy, industrial output is rising and inflation is coming down, she says.   Despite the latest softness in the jobs data, the US inflation figures last week surprised to the upside. A major part of disinflation since last summer was due to waning post-Covid supply issues that led to higher supply, hence slower price growth. But the improvement in supply could be coming to an end, and oil prices are rising. Therefore, the Fed will certainly sound cautious and reasonably hawkish this week. The so called dot plot will certainly point at another rate hike before the year end, and a higher median rate throughout next year.   The US dollar index tested the important 38.2% Fibonacci resistance last week, especially after the euro sold off following the ECB rate hike. The Fed announcement could push the US dollar index into the medium-term bullish consolidation zone.   A dovish hike?  If the Fed is not expected – not even a little bit – to hike rates this week, the Bank of England (BoE) could hike the bank rate by a final 25bp on Thursday. It's possible that a hawkish pause from the Fed propels the dollar higher, while a dovish hike from the BoE has the opposite impact on sterling. Cable slid below its 200-DMA last week and is now back in a long-term bearish trend.   And nothing...?  In Japan, not much is expected to change this week. Warnings from Japanese officials that a further yen selloff would spark a direct FX intervention slowed down but not reversed the JPY selloff. The USDJPY is trading just below the 148 level, with, sure, limited upside potential, and of course a good downside potential, but that downside potential must be unlocked by a reasonably hawkish BoJ, and I don't see that coming this week.    
US Housing Market Faces Challenges Due to Soaring Mortgage Rates

US Housing Market Faces Challenges Due to Soaring Mortgage Rates

ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:04
US housing feels the squeeze from high mortgage rates A tripling of US mortgage rates constrained both the demand and supply of housing, leaving existing home sales at post-GFC lows. Mortgage rates will rise further in the wake of the market's reaction to yesterday's Fed forecasts, further constraining activity.   Market acknowledges the risk of a final hike, but it will depend on the data The Fed's messaging of higher for longer interest rates has been taken on board by financial markets, with the dollar strengthening and the yield curve shifting higher in the wake of yesterday's decision. Nonetheless, the market remains somewhat sceptical on the prospect of the final 25bp interest rate rise that the Fed's forecasts signalled for this year, with the pricing for November's FOMC meeting only being 8bp with 13bp priced by the time of the December meeting. The jobs market remains tight, as highlighted by low jobless claims numbers today, but we continue to believe that core inflation pressures will slow meaningfully, the economic outlook will soften, and the Fed won't end up carrying through. The jobs market is always the last thing to turn lower in a downturn and there are areas of more obvious weakness.  For example, US existing home sales fell 0.7% MoM in August to a level of 4.04mn rather than rising the 0.7% MoM as the market expected. This is due not only to weakness in demand but also a complete collapse in properties available for purchase. The affordability issue is front and centre here, with prices having risen nearly 50% nationally during the pandemic, but demand has obviously been crushed by the fact that mortgage rates have tripled since the Federal Reserve started hiking interest rates. But this surge in borrowing costs is constraining the supply of homes for sale as well - people who are locked in at 2.5-3.5% mortgage rates cannot afford to give them up. They can't take the mortgage with them when they move home, so even if you downsize to a smaller, cheaper property, you are, in all likelihood, going to end up paying a higher monthly dollar mortgage payment.   We're in a crazy-sounding position Consequently, we are in a crazy-sounding position whereby the number of housing transactions is on a par with the lows seen during the global financial crisis, yet home prices are rising. This should be a boon for home builders, but note the big drop in sentiment and housing starts seen earlier in the week. The drop-off in prospective buyer traffic is making builders cautious. Mortgage rates at 7%+ will obviously do that over time, but it may be another sign of the household sector starting to pull back at the margin now that the Fed believes pandemic-era savings are close to being exhausted.   Existing homes sales transactions and home prices   Leading index still indicates recession can't be ruled out Meanwhile, the US leading economic indicator, which combines a range of other numbers, including jobless claims, orders, average work week, the yield curve and credit conditions, posted its 17th straight monthly decline. As the chart below shows, the index at these sorts of levels has been a clear recession indicator in the past, but for now, GDP growth is strong.   Leading index versus GDP (YoY%)   Our view remains that this strength in activity has been caused primarily by households running down pandemic-era accrued savings aggressively and borrowing more on credit cards. But with savings obviously being finite - note the Fed's Beige Book citing evidence of the "exhaustion" of these savings - and consumer credit harder to come by and certainly less affordable than it was, the cashflow required to finance ongoing increases in spending will have to increasingly come from rising real income growth. Rising gasoline prices will erode spending power while student loan repayments, strikes and the prospect of a government shutdown will add to the financial stresses on millions of households, so we will need to see substantial wage increases for everyone - not just auto workers - to keep this growth engine firing.  Given this situation, we not only think the Fed will leave rates at their current levels, we also see the potential for more rate cuts next year than the 50bp currently being signalled by the Federal Reserve.
Central Bank Policies: Hawkish Fed vs. Dovish Others"

Central Bank Policies: Hawkish Fed vs. Dovish Others"

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 25.09.2023 11:05
Hawkish Fed vs. Dovish others  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The Swiss National Bank (SNB) and the Bank of England (BoE) surprised by maintaining their rates unchanged at yesterday's trading session. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) surprised by maintaining its ultra-lose monetary policy stance unchanged. Combined with a hawkish pause earlier this week, the major currencies further sank against the greenback. The USDCHF advanced past the 200-DMA, and Cable slipped to 1.2232, a fresh low since March, and whispers of a potential return to parity against the US dollar sparked, yet again. Reasonably, the pound-dollar could return to 1.20, and below, if the major 38.2% Fibonacci support – which stands at 1.2080 is pulled out and lets the pair slip into a medium-term bearish consolidation zone. But we will likely see the Federal Reserve (Fed) soften its tone before we start talking about parity in Cable.   Now, looking at what the BoE did, you know that I was surprised, and intrigued with the decision. In Switzerland for example, inflation – official inflation – steadied below the SNB's 2%, target. The latest data shows that the Swiss CPI is at no higher than 1.6% - even though we are expecting a monstrous rise in health insurance costs, and another 20% rise in average in electricity costs that will certainly drill holes in our pockets at the start of next year, but for now inflation is at 1.6%, say the numbers, and alone, it justifies a SNB pause. But in Britain, the no action is quite premature. Inflation in Britain is almost at 7%, the energy prices are rising, the war in Ukraine is nowhere close to being over, sterling pound is now losing value, which means that whatever the Brits will import from now will cost them more than during the last months, when the pound was appreciating. It's hard to see how, with all these developments, the BoE won't be obliged to hike, again. The only way is a really bad economic performance.  
Pound Sterling: Short-Term Repricing Complete, But Further Uncertainty Looms

Pound Sterling: Short-Term Repricing Complete, But Further Uncertainty Looms

ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:09
GBP: Most of the short-term repricing is done It was not our baseline view, but we did warn that EUR/GBP could hit 0.8700 yesterday if the Bank of England paused, and that is what happened. As our UK economist, James Smith, discusses in his BoE review comment, we think the terminal rate has been reached now at 5.25%. However, given that it was such a close vote yesterday (5-4) there is still a chance of one final hike at the 2 November BoE meeting. This means that the market pricing of around a 50% chance of one last hike may largely stay with us until that meeting. Pricing of the BoE curve has been a big driver of sterling this year and we suspect EUR/GBP can now drift in a 0.86-0.87 range into that meeting. A leg higher to 0.88/89 probably requires some news of a serious UK slowdown and the market moving on to pricing the 2024 easing cycle. GBP/USD is another matter, however. If EUR/USD trades down to 1.05, GBP/USD could be trading near 1.21.
Rates and Cycles: Central Banks' Strategies in Focus Amid Steepening Impulses

Rates and Cycles: Central Banks' Strategies in Focus Amid Steepening Impulses

ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:11
Rates Spark: Drawing out the cycles With the Bank of England's hold, while retaining all optionality, another central bank is attempting to draw out the cycle. That may keep bull steepening impulses at bay for now and leave room for a steepening more driven via the back end first if data broadly holds. The PMIs are the main data event for today.   Steepening impulses from here on are probable, but not necessarily via the front end first Following the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England has now also decided to keep rates on hold in a close 5-4 vote by the committee. But all options for another hike remain on the table. Maybe the BoE decided that the Fed’s approach was better suited to its needs than the European Central Bank’s. The ECB had hiked, but in signalling that rates had reached levels sufficiently high to make a substantial contribution to reaching the inflation goal had been interpreted as rates having essentially topped. ECB officials have since pushed against this notion, emphasising that this still means rates can rise under certain conditions. And some have resorted to shifting the discussion to the balance sheet. And the idea that speeding up quantitative tightening should precede rate cuts – as some officials have hinted – may be another strategy to draw out the cycle. Especially given that anything involving the ECB’s balance sheet, including discussion about potentially adjusting the minimum reserve ratio, also ties in with the review of the operational framework, which is slated to conclude only by the end of the year. The bullish steepening impulses that would typically unfold once cycle peaks have been reached are being held back by the optionality to do more that central bankers have retained. Still, we feel the room for policy rates to rise further is running out as headwinds are accumulating, but until markets see an actual smoking gun they remain more cautious. Having been caught off-guard by the surprisingly hawkish Fed and its impact bear flattening, even if quickly reversed, is a case in point. In the meantime, the steepening impulses could continue to come from the back end as long as the data broadly holds, although the outright levels now look elevated at the back end. Still, the initial jobless claims data has just proven its relevance again yesterday, accelerating the steep sell-off in 10Y USTs towards 4.5%. If cracks become more obvious, a brief bull flattening seems possible if central bankers are reluctant to embrace the signs of an impending downturn as they remain focussed on inflation risks – the effect of conducting policies via the rear mirror to which especially the ECB appears susceptible. The overly rosy outlooks from the Fed and also the ECB’s own very optimistic view make room for disappointments. But we feel these could be brief interludes only or even just play out in relative terms.   The long end is pulling the curve steeper   Today's events and market view The US data have shown again what is relevant for the market. In the end, everything hinges on the data and whether it finally topples over. Today, the flash PMIs are the main event. Recall that in the US the larger surprise is the S&P PMI services last month had sent jitters through the market, but sentiment was probably also driven by the even larger disappointment in the European PMIs. For today, markets are seeing eurozone services slipping deeper below 50, while the manufacturing index is seen only slowly climbing out of its hole. All are still in recessionary territory.    Next week data will remain the main theme. In the US, the main focus is on the consumer with confidence readings as well as personal income and spending data – the consumer story is a crucial input for the soft landing scenario. We will also get the PCE deflator, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure. In the eurozone, the main highlight is the September flash CPI, and it should give us more reasons to believe we have already seen the last ECB hike.
5% for the US 10-Year Treasury Yield: A Realistic Scenario

5% for the US 10-Year Treasury Yield: A Realistic Scenario

ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:15
Here’s why 5% for the US 10yr can happen The market discount for the funds rate at 4.2% in 2025 effectively sets a floor for market rates right out the curve today. Add to that a 50-75bp term premium and the US 10yr yield at 4.5% does not look mis-priced. In fact, there is a path for it toward 5%. Until something breaks, US yields can continue to stretch higher; led by longer tenors, and a steeper curve.   Back in July, we called for the US 10yr yield to break back above 4%. Since then, we’ve commented on the bear market that is US bonds and in the past month, we’ve been calling for the US 10yr to hit 4.5%. And here we are, a rising rates environment that is there for good reason - effectively as nothing has broken yet. So, what next?   We argue that the discount for the funds rate in 2025 sets a floor for market rates today An important starting point is to understand why we are where we are. The basic answer is macro resilience. Importantly, the labour market has refused to go into recession. If we don’t have material labour market angst we don’t have what feels like a traditional recession, no matter how downbeat some of the survey data is. That shows up in the rates market as quite a benign market discount for eventual interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. Yes, we need to get to a true peak in the funds rate before rate cutting is the central discussion. But the market discount for the funds rate in the future is, in fact, really important as it provides a reference for market rates right out the curve. Here’s the logic. If the funds rate is discounted to be cut to an absolute low of around 4% in the future, that sets a floor for where longer tenor rates can get to today. Leaving aside the 30yr which has it’s own personality, tenors out to 10yrs should be very responsive to this. If 4% is the Fed funds floor being set by the market, then the 10yr Treasury yield has no right to go below it. It could of course, reflecting an excess of demand for bonds, but from a fair value perspective, it shouldn’t.   n fact we need to add a 50-75bp term premium to that floor, and it could be more If we accept that there is a Fed funds rate floor at around 4%, then to assess where longer tenor rates can get to, we need to add term premia to that floor. Previous rate cycles show that when the funds rate bottoms, the curve is worth at a minimum 50-75bp (reversion to a normal upward-sloping curve). In other words, not only should the 10yr not go below the floor, but it should trade some 50bp above that floor. That 50bp is a very conservative estimate of a minimum term premium from the funds rate out to the 10yr yield when the funds rate has bottomed. It could be more and has been a lot more in previous cycles - typically, a minimum of 75bp (see the chart below of the 2/10yr spread as a guide).   Value of the curve before and after the Fed has peaked (number of days)   What about where we are now? First, the point estimate for the Fed funds floor as discounted by the market has in fact ratcheted up to 4.2% as a soft landing narrative dominates market thinking. The US 10yr yield is now 4.5%. That’s just 30bp above the floor. In that sense, 4.5% for the US 10yr is not particularly elevated. It could easily be at 4.7% on a 50bp term premium. And if we were to employ a 75bp term premium it would then be knocking on the door of 5%. That is a place that we could very easily get to.   Back in June, we calculated a reference rate for the US at 6% - not a forecast, more a level that market levels could be contextualised against. Since then, that number has edged down to the area between 4.5% and 5%. Lower inflation readings rationalise the fall. While that’s below where the current funds rate is, it’s still above market rates. There is an argument here for a steeper curve from the back end (dis-inversion), where short-dated yields are fine where they are but longer-dated ones can remain under rising pressure. And 5% for the 10yr would not look out of kilter here at all.
UK PMI Weakness Supports Pause in Bank of England's Tightening Cycle

UK PMI Weakness Supports Pause in Bank of England's Tightening Cycle

ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:18
Weak UK PMIs bolster chances of November BoE pause The latest UK purchasing managers indices undoubtedly vindicate the Bank of England’s decision to keep rates on hold this month. We think the Bank’s tightening cycle is over.   We’ve had the latest purchasing managers indices for the UK and it’s another dismal outcome. The services PMI now stands at 47.2, down from 49.5 and that’s lower than had been expected by economists. There’s little doubt from the accompanying S&P Global press release that the economy is weakening, and the comments on the jobs market stand out in particular. The survey indicates that employment is now falling at the fastest rate since October 2009, when you exclude the volatility during lockdowns. And prices charged by firms are increasing less rapidly too. All of this supports the wider body of evidence from the data that the jobs market is weakening and that domestically-generated inflation is likely to slow over coming months. Admittedly, the Bank of England has been more reluctant to base policy on surveys while actual inflation and wage data have (at least until recently) been coming in consistently hot. But with lower gas prices taking pressure off the service sector to lift prices aggressively, in an environment where demand appears to be cooling, inflation in the service sector should continue to fall over coming months. Services CPI – currently 6.8% - should end the year below 6%. We therefore think the Bank will remain on hold in November and that August’s rate hike marked the top in this tightening cycle. Remember that we only have one inflation and wage data release before November’s meeting. So if the Bank felt it had enough evidence to pause yesterday, then barring any big surprises in those data releases, it’s unlikely that much will have changed by the next meeting. Remember, too, that one official who voted for a rate hike this week – Jon Cunliffe – now leaves the committee and there’s no guarantee his successor – Sarah Breeden – will vote the same way. That suggests the decision in November could be a little less contested than it was this month. Bigger picture, the Bank is also acutely aware that the impact of past hikes is still feeding through, and it’s made it abundantly clear that the length of time rates stay high is now more important than how high they peak in the short-run. That said, we expect the first rate cuts by the middle of next year.
Czech National Bank Prepares for Possible Rate Cut in November

Czech National Bank Prepares for Possible Rate Cut in November

ING Economics ING Economics 25.09.2023 11:21
Czech National Bank preview: Last meeting before first rate cut The CNB is starting to discuss the possibility of cutting rates and we believe that conditions will allow the first cut as early as November. In any case, the board will want to stay on the cautious side, and the tone of the press conference will reflect that. However, the CNB has little to offer from its hawkish arsenal given that a cut is only a matter of time now.   The debate on rate cuts begins The Czech National Bank (CNB) will hold its monetary policy meeting next Wednesday, which we believe will be the last one before the vote on cutting rates. This time there will be no new central bank forecast and the board will only discuss an internal update on the situation. For now, it seems that the CNB is happy with the numbers coming out of the economy. Economic growth was slightly above expectations in the second quarter, on the other hand, wage growth and headline and core inflation are below the central bank's forecast. Only EUR/CZK is pointing in an inflationary direction with weakening after the August CNB meeting, and more recently after the National Bank of Poland's (NBP's) surprise decision (of a 75bp rate cut) in early September. However, the CNB was expecting this direction, and based on recent communication we believe FX is not a game-changer.   Board members have already indicated that the September meeting will be used to discuss the rate-cutting strategy, so we could see some details from this discussion. In any case, the CNB will try to sell future rate cuts with a hawkish and cautious tone. However, we doubt that the central bank has anything more to offer from its hawkish arsenal to the markets, especially in the context of the current shift in market expectations towards a later rate cut. Moreover, the central bank's recent moves – the end of the FX intervention regime and the easing of capital and mortgage requirements – indicate a dovish bias of the board.   First rate cut in November Our forecast remains unchanged – the first 25bp rate cut in November along with a new central bank forecast. Of course, the risks here are clear. The central bank could wait for the January inflation number and cut rates at the start of next year. However, we believe that the combination of faster-falling inflation, weak economic numbers and FX at current or stronger levels will be a reason for the board to cut rates in November and avoid too much monetary tightening and inflation near the target in January. Looking ahead, we don't expect there to be more than two 25bp rate cuts (in November and December) before the January inflation number is released (after the February meeting). Further down the line, however, we expect the CNB to gradually increase the pace of cuts if the numbers confirm inflation is near the 2% target.   What to expect in FX and rates markets In the FX market, the Czech koruna suffered a depreciation after the end of the CNB's exchange rate regime in August and the NBP's surprise rate cut in September. In particular, due to the spillover shock within the region in the last few weeks, we believe EUR/CZK should be lower and are slightly positive on the CZK. This should be supported by the CNB's cautious tone next week. Of course, EUR/CZK levels will play a key role in the November decision and we believe the pain threshold for the CNB to delay rate cuts until the first quarter of next year is 25.0 EUR/CZK. In the rates market, we see the pricing of rate cuts in the short term, within two years, as more or less fair. If anything, we see less chance of big rate cuts in the first quarter, as the market currently expects. On the other hand, we see the biggest mispricing at the long end of the curve, which has out-priced a CNB return to the 3% equilibrium rate level. Thus, the IRS curve now points to rates above 4% in the long term and we see room for downward repricing here once rate-cutting discussions begin next week. Czech government bond (CZGBs) yields have moved higher following the sell-off in core markets, which we believe opens up a good opportunity to benefit from a clearly positive outlook. On the supply side, MinFin is already limiting issuance as the year-end approaches and the better-than-expected state budget result. In addition, MinFin is now starting to frontload next year's needs through switches, confirming a comfortable situation with nearly 75% of the CZGBs plan covered. Thus, we see the current yield as attractive ahead of the materialisation of a massive supply drop next year and by far the best inflation profile in the CEE region followed by the CNB rate cuts. Thus, we like CZGBs both outright and in the spread versus the IRS curve, which should head into negative territory in the coming months, in our view.  
Gold's Resilience Amidst Market Headwinds: A Hedge Against FOMC's Soft-Landing Failure

NHB Meeting: Cautious Tone Sets New Expectations for Forint

ING Economics ING Economics 26.09.2023 14:50
HUF: NBH to stress caution for the rest of the year There is only one event on the agenda in the CEE region today and that is the meeting of the National Bank of Hungary. Today's meeting seems like a done deal – the effective interest rate and the key interest rate will be merged at 13%, and monetary policy will thus enter the second phase of normalisation. The question is what to expect in October and how much today's press conference will indicate. In any case, a cautious and hawkish tone can be expected. This goes against the dovish market expectations, which have priced in rate cuts in the 75-100bp range at the following meetings and high EUR/HUF levels at 390. Thus, the hawkish tone should be an impetus for the market to reassess expectations, especially at the short end of the curve, and support the forint back to levels safely below 390 EUR/HUF.
Oil Price Impact on Inflation Forecasts: A Closer Look

Oil Price Impact on Inflation Forecasts: A Closer Look

ING Economics ING Economics 26.09.2023 14:52
How do current oil prices change our inflation forecast? Despite this not being the 1970s, expectations of further disinflation will be impacted by higher oil prices. This could result in a slower decline of inflation to 2%. Given that our expectations for oil prices do include a drop in the first half of 2024 again, the effect on our own forecast is rather moderate. Plus, a smaller decline in energy prices has materialised this year compared to expectations (which impacts next year’s base effects). Assuming oil prices stay at 95 USD/b for all of 2024, however, the headline figure would rise by 0.3 pp next year, with a peak of the energy price contribution of 1 ppt in the second quarter. At the same time, higher oil prices would probably further dent consumer confidence and spending, thereby contributing to the current disinflationary trend due to weaker demand. Indeed, the big question is whether the higher oil price will once again result in broad-based second-round effects like we saw last year. A lot of drivers of core inflation are at this point still disinflationary, with manufacturing businesses still indicating that input costs are falling despite higher wages and energy prices. And as new orders are weakening, deflation for non-energy industrial goods is realistic towards the end of the year. For services, weaker demand is also contributing to slowing inflation despite higher wage costs, according to the September PMI. Our expectations are that core inflation will slow significantly from the 5.3% August reading towards the end of the year. Still, if the labour market remains as tight as it is now and the economy bounces back a bit in early 2024, there is a risk that higher energy input costs would also put core inflation further above 2%. A lot depends on the strength of the economy in the months ahead, adding uncertainty for the ECB.   Pressure on the ECB to continue hiking Prior to the pandemic, most central banks would probably have looked past surging oil prices. Some even considered rising oil prices to eventually be deflationary, undermining purchasing power and industrial competitiveness. However, we are no longer in the pre-pandemic era, but the era of returned inflation. The ECB has emphasised in recent months that doing too little is more costly than doing too much in terms of rates. For the ECB, the recent staff projections were based on the technical assumption of an average oil price of 82 USD/b in 2024. If oil prices were to average 95 USD/b next year, this would probably push up the ECB’s inflation forecasts to 3.3% for 2024 (from 3.2%) and more importantly to 2.4% in 2025 (from 2.1%). As a result, the return to 2% would be delayed to 2026. The delayed return to 2% would not be the only reason for the ECB to consider further rate hikes. Even though the ECB would still acknowledge the deflationary nature of a new oil price shock, the risk that this new oil price shock could lead to a de-anchoring of inflation expectations will definitely add to the ECB’s concerns, making not only an additional rate hike more likely, but also that they stay higher for longer.
Gold's Resilience Amidst Dollar and Yield Surge: What's Driving Demand?

Gold's Resilience Amidst Dollar and Yield Surge: What's Driving Demand?

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 26.09.2023 15:17
Gold continues to defy the gravitational pull from rising US Treasury yields and a stronger dollar which gathered further momentum after the US Federal Reserve last week delivered a hawkish pause in their aggressive rate hike campaign. But while the normally strong inverse correlation with dollar and yields have faded, thereby reducing selling pressure from algorithmic focused trading strategies, gold's resilience continues to point to demand from investors seeking a hedge against nervous markets and the rising risk of stagflation hitting the US economy in the coming months.   Key points in this gold note Gold continues to show resilience despite multiple headwinds from dollar strength to rising yields and lower future rate cut expectations Support is likely to be driven by a market in search for a hedge against the FOMC failing to deliver a soft, as opposed to a hard landing. We maintain a patiently bullish view on investment metals as the timing of a fresh push to the upside remains very US ecnomic data dependent.  Gold continues to defy the gravitational pull from rising US Treasury yields and a stronger dollar which gathered further momentum after the US Federal Reserve last week delivered a hawkish pause in their aggressive rate hike campaign, while at the same forecasting considerably higher rates over 2024 and 2025 because of a resilient US economy, a strong labor market and sticky inflation, recently made worse by an OPEC-supported rise in energy prices. Following the FOMC announcement we have seen the dollar reach a fresh 11-month high against a broad basket of major currencies, while the yield on US 10-year Treasuries has reached a 16-year high above 4.5%. The short-term interest rate futures market has reduced bets on the number of 25 basis-point rate cuts by the end of 2024 to less than three from the current level, with risk of another hike before yearend kept open.      
Global Markets Shaken as Yields Soar: Dollar Surges, Stocks Slump, and Gold Holds Ground Amid Debt Concerns and Rate Hike Expectations

Global Markets Shaken as Yields Soar: Dollar Surges, Stocks Slump, and Gold Holds Ground Amid Debt Concerns and Rate Hike Expectations

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 26.09.2023 15:25
Asian stocks fell with US futures as yields on 10-year Treasuries reach a 16-year high above 4.54% while China Evergrande Group missed a debt payment adding to fears about the sectors massive debt pile. Broad dollar strength continues with the greenback trading at its highest level since December as another Fed member said another rate hike this year will be needed. Crude oil trades softer amid macroeconomic concerns and a stretched speculative long while gold holds support despite multiple headwinds. The Saxo Quick Take is a short, distilled opinion on financial markets with references to key news and events. Equities: S&P 500 futures are under pressure this morning with the US 10-year yield hitting 4.55% extending its relentless move higher. If the US 10-year yield moves to 4.75% we will most likely begin seeing widening cracks in equities as the prevailing narrative of falling inflation collapses. Yesterday’s session saw no meaningful rotation between defensive and cyclical sectors. Today’s key events are US consumer confidence figures and Costco earnings tonight after the market close. FX: Higher Treasury yields, particularly in the long end, pushed the dollar higher to extend its gains. USDCHF rose to near 4-month highs of 0.9136 with immediate target at 0.9162 which is 0.382 retracement level. EURUSD broke below 1.06 support despite better-than-expected German Ifo. USDJPY attempted a move towards 149 with verbal intervention remaining lacklustre. AUD slipped on China woes while NZD and CAD were relative gainers, and the outperformer was SEK with the Riksbank starting its FX hedging today. Commodities: Crude trades lower for a second day with macroeconomic concerns, a stronger dollar and a stretched speculative long and easing refinery margin weighing on prices. Gold prices continue to defy gravity, holding above $1900 support with demand for stagflation protection offsetting the current yield and dollar surge. LME copper is trading at the widest contango (oversupply) since at least 1994 as inventories expand and China demand concerns persist. Wheat continues to face downward pressure from huge Russian harvest despite weather related downgrades in Australia. Fixed Income. The Federal Reserve’s higher-for-longer message reverberates through higher long-term US Treasury yields. Unless there is a sign that the job market is weakening significantly or that the economy is slowing down quickly, long-term yields will continue to soar. With 10-year yields breaking above 4.5% and selling pressure continuing to mount through an increase in coupon supply, quantitative tightening, and waning foreign investors demand, it’s likely to see yields continue to rise until something breaks. This week, our attention turns to US PCE numbers and Europe CPI data while the US Treasury will sell 2-, 5- and 7-year notes. It will be interesting to see if investors buy the belly of the yield curve as a sign that they are preparing for a bull rather than a bear-steepening. Overall, we continue to favour short-term maturities and quality. Volatility: VIX Index still sits at around the 17 level, but the downward pressure in equity futures this morning could push the VIX much higher. This could be a cycle where the market tests the 20 level. Macro: Fed’s Goolsbee (voter) kept the door open for more rate hikes while emphasizing higher-for-longer. Moody’s warned of a protracted government shutdown saying that it could weigh on consumer confidence and markets. Meanwhile, after PMIs, Germany’s Ifo also showed a slight improvement in business outlook to 85.7 vs. 85.2 expected, while the previous was revised higher to 85.8. There were several ECB speakers once again. Lagarde largely repeated what was said at the ECB Press Conference, noting policy rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to target. Schnabel said there is not yet an all-clear for the inflation problem. In the news: Interest rates will stay high 'as long as necessary,' the European Central Bank's leader says (Quartz), Teetering China Property Giants Undercut Xi’s Revival Push (Bloomberg), Russia dodges G7 price cap sanctions on most of its oil exports (FT), Global trade falls at fastest pace since pandemic (FT), Dimon Warns World Not Ready for 7% Fed Rate: Times of India via Bloomberg Technical analysis: S&P500 downtrend support at 4,328 & 4,200. Nasdaq 100 support at 14,687 &14,254. DAX downtrend support at 14,933. EURUSD below strong support, resuming downtrend to 1.05. GBPUSD downtrend strong support at 1.2175. Gold rangebound 1,900-1,950. Crude oil correction: WTI expect to 87.58. Brent to 80.62. US 10-year T-yields 4.55, uptrend but expect minor correction Macro events: US New Home Sales (Aug) exp 699k vs 714k prior (1400 GMT), US Consumer Confidence (Sep) exp 105.5 vs 106.1 prior. Speeches from Fed’s Bowman (voter) as well as ECB’s Lane, Simkus and Muller. Earnings events: Costco reports FY23 Q4 earnings (aft-mkt) today with estimated revenue growth of 8% y/y and EPS growth of 14% y/y. H&M reports FY23 Q3 earnings (bef-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of 7% y/y and EPS growth of 47% y/y. Micron Technology reports FY23 Q4 earnings (aft-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of -41% y/y and EPS of $-1.18 vs $1.37 a year ago. Accenture reports FY23 Q4 earnings (bef-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of 4% y/y and EPS unchanged from a year ago. Nike reports FY24 Q1 earnings (aft-mkt) with estimated revenue growth of 3% y/y and EPS growth of –20% y/y.
Turbulent Times for Currencies: USD Dominates, SEK Shines

Turbulent Times for Currencies: USD Dominates, SEK Shines

ING Economics ING Economics 27.09.2023 12:53
FX Daily: King dollar, queen krona The dollar is finding more strength thanks to a soft risk environment and attractive real rates after the bond selloff. We now see downside risks for EUR/USD potentially extending to 1.02 in a bond sell-off acceleration. SEK is emerging as a big outlier, and we suspect Riksbank FX hedging is behind that, watch for action around 10:00 am BST this morning.   USD: Unstoppable strength The dollar is enjoying another widespread rally, shrugging off yesterday’s unconvincing US consumer confidence figures while being boosted by a round of defensive re-positioning amid a deteriorating risk environment. Furthermore, the recent treasury selloff has kept fuelling the real rate attractiveness of the dollar, reinforcing the greenback’s role as the go-to currency in the current market’s environment. Federal Reserve speakers have also thrown some hawkish comments into the mix. Neel Kashkari confirmed his notably hawkish stance saying that one more hike is needed even in a soft-landing scenario, and Michelle Bowman has also pointed in the direction of more tightening. Market pricing has, however, remained stuck in a less hawkish position than the recent dot plot projections – less than a 50% chance of another hike this year and the effective rate being cut to 4.67%. So, there are two lingering upside risks for the dollar stemming purely from the rate market: one being generated from higher longer-dated yields, one from a potential hawkish repricing of short-term rate expectations upholding short-term swap rates. We discuss those risks from a EUR/USD perspective in this article, where we conclude there is more room for a USD rally coming from back-end treasury underperformance rather than another big move in USD short-term swap rates. That’s because the gap between the December 2024 Fed Funds rate market pricing and the 2024 dot plot is much smaller compared to what it was back in June (and throughout the summer). Today, the US calendar includes durable goods orders for the month of August and another speech by the arch-hawk Neel Kashkari. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will participate in a town hall tomorrow, although it is unclear whether he will touch upon monetary policy issues. The next level to watch in DXY is the 106.82 November 2022 highs, although we have seen the index rise comfortably through key levels, and upside risks now extend to the 107.00/107.50 area should the US bond market sell-off accelerate further.
The Potential Impact of Inflation Trends on the AUD and RBA's Rate Decisions

The Potential Impact of Inflation Trends on the AUD and RBA's Rate Decisions

ING Economics ING Economics 27.09.2023 13:02
Inflation will likely rise again in September The chart above shows where most of the inflation came from in August. A  9.1% increase in motor fuel prices lifted the transport component by 3.6% MoM. This is likely to be repeated in September, as retail gasoline prices have continued to rise, though it may not be quite so large as indexed excise duties on fuel will not reoccur until February next year.  That same twice-yearly excise duty indexation also means that some other price rises are not likely to be repeated next month. Alcohol and tobacco prices, for example, rose 1.3% MoM in August. With rising inflation, comes a rise in excise duties. That resulted in an August jump in the price of booze and tobacco six months after excise duties were raised in February. But that won't reoccur again until next February, so this component is likely to be much flatter in September. The housing component is still rising strongly, with rents up  0.7% MoM,  the same as July, and only slightly down from their June peak growth of 0.9% MoM. Some moderation over time is probable. But with supply still constrained and strong demand in the face of a rising population, we don't expect much slowdown any time soon.  One factor that was a sizeable drag for a second consecutive month, was recreation. This is a seasonal factor. The end of the holiday season leads to a drop in the prices of hotel room charges and airfares. But it doesn't last. So this month's 3.9% MoM decline in holiday prices, after July's 3.3% decline, is likely to revert to a positive figure in September in line with past trends.    The AUD has taken some comfort from the data The AUD started the day languishing below 64 cents to the USD, but it has been buoyed by this data, and by the growing possibility of a bit more rate support from the RBA, recovering back above 64 cents. Futures markets are still undecided about the RBA, with very little chance of a rate hike priced in before the end of this year, rising to a peak of about a 66% probability for a further 25bp of tightening, though not until May 2024.  We think that if the RBA is going to hike again, it will need to be this year, as we don't believe the current inflation backsliding will last beyond the year-end. So we'd expect these cash rate futures to start pricing in more tightening sooner over the coming months, as headline inflation continues to go in the wrong direction. That may also provide some additional lift to the AUD, though for that, we also would like to see some generalised USD weakness, and the US inflation and rates story is very similar to that of Australia, so we aren't taking that for granted.
EUR/USD Downside Risks in a Bearish Bond Market: Assessing the Impact of 10-Year Treasury Yields at 5.0%

EUR/USD Downside Risks in a Bearish Bond Market: Assessing the Impact of 10-Year Treasury Yields at 5.0%

ING Economics ING Economics 27.09.2023 13:05
Gauging EUR/USD downside risks in a bearish bond market We estimate that further US bond weakness and 10-year Treasury yields hitting 5.0% would bring EUR/USD to the 1.02 area. While near-term upside risks to back-end yields are non-negligible, short-term USD swap rates should be more capped given a smaller pricing/dot plot gap compared to last June. Our medium-term baseline remains bullish for EUR/USD.   10Y Treasuries at 5% can bring EUR/USD to 1.02 Our colleagues in rates strategy argued in this piece that 5.0% 10-year US yields are no longer a remote possibility. The higher-for-longer Federal Reserve narrative that has been supporting the dollar recently has been mirrored in higher treasury yields, and the implications for the FX market are tangible. We simulated a scenario where the 10-year Treasuries hit 5.0%, based on the past year of EUR/USD coefficients. We estimate the pair would be trading around 1.02 with 5.0% 10Y yields. That would be an approximate 3.5% drop from current levels, the same kind of depreciation observed in the period when UST 10Y yields rose from 4.0% to the current 4.50% levels (EUR/USD sliding from 1.10 to 1.06).   EUR/USD and Treasury yields Dashed lines are ING estimations in a 5.0% UST 10Y scenario        
Australian CPI Expected to Rise to 5.2%: Impact on AUD/USD and RBA's Rate Hike Dilemma

Australian CPI Expected to Rise to 5.2%: Impact on AUD/USD and RBA's Rate Hike Dilemma

Ed Moya Ed Moya 27.09.2023 13:43
Australian CPI expected to rise to 5.2% The Australian dollar is in negative territory on Tuesday. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6405, down 0.28%. Australian CPI expected to rise Australia releases the CPI report on Wednesday. In July, CPI eased to 4.9%, beating expectations and dropping to the lowest inflation rate since February 2022. CPI is expected to rise to 5.2% in August. Inflation remains more than double the 2% target, and the core rate is also high, with the trimmed mean dropping from 6.0% to 5.6% in August. The RBA has raised rates to 4.1%, the highest level since 2012. Have interest rates peaked? That is the thousand-dollar question. The futures markets have priced in a final rate hike before the end of the year at 35%, as investors are betting the Reserve Bank of Australia is likely done with rate tightening. The Australian economy has cooled off as a result of the RBA’s tightening, and the slowdown in China could tip the economy into a recession if rates were to move higher. The central bank is understandably more hawkish, as policy makers don’t want to close the door on further tightening with inflation still well above the target. The new RBA Governor, Michelle Bullock, has warned that the door remains open to further rate hikes and said that upcoming decisions will be based on key data. The RBA minutes from the September meeting indicated that members considered a rate hike, but in the end, opted to pause rates.   In the US, Consumer Board (CB) Consumer Confidence slipped to 103.0 in August, down sharply from a revised July read of 108.7 and shy of the market consensus of 105.5. This marked a 4-month low. Consumers noted concern over rising gasoline prices and high interest rates and the percentage of consumers who expect a recession rose in September, according to the CB. This does not bode well for consumer spending, a key driver of US growth. . AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is putting pressure on support at 0.6380. The next support line is 0.6320 There is resistance at 0.6446 and 0.6506    
Crude Oil Prices Continue to Rise Amid Tight Supply and Economic Uncertainty

Bank of England's Interest Rate Dilemma Amid High Inflation

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2023 13:46
In order to understand how the Bank of England is going to act at the remaining two meetings in 2023, we need to consider its potential for raising interest rates. The first and most crucial indicator that the central bank (and the markets) has been relying on for some time is inflation. However, as of September, inflation remains extremely high, well above the target level. One might assume that the BoE will continue to hike rates, but in September, it took a pause. A pause can only mean two things: either the BoE is preparing to end the tightening process, or it has already completed it     BoE Governor Andrew Bailey and some other members of the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee have mentioned that they expect inflation to drop to 5% by the end of the year. A 5% inflation rate is still very high, 2.5 times above the target. If the BoE is already prepared to conclude its tightening, it may not achieve the target. Furthermore, there's no guarantee that inflation won't start accelerating again.   For instance, US inflation has been rising for the past two months. All I want to convey with these arguments is that it's still too early to assume that inflation can return to 2% at the current interest rate level. Based on that, I believe that the BoE has exhausted its potential for rate hikes, and this is the main reason for the pause in September. Now, the central bank will only raise rates if inflation starts to accelerate significantly. And in that case, the 2% target may be forgotten for several years even with a peak rate, but we could still see 1-2 more emergency rate hikes. I also want to note that the BoE (like the European Central Bank) is counting on holding rates at the peak level for an extended period to bring inflation back to 2%. This was mentioned after last week's meeting.   The Monetary Policy Committee expects inflation to slow down further, but Bailey says cutting rates would be "very premature". Four out of nine committee members voted for a rate hike at the previous meeting. In addition, the Monetary Policy Committee said its balance sheet of government debt will shrink by £100 billion. Based on the analysis conducted, I came to the conclusion that a downward wave pattern is being formed.   I still believe that targets in the 1.0500-1.0600 range for the downtrend are quite feasible, especially since they are quite near. Therefore, I will continue to sell the instrument. Since the downward wave did not end near the 1.0637 level, we can expect the pair to fall to the 1.05 level and slightly below. However, the second corrective wave will start sooner or later.     The wave pattern of the GBP/USD instrument suggests a decline within the downtrend. At most, the British pound can expect the formation of wave 2 or b in the near future. However, even with a corrective wave, there are still significant challenges. At this time, I would remain cautious about selling, as there may be a corrective upward wave forming in the near future, but for now we have not seen any signals for this wave yet.  
The Complex Factors Influencing Gold Prices in 2023: From Interest Rates to China's Impact

The Complex Factors Influencing Gold Prices in 2023: From Interest Rates to China's Impact

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2023 13:47
What does the price of gold depend on? At first glance, the answer is simple—it depends on the cost of money. The lower central bank interest rates are, the cheaper they become. The more expensive the precious metal must be quoted. Conversely, in times of high interest rates, the XAU/USD pair should fall.   At the same time, gold is an anti-dollar. The dynamics of the USD index often determine where the precious metal will move. Unfortunately, in 2023, historical correlations were disrupted, and only the September meeting of the Federal Reserve returned everything to its usual state. Looking at how gold maintains stability in the face of rising real yields on U.S. Treasury bonds, investors involuntarily asked themselves why. Real yields are the cost of money. In a world of expensive money, precious metals should not feel comfortable. Dynamics of gold and real yields of U.S. Treasury bonds.     The same can be said for the dollar. It pleasantly surprised its fans, marking a 10-week winning streak amid the strength of the U.S. economy and the Federal Reserve's reluctance to allow a dovish pivot. Speculators en masse closed short positions on the U.S. currency, and the expectation of a government shutdown only fueled demand for it as a safe haven. Nevertheless, gold ignored the extremely unfavorable external background until the end of September, which allowed for bullish forecasts. After all, if an asset doesn't go where it is expected to, it's more likely to go in the opposite direction. According to Macquarie, the precious metal can rise to $2100 per ounce if U.S. Treasury bond yields and the U.S. dollar decline. If you receive good news in adverse conditions, XAU/USD is capable of marking a swift rally.   Dynamics of gold and the U.S. dollar   To the disappointment of gold enthusiasts, positive news is not coming in. Investors are gradually getting used to the idea that high interest rates are here to stay for a long time. The cost of money has sharply increased and will remain so for an extended period. The precious metal loses its shine and begins to do what it should—fall. In my opinion, the reasons for the stability of XAU/USD should be sought in China. Currently, premiums for bars in Shanghai exceed prices in London and New York by more than $100 per ounce. Gold in China costs more than $2000. The People's Bank of China started this process by avidly buying precious metals as part of the de-dollarization process. Then consumers picked up the baton. Due to the real estate market crisis, the weakening of the yuan, and strict capital controls, the population is buying gold.     Unfortunately, intermarket connections will sooner or later make themselves felt. The strengthening of the dollar and the rise in the real yields of U.S. Treasury bonds pushed XAU/USD below 1900. Technically, on the daily chart, gold has the formation of a Shark pattern at 5-0. The target level at 161.8%, according to the latest model, is $1825 per ounce. Breaking support at $1895 will allow for the formation of short positions.  
China's Property Debt Crisis, Economic Momentum, and Upcoming Meetings: A Market Analysis

Economic Calendar and Market Analysis for September 26-27: Euro and Pound React to ECB Announcement, Durable Goods Orders Awaited in the US

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2023 13:51
Details of the Economic Calendar on September 26 European Central Bank Chief Economist Philip Lane announced a shift in monetary policy towards a more accommodative stance but also presented forecasts indicating the possibility of the first interest rate cut as early as the second quarter of next year. Furthermore, the refinancing rate could be reduced by 150 basis points over the next two years. Based on this information, the euro accelerated its decline, and as a result, the British pound also shifted towards active weakening.   Analysis of Trading Charts from September 26 The EUR/USD currency pair concluded its pullback with a new surge in the volume of short positions. As a result, the local low of the downward cycle was updated, and the technical signal of oversold euro remains in the market. On the other hand, the GBP/USD pair, during its inertial movement, does not respond to technical signals of oversold conditions. As a result, the exchange rate fell below the level of 1.2150, indicating significant speculative interest in short positions. Economic Calendar for September 27 Today, the publication of data on durable goods orders in the United States is expected, with expectations of a decrease of 1.4% in the volume of these orders. This should be considered in light of the previous month when they fell by 5.2%. Thus, this will be the second consecutive month of declining orders for durable goods. Durable goods orders reflect the state of consumer activity, which is a driver of economic growth. If the data confirms a decline in orders, this could put pressure on the dollar in the market.     EUR/USD Trading Plan for September 27 Based on the oversold signal for the euro exchange rate, it can be assumed that the support level at 1.0500 may play as support. In this case, there is a scenario of slowing down the current downward cycle within this level, which could lead to an increase in the volume of long-term positions, potentially resulting in a partial recovery of the euro exchange rate. However, if speculators ignore the technical oversold signal and the exchange rate remains below the level of 1.0500 during the day, this could support the momentum in the euro market for some time.   GBP/USD Trading Plan for September 27 If the inertial movement continues in the market, and traders continue to ignore the technical oversold signal for the British pound, further depreciation of the exchange rate towards the psychological level of 1.1950/1.2050 is possible. What's on the charts The candlestick chart type is white and black graphic rectangles with lines above and below. With a detailed analysis of each individual candle, you can see its characteristics relative to a particular time frame: opening price, closing price, intraday high and low. Horizontal levels are price coordinates, relative to which a price may stop or reverse its trajectory. In the market, these levels are called support and resistance. Circles and rectangles are highlighted examples where the price reversed in history. This color highlighting indicates horizontal lines that may put pressure on the asset's price in the future. The up/down arrows are landmarks of the possible price direction in the future.    
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!  
EUR/USD Downtrend Continues: Factors Driving the Euro's Decline and Outlook

EUR/USD Downtrend Continues: Factors Driving the Euro's Decline and Outlook

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2023 14:10
The EUR/USD currency pair continued its downward movement throughout Tuesday. Volatility remained relatively weak, and the decline was not too strong. Nevertheless, it is very stable and raises no questions. We have repeatedly mentioned in recent weeks that such a movement is expected from the European currency, even if it seems illogical at first glance. For example, on Monday and Tuesday, there were no significant events or publications to justify the continued decline of the European currency. Last week, we expected an upward correction, which has yet to materialize. However, this market situation is the most logical one after the euro either rose unjustifiably in the first half of the year or simply held at a very high level without a correction. We believe that this factor is crucial for the euro and the dollar right now.   Consider this: if the Federal Reserve has raised and is raising interest rates more aggressively than the ECB, why have we seen the euro currency rise over the past year? Assume that the market has already set prices for all rate increases in the United States. In that case, why weren't rate hikes in the European Union priced the same way? The European economy has been struggling for several quarters, while in the US, we have seen quarterly growth of 2-3%. Based on all these factors, we have constantly stated that it's time for the pair to move downward. Significantly and for the long term. We do not rule out the possibility that, by the end of the year, the euro currency will return to parity with the dollar. In the 24-hour timeframe, the pair has breached the important Fibonacci level of 38.2% (1.0609) and is now almost guaranteed to drop to the 5th level. Remember that we have long referred to level 1.05 as the target. However, the movement to the south may not end there. We fully consider the possibility of a drop to the next Fibonacci level of 23.6% (1.0200). Muller and de Cos are once again pushing the euro lower. There have been no significant macroeconomic publications in the past few days. Only today in the United States will the report on durable goods orders be published, which can be considered more or less significant. However, over the past few days and the entire last week, we have witnessed speeches by representatives of the ECB's monetary committee. Several times a day. In principle, it became clear last week that the ECB is on the home stretch and will raise rates at most one more time. As we have mentioned, in the case of the ECB or the Federal Reserve, such actions can be considered logical, as the central banks have raised (or will raise by the end of the year) rates to almost 6%. Further rate hikes would be risky for the economy. But the situation is different with the ECB. The rate is slightly above 4%, which is clearly insufficient to bring inflation back to the target level in the near future.     But we are not here to judge the ECB; we are merely stating a fact: the ECB's rate has increased too weakly compared to the Federal Reserve's rate, and the euro currency has risen for too long based on expectations of a strong tightening of monetary policy in the European Union. The European currency may continue to decline peacefully because a wave of disappointment has now covered the market. On Tuesday, Madis Muller from the ECB stated that he does not expect a new rate hike. De Cos and de Galhau, the heads of Spain's and France's central banks, as well as Vice President de Guindos, had previously made similar statements. In one way or another, all ECB representatives have indicated that further tightening will only be possible in the event of accelerated inflation. However, the market is not too satisfied with this formulation because everyone understands that the European Union will be battling high inflation for several years to come. Just like the United Kingdom, but at least with Britain, it can be said that the central bank has done everything it could.   The average volatility of the EUR/USD currency pair over the last 5 trading days as of September 27th is 65 points and is characterized as "average." Thus, we expect the pair to move between the levels of 1.0495 and 1.0625 on Wednesday. A reversal of the Heiken Ashi indicator upwards will indicate a new attempt to make a slight correction. The nearest support levels are: S1: 1.0498 Nearest resistance levels: R1 = 1.0620 R2: 1.0742 R3: 1.0864     Trading recommendations: The EUR/USD pair maintains a downtrend. Short positions can be held with targets at 1.0510 and 1.0495 until the price consolidates above the moving average. Long positions can be considered if the price consolidates above the moving average with a target of 1.0742. Explanations for the illustrations: Linear regression channels help determine the current trend. If both are pointing in the same direction, it means the trend is strong right now. The moving average line (settings 20.0, smoothed) determines the short-term trend and the direction in which trading should be conducted at the moment. Murray levels: target levels for movements and corrections. Volatility levels (red lines): the probable price channel in which the pair will move in the next day based on current volatility indicators. CCI indicator: its entry into the overbought region (above +250) or oversold region (below -250) indicates that a trend reversal in the opposite direction is approaching.  
USD/JPY Eyes Psychological Level of 150.00 Amidst BoJ's Monetary Policy and Fed's Rate Hike Expectations

USD/JPY Eyes Psychological Level of 150.00 Amidst BoJ's Monetary Policy and Fed's Rate Hike Expectations

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2023 14:12
For the fourth consecutive day, the USD/JPY pair is steadily heading towards the psychological level of 150.00, currently trading above the 149.00 mark.   The Japanese yen continues to face pressure due to the Bank of Japan's decision last week to maintain the status quo. At the end of the September meeting, the Japanese central bank left its ultra-loose policy unchanged, refraining from any hints of possible changes in the near future.   Additionally, earlier this week, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the current policy has a significant stimulative effect on the economy, and the main position is to patiently maintain monetary easing. He added that Japan's economy is at a critical stage in achieving a positive wage growth cycle and sustainable inflation at 2%, which is not yet visible. Such statements dispel hopes of a future exit from the massive stimulus program and continue to undermine the yen. On the other hand, the Federal Reserve has indicated that interest rates will not be falling in the near future. It openly stated that there will be further rate hikes by the end of the year, with only two rate cuts expected in 2024, instead of the previously speculated four, as anticipated three months ago.   Many FOMC members still express uncertainty about the end of the fight against inflation. Consequently, this supports the prospects for further tightening of monetary policy. This, in turn, led to selling in the U.S. bond market and pushed the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds to the highest level since 2007, which became a key factor in the recent rise of the U.S. dollar to a 10-month peak and continues to support the USD/JPY pair's upward trajectory.   Nevertheless, the prevailing risk-off environment favors the relative status of JPY as a safe haven and limits the potential for spot price growth. But it should not be forgotten that Japanese authorities will intervene in the currency market to support the national currency. This restrains bulls from pushing USD/JPY to new levels. In fact, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki issued a new warning against the recent weakness of the yen and stated last week that the government would not rule out any options to address excessive volatility in the currency markets.   This, in turn, requires caution before taking positions regarding the continuation of the established upward trend observed since mid-July. However, for now, the fundamental backdrop supports the pair's growth. But it is worth paying attention to today's news regarding the dollar before rushing into betting on further moves.  
Crude Oil Prices Continue to Rise Amid Tight Supply and Economic Uncertainty

Crude Oil Prices Continue to Rise Amid Tight Supply and Economic Uncertainty

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 27.09.2023 14:29
Crude oil futures in London and New York continue to attract buying interest as the available supply, especially of diesel-rich crude oil from the Middle East and Russia remain tight as producers keep output well below their respective production ability. The current tightness is increasingly being expressed at the front end of the curve, where the premium for near-term barrels of WTI trades compared to the next month has almost reached 2 dollars a barrel, the highest level in more than a year. However, while the short-term outlook points to higher tight supply-driven crude prices, the recent bear steepening move in the US yield curve signals an incoming economic slowdown and with that an increase risk to growth and demand next year.   Crude oil futures in London and New York continue to attract buying interest as the available supply, especially of diesel-rich crude oil from the Middle East and Russia remain tight as producers keep output well below their respective production ability. Not least Saudi Arabia who despite OPEC’s own projection for the tightest market in more than a decade this coming quarter decided to extend its unilateral one million barrels a day production cut until yearend.  That decision along with cuts from others, including Russia, helped drive up the cost of energy, thereby supporting the risk of sticky inflation, and together with a still resilient US economy and strong labor market they recently led the US Federal Reserve to deliver a hawkish pause in their aggressive rate hike campaign, while at the same time indicating that rates may have to stay higher for longer. A signal which helped send US 10-year Treasury yields to a 16-year high while the dollar reached a year-high against a basket of major currencies.      In WTI, the mini correction that followed the recent rejection at $93.75, the double top from October and November last year, seems to have stopped before challenging the first level of support at $87.60, the 38.2% retracement of the latest run up in prices as well as the 21-day moving average. It highlights the current market strength being supported by tight market conditions. A break above $93.75 would bring $97.65 into focus while supporting a fresh attempt by Brent to reach the important $100 per barrel mark. Source: Saxo.   Looking ahead, there is little doubt that until a decision to raise production is made, the global energy market will remain tight, and during this time the risk of a major correction still is relatively low, something that is being reflected in the current positions held by hedge funds and CTA’s, more on that later. However, at the same time the US yield curve is increasingly sending a signal of distress, as recession risks continue to gather momentum, not only in the US but also in Europe where German economic institutes forecast a 0.6% GDP contraction already this year.      What do recent movements in the US yield curve signal? There has been a lot of talk recently about the US yield and the so-called bear-steepening move, and what it signals. Since early July, the US 2-10 yield curve spread has steepened, halving from around -110 basis points to the current -55 basis points. The latest steepening has been driven by a faster increase in the 10-year yield while the 2-year yield held steady amid doubts about how much higher the FOMC will be able to raise rates without damaging the economy.  Bear steepening does not only raise red flags for stock market investors but also the wider economy. Rising long-dated yields has a large and rapid tightening effect on the real economy given the impact on private mortgage rates and corporate borrowing rates. In a situation where the economy is running hot, rising interest rates pose limited risks as rising yields are a normal reaction to robust growth. However, in the current situation where sticky inflation drives long-end yields higher it may pose a threat as the economic outlook looks increasingly challenged and could deteriorate faster. Back to the oil market where the current tightness is increasingly being expressed at the front end of the curve, where the premium for near-term barrels of WTI trades compared to the next month has almost reached 2 dollars a barrel, the highest level in more than a year. Looking further out the curve we find the 12-month spread between December 2023 and December 2024 has jumped to more than 11 dollars a barrel from around 2 dollars back in July. The chart below shows the rising backwardation - higher prices now followed by lower prices later – and the mentioned bear steepening of the US yield curve.  It's often said the oil curve never lies, and it is currently telling us that prices will remain high in the short term before recession risks begin to weigh on demand into 2024. A situation, if realized, that may force OPEC to accept lower prices or forcing an extended period of production cuts.      Speculators onboard the bull train but with some hesitation The latest Commitment of Traders report covering the week to September 19 showed continued belief in higher crude oil prices with hedge funds adding to their long positions in WTI and Brent Crude oil futures. Since June 30 when the latest round of production cuts began to bite, the combined net long in Brent and WTI has risen by 329k contracts (329 million barrels) to 560k contracts. However, looking at how the change has occurred,we find the increase being driven by 171k contracts of fresh longs and a 158k contract reduction in the gross short, and while the WTI long has reached a February 2022 high, the Brent long has not even returned to the March 2023 high. Funds are buying Brent and especially WTI futures, but not at a pace that could be expected given the recent strength and momentum, potentially signaling a battle between current tight fundamental and macroeconomic headwinds pointing to lower prices later. In addition, with almost half of the increase in the net long being driven by short covering, the gross short has collapsed to a 12-year low at just 46k contracts, and while a very small gross short attracts little attention while prices are rising, it will pose a challenge once the technical and/or fundamental outlook turns negative. At that point, a sizable number of longs might be forced to chase a small pool of short positions willing to buy and it may lead to expanded daily trading ranges.        
AUD: RBA Maintains Rates as New Governor Upholds Continuity

AUD: RBA Maintains Rates as New Governor Upholds Continuity

ING Economics ING Economics 05.10.2023 08:44
AUD: New RBA governor fails to surprise The Reserve Bank of Australia kept rates on hold as Michele Bullock made her debut as Governor. There was an overall sense of continuity from the previous governor’s policy stance, with the Bank’s view on inflation still rather benign and reinforcing the consensus view that the tightening cycle is over. The usual caveat that further tightening was also widely expected essentially reiterates that the RBA retains the data-dependent approach that has driven policy decisions of late. Markets are pricing in around 10bp of tightening by December. We are more hawkish than the general consensus, seeing non-negligible chances that a CPI surprise will force one last hike to the peak. Ultimately, even another hike would not be a game changer for the Aussie dollar. The sharp rise in US yields and soft risk environment should keep AUD/USD under pressure for now. Risks are now that the correction extends to 0.62/0.6250
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
Navigating Uncertainties: RBNZ's Inflation Gamble, Election Dynamics, and Kiwi Dollar's Path Ahead

Navigating Uncertainties: RBNZ's Inflation Gamble, Election Dynamics, and Kiwi Dollar's Path Ahead

ING Economics ING Economics 05.10.2023 08:48
RBNZ inflation forecasts still look like a gamble The RBNZ’s latest inflation projections – from the August Monetary Policy Statement – show an optimistic scenario for disinflation, largely based on assumptions about the impact of restrictive monetary policy and slowing domestic as well as external demand. Those assumptions are, however, met with the risks associated with: a) the extra spending deployed by the government from May, b) the recent spike in oil prices, c) residual supply-related inflationary effects of severe weather events, and d) the still unclear impact of booming net migration on wages and prices (easing labour supply, but raising demand for housing and other services). We think that the RBNZ will continue to acknowledge those risks to inflation and strike a generally hawkish tone this week, with the aim of keeping inflation expectations capped. However, a rate hike seems unlikely a week before the elections and before having seen official CPI and jobs data. Once inflation figures are out, the RBNZ may tolerate a slightly higher-than-anticipated third quarter headline CPI (the projection is for 6.0% YoY), but expect greater scrutiny on non-tradable inflation (projected at 6.2%).    RBNZ inflation forecasts   Polls point to a National-led coalition Advance voting in New Zealand has already been going on for a couple of days, while physical election day will take place on Saturday 14 October, with the preliminary results starting to be released from 7PM local time. Latest opinion polls suggest that the incumbent Labour Party (of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern) should lose its parliament majority to the opposition National Party. A centre-right coalition, led by the National Party and supported by the right-wing ACT New Zealand is currently projected to secure somewhere between 45% and 50% of parliament seats, possibly short of a majority. A coalition may need to include the nationalist NZ First to secure enough seats: latest polls give NZ First just above the 5% threshold required to enter parliament without winning a single-member seat.   Single party and coalition opinion polls ahead of the 14 October election   The monetary policy implication of a potential shift in government First of all, the past few years have taught to take pre-election polls with a pinch of salt. Secondly, the impact of politics on NZD are generally quite limited. This time though, a change of government (assuming the polls are right and NZ First joins a National-led coalition) might have some implications for the RBNZ further down the road. The National Party recently published its pre-election fiscal plan, where it pledged more fiscal discipline compared to Labour. Specifically, National said it would spend around NZD3bn less than Labour over four years, with the aim of reducing debt at a faster pace. If the RBNZ links any rebound in CPI to additional fiscal spending, the change in government could suggest a less hawkish RBNZ in the longer run. Another aspect to consider is the RBNZ remit. Over the summer, the National Party Finance spokeperson Nicola Willis pledged to restore the central bank’s sole focus on the inflation target. This would imply removing the RBNZ’s dual mandate (maximum sustainable employment) and potentially reviewing the additional housing stability objective that were added in 2018 and in 2021 respectively. The first – and more impactful – effect would suggest higher RBNZ rates in the medium and long term; while removing housing affordability objective would in theory be a dovish argument, the stricter inflation target would likely overshadow any housing-related considerations.   FX: Domestic factors can determine relative NZD performance The Kiwi dollar has resisted USD appreciation better than other commodity currencies in the past month, and we have seen AUD/NZD fall from the recent 1.0900 peak to below 1.0700 – also thanks to the Reserve Bank of Australia hold this week. We think that the RBNZ will continue to signal upside risks to their inflation forecasts and keep the door open to more tightening if needed this week, but it is very likely that November will be a much more eventful policy meeting for NZD, with new rate and economic projections being released and after the inflation and jobs data for the third quarter are released. Expect some significant NZD volatility around the two data releases this month: we are still of the view that inflation can surprise to the upside, so expect some positive impact on NZD. Markets are currently pricing in 15bp of tightening by November. When it comes to the election outcome, a hung parliament with parties failing to find a working coalition would be the worst scenario for NZD. Should either Labour or National manage to lead a government after the vote, we expect the market implications to be mostly bonded to those for the RBNZ remit (and less so to fiscal spending). So, very limited in the event of Labour staying in power, and moderately positive for NZD (negative for NZ short-dated bonds) in a win by the National Party as markets may speculate on the remit being changed to focus solely on a strict inflation target. The chances of a hike in November will, however, depend almost entirely on CPI and jobs data, not on the vote.   Expect any meaningful swing in NZD to be mostly visible in the crosses, especially in the shape of relative performance against other commodity/high-beta currencies. A combination of National electoral win (and workable coalition) and CPI surprise could make AUD/NZD re-test the 1.0580 May low and slip to 1.0500. NZD/NOK is another interesting pair, with more room to recover after a large summer slump: a return to 6.60 is possible in the above scenario. When it comes to NZD/USD, the swings in USD continue to be an overwhelmingly dominant driver. With US 10-year yields still moving higher and our rates team pointing at 5.0% as a potential top, we see more downside for NZD/USD in the near term. NZD-positive developments domestically would not prevent a drop to 0.5800 if US bonds remain under the kind of pressure we have seen in recent weeks. In the medium run, we still expect US data to turn negative and the Fed to start cutting in first quarter 2024, which should pave the way for a sustained NZD/USD recovery.
Rates Spark: Escalating into a Rout as Bond Bear Steepening Accelerates

Market Jitters: Strong US Jobs Data Sparks Fear of Tightening Labor Market and Rising Yields

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 05.10.2023 08:54
The fear of strong jobs By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Even a hint of an improving US jobs market sends shivers down investors' spines.  This is why the stronger than expected job openings data from the US spurred panic across the global financial markets yesterday. Although hirings and firings remained stable, the financial world was unhappy to see so many job opportunities offered to Americans as the data hinted that the US jobs market could be going back toward tightening, and not toward loosening. And that means that Americans will keep their jobs, find new ones, asked better pays, and keep spending. That spending will keep US growth above average and continue pushing inflation higher, and the Federal Reserve (Fed) will not only keep interest rates higher for longer but eventually be obliged to hike them more. Alas, a catastrophic scenario for the global financial markets where the rising US yields threaten to destroy value everywhere. PS. JOLTS data is volatile, and one data point is insufficient to point at changing trend. We still believe that the US jobs market will continue to loosen.  But the market reaction to yesterday's JOLTS data was sharp and clear. The US 2-year yield spiked above 5.15% after the stronger than expected JOLTS data, the 10-year yield went through the roof and hit the 4.85% mark. News that the US House Speaker McCarthy lost his position after last week's deal to keep the US government open certainly didn't help attract investors into the US sovereign space. The US blue-chip bond yields on the other hand have advanced to the highest levels since 2009, and the spike in real yields hardly justify buying stocks if earnings expectations remain weak. The S&P500 is now headed towards its 200-DMA, which stands near the 4200 level. The more rate sensitive Nasdaq still has ways to go before reaching its own 200-DMA and critical Fibonacci levels, but the selloff could become harder in technology stocks if things got uglier.  In the FX, the US dollar extended gains across the board. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept the interest rate steady at 5.5% as expected. Due today, the ADP report is expected to show a significant slowdown in US private job additions last month; the expectation is a meagre 153'000 new private job additions in September. Any weakness would be extremely welcome for the rest of the world, while a strong looking data, an - God forbid – a figure above 200K could boost the Federal Reserve (Fed) hawks and bring the discussion of a potential rate hike in November seriously on the table.   The EURUSD consolidates below the 1.05 level, the USDJPY spiked shortly above the 150 mark, and suddenly fell 2% in a matter of minutes, in a move that was thought to be an unconfirmed FX intervention. Gold extended losses to $1815 per ounce as the rising US yields increase the opportunity cost of holding the non-interest-bearing gold.  The barrel of American crude remains under pressure below the $90pb level. US shale producers say that they will keep drilling under wraps even if oil prices surge to $100pb, pointing at Joe Biden's war against fossil fuel. A tighter oil supply is the main market driver for now, but recession fears will likely keep the upside limited, and September high could be a peak. 
The Fear of Strong Jobs: How US Labor Market Resilience Sparks Global Financial Panic

The Fear of Strong Jobs: How US Labor Market Resilience Sparks Global Financial Panic

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 05.10.2023 08:55
The fear of strong jobs By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Even a hint of an improving US jobs market sends shivers down investors' spines.  This is why the stronger than expected job openings data from the US spurred panic across the global financial markets yesterday. Although hirings and firings remained stable, the financial world was unhappy to see so many job opportunities offered to Americans as the data hinted that the US jobs market could be going back toward tightening, and not toward loosening. And that means that Americans will keep their jobs, find new ones, asked better pays, and keep spending. That spending will keep US growth above average and continue pushing inflation higher, and the Federal Reserve (Fed) will not only keep interest rates higher for longer but eventually be obliged to hike them more. Alas, a catastrophic scenario for the global financial markets where the rising US yields threaten to destroy value everywhere. PS. JOLTS data is volatile, and one data point is insufficient to point at changing trend. We still believe that the US jobs market will continue to loosen.  But the market reaction to yesterday's JOLTS data was sharp and clear. The US 2-year yield spiked above 5.15% after the stronger than expected JOLTS data, the 10-year yield went through the roof and hit the 4.85% mark. News that the US House Speaker McCarthy lost his position after last week's deal to keep the US government open certainly didn't help attract investors into the US sovereign space. The US blue-chip bond yields on the other hand have advanced to the highest levels since 2009, and the spike in real yields hardly justify buying stocks if earnings expectations remain weak. The S&P500 is now headed towards its 200-DMA, which stands near the 4200 level. The more rate sensitive Nasdaq still has ways to go before reaching its own 200-DMA and critical Fibonacci levels, but the selloff could become harder in technology stocks if things got uglier.  In the FX, the US dollar extended gains across the board. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) kept the interest rate steady at 5.5% as expected. Due today, the ADP report is expected to show a significant slowdown in US private job additions last month; the expectation is a meagre 153'000 new private job additions in September. Any weakness would be extremely welcome for the rest of the world, while a strong looking data, an - God forbid – a figure above 200K could boost the Federal Reserve (Fed) hawks and bring the discussion of a potential rate hike in November seriously on the table.   The EURUSD consolidates below the 1.05 level, the USDJPY spiked shortly above the 150 mark, and suddenly fell 2% in a matter of minutes, in a move that was thought to be an unconfirmed FX intervention. Gold extended losses to $1815 per ounce as the rising US yields increase the opportunity cost of holding the non-interest-bearing gold.  The barrel of American crude remains under pressure below the $90pb level. US shale producers say that they will keep drilling under wraps even if oil prices surge to $100pb, pointing at Joe Biden's war against fossil fuel. A tighter oil supply is the main market driver for now, but recession fears will likely keep the upside limited, and September high could be a peak.   
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.
Worsening Crisis: Dutch Medicine Shortage Soars by 51% in 2023

Holding Pattern: ECB's Dovish Stance Sets the Tone Amidst Global Rate Uncertainty

ING Economics ING Economics 27.10.2023 14:57
Rates Spark: We’re now in a holding pattern The ECB keeping rates on hold reflects what will likely be a common theme at next week's Fed and BoE meetings, and its dovish tone will find affirmation in upcoming inflation and growth data. But longer-end rates remain under the spell of US Treasuries, where supply is also a key driver.   The ECB delivers a dovish hold The European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold as widely anticipated but struck a slightly more dovish tone than expected. Importantly, the ECB refrained from shifting the focus to the balance sheet now rates are deemed sufficiently high. According to President Christine Lagarde, both the PEPP and the minimum reserve requirement were not even discussed.   Lagarde highlighted again that data dependency also means rate hikes could not be excluded, but she said any discussion about cuts was “totally premature”. That said, the undertone regarding the economy has become more cautious. Also, with regard to a potential spike in energy prices, she highlighted the uncertainty of their medium-term impact on inflation. Overall, market reaction in outright rates is more difficult to disentangle given the release of US data just ahead of the press conference. Very front-end rates, which should be less influenced by US spillovers, reflected the somewhat more dovish take and a firming notion that the ECB has reached peak rates already. The already minimal hike speculation reflected in ECB-dated OIS forwards for December was further trimmed, and the strip is downward sloping from then onwards to fully discount a rate cut by June next year.    Sovereign spreads initially reacted with relief, with the key spread of 10Y Italian government bonds versus Bunds briefly narrowing back below 200bp. Obviously, it is unlikely to be the end of the story, and the ECB could pick up the discussion at some point. Indeed, Reuters later reported that policymakers agreed to postpone the debate until the winter. and a discussion on minimum reserves was reported to come as part of the operational framework review.  
The EIA Reports Tight Crude Oil Market: Prices Firm on Positive Inventory Data and Middle East Tensions

Day of Reckoning: Anticipating a Cutting Cycle as Czech National Bank Gears Up for November Meeting

ING Economics ING Economics 27.10.2023 15:02
Czech National Bank Preview: Day of Reckoning We expect the CNB to start the cutting cycle with a 25bp move at the November meeting. The central bank will also unveil a new forecast with a significant revision in the dovish direction. We see the geopolitical situation and the impact on energy prices and EUR/CZK as the main risk to our call at the moment.   Cutting cycle starts The Czech National Bank will meet on Thursday next week when it will present its last forecast published this year. We go into the meeting expecting the first rate cut of 25bp to 6.75%, a view we have held since June. On the data front, a lot has changed in the economy since the CNB's August forecast, and almost everything is pointing in a more dovish direction. GDP is expected to be revised significantly downwards, especially for the first half of the next year and not only because of domestic weakness but also the outlook for abroad. The labour market, while still tight, is showing slower wage growth than the CNB expected in August. Most importantly, inflation is below the central bank's forecast. Headline inflation for Q3 came in at 0.1pp, and core inflation at 0.3pp on average below expectations. Add to that, energy prices! They look set to fall faster than expected in the coming months and in January.   New forecast will convince the undecided votes Moreover, the CNB is already behind the curve, given that the Bank's model indicates rate cuts earlier. This, combined with other deviations from the forecast, should lead to a significant revision in the path of interest rates of around 50bps on average over the forecast horizon. On the other hand, this is countered by a weaker CZK, which the CNB expects to reach current levels only in Q1 next year. However, the board's communication seems to suggest that the weaker koruna is not a problem for now. We believe the pain threshold for delaying a rate cut would be the 25.0 EUR/CZK level, which we don't see on the table for now. Board members are basically unanimous in their statements that the November meeting is the first live one for a rate cut and we believe the new forecast will convince the undecided votes. Otherwise, we believe a rate cut will be delayed only until December, but next week's meeting should already show some votes for a rate cut. In general, we see the main risks more at the global level, especially the impact on energy prices and EUR/CZK, which is probably the CNB's main focus these days.    
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Tight Labour Market Persists in Hungary Despite Economic Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 27.10.2023 15:06
Labour hoarding persists in Hungary September brought a tiny weakening in official labour market statistics. However, the changes have been so gradual that the unemployment rate has remained unchanged and is still stubbornly low despite Hungary's economic difficulties.   Unemployment rate remains stubbornly low According to the latest unemployment statistics from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO), only a minimal change was seen in Hungary's labour market in September. The model estimate for the ninth month of the year showed a slight improvement (3.9%) in the unemployment rate. Meanwhile, the official three-month moving average of the unemployment rate (based on the survey) remained unchanged at 4.1%. Against this backdrop, the number of those unemployed is estimated to be between 190,000 and 200,000. Unemployment rates are still significantly higher than a year ago. However, given that the overall performance of the Hungarian economy remains weak – even if the underlying expectation is that the third-quarter GDP data will show that the period of technical recession is likely to have ended – the latest series of labour market data can be considered very positive overall.   Historical trends in the Hungarian labour market (%, 3-m moving average) Looking at the monthly data, perhaps the most important change is that the number of non-participants fell sharply by around 47,000, while the number of employed persons rose by 45,500. At the same time, those entering the labour market found jobs straight away, with the number of people in employment rising by almost 50,000 in one month and the number of those unemployed falling slightly by almost 4,000. This suggests that seasonal and technical effects may be the main drivers behind the changes. We find it hard to believe that such a large labour market spill-over has taken place in one month – all the more so given that the labour market data for September are in line with those for June and July. It is therefore likely that the weakening of the labour market in August can be seen as an anomaly.   The monthly changes in the main labour market statistics   Looking at the monthly data, perhaps the most important change is that the number of non-participants fell sharply by around 47,000, while the number of employed persons rose by 45,500. At the same time, those entering the labour market found jobs straight away, with the number of people in employment rising by almost 50,000 in one month and the number of those unemployed falling slightly by almost 4,000. This suggests that seasonal and technical effects may be the main drivers behind the changes. We find it hard to believe that such a large labour market spill-over has taken place in one month – all the more so given that the labour market data for September are in line with those for June and July. It is therefore likely that the weakening of the labour market in August can be seen as an anomaly.   The monthly changes in the main labour market statistics   On this basis, we do not consider the slight change in the labour market indicators to contain any meaningful extra information. Overall, our picture of the Hungarian labour market has not changed – it remains close to full employment and we still see persistent labour shortages.   We don't see major changes in the strength of the labour market ahead We expect similar volatility in the unemployment rate in the coming months, without any structural change. Companies will continue to insist on retaining staff or even hoarding, having learned from the shocks of recent years that it is quite difficult to expand the workforce in a recovery period in an economy with a general shortage of labour. The Hungarian economy is also on the verge of recovery – that is, if disinflation continues to target and EU funds are available soon to draw down to support economic performance. We continue to see inflation as the biggest risk to the labour market. The backwards-looking inflation expectations based on the recent history of inflation and the government's desire to achieve positive real wages could push companies towards higher wage increases. The question is whether employers will be able to absorb these wage increases in the face of external inflationary shocks without further price increases. Our calculations suggest that companies will need to increase labour productivity by 2-3% to avoid a price-wage spiral, based on the roughly 10% wage increase forecasted in 2024. Encouragingly, the repricing of energy contracts at the end of this year promises cost reductions, which may give companies more room to raise wages without profit margin pressure. In addition, the declining but still high interest rate environment may also encourage more efficient investment. If consumption does not explode even if inflation falls sharply (and we see only a slow recovery), a gradual increase in domestic demand is also likely to prevent a renewed rapid rise in prices. The risk of a wage-price spiral therefore remains alive given the tight labour market, but we see a good chance of avoiding it for the time being.
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Turbulent Times: Chile's Central Bank Adapts to Global Storms

ING Economics ING Economics 27.10.2023 15:11
Global storms blow Chile's central bank off course Chile’s central bank is blaming difficult external conditions for its decision to slow the pace of rate cuts and suspend its FX reserve accumulation programme. This may bring questions for other central banks in the region.   50bp instead of 75bp Late yesterday, the Central Bank of Chile (CBC) delivered a 50bp rate cut. This brings the overnight target rate down to 9.00%. The move was a surprise in that the CBC had guided over recent meetings for the target rate to end the year in the 7.75-8.00% area. Investors had assumed that with the policy rate at 9.50% before yesterday and two meetings left, two 75bp cuts would be forthcoming. Chile's central bank was quite explicit in its rationale for the smaller rate cuts. Its domestic macro scenario remained very much on track. The economy was slowing, inflation was falling and longer-term inflation expectations were anchored at 3%. What was not on track was the international scenario, where higher US yields on the back of a hawkish Federal Reserve and fiscal concerns, a strong dollar and high oil prices were all weighing heavily on Chilean asset markets and raising concerns over financial stability. The CBC statement provided little forward guidance as to the size of future rate cuts, but presumably, the market will continue to reprice the pace and terminal rate of the CBC easing cycle. When the central bank opened its easing cycle in July with a 100bp rate cut (to 10.25%), investors priced in rates being cut to 3.50% next year. The pricing of the low point in the easing cycle has been pared back to just under 5.00% now and could be raised further after yesterday’s caution from the CBC.   Weak peso prompts suspension in FX reserve rebuild In a sign of just how sensitive the central bank is to recent weakness in Chile’s peso, the CBC yesterday announced it was suspending two schemes designed to rebuild FX reserves. One was the suspension of June’s plan to add $10bn to its FX reserves over a 12-month window. This plan was suspended yesterday, with only $3.6bn accumulated. The other was to unwind its short dollar position in its Non-Deliverable Forward (NDF) book. Last year, the CBC had sold $9.1bn through the NDF market to protect the peso. In suspending the unwind programme, it leaves a $2.7bn short dollar position to roll over. This will have been a disappointing announcement for the central bank to have made yesterday. It had been seeking to rebuild FX reserves after losing virtually half of them last year trying to fight peso weakness. Curtailing the reserve rebuild programme sees the CBC stop short of reaching the goals it had set to improve its FX reserve adequacy metrics.   Sovereign credit: Chile stands out among Latin American peers Chile retains one of the strongest sovereign credit profiles in Latin America with its A2/A/A- ratings, despite some deterioration in recent years over political volatility and fiscal concerns. Chile’s sovereign CDS spreads and dollar bond spreads trade at the tight end of the region, and around the middle of its rating tier, with comparables such as Poland and Saudi Arabia. Investor perception, therefore, is of Chile as a more stable investment than regional peers such as Brazil and Mexico, and much more than the extreme example of Argentina.   Chile still boasts a strong sovereign rating (rating versus CDS)   Market implications Chile’s financial markets are closed today (27 October) for a national holiday. When they re-open – assuming the international conditions have not deteriorated any further – Chile’s peso should get a lift. However, with the dollar environment staying strong, we doubt investors would want to chase USD/CLP much below the 900. This remains our year-end target. Chile’s swap market should see some decent re-pricing at the short end of the curve. Traders had assumed that the CBC was on target to take the policy rate to 7.75-8.00% by year-end. These expectations can be pared back by 30bp – perhaps by 50bp. Chile’s moves also raise questions for some other banks in the region. Brazil also started rate cuts this summer and firmly guided for 50bp rate cuts at every meeting this year. Brazil’s central bank meets to set rates next week. The market now prices 48bp and 46bp cuts for the 3 November and 14 December meetings respectively. Brazil’s real has held its value much better than Chile’s peso, and its central bank may therefore be more tempted to push ahead with 50bp cuts this year – but the scale of the 2024 easing cycle could be pared back still further. Expectations for Banxico’s easing cycle were always priced more conservatively than in Chile and Brazil. But Chile’s more cautious move stands to cement current pricing that Banxico will not be cutting rates for another six months – unless the pricing of the Fed cycle adjusts sharply lower. And like others in the region, the terminal rate in Banxico’s easing cycle has already been re-priced 150bp higher over the last three months. Like Chile, Banxico also has a forward book unwind programme underway at the moment. As we noted when the plan to unwind its $7.5bn short dollar position was announced in September, the majority of that unwind would be front-loaded into September and October. Mexico’s currency has generally performed better than Chile’s and given that a decent chunk of the unwind has taken place, we doubt Banxico would follow CBC and scrap its own forward book programme.    In general, high US interest rate volatility has undermined the carry trade and weighed heavily on the Latam high-yielding currencies which had been its beneficiary. Unless the Fed can usher in some more benign conditions, we expect choppy conditions for USD/Latam continuing into year-end.
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The European Central Bank Holds Key Interest Rates Unchanged: Analyzing the Market's Surprising 25-Pip Reaction

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.10.2023 15:14
The European Central Bank kept all three key interest rates unchanged. The market's reaction was altogether surprising, strange, expected, and logical. The euro initially rose by 25 pips but then it also lost the same amount in three hours. So the market's response to this significant event can be characterized by a 25-pip move. However, while the event itself was important, its results were not. As mentioned, the rates remained the same, and ECB President Christine Lagarde was quite neutral during the press conference. Here's what she talked about.   First, Lagarde said that she believed the current rates are at levels that will make a substantial contribution to returning inflation to the Bank's 2% target. Rates will need to be kept at their current levels for a sufficiently long duration, but eventually, the ECB will achieve its goal. Decisions on rates will be made based on incoming economic and financial data, and the dynamics of underlying inflation. The APP and PEPP programs (monetary stimulus programs) continue to reduce the ECB's balance sheet at a moderate pace, following the general plan. Lagarde also said that rate decisions will be made from meeting to meeting. This suggests that Lagarde keeps the door open for further rate hikes but the chances of seeing new tightening in the near future are extremely slim. I believe that the results of the meeting turned out to be neutral. I previously mentioned that there were no other options besides keeping rates at their current levels. However, I allowed for the possibility that Lagarde might hint at future rate hikes "if necessary" or, conversely, announce when policy easing would begin. Neither of these scenarios was mentioned. Based on this, I conclude that the market's 25-pip reaction was quite in line with the meeting's outcomes. However, the trading instrument could and should have shown much greater movement, given that two important reports were published in the United States, which turned out to be significantly stronger than market expectations. However, it seems that even these reports were ignored. Thus, the market's reaction to the ECB meeting was logical but if we look at the bigger picture, it actually wasn't. We expected the lack of market activity with such results, but it was quite strange to see such an outcome in conjunction with the GDP and durable goods orders reports in the United States. Based on the analysis, I conclude that a bearish wave pattern is still being formed. The pair has reached the targets around the 1.0463 level, and the fact that the pair has yet to break through this level indicates that the market is ready to build a corrective wave. A successful attempt to break through the 1.0637 level, which corresponds to the 100.0% Fibonacci level, would indicate the market's readiness to complete the formation of Wave 2 or Wave b. That's why I recommended selling. But we have to be cautious, as Wave 2 or Wave b may take on a more complex form.  
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EUR/USD Trading Analysis: Strategies for Long and Short Positions

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.10.2023 15:19
Analysis of transactions and tips for trading EUR/USD Further growth became limited because the test of 1.0554 coincided with the sharp upward move of the MACD line from zero. After a short period of time, another test took place, but the MACD line went in the overbought area, leading to a signal to sell. This resulted in a price decrease of over 30 pips. The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged, announcing a softer approach to future monetary policy based on data that will be received in the future. However, they also did not rule out the possibility of another rate hike, similar to the Federal Reserve. Strong US GDP data for the third quarter did not particularly help dollar. And most likely, today, the empty macroeconomic calendar will give euro bulls the chance for an upward correction.     For long positions: Buy when euro hits 1.0582 (green line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.0604. Growth will occur as part of an upward correction, following the update of the weekly low. However, when buying, make sure that the MACD line lies above zero or rising from it. Euro can also be bought after two consecutive price tests of 1.0562, but the MACD line should be in the oversold area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.0582 and 1.0604. For short positions: Sell when euro reaches 1.0562 (red line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.0531. Pressure will increase in the event of a breakdown of the important support level of 1.0562, which will lead to a continuation of yesterday's bearish trend. However, when selling, make sure that the MACD line lies under zero or drops down from it. Euro can also be sold after two consecutive price tests of 1.0582, but the MACD line should be in the overbought area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.0562 and 1.0531.  
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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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EUR/USD Stagnant Despite ECB Meeting and US GDP: Analyzing Market Perceptions

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.10.2023 15:23
The currency pair EUR/USD showed absolutely no movements on Thursday—no reaction to important events. In our previous articles, we've already mentioned that people can have different opinions about what happened yesterday. On one hand, it's not uncommon to see meetings where no significant decisions are made, but the pair starts moving in different directions afterward. On the other hand, there were no significant decisions made yesterday, and Christine Lagarde's rhetoric was maximally bland and uninteresting. Therefore, the market had nothing to react to, and it all seems logical. However, this week, there is very little logic in the pair's movements. On Monday and Tuesday, there were movements of such strength that it feels like the ECB meeting actually happened on Monday, not on Thursday. In other words, the market considered business activity indices much more important than the ECB meeting and the US GDP report. The technical picture over the past day, of course, has not changed. How could it change when there were essentially no movements? The price is once again below the moving average, but that doesn't stop it from resuming its rise today and forming a third corrective wave. The fact that we didn't see further depreciation of the pair on strong statistics from across the ocean could indicate the market's mood for a new corrective wave. However, we want to note that the current area where the pair is located is quite dangerous for traders. Both buy and sell signals are forming in this area. The pair seems like it should be falling, but it may correct a bit more. On the 24-hour time frame, the price is "dancing" around the important level of 1.0609 and the critical line. On the 4-hour time frame, it crosses the moving average about once a day. All of this just confuses traders. The ECB didn't evoke any emotions in the market. In principle, there was no intrigue regarding the ECB meeting.     Market participants were 100% sure that the key rate wouldn't change, and therefore, the other two rates wouldn't change either. Expecting strong statements from Christine Lagarde, who spoke twice this week, was very difficult. What could Lagarde say? "We are tightening monetary policy again!"? Or "We are lowering the key rate!"? Neither the first nor the second option had anything to do with reality. In the end, Ms. Lagarde stated that "rate cuts were not discussed at the meeting," and in the future, rate decisions will be made based on incoming information. The ECB will continue to closely monitor GDP, inflation, and core inflation indicators and regularly assess the impact of current monetary measures on the economy. In essence, we didn't hear anything new. The market already knew all of Lagarde's statements by heart. And the statement about not considering rate cuts sounds like mockery. How can there be any easing when inflation exceeds the target level by more than double? As for the market's reaction, it could have provided insights into how the market perceives the received information. However, the reaction was practically non-existent, so we can't draw any conclusions here either. We believe that the strengthening of the dollar will continue in the medium term, especially after yesterday's strong package of statistics from across the ocean. We believe that the Federal Reserve has a much better chance and real opportunities to raise rates one or two more times than the ECB. Perhaps the market is not yet ready to resume selling the pair, and it may require one or even two more correction cycles, but we don't even consider the scenario of a new upward trend at the moment. We expect the dollar to rise to 1.0200. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/358692
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Yen Dips as Bank of Japan Adopts Cautious Approach; US Bond Investors Await Treasury's Debt Strategy Amid Fed Meeting

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 02.11.2023 11:59
Yen falls after BoJ decision, US bond investors hopeful on Treasury's plan to spend 'less'  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The Bank of Japan (BoJ) kept interest rates unchanged, redefined the 1% limit on the 10-year JGBP yield as a loose 'upper bound' and scrapped its promise to keep that level intact. Alas, the move was less aggressive than expected by the market and sent the yen tumbling. Japanese policymakers' insistence that they won't hesitate to take additional easing measures 'if needed' also spoiled sentiment. The USDJPY trades just above the 150 mark this morning after the BoJ decision, although the spike in the 10-year JGB yield to almost 1% should've pulled the pair lower – especially after the news that the US Treasury will be borrowing less money in the last three months of this year.  The US Treasury will borrow less; the Fed is expected to announce no change. Yet...  The US Treasury Department said yesterday that they are planning to borrow around $776 billion in the final quarter of the year. That's still a historically high borrowing, but it has the merit to be below the expectation of around $800bn and it's well below the $1 trillion that they borrowed in the July-to-September period, and which wreaked havoc in the US bond market, sending – especially the long-end of the US yield curve rallying.  Today, the Federal Reserve (Fed) starts its two-day policy meeting. Yes, the FOMC announcement on interest rates is often a big event for investors, but this time around, it won't be the only shining star of the week. First, because we know that there won't be any rate hikes this week. The probability of no change is priced as being almost 100% sure. The Fed members will still be raising their eyebrows given the strength of the recent economic data, the uptick in inflation and global uncertainty. But they won't necessarily be raising the rates. Therefore, what they will say they will do will matter more for the market pricing than what they will do. And the rate expectations will be played for the December and January meetings – which both hint at no rate hike either, by the way. That could change, but for now, no more rate hike is what investors are betting on.   So, in the absence of a surprise rate decision, or a surprise forward guidance about a rate decision, what will really, really matter this week for the US sovereign space and the faith of the US yields, is the US debt situation, and the Treasury Department's quarterly announcement on details regarding the size and the maturity of the bonds that they will issue to borrow that extra $776 bn this quarter.  The composition of the US Treasury's bond issuances will be crucial. Shifting toward shorter maturity debt could relieve the pressure on the US long-term papers but the problem with the short-term bills is that the US Treasury already sold plenty of them - they came close to their self-imposed limit of 20% last quarter- and that's why they decided to sell more longer maturity bonds since September. The latter shift towards longer-term maturity debt explained why the long-term yields took a lift since September. Therefore, it's not a given that the Treasury's issuance calendar will fully calm down the bond investors' nerves on Wednesday. 
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French GDP Growth Slows Sharply in Q3 Despite Domestic Demand Rebound: A Detailed Analysis and Future Projections

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:01
French growth slows sharply despite a rebound in domestic demand French GDP growth slowed markedly in the third quarter, coming in at 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, compared with +0.6% in the second quarter. The details of the figures are solid, with domestic demand rebounding strongly. Nevertheless, the French economy is facing a significant economic slowdown that is likely to persist over the coming quarters.   Weak growth In line with expectations, French GDP growth slowed sharply in the third quarter to 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, following an upwardly revised 0.6% rise in the second quarter. Despite the sharp deceleration in growth, the details of the figures are fairly solid, with domestic demand accelerating and making a very positive contribution to GDP growth (+0.7 points compared with +0.2 points in the second quarter). Household consumption grew by 0.7% over the quarter, after stagnating in the previous quarter, thanks to a rebound in the consumption of capital goods, transport equipment and food. Consumption of services slowed. Investment also accelerated sharply in the third quarter (+1.0% compared with +0.5% in the second quarter), particularly in manufactured goods and information and communication services. However, construction investment stagnated over the quarter. The weak growth in GDP in the third quarter can be attributed to foreign trade, which made a strongly negative contribution (-0.3 points) due to a fall in exports that was greater than that of imports. While inventories were the main contributor to growth in the second quarter (+0.5 points), the situation has reversed, and they are now making a very negative contribution to economic activity (-0.3 points). In short, while the details are fairly good, they do not alter the reality that the French economy is facing a major economic slowdown, and this is likely to continue.    The slowdown is likely to continue The construction sector, for its part, is likely to see its activity continue to weaken due to higher interest rates which are having an increasing impact on demand for credit. The dynamism of household consumption is also likely to moderate over the coming months. While nominal wages have risen, allowing households to regain some purchasing power, the labour market is beginning to show the first signs of weakening, consumer confidence remains low and inflation remains rather sticky. 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 weigh on purchasing power and limit consumer spending. Retail and services are therefore likely to face weak demand. Ultimately, the French economy is likely to slow further in the fourth quarter. We expect GDP to stagnate over the quarter, which would bring average growth for 2023 to 0.8%. 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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Bank of Japan's YCC Tweaks Disappoint Markets: USD/JPY Rises Above 150

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:05
Bank of Japan disappoints markets again despite another YCC tweak It seems the Bank of Japan has opted for a little bit of everything by changing its reference rate for YCC, revising up inflation outlooks and scrapping daily fixed-rate bond purchase operations. However, markets appear disappointed with the BoJ's willingness to keep its YCC framework, with initial reactions showing USD/JPY and JGB yields moving higher.   Perhaps today's tweak is not that minor after all Following a local media leak on a possible adjustment to the Bank of Japan's Yield Curve Control (YCC) framework, market sentiment quickly shifted from no change in YCC to some change – such as lifting the upper limit ceiling from the current 1.00% to 1.25%, or even higher. The BoJ's verdict was eliminating the effective upper ceiling of 1%, but keeping 1% as a reference (raised from 0.5%) and ending daily fixed-rate bond purchases. This will give the central bank more flexibility but adds more uncertainty to the market. Many market participants probably think that today's BoJ tweaks are minor, as major policy settings remained unchanged, the reference rate was kept at 1%, and the fiscal year 2025 (FY25) inflation outlook remained below 2%. While it's true that the BoJ tweaked the wording from the upper ceiling to the reference, 1% is still 1%. However, in our view, ending the daily bond purchase program is a major step taken by the Bank of Japan today. It means that it won't explicitly fix the rate any more and will let the market decide. The BoJ can now allow the JGB 10Y yield above the reference, but certainly will not let it get too far. The revised inflation outlook also hints at possible policy changes in the future, but it has yet to be reached with confidence as the FY25 outlook was kept below 2%. For the time being, the BoJ will continue to maintain its YCC policy and buy more time to anchor long-tenor yields down to support the economy until it confirms continued wage growth beyond this year. Governor Kazuo Ueda also said at its press conference that next spring's wage negotiations are a key event.    BoJ's newest outlook report suggests a pivot is coming There are two surprises in the newest outlook report that caught our eye. The inflation outlook for FY24 is too high, but too low for FY25. The fiscal year 2023 and 2024 inflation outlooks were upwardly revised to 2.8% from the previous 2.5% and 1.9% respectively, and inched up only to 1.7% from the previous 1.6% for 2025. We had expected to see an above 2% inflation outlook for FY24, but the following year's outlook should remain untouched. Now, the Bank of Japan forecasts that inflation will likely rise steadily at 2.8% in FY23 and FY24, suggesting that it is set to remain above target throughout FY24. The BoJ seemingly tried to send a message to the market that it considers the current overheated inflation to be transitory by keeping its outlook for FY25 below the 2% target – but at the same time, the higher projection may secure room for the central bank to be flexible on how to respond to higher inflation next year.    Inflation will likely remain high throughout FY 24   The next quarterly outlook report will be out in January, and perhaps the Bank of Japan can scrap the YCC at this point. It will heavily depend on global bond market trends. By then, market rates are expected to step down in line with UST moves, and the BoJ will have the right opportunity to abandon YCC as pressure on the JGB also subsides a bit. With today's policy decision, we have revised up our JGB 10Y forecasts for the fourth quarter of 2023 onwards. The BoJ's bond purchase operations will likely increase to keep market rates not too far from the reference rate of 1%. We're also maintaining our long-standing first rate hike call for the central bank in the second quarter of next year. We have argued for sustainable inflation, the closing of negative output gaps and healthy wage growth as prerequisites for the BoJ's action, and we believe that the central bank's last puzzle of healthy wage growth could be met by the second quarter of 2024.   FX: USD/JPY will keep policy makers busy A disappointingly modest adjustment to the BoJ's YCC strategy has seen USD/JPY push back above 150. As above, it seems like the BoJ did not want to risk a JGB market meltdown by opting for larger steps today. Unless US data softens sharply or the Federal Reserve surprises by dropping its hawkish bias, it looks like USD/JPY can push onto the 152 area – marking last October's intra-day spike high. Depending on how USD/JPY gets to 152 – quickly, or in a slow grind – this will probably determine how quickly Japanese authorities intervene. In total, Tokyo sold $70bn in September and October last year, with around half of that coming when USD/JPY spiked to 152 in late October. On the subject of FX intervention, we had been expecting the Ministry of Finance to release FX intervention figures for October today, but have not seen anything yet. We think that Japanese authorities, like the Chinese authorities, are praying for a turn in the dollar to take pressure off their own currencies. And whilst the dollar stays strong, intervention (or in China's case, funding squeezes) will be used to ride out the strong dollar storm. Today's Bank of Japan move suggests USD/JPY continues to trade around 150 into year-end and has a better chance of turning lower in the first quarter of next year when the dollar should be softer and the BoJ could exit YCC more forcefully.
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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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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. 
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Immobile Fed: Anticipating a Pause with a Nod to Higher Yields

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:28
FX Daily: Immobile Fed to give a nod to higher yields We expect the Fed to pause today, in line with expectations. There is a mild risk of a dollar correction, but that should be short-lived. Japanese authorities are stepping up efforts to contain unwanted volatility in rates and FX, but we suspect markets will keep pushing USD/JPY higher and into the new intervention level.   USD: A quiet Fed meeting The Federal Reserve is in a desirable position as it prepares to announce policy this evening thanks to the combined effect of rate hikes and higher Treasury yields keeping pressure on prices. The economy has proven resilient so far. In the art of central banking, inaction is action, and inaction is broadly what we expect from the Fed today as we discuss in our preview. A pause is widely expected by markets and economists, as numerous FOMC members signalled higher Treasury yields were adding enough extra tightening of financial conditions to stay put. One question for today is to what extent the statement and Fed Chair Jerome Powell will acknowledge this non-monetary tightening of financial conditions. It’s unlikely the Fed wants to drop any dovish hints at this stage, but a market that is well positioned for a broadly unchanged policy message could be rather sensitive to the wording on this topic and may interpret an “official” recognition of tighter financial conditions as an implicit signal more tightening is off the table. The typically cautious Powell may anyway try to mitigate any dovish interpretation of the statement during the press conference. After all, the Fed dot plot still says one more hike by year-end and has a strong commitment to higher rates for longer. The first of these two statements was never taken at face value, but the latter is what is contributing to higher yields. Expect no divergence from it. The Fed isn’t the only event in the US calendar today, and markets will likely move on the ADP payrolls release (although these are unreliable), JOLTS jobs openings and the ISM manufacturing figures for October. There is room for a short-lived dollar correction today as markets will be on the hunt for implicit admissions that another hike is actually off the table with higher yields. Positioning adjustments have favoured some dollar slips recently but they have not lasted, as the overall message by the Fed has been one of higher for longer with a hawkish bias. That message won’t change today (barring any great surprises) and we think that buying the dips in any dollar correction will remain a popular trade, especially given the more and more unstable ground on which other major currencies (JPY, EUR) are standing.
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Federal Reserve Holds Rates with Hawkish Tone: Navigating Peaks, Pitfalls, and Dollar Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:36
US Federal Reserve keeps its options open with another hawkish hold The Fed funds rate target range was held at 5.25-5.5% by a unanimous vote, with a hawkish tone retained to ensure financial conditions remain tight and aid in the battle to constrain inflation. Higher household and corporate borrowing costs are starting to bite though and we don’t expect any further hikes this cycle.   Rates held with a hawkish bias retained No surprises from the Federal Reserve today with the Fed funds target range held at 5.25-5.50% for the second consecutive meeting – the longest period of no change since before the tightening cycle started in early 2022. The accompanying statement acknowledges the “strong” economic activity – a slight upgrade on the “solid” description in September while there was explicit mention of “tighter financial and credit conditions”, which will weigh on the economy. Nonetheless, in the press conference Chair Powell recognises that the economy is starting to see the effects of tighter monetary policy, but that the committee still has a bias towards more hikes rather than seeing the prospect of cuts on the horizon. This is understandable since the Fed does not want to give the market the excuse to significantly backtrack on the recent repricing of “higher for longer” policy interest rates. While there does appear to be a slight softening in the degree of hawkishness the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is expressing, they are careful not to provide a signal that policy has peaked, which could tempt traders to drive market rates lower in anticipation that the next move would be rate cuts. Such action could potentially reignite inflation pressures, but we doubt it.   Peak rates with cuts on the horizon for 2024 The surprise surge in longer-dated Treasury yields and the tightening of financial conditions it’s prompted will inevitably create more headwinds for activity in an environment where mortgage and car loan rates are already above 8% and credit card interest rates are at all-time highs. With Treasury yields staying at elevated levels, the need for further policy rate hikes is dramatically reduced and we do not expect any further Fed rate hikes. Consumer spending remains the most important growth engine in the economy, and with real household disposable income flat-lining, savings being exhausted and consumer credit being repaid – and this is before the recent tightening of lending and financial conditions is fully felt – means we see the primary risk being recession. If right, this will depress inflation pressures even more rapidly than the Fed is anticipating, giving it the scope to cut policy rates in the first half of next year.   Bond yields falling into the Fed meeting more to do with less (relative) supply pressure on the long end The bond market went into the FOMC meeting in a decent mood. The refunding announcement was deemed tolerable, partly as the headline requirement of US$112bn was US$2bn lower than the market had expected. Note, however, that 10yr issuance increases by US$5bn (to US$40bn) and 30yr issuance increases by US$4bn (to US$24bn), while 3yr issuance increases by just US$2bn (to US$48bn). As a stand-alone that is negative for the long end. But it’s the new December projections that has the market excited, as both 10yr and 30yr issuance is projected to fall by US$3bn (to US$37bn and US$21bn, respectively). In contrast, 2yr, 3yr and 5yr issuance volumes are to increase by US$8bn. So the issuance pressure morphs more towards shorter maturities and away from longer maturities as we head through the fourth quarter. Yields are down. The 10yr now at just under 4.8%. It has not materially broken any trends though. The big bond market story from the FOMC outcome is an underlying continuation theme. Higher real rates have been a feature since the last FOMC meeting, and the one before. And the Fed knows that this has a clear tightening effect. It’s a rise in market rates that cannot be easily diversified away by liability managers that need to re-finance in the coming few quarters. The Fed knows that both floating rate debt and all types of re-financings will amplify pain as we progress forward. Given that, it can let the debt markets do the last of the pain infliction for them. The rise in real yields has helped to push the curve steeper, and the 5/10yr has now joined the 10/30yr with a positive upward sloping curve. Only the 2/5yr spread remains inverted. This overall look does suggest the bond market is positioning for a turn in market rates ahead. The big move will come when the 2yr starts to anticipate cuts. We are not there quite yet; hence the 2/5yr inversion hold-out. That all being said, there is enough from the Fed today for the market to use the opportunity to test lower in yields. We still think we need to see the payrolls report first. If that is close to consensus then there is likely not enough to make the break materially lower. It is true that Powell has pointed to higher long rates as a pressure point. But does not have to mean that upward pressure on long rates suddenly goes away. There is still a path back up to 5% if the market decides not to use the double positive today of lower long-end supply (in relative terms) and a Fed that is pointing at long yields as something to get concerned by. We still feel that pressure for higher real rates remains a feature, despite the easing off on longer tenor issuance pressure. We need to see the economy really lurch lower, in particular on the labour market, before the bond bulls take over. The Fed is not quite pointing towards this just yet either.   FX: Too little to reverse the dollar momentum Markets perceived today’s Fed announcement and press conference as moderately dovish, and the drop in Treasury yields would – in theory – point to a softer dollar. The 2-year EUR-USD swap rate differential is around 8bp tighter than pre-meeting, but remains considerably wide at -128bp. As shown in the chart below, such a differential is consistent with EUR/USD trading around 1.05-1.06 and, despite the acknowledgement that financial conditions have tightened, there weren’t enough dovish elements to trigger a material dollar correction.   EUR/USD and 2Y swap rate gap     Looking ahead, we remain of the view that the dollar’s direction will be set by US data as the Fed’s reiteration of its higher for longer approach and threat of another hike still keep the big bulk of the bullish dollar narrative alive. Barring a negative turn in US activity data, our 1.06 EUR/USD year-end target remains appropriate. There are probably more downside risks in the month of November, although in December the dollar has negative seasonality.
Stagnation Strikes: Hungary's Economy Hits a Standstill in Q4 2023

The Bank of England's Decision Amidst Central Bank Uncertainty

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 02.11.2023 12:40
Bank of England set to hold but we could see another split vote  By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European markets got off to a solid start to the month, helped by weaker economic data, and a slide in yields which raised the prospect that central banks could well be done when it comes to further rate hikes.   Nonetheless after such a poor performance during October there is a sense that what we saw yesterday was nothing more than a relief rally, although it's no less welcome for that.   As expected, the Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged for the second meeting in a row. At the ensuing press conference Fed chairman Jay Powell went on to state that no decisions had been made on whether more rate hikes were coming. He went on to say that while financial conditions had tightened, policymakers weren't confident that policy is sufficiently restrictive, although they had come a long way.     While on the face of it, Powell was trying to come across as hawkish, markets weren't buying it especially since yesterday's economic data showed that the US economy appeared to be slowing. As with anything it's a balancing act for Powell as well as the rest of the FOMC, and with this meeting out of the way the way is now clear for the rest of the committee to show their hands given the sharp fall in bond yields yesterday which indicated that markets feel the Fed is done.   US markets finished the session higher, while the slide in yields which we saw prior to the European close continued in the wake of the Powell press conference and looks set to see European markets carry on that momentum this morning with a higher open.   Today it's the turn of the Bank of England to come to its own decision on whether to raise rates and while we can expect to see a similar decision to hold rates as the Fed yesterday, the nuances of any decision are likely to be starkly different, although we can be fairly confident that the UK central bank is down when it comes to further rate hikes. Having hiked 14 times in a row it seems certain that the bar to further hikes is high, and as such we've seen a switch in narrative that articulates a policy of higher for longer.     There is certainly concern among some of the more hawkish members of the MPC that higher rates are needed, and we can expect the likes of Catherine Mann to push this line. She is likely to be in a minority in the short term if inflation continues to look sticky, however if as expected inflation slows further when the October numbers are released later this month, the prospect of further rate hikes is likely to diminish further.   We need to remember that the energy price cap comes down again in October, and on that comparative alone there should be a sharp drop from where we were a year ago. Sticky wage growth is likely to be a concern for the central bank, however even here there is a sense that this has seen a peak, remaining at 7.8% for the last 3-months, even as headline inflation continues to slow, while next week's Q3 GDP numbers are likely to reinforce concerns about a weaker UK economy.   There ought to be enough evidence today for a majority decision to hold rates, with perhaps one or two of the 4 hawks who voted for a hike in September deciding to uphold the status quo, while downgrading their GDP forecasts.     The most likely to switch to a hold would probably be external members Megan Greene and possibly Jonathan Haskel, although it has been suggested that the lone dove on the MPC, Swati Dhingra could lean towards a rate cut, which really would put the fox in the hen house as far as the pound is concerned. Given how sticky inflation currently is that would be a huge mistake and in all honesty I'm not sure it's necessary when it comes to looking at UK gilt yields which have already fallen quite sharply from their summer peaks. On the economic data front we'll also get to see further evidence that the ECB has overplayed its hand on the rate hike front when we get the latest manufacturing PMI numbers from Spain, Italy, France and Germany, all of which are expected to remain firmly in contraction territory.     Spain is expected to slow to 47, from 47.7, Italy to 46.3, from 46.8, France to slow to 42.6 from 44.2, while Germany is expected to edge higher to 40.7 from 39.6.               EUR/USD – slipped back to the 1.0520 area and last week's lows before rebounding again. We seem to be range bound between the 1.0700 area and the 50-day SMA. Below 1.0520 targets the 1.0450 level   GBP/USD – still trading below trend line resistance from the July peaks which is capping the upside, now at 1.2200. 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 – continues to slip towards trend line support from the August lows which is now at 0.8650. A move below 0.8680 targets the 0.8620 area.   USD/JPY – failed just shy of the highs last year at 151.95, sliding back from that key resistance. Still have strong support all the way back at 148.75, with a break above 152.20 targeting a move to 155.00.   FTSE100 is expected to open 33 points higher at 7,375   DAX is expected to open 87 points higher at 15,010   CAC40 is expected to open 40 points higher at 6,972  
The December CPI Upside Surprise: Why Markets Remain Skeptical About a Fed Rate Cut in March" User napisz liste keywords, oddzile je porzecinakmie ChatGPT

BoE Faces Dilemma Amid Hawkish Fed and Economic Challenges: Analyst Insights

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 12:56
BoE between a rock and a hard place.  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   As widely expected, the Federal Reserve (Fed) maintained its interest rates unchanged at this week's meeting and President Jerome Powell cited that the recent surge – especially in the long end of the US yield curve – helped tightening the financial conditions in the US. Powell repeated that the Fed is proceeding carefully but that they are 'not confident that inflation is on path toward 2%' target'. US policymakers redefined the US economic outlook as being 'strong', from being just 'solid'.  In summary, the latest Fed decision was not dovish, unsurprisingly hawkish, and did not impact appetite in US bonds which got a boost from the Treasury's announcement of a slightly lower-than-expected quarterly refunding auction size for the 3, 10 and 30-year maturity bonds next week. Cherry on top, the US Treasury said that they now expect one more step up in quarterly issuances for the long-term debt, whereas the expectation was multiple more step ups.   The US 10-year yield sank to 4.70% after the Fed decision and Treasury's much-awaited issuance calendar reveal, the 30-year yield fell to 4.90%. The fact that the US will borrow slightly less than previously thought and slightly less on the long-end of the curve doesn't mean that the fiscal outlook improved. Though lower-than-expected, the $776bn that the US Treasury is planning to borrow this quarter is a record for the last 3 months of a year. And the net interest payments on the US federal debt are rising at an eye-watering speed. In numbers, the federal debt rose more than a third since the end of 2019, and the interest expenses on that debt rose by almost 40%. That's a detail for Janet Yellen who thinks that the surge in US yields is explained by the positive economic outlook, but the market won't allow the Treasury to borrow like its pockets have no bottom if the Fed is not part of it.   Bad news, good news the sharp decline in October ISM manufacturing PMI and the softer-than-expected ADP read helped boosting sentiment in US Treasuries, as they somehow softened the otherwise strong US economic outlook. The JOLTS data unexpectedly rose but no one was out looking for reasons to sell Treasuries yesterday, so that basically went unheard. The official US jobs data is due Friday and any strength in NFP, or wages could reverse the optimism that the US economic growth will... slow. And as bad news is sometimes good news for the market, the S&P500 rebounded more than 1% and closed the session at a spitting distance from the all important 200-DMA, while the rate-sensitive Nasdaq jumped almost 1.80%.   AMD, Qualcomm gain, Apple to report On the individual level, AMD jumped almost 10% yesterday. Even though the company gave a soft guidance for Q4, they said that they expect to sell more than $2bn worth of AI chips next year. That's a lot, that's more than a third of the actual revenue they make. Qualcomm jumped nearly 4% in afterhours trading, as the world's largest seller of smartphone chips gave a better-than-expected prediction for this quarter, saying that the inventory glut in mobile-phone industry may be receding.   Today, Apple will post its Q3 earnings, after the bell. We have reservations regarding the results as the iPhone15 sales are not as brilliant as investors hoped they would be, and Huawei is apparently eating Apple's market share in China. Apple's overall revenue is seen down by around 3%. Ouch. The good news is that the morose expectations could be easier to beat. Otherwise, we could see Apple tank below the $170 per share, into the bearish consolidation zone, and become vulnerable to deeper losses.  BoE not to raise rates, but its inflation tolerance The Bank of England (BoE) is the next major central bank to announce its rate decision today, and the Brits are not expected to raise the interest rates at today's MPC meeting, but they are expected to increase their tolerance faced with above 2% inflation, instead. That's not good for central bank credibility, even less so when the BoE's credibility is not at its best since the start of this tightening cycle. If investors sense that the BoE will let inflation run hot, by lack of choice, sterling could take a significant hit.   Gold and oil  Appetite in gold eases as Israelian attacks are perceived as being less aggressive than what they could be. De-pricing of Mid-East risks could send the price of an ounce to, or below the 200-DMA, near the $1933 level. Upside risks prevail, but fresh news should gradually lose their shocker impact and the $2000 per ounce level will likely attract top sellers more than anything else.   US crude rebounded near the $80pb yesterday, as the decline toward the psychological $80pb level brought in dip buyers. We could reasonably expect the US crude to correct toward $85pb as geopolitical tensions loom, and supply remains at jeopardy.    
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FX Daily: Fed's Hawkish Hold Spurs Renewed Interest in Carry Trade as Rate Volatility Drops

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 14:45
FX Daily: Fed pause renews interest in the carry trade Even though it was a hawkish hold, the Fed's decision to leave rates unchanged for a second meeting in a row has seen interest rate volatility drop and high-yielding currencies start to perform well again. This may be an emerging trend, especially if tomorrow's jobs data isn't too hot. The focus today is on rate meetings in the UK, Norway and the Czech Republic.   USD: Investors look set to explore the Fed pause The dollar has been a little weaker over the last 24 hours. Helping the move has likely been the rally in the US bond market, supported by a lower-than-expected quarterly refunding announcement, the soft manufacturing ISM and then the FOMC meeting. Despite the Fed retaining a tightening bias, it seems investors are more interested in reading and trading a Federal Reserve pause. This has seen interest rate volatility drop and triggered renewed demand for high-yielding FX through the carry trade. Calmer market conditions have gone hand in hand with the re-pricing of the medium-term Fed cycle. Recall that last month, the story was very much 'higher for longer' and rather incredibly, the low point for the Fed cycle over the coming years was priced at just 4.50%. That pricing has now adjusted 60bp lower over the last few weeks and has even seen yields at the short end of the US Treasury curve start to move lower, e.g., sub 5% again. It may be too early to expect these short-end rates to go a lot lower just yet, but it does seem as though investors are a little more open to the prospect of weaker data knocking the dollar off its perch. Without that confidence that US growth will decelerate this quarter, the Fed's pause can, however, see further demand for carry. In the EM space, it has been a good week for currencies in Chile, South Africa and Mexico, while in the G10 space, the under-valued Australian dollar is doing well. We continue to see upside potential for AUD/CNH. This would normally be a weak environment for the yen as well, meaning that we cannot rule out USD/JPY retesting 152. US data will determine whether the dollar can generally hold steady in this carry trade environment or whether weaker US data finally triggers a more meaningful and broad-based dollar correction. For today, the focus will be on the weekly jobless claims data – where any decent jump higher can knock the dollar – and the volatile Durable Goods Orders series. Do not expect big moves before tomorrow's US jobs report, but we would say the dollar's downside is vulnerable today. DXY to drift towards 106.00.
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BoE Maintains a Firm Stance: Rates Expected to Stay High for an Extended Period

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 14:46
GBP: BoE to keep rates high for 'sufficiently long' "Monetary policy will need to be sufficiently restrictive for sufficiently long to return inflation to the 2% target sustainably in the medium term" should be the key phrase to look out for in today's Bank of England (BoE) policy statement. The Bank Rate is widely expected to be left unchanged at 5.25%. The focus will also be on the vote split. 6-3 would seem to be the most likely as James Smith explains in our BoE preview.  Assuming that the BoE does not soften its tone today – i.e., it does not provide fresh ammunition to pricing of rate cuts next year – we would expect sterling to stay relatively well supported. This could see GBP/USD push up the 1.2250 area, while EUR/GBP could press support at the 0.8670/80 area.
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Czech National Bank Initiates Cutting Cycle with 25bp Move amid Economic Concerns

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 14:47
CZK: CNB to start its cutting cycle We expect the Czech National Bank (CNB) to start the cutting cycle today with its first 25bp move. This seems fully in line with market pricing and economist consensus. However, surveys suggest it is a close call. And of course, upward pressure on commodity prices and tensions in the Middle East may be reasons to wait a little longer for the CNB. But we believe the new forecast plus weak economic data this week will be sufficient reasons to cut rates today. In addition to the decision itself, we will also see new numbers that should be revised towards a worse economic outlook, lower inflation, a weaker CZK and a faster pace of rate cuts. However, for the markets, today's cut has become a done deal and the collapse in PRIBOR in recent weeks indicates that more than 25bp is priced in for today's meeting. At the same time, the entire curve has shifted lower, making essentially the entire cutting cycle already priced in 1y horizon. We see a significant deterioration in the risk/reward of being received in rates at current levels versus a scenario of no rate cut today. In the FX market, we see the situation getting a lot easier. In the event of a rate cut being delivered, we expect EUR/CZK higher in the 24.80-25.00 range supported by a new CNB forecast indicating levels above 25.00 and still room to price in further rate cuts in the longer term, which would lead to a deterioration in the interest rate differential. Otherwise, we think the potential for CZK appreciation is limited and EUR/CZK may touch 24.50 only temporarily.
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The Commodities Feed: Positive Economic Sentiment Boosts Prices, OPEC Oil Output Stable

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 14:58
The Commodities Feed: Positive economic sentiment helps to boost prices The Fed’s decision to keep interest rate hikes on pause for a second consecutive time has bolstered economic sentiment and supported commodity prices, including energy and metals. Fresh mine closures have provided additional support to zinc, with prices climbing to around US$2,600/t yesterday.   Energy – OPEC oil output held stable ICE Brent has been trading firm this morning on positive economic sentiment after the US Fed continued to pause interest rate hikes. The hawkish tone remains in the accompanying statement. Lower crude oil inventory in the US and Europe also continued to be supportive of crude oil prices. Preliminary OPEC production numbers for October suggest a broadly stable output as the modest increases across most of its African members offset the declines elsewhere. According to a Bloomberg survey, OPEC output increased by 50Mbbls/d MoM to 28.1MMbbls/d last month. Nigeria led the gains, with their production rising by 60Mbbls/d to 1.5MMbbls/d followed by Venezuela (+30Mbbls/d), Congo (+20Mbbls/d) and Gabon (+20Mbbls/d). The output additions were partially offset by declining production in Iraq (-40Mbbls/d), Iran (-30Mbbls/d), Kuwait (-20Mbbls/d) and Libya (-20Mbbls/d). The latest numbers from the EIA weekly inventory report show that US commercial crude oil inventories increased by 0.8MMbbls over the last week. Earlier, API reported an inventory build of 1.35MMbbls while the market expected a build of around 1MMbbls. Total crude oil inventory (excluding SPR) at around 421.9MMbbls remains about 5% below the five-year average at this point in the season. US crude oil production remained unchanged at 13.2MMbbls/d. As for refined products, gasoline stocks rose by 0.1MMbbls, while distillate stocks fell by 0.8MMbbls. US refinery utilization softened further to around 85.4% as refineries aim to complete maintenance activity before winter demand kicks in.
The December CPI Upside Surprise: Why Markets Remain Skeptical About a Fed Rate Cut in March" User napisz liste keywords, oddzile je porzecinakmie ChatGPT

Bank of England Holds Rates Steady Amid Growing Rate Cut Expectations for 2024

ING Economics ING Economics 02.11.2023 15:10
Bank of England keeps policy steady but pushes back against rate cut expectations The Bank of England may have kept rates on hold, but we're seeing the first signs of pushback against financial markets which are starting to price in rate cuts for 2024. We think investors are right to be thinking that way and we expect the first cut over summer next year.   The Bank of England has kept rates on hold for a second consecutive meeting and, barring some major unpleasant surprises in the data between now and Christmas, it’s fair to say the tightening cycle is over. On the face of it, this latest decision looks neither surprising nor controversial. Six members voted to keep rates on hold and three for a hike, in line with what more or less everyone had expected. With the exception of Sarah Breeden, where this was her first meeting, the remaining members voted exactly as they did in September – a recognition that we’ve had very little data since then, and what we have had hasn’t moved the needle for policy. But beneath the surface, we detect hints that the Bank is uncomfortable with markets beginning to price rate cuts for next year. Ahead of the meeting, investors were pricing at least two 25 basis point cuts by the end of 2024. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey is quoted as saying it’s “too early” to be talking about cuts, while the statement says rates need to be restrictive for “an extended period of time”. That's a slight hardening in the language compared to what we'd seen in August and September. And while the Bank’s models forecast inflation a touch below target in two years' time – which is considered to be the time horizon over which monetary policy is more effective – they show headline CPI at 2.2% once an “upside skew” is applied. That’s policymakers trying to tell us that, at the margin, the amount of tightening and subsequent easing may be insufficient to get inflation back to target. That said, the committee is visibly putting less weight on its forecasts than it once might have done given ongoing uncertainty and poor model performance.   The Bank's models point to inflation at or just below target in two years' time   As has been clear since the start of the summer, this is a central bank whose overriding goal now is to convince investors that it won’t need to cut rates for a significant period of time. However, we believe markets are right to be thinking about rate cuts from next summer. As the BoE itself acknowledges, much of the impact of past tightening is still to hit the economy. We estimate the average rate on mortgage lending, which so far has gone from 2% to 3.1%, will go to 3.8% by the end of 2024 as more homeowners refinance. It will be higher still if the Bank ultimately doesn’t cut rates next year. We also forecast core inflation to be below 3% by next August – and assuming the jobs market continues to gradually weaken, we think the Bank will be in a position to take its foot off the brake. We’re forecasting a gradual easing cycle that takes Bank Rate back to just above 3% by the middle of 2025 from the current 5.25% level.
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Trading Carefully: Bank of England Keeps Rates at 5.25% Amid Inflation Concerns

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 02.11.2023 15:15
Bank of England keeps rates on hold at 5.25% By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   The Bank of England left rates unchanged at 5.25% which was as expected however anyone who thought there might be a dovish tilt to the decision would have been disappointed with 6 holds and 3 votes for a 25bps rate hike, from Catherine Mann, Megan Greene, and Jonathan Haskel   The central bank also revised its inflation forecast for 2024 higher by 75bps to 3.25%, while nudging the forecast for 2023 down by 25bps to 4.75%. The growth forecasts were disappointing with 2023 left unchanged at 0.5%, while 2024 was downgraded to 0% from 0.5%.   On the inflation forecast it looks like good news for the government in that we are on course for inflation to halve by the end of the year, although it won't be because of anything the politicians have done but merely a consequence of the natural evolution of slowing prices and a slowing economy.   Despite the bleak outlook it was made clear that interest rates were likely to remain higher for longer and that there was no consideration given to rate cuts. Policy would need to remain restrictive suggesting that the MPCbelieves that inflation is the bigger enemy for the moment, and rate cuts would run counter to that outcome as they would weaken sterling.   Governor Bailey was at pains to point out that services inflation remained high and that while wage growth was higher, the MPC believed it was below the 7.8% average in the most recent ONS numbers, trending at around 7%. That said inflation risks remained skewed to the upside, with the bank saying they expect annual pay settlement growth to slow to between 6% to 6.5%. The bigger challenge won't be getting inflation down, but will be in returning it to the 2% target, given that the neutral rate could be closer to 3%.   The pound edged higher against the US dollar, while UK 10-year gilt yields slid to 3-week lows on the back of today's decision with the next focus expected to be on the October inflation numbers, which are a week before the Autumn Statement. It is becoming ever clearer that the Bank of England is done when it comes to further rate hikes, and that the next move is likely to be a cut, although when that happens is anyone's guess.
The December CPI Upside Surprise: Why Markets Remain Skeptical About a Fed Rate Cut in March" User napisz liste keywords, oddzile je porzecinakmie ChatGPT

The Czech National Bank's Prudent Approach: Unchanged Rates and Economic Evaluation

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:01
Czech National Bank review: Staying on the safe side The CNB decided to wait for the start of the cutting cycle due to concerns about the anchoring of inflation expectations, high core inflation in its forecast and possible spillover into wage negotiations. The December meeting is live, but we slightly prefer the first quarter of next year. Economic data will be key in coming months.   Rates remain unchanged for a little longer The CNB Board decided today to leave rates unchanged despite expectations of a first rate cut. Five board members voted for unchanged rates at 7.00% and two voted for a 25bp rate cut. During the press conference, Governor Michl justified today's decision on the continued risk of unanchored inflation expectations, which may be threatened by the rise in October inflation due to the comparative base from last year. This could seep into wage negotiations and threaten the January revaluation, according to the CNB. At the same time, the board still doesn't like to see core inflation near 3% next year. So overall, it wants to wait for more numbers from the economy and evaluate at the December meeting, which the governor said could be another decision on whether to leave rates unchanged or start a cutting cycle   New forecast shows weaker economy and more rate cuts The new forecast brought most of the changes in line with our expectations. The CNB revised the outlook for GDP down significantly and the recovery was postponed until next year. Headline inflation was revised down slightly for this year but raised a bit for next year. The outlook for core inflation will be released later, but the governor has repeatedly mentioned that the outlook still assumes around 3% on average next year. The EUR/CZK path has been moved up, but slightly less than we had expected. 3M PRIBOR has been revised up by a spot level from the August forecast, implying now the start of rate cuts in the fourth quarter of this year and a larger size of cuts next year. For all of next year the profile is 30-65bp lower in the rate path, indicating more than 100bp in cuts in the first and second quarter next year.   New CNB forecasts   First cut depends on data but a delay until next year is likely Today's CNB meeting did not reveal much about what conditions the board wants to see for the start of the cutting cycle and given the governor's emphasis on higher inflation in the next three prints, we slightly prefer February to December. The new inflation forecast indicates 8.3% for October and levels around 7% in November and December. The last two months seem too low to us, but given the announced energy price cuts, this is not out of the question. So this is likely to be a key indicator looking ahead as to whether or not it will give enough confidence to the board that inflation is under control. Another key question is whether the CNB will move up the date of its February meeting so that it has January inflation in hand for decision-making.   What to expect in FX and rates markets EUR/CZK jumped after the CNB decision into the 24.400-500 band we mentioned earlier for the unchanged rate scenario after the decision. For now, the interest rate differential does not seem to have changed much after today's meeting, which should not bring further CZK appreciation. On the other hand, the new CNB forecast showed EUR/CZK lower than we expected and the board seems more hawkish. Therefore, we could see EUR/CZK around these levels for the next few days if rates repricing remains roughly at today's levels. However, we expect pressure on a weaker CZK to return soon as weaker economic data will again increase market bets on a CNB rate cut, which should lead EUR/CZK to the 24.700-24.800 range later. In the rates space, despite the high volatility, the market did not change much at the end of the day. The very short end of the curve (FRAs) obviously repriced the undelivered rate cut, however the IRS curve over the 3Y horizon ended lower, resulting in a significant flattening of the curve. The market is currently pricing in more than a 150bp in cuts in a six-month horizon, which in the end is not so much given the possible acceleration of the cutting pace after the January inflation release. Even though the CNB didn't deliver today's rate cut, we think the central bank is more likely to catch up with the rate cuts next year rather than the entire trajectory shifting. Therefore, we see room for the curve to go down, especially in the belly and long end.
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The Jobs Dilemma: Deciphering Long-End Rates Amidst Fed's Balancing Act

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:38
Rates Spark: US jobs data can be key It has been a big move lower in long-end rates over the past days, and today's US jobs data will be key in determining whether it has further to run. Notably, however, the front end has started to turn higher again. The Fed, having tied itself to long-end rates to a degree, may start pushing back against easing financial conditions.   The rally in long-end rates extended with curve flattening accelerating Overall, we have now seen a drop of close to 30bp in 10Y and longer yields over just two sessions – the 10Y is now at 4.66% and 30Y at 4.80%. As seen in the move higher before, it was also in large part a move in the real interest rate component in this leg lower. The 2s10s curve has reflattened by a substantial 18bp with the larger part of that dynamic actually coming yesterday. The lower-than-feared long-end supply fuelled by the US Treasury has helped, as has weaker macro data. And certainly, there was evidence of value hunters out there getting in at 'high' yield levels. Markets will now be taking a close look at today’s US jobs data to determine whether yields have further room to fall. Yesterday’s US labour market indicators have already helped provide 10Y yields the final nudge below 4.7%. The initial jobless claims ticked a little higher to 217k from 212k and more importantly continuing claims rose to 1815k. That latter figure has been rising over the past month and a half. While the rate of layoffs might still be considered low, it suggests that if you do lose your job it is becoming more difficult to find a new one.   The Fed may push back agains financial conditions easing again The rally on long-end rates over the past sessions also highlights another conundrum for the Fed. By essentially referencing the higher longer rates as reason to withhold further tightening it has created an awkward interdependency with the market. The Fed said it needed to see persistence in the changes to broader financial conditions for it to have implications for the policy path. While there are good reasons to assume that further tightening is off the table, the prospect of a larger rally in rates bringing them back again potentially limits the downside at the onset. The caveat is that this may only work to the degree that long-end rates are actually driven by policy expectations. Front-end rates certainly are and pushed actually higher yesterday with the 2Y yield close to 5% again. That in mind, the Fed’s interdependency with the market is adding to the re-flattening dynamic of the curve.   As the-long end rally extended, front-end resistence accelerated the flattening   Today's events and market view We have doubts that this is the end of rises in long-dated market rates. For that to happen we would need to see material labour market weakness, putting today's job market report squarely in the spotlight. The consensus is looking for a 180k rise in non-farm payrolls, with forecasts ranging from 125k to 235k. It will be a slowdown from September’s bumper figure of 336k, but even the consensus figure would still be relatively robust – cooling, but making it hard to argue that the labour market is really troubled yet. As for supply as a driver, the market is effectively still facing higher issuance at upcoming Treasury auctions, and we are not even speaking of unresolved long-term debt trajectory concerns. As for the weaker ISM manufacturing that had helped drive the rally, it had been in contractionary territory since last October. The more relevant indicator should be today’s non-manufacturing ISM. And with regards to the Fed, the speaker schedule is looking busier again after the meeting and the drop in longer rates may get some pushback.
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EMFX Rides the Green Wave: Impact of Fed's Shifting Tone on Currency Positions

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:42
FX Daily: EMFX surfs in a sea of green It seems investors are starting to think that the Fed is done with rate hikes and are now starting to reduce underweight positions in risk assets, including emerging market currencies. This is dollar negative. Today's US jobs data will be a key determinate of whether this week's new trend has legs or will be quashed by strong hiring or wage numbers.   USD: Will NFP can feed into the Fed pause narrative? European investors face a sea of green as they survey global equity markets this morning. Decent 1-2% rallies in global equity benchmarks have been seen right through Europe, the US and Asia. Underpinning that move undoubtedly has been the drop in US rates, where investors are shifting away from the higher-for-longer Fed narrative which dominated in September and October. They now seem to be exploring the Fed pause/Fed peak story. For reference, pricing of 1m OIS USD rates in two years' time rose from just above 3% in June to a peak of 4.75% last month and has since dropped back to 4.17%. The move in rates has surely seen investors scale back some paid USD rates/long dollar positions and prompted an unwind of some favourite short currency positions in the EM and commodity space. That is why we think the Australian dollar is doing so well and we continue to see upside for a relative value trade in the region, long AUD/CNH. We also note with interest a big drop in USD/KRW overnight. The Korean won typically has a high beta on global equities (but not an attractive yield) and its sharp rally is a good barometer for the mood in the market. With Korean FX reserves falling for a third month in a row it seems Korean FX authorities have been supplying the market with FX liquidity, as have the likes of China and India – presumably along with Japan shortly too. We think the drop in USD/KRW helps define a broadly risk-on, soft dollar environment today. Whether this environment has further to run will be determined by today's October US jobs data. Despite the ridiculous inverse correlation with ADP (which might point to a +350k NFP number today) consensus is around +170/180k. Investors will also want to see whether last month's +336k figure gets revised lower. Consensus also sees a 0.3% month-on-month average earnings figure, but that should still bring the year-on-year down to 4.0%, the lowest since June 2021. Assuming no upside surprises today, we favour the dollar handing back a little further of its gains, especially against the high yielders (e.g., Mexico and Hungary) given the renewed interest in the carry trade.  DXY could drop to the 105.50/55 area today as long as the US jobs data is not too strong.  
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Market Skepticism Prevails as EUR/USD Struggles Amidst ECB's Hike Uncertainty

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:53
EUR: The market has closed the door on further ECB hikes Overnight, the European Central Bank's Isabel Schnabel said the ECB cannot close the door on further rate hikes, citing fragile inflation expectations and the risk of more geo-political supply shocks. However, the market has priced out any further rate hikes and is firmly looking at the 2024 easing cycle. This means that despite lower US rates recently, two-year EUR:USD swap differentials have not narrowed meaningfully and probably explains why EUR/USD is struggling to take advantage of the softer dollar environment.  For reference, EUR/AUD has fallen 1% this week and macro traders will be looking for a big move lower here when they become confident of bullish steepening in the US curve. Given global conditions, however, we would favour EUR/USD towards the 1.0675/1.0700 today area unless US jobs surprise on the upside. Chris Turner In Sweden, the Riksbank will release FX hedging figures for the week 16-20 October this morning. FX sales numbers have been quite volatile and declined sharply from nearly USD 1bn to around USD 450mn total in last Friday’s report. We expect another uptick in FX sales today on the back of SEK underperformance in the week 16-20 October, which we think pushed the Riksbank to increase interventionism in the FX market. High FX sales are a SEK negative, and can favour another leg higher in EUR/SEK: we now see risks skewed to 11.85-11.90 in the near term.
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GBP: Forward Guidance Revival - Analyzing Market Responsiveness to BoE's Monetary Policy Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:54
GBP: Forward guidance returns. Is the market listening? Yesterday's Bank of England (BoE) 6-3 vote for unchanged rates came as no surprise. What was a surprise was the re-introduction of forward guidance – i.e., that 'monetary policy is likely to need to be restrictive for an extended period of time'. Clearly, the BoE is trying to prevent the premature easing of financial conditions which would be inconsistent with policy still threatening a further hike. Arguably, their intervention here did have some impact on markets where the Sonia Dec 25 futures contract – which was briefly up 16 ticks on the day – only ended up 11 ticks. This is in an environment of softer money market rates globally. Investors know that forward guidance is used as a tool by central bankers (remember the Fed in 2021 saying that rates would stay at zero until 2024?) and it looks like the next nine months will be a game of cat and mouse as investors push for rate cuts and the BoE fights back. We think data will probably support investors and see upside risks to our year-end EUR/GBP forecast of 0.8700. GBP/USD should do a little better today in the risk-positive environment. Favour a test of 1.2250 above which 1.2335 opens up.
The Commodities Feed: Oil trades softer

Czech National Bank (CNB) Maintains Interest Rates, Delays Cutting Cycle Amid Mixed Signals for CZK

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:55
CZK: CNB postpones start of the cutting cycle The Czech National Bank (CNB) decided yesterday to leave interest rates unchanged. At the same time, it presented a new forecast showing a weaker economy, lower inflation, a weaker koruna and also faster rate cuts next year. With the market expecting a rate cut, the central bank's decision led to an upward repricing of the short end of the curve, however the belly and end of the curve ended lower at the end of the day. The CZK is getting mixed signals, while the 2y interest rate differential ended only slightly higher in favour of the CZK at the end of the day. We are likely to see further pressures for CZK appreciation in the 24.400-24.500 EUR/CZK range today but we expect the pressure for a weaker CZK to return soon with more incoming data confirming a weak economy and triggering new bets on CNB rate cuts.
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National Bank of Poland Anticipates November Rate Cut Followed by Cautious Pause: Insights into Economic Projections and Policy Guidance

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 14:59
National Bank of Poland set to cut rates in November followed by a pause The first Monetary Policy Council policy decision in the aftermath of general elections should bring further policy easing, but the NBP is likely to be more cautious than before given previous guidance on limited space for further easing. According to the flash estimate, CPI inflation moderated further in October and turned out slightly lower than expected by the markets. In such an environment the policy choice is between holding rates flat and a 25bp cut (to 5.50%) we find as a baseline scenario. The central bank will also release the new macroeconomic projections, which should also bring important policy guidance. Overall, it should point to an economic recovery in 2024, with consumption playing the predominant role. At the same time the inflation path should be adjusted downwards, given the lower starting point, but again it would point at CPI returning to the target of 2.5% (+/- 1 percentage point) in 2025 only. We will also see if a 2026 projection will be added, as this may also bring multiple hints about the next decisions. National Bank of Poland Governor Glapiński's press conference will be closely followed by the markets as it may give some hints on the central bank policy bias ahead. The Council is broadly expected to take a pause in December as rate setters usually avoid making any decisions in the last month of the year unless there is a pressing urgency for policy actions and we do not see it to be the case this year. The pause may be extended into the following months as the Monetary Policy Council will want to see the impact of administrative and political decisions. There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the 0% VAT on food, regulated prices of electricity and gas, policy measures to trim a jump in energy costs and its impact on inflation at the beginning of the year. We do not rule out that the Council may refrain from any policy moves until the March NBP staff projection, in order to get a clearer picture of inflation prospects. The fiscal outlook also gives arguments for a more cautious approach with respect to policy easing. The 2024 draft budget prepared by the incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) government had already envisaged a sizable fiscal gap (close to 5% of GDP and 6% of GDP borrowing needs). The new coalition government by the former opposition (Civic Coalition, Third Way, New Left) is likely to pursue delivering on some of its fiscal pledges from campaign, driving the 2024 fiscal deficit towards 5.5-6.0% of GDP and borrowing needs to 7% of GDP).
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Soft US Jobs Report Suggests Fed's Monetary Policy Work is Concluded

ING Economics ING Economics 03.11.2023 15:00
Soft US jobs report reinforces the message that the Fed's work is done Labour market numbers are always the last thing to turn in an economic cycle so the softening in employment and wage growth and the rise in the unemployment rate makes it all the more likely that the Federal Reserve won’t hike interest rates again.   Payrolls momentum continues to soften Today’s US jobs report is softer than predicted everywhere you look. Payrolls rose 150k in October versus the 180k consensus while there were 101k of downward revisions to the past two months. The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9% from 3.8% (consensus 3.8%) while wages came in at 0.2% month-on-month/4.1% year-on-year, whereas the consensus was 0.3%/4.0% with revisions impacting the flow a little there. It is down from 0.3%/4.3% last month and when you strip out the pandemic distortions it is the weakest annual pace of wage gains since before the pandemic struck. Below is a chart of the monthly change and the 3M average, showing the decelerating trend in employment growth.    Monthly change in non-farm payrolls & 3M moving average (000s)   Jobs growth concentrated in just three areas The details show manufacturing employment fell 35k, which was impacted by the auto strike action and associated knock-on effects with suppliers. All the strength was again concentrated in government (+51k) and education and health (+89k). Year-to-date employment in education/health is up 3.5%, leisure and hospitality is up 2.5% and government is up 2.5%. The rest of the economy has seen employment rise just 0.6%.   Where the jobs have come from in 2023 (Cumulative increase in employment in 2023 000s)   The rise in the unemployment rate and underemployment rate (to 7.2% from 7%) despite the participation rate dropping back to 62.7% from 62.8% points to a loosening labour market, a message reinforced by the weaker wage growth. This should give the Fed a bit more confidence that inflation can continue its softening trend, especially in the wake of the big falls seen in gasoline prices.   The Fed just needs to sit and wait Low response rates from businesses and households to create this data have reduced the credibility of the report and are intensifying inconsistencies (household employment fell 348k, for example, despite payrolls rising 150k). But the US is not alone. This is something that is being experienced across developed markets and means we are seeing (and will continue to see) significant revisions. Nonetheless, payrolls is the number that markets focus on and with unemployment rates and wages softening it all reinforces the view that the Fed is finished hiking interest rates.
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AUD Weakens Post RBA Hike, Oil Takes a Hit: Market Analysis by Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst at Swissquote Bank

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 07.11.2023 15:47
AUD weakens after RBA hike, oil downbeat By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The US bond yields rebounded, and the equity rally slowed on Monday. The US 10-year rebound from last Friday low, and the S&P500 consolidate gains near three-week highs. There are divergent opinions regarding whether last week's risk rally is on sufficiently solid ground to extend into a Santa rally, or it would simply fade away. And it all depends on what matters the most for investors. The softening Federal Reserve (Fed) and other central bank expectations and falling sovereign yields are positive for stock valuations, but the chatter of potentially higher-for-longer rates, growing signs of slowing global economy and the rising recession odds don't offer a bright outlook for equities into the year end. Seasonally speaking, November and December are known to be good months for the S&P500 stocks. In the past, the S&P500 stocks gained, on average, 1.8% in November and 0.9% in December. But this year, the picture is overshadowed by a lot of weak guidance and revenue warnings.   The chatter of weak demand and profit warnings are not great for equities but the worst news would be sticky inflation despite slowing growth and a persistently long period of high interest rates. For now, the Fed is perceived as being 'done' with interest rate hikes. But Powell is due to speak this week and he will probably leave the door open for a rate hike... otherwise he knows that all the past 1.5-year's efforts will be instantaneously thrown out of the window with everyone rushing to US treasuries – which would pull the yields lower and loosen the financial conditions and eventually boost growth and inflation. This is something the Fed doesn't want.   And despite a series of no rate hike news that we received over the past few weeks from major central banks including the Fed, the ECB and the BoE, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised its rates by 25bp, as broadly expected, today. The RBA hike came as a sour reminder that there is no rule that says that a bank can't hike rates after pausing for four meetings. Interestingly, the AUDUSD fell after the decision, along with the Australian stock markets. Today's rate hike revived fears of economic slowdown more than appetite for higher Aussie yields – while a broad-based recovery in the US dollar and weak Chinese trade data certainly didn't help.  Speaking of weakness  The Chinese exports which are a good gauge of global economic health, are down for the 6th consecutive month and Iranian oil exports fell for the 2nd straight month to 1.43mbpd as demand in Asia weakened. That's certainly why we haven't seen oil prices react to the news of escalation tensions in the Middle East and the news that Saudi and Russia will keep their oil production curbs in place during the weekend. The barrel of crude is trading a touch above the $80pb psychological mark this morning. We revise our medium-term outlook for crude oil from neutral to negative. Last week's persistent selloff despite a broad-based risk rally, oil bulls' unresponsiveness to normally price-positive geopolitical developments and the fact that the market focus is shifting from supply to demand side hint that a fall below the $80pb is increasingly possible, and a verbal intervention from Saudi or OPEC won't prevent a deeper decline in the short run. Iran's implication in the Gaza war could be a game changer but the American crude is now in the medium-term bearish consolidation zone, and will remain downbeat below $81.50, the major 38.2% Fibonacci retracement on this summer's rally
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GBP: BoE Chief Economist Fuels Rate Cut Expectations, Sterling Faces Headwinds

ING Economics ING Economics 07.11.2023 15:52
GBP: Not quite the BoE pushback we were expecting Having re-introduced forward guidance last week, we thought the Bank of England (BoE) might have pushed back against market pricing for rate cuts in the second half of 2024. Instead, BoE Chief Economist Huw Pill yesterday said that expectations for rate cuts from next summer looked reasonable. We think these comments are a mild sterling negative and given the risk that Fed-speak puts equities on the back foot again, risk-sensitive sterling could hand back some of its recent gains. For example, EUR/GBP could trade back up to 0.8710/20 and GBP/USD could drop back to 1.2290 perhaps 1.2250. Additionally, Pill's warnings of soft UK CPI releases coming through over the coming months could hold sterling back.
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CEE Economic Snapshot: Weak Data Signals Struggles for Hungary and Czech Republic

ING Economics ING Economics 07.11.2023 15:53
CEE: Weak data confirming weak economy The calendar today offers data on industrial production in Hungary and retail sales in the Czech Republic for September. In both cases, we expect confirmation of the weak performance of the economy. In Hungary, we will hear from the Minister of Economic Development. However this time it will probably not be market-oriented. Also, the two-day meeting of the National Bank of Poland (NBP) officially starts today but we won't see the outcome until tomorrow. On the FX side, EUR/CZK is back up after the surprise stable Czech National Bank (CNB) rates last week which supported the CZK. As we mentioned in our CNB review earlier, we expect weaker economic data and new bets on a rate cut in December to lead EUR/CZK higher again in our view. Yesterday's industrial production results were the first opportunities and more data to come this week including today's retail sales. At the same time, the interest rate differential hasn't changed much since the CNB meeting and therefore we don't see a justification for lower EUR/CZK levels at the moment. With that said, we see EUR/CZK above 24.50 for the days ahead.
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Navigating GBP/USD: Transaction Analysis and Trading Tips Amidst Economic Pressures

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 08.11.2023 13:41
Analysis of transactions and tips for trading GBP/USD Further decline became limited because the test of 1.2289 coincided with the sharp downward move of the MACD line from zero. The report on the UK house price index did not make an impression on traders, and pressure on the pair returned after the speeches made by Fed representatives. But today, pound may have a chance to compensate for losses, after the speech of Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey. He should be full of optimism, hinting at the imminent winding down of aggressive policies and interest rate cuts. Pound will continue to fall if this does not happen.   For long positions: Buy when pound hits 1.2285 (green line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.2327 (thicker green line on the chart). Growth will occur after Andrew Bailey's statements or after protecting the support at 1.2260. However, when buying, ensure that the MACD line lies above zero or just starts to rise from it. Pound can also be bought after two consecutive price tests of 1.2266, but the MACD line should be in the oversold area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.2285 and 1.2327. For short positions: Sell when pound reaches 1.2266 (red line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.2229. Pressure will continue as soon as Bailey comments on the poor state of the UK economy and high inflation. However, when selling, ensure that the MACD line lies below zero or drops down from it. Pound can also be sold after two consecutive price tests of 1.2285, but the MACD line should be in the overbought area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.2266 and 1.2229.   What's on the chart: Thin green line - entry price at which you can buy GBP/USD Thick green line - estimated price where you can set Take-Profit (TP) or manually fix profits, as further growth above this level is unlikely. Thin red line - entry price at which you can sell GBP/USD Thick red line - estimated price where you can set Take-Profit (TP) or manually fix profits, as further decline below this level is unlikely. MACD line- it is important to be guided by overbought and oversold areas when entering the market  
Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

US Yields Surge, Equities Drop, and Oil Rebounds: A Market Recap

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 10.11.2023 09:58
US yields spike, equities fall, oil rebounds By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Bad. Yesterday's 30-year treasury auction in the US was bad. And this time, the bad auction got the anticipated reaction. The US Treasuries saw a sharp selloff - especially in the 20 and 30-year papers. The US 30-year yield jumped 22bp, the 20-year yield jumped more than 20bp, while the 10-year yield jumped 18bp to above 4.60%.   Then, the Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's speech at an IMF event was hawkish. Powell repeated that the FOMC will move 'carefully' and that the Fed won't hesitate to raise the interest rates again, if needed. The US 2-year yield is back above the 5% level.   Of course, the sudden jump in US yields hit appetite in US stocks yesterday. The S&P500 fell 0.80%, and Nasdaq fell 0.82%. The US bond auction brought along a lot of volatility, questions, and uncertainty.  At 5%, the US 2-year yield is still 50bp below the upper limit of the Fed funds target range. Therefore, if the Fed could convince investors that the rates will stay high for long, this part of the curve has potential to shift higher. On the longer end, we could reasonably expect the US 10-year yield to remain below the 5% mark – and even ease gently if economic growth slows and the job market loosens. A wider inversion between the US 2-10-year yield should boost the odds a higher of US recession. But hey, we are used to the inverted yield curve, and we believe that it won't necessarily bring along recession. Goldman sees only a 15% chance of US recession next year. 
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US Dollar Rises as Bond Market Ignites: A Look at Dollar's Resurgence

ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 10:03
FX Daily: Bond bears give new energy to the dollar A very soft 30-year Treasury auction and hawkish comments by Powell triggered a rebound in US yields and the dollar yesterday. Dynamics in the rates market will remain key while awaiting market-moving US data. In the UK, growth numbers in line with expectations, while in Norway, inflation surprised to the upside. USD: Auction and Powell trigger dollar rebound The dollar chased the spike in US yields yesterday following a big tailing in the 30-year Treasury auction and hawkish comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Speaking at the IMF conference, Powell warned against reading too much into the softer inflation figures and cautioned that the inflation battle remains long, with another hike still possible. If we look at the Fed Funds future curve, it is clear that markets remain highly doubtful another hike will be delivered at all, but Powell’s remarks probably represent the culmination of a pushback against the recent dovish repricing. Remember that in last week’s FOMC announcement, the admission that financial conditions had tightened came with the caveat that the impact on the economy and inflation would have depended on how long rates would have been kept elevated. The hawkish rhetoric pushed by Powell suggests that the Fed still prefers higher Treasury yields doing the tightening rather than hiking again, and that is exactly what markets are interpreting. The soft auction for long-dated Treasuries also signals the post-NFP correction in rates may well have been overdone and could set a new floor for yields unless data point to a worsening US outlook. Today’s highlights in the US calendar are the University of Michigan surveys. Particular focus will be on the 1-year inflation gauge, which is expected to fall from 4.2% to 4.0%. On the Fed side, we’ll hear from Lorie Logan, Raphael Bostic and Mary Daly. Dynamics across the US yield curve will have a big say in whether the dollar can hold on to its new gains. Anyway, we had called for a recovery in DXY to 106.00 as the Fed would have likely pushed back against the dovish repricing. The rebound in yields should put a floor under the dollar, but we suspect some reassurances from the data side will be needed for another big jump in the greenback.
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CEE End-of-Week Report: Inflation Updates and Regional Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 10:10
CEE: Busy end to the week Today we have a busy end to the week in the CEE region. October inflation will be published in Hungary. We expect a further fall from 12.2% to 10.3% year-on-year, slightly below market expectations, while the central bank expects 10.5%. Inflation therefore has a high bar for hawkish surprises in our view, and the lower number should support further market bets on rate cuts. However, this week the HUF seems to have fully disconnected from rates and is not interested at all. We believe the relationship should resume sooner or later and lower rates will drive EUR/HUF higher. Moreover, the EU money story seems to come into play soon, which should bring more volatility and a weaker HUF – at least initially. On the other hand, we remain bullish on the HUF in the long term. In the Czech Republic, we will also see the inflation print for October. We agree with the market expecting an increase from 6.9% to 8.4% YoY mainly due to the base effect from last year. The Czech National Bank (CNB) is expecting 8.3%. However, the survey range is quite wide and skewed towards higher numbers, which could encourage more paying flow in the rates space and support the CZK. On the other hand, we will also see the CNB minutes today, which we think could be more dovish than the press conference following the central bank's decision last week and could push EUR/CZK in the opposite direction. Looking ahead, however, we expect to see weaker economic numbers and hesitant statements from the CNB, which we think will boost rate cut bets and push EUR/CZK higher again. In Poland, Fitch will publish a rating review after the close of trading. We do not expect any changes this time but it will be the first review after the elections and it will be interesting to see the assessment of the loose fiscal policy and the plan for a record sovereign bond issuance next year.
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Tightening Financial Conditions and Weakening Prices: US Inflation on Track for 2% Next Summer

ING Economics ING Economics 10.11.2023 10:39
US could soon see 2% inflation After encouraging inflation data in early summer, progress stalled in August and September amid robust consumer activity. But with tighter financial and credit conditions set to weigh further on corporate pricing power, supplemented by slowing rents and falling gasoline and used car prices, we expect to see inflation move close to 2% in 2Q.   Progress being made, but the Fed wants much more At the recent FOMC press conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the economy has “been able to achieve pretty significant progress on inflation without seeing the kind of increase in unemployment that has been very typical of rate hiking cycles like this one”. Nonetheless, there was the acknowledgement that “the process of getting inflation sustainably down to 2% has a long way to go”. Headline US consumer price inflation has indeed fallen sharply from a peak of 9.1% year-on-year in June 2022, hitting a low of 3% in June 2023. However, this stalled in August and September with the annual rate rebounding to 3.7% as higher energy costs and resilience in some of the core (ex-food and energy) components re-emerged amid a strong summer for consumer spending. The annual rate of core inflation has continued to soften from a peak of 6.6% in September 2022 to 4.1% currently, but it is still running at more than double the 2% target. In an environment where the economy has just posted 4.9% annualised GDP growth in the third quarter and unemployment is only 3.9%, there are several hawks on the FOMC who continue to make the case for additional interest rate rises, arguing that they cannot take chances and allow any opportunity for inflation pressures to reignite.   Contributions to US annual consumer price inflation (YoY%)   But the Fed's work is most probably done The Fed is still officially forecasting one further 25bp interest rate rise this year, but we doubt it will follow through. The Fed last hiked rates in July and since then financial and credit conditions have tightened, with residential mortgages and car loans now having 8%+ interest rates while credit card borrowing costs are at all-time highs and corporate lending rates are moving higher. It isn’t just the rise in borrowing costs that will act as a brake on economic activity and constrain inflation pressures. The Federal Reserve’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion survey shows that banks are increasingly reluctant to lend. This combination of sharply higher borrowing costs and reduced credit availability tends to be toxic for growth. The Fed itself has reported significant weakness in loan demand while commercial bank lending data shows a clear topping out in the amount of borrowing conducted by households and businesses. With real household disposable incomes falling for the past four months amid evidence of increasing numbers of households having exhausted pandemic-era savings, we expect to see GDP contract in at least two quarters in 2024. In this environment, we see the slowdown in inflation regaining momentum in early 2024.   Corporate pricing power is waning With business attitudes becoming more cautious on the economic outlook we are seeing a reduction in price intention surveys. The chart below shows the relationship between the National Federation of Independent Businesses' (NFIB) survey on the proportion of members expecting to raise prices in coming months and the annual rate of core inflation. It suggests that conditions are normalising, with core inflation set to return to historical trends.   NFIB price intentions surveys suggest corporate pricing power is normalising   While concerns about the outlook for demand are a key factor limiting the desire for companies to raise prices further, a more benign cost backdrop has also helped the situation. The annual rate of producer price inflation has slowed from 11.7% to 2.2%, having dropped to just 0.3% year-on-year in June while import prices are falling outright in year-on-year terms. There are also signs of labour market slack emerging, with unemployment starting to tick higher and average hourly earnings growth slowing to 4.1% from near 6% just 18 months ago. Perhaps more importantly, non-farm productivity surged in the third quarter with unit labour costs falling at a 0.8% annualised rate. With cost pressures seemingly abating from all angles, this should argue for core services ex-housing, a component that the Fed has been keeping a careful eye on, to soften quite substantially over coming months.   Fed's "supercore" inflation should slow more rapidly   Energy and vehicle price falls to depress inflation Another area of recent encouragement is energy prices. The fear had been that the conflict in the Middle East would have consequences for energy markets but, so far, we have seen energy prices soften. Gasoline prices in the US have fallen 50 cents/gallon between mid-September and early November, leaving prices at the lowest level since early March. Gasoline has a 3.6% weighting in the CPI basket. Our commodity strategists remain wary, warning of the risk that an escalation in the conflict could lead to oil and gas supply disruptions from some key producers in the region, most notably Iran. For now though, energy prices will depress inflation rates and could mean at least one or two month-on-month outright declines in headline prices with lower energy prices limiting any upside potential from airline fares (0.5% weight in the CPI basket). On top of this, we expect to see new and used vehicle prices (combined 6.9% weighting in the CPI basket) being vulnerable to further price falls in an environment where car loan borrowing costs are soaring. New vehicle prices have risen more than 20% since 2020 amid supply problems and strong demand while used vehicle prices rose more than 50%, according to both the CPI measure and Manheim car auction prices. Prices for used cars have fallen this year but still stand 35% above those of 2020. Experian data suggests the average new car loan payment is now around $730 per month while for second-hand cars it is now $530 per month. With car insurance costs having risen rapidly as well (up 18.9% YoY with a 2.7% weighting in the CPI basket), the cost of buying and owning a vehicle is increasingly prohibitive for many households and we suspect we will see incentives increasingly capping the upside for vehicle prices. It is also important to remember that the surge in insurance costs is a lagged response to the higher cost of vehicles – and therefore insured value – and that too should slow rapidly (but not fall) over coming months.   Gasoline prices and oil prices surprise to the downside   Rent slowdown will be the big disinflationary force in early 2024 The big disinflationary influence should come from housing over the next couple of quarters. The chart below shows the relationship between Zillow rents and the CPI housing components. This is important because owners’ equivalent rent is the single biggest individual component of the basket of goods and services used to construct the CPI index, accounting for 25.6% of the headline index and 32.2% of the core index. Meanwhile, primary rents account for 7.6% of the headline index and 9.6% of the core. If the relationship holds and the CPI housing components slow to 3% YoY inflation, the one-third weighting that housing has in the headline rate and 41.8% weighting in the core will subtract around 1.3 percentage points of headline inflation and 1.7ppt off core annual inflation rates.   Rents point to major housing cost disinflation   On track for 2% inflation next summer There are some components on which there is less certainty, such as medical care, but we are increasingly confident that inflationary pressures will continue to subside and this means that the Federal Reserve will not need to raise interest rates any further. Next week’s October CPI report may not show huge progress with headline CPI expected to be flat on the month and core prices rising 0.3% month-on-month, but we expect headline inflation to slow to 3.3% in the December report with the annual rate of core inflation coming down to 3.7%. Sharper declines are likely in the first half of 2024. Chair Jerome Powell in a speech to the Economic Club of New York acknowledged that “given the fast pace of the tightening, there may still be meaningful tightening in the pipeline”. This will only intensify the disinflationary pressures that are building in an economy that is showing signs of cooling. We forecast headline inflation to be in a 2-2.5% range from April onwards with core CPI testing 2% in the second quarter. With growth concerns likely to increase over the same period, this should give the Fed the flexibility to respond with interest rate cuts. We wouldn’t necessarily describe it as stimulus, but rather to move monetary policy to a more neutral footing, with the Fed funds rate expected to end 2024 at 4% versus the consensus forecast and market pricing of 4.5%.   ING CPI forecasts (YoY%)
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Fed Chair Powell's Inflation Concerns and Their Impact on Stock Markets

Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 10.11.2023 12:50
Fed Chair Powell gives investors reasons to cash in profits  European stocks lost some ground on Friday to end what has otherwise been a positive week for stocks after Fed Chair Powell stated that policymakers were not confident interest rates are high enough to cool inflation. If investors were looking for a reason to lock in some profits after a week and half of strong stock gains across European and US stock markets, Powell handed it to them on a silver plate. I don't believe what Powell said was a shock but I do feel the general consensus amongst investors is that interest rates are at or close to their peaks and their focus is turning to the timing of rate cuts. The fact the Fed has sent a clear signal that the conversation for rate cuts is far too premature, this has given some investors a bit of a reality check today with the FTSE losing more than 1% with European indices such as the DAX following a similar pattern.    Crypto recovery continues as Ethereum price takes flight We're seeing a continuation of the positive price sentiment seen in Cryptocurrencies over the past week. After news broke that Blackrock had registered its iShares Ethereum Trust corporate entity in Delaware and then proceeded to file a 19b-4 form with Nasdaq for its much speculated Ethereum ETF, this has gotten ETH buyers very excited today. The result in the markets has been clear, with Ethereum enjoying strong buying momentum helping to lift prices by more than 9% on the day to trade at its highest levels for 19 months above $2000. With Bitcoin also trading around $37,000 - despite some minor falls in the past few hours - the famous 'crypto buzz' certainly feels to be returning.  
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UK and US Inflation Data and China Retail Sales: Key Economic Indicators to Watch

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 13.11.2023 14:36
By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) UK Wages (Sep) /UK CPI (Oct) – 14 and 15/11 – last week's Q3 GDP numbers showed how much pressure the UK economy is under despite the continued slowdown in headline inflation we've seen over the past few months. Despite this slowdown headline inflation remains well above its peers in Europe and the US mainly due to the impact of the energy price cap which has kept prices in this area artificially high.   One major plus point has been wages growth which has taken some of the edge off, but which now looks as if it might have peaked. The last 3-months has seen earnings excluding bonuses remain steady at record highs of 7.8%, although including bonuses we're still above 8%. At the most recent Bank of England meeting interest rates were kept unchanged and a further sharp slowdown in headline inflation in October could reinforce the idea that the Bank of England is done when it comes to further rate hikes. September CPI came in higher than expected at 6.7%, with most of the increase being driven by higher petrol prices, which offset a modest fall in food prices.   Core prices eased slightly to 6.1% however services-based inflation rose from 6.8% year on year to 6.9%, and this is the area where the BOE has some concerns. That said this week's October inflation numbers should see another big slowdown given that the energy price component is expected to fall sharply from the same period last year, when the price cap jumped sharply. With energy prices now much lower, we can expect to see another sharp fall in this component which in turn should see a commensurate fall in the headline rate with expectations for a sharp slowdown to 4.8%, from 6.7%. Core CPI is expected to slow to 5.7%, from 6.1%.   US CPI (Oct) – 14/11 – having found a short-term base in June at 3%, US headline inflation has spent the last 3 months edging higher, although core CPI has still been slowing at a steady rate. Core prices slowed to 4.1% from 4.3% while there was a modest upside surprise in the headline number caused mainly by higher rent and fuel prices, and which did raise concerns that the Fed may well go with another rate hike between now and the end of the year.   These concerns have eased in recent days after a weaker than expected October jobs report, while retail sales in the US have also slowed. If we see further evidence of core prices slowing in October, then it could add fuel to the idea that the Fed might forego a pre-Christmas rate hike and leave policy as is. US CPI is expected to slow from 3.7% to 3.3%, with core prices expected to come in unchanged at 4.1%.   China Retail Sales (Oct) – 16/11 – last month China reported that its economy expanded by 1.3%, helped by a more resilient consumer, after retail sales rose by 5.5% in September, while industrial production rose by 4.5%. Industrial production has been steadily consistent over the third quarter; however, consumer spending has been much more constrained since the post Covid lockdown spike we saw at the start of the year.   One of the more consistent narratives of the last few months has been various luxury as well as other retailers who have reported a sharp slowdown in Chinese consumer spending, a trend that doesn't appear to be being reflected in the official Chinese data. The Q3 months have seen retail sales slow sharply, with gains of 2.5% and 4.6% in July and August, rounded off by 5.5% in September. While today's numbers do suggest a modest improvement in Q3 the extent of the rebound does raise questions given the weakness of recent trade data, as well as PMIs. For October retail sales are expected to show an increase of 7%, with industrial production remaining steady at 7%
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US Inflation Slows Beyond Expectations: Analyzing October's CPI Figures

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:04
US inflation slowdown has much more to go US consumer price inflation slowed more than expected in October. Higher borrowing costs will increasingly weigh on activity and corporate pricing power while slowing housing rents will be the main driver of disinflation over the next two quarters. With 2% inflation looking possible by next summer the pricing of rate cuts will intensify.   Inflation pressures are subsiding US October CPI has undershot market expectations for both headline and core inflation. The headline rate is 0% month-on-month/3.2% year-on-year versus consensus predictions of 0.1%/3.3% while core (ex-food and energy) is 0.2%/4.0% versus predictions of 0.3%/4.1%. The biggest component, owners’ equivalent rent, cooled to 0.4% MoM from 0.6% MoM, but we are hopeful of much more to come. Energy fell 2.5%, led by a 5% MoM drop in gasoline while both used and new car prices fell  (-0.1% and -0.8%, respectively) and airline fares fell 0.9% with hotel prices dropping 2.9%. The big uncertainty ahead of time was medical care costs and changes to methodology and history, but it doesn’t appear to have been as big a story as feared, with prices up 0.3% MoM, though still down -0.8% YoY. CPI ex food and energy MoM, 3M annualised & YoY%
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Taming Inflation: Supercore Progress Pleases the Fed, Setting the Stage for Policy Shift in 2024

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:05
Supercore progress should please the Fed The so-called “supercore” measure of inflation – services excluding energy and housing costs – which the Fed keeps a close eye on due to wages and labour market tightness having a large influence, came in at a pretty benign 0.2% MoM rate, pulling the annual rate down to 3.75%. The Federal Reserve has got to be pretty happy with this and unsurprisingly, it has reinforced market expectations that the policy rate has peaked. Just 1.5bp of tightening is now priced by the January 2024 FOMC meeting with more than 90bp of rate cuts now anticipated by the end of next year.   Supercore inflation is making progress   Housing and vehicles to prompt further disinflation Housing rents should slow a lot further based on observed rents. If the relationship holds between observed rents and the CPI housing components, the one-third weighting housing has in the headline inflation basket and 41.8% weighting for the core rate will subtract around 1.3 percentage points of headline inflation and 1.7ppt off core annual inflation rates. Higher credit card and car loan borrowing costs, student loan repayments and very low housing transaction numbers in an environment of weak real household disposable incomes will continue to slow consumer spending activity. Big ticket items, such as vehicles, look set to see ongoing downward pricing pressure while slower economic growth should restrict corporate pricing power more broadly in the economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell recently acknowledged that “given the fast pace of the tightening, there may still be meaningful tightening in the pipeline”. This will only intensify the disinflationary pressures that are building in an economy that is showing some signs of cooling. We forecast headline inflation to be in a 2-2.5% range from April onwards with core CPI testing 2% in the second quarter of 2024.   Housing slowdown will increasingly depress core inflation   Scope for significant Fed policy easing in 2024 With growth concerns likely to increase over the same period, this should give the Federal Reserve the flexibility to respond with interest rate cuts. We wouldn’t necessarily describe it as stimulus but more an attempt to move monetary policy to a more neutral footing, with the Fed funds rate expected to end 2024 at 4% versus the consensus forecast and market pricing of 4.5%.
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Rates Spark: Evaluating the Likelihood of a Shift in the Rate Cycle

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:06
Rates Spark: Shifting the rate cycle discount How convinced are we that the Fed has peaked? You can never be 100% sure on this, but the odds firmly favour the view that they’re done. That places rate cutting on the radar. Ahead of that, market rates tend to ease lower.   Have market rates peaked in the United States? Most probably yes The US 10yr has gapped below 4.5% in the wake of the CPI report – immediate impact effect. It did feel like Treasuries were waiting for this report before making any conclusive subsequent move having had a look below 4.5% twice and each time finding an excuse (good ones though) to get back above. Although the headline inflation rate is now 3.2%, the caveat is that core is still at 4% (even if lower than the 4.1% expected). But the path is positive, and that’s what the market rates are extrapolating. It is still not clear that market rates should capitulate lower from here though. Tuesday’s CPI report was great. But the absolute numbers mean there is still some inflation reduction work to get done. There will be an interesting supply test next week from the 20yr auction, which will be watched following the badly tailed 30yr one last week (the main reason we gapped higher again in yields). On the front end, the 2yr is back in the 4.85% area, having been above 5%. This is an easier sell. A big move lower is likely here. It’s only a matter of when – typically it’s about 3 months before an actual cut. Not quite at that point, but it will be there as a theme over the turn of the year. Breakeven inflation has also moved lower post the number. But real yields are lower by more – by over 20bp in the 10yr (now 2.2%). Real yields are still elevated though, and reflective of macro resilience and the fiscal deficit. That’s a resistance that can remain an issue for longer tenor market rates. Ongoing dis-inversion and a steeper curve ahead.   Today's events and market view The CPI data gave the market the green light to drop the 10Y US yield back to just below 4.5%. EUR rates were pulled lower alongside, bull flattening with the 10Y Bund yield touching 2.6%. This level held twice last week, having marked the lowest yield since mid September. Today’s calendar features more data that could feed the bullish sentiment. We will get the US producer prices and  we will likely also see softer retail sales data, where gasoline prices will have depressed values of sales. But as our economists point out, vehicle sales were down on the month and that credit card spending has been subdued, also pointing to a soft spending number. In the eurozone, markets will be looking at industrial production data, pointing to a worsening situation in the sector. With a view to the risk of a government shutdown, there are signs that the Speaker's interim plan that continues government funding at current levels until early next year has some support among Democrats. In primary government bond markets Germany will tap two 30y bonds for €2bn in total.
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Peak Fed: Navigating the Changing Rate Landscape

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:08
The Fed is done and market rates have peaked – so what now? Market rates have likely peaked. The 10yr hit 5% and the 2yr got to 5.25% in the past month or so. A move back toward 5% is not improbable for the 10yr, but it's more likely that we've morphed into a structural decline in market rates, and a steeper curve. Most of the time a peak for the Fed correlates with a good time to get long, or at least to average in as rates rise.   Most of the time a peak for the Fed correlates with a subsequent tendency for market rates to fall – it tends to be a good time to get long Have market rates peaked in the United States? Most probably yes. The Federal Reserve is likely done too. If true, the Fed has in fact been done since 26 July this year, and has been at a peak rate for almost four months now. When the Fed peaks, it’s a key moment for markets. Most of the time a peak for the Fed correlates with a subsequent tendency for market rates to fall – it tends to be a good time to get long. Getting long can take on many guises. For asset managers is means buying longer dated higher quality securities, even into an inverted curve, as this means locking in existing running yield for longer. For liability managers, getting long means setting fixed rate receivers, which is effectively like a funded long in a bond. It’s also code for swapping to floating, where exposure to falling official rates is sought. It's no surprise that over the long term being exposed to floating rates is the cheapest form of funding. Despite the volatility that is implied, an average upward sloping term structure tends to result in a lower cost of funding. In fact, there is no example of a 10yr fixed rate receiver resulting in negative carry at any time over the past number of decades (as 10 years is long enough for floating rates to on average be lower than the 10yr rate that has been locked in). Moreover, when the Federal Reserve is at a peak, realised carry on fixed rate receivers tends to be maximised (graph below). It’s the opposite when we are at the bottom of the rate cycle, as this is the optimal time to set a swap to a fixed (rate payer). Similarly, for the asset manager, this is the best time to be short on interest rate exposure, as the path ahead then is for the Fed to be hiking rates, and pushing market rates higher. That’s for another day. Today we’re concerned with the peak in the cycle.   Realised carry from setting fixed rate receivers (5yr, 7yr and 10yr compared)   Getting long the bond market comes in many guises, but now is the time How convinced are we that the Fed has peaked? You can never be 100% sure on this, but the odds firmly favour the view that they’re done. Latest headline consumer price inflation has fallen to 3.2% and the latest 3mth annualised reading for the core personal consumer expenditure deflator is at 2.5%. That’s bang on the 20yr average for US inflation. It has to be said that the US has managed a remarkable easing in inflation, despite the ongoing firmness in the labour market. But that labour market firmness won’t last. Every day the effective funds rate remains at 5.3% the pressure builds on e.g. the typical credit card debt holder that finds themselves paying rates in excess of 20%. All debt holder subject to re-sets at higher rates face similar issues, ones that won’t go away as the Fed holds. Also, falling inflation does not mean falling aggregate prices, so living standard pressures from high prices remain. The transmission mechanism to the economy is through higher delinquencies, and a wider lower spending link in consequence. The Federal Reserve does not need to hike rates further in order to sustain the pressure already beginning to be felt by the economy. As these pressures build, concern morphs away from inflation and towards sub-trend growth, and possibly recession. That places rate cutting on the radar. Ahead of that, market rates tend to ease lower. And once we are about three months ahead of an actual cut, the 2yr yield will gap lower – it can move lower by 100bp in a matter of days, and keeps going. The engine that drives this is the Fed cutting from 5.5% currently, to (we think) 3% by mid-2025 (starting by mid-2024). Market rates anticipate a lot of this ahead of time. The anticipatory move lower on the front end is where value comes from exposure to paying floating rates for liability managers. And for asset managers, that means lower funding costs, and moreover, downward pressure on longer tenor rates, that are pulled lower by shorter tenor ones. If that all plays out, then being long is the way to go in the coming few months. A mini back-up in market rates is far from improbable, as the deficit pressure has not gone away and the economy has not exactly imploded. We'd use any such back-up as an opportunity to average in, adding to interest rate exposure for asset managers and to floating rate liabilities for liability managers
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Inflation Fever Breaks: Fed Doves Energized as US CPI Falls, Markets React

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 16.11.2023 11:14
Inflation fever breaks By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The Federal Reserve (Fed) doves got a big energy boost yesterday by a slightly lower-than-expected inflation report. The headline inflation fell to 3.2% in October from 3.7% printed a month earlier, and core inflation eased to 4% from 4.1% printed a month earlier. Services excluding housing and energy costs – the so-called super core figure closely watched by the Fed - rose only 0.2% and shelter costs rose only 0.3%, down from a 0.6% advance printed a month earlier. The soft set of inflation print cemented the expectation that the Fed is done hiking the interest rates. The US 2-year yield – which best captures the rate bets – tanked 24bp to 4.81%. The 10-year slipped below 4.50% and activity on Fed funds futures gives around 95% chance for a no rate hike in December. That probability stood at around 85% before yesterday's US CPI data.   In equities, the S&P500 jumped past its 100-DMA, spiked above the 4500 mark, and closed the session a few points below this level. Nasdaq 100 extended its gain to 15850. In the FX, the US dollar took a severe hit. The index fell 1.50% on Tuesday, pulled out a major Fibonacci support and sank into the medium-term bearish consolidation zone. The EURUSD jumped to almost the 1.09 level. Yes, there is no mistake – to nearly 1.09 level, and Cable flirted with the 1.25 resistance. What a day!   A small parenthesis on UK inflation   Good news came from Britain this morning, as well. Inflation in the UK fell 6.7% to 4.6% in October, lower than the 4.7% penciled in by analysts. Core inflation also eased more than expected to 5.7%. There is growing evidence that the major central banks' efforts are bearing fruit. Cable is sold after the CPI data, but the pullback will likely remain short-lived if the USD appetite continues to wane globally.   
Rates Spark: Time to Fade the Up-Move in Yields

US Market Outlook: Retail Sales, Big Retail Earnings, and Political Jitters Set the Stage

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 16.11.2023 11:16
Back to US: retail sales, Big Retail earnings & US political jitters   Yesterday's rush to open fresh long US Treasury positions was likely intensified by a hurry to cover short positions. We shall see a correction in the US yields, as the Fed members still maintain their position for 'higher for longer' interest rates. But the market position is clear. The pricing now suggests a 50bp cut from the Fed by July next year; the sweet and sour cocktail of softening jobs market and easing inflation suggests that the Fed's next move will probably be a rate cut, rather than a rate hike.   So yes, ladies and gentlemen, the way is being paved for a potential Santa rally this year. But the Fed will continue to calm down the game, and any strength in the US economic data should reinforce the 'high for long' rhetoric and tame appetite.  Investors will watch the US retail sales data today. A strong figure could pour cold water on heated Fed cut bets. A soft figure, on the other hand, could bring in more buyers to US bond markets.   On the individual front, Home Depot shares rallied more than 5% yesterday. Earnings and revenue narrowed and the company released a cautious year-end guidance, but the results were better than expected. Target is due to report today, and Walmart on Thursday.  To add another layer of complexity – on top of the economic data and corporate earnings – the US political scene will impact bond pricing in the next few days. The US politicians try to avoid a government shutdown by Friday. The latest news suggests that the odds of shutdown diminished yesterday as House Speaker Mike Johnson gained more Democratic support for his interim funding plan. The interim plan however excludes aid for Ukraine, aid for Israel and could lead to a two-step shutdown at the start of next year. And it does not include the steep spending cuts that the hardcore Republicans are looking for. In summary, the political mess continues.   In the best-case scenario, the US politicians will agree on another short-term relief package and avoid a government shutdown, push away the threat of another rating cut – from Moody's this time. The latter would maintain appetite in US bonds and support a further rally in the US stocks. In the worst-case scenario, the US government will stop its operations by the end of this week and the political chaos will lead to a bounce in US yields and stall the equity rally.   
Rates Spark: Time to Fade the Up-Move in Yields

US Market Outlook: Retail Sales, Big Retail Earnings, and Political Jitters Set the Stage - 16.11.2023

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 16.11.2023 11:16
Back to US: retail sales, Big Retail earnings & US political jitters   Yesterday's rush to open fresh long US Treasury positions was likely intensified by a hurry to cover short positions. We shall see a correction in the US yields, as the Fed members still maintain their position for 'higher for longer' interest rates. But the market position is clear. The pricing now suggests a 50bp cut from the Fed by July next year; the sweet and sour cocktail of softening jobs market and easing inflation suggests that the Fed's next move will probably be a rate cut, rather than a rate hike.   So yes, ladies and gentlemen, the way is being paved for a potential Santa rally this year. But the Fed will continue to calm down the game, and any strength in the US economic data should reinforce the 'high for long' rhetoric and tame appetite.  Investors will watch the US retail sales data today. A strong figure could pour cold water on heated Fed cut bets. A soft figure, on the other hand, could bring in more buyers to US bond markets.   On the individual front, Home Depot shares rallied more than 5% yesterday. Earnings and revenue narrowed and the company released a cautious year-end guidance, but the results were better than expected. Target is due to report today, and Walmart on Thursday.  To add another layer of complexity – on top of the economic data and corporate earnings – the US political scene will impact bond pricing in the next few days. The US politicians try to avoid a government shutdown by Friday. The latest news suggests that the odds of shutdown diminished yesterday as House Speaker Mike Johnson gained more Democratic support for his interim funding plan. The interim plan however excludes aid for Ukraine, aid for Israel and could lead to a two-step shutdown at the start of next year. And it does not include the steep spending cuts that the hardcore Republicans are looking for. In summary, the political mess continues.   In the best-case scenario, the US politicians will agree on another short-term relief package and avoid a government shutdown, push away the threat of another rating cut – from Moody's this time. The latter would maintain appetite in US bonds and support a further rally in the US stocks. In the worst-case scenario, the US government will stop its operations by the end of this week and the political chaos will lead to a bounce in US yields and stall the equity rally.   
FX Daily: Fed Ends Bank Term Funding Program, Shifts Focus to US Regional Banks and 4Q23 GDP

The Dollar's Dramatic Drop: Is the Bear Trend Overdone?

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:17
FX Daily: Dollar bears may have jumped the gun The dollar plummeted yesterday after a softer-than-expected US CPI reading. But we still think a turn in activity data - more than the disinflation story - is needed to take the dollar sustainably lower, and the move appears overdone also from a short-term valuation perspective. US retail sales will tell us whether the dollar can start to recover today. USD: Dollar slump looks overdone We had pointed to the risk of a USD correction yesterday given the chances of a soft CPI reading, and the tendency of the dollar to underperform after key US data releases/events. The move was, however, quite extreme. If position-squaring did play a role in exacerbating the size of the dollar correction, the depth of the drop in Treasury yields means the FX shifts have taken their cues from a substantial repricing of monetary policy expectations. The Fed funds futures curve erased any residual bet of monetary tightening after the lower-than-expected October inflation report, and now prices in the start of the easing cycle in June and 50bp of cuts by July. We have no reason to argue against this pricing from a macro perspective: our US economist discusses here how disinflation has much further to go, and we currently forecast 150bp of Fed cuts in 2024, still more dovish than the 97bp priced in by the market. However, we’d be wary of jumping too aggressively on a dollar bear trend now. First of all, markets have moved a lot after a softer inflation reading, even though the narrative of disinflation being well underway is something that would hardly surprise the Fed. The month-on-month core print, by the way, came in at 0.227%, not too far from a rounded consensus 0.3%. Resilient growth is what's been keeping the dollar stronger, and while we expect the US to head into recession in 2024, there is no hard evidence just yet. In other words, strong US activity figures remain a very clear possibility in the near term and could trigger an inversion in the US bear run. Secondly, rates have moved significantly, but not enough to justify the huge dollar drop. According to our short-term fair value model, the dollar has moved into undervaluation (after the US CPI release) against all G10 currencies except for the Japanese yen, Canadian dollar and Norwegian krone. This is quite remarkable given the dollar had been generally overvalued in the short term for many months. Today, October retail sales will be watched closely after coming in very strong in September. Consensus is for a 0.3% MoM decline in the headline figure but a 0.2% increase in the index excluding auto and gas. The dollar should be very sensitive to the release. A soft reading may fuel speculation that softer growth is coming through and could add to disinflation to trigger more Fed dovish bets. However, US activity data has had a tendency to surprise on the upside, if anything, and it may be too early to see a slew of soft readings. Our view is that this USD bear run is overdone, and we expect another, or a few more rounds of dollar resilience into the New Year before a clear-cut dollar decline can emerge. PPI data will also be watched for confirmation that the disinflation process effectively accelerated in October. On the geopolitical side, keep an eye on headlines from the Biden-Xi Jinping meeting at the APEC summit.
GBP: Soft Services Inflation Diminishes BoE December Hike Prospects

GBP: Soft Services Inflation Diminishes BoE December Hike Prospects

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:19
GBP: Softer services inflation rules out BoE December surprise The chances of a Bank of England surprise hike in December were already very low, but this morning’s UK inflation figures for October are further helping a dovish case. Headline inflation dropped from 6.7% to 4.6%, and core from 6.1% to 5.7%: a slightly faster deceleration than consensus in both rates. We know the BoE primarily looks at services inflation, which noticeably undershot the Bank’s forecast (6.9%) by coming in at 6.6%. There are no other CPI releases before the next meeting, so along with the markets sticking to their view for a pause, there may be mounting speculation the BoE might soften its stance towards future policy direction. As we write this report this morning, markets are close to pricing in a first rate cut in the UK in June (23bp). We keep pointing to the fact that pricing in the Sonia curve appears a bit too conservative compared to that of the US and the eurozone in pricing monetary easing and that raises the risk of GBP underperformance as the UK economic outlook deteriorates. The combination of a tentative improvement in eurozone data and soft inflation figures in the UK should help build a floor around 0.8700 in EUR/GBP.
Bank of Japan Holds Steady, UK Public Finances in Focus: Market Analysis

Taming Inflation: Bank of England's Services Inflation Falls Below Forecast, Diminishing Rate Hike Prospects

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:25
Good news for the Bank of England as services inflation falls further than expected Services inflation has undershot the Bank of England's forecast for October, and that all but rules out any more tightening this year. We expect services inflation to fall back to the 3.5-4% area next summer and that would be a catalyst for rate cuts to begin. To no great surprise, UK inflation plunged in October as the impact of lower gas prices finally showed through in a meaningful way. Last year’s 25% increase in household energy bills has dropped out of the annual comparison, while electricity/gas prices fell by 7% in October this year. And though a much less important factor in this latest drop, food price inflation has slowed dramatically too. Producer prices suggest the level of consumer prices at the checkout could actually start falling over the next few months. The net result is that headline CPI now stands at 4.6%, down from 6.7% in September. It’s unlikely to change much again before year-end. Inevitably this will raise a few smiles in Downing Street, and much of the focus of today’s data will be on the fact that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has met his goal of ‘halving inflation’. But the Bank of England has to be pretty pleased too. That’s because services inflation, the key metric for policymakers, came in much lower than the Bank had anticipated. Services CPI now stands at 6.6% on a year-on-year basis, below the BoE’s 6.9% forecast. That’s lower than we’d expected too, and this is partly because we’d been expecting another large increase in rents in October. The ONS reportedly updates social rents once per quarter and in April and July, we saw unprecedented increases in the overall rent category because of this, helping to push up services inflation. That ultimately didn’t happen last month, and while it’s a fairly niche quirk that would not likely have meant anything for monetary policy, it might help explain some of the difference with the BoE’s forecast.   UK services inflation and ING forecasts   Even so, we can be pretty confident now that services inflation has indeed peaked and is trending downwards. Surveys show that fewer firms are raising prices now, and for the service sector we think that can be partly explained by lower gas prices. Higher energy costs late last year were reported by firms to be a key driver of higher consumer prices, and we expect the same to be true in reverse now that gas prices are down. Further progress on services inflation may be limited in the short-term – we expect it to end the year just above 6% - but we expect it to come down more readily from the spring and reach the 3.5-4% area next summer. Together with lower wage growth by that point, we think this will be a key catalyst for rate cuts to begin from August. Today’s figures also all but rule out a resumption of rate hikes in December, though the chances were already low. This was the only CPI release before the next meeting, and we’ll only get one more wage release before then. The next move in rates is therefore likely to be down.
The Australian Dollar Faces Challenges Amid Economic Contractions and Fed Rate Cut Speculations

Slowing Inflation Signals Potential Rate Cuts Next Year: Insights by Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.11.2023 11:48
Slowing inflation points to rate cuts next year. By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   Back in June when the Bank of England unexpectedly raised rates by 50bps to 5% on the back of much more hawkish commentary from the likes of the Federal Reserve, as well as the ECB market pricing for UK rates rose to 6.25%, in a move that looked clearly overpriced.   UK 2-year gilt yields spiked up to 5.56% and their highest levels since 2008 as markets grew concerned that further aggressive moves on rates would be needed to contain the inflation genie, which in the UK was proving to be much stickier than expected.   At the time I suggested that these concerns were overstated given the direction of travel on headline inflation in the US, as well as in Europe, which was already slowing sharply, not to mention what we were also seeing in China where we were seeing clear evidence of deflation. Other warning signs of sharply slowing inflation were evident in the PPI numbers which in Europe have been negative for over a year now, and which in the UK have been negative, or close to negative since July.   Yesterday US CPI for October also confirmed that inflation was heading lower, slowing from 3.7% to 3.2%, while core prices slipped from 4.2% to 4.1% in a sign that price pressures were continuing to slow.   More importantly super core inflation which the Fed monitors closely also slowed as well, and with the risk of a US government shutdown this weekend postponed until January next year, the economic risks to the US economy appear to have diminished further.   Bond markets are already reflecting this narrative even as central bankers continue to push the higher for longer narrative, with US 10-year yields falling to their lowest levels since September, below 4.5%, having risen as high as 5.01% in October.   Today UK headline inflation showed another sharp slowdown, dropping form 6.7% in September to 4.6% in October as the effects of the energy price cap fell out of the headline number for the second time this year.
Inflation Slows, Prompting Speculation of Rate Cuts: Impact on Markets and Government Goals

Inflation Slows, Prompting Speculation of Rate Cuts: Impact on Markets and Government Goals

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.11.2023 11:49
Having seen the cap come down in April, headline inflation slowed to 8.7% from 10.1% in March, and knowing that further reductions were coming in June and October it wasn't unrealistic to assume similar sharp slowdowns in these months as well, which is precisely what has happened with October CPI slowing to 4.6% and core CPI slowing to 5.7%.   Of course, we've heard a lot today from the UK Treasury, as well as the government that they have succeeded in their goal to get CPI below 5% by the end of the year, which is hilarious given that what we've seen today has happened despite them, and not because of them. Let's not forget this is the government which raised tax rates and made people worse off.   The reality is this was a goal that was always easier to achieve than not, given what we have been seeing in headline PPI numbers these past few months, and the fact we knew the energy price cap was keeping inflation higher than it should have been.   The actual reality is were it not for the design of the energy price cap, headline inflation would have fallen much quicker than it has, merely confirming the idea that there is no political intervention that can't make a big problem even worse, and which in turn helped to create the very stickiness we are seeing in wages growth which is making services inflation stickier than it might have been.   This has meant that UK services inflation has taken longer to come down than it should have, although we have seen a modest slowdown to 6.6% from 6.9% in September. The effect of the energy price cap is evident in where we've seen the biggest slowdown in October inflation, with household and services inflation declining -1.9% month on month, compared to an 8.7% increase in October 2022. Gas costs fell 31% in the year to October 2023, while electricity costs fell 15.6%, which is the lowest annual rate since January 1989.   That said gas and electricity prices are still well above the levels they were 2 years ago, with gas prices still higher by 60%, but nonetheless what the last 24 hours have told us is that its increasingly likely that central banks are done when it comes to further rate hikes, and that pricing is now shifting to who is likely to cut rates first.   On that count the jury remains out, however given the recent gains in the US dollar over the last few months, the repricing of rate risks suggests that the US dollar might still have the biggest downside risk even if the Fed is the last to start cutting.   On that score it looks to be between the ECB and the Bank of England when it comes to which will cut rates first with markets pricing 78bps from the Bank of England by June next year. At this point this seems a little excessive in the same way markets were pricing a 6.25% base rate back in June.   That said the thinking has shifted, and rather than higher for longer further weakness in the economic data will only reinforce the idea that rates have peaked and that cuts are coming, with the debate now on extent and timing. This is no better reflected than in the UK 2-year gilt yield which is now 100bps below its June peaks having fallen as low as 4.54% earlier today.    On the score of who is likely to be first out of the traps in rate cuts it's more than likely to be the ECB, perhaps as soon as the end of Q1 next year, with the Bank of England soon after, which will be good news for households, as well as governments when it comes to debt costs.   Despite today's undershoot on UK inflation the pound has managed to hold onto most of its gains against the US dollar of the last 24 hours having hit 2-month highs earlier today, above 1.2500 and closing above its 200-day SMA for the first time since 13th September yesterday.   The euro has also rallied strongly, similarly closing above its 200-day SMA, in a move that could signal further gains, while equity markets also rallied strongly. The strongest moves came in the Nasdaq 100 and S&P500 which posted their biggest one-day gains since April, with the Nasdaq 100 coming to within touching distance of its July peaks at 15,900. We need to see a concerted push through here to signal a return to the 2021 peaks.   The S&P500 similarly broke out of its downtrend from its July peaks, retesting its September peaks, with a break of 4,520 potentially opening the prospect of a return to those July highs at 4,590.   While US markets have rallied strongly, the reaction in Europe has been much more tepid which suggests an element of caution when it comes to valuations for European stocks. The DAX has managed to recover above its 200-day SMA and above its October highs, while the FTSE100 reaction has been slightly more measured compared to the FTSE250 which has seen strong gains this past two days, pushing up to 2-month highs in early trade today.    In summary today's inflation numbers are good news for consumers across the board, especially given that headline CPI has fallen below the base rate for the first time since 2016, however the Bank of England will still be concerned about services inflation, as well as wage inflation, which is still above 7%.   While markets are cheering the end of inflation it is clear that central bankers will be reluctant to do so less it return in 2024.
Tackling the Tides: Central Banks Navigate Rate Cut Expectations Amid Heavy Economic Calendar

US Retail Sales and PPI Data Support Soft Landing Narrative Amid Subdued Inflation and Activity Resilience

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 11:56
Pipeline pressures support the US soft landing view After yesterday’s big reaction to the benign CPI data, which saw risk assets rally hard and the dollar come off as interest rate expectations fell sharply, it is the turn of retail sales and producer price inflation today. It once again feeds the soft landing narrative with subdued price pressures and resilience in activity. Last month, US retail sales surprised to the upside, rising 0.7% month-on-month despite credit card transaction numbers looking weak and we get a repeat of that for today’s October report. Headline retail sales fell 0.1% MoM, but this was better than the 0.3% drop expected, while September’s 0.7% initial print has been revised up to 0.9% MoM growth. The details show motor vehicle sales fell 1%, which tallies with the drop in unit sales reported by manufacturers while furniture sales dropped 2% MoM – the fourth consecutive monthly decline, which is consistent with the collapse in housing transactions on the basis that when you move home buyers tend to also buy a few new items. Gasoline station sales fell only 0.3% MoM despite the price of gasoline plunging while department stores and miscellaneous stores had a tough month with sales down more than 1% MoM. On the positive side it was a good month for health & personal care (+1.1%) while groceries and electronic both rose 0.6% MoM. Clothing was flat on the month and non-store (internet) rose 0.2%. Therefore the control group, which better matches the trends of broader consumer spending via removing volatile items such as autos, gasoline, building materials and eating out, came in at +0.2% MoM as expected. This indicates decent resilience and supports our view that fourth quarter GDP growth may not be as weak as the consensus is currently predicting – consensus is currently predicting 0.7% annualised 4Q GDP growth while we are forecasting 1.5% GDP growth.   WoW change in credit card spending   There will no doubt be some scepticism of the resilience in retail sales given the credit card spending numbers have been so soft over the past couple of months – are we all really returning to cash? But this is the life of an economist at the moment – data inconsistencies everywhere.   PPI shows weak pipeline price pressures Meanwhile, pipeline inflation pressures as measured by PPI are very soft with headline producer prices falling 0.5% MoM versus +0.1% consensus while core (ex food & energy) was flat on the month (0.3% consensus). This means that the annual rate of producer price inflation has slowed to 1.3% year-on-year from 2.2% while core is at 2.4% versus 2.7% previously. With wage growth looking more subdued amidst rising productivity growth, it reinforces our view that we will start consistently getting 2% CPI YoY prints at some point in the second quarter of  2024, giving the Federal Reserve the ability to respond to any eventual economic weakness with interest rates cuts.   Import prices, PPI and CPI (YoY%)
Market Digests Optimistic Fed Outlook: Soft Economic Data Supports 'Soft Landing' Scenario

Market Digests Optimistic Fed Outlook: Soft Economic Data Supports 'Soft Landing' Scenario

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 12:00
Happily digesting By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Yesterday was about digesting Tuesday's softer-than-expected US CPI data, feeling relieved that the US Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown and welcoming a softer-than-expected producer price inflation, and a softer-than-expected decline in US retail sales – which came to support the idea that, yes, the US economy is probably slowing but it is slowing slowly, while inflation is easing at a satisfactory pace.   The sweet mix of the recent economic data backs the idea that the Federal Reserve (Fed) could achieve what they call a 'soft landing' following an aggressive monetary policy tightening – and more importantly stop hiking the interest rates.   At this point, investors are 100% sure that the Fed won't hike rates in December. They are 100% sure that the Fed won't hike rates in January. There is more than a quarter of a chance for a rate cut to be announced by March. And the pricing suggests that there is a higher chance for a rate cut in the Fed's May meeting, than not.   Conclusion: investors threw the Fed's 'higher for longer' mantra out of the window this week.   BUT this is certainly as good as it gets in terms of Fed optimism. If the markets go faster than the music, the Fed must calm down the game by a tough talk, and if needed, by more action. The Fed's Mary Daly expressed her concerns about the Fed's credibility if it declared victory over inflation prematurely. And credibility is the most important tool that a central bank has. When the credibility is broken, there is nothing to break.    
Gold Rebounds After Friday's Decline: Factors Driving Momentum and Technical Outlook

Tide Turning: Dollar Recovers as Government Shutdown Is Averted

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 12:05
FX Daily: Government shutdown averted The dollar continues to claw back some of Tuesday's losses after US October retail sales suggested that the consumer is still spending. Also helping has been the Senate's support of a stop-gap funding bill that kicks the risk of a government shutdown into 2024. Expect more rangy price action in FX markets today, with the focus on speakers and US claims data. USD: Bouncing around The dollar is drifting higher as investors continue to assess whether the large drop on Tuesday was the start of something meaningful or just more noise in an uncertain environment. We have heard a couple of Federal Reserve speakers still holding out the risk of a further hike, but for the time being, US money markets seem pretty confident that the Fed cycle is over and have now priced 90bp of easing in 2024. Yesterday's release of US October retail sales failed to kindle this week's dollar bear trend and the Senate's support for a stopgap funding bill has removed the risk of a dollar bearish government shutdown at midnight on Friday. Where does that leave us? Confidence that the Fed tightening cycle is over should be positive for the rest of the world currencies - especially those that are very sensitive to higher interest rates. Yet with overnight rates in the US at 5.4%, the dollar is an expensive sell and the bar is high to invest elsewhere. That is why - as we conclude in our 2024 FX Outlook: Waiting for the tide to come in - the dollar bear trend is going to take some time to build and its more intense period may not be until 2Q24. For today, the focus will be on the weekly jobless claims data and industrial production. Any spike in jobless claims could hit the dollar. We also have a few Fed speakers today - most from the hawkish end of the spectrum.  Look for DXY to trade in something like a 104.00-104.85 range for the short term.  
Metals Market Update: Aluminium Surges on EU Sanction Threats, Chinese Steel Mills Restock, Nickel Faces Global Supply Surplus, and Copper Positions Adjust

GBP: Navigating Shifts on Crosses Amid BoE Easing Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 12:09
GBP: Softening on the crosses EUR/GBP continues to grind higher - driven we believe by the re-pricing of the Bank of England (BoE) tightening cycle into 2024. Yesterday the market moved to price the first full 25bp BoE cut in June next year and had 78bp of easing priced in by the end of the year. Having switched to forward guidance at the last BoE meeting - keeping restrictive rates for an extended period - the market will now be on the lookout for this language changing. For example, Mexico's central bank, Banxico, recently switched language from 'extended period' to 'some time' presumably forewarning the start of easing in February/March next year. Quite a lot of BoE easing is already priced in for next year, however, meaning it is not certain EUR/GBP has to trade up to 0.8800 just yet. Cable is eating into this week's rally and could dip further unless something like today's US jobless claims disappoint.
Turbulent Times for Currencies: Bank of England's Pause and Federal Reserve's Rate Cut Projections - 14.12.2023

BSP Keeps Rates Unchanged After Off-Cycle Move, Eyes Potential Hikes in Near Term

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 12:14
After off-cycle move, Philippines central bank keeps rates unchanged The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) kept policy rates untouched at 6.5% at today’s meeting after carrying out an off-cycle move two weeks ago.   BSP holds after off-cycle move The BSP kept policy rates untouched at 6.5% today after hiking by 25bp two weeks ago at an off-cycle meeting. This move was expected by market participants. BSP deems it appropriate to retain policy settings “tight” until inflation heads toward a target consistent path while remaining ready to tighten further if needed. The central bank believes that the growth outlook remains “intact” while risks to the inflation outlook remain tilted to the upside.  BSP lowered its 2024 risk-adjusted inflation forecast to 4.4% (from 4.7%) while 2025 inflation is projected to settle at 3.4% (from 3.5%).  BSP reiterated the need for non-monetary intervention to help lower price pressures given that inflation remains largely driven by supply-side factors.   BSP keeps setting untouched for now   Behind target in 2024, BSP could hike in the near term Despite today’s pause, we believe BSP will remain ready to hike rates in the near term given its latest risk-adjusted inflation forecast of 4.4% for 2024. Given the projected breach in 2024 (based on risk-adjusted forecasts), BSP could have benefited from tightening at today's meeting given the lagged impact of policy actions.    For now, it appears that the central bank is likely to keep policy rates untouched, possibly for the rest of the year while keeping its powder dry for potential tightening should inflation risks flare up again.  Meanwhile, the lagged impact of previous policy rate hikes should continue to weigh on growth well into 2024. The PHP will likely move sideways but benefit from the hawkish signals coming from the BSP.      
German Ifo Index Hits Lowest Level Since 2020 Amidst New Economic Challenges

The Dollar's Long Goodbye: Unraveling Trends and Shifting Dynamics in Global FX Markets for 2024

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 12:17
The dollar’s long goodbye This time last year we were forecasting fewer trends in global FX markets and more volatility. In fact, 2023 has proved a year of two halves: the first half more trendless and the second half characterised by a very orderly and powerful dollar bull trend. This dollar rally has been built on the exceptionalism of the US economy – registering an incredible growth rate of 4.9% quarter-on-quarter annualised in the third quarter. And despite headline inflation dipping, there is really not enough evidence, yet, for the Fed to drop its hawkish guard. Holding dollars has therefore become the ‘no-brainer’ trade as investors price slowing aggregate demand globally – a theme that has weighed on the more open economies and currencies of Europe and Asia.   Will this theme continue into 2024? It feels like a wrestling match and the dollar will not roll over that easily. Yet our simple thesis is that tighter interest rates finally catch up with the US economy next year, growth registers a paltry 0.5% and the Fed, in line with its dual mandate to focus on inflation and maximum employment, cuts rates back into less restrictive territory. We forecast 150bp of Fed easing next year starting in the second quarter. The end of US exceptionalism will allow greater diversification amongst the investor community and a lower bar to seek returns outside of the dollar. Portfolio capital can refloat some of those stranded non-dollar currencies. In advance of the first Fed cut, we would expect the US yield curve to start a bullish steepening trend. This is a particular segment in the business cycle that favours a weaker dollar and is bullish for commodity currencies. It just so happens that some of the commodity currencies are incredibly undervalued based on our medium-term fair value model. This is the area of the FX market in which we see the most value. Or at least the commodity currencies are offered some protection by their extreme undervaluation, whereas the euro and sterling have no such support. A lower US rate environment should also allow the recovery of what we term ‘growth’ currencies – similar to growth stocks such as tech and real estate. We consider the Swedish krona one such currency. Our baseline view for 2024 therefore sees the dollar bear trend picking up pace through the year. Compared to year-end 2024 forwards, currencies could be as little as 2% (China’s renminbi) to as much as 13% (Scandinavian FX) firmer against the dollar.   ING forecasted performance versus year-end 2024 USD forwards
EUR/USD Rejected at 1.1000: Anticipating Rangebound Trading and Assessing ECB Dovish Bets

Exploring Scenarios: EUR/USD Forecasts and Key Influencing Factors for 2024

ING Economics ING Economics 16.11.2023 12:18
The above forecasts of course are built on many core assumptions. Using the most liquid FX pair, EUR/USD as the benchmark for the FX market in general, we see a range of outcomes in the 0.88 to 1.21 region. If you think US inflation will not allow the Fed to cut, if you think a local recession and return of the Maastricht criteria sparks a eurozone crisis, if you think President Trump is elected on an even louder anti-China ticket and if you think tensions in the Middle East escalate into a major energy supply shock – then EUR/USD can plumb the depths. If, however, like us you think that the Fed is allowed to deliver an orderly easing cycle and that soft landings are seen in Europe and China, then EUR/USD could be somewhere near our 1.15 baseline forecast by end-2024. We now invite you to take a look through our G10, EMEA, ASIA and LATAM sections for insights into key local factors, such as elections, the fiscal-monetary mixes and also the FX preferences of the local authorities – all of which will shape FX trends next year.    
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

FX Daily: Navigating Familiar Ground with Fed Caution and USD Consolidation

ING Economics ING Economics 22.11.2023 14:39
FX Daily: Hard to get excited by the same story Fed minutes once again reiterated the cautious approach to interest rates but for the US dollar, this seems to be a non-event. Expect trading volumes to fall away into Thursday's US Thanksgiving holiday, and look out for US jobless claims today instead of tomorrow. Meanwhile, the NBH delivered another 75bp rate cut, which is good news for FX.   USD: Consolidation continues Federal Reserve minutes once again reiterated the cautious approach to interest rates, which did not excite the markets much. US equity markets broke a five-day winning streak and Treasuries ended a little lower again. For EUR/USD, this seems to be more of a non-event. Looking ahead, expect trading volumes to fall away into tomorrow’s US Thanksgiving holiday but the holiday means we get to see US initial jobless claims earlier than usual. Here, continued claims are expected to climb, reflecting a softening labour market. Today’s US calendar also sees durable goods orders and the latest readings on US consumer confidence - the latter is expected to stabilise at the lowest levels since May. In terms of the bigger picture, we tend to think it is a little too early to expect the dollar bear trend to run a lot further just yet. That will require some substantially weaker US data or the Fed formally taking an additional rate hike off the table.  
Crude Oil Eyes 200-DMA Amidst Positive Growth Signals and Inflation Concerns

Hunt's Autumn Statement: Tax Cuts, Political Maneuvers, and Economic Stability in the Spotlight

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 22.11.2023 14:57
Hunt in the spotlight  British Chancellor of Exchequer Jeremy Hunt will make his Autumn Statement today and he will do his best to try to please British voters by announcing tax cuts amid slowing inflation, try to make the Tories – who lost a lot of support over the past year-and-so and fell around 20 points behind Labour in the latest polls - look good again, while pursuing a hard-won economic and financial stability after the Liz Truss mini-budget crisis, and keep the country's finances together to avoid another Truss-style bond meltdown.   Happily, for him, the Gilt yields have been falling along with other major economies' bond yields since the October peak. The British 10-year yield tested the 4% level to the downside last Friday. Households are happy to see inflation slow, Rishi Sunak is living up – with a bit of luck – to his promise to halve inflation by year-end, and investors think that the Bank of England (BoE) is done hiking the interest rates. The BoE is also expected to start cutting its rates by May next year - to which the BoE Governor Bailey replies saying that if the market conditions loosen too fast, they may have to raise interest rates again. But that's a detail. Cable advanced to 1.2560 yesterday on the back of a broadly softer US dollar. A too generous Autumn Statement – in terms of pleasing voters – could revive the inflation expectations for the UK hence tame the BoE doves. The latter could trigger a selloff in gilts, push yields higher and help sterling extend its gains against the greenback and pave the way for a further advance to the 1.27 level.   Yet, Cable's upside potential also depends on the dollar's downside potential. The US dollar – which came under a decent bearish pressure since the beginning of the month – is near the oversold territory. And the selloff in the dollar could soon bottom out given the Fed's cautious tone faced with the significant decline in the US long-term bond yields.   Elsewhere the EURUSD sees resistance above a major Fibonacci resistance, near the 1.0955 mark, gold is testing the $2000 per ounce this morning as investors chose safety into the long Thanksgiving holiday in the US while US crude sees resistance at the 200-DMA and Bitcoin is down from recent highs on news that Binance CEO was pleaded guilty as his company prioritized growth over compliance and violated anti-money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting to finance terrorists, cyber criminals and child abusers. The Binance verdict will hardly impact the recent appetite in Bitcoin, which is expected to get a boost thanks to potential spot ETF approvals.   
Hungary's National Bank Maintains Easing Path Amid External Risks: A Review of November's Rate-Setting Meeting

Hungary's National Bank Maintains Easing Path Amid External Risks: A Review of November's Rate-Setting Meeting

ING Economics ING Economics 22.11.2023 15:15
National Bank of Hungary review: The easing continues The National Bank of Hungary cut its base rate by another 75bp, repeating last month’s decision. The Monetary Council did a balancing act, while making the closest thing to a pre-commitment. We therefore expect the central bank to maintain this pace of easing in the coming meetings.   No surprise in November The National Bank of Hungary (NBH) reduced its base rate by 75bp to 11.50% at its November rate setting meeting. At the same time, the entire interest rate corridor was lowered by 75bp, maintaining the symmetry of the +/- 100bp range. Although this was again a unanimous decision, the menu seen in October was also present at this rate-setting meeting. That is, the Monetary Council decided between a 50, 75 or 100bp cut. The statement and press conference made it clear what the reasoning was for sticking with the proverbial golden mean.   The pros and cons canceled each other out A hawkish shift compared to the October meeting was dropped due to favourable incoming macroeconomic data. Hungarian inflation returned to single-digit territory, with the underlying monthly repricing pattern showing similarities to 2019-2020 (pre-shock pattern). The improvement in the external balance continued on the back of rising export capacity, supported by shrinking domestic demand, which reduced import needs and the energy balance also improved. Last but not least, together with the ongoing disinflation, the Hungarian economy exited the recession and the incoming high-frequency data suggest that the year-on-year print could return to positive territory from the fourth quarter of 2023. However, all these positive changes have been accompanied by significant external risks. Geopolitical tensions and sanctions are still with us, and we can't rule out another shock to energy and commodity markets as a result. The armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza keep the economic landscape highly unpredictable. On the macroeconomic side, there are ongoing labour market tensions and recessionary fears in the international environment. Against this background, the Monetary Council decided to maintain its cautious approach and closed the door on the dovish 100bp easing option.   Steady as she goes Even before today's official and explicit forward guidance, we expected the National Bank of Hungary to stick to the recent step size as the baseline pace of further rate cuts. During the background discussion, Deputy Governor Virág made it clear that – based on the latest information – the policy rate could fall below 11% by the end of the year and reach single digits in February 2024. We wouldn't go so far as to say that this is a pre-commitment, but it's certainly the closest thing to it. Such a rate path would imply a continuation of 75bp rate cuts up to (and including) the February rate-setting meeting. In general, the statement and the press conference did not bring any changes either in the tone of monetary policy or in the main functions that influence monetary policy decisions. As a result, today's rate-setting meeting can be described as a well-managed non-event.   Our market views After the NBH meeting, everything seems to be in line with market expectations and rates have not moved much. This is good news for the HUF, which has re-established a relationship with rates over the last three days and has weakened to 380 EUR/HUF before the meeting. Still, the recent rally in rates points to weaker HUF levels, but this will probably not be the case for now. A stable NBH and higher EUR/USD could offset this, plus we could see some progress in negotiations with the EU in the near term. Overall, today's meeting thus seems to be positive for HUF, which will halt the weakening from recent days. In the short term we probably need to see some catalysts for new gains, e.g. the EU story, but overall we remain positive on the HUF. If everything goes in a positive direction, then we believe EUR/HUF will move into the 370-375 range before the year ends. On the other hand, the current weakness probably hasn't changed the market's long positioning much and we should still keep that in mind if bad news comes. Rates have rallied a lot in recent weeks and have closed the biggest gaps between market pricing and our forecast. But something is still missing to perfection and we still see the whole curve lower but rather flatter later. At the short end of the curve, we think the market needs to accommodate the set pace of 75bp rate cuts as the central bank confirmed today, while the long end remains significantly elevated also because of high core rates. Thus, as we mentioned earlier, the long end in our view has more potential to rally further and the curve has steepened too early and too quickly, closing the gap with the region.
Rates Spark: Time to Fade the Up-Move in Yields

SEK: Riksbank's Dilemma - To Hike or to Hold in a Precarious Balancing Act

ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 13:19
SEK: Riksbank at a crossroads Today’s Riksbank rate announcement is as close to a 50/50 hike/hold decision as it can get. The Bank has been hugely focused on the krona’s levels recently, and the recent good performance of SEK has prompted markets to lean on the dovish side (70% implied probability of a hold). One major counterargument is that the recent SEK strength has been somewhat “artificial”, given it has been driven by some rather aggressive FX selling via hedging operations by the Riksbank itself. On the inflation side, core and headline price pressures have abated faster than expected, although the CPIF excluding energy is still at 6.1% YoY, and the Prospera surveys suggested inflation expectations have remained quite sticky. What we see as a major point in favour of a hike is timing. The Riksbank’s next policy meeting is in February, when the economic slack will have likely materialised more clearly in Sweden and abroad and it will be considerably harder to hike rates. If the intent is to provide more support to SEK, the Riksbank may take into account that FX sales (i.e. the “artificial” support to SEK) should terminate around the end of January/early February if the current weekly pace is sustained, and be encouraged to hike now rather than later, when economic conditions likely won’t allow it. All in all, we are slightly leaning in favour of a rate hike today, even though we admit it is a very close call. A hold may be accompanied by an acceleration in quantitative tightening. The FX impact won’t just depend on the outcome, since there is a tangible risk of a split board, which could limit the upside potential for SEK in the event of a hike.
National Bank of Romania Maintains Rates, Eyes Inflation Outlook

CEE Focus: Anticipating Turkey's Rate Hike Amidst Regional Rate Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 13:21
CEE: Turkey hiking rates again Today's calendar in the region is basically empty. Elsewhere today, we have a central bank meeting in Turkey. We expect another rate hike of 250bp to 37.5%, which is broadly in line with expectations, but surveys show a wider range of rate hikes. The latest inflation release in October showed the underlying trend starting to improve not only for the core rate but also the headline. Accordingly, we expect the bank to consider a slower hike. However, risks are on the upside given strong tightening moves since August. In FX, yesterday brought an unexpected turn in Czech rates. The market was heavily paid across the curve, more so than elsewhere in the CEE region. The rates move thus shot the interest rate differential up for once, erasing the potential for the CZK weakness we mentioned earlier. EUR/CZK responded by moving lower and back to 24.450. For now, this seems to match the rate move exactly. However, it is hard to say where rates will head today. Yesterday's statement from the Czech National Bank, released after the rate move, suggests that the discussion about waiting for January inflation continues. On the other hand, weak economic data and a stronger koruna are reasons for lower rates and bets on an earlier rate cut. Despite the timing of the first rate cut, we think the short end of the curve should be lower, leading the CZK to weaker levels. Thus, we remain negative on the currency.
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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.
German Ifo Index: Signs of Stabilization, But No Rebound in Sight Amid Fiscal Woes

National Bank of Hungary Maintains Course with 75bp Rate Cut in November

ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 13:59
No surprise in November The National Bank of Hungary (NBH) reduced its base rate by 75bp to 11.50% at its November rate setting meeting. At the same time, the entire interest rate corridor was lowered by 75bp, maintaining the symmetry of the +/- 100bp range. Although this was again a unanimous decision, the menu seen in October was also present at this rate-setting meeting. That is, the Monetary Council decided between a 50, 75 or 100bp cut. The statement and press conference made it clear what the reasoning was for sticking with the proverbial golden mean.   The pros and cons canceled each other out A hawkish shift compared to the October meeting was dropped due to favourable incoming macroeconomic data. Hungarian inflation returned to single-digit territory, with the underlying monthly repricing pattern showing similarities to 2019-2020 (pre-shock pattern). The improvement in the external balance continued on the back of rising export capacity, supported by shrinking domestic demand, which reduced import needs and the energy balance also improved. Last but not least, together with the ongoing disinflation, the Hungarian economy exited the recession and the incoming high-frequency data suggest that the year-on-year print could return to positive territory from the fourth quarter of 2023. However, all these positive changes have been accompanied by significant external risks. Geopolitical tensions and sanctions are still with us, and we can't rule out another shock to energy and commodity markets as a result. The armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza keep the economic landscape highly unpredictable. On the macroeconomic side, there are ongoing labour market tensions and recessionary fears in the international environment. Against this background, the Monetary Council decided to maintain its cautious approach and closed the door on the dovish 100bp easing option.   Steady as she goes Even before today's official and explicit forward guidance, we expected the National Bank of Hungary to stick to the recent step size as the baseline pace of further rate cuts. During the background discussion, Deputy Governor Virág made it clear that – based on the latest information – the policy rate could fall below 11% by the end of the year and reach single digits in February 2024. We wouldn't go so far as to say that this is a pre-commitment, but it's certainly the closest thing to it. Such a rate path would imply a continuation of 75bp rate cuts up to (and including) the February rate-setting meeting. In general, the statement and the press conference did not bring any changes either in the tone of monetary policy or in the main functions that influence monetary policy decisions. As a result, today's rate-setting meeting can be described as a well-managed non-event.   Our market views After the NBH meeting, everything seems to be in line with market expectations and rates have not moved much. This is good news for the HUF, which has re-established a relationship with rates over the last three days and has weakened to 380 EUR/HUF before the meeting. Still, the recent rally in rates points to weaker HUF levels, but this will probably not be the case for now. A stable NBH and higher EUR/USD could offset this, plus we could see some progress in negotiations with the EU in the near term. Overall, today's meeting thus seems to be positive for HUF, which will halt the weakening from recent days. In the short term we probably need to see some catalysts for new gains, e.g. the EU story, but overall we remain positive on the HUF. If everything goes in a positive direction, then we believe EUR/HUF will move into the 370-375 range before the year ends. On the other hand, the current weakness probably hasn't changed the market's long positioning much and we should still keep that in mind if bad news comes. Rates have rallied a lot in recent weeks and have closed the biggest gaps between market pricing and our forecast. But something is still missing to perfection and we still see the whole curve lower but rather flatter later. At the short end of the curve, we think the market needs to accommodate the set pace of 75bp rate cuts as the central bank confirmed today, while the long end remains significantly elevated also because of high core rates. Thus, as we mentioned earlier, the long end in our view has more potential to rally further and the curve has steepened too early and too quickly, closing the gap with the region.
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Poland's Solid Labour Market Spurs Spending Bounce Back: 2024 Economic Growth Prospects

ING Economics ING Economics 23.11.2023 14:06
Poland: Solid labour market supports bounce back in spending A rebound in real wages and relatively stable employment are great starting points for a recovery in household spending. Economic growth in 2024 may reach around 3% on the back of both private and public consumption. The pro-inflationary structure of GDP may encourage the MPC to keep rates unchanged in 2024. Average wages and salaries in the enterprise sector rose by 12.8% year-on-year in October (ING: 13.0%; consensus: 11.7%), following an increase of 10.3% YoY in September. Higher annual wage growth than the previous month was a consequence of a more favourable pattern of working days and bonus payments. Average paid employment was slightly lower (-0.1%) in October than in the corresponding month of 2022 (ING and consensus: 0.0% YoY). Compared to September, the number of posts was down by 2,000 and this was the third month of decline in employment levels, albeit still on a modest scale. In real terms (after adjusting for the rise in consumer prices), average wages increased by 5.8% YoY showing the strongest increase since February 2019. Elevated wage pressure will be visible in the medium term amid an increase in the minimum wage, record-low unemployment levels and a reviving economy. Slightly lower inflation may act to moderate wage expectations. The recovery of real disposable income with relatively stable employment provides a good springboard for a rebound in consumption, which will be the main growth engine of the Polish economy in 2024. GDP growth in 2024 could be close to 3%.   Real wages and salaries in enterprises, %YoY Rebound in real wages to support consumption   The recovery and relatively pro-inflationary structure of GDP growth in 2024, with consumer demand dominating, may be an argument for the Monetary Policy Council to keep interest rates unchanged in the coming months. Unless the National Bank of Poland's March projection signals a faster return of inflation to target, interest rates may remain at the current level (the main policy rate at 5.75%) until the end of 2024.
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New Zealand Dollar Gains as Retail Sales Face Expected Decline, US Markets Quiet for Thanksgiving

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 23.11.2023 15:26
New Zealand retail sales expected to decline by 0.8% US markets closed for Thanksgiving The New Zealand dollar is in positive territory on Thursday. Early in the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6042, up 0.34%. Will New Zealand retail sales continue declining? Retail sales are a key gauge of consumer spending and the New Zealand consumer has been holding tightly to the purse strings. In the second quarter, retail sales fell 1% q/q, with most retail industries showing lower sales volumes. This marked a third consecutive losing quarter. The markets are bracing for another decline for Q3, with a consensus estimate of -0.8%. The soft retail sales data isn’t really surprising as consumers are being squeezed by high inflation and elevated borrowing costs. The decrease in household purchasing power has meant a decline in spending. High interest rates are still filtering through the economy, which could further dampen consumer spending in the fourth quarter. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has put a pause on rates for three straight times, which has naturally raised speculation that the central bank has completed its tightening cycle, which has brought the cash rate to 5.5%. Inflation in the third quarter eased from 6.0% to 5.6% y/y in the third quarter and this decline means that there is a strong likelihood that the RBNZ will hold rates at the November 27th meeting. US markets are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, which means we’re unlikely to see much movement today 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). If either of the PMIs miss expectations, that could translate into volatility from the US dollar.   NZD/USD Technical NZD/USD is putting pressure on resistance at 0.6076. The resistance line 0.6161 There is support at 0.5996 and 0.5885    
ECB Warns of Financial Stress, Fed Maintains Caution: Euro Reacts

ECB Warns of Financial Stress, Fed Maintains Caution: Euro Reacts

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 23.11.2023 15:34
ECB financial stability review warns of stress Fed minutes point to rates remaining restrictive The euro is in negative territory on Wednesday. In the North American session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0864, down 0.42%. ECB says banks showing stress The ECB released its semi-annual financial stability review earlier today and warned of stress in financial stability in the eurozone. The report found that tighter financial conditions were making it difficult for households, businesses and governments. In short, the financial stability outlook remains fragile. The review warned that the Israel-Hamas war posed the risk of affecting the supply of oil, which could push inflation higher and dampen growth. The economic picture in the eurozone is not encouraging, as the eurozone economy is stagnating and Germany, once a global powerhouse, has become a deadweight in the eurozone with its weak economy. The euro has jumped 2.8% against the US dollar in November, but that is more a case of US dollar weakness due to expectations of rate cuts in the US rather than strength in the euro. In the US, unemployment claims were lower than anticipated, coming in at 209 thousand. This was below the market consensus of 225,000 and the previous revised release of 233 thousand. The reading indicates that the labour market is still showing signs of strength, which supports the Federal Reserve’s rate policy of higher for lower. The Federal Reserve minutes of the November meeting stated that the Fed plans to proceed with caution and will be keeping an eye on the data in making future rate decisions. The minutes made no reference to any discussion at the meeting about rate cuts, consistent with Jerome Powell’s comments after the meeting that the Fed “is not thinking about rate cuts at all”. The markets would beg to disagree and have priced in a rate cut in mid-2024.   EUR/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.0951 and 1.1017 1.0831 and 1.0748 are providing support    
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Canada's Inflation Slides to 3.1% as Fed Signals Continued Caution: USD/CAD Reaction

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 23.11.2023 15:37
Canada’s inflation rate falls to 3.1% Fed minutes indicate rates to remain restrictive The Canadian dollar continues to have a quiet week. In the North American session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3723, up 0.14%. Canada’s inflation declines to 3.1% Canada’s inflation rate fell to 3.1% y/y in October, down sharply from 3.8% in September and below the consensus estimate of 3.2%. Monthly, inflation edged up to 0.1%, up from -0.1% in September and matching the consensus estimate. Two key core rate gauges dropped to an average of 3.55%, down from 3.8% in September. The drop in inflation is an encouraging sign for Bank of Canada policy makers that its rate policy is working, as inflation continues to head lower. For the markets, the decline will support expectations that the current tightening cycle is done and that the central bank will trim rates in mid-2024. The inflation print has likely closed the door on further hikes, but don’t expect to hear that from anyone at the BoC, which doesn’t want to give a false impression that inflation has been beaten, as there is still more work to do to reach the 2% target. Fed preaches caution At the November meeting, Fed Chair Powell said in his post-meeting remarks that the Fed would have to exercise caution. Tuesday’s FOMC minutes echoed Powell’s comments and also mentioned the need to “proceed carefully”. The minutes gave no indication that members had discussed rate cuts, noting that members felt that the current policy was restrictive and pushing inflation lower. The markets have a different take and have priced in a rate cut sometime in mid-2024, with inflation falling and the US economy continuing to lose steam. The Fed will likely continue to sound hawkish and warn that rate hikes are still on the table, but is anyone listening?   USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD is testing resistance at 1.3741. Above, there is resistance at 1.3776 There is support at 1.3660 and 1.3628  
Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

German Economy Faces Persistent Stagnation: Factors, Challenges, and Uncertainties

ING Economics ING Economics 27.11.2023 14:17
Contraction of German economy in the third quarter confirmed The German economy remains stagnant - the recent fiscal turmoil will do little to change this any time soon. The second estimate of German GDP growth in the third quarter confirmed the minor drop in economic activity and came in at -0.1% quarter-on-quarter, from +0.1% QoQ in the second quarter. On the year, the German economy shrank by 0.4%. The German economy remains stagnant. In fact, since the war in Ukraine started, the German economy has grown in only two out of the last six quarters. What's even worse is that the economy currently remains barely above its pre-pandemic level more than three years later. While private consumption was a drag on growth in the third quarter (-0.3% QoQ), government consumption (+0.2% QoQ) and investments (+1.1% QoQ) supported economic activity.   Ongoing stagnation Today’s data will do very little to end the debate on whether or not the German economy is again the sick man of Europe. In any case, the German economy has become one of the growth laggards of the eurozone. This weak growth performance has a long list of explanations: there is the cyclical headwind stemming from inflation, still elevated energy prices and energy uncertainty, higher interest rates and China’s changing role from being a flourishing export destination to being a rival that needs fewer German products. But there are also well-known structural challenges, ranging from demographics to energy transition and not enough investment. The recent ruling of Germany’s Constitutional Court has exposed two new risk factors for the German economy: fiscal austerity and political uncertainty. Together with the well-known cyclical and structural headwinds, the ongoing pass-through of the European Central Bank's monetary policy tightening, still no reversal of the inventory cycle and new geopolitical uncertainties, it is hard to see Germany’s economic stagnation ending any time soon.
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Rates Spark: Feeble Pushback Amid Central Bank Messaging and German Budget Uncertainty

ING Economics ING Economics 27.11.2023 14:21
Rates Spark: Feeble pushback Markets are clearly eyeing the turn of the rate cycle, but amid central banks’ 'high for longer' messaging and data releases, volatility remains elevated. Add to that the uncertain outlook for the German budget and Bund supply.   Feeble ECB pushback amid a broader sense of improving inflation Markets are still pricing more than three 25bp cuts over the next year, and more than a 50% chance discounted that the first cut will already come in April. By June, it is already fully priced. We have had pushback over the past few days from European Central Bank (ECB) officials, but aggressive pricing shows it has had limited effect. The hawks were signalling again that hikes are not off the table. More centrist members seemed to downplay these chances but still stressed persistence. Francois Villeroy, for instance, stated that rates should plateau for the next few quarters. More interesting were discussions surrounding ending PEPP reinvestments sooner picking up again. The minutes of the October ECB meeting confirmed the messaging around the key rate – that hikes are not entirely off the table. But the reality is also that the “disinflation process was proceeding somewhat faster than expected”, while the ECB is not as optimistic about the macro backdrop anymore. Amid all the central bank messaging, we should also note that financial conditions remain relatively tight, at least when measured by real interest rates. The 2Y real OIS is just 10bp shy of this cycle’s highest levels. At the longer end, the 10Y is well off the September spike but still higher than any time before that. This is thanks to the market inflation expectations component having come down notably from its highs over the past two months. Overall, it might lessen the need for officials to push back more aggressively, although some would point out the often-cited fragility of inflation expectations.   Yesterday’s flash PMIs remained in contractionary territory but notched up a bit and signalled that the downturn is not worsening. For market interest rates yesterday, that was enough to start turning somewhat higher again.   German budget woes highlight downside risks across the supply and macro outlook As we head into the final months and weeks of the year, bond supply prospects move into focus. But this time around, there is increasing uncertainty surrounding the outlook for issuance of German Bunds after the constitutional court derailed the government’s budget plans. The downside risks are obvious, but we still have to get a clearer picture of what the ultimate impact is – not just in terms of supply but also for fiscal stance and the macro outlook as a whole. The political fallout is brewing, too. Members of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which currently holds the finance ministry within the government coalition, have successfully petitioned to get a vote on whether to leave the coalition. The outcome would be non-binding for party leadership, though. Yesterday, the finance minister announced that he wants parliament to retroactively declare an “emergency situation” for the current year, which would also allow for a suspension of the debt brake for the 2023 budget. This prospect gave Bund yields an uplift and retightened the Bund asset swap spread. But this plan is largely an after-the-fact legitimisation of 2023 borrowing given few other viable options and does not mean more debt issuance. The more relevant announcement of the 2024 budget has been postponed.    Today's events and market view Left to their own US Thanksgiving holidays, 10Y Bund yields climbed over 2.6%, again steepening the curve in the process. Today’s calendar mainly features the German Ifo index – seen improving slightly – and public appearances from ECB President Christine Lagarde, Vice President Luis de Guindos and Spain’s Pablo Hernández de Cos. US markets will see an early close today, but we will have data releases from the US in the form of the S&P flash PMIs for November. Both services and manufacturing were just above the 50 threshold that demarks contractionary territory. Looking into next week, the inflation outlook, which has helped drive the rally, will likely remain the main focus. The eurozone flash CPI could show inflation easing further, with the core rate likely getting into the 3% handle – even if only barely. The easing trend of inflation should also be confirmed in the US by the PCE data, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure.
Shift in Central Bank Sentiment: Czech National Bank Hints at a 50bp Rate Cut, Impact on CZK Expected

ECB Rate Cut Speculation Grows as EU Flash CPI Slows: Will Caution Prevail in Monetary Policy?

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 27.11.2023 14:41
  EU flash CPI (Nov) – 30/11 – having seen EU CPI for October slow sharply from 4.3% to 2.9% in October, traders are rapidly revising their estimates for when the ECB might start to look at cutting rates. While some ECB policymakers have been at pains to point out that they are expecting rates to rise further there is a growing caucus on the governing council who are now urging caution when it comes to raising rates further, urging a wait and see approach. Looking at the direction of travel when it comes to recent inflation prints the hawks can jawbone the prospect of further rate hikes as much as they like, the markets simply aren't buying it and while policymakers will claim they aren't thinking about rate cuts as this time, the markets most certainly are, with bets increasing the ECB will be first out of the traps in cutting rates as soon as Q1 next year. EU flash CPI for November is expected to come in at %, with core prices at %      
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UK Mortgage Approvals and Consumer Credit: Navigating Turbulent Housing Trends

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 27.11.2023 14:46
UK Mortgage Approvals/Consumer Credit (Oct) – 29/11 – the first half of this year saw a modest improvement in mortgage approvals, after they hit a low of 39.6k back in January. The slowdown towards the end of last year was due to the sharp rise in interest rates which weighed on demand for property as well as house prices. As energy prices have come down, along with lower rates, demand for mortgages picked up again peaking in June as approvals rising to 54.6k. It's been downhill since then with the sharp rise in rates during the summer months, prompting a sharp fall-off which saw approvals fall to 43.3k in September, and the lowest number this year. We have seen interest rates come down since the summer which might offer some respite to the housing market, however recent housing data would appear to suggest that consumers are holding back when it comes to the purchase of a new house. Net consumer credit has been slightly more resilient coming in at £1.4bn in September, which hasn't been dissimilar to previous months. Although we are seeing inflationary pressures continuing to subside, wages have been holding up well, although the resilience in these numbers might suggest that consumers are adding to their levels of debt just to get by.
FX Daily: Fed Ends Bank Term Funding Program, Shifts Focus to US Regional Banks and 4Q23 GDP

USD Slips Below 200-DMA Despite Rebound in Yields: A Weekly Market Analysis

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 27.11.2023 15:10
USD slips below 200-DMA despite rebound in yields  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Last week ended on a positive note where the US equities advanced to fresh highs since summer on a holiday shortened trading week. The S&P500 gained for the 4th consecutive week and closed the week near 4560, the rate-sensitive and technology heavy Nasdaq 100 extended gains beyond the summer peak, and hit an almost 2-year high, while the VIX index, which is known as Wall Street's fear gauge, or the volatility index, slumped to the lowest levels since January 2020. The belief that the Federal Reserve (Fed) is done hiking the interest rates, and the rapidly falling US long-term yields are at the source of this optimism – especially after the latest CPI update in the US printed a softer-than-expected number, suggesting that inflation in the US fell to 3.2% last month. This week, investors will find out if the Fed's favourite inflation gauge, the PCE index, tells the same story. The PCE index is expected to have fallen from 3.4% to 3.1% in October, and core PCE may have eased from 3.7% to 3.5% during the same month. Anything less than soothing could lead to some more correction in the US long-term yields. The 10-year yield jumped to 4.50% early Monday, though the positive pressure slowed above 4.50%.   News that the Black Friday spending jumped 7.5% this year to hit a record high of $9.8 billion certainly reminds investors that consumer spending in the US remains strong. The latter gives a strong support to the US economy, which in return gives a solid confidence to the Fed that keeping the rates high for long is not necessarily a bad idea. Today, the sales continue with Cyber Monday deals.   Yet the holiday shoppers' enthusiasm is less visible on the financial markets this Monday. The US futures are down, along with their Asian peers on the back of a rebound in US yields, the nearly 8% slump in Chinese industrial profits in October and news that children in China are suffering from respiratory infections – which spurs speculation that it could be a new strain of Covid. Chinese authorities say that it's simply a mix of known respiratory diseases. But you know, once bitten, twice shy.   
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Navigating the FX Landscape: Evaluating the Dollar Bear Trend Amidst Market Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 27.11.2023 15:16
FX Daily: Don’t chase the dollar bear trend At the start of a quiet week for data, the dollar is hovering near recent lows. However, we do not think this is yet the start of the big, cyclical turn lower in the dollar we expect for next year. Instead, falling volatility and firm short-dated US yields can probably see the dollar hold onto current levels. Highlights this week include OPEC+ and key speakers. USD: Too soon The DXY dollar index is down around 3.5% from its highs seen in October. The drop looks largely down to the view that the Federal Reserve's tightening cycle is over and that portfolio capital can now be put back to work in bonds, equities, and emerging markets. While acknowledging that November and December are seasonally soft months for the dollar, our view is that this dollar sell-off has come a little early. We are bearish on the dollar through 2024 but expect the core driver to be a bullish steepening of the US Treasury curve – which has not happened yet. Indeed, US two-year Treasury yields remain firm near 5%. We thus urge caution in chasing this dollar decline much further. In terms of what this week has to offer, we pick out three themes: the Fed, OPEC+ and US data. Fed communication this week will come from the release of the Fed's Beige book and also some key speakers, including Fed Chair Jay Powell, on Friday. Remember that the Beige Book paints a picture of the economy to prepare the FOMC for its meeting on 13 December. It certainly is not clear that the Beige Book will paint a soft enough picture to support the 80bp of fed easing already priced for next year.  In terms of the OPEC+ meeting, our commodities team believe that the Saudis will extend their voluntary supply cut and that the oil market can find some support - a mild dollar positive. In terms of US data, the highlight should be some stable (0.2% MoM) core PCE inflation data for October and the ISM Manufacturing data on Friday.  Thursday's US inflation data is probably the largest bearish risk to the dollar this week. However, with cross-market volatility falling, it seems investors are once again interested in carry trade strategies. We have seen this theme several times this year already, and it is not a dollar negative. It is a negative for the funding currencies like the Japanese yen and the Chinese renminbi. Until we get some clear dovish communication from the Fed or US data is materially weak enough, we think this dollar drop might have come far enough for the time being and suspect that the 103.00/103.50 support area could well hold the DXY this week.
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Australian Dollar Surges, Eyes on Retail Sales Amid RBA Overhaul Plans

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 27.11.2023 15:38
Australian dollar extends gains Australian retail sales expected to decelerate to 0.1% The Australian dollar has extended its gains at the start of the week. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6603, up 0.28%. The Aussie has posted an impressive streak, rising 3.8% against the greenback since November 14th. Australia releases retail sales for October on Tuesday. The consensus estimate stands at a negligible 0.1%, compared to a strong 0.9% gain in September. The sharp gain, which indicated resilience in consumer spending, provided support for the RBA to raise rates at the November meeting. If retail sales misses the estimate, it could sour sentiment towards the Aussie and send the currency lower. RBA Governor Michele Bullock will speak at an event in Hong Kong on Tuesday and investors will be looking for hints about what the RBA is planning at its meeting on December 5th. RBA to undergo major overhaul Changes, big changes are coming to the Reserve Bank of Australia. The Australian government announced it would introduce legislation to overhaul the central bank. This follows an independent review which called for sweeping changes at the RBA. There has been much criticism of the RBA for its pledge not to raise rates before 2024, only to embark on a tightening campaign which has raised the cash rate to 4.35%. The new Governor, Michele Bullock, has said she is favour of the changes. Last week, Bullock said on Tuesday that inflation has peaked and that the upside risk to inflation was domestic and demand-driven. Bullock noted that inflation had dropped from 8.0% to 5.5% in less than a year, but it would take much longer for inflation to drop that amount again and fall to 3%. The RBA’s target range is 2%-3%. The RBA remains hawkish and raised rates earlier this month after holding rates for four straight times.  
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Japanese Core Inflation Edges Up to 2.9%, Adding Pressure on BoJ; US PMIs Awaited for Economic Insights

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 27.11.2023 15:42
Japanese core inflation rises US PMIs expected to show little change The Japanese yen is unchanged on Friday, trading at 149.57. Japan’s core inflation rises to 2.9% Japan’s core CPI rose slightly in October to 2.9% y/y, up from 2.8% in September and just below the consensus estimate of 3.0%. The core CPI print excludes fresh food but includes energy. Core CPI has now exceeded the Bank of Japan’s 2% target for 19 consecutive months. Headline inflation jumped to 3.3% y/y, up from 3.0% in September and above the market consensus of 3.2%. The acceleration in inflation will put further pressure on the BoJ to tighten its ultra-loose policy. There is growing speculation that the BoJ could raise interest rates from -0.1% to zero early in 2024. The BoJ is known to be very tight-lipped and there’s little chance of any communication with the markets with regard to a shift in policy. What is clear is that any move away from the current policy could cause market turmoil and hurt Japan’s fragile economy. Still, with inflation remaining stubbornly high, a shift in monetary policy is likely only a question of time. The Bank of Japan meets next on December 19th. Once dull affairs that barely made the radar of investors, the meetings are now closely watched on expectations that the BoJ could change policy, which would be a sea-change after years of ultra-loose policy. The US wraps up the week with the release of manufacturing and services PMIs, with little change expected. Still, the markets will be watching carefully, as the data will provide insights into the strength of the US economy.   The consensus estimates for November stand at 49.8 for manufacturing (Oct: 50.0) and 50.4 for services (Oct. 49.8). The manufacturing sector has been particularly weak, with the PMI indicating declines over most of the past year. If either PMI misses expectations, the US dollar could show stronger movement. . USD/JPY Technical 149.29 and 148.54 are providing support There is resistance at 150.22 and 151.25  
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Turbulent Times: German GDP Contracts in Q3, US PMIs Awaited

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 27.11.2023 15:44
German GDP shrinks in Q3 US to release manufacturing and services PMIs The euro is almost unchanged on Friday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0903, down 0.03%. German economy declines German GDP posted a minor drop in the third quarter, coming in at -0.1% q/q. This was down slightly from -0.1% in the second quarter and matched the market consensus. On an annualized basis, GDP declined by 0.4%, down from a revised o.1% gain in Q2 and missing the market consensus of -0.3%. The consumer spending component of GDP decelerated in the third quarter and was a key driver of the decline in GDP. German consumers remain in a sour mood and are being squeezed by rising interest rates and a high inflation rate of 3.8%. The German business sector is also pessimistic about economic conditions. The Ifo Business Climate index managed to climb to 87.3 in November, up from 86.9 in October but below the market consensus of 87.5. A reading below 100 indicates that a majority of the companies surveyed expect business conditions to deteriorate in the next six months. Earlier this week, German services and manufacturing PMIs pointed came in below 50, which points to contraction. The manufacturing sector is particularly weak and has been in decline since June 2022. It has been a relatively light week for US releases, with markets back in action after the Thanksgiving holiday. Later today, the US releases manufacturing and services PMIs, with little change expected. Still, the markets will be watching carefully, as the data will provide insights into the strength of the US economy. The consensus estimates for November are 49.8 for manufacturing (Oct: 50.0) and 50.4 for services (Oct. 49.8). If the readings diverge significantly from the estimates, we could see some strong movement from the US dollar before the weekend.   EUR/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.0943 and 1.0997 1.0831 and 1.0748 are providing support  
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New Zealand Retail Sales Hold Steady in Q3 as US PMIs Awaited

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 27.11.2023 15:45
New Zealand retail sales flatline in Q3 US releases PMIs later today The New Zealand dollar has posted slight gains on Friday. In the European session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6059, up 0.17%. The New Zealand dollar is headed to a second-straight winning week and has sparkled in November, with gains of 4% against the US dollar. New Zealand retail sales unchanged The New Zealand consumer hasn’t been in the mood to spend and the markets were braced for a decline in third-quarter retail sales. The news was better than expected, however, as retail sales were flat at 0.0% q/q, breaking a streak of three straight losing quarters. The improvement in retail sales points to resilience in the New Zealand economy. On an annual basis, retail sales came in at -3.4%, little changed from the second-quarter reading of -3.5%. The sharp decline is a result of the central bank’s aggressive tightening and an inflation rate of 5.6%, which is very high and well above the 1%-3% target band. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand meets on November 29th and is expected to leave the cash rate unchanged at 5.5%. The RBNZ has held rates three straight times and market speculation is rising that the RBNZ will pivot and trim rates in 2024. The RBNZ is unlikely to send any signals about cutting rates, however, especially with inflation well above the target. I expect the RBNZ to maintain its ‘higher for longer’ policy, which would mean further rate pauses well into 2024. This would provide RBNZ policy makers the flexibility to raise rates if inflation unexpectedly rises or to trim rates once inflation drops closer to 3%, which is the top of the target range, without risking a loss of credibility.   The US wraps up the week with the release of manufacturing and services PMIs, with little change expected. Still, the markets will be watching carefully, as the data will provide insights into the strength of the US economy. The consensus estimates for November stand at 49.8 for manufacturing (Oct: 50.0) and 50.4 for services (Oct. 49.8). If either of the PMIs miss expectations, that could translate into volatility from the US dollar in the North American session. . NZD/USD Technical NZD/USD continues to put pressure on resistance at 0.6076. The resistance line 0.6161 There is support at 0.5996 and 0.5885    
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Navigating Economic Crossroads: US Non-Farm Payrolls and Services PMIs Analysis by Michael Hewson

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 04.12.2023 13:31
By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) US non-farm payrolls (Nov) – 08/12 – last month's October jobs report was the first one this year when the headline number came in below market expectations, though not by enough to raise concerns over the resilience of the US economy. Unlike September, when US jobs surged by 297k, jobs growth slowed in October to 150k, while the unemployment rate ticked higher to 3.9%, in a sign that the US economy is now starting to slow in a manner that will please the US central bank. Combined with a similarly weak ADP report the same week, where jobs growth slowed to 113k, and a softer ISM services survey yields have slipped back significantly from their October peaks, as well as being below the levels they were a month ago in a sign that the market thinks that rate hikes are done and has now moved on to when to expect rate cuts. This is the next challenge for the US central bank who will be keen to continue to push the higher for longer rates mantra. It's also worth noting that JOLTS job openings are still at elevated levels of 9.55m, and weekly jobless claims continue to trend at around 210k which means the Fed still has plenty of leeway to push back on current market pricing on rate cuts. Expectations are for 200k jobs to be added in November; however, it should also be remembered that a lot of additional hiring takes place in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and the Christmas period so we're unlikely to see any evidence of cracking in the US labour market this side of 2024.          Services PMIs (Nov) – 05/12 –while manufacturing activity in Europe appears to be bottoming out, the same can't be said for the services sector which on the basis of recent inflation data is experiencing sticky levels of inflation, which is prompting a continued hawkish narrative from the ECB despite rising evidence that the bloc is already in contraction and possible recession as well. Recent data from the French economy showed economic activity contracted in Q3 and there has been little evidence of an improvement in Q4. The recent flash PMIs showed that services activity remained stuck in the low 45's, although economic activity does appear to be improving, edging higher to 48.7. The UK economy appears to be more resilient where was saw a recovery into expansion territory in the recent flash numbers to 50.5. The main concern is that the resilience shown by the likes of Spain and Italy as their tourism season winds down appears to have gone after Italy fell sharply in October to 47.7, while Spain was steady at 51.1.  
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Bank of Canada Rate Decision: Assessing Economic Signals and Inflation Trends"

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 04.12.2023 13:34
  Bank of Canada rate decision – 06/12 – not expecting any changes to monetary policy here with the central bank forecast to keep rates unchanged at 5%. The last 3-months have seen no growth in the economy at all while the October jobs report saw a rise of 17.5k jobs, all of these were part time positions. On full time employment we saw the first decline in jobs growth since May with a decline of -3.3k, while unemployment rose from 5.5% to 5.7% and the highest level since January 2021. We're also starting to see inflationary pressure continue to subside with core CPI on the median slipping from 3.9% to 3.6% in October.                    Balfour Beatty Q3 23 – 07/12 – has struggled for gains this year even as the shares hit their highest levels since June 2008 back in May this year. In |August the shares took a bit of a tumble despite reporting a 9% rise in H1 revenue to £4.5bn, and an increase in underlying pre-tax profit to £97m. The weakness appeared to have been driven by concerns over the order book which declined again in Q2 and is now £1bn lower than it was at the end of last year at £16.4bn. We also saw lower margins in support services weighing on profitability, along with disappointment that full year guidance was left unchanged. The cancellation of Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 also haven't helped given that Balfour Beatty is a key contractor there as well, although this is likely to be offset with the company getting a slice of any east-west road and rail links improvements across the Pennines    
Worsening Crisis: Dutch Medicine Shortage Soars by 51% in 2023

Bank of Canada Rate Decision: Assessing Economic Signals and Inflation Trends" - 04.12.2023

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 04.12.2023 13:34
  Bank of Canada rate decision – 06/12 – not expecting any changes to monetary policy here with the central bank forecast to keep rates unchanged at 5%. The last 3-months have seen no growth in the economy at all while the October jobs report saw a rise of 17.5k jobs, all of these were part time positions. On full time employment we saw the first decline in jobs growth since May with a decline of -3.3k, while unemployment rose from 5.5% to 5.7% and the highest level since January 2021. We're also starting to see inflationary pressure continue to subside with core CPI on the median slipping from 3.9% to 3.6% in October.                    Balfour Beatty Q3 23 – 07/12 – has struggled for gains this year even as the shares hit their highest levels since June 2008 back in May this year. In |August the shares took a bit of a tumble despite reporting a 9% rise in H1 revenue to £4.5bn, and an increase in underlying pre-tax profit to £97m. The weakness appeared to have been driven by concerns over the order book which declined again in Q2 and is now £1bn lower than it was at the end of last year at £16.4bn. We also saw lower margins in support services weighing on profitability, along with disappointment that full year guidance was left unchanged. The cancellation of Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2 also haven't helped given that Balfour Beatty is a key contractor there as well, although this is likely to be offset with the company getting a slice of any east-west road and rail links improvements across the Pennines    
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GBP: ECB vs. BoE Story Dominates as Dovish Sentiment Sparks Rate Cut Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 04.12.2023 14:11
GBP: ECB vs. BoE story dominates Dovish commentary from the ECB has now seen investors pricing ECB rate cuts several months ahead of the Bank of England (BoE) next year and expectations build of a deeper easing cycle in the Eurozone than in the UK. We disagree with that pricing and think the BoE will deliver more hikes than the ECB next year. This probably means that EUR/GBP does not need to spend too much time below 0.8600. Indeed, 0.8500 represents very strong support and we remain happy with our forecasts of EUR/GBP edging up to the 0.88/0.90 area into next year. The UK data calendar is very quiet this week, with just Friday's release on inflation expectations of note. The bigger driver of EUR/GBP this week will be any ECB pushback against dovish pricing of their 2024 policy cycle.
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CEE Economic Outlook: Rates as the Driving Force for FX Gains

ING Economics ING Economics 04.12.2023 14:12
CEE: Rates should drive FX to further gains This week we start today in the Czech Republic, where wage numbers, key to the central bank, will be released. Markets expect real wages to fall 0.7% YoY in Q3, while the central bank expects 1.0% YoY. The National Bank of Poland (NBP) has a press conference scheduled today after the MPC published a statement on Friday on the incoming government's intention to suspend the governor. On Wednesday and Thursday, we will have some hard economic data across the region including industrial production or retail sales in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. Also on Wednesday, we will see a decision from the NBP. We expect interest rates to be unchanged in line with market expectations. So the main event here will be the press conference on Thursday. On Friday, we will see inflation numbers in Hungary, where we expect another jump down from 9.9% to 7.9% YoY, slightly below market expectations. Also on Friday, S&P will publish a rating review of Hungary. The agency cut the rating down earlier this year, so we can't expect much new here. CEE FX remains volatile following the global story. However, if EUR/USD stabilises this week, rates should take over as the main driver again. Here, the picture for CEE remains positive. With core rates falling and lower beta of local rates in the region, interest rate differentials have improved in favour of CEE across the board. We expect more gains from PLN, which should be supported by the NBP's hawkish turn. EUR/PLN briefly touched lows of 4.320 on Friday, and we expect further testing of lower levels later. EUR/HUF, despite wild moves last week, should head lower after HUF rates stabilised. On the other hand, we expect EUR/CZK to move up towards 24.40 after the dovish data expected this week.
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AUD/USD Starts Week in Decline Ahead of RBA Rate Decision

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 04.12.2023 14:37
AUD/USD lower on Monday RBA likely to maintain rates on Tuesday The Australian dollar has started the week in negative territory. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6648, down 0.40%. The Australian dollar is coming off a strong week, with gains of 1.38%. RBA expected to hold rates The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to hold rates at 4.35% at its Tuesday rate meeting. The central bank has paused for four straight months and the markets don’t expect any further hikes. Still, the RBA could send a hawkish message along with the pause to dampen speculation about a rate hike in 2024, with inflation still high at 4.9%, which is well above the 2% target. Powell sends mixed message, dollar slumps Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell spoke on Friday, and his split message sent the US dollar sharply lower against most of the majors, including the Australian dollar which jumped 1.06%. Powell noted that monetary policy is “well into restrictive territory” and that inflation is “moving in the right direction”. The markets interpreted these remarks as signals that the Fed is done with rate tightening. Although Powell warned that it was premature to assume that the Fed had achieved a “sufficiently restrictive stance”, investors viewed the remarks as dovish and the US dollar fell sharply.   The futures markets have priced in a rate cut in March at 59% and in May at 87%, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The Fed clearly doesn’t share this stance, as most Fed members who spoke last week supported the case for holding rates at current levels for some time. This disconnect between the Fed and the markets is likely to continue as the Fed is unlikely to discuss rate cuts while inflation remains above the 2% target. The markets are looking at a rate cut in late 2024, but a lot could happen until then. If the economy cools more quickly than expected, the RBA would have to give thought to cutting rates in order to boost growth.   AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD tested support at 0.6639 earlier. Below, there is support at 0.6603 0.6712 and 0.6748 are the next resistance lines
National Bank of Romania Maintains Rates, Eyes Inflation Outlook

Analyzing EURCAD: Inflation Rates, Technicals, and Sentiment Indicators

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 04.12.2023 14:51
This article goes over different tools and indicators covering EURCAD, in some cases, cross-pairs can provide trade setups of a different nature as the US Dollar is partially taken out of the equation. Trading in financial markets requires an overview of different types of tools and the same applies to forex trading. Talking points Inflation Rate Overview – European Union and Canada Daily Chart Technical analysis Sentiment Indicators: Commitment of Traders report, and OANDA’s order book. Relative Rotation Graph Inflation Rate Overview – European Union and Canada   Source: Bloomberg Terminal   Inflation Rates globally are declining faster than expected and as global Central banks continue to tread carefully, traders continue to speculate on Central banks’ moves and are sometimes overwhelmed by conflicting central bankers’ comments or analyst’s opinions. Many Market participants are convinced that the recent decline in inflation suggests that Central banks should consider rate cuts, but Central banks still have concerns about inflation returning in any form. The latest CPI report from the EU shows inflation continues to decline reaching 2.4%, close to The European Central Bank (ECB) target of 2%. The current CPI may suggest that the ECB can hold interest rates at its current level but doesn’t warrant any rate cuts. ECB Nagel commented this morning that “Inflation risks are skewed to the upside”. The next CPI release is scheduled for December 19th, 2023, please check the economic calendar and your local time. In Canada, it’s a slightly different story, although the inflation rate is also declining the same as it is globally, it is declining at a slower pace than the EU. The inflation rate currently stands at 3.1%, down from its highs of 8.0% seen in June 2022. Daily Chart Technical analysis   Source: Tradingview.com   EURCAD price broke and closed below an intermediate trendline identified on the above daily timeframe chart, with no pullback to retest the broken level so far. The broken level was also a confluence of Support represented by 3 commonly used Moving average periods, EMA9, MA,9, MA21, and the monthly pivot point at 1.4800 Applying the weekly Stochastic indicator onto the Daily timeframe to smooth the readings suggests that EURCAD may be overbought and shows that %K just crossed below %D along with the break below the intermediate trendline mentioned above. Applying Daily RSI with its default period of 14 shows that RSI is so far in line with price action, however, it is currently neutral near level 50. MACD line crossed below its signal line and the Histogram is also turning bearish.       Sentiment Indicators: Commitment of Traders report, and OANDA’s order book Source: Tradingview.com   The Commitment of Traders report offers insights about positioning changes in the futures market, although delayed, it still helps as a sentiment tool in a trader’s arsenal. Comparing Position levels on the latest COT report shows that Large Speculators on both currencies are favoring long positions, however, it also suggests that the Canadian Dollar is closer to its extreme than the Euro, thus a higher probability of Sentiment change. The above chart is for EURUSD and USDCAD side by side with the COT report applied to both. (COT for Canadian Dollar is inverted, CADUSD) OANDA’s Orderbook Indicator   Source: OANDA.com   Another sentiment tool is the OANDA Orderbook Indicator, the above image reflects an aggregate view of pending entry orders on EURCAD for OANDA’s clients, the data falls under the Retail Traders category. The above image suggests that Retail traders are looking to buy as the price falls and sell as it rises, this is the typical retail trader sentiment and needs to be thought of carefully as Retail Traders can sometimes be in the opposite direction in trendy markets. The order book also reflects price levels that have the highest number of pending orders, these levels can be critical as the price continues to move regardless of direction. It is also important to note that the order book percentages include exit orders such as Stops and limits, we can continue to follow up on position percentage changes. Relative Rotation Graph   Source: Optuma.com   The Relative Rotation graph RRG (A measurement for Momentum and Relative strength) on the daily time frame shows EURUSD, GBPUSD, AUDUSD, and NZDUSD are currently in the Leading Quadrant, with EURUSD leading the pack and CADUSD attempting to catch up from the Improving quadrant. The arrow direction for all pairs except CAD is so far pointing south towards the weakening quadrant.  
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Eurozone Inflation Drops to 2.4%, ECB Faces Divergence with Market Expectations

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 04.12.2023 15:04
Eurozone inflation falls to 2.4% US ISM Manufacturing PMI expected to improve to 47.6 Fed Chair Powell will deliver remarks in Atlanta The euro is showing limited movement on Friday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0897, up 0.09%. Eurozone inflation falls more than expected Eurozone inflation has been falling and the November report brought good tidings. Headline inflation ease to 2.4% y/y, down from 2.9% in October and below the market consensus of 2.7%. A sharp drop in energy prices was a key driver in the significant decline. Core inflation, which is running higher than the headline figure, dropped to 3.6%, down from  4.2% in October and below the market consensus of 3.9%. The soft inflation report sent EUR/USD lower by 0.74% on Thursday, but ECB policy makers are no doubt pleased by the release, as it indicates that the central bank’s aggressive tightening continues to curb inflation. Headline CPI has dropped to its lowest level since July 2021 and is closing in on the 2% inflation target. Still, core CPI, which excludes food and energy and is a better gauge of inflation trends, will need to come down significantly before the ECB can claim that the battle against inflation is over. The ECB has signalled a ‘higher-for-longer policy’, and hasn’t given any indications that it plans to cut rates anytime soon. This has resulted in a significant disconnect with the financial markets, as traders believe that the ECB will have to respond to falling inflation and weak growth by trimming rates. The markets have brought forward expectations of a rate cut to April due to the soft inflation report. Just one month ago, the markets had priced in an initial rate cut in July. It will be interesting to see if ECB President Lagarde clings to the higher-for-longer stance or will she acknowledge the possibility of rate cuts in 2024. The US wraps up the week with the ISM Manufacturing PMI. The manufacturing sector has been in a prolonged slump and the PMI has indicated contraction for twelve consecutive months. The PMI is expected to improve to 47.6 in November, compared to 46.7 in October. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.   Investors will be listening closely to Jerome Powell’s remarks today, looking for hints about upcoming rate decisions. Powell has stuck to his script of a ‘higher for longer’ rate policy, but the markets have priced in a rate cut in May at 84%. . EUR/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.0920 and 1.0986 1.0873 and 1.0807 are the next support levels
German Ifo Index Hits Lowest Level Since 2020 Amidst New Economic Challenges

Canadian Dollar Strengthens as Job Growth Expected, USD/CAD Faces Resistance Amid Economic Challenges

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 04.12.2023 15:05
Canada’s job growth expected to expand by 15,000 US ISM Manufacturing PMI projected to accelerate to 47.6 The Canadian dollar continues to gain ground against a slumping US dollar. In the European session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3529, down 0.23%. The Canadian currency is poised to post a third straight winning week against the greenback and soared 2.25% in November. It is a busy Friday, with Canada releasing the employment report, the US publishing the ISM Manufacturing PMI and Fed Chair Powell speaking at an event in Atlanta. Canada’s labour market has softened but remains in good shape and has shown expansion for three straight months. The economy is expected to have added 15,000 jobs in November, slightly lower than the 17,500 reading in October. The market consensus for the unemployment rate stands at 5.8%, compared to 5.7% in October. Canada’s GDP posts negative growth This week’s GDP report was another reminder that the economy remains weak. Third-quarter GDP declined by 0.3% q/q, below the revised o.3% gain in Q2 and the first decline since the second quarter of 2021. High interest rates have cooled the economy and exports were down in the third quarter as global demand remains weak. On an annualized basis, GDP slid 1.1% in the third quarter, compared to a revised 1.4% gain in Q2 and shy of the market consensus of 0.2%. The US wraps up the week with the ISM Manufacturing PMI. The manufacturing sector has been in a prolonged slump and the PMI has indicated contraction for twelve consecutive months. The PMI is expected to improve to 47.6 in November, compared to 46.7 in October. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.   Investors will be listening closely to Jerome Powell’s remarks today, looking for hints about upcoming rate decisions. Powell has stuck to his script of a ‘higher for longer’ rate policy, but the markets have priced in a rate cut in May at 84%. . USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD tested resistance at 1.3564 in the Asian session. Above, there is resistance at 1.3665 1.3494 and 1.3434 are providing support    
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Bank of Canada: Balancing Act on Rates Amid Economic Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 12:47
CAD: BoC may prefer a hawkish hold today The Bank of Canada announces monetary policy today, and there is a strong consensus that rates will be kept unchanged. The big question from a market perspective is to what extent the BoC will acknowledge the deterioration in the economic outlook and scale back its threat of another rate hike. As discussed in our BoC preview, the recent commentary has turned more dovish, and third-quarter growth figures were very weak. That said, last week's jobs figures in Canada came in on the strong side, likely keeping fears of a passthrough of a still-tight labour market to inflation alive at the BoC. We think jobs data and the desire to push back against rate cuts will convince the BoC to retain a hawkish bias today. Considering the market is pricing around 100bp of easing next year in Canada, there is some room for a hawkish review of expectations and some support for the loonie. That said, CAD’s strong correlation with US data means that external factors will remain the key driver.
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CEE Economic Snapshot: NBP's Hawkish Confirmation and Market Repricing

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 12:48
CEE: NBP to confirm hawkish turn This morning, the monthly data set was released in the region. We had retail sales data in Romania and retail sales and industrial production in Hungary, all for October. Here we highlight the industrial sector, which fell by 2.8% YoY, below market expectations. Later this morning, we'll see retail sales in the Czech Republic, which should confirm a weak economy in the fourth quarter as well. Later today, we will see a decision from the National Bank of Poland (NBP). We expect rates to remain unchanged, as in November. So, the main event here will be the governor's press conference tomorrow. But today, we'll still see a statement that should confirm the central bank's hawkish turn last month. The Polish zloty is slowly but steadily moving towards stronger levels, and we think that the current market conditions justify the level of 4.320 EUR/PLN. However, PLN rates have followed the fall in core rates, which in our view gives more opportunity for rates to react to the hawkish tone of the central bank – and we should see some upward repricing over the next two days especially at the short end of the IRS curve. This should support PLN and we should see more gains and move towards 4.300 EUR/PLN by the end of the week.
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Bank of Canada Holds Steady with a Hawkish Outlook Amid Economic Concerns

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 12:56
Bank of Canada retains its hawkish bias The BoC kept rates unchanged as expected, but had to recognise that rates are “clearly restraining spending” and that disinflation is happening at a faster pace. However, that was not enough to drop the threat of another hike if necessary. While this is generally good news for CAD, external factors (US data in particular) remain much more relevant.   Sticking to the tightening threat The Bank of Canada kept rates unchanged at 5.0% today, as widely expected. The policy statement noted that “higher interest rates are clearly restraining spending: consumption growth in the last two quarters was close to zero, and business investment has been volatile but essentially flat over the past year”. Incidentally, the BoC recognised the faster pace on the disinflation front, dropping the reference to “slow” progress on inflation. Those considerations would have likely led to a more dovish tone on the policy outlook as a consequence, but the BoC decided to reiterate the threat of more monetary policy tightening instead: “Governing Council is still concerned about risks to the outlook for inflation and remains prepared to raise the policy rate further if needed”. The concerns about the inflation outlook come not only from potential external shocks (e.g. energy prices), but also from a resiliently tight domestic labour market, as confirmed by last week’s strong jobs figures. We are still convinced that the BoC will not tighten policy further given the deterioration of the economic outlook and our expectations for a steady decline in Canadian’s inflation. However, there is a likely intent to fight the ongoing dovish repricing of rate expectations in Canada, and that means the BoC out-of-meeting commentary may be careful to send dovish messages to the market before the January meeting, when new economic projections will be released.   CAD still too reliant on US data From a market perspective, the reiteration of the hawkish bias by the Bank of Canada is positive news for CAD, although the acknowledgement of faster inflation decline and the strong impact of tight monetary conditions on the economy have offset the impact on the loonie, which is holding steady after the announcement. Despite the BoC’s reluctance to pivot to a more dovish stance, the loonie remains highly affected from a deterioration in US data, to which it has the highest correlation in G10. In the short term, the last bits of evidence of US activity resilience may support CAD – especially in the crosses – but we expect the worsening of US (as well as Canadian) growth sentiment next year to make CAD less appealing than other risk-sensitive currencies like the antipodeans and Scandies.
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Polish Central Bank Maintains Rates, Praises PLN Strength, and Awaits External Factors for Further Policy Decisions

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 12:58
No change in Polish rates and stronger PLN may be a game-changer Poland's central bank keeps rates on hold and reiterates its uncertainty about the fiscal outlook and regulated prices that may impact future inflation. The MPC welcomed recent PLN appreciation as it facilitates disinflation and is more aligned with economic fundamentals. Policymakers will remain in a 'wait and see' mode until at least March 2024. The Monetary Policy Council's decision to maintain interest rates (the policy rate at 5.75%) comes as no surprise. We await tomorrow's conference by the NBP chairman,  Adam Glapiński. On the one hand, recent communication points to the end of the easing cycle, but on the other, the main central banks are about to start monetary easing (Fed, ECB, CNB). In addition, the external inflation picture is improving strongly, and the consensus is shifting towards an earlier return of CPI to target in the euro area and the US or even earlier cuts by the Fed and the European Central Bank. Minor amendment of the post-meeting press release In the official written communiqué, the Council assessed that recent appreciation is conducive to lowering inflation and is consistent with economic fundamentals. For many months, the MPC had expressed a wish that such a move in the PLN exchange rate would occur. This suggests that, in the NBP's view, further appreciation of the zloty is no longer welcomed and would not be beneficial to the Polish economy. Policymakers also noted a further fall in core inflation in November and PPI deflation, which, in the Council's view, confirms the extinction of most external supply shocks. The MPC also mentioned a gradual economic recovery. MPC communication and decisions in the coming months We wonder which way the MPC's communication will go in the coming months. There is a great deal of uncertainty about whether it will be even more hawkish or, following other banks, neutral or perhaps dovish. Factors that will shape the policy decisions in the coming months mentioned in the press release include the scale of fiscal expansion, the scale and timing of regulated price adjustments and their impact on inflation. Policymakers repeated that future decisions will depend on incoming macroeconomic data. Rates to remain unchanged in 2024, but new risk factors emerged In our view, the MPC is likely to refrain from changing the main parameters of monetary policy in 2024, awaiting important administrative decisions for the inflation profile (regulated energy prices, shield measures, VAT on food) and information on the scale of fiscal expansion in 2024. The MPC is likely to make its first serious consideration regarding the level of rates in March on the occasion of the next inflation projection, which should take into account the aforementioned factors. If our inflation scenario materialises (i.e. in the short term, inflation may surprise on the lower side, especially the core inflation rate, but in the longer term it will still remain above the target), there will be no room for NBP rate cuts at least until the end of 2024. In our view, the picture of the Polish inflation outlook may change with further PLN firming. We see risks of a stronger zloty and an earlier return of CPI to target, suggesting earlier cuts than we currently assume. At the same time, large inflows of EU funds, foreign direct investment and fiscal expansion are arguments against rate cuts as they may boost economic activity; the balance of risks points to an earlier cut than we assume.
EUR/USD Analysis: Assessing Potential for Prolonged Decline Amidst Volatility

Dovish Outlook: Global Central Banks Soften Stance Amid Falling Energy Prices

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:11
Too dovish Falling energy prices help softening global inflation expectations and keep the central bank doves in charge of the market, along with sufficiently soft economic data that points at the end of the global monetary policy campaign. This week, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Bank of Canada (BoC) kept rates unchanged – although the RBA said that they could hike again if home-grown inflation doesn't slow. But overall, the Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to cut as soon as in May next year, and the European Central Bank (ECB) is expected to announce six 25 basis point cuts next year. If that's the case, the ECB should start cutting before the Fed, sometime in Q1. It sounds overstretched to me.   Data released earlier this week showed that French industrial production fell unexpectedly for the 3rd straight month in October, Spanish output declined, and German factory orders fell 3.7% in October versus a 0.2% increase penciled in by analysts. The slowing European economies and falling inflation help building a case in favour of an ECB rate cut, but I don't see the ECB cutting rates anytime in the H1. Remember, economic slowdown is the natural response that the ECB was looking for to slow inflation. Now that it happens, the bank won't leave the battlefield before making sure that inflation shows no sign of life. But the EURUSD is understandable extending its losses within the bearish consolidation zone, as the German 10-year yield sinks below the 2.20% level. The EURUSD is now testing the 100-DMA to the downside. Trend and momentum indicators are comfortably bearish and the RSI hints that we are not yet dealing with oversold market conditions. Therefore, the selloff could deepen toward the 1.07/1.730 region.  The direction of the EURUSD is of course also dependent on what the USD leg of the pair will do. We see the dollar index recover this week despite the falling yields driven lower by a soft set of US jobs data released so far this week. The JOLTS data showed a significant fall in job openings in October, while yesterday's ADP print revealed around 100K new private job additions last month, much less than 130K penciled in by analysts. There is no apparent correlation between this data and Friday's official NFP read, but the fact that independent data point at further loosening in the US jobs market comforts the Fed doves in the idea that, yes, the US jobs market is finally giving in. On the yields front, the US 2-year yield remains steady near 4.60%/4.65% region, while the 10-year yield fell to 4.10% yesterday, from above 5% by end of October. This is a big, big decline, and it means that investors are now ramping up the US slowdown bets. That's also why we don't see the US stocks react to the further fall in yields. The S&P500 and Nasdaq both fell yesterday, while their European peers extended gains regardless of the overbought conditions. The Stoxx 600 closed yesterday's session above the 470 level. The softening ECB expectations are certainly the major driver of the European stocks toward the ytd highs; German stocks hit an ATH yesterday despite the undoubtedly morose economic outlook. Actual levels scream correction.      
German Ifo Index Hits Lowest Level Since 2020 Amidst New Economic Challenges

FX Daily: Yen Back in the Spotlight Amid Bank of Japan Speculation

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:18
FX Daily: Yen back in the spotlight Ahead of tomorrow's US jobs data release, the short-term highlight in the FX market is the continued outperformance of the yen. This has nothing to do with a risk-averse environment (asset markets are bid) and everything to do with the Bank of Japan potentially ending its negative interest rate policy. It looks like the yen can hold its gains near term.   USD: Mixed environment, yen strength stands out FX markets remain relatively calm. One anomaly is that global risk assets (both bonds and equities) are doing quite well, but the dollar is staying quite bid. Normally one might expect the dollar to be easing gently lower in an environment like this. One explanation for this is that while interest rates are falling around the world (risk positive) they are actually falling faster overseas (especially in Europe) than in the US. Notably, EUR versus USD swap differentials are at the widest of the year and exposing the soft underbelly of EUR/USD. But the short-term highlight is the outperformance of the yen. The focus here, once again, is whether the Bank of Japan (BoJ) plans to end eight years of negative interest rates when it meets on 18/19 December. The FX market has been here many times before with this story - only to be rudely disabused of its speculation every time. However, at ING we have pencilled in a BoJ rate hike in the second quarter of next year. Our suspicion is that speculation of a BoJ move at the 18 December meeting is premature since there is no accompanying Outlook Report - a report that could show CPI sustainably hitting 2% and justifying an end to negative rate policy. That said, USD/JPY could still drift to the 144.50/145.00 area over the next week as speculation continues to build about a December BoJ move. The underlying dollar story, however, will be determined, by tomorrow's US jobs report and next week's FOMC meeting. It looks like the US bond market is already pricing in a soft number - which warns perhaps of a firmer dollar if the data is not too weak. Yet we suspect that investors are in the mood to put money to work - noting a major pro-risk turning in the inflation and interest rate cycle - such that the dollar gets sold into any rally tomorrow.  For today, we doubt jobless claims will be a big driver of price action today. We will be interested to look at the October US consumer credit data after the close today to see whether record-high credit card interest rates are finally taking their toll on the US consumer.  DXY has been performing better this week, but we see a scenario where it stalls in the 104.25/50 area.    
UR: Assessing the Hawkish Pushback Amid Aggressive Rate Cut Expectations

UR: Assessing the Hawkish Pushback Amid Aggressive Rate Cut Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:19
EUR: Pushback from the hawks? One of the hottest stories right now is that traders are pricing in, for next year, more rate cuts from the European Central Bank than the Federal Reserve. And traders are pricing in twice the rate cuts for the ECB than the Bank of England next year. We think that the pricing of the ECB cycle is far too aggressive and our forecast is for 75bp of cuts starting in June - rather than the 125bp cuts starting in March/April. We hear from ECB arch-hawk Robert Holzman this morning. Let's see whether he can move markets. Given that extreme pricing of the ECB curve, it may then be that EUR/USD does not need to fall too much further. 1.07 is currently our year-end forecast - largely because our team felt US data could hold up in the fourth quarter. But let's see what tomorrow's US jobs report and next week's Fed and ECB meetings have to say on the matter. We see EUR/USD holding support at 1.0730 today.
FX Daily: Lower US Inflation Could Spark Real Rate Debate

rate cuts, European Central Bank, ECB, monetary policy, interest rates, forex, currency exchange, EUR/USD, market expectations, hawkish pushback, Robert Holzman, economic forecasts, central bank, Federal Reserve, Bank of England, forex analysis.

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:20
CEE: NBP presser should support PLN The National Bank of Poland left rates unchanged as expected. The statement did not change much either. The MPC wants to know more about the new government's fiscal policy and the impact on inflation before its next steps. So the more interesting story today will be Governor Adam Glapinski's press conference. Our economists see stable rates next year, but the story and risks are not so simple. In addition to the NBP, today we will also see monthly data in the Czech Republic, including industrial production which, like yesterday's retail sales, should confirm the weak economy in the fourth quarter. Also this morning, the second reading of Romania's third-quarter GDP data has already been published. In the markets yesterday, rates were catching up with the fall in core rates from the previous days across the CEE region, which somewhat undermines the FX picture in general. This is most visible in the PLN and CZK market. In Poland, however, the hawkish NBP should help the currency today. Thus, we may see a weaker zloty this morning but by the end of the day, we should be back to 4.320 EUR/PLN or lower. On the other hand, in the Czech Republic, the CZK remains without the support of the central bank and rates are pointing more towards the 24.40 EUR/CZK levels where we were a few days ago. Moreover, weaker data may support this move higher. fter the Polish zloty, the Mexican peso has delivered some of the largest total returns over the last month (alongside the Turkish lira!). As we discuss in our 2024 FX outlook, we think the Mexican peso can hold firm - even in the face of rate cuts. On that front, Mexico today releases inflation data for November - where core CPI is expected to drop to a new cycle low of 5.3% YoY. The market is slowly coming round to the view that Banxico could cut rates in the first quarter - perhaps at the March meeting. Pricing of a Banxico easing cycle looks a little conservative and we think MXN rates could soften if next week's Banxico policy meeting sheds more light on an easing cycle - especially if anyone were to vote for a cut.  We think MXN gains will be more of a total return story in 2024 - i.e. attractive interest rates but spot USD/MXN not going too much below 17.00. Indeed, Banxico might well be thinking the peso is a little too strong on a real exchange rate basis. But strong fiscal support should see Mexican growth hold up next year. Another reason we think the peso should continue to outperform.    
National Bank of Romania Maintains Rates, Eyes Inflation Outlook

2024 Economic Outlook: Unpacking the ECB Hike Cycle and Its Implications

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:38
2024 set to be the year that the hike cycle is felt The ECB hike cycle seems over, but the shockwaves of tightening will still shape the eurozone economy in 2024. Traditional lags in transmission are now accompanied by longer ones in average interest burden increases, potentially extending the impact of tightening. For the ECB, the risk of being behind the curve for the second time in one cycle is growing. The end of the hike cycle is most likely here. The ECB has raised interest rates aggressively - from -0.5% to 4% in just over a year. With inflation coming down quickly and the economy stagnating, it is hard to see how the ECB could continue hiking rates, either this week or in the coming months. Instead, the focus is shifting towards possible first rate cuts. This makes it an excellent moment to focus on how fast monetary transmission is happening and what to expect from the impact of this in 2024.   The initial impact of tightening was significant In March, we concluded that the early signs of a rapid impact on transmission channels were significant. Since then the pace has moderated a bit, depending on the channel. As back in March, we follow the ECB’s own categories of transmission channel. At the end of 2023, broad money supply is still contracting quickly, currently at an annual pace only seen in 2009. Bank rates for loans for households and businesses are still rising rapidly and the euro has broadly appreciated against the currencies of major trade partners since late summer - it is now slightly above levels seen at the start of ECB’s rate hikes. Asset prices have also corrected, but with very different results across asset classes.   Flow chart of how monetary policy impacts the economy, according to the ECB Moving on from the channels to the real impact of monetary tightening so far, the impact on bank lending has slowed. Most importantly, the bank lending impact was strong at the start of the tightening cycle - lending growth to non-financial corporates has slowed from around 1% month-on-month in the summer of 2022 to 0% in November and has stabilized around 0% since. This also seems related to a working capital and inventories-related lending surge in summer, the need for which faded when supply chain problems eased. Lending to households slowed from 0.4% month-on-month in May 2022 to 0% in April 2023, since when it has also stabilized around 0%. Overall, the lending correction is not dramatic, but has a significant impact on future investment. Don’t forget that there is likely more to come - the ECB Bank Lending Survey suggests continued weakness in lending ahead. In short, the impact of monetary policy tightening on lending and consequently on the real economy is unfolding like every textbook model would suggest.   At face value, monetary transmission is working quickly   Not every aspect of tightening works quickly, quite some of the burden is still to come While at face value the transmission of monetary policy tightening is working as planned, looking slightly deeper reveals more complexity and more sluggishness. Coming from a long period of negative rates is having a big impact on how fast interest payments are rising. Looking at net interest payments from corporates, we see that these have increased disproportionally slowly so far (chart 4). The same holds for households, where the average mortgage rate paid by households in the eurozone has only increased by 0.8% while new mortgage loan rates are up by 2.7%. For governments, the same is true. Interest rate payments are increasing but remain at relatively low levels. Low locked in-rates have caused a relatively small increase in debt burdens so far.   Average interest payments have started to move up only slowly   This means three things: First of all, costs have not increased materially so far, which would be an additional tightening effect. Higher costs force cuts in spending or investment elsewhere, which results in weaker activity. While the relationship between interest rates for new loans and average debt burden was more synchronized in previous hike cycles, the initial effect on debt burdens has been relatively limited. Secondly, this means that the impact of the hike cycle is likely more spread out this time. Over the course of next year, loans will have to be refinanced at higher rates, which will continue to increase average debt burdens. So, while the initial impact of ECB tightening has already been forceful, it is reasonable to expect that the effect will not fade quickly in 2024 as more businesses, households and governments adjust to a new reality of higher rates. Lastly, since there is now such a discrepancy between the current interest rate and the average interest rate paid in the economy, the ECB could cut rates but average interest payments could still be increasing. So, if the ECB were to start the process of decreasing interest rates, part of the tightening effect would still be coming through the pipeline. This would dampen the effect on monetary easing.   Important moderating effects have kept the impact on GDP mild so far Much to the chagrin of the ECB, governments have continued to provide ample fiscal support to the economy. As chart 6 shows, the fiscal stance is falling moderately, but continues to be generally supportive of economic activity. It is not the first time that fiscal and monetary stances are at odds with each other - think back of the 2010s when fiscal austerity countered ECB efforts to bring inflation up to 2%. Now this is working the other way, as fiscal support boosts economic activity and therefore counters the ECB’s efforts to reduce underlying inflation.   As in the 2010s, monetary and fiscal policy are working in different directions   The labour market is also moderating the impact of tightening; at least for now. The weaker economic environment since late 2022 has not yet translated into a weaker labour market. While a relatively simple Okun’s Law would suggest that the labour market should be cooling slightly, it remains red hot. This supports economic activity and maintains wage pressures for the moment. Tightening efforts in the labour market remain relatively invisible for now. Finally, investment has continued to be supported by the supply-side problems from 2021 and 2022. While new orders have fallen, production has been kept up by the large amount of so far unfulfilled orders brought forward. The size of eurozone order books has fallen rapidly since late 2022, which has boosted activity and masked weakness in drying up orders when it comes to total economic activity. These factors have so far suppressed the impact of tightening on the economy, but we expect them to be less supportive of growth in 2024. While the fiscal stance is set to remain expansionary, with the exception of Germany, it will likely be less so in 2024 than in 2023. The labour market has recently shown more serious signs of weakening, which leads us to expect that unemployment will finally start to slowly increase over the course of next year. Backlogs of work have largely been depleted, meaning that the full effect of monetary tightening will likely be felt more strongly next year as mitigating factors fade.   Unemployment is lower than you would expect on the basis of current economic activity   The landing has been very soft so far, but gets bumpier in 2024 Inflation has come down very quickly over the course of 2023. Peaking at 10.6% YoY in October, it has fallen to 2.4% in November. This has been achieved with economic activity stagnating but not falling and the labour market continuing to go from strength to strength. The monetary stance has moved from an interest rate of -0.5% and QE to a 4% interest rate and QT. Can we really move from a broadly accommodative stance to a very restrictive stance and not notice any economic pain? That seems unlikely: much of the impact of the higher rate environment is likely to be felt next year because of the usual lag of monetary policy, because some effects of tighter policy are now more lagged than in previous cycles, and because mitigating factors are set to fade. Milton Friedman’s famous quote that monetary policy has ‘long and variable lags’ seems to be an understatement in the current complex monetary environment. That does mean that the restrictive impact of monetary policy on the economy is set to increase while inflation already looks to be solidly under control. The month-on-month core inflation rate in November was negative and the trend has been sharply down. Disinflation in 2023 was mainly the result of base effects due to ending supply shocks and not so much to monetary policy tightening. Disinflation in 2024, however, will be mainly the result of the further unfolding of monetary policy tightening. While there are clear uncertainties about the inflation outlook - including how wage growth will develop and whether new spikes in energy prices could emerge - there is a high risk that the ECB is getting behind the curve for the second time in one cycle. It was late in responding to inflation on the way up and could well be late in responding on the way down as well. Expectations of rate cuts have moved forward and have grown a lot recently. Given the wrong assessment of inflation dynamics on their way up and concerns about possibly more persistent inflationary drivers, we think the ECB will be very hesitant to simply reverse the rate hiking cycle. Instead, we expect the ECB to wait for additional wage growth data for the first quarter and then start cutting in June - but rather gradually, with three cuts of 25bp every quarter. That would still leave monetary policy restrictive and keep average interest rate payments going up as society adjusts to higher interest rates. It would also make new investments slightly more attractive again. The hike cycle may have so far seemed like an easy adjustment to swallow, but ironically the pain of tightening will likely be felt most when the ECB already starts to ease.
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Taming Rate Cut Expectations: Bank of England's Stance and Market Dynamics in 2024

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:41
Bank of England to push back against rising tide of rate cut expectations Markets are pricing three rate cuts in 2024 and we doubt the Bank will be too happy about that. Expect policymakers to reiterate that rates need to stay restrictive for some time. But with services inflation coming down and wage growth set to follow suit, we think investors are right to be thinking about a summer rate cut. We expect 100bp of cuts next year.   Markets are ramping up rate cut bets, and Governor Bailey isn't happy about it Financial markets are rapidly throwing in the towel on the “higher for longer” narrative that central banks have been pushing hard upon for months. Even more remarkably, a small but growing number of policymakers from the Federal Reserve to the European Central Bank seem to be getting second thoughts too. So far, that market repricing has been less aggressive for the Bank of England. Investors are expecting three rate cuts next year compared to more than five over at the ECB. The first move is seen in June, as opposed to March over in Frankfurt. Despite that more modest adjustment, the Bank of England is starting to sound the alarm. Governor Andrew Bailey said in recent days that he is pushing back “against assumptions that we're talking about cutting interest rates". Those comments followed a firming up of the Bank’s forward guidance back in early November, where it said it expected rates to stay restrictive for “an extended period”. Its November forecasts, premised on rate cut expectations at the time, indicated that inflation may still be a touch above 2% in two years’ time. That was a hint, if only a mild one, that markets were prematurely pricing easing - and rate cut bets have only been ramped up since.   Rate cut expectations are building, though less rapidly than in the US/eurozone   Expect rate cut pushback on Thursday, but investors are right to be thinking about easing That gives us a flavour of what we should expect next week. While the chances of a surprise rate hike have long since faded away, there’s a good chance that the three hawks on the committee once again vote for another 25bp rate increase, leaving us with a repeat 6-3 vote in favour of no change. We only get a statement and minutes on Thursday, and no press conference or forecasts, so the opportunity to shift the messaging is fairly limited. But we expect the same hawkish forward guidance as last time, including the line on keeping rates restrictive for a prolonged period of time. Could the Bank be tempted to go further still and formally say that markets have got it wrong? The BoE has shown itself less willing than some other central banks to either comment directly on market pricing in its post-meeting statements, or make predictions about how it'll vote at future meetings. The last time it did this was in November 2022, where disfunction in UK markets meant rate hike pricing had reached an extreme level. We doubt they’ll do something similar this month. Policymakers may be uneasy about the recent repricing of UK rate expectations, but central banks globally have learned the hard way over the last couple of years that trying to predict and commit to future policy, with relative certainty, is a fool's game. The Bank will also be gratified that the data is at least starting to go in the right direction. Services inflation came in below the Bank’s most recent forecast, and while one month doesn’t make a trend, we think there are good reasons to expect further declines over 2024. Admittedly, we think services CPI will stay sticky in the 6% area through the early stages of next year, but by the summer, we expect to have slipped to 4% or below. Likewise, the jobs market is clearly cooling and that suggests the days of private-sector wage growth at 8% are behind us. We expect this to get back to the 4-4.5% area by next summer too. Markets may be right to assume that the BoE will be a little later to fire the starting gun on rate cuts than its European neighbours. But when the rate cuts start, we think the BoE’s easing cycle will ultimately prove more aggressive. We expect 100bp of rate cuts from August next year, and another 100bp in 2025.   Sterling benefits from the BoE position Sterling has enjoyed November. The Bank of England's trade-weighted exchange rate is about 2% higher. The rally probably has less to do with the UK government's stimulus and more to do with the fact that investors have been falling over themselves to price lower interest both in the US and particularly in the eurozone.  In terms of the risk to sterling market interest rates and the currency from the December BoE meeting, we tend to think it is too early for the Bank of England to condone easing expectations - even though those expectations are substantially more modest than those on the eurozone. This could mean that EUR/GBP continues to trade on the weak side into year-end - probably in the 0.8500-0.8600 range. Into 2024, however, we expect market pricing to correct - less to be priced for the ECB, more for the UK and EUR/GBP should head back up to the 0.88 area. But that's a story for next year.    Sterling trade-weighted index edges higher
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Cautious Tone of Polish MPC Governor Press Conference: Rates Expected to Remain Unchanged Until March 2024

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 12.12.2023 13:49
Cautious tone of Polish MPC Governor press conference The NBP president's conference was short and cautious in its tone. The NBP may be heading in the direction of the conservative Czech National Bank. In our view, rates will remain unchanged until at least March 2024   Weak global economy, signs of recovery at home During his press conference, the NBP Governor Adam Glapinski assessed that the data received since the previous MPC meeting does not fundamentally change the assessment of the economic situation and its outlook. The external environment remains weak. The Eurozone is in stagnation and activity in Germany is declining. In Poland, economic activity remains subdued, but there are increasing signs of recovery. After declines in 1H23, 3Q23 saw GDP growth of 0.5% YoY. According to. Glapinski, the economy is beginning to improve. Global inflation is subsiding but still remains elevated. Major central banks, including the Fed and ECB, are keeping interest rates unchanged.   The NBP expects continued CPI decline, but at a slower pace President Glapinski reiterated that inflation in Poland is falling and is on a path to the NBP target, which it should reach within two years. Glapinski reiterated how much inflation has fallen (it is almost three times lower than at the February peak), adding that the core is falling as well and is around 5pp down from the peak. He noted that the decline in inflation has slowed and will also be slower in the coming quarters. In the Council's view, inflation will continue to fall due to reduced economic activity (negative output gap) and earlier monetary tightening, which cooled activity in the credit market. Also favourable for the inflation outlook is the strengthening of the PLN by about 20% against the US$ and about 10% vs. the €. Professor Glapinski was very neutral on the PLN exchange rate.   Uncertainty prompts MPC to adopt wait-and-see stance The Governor’s statements indicate that the MPC is adopting a wait-and-see stance, but definitely not a hawkish one. The MPC is waiting for decisions on electricity and gas prices, as well as VAT on food, the reinstatement of which could bump up inflation by about 0.9ppt. Therefore, the Council should take a closer look at inflation prospects on the occasion of the NBP's March projection, when the aforementioned uncertainty factors should be resolved. The Council's subsequent decisions will depend on incoming data.   Bottom line A communications revolution at the NBP took place. Yesterday's decision was made earlier than usual, i.e. at 2:29 CET  and the Governor’s conference lasted only 27 minutes. Could it be that the NBP is heading in the direction of the (conservative) Czech National Bank? During his speech, Glapiński declared willingness to cooperate with the new government and flagged cautious rate decisions in the future. In our view, a more disinflationary external environment, a stronger PLN and a more cautious NBP suggest that the risk that inflation will remain above target for a long time has moderated somewhat. Rates should remain unchanged until the end of 2024 as there is still no shortage of inflationary factors. For instance, we expect further fiscal expansion, increased wage dynamics (i.e. due to a 20% increase in the minimum wage in 2024), large inflows of EU funds and foreign direct investment. But rate cuts cannot be completely ruled out either. The space for interest rate changes could emerge in March, should global disinflation prove rapid and sustained and the zloty continue to gain. Our baseline scenario assumes that interest rates will remain unchanged, but the distribution of risks is skewed toward potentially lower inflation and the chances of earlier interest rate cuts than in 2025.
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ECB December Meeting: Balancing Dovish Expectations with a Cautious Reality Check

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 13:53
December’s ECB cheat sheet: A reality check for ultra-dovish expectations The ECB will almost surely keep rates on hold at the December meeting. The question is to what extent it will align with the market's aggressive pricing for rate cuts in 2024. We suspect it will fall short of endorsing ultra-dovish expectations. There is some upside room for EUR rates and the battered euro.       Heading into the European Central Bank's December meeting, there is growing evidence that the Governing Council is split about the messaging being presented to markets. The generally arch-hawk Isabel Schnabel dropped strong dovish hints by ruling out rate hikes this week, and markets are now pricing in 135bp of cuts in the next 12 months. We see a good chance that the overall message at this meeting will fall short of endorsing aggressive rate cut expectations. Above are the market implications in various scenarios. Our full ECB preview can be found here. A still-cautious ECB may not validate aggressive front end pricing A reassessment of inflation expectations has been in the lead in driving rates lower and raising the expectations of first rate cuts at the end of the first quarter next year. From next summer onwards, market indications point to anticipated headline inflation fixes below 2%. Indeed, the 2Y inflation swap has dropped to 1.8%. It is easy to overlook that at the same time, core inflation is currently still running at an elevated 3.6% year-on-year, giving the ECB enough reason to remain cautious. However, the pushback against aggressive market pricing has been half-hearted at best, with officials’ remarks having put cuts in the first half of next year clearly into the realm of possibility. But whether they're likely is a different question. The ECB may well decide to let the data be the judge – but at the same time, it remains more reluctant to extrapolate to the extent that the market does. Its own inflation forecast may come down next week, but potentially not to the degree that markets are discounting. We see a good chance that the rally in front end rates – which currently discounts a 75% probability of a cut next March – stalls, if not unwinds to some extent. The longer end may see less upward pressure, though. In the extreme, the Governing Council coming across as overly hawkish and brushing off the faster disinflationary momentum could push markets into the belief that a policy mistake is in the making.   ECB rate expectations   Lagarde can throw a lifeline to the unloved euroThe idiosyncratic decline of the euro has been one of the key themes in FX lately, with the common currency being the worst-performing currency so far in G10. The aggressive dovish repricing of ECB rate expectations has been the main driver, and the comments by Isabel Schnabel right before the pre-meeting quiet period have fuelled the bearish narrative further. With 125bp of cuts priced in by October and markets actively considering a start to the easing cycle already in March, it's difficult to see a bigger dovish repricing happening at this stage. That would suggest the euro does not have to fall much further from the current levels. Still, if only short-term rate differentials are taken into account, a decline to the 1.06 area in EUR/USD would not be an aberration. What is already halting the euro slump is the upbeat risk sentiment, which favours pro-cyclical currencies like the euro and caps the upside for the safe-haven dollar. We expect the ECB to continue its transition to a dovish narrative, but that will – in our view – happen at a slower pace than what markets are implying. We see tangible risks that the the central bank will push back against aggressive dovish speculations at this meeting, and the market may be forced to unwind some of those rate cuts bets, offering room for a EUR/USD rebound. That said, a EUR/USD recovery would struggle to extend much longer after the meeting due to the short-term EUR-USD swap spreads still pointing to a lower exchange rate.
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Bond Market’s Quest for Validation: Analyzing the Impact of US Payrolls on Rates

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 14:03
Rates Spark: A bond market looking for validation Payrolls day is usually pivotal. This one more than most, as the US 10yr has fallen sharply from 5% down towards 4% without material evidence of any labour market recession. We don't have to have one, of course, as lower yields can also be validated by lower inflation expectations. But in the end, it probably does have to happen, or else bonds have issues ... The key event for the day is the US jobs report, the nonfarm payrolls Source:   Today's payrolls report will set the scene for the rest of 2023 It’s payrolls day! And it’s a key one. The US 10yr has moved sharply from 5% down to approaching 4%. It really needs some validation of that move from today’s report. Or to reverse engineer this, the Treasury market is telling us the number will be weak. But what is weak? The key reference is 150k. That’s the replacement rate. Average payrolls in the past few decades have been 130k per month. Anything below these numbers would be “weak”, as it would begin to signal a growth recession. This month’s number is bolstered by returning strike workers so that the consensus of 190k actually translates to something close to 150k – bang on the crossover point. Whatever happens, it will set the scene for the week ahead, one that kicks off with supply, featuring the 30yr auction which has had a habit of tailing. Any kind of payrolls “strength” would have to be a problem for this bullish bond market.   And then we have the Fed next week. Payrolls are likely more important We also have the Fed next week. There may be some interest in the press on money market conditions following the spikes seen in repo around month end and reverberating into the early part of December. This comes against a backdrop where banks' reserves are ample, in the US$3.3tr area. The last time the Fed engaged in quantitative tightening, bank reserves bottomed at a little under US$1.5tr and there was a material effect felt on the money markets. It’s unlikely that we'll get anywhere near that this time around. Bank reserves will almost certainly get below US$3tr and possibly down to US$2.5trn. The Fed will want to get liquidity into better balance as a first port of call, but beyond that, it won’t want to over-tighten liquidity conditions. Taking this into account, QT is likely to end around the end of 2024. In the meantime, the clearest manifestation of quantitative tightening is to be seen in falling liquidity volumes going back to the Fed on the overnight reverse repo facility. This is now at US$825bn, but is set to hit zero in the second half of 2024. Whether Chair Powell gets drawn into this will likely be down to whether the press wants him to - they will probably have to ask the questions(s). In terms of expectations for market movements, we doubt there will be much from the FOMC alone. If, as we expect, the Fed sticks to the hawkish tilt, and does not give the market too much to get excited about, then expect minimal impact. As it is, the structure of the curve, as telegraphed by the richness of the 5yr on the curve, is telling us that a rate cut is not yet in the 6-month countdown window. That will slowly change, and we’ll morph towards a point where we are three months out from a cut and the 2yr yield really collapses lower. It's unlikely the Fed will change that at this final meeting of 2023, though, and they won’t want to. Expect much more reaction from today’s payrolls report Today's events and market view The key event for the day is the US jobs report. The consensus for the change in non-farm payrolls has slipped somewhat to 183k, which compares to the 150k reported last month. The unemployment rate is seen staying at 3.9%. The other release to watch today is the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey. It is seen improving marginally, while the inflation survey is expected to ease to 4.3% on the 1Y horizon and 3.1% on the 5-10Y. There is not much on the eurozone calendar, but the ECB will reveal how much of their outstanding TLTROs banks choose to repay ahead of time at the end of this month on top of the €37bn that will mature.
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Federal Reserve Outlook: Navigating Monetary Policy in the Face of Market Expectations and Economic Signals

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 14:11
We expect another Fed hold, but with pushback on rate cut prospects The Fed last raised rates in July and we think that marked the peak. There is growing evidence that tight monetary policy and restrictive credit conditions are having the desired effect on depressing inflation. However, the Fed will not want to endorse the market pricing of significant rate cuts until they are confident price pressures are quashed   Fed to leave rates unchanged, oppose market pricing of cuts The Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave the fed funds target range at 5.25-5.5% at next week’s FOMC meeting. Softer activity numbers, cooling labour data and benign MoM% inflation prints signal that monetary policy is probably restrictive enough to bring inflation sustainably down to 2% in coming months, a narrative that is being more vocally supported by key Federal Reserve officials. The bigger story is likely to be contained in the individual Fed member forecasts – how far will they look to back the market perceptions that major rate cuts are on their way? We strongly suspect there will be a lot of pushback here.   Markets pricing 125bp of cuts, the Fed will likely stick to 50bp prediction There has been a big swing in expectations for Federal Reserve policy since the last FOMC meeting, with markets firmly buying into the possibility of some aggressive interest rate cuts next year. Back on November 1st, after the Fed held rates steady for the second consecutive meeting, fed funds futures priced around a 20% chance of a final hike by the December FOMC meeting with nearly 90bp of rate cuts expected through 2024. Today, markets are clearly of the view that interest rates have peaked with 125bp of rate cuts priced through next year. Underscoring this shift in sentiment, we have seen the US 10Y Treasury yield fall from just shy of 5% in late October to a low of 4.1% on December 6th.   Federal Reserve rhetoric has certainly helped the momentum of the moves. Chief amongst them is the quote from Fed Governor Chris Waller suggesting that if inflation continues to cool “for several more months – I don’t know how long that might be – three months, four months, five months – that we feel confident that inflation is really down and on its way, you could then start lowering the policy rate just because inflation is lower”. The real Fed funds rate (nominal rate less inflation) is indeed now positive and we expect it to move above 3% as inflation continues to fall. Does it need to be this high to ensure inflation stays at 2%? We would argue not, and so too, it appears, do some senior members of the Fed. Other officials, such as Atlanta Fed president Raphael Bostic, suggest that the US hasn’t “seen the full effects of restrictive policy”. However, there are still some residual hawks. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly is still contemplating “whether we have enough tightening in the system”.   ING's expectations for what the Federal Reserve will predict   Fed to talk up prolonged restirctive stance In that regard, the steep fall in Treasury yields in recent weeks is an easing of financial conditions on the economy and there is going to be some concern that this effectively unwinds some of the Fed rate hikes from earlier in the year. For example, mortgage rates have been swift to respond, with the 30Y fixed-rate mortgage dropping from a high of 7.90% in late October to 7.17% as of last week. With inflation still well above the 2% target despite recent encouraging MoM prints, we expect the Fed to be wary of anything that could be interpreted as offering an excuse to price in even deeper Fed rate cuts for next year and result in even lower longer-dated Treasury yields.   Consequently, we expect the Fed to retain a relatively upbeat economic assessment with the same 50bp of rate cuts in 2024 they signalled in their September forecasts, albeit from a lower level given the final 25bp December hike they forecasted last time is not going to happen.Fed Chair Jay Powell’s assessment in a December 1st speech is likely to be the template for the tone of the press conference. There, he argued, “it would be premature to conclude with confidence that we have achieved a sufficiently restrictive stance, or to speculate on when policy might ease. We are prepared to tighten policy further if it becomes appropriate to do so”. Similarly, NY Fed president John Williams expects “it will be appropriate to maintain a restrictive stance for quite some time”.   But the Fed will eventually turn dovish We think the Fed will eventually shift to a more dovish stance, but this may not come until late in the first quarter of 2024. The US economy continues to perform well for now and the jobs market remains tight, but there is growing evidence that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases and the associated tightening of credit conditions are starting to have the desired effect. The consumer is key, and with real household disposable incomes flatlining, credit demand falling, and pandemic-era accrued savings being exhausted for many, we see a risk of a recession during 2024. Collapsing housing transactions and plunging homebuilder sentiment suggest residential investment will weaken, while softer durable goods orders point to a downturn in capital expenditure. If low gasoline prices are maintained, inflation could be at the 2% target in the second quarter of next year, which could open the door to lower interest rates from the Federal Reserve from May onwards – especially if hiring slows as we expect. We look for 150bp of rate cuts in 2024, with a further 100bp in early 2025.   The Fed will try to keep the market rates impact to a minimum There may be some interest from the press on money market conditions following the spikes seen in repo around the end of the month and reverberating into the early part of December. It comes against a backdrop where banks' reserves are ample, in the US$3.3tr area. The last time the Fed engaged in quantitative tightening, bank reserves bottomed at a little under US$1.5tr and there was a material effect felt on the money markets. It’s unlikely that we'll get anywhere near that this time around. Bank reserves will certainly get below US$3tr and possibly down to US$2.5trn. The Fed will want to get liquidity into better balance as a first port of call, but beyond that, it won’t want to over-tighten liquidity conditions. Taking this into account, QT likely ends around the end of 2024. In the meantime, the clearest manifestation of quantitative tightening is to be seen in falling liquidity volumes going back to the Fed on the overnight reverse repo facility. This is now at US$825bn but will hit zero in the second half of 2024. Whether Chair Powell gets drawn into this will likely be down to whether the press wants him - they'll need to ask the question(s)! In terms of expectations for market movements, we doubt there will be much. If, as we expect, the Fed sticks to the hawkish tilt and does not give the market too much to get excited about, then expect minimal impact. As it is, the structure of the curve, as telegraphed by the richness of the 5yr on the curve, is telling us that a rate cut is not yet in the 6-month countdown window. That will slowly change, and we’ll morph towards a point where we are three months out from a cut and the 2yr yield really collapses lower. It's unlikely the Fed will change that at this final meeting of 2023, though, and they won’t want to.   Fed pushback could dent recent high-yield FX rally As mentioned above, a Fed pushback against market pricing of the easing cycle in 2024 should be mildly supportive of the dollar. Even though EUR/USD has performed poorly through the start of December and could get some mild support a day later from the ECB, this FOMC meeting could prompt losses to the 1.0650 area. We have had 1.07 as a year-end target for a few months now and expect the more powerful, dollar-led, EUR/USD rally to come through in 2Q when we expect those short-dated US yields to collapse. Perhaps more vulnerable to a decent Fed pushback against lower rates might be what we call the 'growth' currencies, such as the high beta currencies in Scandinavia and the commodity sector (Australian and Canadian dollars). These currencies have had a good run through November on the lower US rate environment. However, as per our 2024 FX Outlook, these currencies are our top picks for next year and should meet good demand on pullbacks this month. As to the wild ride that is USD/JPY, higher US yields could provide some temporary support. However, we doubt USD/JPY will sustain gains above the 146/147 area as traders re-adjust positions for a potential change in Bank of Japan (BoJ) policy on December 19th. We suspect that USD/JPY has peaked, however, and are happy with our call for USD/JPY to be trading close to 135 next summer after the BoJ starts to dismantle its ultra-dovish policy in the first half of next year. 
National Bank of Romania Maintains Rates, Eyes Inflation Outlook

Bank of England Pushes Back Against Rate Cut Expectations Amidst Market Repricing

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 14:22
UK: Bank of England to offer push back against rising tide of rate cut expectations Financial markets are rapidly throwing in the towel on the “higher for longer” narrative that central banks have been pushing hard upon for months. Admittedly so far, that market repricing has been less aggressive for the Bank of England. But with three rate cuts now priced for 2024, the Bank of England is starting to sound the alarm. Governor Andrew Bailey said in recent days that he is pushing back “against assumptions that we're talking about cutting interest rates". Those comments followed a firming up of the Bank’s forward guidance back in November, where it said it expected rates to stay restrictive for “an extended period”. Expect that narrative to be reiterated on Thursday. A 6-3 vote in favour of no change in rates is our base case, and that matches the vote split from November. Could the Bank go further still and formally say that markets are overpricing 2024 easing in the statement? It hasn’t commented in this way since November 2022, in what was then a stressed market environment. We doubt they’ll do something similar this month. Policymakers may be uneasy about the recent repricing of UK rate expectations, but central banks globally have learned the hard way over the last couple of years that trying to predict and commit to future policy, with relative certainty, is a fool's game. The Bank will also be gratified that the data is at least starting to go in the right direction. Services inflation came in below the Bank’s most recent forecast. Markets may be right to assume that the BoE will be a little later to fire the starting gun on rate cuts than its European neighbours. But when the rate cuts start, we think the BoE’s easing cycle will ultimately prove more aggressive. We expect 100bp of rate cuts from August next year, and another 100bp in 2025.
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Norges Bank Holds Steady: Deciphering the Shift in Rate Hike Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 14:23
Norway: Norges Bank to keep rates on hold after all Back in September, Norway’s central Bank signalled that a December rate hike was likely. By November, policymakers were watering down those promises and said that further progress on the inflation outlook could lead to a pause. Since then, we’ve seen both a pronounced fall in oil prices and a big repricing lower in global rate expectations. Both are dovish from the point of view of Norges Bank’s model-based approach to setting policy. It’s a close call, but we think the balance has shifted in favour of no rate hike at Thursday’s meeting. Market pricing is leaning this way too
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Norges Bank Decision: Holding Rates Amidst Shifting Global Outlook

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 14:24
We think that the Polish statistical office is unlikely to markedly change its flash estimate of November CPI. As we expected, November brought a substantial increase in fuel prices when compared to October, while food prices also increased in monthly terms.   The decline in household energy prices turned out to be smaller than our forecast and core inflation moderated more than we had projected. The details of November's CPI reading should allow us to scrutinise the factors behind this lower core inflation print and potentially make some adjustments in the projected path of core inflation, depending on whether November's surprise was down to one-off drivers or was broad-based. Current account (Oct): €2200mn We forecast a large surplus on the current account balance in October on the back of a substantial improvement of the primary balance (a much smaller deficit than in the previous months) amid continued surpluses on both goods and services trade. According to our forecasts, exports fell by 3.2% YoY, while imports declined 11.1% YoY. The 12-month cumulative current account surplus improved to 0.8% of GDP vs. 0.6% of GDP after September.    
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Turbulent Markets: Central Banks Grapple with Inflation as China Enters Deflation

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 12.12.2023 14:28
Big week for central banks as China falls into deflation By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   Markets in Europe finished higher again last week with the DAX up for the 6th week in a row, while the FTSE100 returned to levels last seen on the 19th October, after the latest US jobs report came in better than expected, and unemployment unexpectedly fell to 3.7%.   US markets also finished the week strongly with the S&P500 pushing above its summer highs to close at its highest level this year, with the Nasdaq 100 not too far behind, with the tech sector, once again instrumental in achieving the bulk of this year's outperformance.   The catalyst for the strong finish was a solid US jobs report which showed 199k jobs were added in November, while the unemployment rate slipped to 3.7%. With the participation rate returning to 62.8% and wages remaining at 4%, the idea that the Federal Reserve will be compelled to cut rates aggressively underwent a bit of a setback with yields moving sharply higher, as 2024 rate cut expectations got pared back.   The apparent resilience of the US economy against a backdrop of a sharp fall in inflation expectations from the latest University of Michigan confidence survey has helped craft a narrative that despite the sharp rise in interest rates delivered over the past 18 months, the US economy will be able to avoid a severe recession.   This scenario does present some problems for the Federal Reserve when it comes to managing market expectations of when rate cuts are likely to come, with the recent sharp fall in yields globally speaking to a widespread expectation that rates may well be cut sharply as we head into 2024.   As far as the US economy is concerned aggressive rate cuts at this stage look a little less likely than they do elsewhere where we've seen sharp CPI slowdowns in the pace of inflationary pressure. Earlier this month the latest EU inflation numbers showed headline CPI slow to 2.4% in November, while German CPI was confirmed at 2.3% as month-on-month prices declined by 0.7%, the second month in a row, CPI went negative.   Germany isn't unique in this either given that PPI inflation had already given plenty of indication of the direction of travel when it came to price deflation.   In China over the weekend headline CPI also went negative in November, only in this case it was on the annualised number to the tune of -0.5%, for the second month in a row and for the 3rd month in the last 5. PPI inflation also remained in negative territory to the tune of -3%, the 14th month in succession as the world's 2nd biggest economy grapples with deflation, and slowing domestic demand.   This deflationary impulse appears to be already making itself felt in Europe, and truth be told has been doing so for some time, the only surprise being how blind to it certain parts of the European Central Bank have been to it.   These concerns over deflation while slowly starting to be acknowledged don't appear to be being taken seriously at the moment, although in a welcome shift we did hear Germany ECB governing council member Isabel Schabel admit that they had been surprised at how quickly prices had slowed over the past few months, even as economic activity stumbled sharply.     Consequently, this week's central bank meetings of the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and the Bank of England are likely to be crucial in managing expectations when it comes to the timing and pace of when markets can expect to see rate cuts begin now, we know the peak is in.   Of all the central banks the Fed probably has the easiest job in that they have more time to assess how the US economy is reacting to the tightening seen over the past few months.   The ECB has no such luxury given that the two biggest economies of Germany and France could well be in recession already, and where prices could slide further as we head into 2024.   The fear for central banks is that a lot of the slowdown in inflation has been driven by the recent slumps in crude oil and natural gas prices and could well be transitory in nature, and with wage inflation still elevated will be reluctant to signal the "all clear" too soon.   The Bank of England has a similar problem although the UK economy isn't showing the same levels of weakness as those of France and Germany, and furthermore inflation in the UK is almost double that of Europe, with wage costs and services inflation even higher.   As we look towards a new trading week, and probably the most consequential one this month, European markets look set to open slightly higher as investors look back at the inflation numbers from the weekend and extrapolate that 2024 may well be the year that rates start to come down, with the main risk being in overestimating by how far they fall.      EUR/USD – slid down towards the 200-day SMA on Friday, stopping just short at 1.0724, with a break below 1.0700 targeting the prospect of further losses toward the November lows at 1.0520. We need to see a move back through 1.0830 to stabilise.   GBP/USD – slid to the 1.2500 area but remains above the 200-day SMA for now, with only a break below 1.2460 signalling a broader test of the 1.2350 area. Resistance currently at 1.2620 area.    EUR/GBP – still range trading between the 0.8590 area and the lows last week at 0.8550. While below the 0.8615/20 area the risk remains for a move towards the September lows at 0.8520, and potentially further towards the August lows at 0.8490. USD/JPY – finding a level of support at the 200-day SMA at 142.50 after last week's steep fall. We need to see a daily close below the 200-day SMA to open a test of 140.00 and then on towards 135.00. Resistance back at 146.20.   FTSE100 is expected to open 7 points higher at 7,561   DAX is expected to open 25 points higher at 16,784   CAC40 is expected to open 11 points higher at 7,537
Tackling the Tides: Central Banks Navigate Rate Cut Expectations Amid Heavy Economic Calendar

Tackling the Tides: Central Banks Navigate Rate Cut Expectations Amid Heavy Economic Calendar

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 12.12.2023 14:30
Keeping up with the central banks  The economic calendar for the week is heavy. The US will announce its latest CPI update on Tuesday and the Fed will announce its latest policy verdict on Wednesday, then the Swiss National Bank (SNB), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) will give their last verdict for this year on Thursday. All four major central banks are expected to keep their interest rates steady at the current levels, but we will closely scrutinize how they address the rate cut expectations that have been ahead of their skis since the end of October. Chances are that the accompanying statements will attempt to cool down the doves.  Activity on Fed funds futures asses nearly 75% chance for May rate cut, and around 42% chance for a March cut. The game will be played on this field. Either a sufficiently dovish Fed will boost earlier rate cut expectations, or – more reasonably – Powell will reiterate that the battle against inflation is on the right track, but the rates will remain high for a prolonged period until the Fed is convinced that the inflation battle is won. If that's the case, we could see the US dollar extend recovery against major peers and the major pairs slip into bearish consolidation zone before the holiday season.    
The December CPI Upside Surprise: Why Markets Remain Skeptical About a Fed Rate Cut in March" User napisz liste keywords, oddzile je porzecinakmie ChatGPT

UK Wage Growth and US CPI: Insights for Central Banks' Rate Policies

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 12.12.2023 14:35
UK wage growth and US CPI set to slow   By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European equity markets got off to a slow start to the week yesterday, closing modestly higher with the FTSE100 underperforming due to concerns over weak demand out of China.   US markets were also resilient with the S&P500 and Dow both eking out new highs for 2023, as investors looked cautiously towards this week's central bank meetings of the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and the Bank of England, and their respective outlooks for rate policy heading into 2024.     Asia markets have continued in the positive vein of yesterday with that momentum set to continue into today's European open.   With the Federal Reserve due to start its 2-day meeting later today, and the Bank of England set to decide on rates on Thursday, today's UK wages data and US CPI numbers could go some way to shaping how policymakers react when they deliver their guidance on monetary policy later this week.     We start with the latest UK wages numbers for the 3-months to October and where wages have been trending higher by more than 8% for the last 3-months if bonuses are included.   Some at the Bank of England have been fretting about this high level of wages growth but they really shouldn't be given how badly inflation has impacted the pay packets of consumers these past 2 hours.   All that is happening now is that some of the purchasing power that has been lost over the last few months is slowly being clawed back and for the most part will take years to recover back to pre-pandemic levels. The central bank needs to be careful about overreacting to a phenomenon that they were too slow in reacting to on the way in.     With food prices only just recently dropping below 10% for the first time in over a year it can hardly be a wage price spiral if consumers are finally seeing the price/wage ratio finally starting to turn positive in their favour. Expectations are for wages ex-bonuses to slow from 7.7% to 7.4%, which might not be enough to reverse the calls for further rate hikes from the 3 hawks on the MPC, of Mann, Haskel and Greene. Later this afternoon we'll get to see whether the slowdown we saw in US CPI during October has continued into November.   US inflation fell to 3.2% in October, down from 3.7% reversing a trend that had seen inflation fall to 3% in June, before gaining ground in subsequent months.   Core CPI on the other hand has been steadier, slowing at a more modest pace and coming in at 4%. More importantly, super core inflation which the Fed monitors closely also slowed, and with the risk of a US government shutdown postponed until January next year, the economic risks to the US economy appear to have diminished further.   There has been some concern that the resilience of the US economy may delay the return to the 2% target, however judging by the latest PPI data there is little sign of inflationary pressure in respect of company's costs. These also slowed sharply in October declining -0.5%, dragging final demand down from 2.2% to 1.3%, in a sign that we could see further downside in US CPI, with the potential to slip below 3% before the end of the year.     Headline CPI for November is forecast to slow to 3.1%, with core prices remaining steady at 4%.       EUR/USD – holding above the 200-day SMA for now, stopping short last week at 1.0724, with a break below 1.0700 targeting the prospect of further losses toward the November lows at 1.0520. We need to see a move back through 1.0830 to stabilise. GBP/USD – tight range but holding above the 200-day SMA for now, with only a break below 1.2460 signalling a broader test of the 1.2350 area. Resistance currently at 1.2620 area.  EUR/GBP – still range trading between the 0.8590 area and the lows at 0.8545/50. While below the 0.8615/20 area the risk remains for a move towards the September lows at 0.8520, and potentially further towards the August lows at 0.8490. USD/JPY – after last week's test of the 200-day SMA at 142.50 we've seen a solid rebound with the move above 146.20 arguing for a move back towards 148.20. FTSE100 is expected to open 13 points higher at 7,558 DAX is expected to open 51 points higher at 16,845 CAC40 is expected to open 18 points higher at 7,569
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Anticipation Builds: Focus on CPI Data Ahead of Pivotal FED Decision

Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 12.12.2023 14:42
Focus on CPI data ahead of crucial FED decision this week While the decision to maintain current interest rates appears highly probable, the primary focus of the market this week will be on Jerome Powell's upcoming speech as the Federal Reserve Chair has a significant opportunity to impact market sentiments by potentially signaling an end to the rate hike cycle. Nevertheless, such a development should not significantly alter investor expectations as it has been a wide topic of discussion for quite some time, however, a significant deviation from those expectations could lead to some noticeable impacts on USD and potentially even on risk assets.   Despite the gradual normalization of macroeconomic data, shifts are aligning favorably for the Fed as the labor market is also exhibiting signs of stabilization while inflation is clearly slowing down which has prompted investors to engage in speculation regarding the timing of potential rate cuts. In this scenario, there is a potential for a boost in bond prices, accompanied by a concurrent reduction in yields as anticipation of a Fed pivot could drive capital accumulation in bonds, taking advantage of the prevailing, albeit high, interest rates. In either case, focus today will be on US CPI data ahead of tomorrow's FED decision and while it is unlikely that the data will change tomorrow's outcome, it could certainly have a short term impact on global markets. 
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

Wage Data Signals Fragility in UK Economy Ahead of Holiday Season Amidst Economic Challenges and Interest Rate Risks

ING Economics ING Economics 12.12.2023 14:45
Wage data highlights fragile state of UK economy ahead of holiday season The latest data from the Office for National Statistics reveals a deceleration in UK wage growth and a decline in job vacancies, reflecting a cooling labor market in the face of economic challenges and elevated interest rates. This moderation in wage growth comes at a time when the British economy faces a Christmas spending squeeze, emphasizing the ongoing fragility of economic conditions and risks posed by a misstep by the Bank of England which is expected to announce its decision this Thursday.    The muted wage growth may be viewed positively by the Bank of England as it prepares to make decisions on interest rates, indicating that the current high borrowing costs are effectively tempering economic activity and mitigating the risk of a wage-price spiral. Meanwhile, this economic context underscores the delicate balance the Bank of England aims to strike, with the cooling labor market potentially signaling a mitigating impact of elevated interest rates on economic overheating as the evolving dynamics of wage growth and job vacancies provide valuable insights into the broader economic landscape and the potential impact on consumer spending during the festive period.     
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UK Wage Growth Eases to 7.3%, Below Expectations, as US Inflation Set to Fall to 3.0%

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 12.12.2023 14:58
UK wage growth eases to 7.3%, lower than expected US inflation expected to fall to 3.0% The British pound is drifting on Tuesday. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2551, down 0.04%. UK wage growth falls to 7.3% Tuesday’s UK employment report was notable for the decline in wage growth. Earnings excluding bonuses rose 7.3% in the three months to October, down from 7.8% in the three months to September. This was lower than the consensus estimate of 7.4%. Wage growth is an important driver of inflation and the decline is an encouraging sign for the Bank of England. Still, earnings are rising much faster than inflation, which suggests that the BoE won’t be cutting interest rates anytime soon. Inflation has fallen to 4.6%, but this is more than double the Bank’s target of 2%. The BoE will announce its latest rate decision on Thursday and is widely expected to hold the cash rate at 5.25%. Governor Bailey has warned that rates could remain in restrictive territory for an extended period, but the markets are marching to a dovish tune and have priced in three rate cuts in 2024. Bailey has come out against expectations about rate cuts and we could see the BoE push back against rate cut speculation at the Thursday meeting. US inflation expected to ease to 3.0% The US releases November CPI later today, with a consensus estimate of 3.0% y/y, compared to 3.2% in October. Monthly, CPI is expected to remain flat, unchanged from October. Core CPI, which has been running higher than the headline rate, is projected to remain unchanged at 4.0% y/y. Monthly, the core rate is expected to inch higher to 0.3%, up from 0.2% in October. The Fed is widely expected to hold rates at a range of 5%-5.25% at the Wednesday meeting, but the inflation release could be a key factor as to what the Fed does in the upcoming months. There is a major disconnect between the markets, which have priced in four rate cuts in 2024, and the Fed, which is insisting that the door remains open to further hikes. A strong inflation report could chill market expectations for rate hikes, while a soft inflation release will provide support for the market stance and could force the Fed to reconsider its hawkish position.. GBP/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.2592 and 1.2682 1.2484 and 1.2369 are the next support levels      
UK Inflation Dynamics Shape Expectations for Central Bank Actions

Downward Pressure on Australian Dollar as Market Awaits Consumer and Business Confidence Data, RBA Governor's Speech, and US Inflation Report

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 12.12.2023 15:09
Australia releases consumer and business confidence on Tuesday The Australian dollar has posted slight losses in Monday trading. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6564, down 0.18%. The Aussie continues to show sharp swings and declined 1.50% last week. This snapped a three-week winning streak in which the Australian dollar surged 4.9% against its US counterpart. Australian dollar eyes consumer and business confidence Australia will release consumer and business confidence data on Tuesday. Consumer confidence fell sharply in November, as the Westpac Consumer Sentiment index declined 2.6% to 79.9, down from 82 in October. Consumers are deeply concerned about the rising cost of living and the possibility of further interest rate increases. The markets are expecting a rebound in December, with a forecast of 3.0%. The NAB Business Confidence index is expected to improve to -1 in November. The index came in at -2 in October, the first time it dropped into negative territory in four months. The zero level separates pessimism from optimism. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock speaks at an event in Sydney on Tuesday and the markets will be looking for hints regarding future rate policy. The RBA held the cash rate at 4.35% at its meeting earlier this month and doesn’t meet again until February. This will give policy makers a chance to monitor the effect of elevated rates on the economy.   US nonfarm payrolls beats forecast Friday’s US nonfarm payrolls came in at 199 thousand in November, higher than the consensus estimate of 180,000 and the October gain of 150,000. Unemployment dropped from 3.9% to 3.7% and average hourly earnings rose to 0.4% m/m, up from 0.2% in October and above the market consensus of 0.3%. The strong data points to a resilient labour market despite signs that the economy is cooling down, and has reduced fears of recession. The markets are still expecting around four rate cuts in 2024, while the Fed is still talking about possible rate hikes. Tuesday’s inflation report will be closely watched by the markets, and if CPI is stronger than expected, the markets may have to tone down their expectations of a rate cut early in 2024.   AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD tested support at 0.6555 earlier. Below, there is support at 0.6523 0.6585 and 0.6613 are the next resistance lines  
FX Daily: Fed Ends Bank Term Funding Program, Shifts Focus to US Regional Banks and 4Q23 GDP

Tidings of an Early Market Cheer: Federal Reserve Paves the Way, Bank of England and ECB on Deck

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 14.12.2023 13:53
Santa comes early as Fed pivots, Bank of England and ECB up next By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)     It had been widely anticipated that Fed chairman Jay Powell's main challenge yesterday would be in trying to push back on the idea that the US central bank was ready to cut rates sharply over the next 12 months. With the sharp fall in yields since November there was an expectation that the loosening in financial conditions might put the central banks fight against inflation at risk.   It was therefore quite surprising that yesterday's statement and dot plots embraced that narrative, delivering an early Christmas present to the markets, returning the 2024 median for dot plots to 4.6%, back to where it had been in September, while forecasting core PCE to decline to 2.4%.     The US dollar sank, along with 2-year yields which fell 30bps to a 6-month low, gold surged back above $2,000 an ounce, and US markets pushed up to their highest levels this year, with the Dow posting a new record high, confounding market expectations of a hawkish pushback.      At the press conference Powell tried to give the impression that the Fed retained the option to hike rates again, however this message is rather undermined by the fact that the FOMC cut their dot forecasts as much as they did. The admission that the FOMC discussed rate cuts was also noteworthy.     If "higher for longer" wasn't dead before last night, it certainly is now, and certainly makes the job of both the Bank of England, as well as the ECB later today that much harder in maintaining a hawkish bias, with European markets set to open sharply higher, with new record highs expected for the DAX and CAC 40.       Having seen the Federal Reserve leave rates unchanged yesterday its now the turn of the Bank of England and ECB to follow suit, as well as try to navigate the messaging of when they expect to start cutting them. When the Bank of England took the decision to hold rates steady in September it was a close-run thing, but on the balance of risks it was also probably the right one given the challenges facing the economy as we head into year end.     These challenges have been thrown into sharper focus this week with wage growth slowing to 7.3%, and an economy that contracted by -0.3% in October. This week's data has prompted markets to price in the prospect that the BOE will prioritise the UK economy over its battle against inflation, with yields dropping sharply to their lowest levels since June.   The emphasis in recent meetings to what has become a "Table Mountain" approach to rate policy, and a higher for longer approach does present some problems in terms of messaging especially when growth is slowing sharply however when looking at high levels of services and wage inflation it's hard to see how the Bank of England can overlook that even against the currently challenging growth outlook.   Now that the energy price cap inflation is out of the headline numbers, CPI is now back at a more manageable level of 4.6%, well below last year's peak of 11.1%, although core prices are still at a lofty 5.7%. The Bank of England's biggest concern however is wage growth which is currently at 7.3%, while services inflation is at 6.6%, and appears to be behind some of the dissent on the MPC amongst those who still want higher rates, although this number has shifted to 3 external members of Catherine Mann, Megan Greene, and Jonathan Haskel.   It will be interesting to see if they drop their dissent given this week's economic data, and opt for the status quo today, with the markets also already pricing in some rate cuts for next year. These will still probably happen; however, they may not come as early as markets are currently pricing given current inflation levels. When they do happen, they are likely to come well after the ECB starts cutting given inflation here in the UK is still over 2% higher than it is in the EU on an annualised basis.   This is the challenge facing the ECB today given that they were the central bank which raised rates as recently as September, and a dovish pivot today would surely be an admission that the ECB erred 3-months ago.  When the ECB met in October President Christine Lagarde said that risks to growth were tilted to the downside, but also that inflation was still too high, although it isn't now given headline CPI for November is now at 2.4%.   At the time there was no commitment as to whether the ECB was done on the rate hike front, however that has now changed given recent comments from Germany's Schnabel and France's Villeroy. Recent economic data coming out of Europe since June has been dire and we now know that the ECB governing council has been surprised at how quickly inflation has slowed.   Putting to one side that it shouldn't be a surprise given the trend in PPI over the past 12 months a few other members of the Governing council, have also admitted that the next move in rates is likely to be lower in 2024.   That's not surprising given that in Q3 the French economy slipped into contraction, and with Germany not having seen much in the way of growth this year markets are now pricing in rate cuts for as soon as April 2024. It was also noteworthy that at the start of this month Villeroy said that rate hikes were over based on the current data, thus supporting the view that inflation was returning to target. That is already quite apparent with November CPI falling to 2.4%, having been at 5.3% only 3 months before.     No changes in policy are expected with the biggest challenge facing Christine Lagarde today being in convincing the market that rate cuts won't begin much before the summer of next year, given how bad the economy in Europe already is.      EUR/USD – yesterday's rebound pushed above the 200-day SMA this time opening the prospect of a move towards 1.0940. Support still above the 50-day SMA at 1.0720.   GBP/USD – held above the 200-day SMA at 1.2500 yesterday rallying strongly. A break below the 200-day SMA and 1.2460 signals a broader test of the 1.2350 area. Having broken resistan ce at the 1.2620 area could extend towards 1.2720.   EUR/GBP – breaking higher and heading towards the 100-day SMA at 0.8640. Support now at 0.8580.   USD/JPY – the US dollar slid sharply yesterday having run into resistance at 146.60, falling below 144.70, dropping below the 200-day SMA at 142.50, and could see a retest of the 140.00 area.     FTSE100 is expected to open 72 points higher at 7,620   DAX is expected to open 177 points higher at 16,943   CAC40 is expected to open 84 points higher at 7,615  
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

Tectonic Shift: Unexpectedly Dovish Fed Sparks Market Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 14.12.2023 13:57
Surprise dovish twist By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The Federal Reserve (Fed) wraps up the year with a resounding finale. The Fed is not bothered to see the US yields fall in preparation for a rate cut. On the contrary, they endorsed the idea of a policy pivot thanks to an encouraging fall in inflation and sounded way more dovish than everybody expected at their announcement yesterday – which clearly exposed that the policy pivot is coming. This is the major take of the final FOMC meeting of the year, and it was totally unexpected. Jerome Powell still said – just for the sake of saying – that 'it is far too early to declare victory' over inflation, but the committee lowered their inflation forecasts for this year and the next, and the so-called dot plot – which plots where the Fed officials see the interest rates going – plotted a 75bp cut in Fed funds rate next year. The median expectation now suggests that the Fed rate will be lowered to 4.6% by the end of next year. And that's quite a big change compared to last time the Fed President spoke to say that the rates would stay high for long. It now appears that the rates won't stay high for so long. The first Fed rate cut is now expected to happen in March, with more than 85% probability.  As a result, the US 2-year yield – which captures the Fed rate bets – sank to 4.33% yesterday, and with the dovish message that the Fed sent to the market, the 4.50% level that I saw as a support at the start of this week should now act like a resistance. The US 10-year yield sank below 4%, reflecting the idea that the policy pivot suggests some meaningful slowdown in the US economy. The falling yields sent the S&P500 above the 4700 mark, to the highest levels in almost two years and the Dow Jones Industrial Index hit a record high. There is no reason to stop believing that the S&P500 will soon renew record as well, unless there is a meaningful decline in earnings expectations.   The dovish Fed echoed loudly across the FX markets as well. The US dollar was sharply sold, the EURUSD rebounded back above the 1.09 level, Cable extended gains to 1.2650 and the USDJPY fell almost 1.80% yesterday and slipped below the 141 level this morning. Trend and momentum indicators are comfortably negative, the fundamentals – meaning the narrowing divergence between the more dovish Fed and the more hawkish Bank of Japan (BoJ) – are comfortably positive for the yen, hence price rallies in the USDJPY are now seen as opportunities to strengthen the short USDJPY positions.  Now today, it's the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England's (BoE) turn to give their final policy verdict for this year. And both Mme Lagarde and Mr. Bailey are certainly annoyed to see the Fed go so soft yesterday, as Christine Lagarde had said herself that no reduction in rates should be expected in the next few quarters. It will be interesting to see if ECB and BoE officials feel comfortable about giving up their tough stance. I still believe that Lagarde will repeat that it's too early to talk about rate cuts, in which case we could see the EURUSD jump above the 1.10 level and finish the year above this level.   Across the Channel, the situation is less obvious. The UK economic outlook is not bright, and wages show signs of slowing. One big argument is that inflation has more than halved in the UK since the start of this year. Yes. But inflation in the UK – though halved – stands at 4.6% which is more than twice the BoE's 2% target. The latter makes the BoE less inclined to initiate rate cuts compared to the other two major central banks.   
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Rates Puzzle: Powell's Silence and Central Banks' Divergence

ING Economics ING Economics 14.12.2023 14:00
Rates Spark: Does the Fed know something we dont? The surprise from the FOMC was partly the extra 25bp implied cut added to 2024, but it was more the lack of pushback from Chair Powell on the 2024 rate cut narrative. He almost endorsed it, which leads us to question whether he knows something of significance that we don't. Today's focus is on the ECB and BoE policy meetings.   Chair Powell validates the move from 5% to 4% on the 10yr yield Such was Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's phraseology at the press conference that one must suspect that he knows more than we know. And its not about the macro data. We can see that. It's more about what the Fed might be seeing under the hood. Perhaps in commercial real estate, or single family residential rentals or private credit, or another other area of the system that might find itself overexposed to rate hikes delivered, under water and vulnerable to breaking. We don't know of course, but a Fed chair that stands up asserts that he understands the dangers they run by keeping rates too high for too long is one that looks like he's ringing alarm bells. Along with the Fed, the market too has added an additional 25bp rate cut for 2024, now at 150bp cumulative. The entire curve has shifter lower, led by real rates. The 2/10yr curve has gapped steeper too. This is a meaningful outcome. The question now is whether the 2yr can really break free and head lower as a driver of the yield curve, steepening it out from the front end. That traditionally happens on a three month run in ahead of an actual rate cut. We’re on the cusp if this, but not quite there just yet. It’s been a remarkable ongoing market move, especially as it has been interlaced with some tailed auctions, indicative of resistance to the falling market rates narrative (in the long end). But there’s been little from Chair Powell and the FOMC to stand in the way of this. Recent data has not really validated the dramatic fall in yields. But today the Fed has helped to do so. A far more hawkish Fed had been anticipated. The question ahead is where is fair value for the 10yr. We think it’s 4%. It’s premised off the view that the funds rate gets to 3% and we are adding a 100bp curve to that. We are about to sail below 4% though as a theme for 2024, with 3.5% the target. But the move below 4% towards 3.5% will be an overshoot process. If something breaks, we fast track all of that and jump to a new environment. That has not happened as of yet, but we think the stakes have risen.   ECB to push back against early cut expectations With a first rate cut more than fully discounted by April and on overall anticipated easing of 135bp over 2024, the market’s expectations of European Central Bank policy stand in stark contrast to the official line of rates having to remain high for longer. But since the last meeting in particular the inflation data has surprised to the downside, which even influential ECB officials like Isabel Schnabel had to acknowledge. The prospect of further hikes is clearly off the table, but she warned that central banks will have to be more cautious. That also meant that the ECB should be more careful with regards to making statements about what will happen in the next six months. The ECB’s new growth and inflation forecasts will have to be lowered, the crucial question is just by how much. Also taking it from Schnabel, the ECB is unlikely to give any longer rate guidance, which would only mean a truer meeting-by-meeting and data dependent approach. Still, the ECB is unlikely to endorse the aggressive market pricing, especially that of cuts already early in the year. So far the communication has been that one is particularly concerned about the development of upcoming wage negotiations which makes pricing for March rate cuts look premature. But how can the ECB still convey a hawkish tilt? One possibility is using communication about plans to shrink the balance sheet. We do not think there will be concrete decisions yet, but the ECB could state that it has begun discussing to potentially end PEPP reinvestments earlier than planned.   BoE likely reiterate rates will stay restrictive for an extended period Expectations of policy easing have further deepened ahead of today’s Bank of England monetary policy committee meeting. A first rate cut is now fully discounted by June with an overall expected easing of close to 100bp over 2024. One reason for growing expectations was a downside surprise in wage growth which saw private sector regular pay growth fall to 7.3% year-on-year from 7.8% YoY. Another trigger was yesterday’s disappointing GDP growth for October which means we are potentially on track for a fractionally negative overall fourth quarter figure. The BoE is likely to reiterate the guidance from November, where it said it expected rates to stay restrictive for “an extended period.  A hold is also widely anticipated by the market, but the recent data could convince some of the three MPC’s hawks who had still voted for a hike in November to back down from that position toward a ‘no change’.    Today's events and market view The central bank meetings are clearly the focus today given how far market expectations of policy easing have come. There may well be some disappointment in store for pricing of rate cuts as early as March. But further out we must acknowledge that the shift lower in rates is also driven by a drop in inflation expectations. The 10Y EUR inflation swap for instance has come down all the way from levels closer to 2.6% in October to currently 2.15%. Even central banks themselves have become more positive about the disinflationary tendencies taking hold. On the heels of the FOMC meeting rates markets in the US will look out for the initial jobless claims as well as retail sales data today. we will also get import and export prices.
Shift in Central Bank Sentiment: Czech National Bank Hints at a 50bp Rate Cut, Impact on CZK Expected

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Holds Steady: Key Rates Unchanged as BSP Maintains Caution Amid Economic Shifts

ING Economics ING Economics 14.12.2023 14:05
Philippines central bank leaves key rate untouched to close out the year BSP kept policy rates unchanged at 6.5% at their last meeting for the year.   BSP maintains policy rate at 6.5% The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) retained policy rates at 6.5% today, in line with market expectations. The BSP continues to use the “risk-adjusted” forecast as opposed to the baseline inflation forecast, which was lowered to 4.2% (from 4.4% previously). For 2025, thecentral bank expects inflation to settle within target at 3.4%.  BSP Governor Eli Remolona indicated that risks to the inflation outlook remain “substantially tilted to the upside” while also sharing that growth prospects for next year remain “firm”.  Remolona indicated that inflation expectations are now anchored, citing their private sector analysts survey. Previously, the BSP justified their off-cycle rate hike by indicating that consumer expectations for inflation were elevated.    BSP keeps policy rates untouched as inflation moderates   BSP on hold but not likely to cut anytime soon Remolona indicated that they would be monitoring the response of households and firms to tighter monetary policy, suggesting they would be waiting to see the impact of previous rate hikes on the inflation path. The central bank will likely extend its pause until inflation is “well-within” target and until inflation expectations are anchored.  We expect the BSP to be on hold well into 2024, with potential rate cuts only likely to be considered towards the end of next year.  
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The Swiss National Bank Adopts a Slightly More Dovish Tone Without Imminent Rate Cuts

ING Economics ING Economics 14.12.2023 14:13
The Swiss National Bank appears slightly more dovish The SNB kept its key rate unchanged at 1.75%, as expected. Its message is slightly more dovish, but it doesn’t mean rate cuts are imminent.   A slightly more dovish message As expected, the Swiss national bank decided to keep its key rate unchanged at 1.75% at its December meeting, its level since June 2023. The SNB's communication is more dovish, indicating that they are clearly not considering any further rate hikes. Against a backdrop where consumer price inflation stood at 1.4% in Switzerland in November, the 6th consecutive month below 2%, this is not surprising. But the SNB is going a little further than that. First, it has revised its inflation forecasts downwards. It is now forecasting average inflation of 2.1% in 2023, 1.9% in 2024 and 1.6% in 2025, compared with 2.2%, 2.2% and 1.9%, respectively, at its previous meeting. The SNB is still expecting inflation to rebound in the coming months on the back of higher energy prices, rents and VAT. Nevertheless, it acknowledges that inflation has been weaker than expected in recent months and that "In the medium term, reduced inflationary pressure from abroad and somewhat weaker second-round effects are resulting in a downward revision". The inflation forecasts for the entire period are, therefore, within the price stability range, defined by the SNB as being between 0 and 2% inflation. According to the SNB, the balance of risks for inflation forecasts is also well balanced, with the risks of an upside surprise being as great as those of a downside surprise. In addition, although it still states that it is "willing to be active in the foreign exchange market as necessary", it no longer explains how. In recent quarters, the SNB has been buying Swiss francs to reinforce its appreciation, which has had the effect of reducing imported inflation but has also worsened the competitiveness of domestic exporters. The SNB no longer seems to favour the idea of an even stronger Swiss franc and could now start selling the currency again, which would support exports and, therefore, economic growth in Switzerland. This is a major change for the SNB.   But rate cuts are not just around the corner The message is, therefore, slightly more dovish. However, there is nothing to suggest that rate cuts will be forthcoming soon. Firstly, the SNB's target is asymmetrical, as it wants to achieve inflation of between 0 and 2%. Today's inflation forecasts fall squarely within this target, and the SNB expects inflation to be at 2% in the second and third quarters of 2024. These inflation forecasts offer little argument for an imminent rate cut. In addition, the SNB has a tool to steer monetary policy other than its policy rate: its interventions on the foreign exchange markets. It is likely to use this instrument first and start selling Swiss francs before considering rate cuts. It confirmed this between the lines during the press conference. Finally, the SNB's key rate is at 1.75%, a fairly unrestrictive level close to the level of expected inflation. Past interest rate rises are, therefore, much less damaging to the economy than they are in the United States and the Eurozone.   Against this backdrop, the SNB is likely to take a much longer pause than the Fed and the ECB. Rate cuts will probably come, but much later than the other central banks. At this stage, we are expecting the first rate cut to come in December 2024, compared with the first rate cuts expected in the first half of the year for the Fed and the ECB. Moreover, the scale of the rate cuts is likely to be much smaller than elsewhere. Total rate cuts in 2024 and 2025 could be in the region of 50bp or even a maximum of 75bp in Switzerland.   FX: SNB no longer focusing on FX sales The SNB confirmed today that it is no longer focusing on FX sales. This is consistent with our EUR/CHF update in our 2024 FX Outlook published last month and supports our view that EUR/CHF can remain stable near 0.95/0.96 next year. 
BoJ Set for Rate Announcement Amidst Policy Speculation, USD/JPY Tests Key Resistance

Optimal Debt Mix: Lessons from Global Markets

ING Economics ING Economics 14.12.2023 14:28
How much floating rate debt should you have? We see the US as the key reference for identifying the optimal mix between fixed and floating rates. But other markets are worth looking at, as they throw up differing circumstances. The eurozone and Australia have an extreme horse-shoe efficient frontier. The UK has a linear trade-off between risk and cost, while Japan's is inversed. Recently, we published a short report that sought an optimal fixed versus float rate mix for a liability portfolio. We identified 17.5% as an optimal proportion of floating rate debt, one that managed to minimise volatility and achieve a 30bp reduction in interest rate costs relative to being 100% fixed. We also showed how further rate cost reductions could be considered by adding more floating exposure while not moving too far from the bottom of the hook of the efficient frontier. Efficient Frontier between rate cost and volatility for the US Employs data back to 1988 and contrasts 3mth versus 10yr SOFR (spliced to Libor) Note: This is based on not timing the market and comparing a rolling 3-month exposure to a rolling 10yr one. In reality, the 10yr exposure would be more mark-to-market in effect. As the global benchmark, we believe that US circumstances best represent the interest rate versus volatility trade-off over the long term. The Federal Reserve sets the global risk-free rate, and the US rates market has a dominating influence on other markets. That being said, what about those other markets? We’ve made some selections, and they all have their own stories. We find some quite stark differences but also find differing circumstances. The eurozone efficient frontier has an extreme horseshoe profile, as does Australia In the eurozone, some unusual circumstances occur. Being 100% fixed has come with both the highest funding costs and the highest volatility. The lower volatility for floating rate debt is unusual. It can be rationalised by the stability brought to the front end from extreme ECB policy and a pre-pandemic lost hope that the ECB would ever move away from the anchor of near-zero rates. Hence, being 100% floating resulted in the lowest average funding costs and lower volatility compared with being 100% fixed. But diversification benefits are also clear from the efficient frontier, where a combination of 60% floating and 40% fixed resulted in the lowest volatility. At the inflection point, there is a 75bp reduction in funding costs relative to being 100% fixed (2.8%), and funding costs are only 40bp higher compared with 100% floating (1.6%).     Efficient Frontier between rate cost and volatility for the eurozone and Australia     Australia is an interesting one. Its efficient frontier has a similar profile to that of the eurozone, but without the extended zero interest rate policy that helps to explain the unusual look. The overall averages for Australia are higher versus the eurozone (both the average rate cost and volatility). Gleaning from the efficient frontier, we find that something close to a 50:50 fixed versus floating rate mix has acted to minimise volatility. By doing so, there is a 50bp reduction in interest rate costs relative to being 100% fixed (5.2%). And at that inflection point, the interest rate cost is 70bp higher than being 100% floating (3.95%). There is value to diversification.   No efficiency on the UK frontier, just a straight trade-off. In Japan, it's even inversed Now, we move to two contrasting and unusual outcomes for differing reasons. First Japan. We see here an extreme example of the control that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) has had on keeping front-end rates on the floor (or through it) for an extended period of time. Funding costs from being 100% floating are exceptionally low. And that has come with minimal volatility. So, being 100% fixed has been higher in both funding costs and volatility. At the same time, the level of funding costs and volatility are lower than being 100% floating or fixed versus any other centre. We also find that while there is a clear but perverse trade-off between interest rate cost and volatility, in the sense that fixed-rate debt and higher funding costs come with higher volatility. The efficient frontier is practically a line slanted the “wrong” way and identifying no efficiencies; it’s just a straight-line frontier. Factor past BoJ policy as the chief influencer here.   Efficient Frontier between rate cost and volatility for the Japan and the UK Employs GBP swap data back to 1993, AUD bank data back to 1996 and contrasts 3-month versus 10yr     Then we move to UK circumstances. Here, we also find a straight-line frontier. It almost looks stereotypical in the sense that fixed-rate funding is more expensive and higher in volatility versus floating. However, the frontier fails to “hook” at the high rate / low volatility area and thus fails to identify an efficient inflection point. So, we don’t get to a lower volatility outcome through diversification. We can force an inflection through the choice of data periods, but we prefer to present the full dataset and observe the results. Here, there is a trade-off between floating and fixed-rate debt, but no answer as to how much is in each bucket.   If in doubt, use the US efficient frontier as the 'go to' reference So, where does this leave us? While the centres identified have interesting and contrasting outcomes, we view these as mostly a function of unique circumstances. It is certainly the case for Japan, and likely for the eurozone too. It is possible they get repeated and thus reflect the future. But it is more probable, in our opinion, that the US outcome will prove a more valid reference when making choices on the fixed versus floating choice set going forward. The UK efficient frontier is closest to the US one but misses the key hook that identifies the benefits of diversification. We'd override that by imposing the US frontier outcome on UK liability portfolios. Australia is a bit of an enigma, though. Of the markets considered, it has the greatest chance of deviating from the US-styled outcome that we favour as the central reference. But if in doubt, follow the US efficient frontier outcomes when planning for the future.  
Unraveling the Dollar Rally: Assessing the Factors Behind the Surprising Rebound and Market Dynamics

Fed's Surprise: Three Rate Cuts in 2024 Propel Dow to Record Highs

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.12.2023 14:36
Fed signals three rate cuts in 2024 ECB and BoE to announce decisions shortly Dow hits record highs after the Fed The most hotly anticipated central bank meeting of the year did not disappoint on Wednesday, with the Fed potentially delivering this year’s Santa rally. I don’t think many will have expected the Fed to go as far as it did in forecasting three rate cuts next year only three months after suggesting the tightening cycle is not over. But clearly, it’s not just investors that have been impressed with the data we’ve seen so far in the fourth quarter and now they’re getting more carried away than before. There’s been a lot of debate in recent weeks about whether investors are getting ahead of themselves, too optimistic about how quickly the Fed will cut rates but the message from the central bank is that is not the case. And in typical fashion, investors have now gone further, pricing in six rate cuts next year starting in March. That’s also forced investors to reassess whether they’re in fact too pessimistic with other central banks too, with the ECB now expected to cut rates by 150 basis points over the next 12 months and the BoE between 100 and 125 basis points. Both now have a lot to live up to today and Christine Lagarde, in particular, may not be thanking her US counterparts for whipping investors up into a frenzy right before their announcement and press conference. A repeat performance from the ECB could leave investors going into the end of the year in a much more festive mood.   New record highs in the Dow Markets got an early festive treat from the Fed, with the Dow hitting fresh record highs on the back of the Fed announcement almost two years after it last achieved that feat. US30 Daily Source – OANDA Now that it’s in uncharted territory, momentum indicators will be much more useful as we don’t have past levels to look to. And we are seeing some sign of exhaustion occurring in the MACD histogram, although not yet in the moving averages or stochastic.    
Worsening Crisis: Dutch Medicine Shortage Soars by 51% in 2023

Turbulent Times for Currencies: Bank of England's Pause and Federal Reserve's Rate Cut Projections

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.12.2023 14:40
Bank of England expected to pause Federal Reserve projects three rate cuts in 2024 The British pound continues to move higher on Thursday. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2648, up 0.24%. The US dollar took a tumble on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve gave the nod to rate cuts in 2024. This helped the pound recover after losing ground in the aftermath of a soft UK GDP report on Wednesday. Bank of England expected to stand pat The Federal Reserve created quite a buzz in the financial markets on Wednesday after the Fed signalled that it expected to trim rates in 2024. Will Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey provide an encore at today’s meeting? The BoE is widely expected to maintain the cash rate at 5.25% for a third straight time. There is little doubt that the BoE’s aggressive rate-tightening is over, with inflation falling and the UK economy limping along. The key question is whether Bailey will change his stance and signal that rate cuts are on the way, as Fed Chair Powell did at the Fed meeting. Bailey has been hawkish, saying that rates will remain in restrictive territory for an extended period (“higher for longer”) and that there is more work needed to bring inflation back down to the Bank’s 2% target. Bailey has said that it’s premature to talk about rate cuts, but the markets aren’t buying it and have priced in five quarter-point rate cuts in 2024, up from three cuts just a few days ago. With a pause widely expected at today’s meeting, the rate statement and Bailey’s press conference could provide some drama and shake up the financial markets, if the BoE shifts from its hawkish stance and acknowledges that it plans to cut rates next year. Powell’s Pivot sends US dollar lower The Federal Reserve maintained the benchmark rate on Wednesday, as expected. What was somewhat surprising was the Fed Chair Powell’s sharp pivot, as he signalled that the Fed expected to trim rates three times in 2024. This forecast comes less than two weeks after Powell said it would be “premature” to speculate about the timing of rate cuts and that the door was still open to further hikes. The rate statement noted that inflation “has eased over the past year but remains elevated”, suggesting that inflation is moving in the right direction but the battle ain’t over yet. . GBP/USD Technical GBP/USD is putting pressure on resistance at 1.2669. Above, there is resistance at 1.2720 There is support at 1.2585 and 1.2534      
Turbulent Times for Currencies: Bank of England's Pause and Federal Reserve's Rate Cut Projections - 14.12.2023

Turbulent Times for Currencies: Bank of England's Pause and Federal Reserve's Rate Cut Projections - 14.12.2023

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.12.2023 14:42
Short-term technical analysis suggests a potential countertrend rebound with intermediate resistance at 16,890. China’s top policymakers’ reluctance to focus on making domestic demand revival a top priority for 2024 is likely to put a damper on positive animal spirits in the long term. A focus on making high-tech industrialization a top policy may trigger more headwinds for China and Hong Kong stock markets.   This is a follow-up analysis of our prior report, “Hang Seng Index Technical: Entrenched in a downward spiral” published on 7 December 2023. Click here for a recap. The China and Hong Kong benchmark stock indices have managed to catch a positive feedback loop from yesterday’s risk-on rally triggered by the US Federal Reserve’s dovish guidance. But overall, their major downtrend phases have remained intact since February 2021 with the Hang Seng Index on track to end 2024 with a fifth consecutive yearly loss (2023 year-to-date loss is at 17% at this time of the writing); its worst performing streak since January 2002. A similar weak performance is being reflected in the China CSI 300, on sight for a third consecutive yearly loss with a current year-to-date loss of -12.7% for 2023. The persistent underperformance of China and Hong Kong stock markets against the rest of the world has been driven by past “unfriendly” private sector policies enacted in China, lingering geopolitical tensions with the US, and the right now, heightened deflationary risk spiral due to the liquidity crunch inflicted in the property market where it has a significant wealth effect on China’s society.   China’s top policymakers placed industrialization policy as the top priority for 2024   The recently concluded China’s annual economic work conference attended by the top leadership stated that next year’s priority will be on building a modern industrial system with a focus on developing cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence. This year’s priority of boosting domestic demand slipped to second spot for 2024. These 2024 economic goals and initiatives will be formalized and made official during the National People’s Congress, and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (Two Sessions) in March 2024. Hence, it seems that low odds for a significant and sustainable revival of bullish animal spirits for China and the Hong Kong stock markets in 2024 as policymakers are still reluctant to make a shift away from the current targeted approach to adopting more broad-based stimulus measures coupled with structural moves to remove bad assets from property developers’ balance sheets to reverse the chronic weakness seen in the property market. US-China geopolitical tension may see an uptick in 2024 Also, making high-tech industrialization a key priority in 2024 is likely to invite more scrutinization from neo-conservative US politicians that may put a strain on the current US-China geopolitical theatrics that have witnessed a tense rivalry between the two superpowers in obtaining cutting-edge semiconductors chips and peripherals.   The US presidential election will be held in November 2024 and in the run-up to election day, there is likely to be intense debate among the presidential candidates and finger-pointing again at China’s current industrialization policy that needs to be “neutralized” due to its potential national security threat to the US. All in all, it is likely to trigger a bout of “uninvestable” narratives on China’s financial markets that may prevent a sustainable recovery from taking shape in 2024 for China and Hong Kong stock markets.     16,100 is the last line of defence for the Hang Seng Index Fig 1: Hang Seng Index long-term secular trend as of 14 Dec 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart)     The current price actions have managed to retest and held at the long-term secular ascending trendline in place since the Asian Financial Crisis’s August 1998 low now acting as support at 16,100. The long-term monthly RSI momentum indicator has continued to exhibit bearish momentum reading below key parallel resistance at the 50 level which suggests that the 16,100 key major support is vulnerable to a major bearish breakdown. A weekly close below 16,100 may trigger a potential multi-month impulsive downleg sequence within its major downtrend phase to expose the next major support at 12,200 (also the Great Financial Crisis’s swing lows area of October 2008/March 2009). Potential short-term minor countertrend rebound   Fig 2: Hong Kong 33 minor short-term trend as of 14 Dec 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) In the lens of technical analysis, price actions do not move in vertical directional movements as market participants adjust their behaviours accordingly to the latest related events and news flow. The short-term hourly chart of the Hong Kong 33 Index (a proxy of the Hang Seng Index futures) has staged a bullish breakout above the resistance of a minor descending channel from the 23 November 2023 high which increases the odds that a minor countertrend rebound motion may be in progress. Watch the 16,100 key pivotal support and a clearance above 16,500 may see the next intermediate resistance coming in at 16,890 (the downward sloping 20-day moving average & the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement of the prior down move from 16 November 2023 high to 11 December 2023 low). However, failure to hold at 16,100 invalidates the countertrend rebound scenario to expose the next intermediate supports of 15,890 and 15,500 in the first step.  
FX Daily: Lower US Inflation Could Spark Real Rate Debate

Australian Dollar Rebounds as Federal Reserve Signals Likely Pause; Focus on Job Growth and Rate Expectations

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.12.2023 14:47
Australian dollar rebounds Australian job growth expected to decelerate Federal Reserve likely to pause for third straight time The Australian dollar is in positive territory on Wednesday, after three straight losing sessions. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6584, up 0.38%. Will Powell push back against rate cut expectations? Today’s Federal Reserve’s rate announcement will almost certainly be a pause, which would mark the third consecutive time that the Fed held the benchmark rate at the target range of 5.25%-5.50%. That doesn’t mean the meeting isn’t significant, as investors will be looking for clues to the Fed’s rate plans next year. The markets have scaled back their forecasts of rate cuts in 2024 after the stronger-than-expected job report on Friday and yesterday’s inflation release, which showed that inflation remains high. Earlier in December, the markets were pricing in around five quarter-point cuts in 2024 but that has been trimmed to four cuts. That view is miles apart from that of the Fed, which has insisted that it hasn’t shut the door to further rate hikes and has warned that inflation remains too high. If Powell reiterates this hawkish stance and pushes back against rate hike expectations, the market would likely be forced to again reduce expectations of a rate cut.   Australia will release the November job report on Thursday. The economy is expected to have created 11,000 jobs, compared to 55,000 in October. The unemployment rate has been inching higher and is expected to rise to 3.8%, up from 3.7% in November. The Reserve Bank of Australia has repeatedly said that future rate decisions will be data-dependent and the strength of the labour market is a key factor that will be closely watched by RBA policy makers. . AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is testing resistance at 0.6598. Above, there is resistance at 0.6671 0.6506 and 0.6433 are providing support  
National Bank of Romania Maintains Rates, Eyes Inflation Outlook

Australian Dollar Rebounds as Federal Reserve Signals Likely Pause; Focus on Job Growth and Rate Expectations - 14.12.2023

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 14.12.2023 14:48
UK economy shrinks 0.3% in October Markets price in three rate cuts from the BoE next year EURGBP spikes ahead of BoE and ECB announcements tomorrow The UK economy got the fourth quarter off to a bad start, contracting by 0.3% in October from the month before. The UK economy is struggling under the pressure of higher interest rates and it seems wet weather compounded those challenges for retailers, encouraging consumers to stay indoors. There’s every chance spending bounces back in November and December, with the weather being less of a deterrent and households spending more ahead of the festive period. That said, they may well be looking at a more slimmed-down Christmas this year after two years of high inflation which could leave the economy at risk of recession. Which may explain why interest rate expectations have fallen next year.      EURGBP pares losses ahead of ECB and BoE The euro has recently clawed back some losses against the pound after slipping back toward the summer lows, which it fell just short of.     The question now is whether the pair has simply respected an established support zone or is going to take another run at it. The Fibonacci retracement levels could offer some insight on this front after such a sharp sell-off towards the end of November. There’s a potential confluence of resistance around these as well from recent areas of support – which could become resistance – to simple moving averages. A rotation around these points could be a bearish signal either in the run-up to, or after the BoE and ECB interest rate decisions on Thursday.  
Crude Oil Eyes 200-DMA Amidst Positive Growth Signals and Inflation Concerns

EUR: Poised for 1.10 Breakthrough Amid Domestic Challenges

ING Economics ING Economics 18.12.2023 13:50
EUR: Still eyeing 1.10 The euro stands a chance to end the year above 1.10, which seemed quite unlikely only a few weeks ago when the dollar was restrengthening and ECB rate cut bets were rising rapidly. Despite the diverging narratives which emerged from the ECB and Fed meetings last week, probably favouring more attempts at the 1.1000 key resistance into Christmas, a break higher is far from guaranteed. Firstly, the euro still has to deal with the domestic factors that triggered its previous underperformance. Today, the IFO figures will be watched quite carefully, while the rest of the week sees the final release of CPI figures. We’ll also need to see whether post-meeting comments by ECB officials diverge in some way from last week’s pushback by President Lagarde.
Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

In Focus: UK CPI Figures - Pound Sterling Awaits Inflation Data Release

ING Economics ING Economics 18.12.2023 13:51
GBP: Eyes on inflation this week This week, the focus in the UK will be on CPI data for November out on Wednesday. As usual, we'll be paying attention to services inflation, which we estimate to come in at 6.6%, showing little near-term progress. That may help markets ease some of the rate cut bets in the UK and help the pound. Markets are still pricing in four rate cuts by the Bank of England this week despite the Bank’s attempt to discourage dovish bets via in-meeting communication. We still think services inflation in the UK will ease to around 4% by next summer, allowing the BoE to start cutting, but the pound has decent room to benefit from some hawkish repricing in the short run. Last week’s 0.8550 lows in EUR/GBP may well be retested by the end of December.
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

BoJ Policy Announcement: Yen's Fate Hangs in the Balance

ING Economics ING Economics 18.12.2023 13:53
JPY: Big swings in sight as BoJ announces policy The Bank of Japan has started its two-day meeting, with the announcement due early in the morning tomorrow (London time). Bank officials have already tempered rate hike expectations for this month by saying such a move is still premature. Still, with investors now actively betting on the end of negative rates in January, the language at this meeting will be key for the short-term performance of the yen. Governor Kazuo Ueda (pictured) is facing the options of either keeping the message broadly unchanged and disappointing the market’s hawkish expectations or offering hints about the state of the discussion on a rate hike and potentially suggesting a tentative timing. The good performance of the yen recently as global rates declined is surely taking off some pressure, but data is starting to prove increasingly inconsistent with the ultra-dovish stance of the BoJ. Our economist is still leaning toward 2Q24 for the first hike, and if that is the preference of the BoJ as well, then it may be too early for a real change in the dovish message later, and the yen risks a downward correction. However, the chances of a hike in January when new economic projections are released are non-negligible and depend on data as well as on JPY performance. Expect any hawkish surprise in communication tomorrow to push USD/JPY close to the 140 support, whereas an unchanged message can bring the pair back to 145, where we could see selling interest if the dollar momentum proves soft.
FX Daily: Fed Ends Bank Term Funding Program, Shifts Focus to US Regional Banks and 4Q23 GDP

Interest Rate Dynamics: Navigating Uncertainty Post Central Bank Decisions

Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 18.12.2023 13:55
Interest rates remain in focus after central bank decision week Following an intense week of central bank decisions with most of them being in line with expectations of keeping rates unchanged, it's become evident over the past few months that financial markets are aligned in the belief that UK interest rates have reached their peak and it would be surprising if the Bank of England were to implement an increase in UK interest rates in the near future, with such a decision likely only occurring in response to a substantial shock in inflation data. Meanwhile, predicting the timing of the initial interest rate cut, which would mark the first fall in UK interest rates since March 2020, is more challenging.  One thing that remains clear is that the UK economy is in a much worse position than both its European and US counterparts as GDP forecasts continue to indicate the potential for a recession which may trigger a response from the central bank. The BoE has also appeared to follow the US central bank (Federal Reserve) in its footsteps and may await the signal from it before starting its own rate cut cycle as rates are also expected to start falling in early 2024. In either case, new Bloomberg projections point to the possibility of the first rate cut being implemented by the Bank of England in the first quarter of 2024, followed by a gradual fall in rates throughout the following meetings with the target being reached in the coming years.      
Worsening Crisis: Dutch Medicine Shortage Soars by 51% in 2023

Tale of Two PMIs: UK Services Accelerate, Manufacturing Declines

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 18.12.2023 14:06
UK Services PMI accelerates, Manufacturing PMI declines Bailey’s dampens rate cut expectations The British pound is steady on Friday, after posting gains of 1.1% a day earlier. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2767, up 0.03%. UK PMIs a mix British PMIs were a mixed bag in December. The Manufacturing PMI eased to 46.4, down from 47.2 and shy of market expectations of 47.5. Manufacturers are pessimistic as the UK economy is struggling and demand for UK exports has weakened. The services sector is in better shape, as the PMI rose to 50.9, up from 53.7 in November, which marked the strongest level of growth since May. Services providers continued to show optimism about business conditions, despite the squeeze from the cost of living and elevated borrowing costs. Bailey pushback sends sterling soaring It’s been a dramatic week, with central bank rate decisions in the spotlight. On Wednesday, Fed Chair Powell shifted his hawkish stance and projected that the Fed would trim rates three times in 2024. This sent the US dollar lower against the majors. The Bank of England took the opposite approach on Thursday in its decision to hold rates at 5.25%. Governor Bailey stuck to his script of “higher for longer”. Bailey acknowledged that inflation was moving in the right direction but said in his rate statement that “there is still some way to go” and kept the door open to further rate hikes to bring inflation back down to 2%. Bailey was crystal clear in comments to reporters after the meeting, reiterating that “it’s really too early to start speculating about cutting interest rates”.   There was no mistaking Bailey’s hawkish message and the pound responded with massive gains. Still, Bailey’s view was far from being unanimous, as the MPC vote was 6-3, with three members in support of raising rates. The markets are marching to their own tune and expect a flurry of rate cuts in 2024, despite Bailey’s pushback. The markets trimmed rate-cut bets following the BoE decision but have still priced in around 100 basis points in easing in 2024. Clearly, there is a deep disconnect between the markets and Bailey & Co. with regard to rate policy.     GBP/USD Technical There is resistance at 1.2835 and 1.2906 1.2727 and 1.2653 are providing support    
BoJ Set for Rate Announcement Amidst Policy Speculation, USD/JPY Tests Key Resistance

BoJ Set for Rate Announcement Amidst Policy Speculation, USD/JPY Tests Key Resistance

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 18.12.2023 14:09
BoJ to make rate announcement on Tuesday Fed’s Williams says no rate cuts planned The Japanese yen is lower at the start of the week. In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 142.77, up 0.44%. The yen continues to power higher and surged 1.9% last week. It marked a fifth straight winning week for the yen, which has climbed 6.2% during that time. The yen strengthened to 140.95 on Friday, its highest level since July 31. Will BoJ make a move? Bank of Japan policy meetings have become must-see events, with investors on edge over speculation that the central bank is planning to tighten policy. Tuesday’s meeting will be closely watched, especially after hints from senior BoJ officials that it could phase out negative rates, which would be a sea-change in policy that would likely boost the yen. The BoJ might not announce any changes at the meeting, but I doubt that will quell speculation that a policy change is coming. The BoJ tends to hold its cards close to its chest, maximizing the surprise effect of any policy moves. The BoJ has been an outlier among central banks in sticking to an ultra-loose policy while its peers were busy raising rates, and the BoJ is expected to tighten policy next year while other major central banks are looking to cut rates. The BoJ has long insisted that inflation is not sustainable, but that position has become difficult to defend, as inflation has remained above the 2% target month after month.   New York Fed President John Williams said on Friday that the Fed was not discussing rate cuts and that the Fed could tighten policy if inflation stalled or reversed directions. The markets don’t seem to be listening, however, and have priced in six rate cuts next year, starting as soon as March. At last week’s meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell finally jumped on the rate-cut bandwagon and said that the Fed would cut rates three times in 2024. . USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY is testing resistance at 142.61. Above, there is resistance at 143.06 There is support at 142.02 and 141.57  
EUR/SEK Pair Stability Amid Mixed Swedish Economic Data

German Business Confidence Weakens, Euro Gains Despite Headwinds

Akash Girimath Akash Girimath 18.12.2023 14:16
German business confidence weaker than expected The euro has started the week in positive territory on Monday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0914, up 0.18%. It was a week of sharp swings for the euro, which posted strong gains during the week but reversed directions on Friday and declined 0.88%. Still, the euro posted a winning week, rising 1.2% against the US dollar. German business confidence dips Germany’s Ifo Business Climate was softer than expected, dropping to 86.4 in December. This was down from a revised 87.2 in November and missed the market consensus of 87.8. Business conditions and business expectations also eased in December and were shy of the forecast, as companies remain pessimistic about the German economy. The lack of confidence mirrors the prolonged weakness in the German economy. December PMIs indicated contraction in both the services and manufacturing sectors. Germany, the largest economy in the eurozone, also reported a decline, with the PMI falling to 48.4, down from 49.6 in November and short of the consensus estimate of 49.8. The servicaes industry has contracted for five straight months while manufacturing has been mired in contraction since June 2022. ECB stays hawkish The European Central Bank held the benchmark rate at 4.0% for a second straight time on Thursday. This move was expected but the central bank pushed back against market expectations for interest rate cuts next year, sending the euro soaring over 1% against the US dollar after the announcement. There is a deep disconnect between the markets and the ECB with regard to rate policy. The ECB remains hawkish and Reuters reported on Friday that ECB governors are unlikely to cut rates before June. The markets are marching to a very different tune and have priced in at least in around six rate cuts in 2024, with the initial cut expected around March. Lagarde has insisted that the central bank’s decisions will be data-dependent rather than time-dependent and she may have to join the rate-cut bandwagon if inflation continues to fall at a brisk pace. . EUR/USD Technical EUR/USD is putting pressure on resistance at 1.0929. Above, there is resistance at 1.0970 1.0855 and 1.0814 are providing support        
Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

ECB Stands Firm: Battle Between Central Bank and Data Continues for Euro

ING Economics ING Economics 19.12.2023 12:00
EUR: ECB versus data Unlike officials at the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank members have managed to deliver a more coordinated pushback on rate cuts, both at last week’s policy meeting and in post-meeting communication. Governing Council member Peter Kazimir said the risks of premature cuts are bigger than those of keeping monetary tight for too long, and fellow hawk Pierre Wunsch highlighted how rate cuts cannot be discussed until wages move to a level that is compatible with the inflation target. Despite that, it still appears quite hard to dissuade the market from its conviction that rates will start to be cut in April. Data remains the missing link for a more material repricing in ECB rate expectations, and another miss by the Ifo yesterday in Germany suggests we are not at peak pessimism yet on the eurozone economic outlook. EUR/USD can trade above 1.10 during the holiday period as the dollar enters a seasonally soft period, but rate differentials are still too depressed to argue for a sustainable rally above 1.10 just yet.
Canadian Dollar Faces Crucial Weeks: Inflation Report and Retail Sales to Shape Rate Expectations

Surprise Dovish Turn: Bank of Canada Governor Macklem Signals Rate Cuts Ahead

ING Economics ING Economics 19.12.2023 12:02
CAD: Macklem turns dovish The Canadian dollar is lagging other pro-cyclical currencies at the start of this week after Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said in a TV interview yesterday that he expects rates to be cut next year. This is a surprise statement by Macklem, who only two weeks ago reiterated the hawkish bias in the BoC policy statement. Offering a timeline for rate cuts appears inconsistent with the BoC's claim that it “remains prepared to raise the policy rate further if needed” and likely validates the market’s pricing for 100bp of easing next year – despite Macklem’s caveats on the disinflation progress. Despite our view of a dollar decline and outperformance of pro-cyclical currencies next year, we expect the Canadian dollar to underperform other commodity currencies as the BoC cuts rates aggressively (we estimate 150bp in 2024) on a grim economic outlook and as the loonie suffers from its correlation with US economic data.
Bank of Japan Keeps Rates Steady, Paves the Way for April Hike Amidst Market Disappointment

Bank of Japan Keeps Rates Steady, Paves the Way for April Hike Amidst Market Disappointment

ING Economics ING Economics 19.12.2023 12:14
JPY: Ueda disappoints markets, but April hike on the table The Bank of Japan kept rates unchanged today as widely expected, but disappointed market hawkish expectations. The Bank kept its dovish guidance unchanged (“take additional monetary easing steps without hesitation if needed") which forced markets to abandon speculation of a rate hike in January.   The yen took a hit, falling almost by 1.0% against the dollar after the announcement and press conference by Governor Ueda, but we identified a few changes in the Bank’s assessment of the economic outlook that likely endorse the market’s lingering expectations for a hike in April. In particular, the BoJ noted that private consumption has continued to increase modestly, that inflation is likely to be above 2% throughout the 2024 fiscal year and that underlying inflation is likely to increase. Those statements are aimed at paving the way for policy normalisation in 2024, in our view. We expect the yield curve control to be scrapped in January and a hike to be delivered in April. From an FX perspective, the yen may simply revert to trading primarily on external factors (US rates in particular) after the BoJ ignored market pressure and likely signalled the path to normalisation should be a gradual one. We remain bearish on USD/JPY in 2024, as the oversold yen can still benefit from the end of negative rates in Japan and we see the Fed cutting rates by 150bp, but the pace of depreciation in the pair will be gradual in the near term, and we only see a decisive break below 140 in 2Q24.   ⚠️ Did the #BOJ fall asleep on the $JPY 🖨️ print button or what? 🤭Almost makes you wonder if someone out there is in desperate need of liquidity… 🤔 https://t.co/EdRfXb9vUH pic.twitter.com/z2dN3YVtuH — JustDario 🏊‍♂️ (@DarioCpx) December 19, 2023
Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

BoJ Holds Steady, Yen Takes a Dive: Market Disappointment as Bank of Japan Maintains Policy Amid Speculation

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 19.12.2023 15:04
BoJ makes no changes to policy or guidance Yen declines over 1% The Japanese yen is sharply lower on Tuesday. In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 144.42, up 1.15%. The yen surged 1.95% last week but has faltered and pared most of those gains this week. BoJ maintains policy Tuesday’s Bank of Japan meeting was a live meeting, as there was speculation that the central bank might make a move after some broad hints of tighter policy from senior Bank officials. In the end, the meeting was a non-event as even a tweak in language was not to be found, and disappointed market participants gave the yen a thumbs down. The BoJ maintained its policy settings, but speculation is high that the central bank will tighten policy next year, at a time when the other major banks are loosening policy as inflation moves lower. Governor Ueda acknowledged that prices and wages are moving higher but said more time was needed to determine if a “positive wage-inflation cycle will fall in place”. Core inflation has remained above the 2% target for some 19 months, but the BoJ has argued that inflation has been driven by cost-push factors and is not sustainable. At a post-meeting press conference, Ueda rejected exiting from the Bank’s ultra-loose policy, saying that uncertainty over the outlook is “extremely high”. The markets have been exuberant since the Fed meeting last week when Fed Chair Powell penciled in three rate cuts next year. Traders are far more bullish and are betting on six rate hikes in 2024, starting in March. We’re seeing some pushback from the Fed to reign in market expectations. On Friday, New York Fed President John Williams said a rate cut in March was “premature” and even warned that rates could move higher if inflation were to stall or reverse. Cleveland Fed President Mester said on Monday that the markets are a “bit ahead” of the Fed on rate cuts, as the Fed was focused on how long it would need to maintain rates in restrictive territory, while the markets were focused on rate cuts.   USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY has pushed past resistance at 143.30 and 143.81 and is testing resistance at 144.45.  Above, there is resistance at 145.51 There is support at 142.66 and 142.15    
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Year-End Reflections: Markets Cheer Softening Inflation, Diverging Central Bank Policies, and the Oil Conundrum

ING Economics ING Economics 27.12.2023 15:18
Notes from a slow year-end morning By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank  The last PCE print for the US was perfect. Core PCE, the Federal Reserve's (Fed) favourite gauge of inflation, printed 0.1% advance on a monthly basis – it was softer than expected, core PCE fell to 3.2% on a yearly basis – it was also softer than expected, and core PCE fell to 1.9% on a 6-month basis, and that's below the Fed's 2% inflation target.   Normally, you wouldn't necessarily cheer a slowdown in 6-month inflation but because investors are increasingly impatient to see the Fed cut its interest rates, all metrics are good to justify the end of the Fed's policy tightening campaign. So here we are, cheering the fact that the 6-month core PCE fell below the Fed's 2% target in November. The US 2-year yield is preparing to test the 4.30% to the downside, the 10-year yield makes itself comfy below the 4% mark – and even the 3.90% this morning, and the stocks joyfully extend their rally. The S&P500 closed last week a few points below a ytd high, Nasdaq100 and Dow Jones consolidated near ATH levels and the US dollar looks miserable. The dollar index is at the lowest level since summer and about to step into the February to August bearish trend.   There is not much data left to go before this year ends. We have a light economic calendar for the week, and the trading volumes will be thin due to the end-end holiday.   Morning notes from a slow morning  Major central banks reined in on inflation in 2023 – the inflation numbers are surprisingly, and significantly lower than the expectations. Remember, we though – at the start of the year - that the end of China's zero-Covid measures was the biggest risk to inflation. Well, we simply have been served the exact opposite: China's inability to rebound, and inability to generate inflation simply helped getting the rest of us out of inflation. China did not contribute to inflation but to disinflation instead.  The Fed sounds significantly more dovish than its European peers – even though inflation in Europe and Britain have come significantly down, and their sputtering economies would justify softer monetary policies, whereas the US economy remains uncomfortably strong. Released last Friday, the US durables goods orders jumped 5.4% in November! The diverging speed between the US and the European economies makes the policy divergence between the dovish Fed and the hawkish European central banks look suspicious. Yes, the EURUSD will certainly end this year above that 1.10 mark, nonetheless, the upside potential will likely remain limited.   Elsewhere, everyone I talk to is short USDJPY, or short EURJPY, or GBPJPY. But the bullish sentiment in the yen makes the yen stronger and a stronger yen will help inflation ease in Japan, and slow inflation will allow the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to remain relaxed about normalizing policy. And indeed, released this morning, the BoJ core inflation fell more than expected to 2.7%. Bingo! Therefore, it looks like the USDJPY's downside potential may be coming to a point of exhaustion near the 140 – in the absence of fresh news.   In energy, oil is having such a hard time this year. The barrel of American crude couldn't break the $74pb resistance and there is now a death cross formation on a daily chart. Yet the oil bulls have all the reasons on earth to push this rally further: the tensions in Suez Canal are mounting, the war in the Middle East gets uglier, Iran looks increasingly involved in the conflict, OPEC restricts production, and central banks are preparing to cut rates. But interestingly, none has been enough to strengthen the back of the bulls. Failure to clear the $74/75 resistance will eventually weaken the trend and send the price of a barrel below $70pb. If that's the case, there will be even more reason to be confident about a series of rate cuts next year.  
Continued Growth: Optimistic Outlook for the Polish Economy in 2024

Stock Markets Set for Year-End 'Santa Rally' Amid Central Bank Rate Cut Optimism

Walid Koudmani Walid Koudmani 27.12.2023 15:21
Indices trying to end 2023 on a high note Global stock markets seem to be headed for an end-of-year 'Santa rally' as traders and investors return to their desks after the Christmas break, gearing up for the final push into 2024. The ongoing optimism surrounding the prospect of central banks initiating interest rate reductions in 2024, with multiple cuts expected next year, continues to propel shares higher after the US stock market experienced gains in light trading, bringing the S&P 500 index to its highest intraday level in nearly two years.   This positions the S&P 500 just below 1% of its closing all-time high of 4,796.56 recorded in January 2022 with this rally reflecting investors' growing confidence in the ability of US policymakers to engineer a 'soft landing,' effectively curbing inflation without precipitating a recession with this sentiment gaining further traction after the recent US PCE index data revealed a deceleration in inflation last month. However, it is important to note that the situation in the UK is significantly more troubling after recently released data continues to indicate inflationary and economic issues in the economy as the Bank of England may have run out of moves.    
UK Inflation Dynamics Shape Expectations for Central Bank Actions

The Finish Line: Reflections on 2023 and a Glimpse into 2024

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 02.01.2024 12:48
The Finish Line By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   Here we are, on the last trading day of the year. This year was completely different than what was expected. We were expecting the US to enter recession, but the US printed around 5% growth in the Q3. We were expecting the Chinese post-Covid reopening to boost the Chinese growth and fuel global inflation, but a year after the end of China's zero-Covid measures, China is suffocating due to an unexpected deflation and worsening property crisis. We were expecting last year's negative correlation between stocks and bonds to reverse – as recession would boost bond appetite but batter stocks. None happened.  The biggest takeaway of this year is the birth of ChatGPT which propelled AI right into the middle of our lives. Nasdaq 100 stocks close the year at an ATH, Nvidia – which was the biggest winner of this year's AI rally dwarfed everything that compared to it. Nvidia shares gained more than 350% this year. That's more than twice the performance of Bitcoin – which also had a good year mind you.   Besides Nvidia, ChatGPT's sugar daddy Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Google and Tesla – the so-called Magnificent 7 generated almost all of the S&P500 and Nasdaq100's returns this year. And thanks to this few handfuls of stocks, Nasdaq100 is set for its best year since 1999 following a $7 trillion surge.   The million-dollar question is what will happen next year. Of course, we don't know, nobody knows, and our crystal balls completely missed the AI rally that marked 2023, yet the general expectation is a cool down in the technology rally, and a rebalancing between the big tech stocks and the S&P493 on narrowing profit lead for the Magnificent 7 compared to the rest of the index in 2024. T  The other thing is, the S&P500's direction next year is unclear as the Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to start chopping the interest rates, with the first rate cut expected to happen as early as much with more than 85% probability. So what will the Fed cuts mean for the S&P500? Looking at what happened in the past, the S&P500 typically rises after the first rate cut, but the sustainability of the gains will depend on the underlying economic fundamentals. Lower rates are good for the S&P500 valuations EXCEPT when the economy enters recession within the next 12-months. So that backs the idea that I have been trying to convey here since weeks: lower US yields will be supportive of the S&P500 valuations as long as the economy remains strong, and earnings expectations hold up.    For now, they do. The S&P500 earnings will certainly end a bit better than flat this year, and the EPS is expected to rise by more than 10% next year. The Magnificent 7 are expected to post around 22% EPS growth next year. But note that, these expectations are mostly priced in, so yes, there will still be a hangover and a correction period after a relentless two-month rally triggered a broad-based risk euphoria among investors. The S&P500 is about to print its 9th consecutive week of gains – which would be its longest winning streak in 20 years.  In the FX, the US dollar index rebounded yesterday as treasury yields rose following a weak sale of 7-year notes. But the US dollar is still set for its worse year since 2020. Gold prepares to close the year near ATH, the EURUSD will likely reach the finish line above 1.10 and the USDJPY having tested but haven't been able to clear the 140 support. In the coming weeks, I would expect the EURUSD to ease on rising expectations from the ECB doves, and/or on the back of a retreat from the Fed doves. We could see a minor rebound in the USDJPY if the Japanese manage to calm down the BoJ hawks' ambitions. Overall, I wouldn't be surprised to see the US dollar recover against most majors in the first weeks of next year.  In the energy, crude oil remains downbeat. The barrel of American crude couldn't extend rally after breaking the $75pb earlier this week, and that failure to add on to the gains is now bringing the oil bears back to the market. The barrel of US crude sank below the $72pb as the US oil inventories slumped by more than 7mio barrels last week, much more than a 2-mio-barrel decline expected. The latter brought forward the demand concerns and washed out the supply worries due to the Red Sea tensions. Note that crude oil is set for its biggest yearly decline since 2020; OPEC's efforts to curb production and the rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East remained surprisingly inefficient to boost appetite in oil this year. 
Worsening Crisis: Dutch Medicine Shortage Soars by 51% in 2023

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
The Commodities Feed: Oil trades softer

US Dollar Retreats as Chicago PMI Faces Deceleration; Eyes on China's PMIs for New Zealand Dollar Direction

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 02.01.2024 13:15
Chicago PMI expected to decelerate China releases PMIs on Saturday The New Zealand dollar is in negative territory on Friday. In the European session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6308, down 0.37%. The US dollar has hit a rough patch lately and retreated against most of the majors. The New Zealand dollar has been full marks, climbing some 400 basis points over the past five weeks. The Federal Reserve meeting earlier this month has boosted risk appetite, as Fed Chair Powell jumped on the rate-cut bandwagon, signalling that the Fed is finally done raising interest rates. Powell pencilled in three rate cuts next year while the markets have priced in double that. Fed members have urged caution, but the markets remain exuberant and have priced in an initial rate cut in March. Inflation is getting closer to the 2% target and with the labour market in good shape, it looks like the Fed could guide the US economy to a soft landing and avoid a recession. Chinese PMIs next New Zealand doesn’t release any tier-1 events until mid-January, but Chinese PMIs, which will be released on Saturday, could have an impact on the direction of the New Zealand dollar. China is New Zealand’s largest export market and the PMIs will provide a report card on the health of China’s service and manufacturing sectors. China’s recovery has been patchy and the slowdown has resulted in deflation in the world’s number two economy. The manufacturing sector has been stuck in contraction for most of this year and non-manufacturing expansion has been steadily falling and has stagnated over the past two months. The Manufacturing PMI is expected at 49.5 and the Services PMI at 50.3.   The US releases Chicago PMI, an important business barometer, later today. The PMI shocked in November with a reading of 55.8, which marked the first expansion after fourteen straight months of contraction. The upward spike may have been a one-time occurrence due to the end of the United Auto Workers strike as activity rose in the auto manufacturing industry. The consensus estimate for December stands at 51.0, which would point to weak expansion. . NZD/USD Technical NZD/USD tested resistance at 0.6345 in the Asian session but has reversed directions. Below, there is support at 0.6031 There is resistance at 0.6150 and 0.6195
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

2023 Key Highlights & Cross-Assets Performances: A Comprehensive Review and Outlook for 2024

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 02.01.2024 13:18
2023 key highlights & cross-assets performances in the past 2 years Fig 1: Cross assets performances as of 29 Dec 2023 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart)   The US Federal Reserve’s stance of keeping interest rates higher for a longer period in the first half of 2023 triggered a resilient US dollar environment in the absence of a recession scenario in the US that led the US stock market to outperform the rest of the world. The outperformance of the US stock market in 2023 was led by the Magnificent 7 (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet/Google, Nvidia, Meta, Tesla) mega-cap technology stocks that have stronger balance sheets and are skewed toward “AI productivity” theme play. Also, these 7 stocks have a significant combined market-cap weightage in the Nasdaq 100 that recorded an annual gain of 54% in 2023 (2.3 times S&P 500’s 2023 returns). US regional banking crisis that led to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank & First Republic Bank due to poor balance sheet risk management reinforced by outsized mark-to-market losses on longer-term US Treasuries (higher US Treasury yields via Fed’s tightening monetary policy). It also indirectly led to the demise of Credit Suisse which eventually was brought over by rival UBS. The US regional banking crisis was just a blip, negated by a liquidity backstop orchestrated by the US Treasury; the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP). The risk-off behaviour in Q3 reversed abruptly in Q4 to a raging risk-on FOMO behaviour triggered by a significant easing liquidity condition in the US; the rapid drawdown of the Fed’s overnight reverse repo facility from a peak of US$2.55 trillion in December 2022 to US$683.25 billion (-74%) for the week of 11 Dec 2023 as money market funds that choose to invest their surplus cash in short-term US Treasury bills instead (rather than parking in overnight reverse repos facility) which in turn helped to fund the US Treasury general account (also US Treasury’s issuance switch from longer-term Treasuries to T-bills for funding needs). A rise in the expectations of a Fed’s dovish pivot where the first Fed funds rate cut is priced in to come as early in March 2024 indicated by the CME FedWatch tool that led to a slide of 120 basis points (bps) in the US 10-year Treasury yield from a 16-year high of 5% printed on 23 October 2023, synchronized with a weakening US dollar that kickstarted a rally in almost all asset classes (equities, bonds, gold, cryptocurrencies) except oil & China-related risk assets. China’s post-Covid re-opening bullish theme play on China and Hong Kong stock markets fizzled out after Q1 due to a heightened deflationary risk spiral caused by a persistent weak property market in China. The Hang Seng Index ended 2023 with a fourth consecutive annual loss of -14% (prior years’ losses of -15% in 2022, -14% in 2021 & -3% in 2020); its worst performance streak since 2000. Due to China’s structural weakness (deflationary risk spiral), China, and Hong Kong stock markets failed to respond to the cyclical upswing in risk assets during Q4 2023 reinforced by renewed US dollar weakness. The CSI 300 and Hang Seng Index recorded losses of -7% and -4.3% respectively in Q4 whereas the MSCI Emerging Markets Ex China exchange-traded fund gained by +12.5% over the same period, slightly outperformed the US S&P 500’s Q4 return of +11.24% The Japanese yen (JPY) plummeted to a 33-year low against the US dollar in Q3 2023 due to the Bank of Japan (BoJ)’s newly appointed Governor Ueda’s reluctance to offer firm guidance to normalize its short-term negative interest rate policy despite Japan’s core inflation rate had exceeded BoJ’s 2% target for the 20th consecutive month. Emerging themes for 2024 A potentially weaker US dollar due to the shrinkage of the US Treasury yield spread premium against the rest of the world, and a potential major JPY strength revival triggered by internal economic factors (service prices in Tokyo rose at their fastest pace since 1994 to a record gain of 3% y/y in November 2023, indicating an increase in the odds of sustainable wage-driven inflationary growth), political and business groups’ mounting pressures against a weaker JPY. The rest of the world equities may outperform the US stock market due to a weaker US dollar environment. Keep a lookout on China for potentially more “generous” fiscal and monetary policy stimulus measures that may stoke positive animal spirits in the short to medium term for China and Hong Kong stock markets. The stepped-up dovish expectations on the upcoming Fed’s interest rate cut cycle compiled with rosy earnings forecasts by analysts polled by FactSet that are projecting an earnings growth of +11.5% y/y for the US S&P 500 in CY 2024, a significant improvement from an expected CY 2023 earnings growth of just 0.6% which in turn have indicated another year of goldilocks scenario for the US economy. In contrast, the hastened speed of 6 interest rate cuts by the Fed in 2024 projected by market participants in the interest rates futures market also implied a probable US recession-liked scenario in 2024. In addition, the latest November 2023 data of the Conference Board US Leading Economic Index (LEI) has continued to flash a recession signal reinforced by weakness in the housing and labour market. If a recession hits the US economy in the second half of 2024, earnings downgrades are likely to materialize and the initial projected S&P 500 CY 2024 earnings growth rate of +11.5% is likely to be tapered to the downside which in turn may trigger a risk-off scenario that can overshadow the initial positive feedback loop from easing liquidity conditions. Potential heightened geopolitical tension between the US and China that may also spark a risk-off scenario in the latter part of 2024; the recently concluded China’s annual economic work plan conference attended by the top leadership stated that 2024 top priority will be on building a modern industrial system with a focus on developing cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence. Making high-tech industrialization a key priority in 2024 is likely to invite more scrutinization from neo-conservative US politicians that may put a strain on the current US-China relationship in the run-up to the November 2024 US presidential election. There is likely to be intense debate among the presidential candidates and finger-pointing again at China’s current industrialization policy that needs to be “neutralized” due to its potential national security threat to the US. Chart Of The Year – a potential major top in USD/JPY Fig 2: USD/JPY major trend as of 2 Jan 2024 (Source: TradingView, click to enlarge chart) The price actions of USD/JPY have declined by 8% to hit an intraday low of 140.25 in December 2023 after a bearish reaction from its 151.95 long-term pivotal resistance printed in mid-November 2023. The USD/JPY has traced out a potential impending major bearish reversal “Double Top” configuration considering the developments of its price actions from October 2022 to November 2023. In addition, the weekly MACD trend indicator has flashed out a bearish divergence condition over the same period (October 2022 to November 2023) which indicates the major uptrend phase from the March 2020 low of 101.18 has started to lose upside momentum which in turn increases the odds of a multi-month corrective decline to unfold next. A breakdown with a weekly close below 137.65 support exposes the next major support zone of 130.70/127.10 (also the neckline of the “Double Top” & 50% Fibonacci retracement of the prior major uptrend phase from March 2020 low to November 2023 high). On the other hand, a clearance above 151.95 invalidates the bearish scenario to see the next major resistance coming in at 159.30 in the first step.  
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

China's Caixin Manufacturing Shows Marginal Growth, Boosts Australian Dollar

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 02.01.2024 13:20
China Caixin Manufacturing posts slight growth The Australian dollar is in positive territory on Tuesday. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6826, up 0.22%. The week between Christmas and New Year’s was subdued in the currency markets. Still, the Australian dollar hit a six-month high on Christmas Day, rising to 0.6871. The Aussie ended the year on a roll, gaining 3.1% in December. China’s Caixin Manufacturing PMI ticked up to 50.8 in December, up from 50.7 in November and above the consensus of 50.4. This was the highest reading since August, but the reading points to stagnation in manufacturing. The reading was better than the official Manufacturing PMI release on Saturday of 49.0 which indicates contraction. The non-manufacturing PMI edged up to 50.4, compared to 50.2 in November. Activity in the non-manufacturing sector has been minimal over the past six months, as China remains mired in an economic slowdown as we move into 2024. Where is RBA headed? The Reserve Bank of Australia meets next on February 6 and it’s anyone’s guess what the central bank has in mind for 2024. The RBA has raised interest rates just once since June and held the cash rate at 4.35% at the December meeting. It’s likely that the RBA is done with raising rates, but the timing of a rate cut is unclear. Many economists are circling September for the first rate cut, while Bank of America is predicting a rate cut only in 2025. The markets are more optimistic and have priced in a rate cut in mid-2024. What all the views can agree on is that the inflation rate will play a critical role in determining the RBA’s rate path. Inflation has fallen to 4.9% but remains much higher than the RBA’s target band of 2-3%. Australia will release the December inflation report on January 10 and the release should be treated as a market-mover.   AUD/USD Technical AUD/USD is testing resistance at 0.6812. Next, there is resistance at 0.6845 0.6779 and 0.6746 are providing support  
UK Inflation Dynamics Shape Expectations for Central Bank Actions

Taming the Rates: Analyzing the Impact of Recent Developments on the US 10yr Yield

ING Economics ING Economics 03.01.2024 14:34
Rates Spark: Enough to hold rates down The US 10yr yield remains below 4%. However that's not been validated by the data as of yet. Friday's payrolls report can be pivotal here, but based off consensus expectations the market will remain without validation from the labour market. Also, the Fed's FOMC minutes due on Wednesday are unlikely to be as racy as Chair Powell was at the press conference.   Sub 4% on the US 10yr to hold at least till we see Friday's payrolls outcome The 13 December FOMC meeting outcome remains a dominating impulse for the rates market. The US 10yr yield shot to below 4% on that day, and has broadly remained below 4% since. It was briefly below 3.8% over the holiday period, but now at closer to 4% it is looking for next big levels. The thing is, validation of the move of the 10yr Treasury yield from 5% down to 4% came from the Fed, but not so much from the macro data. We can reverse engineer this and suspect that the Fed has either seen something, or fears that it will see something that will require lower official rates. In consequence, data watching ahead remains key. In that respect, we are days away from a key reading on the labour market as December’s payrolls report is due on Friday. A consensus outcome showing a 170k increase in jobs, unemployment at 3.8% and wage growth at 3.9% would leave us still lacking validation for lower market rates from the labour market data. We have it from survey evidence, and from scare stories on credit card debt and commercial real estate woes. But it's the labour market that is really pivotal. Risk assets struggled a tad yesterday, and that makes a degree of sense given the complicated back story, and the remarkable rally seen into year end. While a one-day move cannot be simply extrapolated, there are reasons to be a tad concerned on the risk front at this early phase of 2024. Geo-political concerns have not abated, and in fact if anything are elevating. Europe is closest to many of these risks, and the economy has been faltering for at least a half year now. Yes the market is expecting rescue rate cuts, but the European Central Bank is yet to endorse those expectations. An elevation of stress without the prospect of near term delivery of rate cuts can be an issue for risk assets. For market rates, this combination maintains downward pressure. The only issue is how far we’ve come so fast. We remain of the view that the US 10yr fair value level is around 4%, but that we will likely overshoot to the downside to 3.5% in the coming months. Our fair value comes of a forward 3% floor for the funds rate plus a 100bp curve. See more on that here.   Today's events and market views It's quiet in Europe for data through Wednesday. The bigger focus for Europe will be on regional inflation readings for December due on Thursday, along with a series of December PMI readings. The likelihood is for some stalling on inflation reduction alongside confirmation of ongoing manufacturing and business weakness. In the US on Wednesday we get ISM readings that will also show a degree of pessimism in US manufacturing. The job openings data will also be gleaned, but the bigger market impulse can come from the FOMC minutes, ones that will refer back to the pivotal 13 December meeting. The odds are they won’t be nearly as dovish as Chair Powell was at the press conference.
FX Daily: Fed Ends Bank Term Funding Program, Shifts Focus to US Regional Banks and 4Q23 GDP

2024 Brings a Challenging Landscape: European Staffing Sector Faces Contraction Amid Economic Slowdown and Persistent Labor Market Tightness

ING Economics ING Economics 03.01.2024 14:47
Grim outlook for the European staffing sector in 2024 After two years of above-average volume growth for the European temporary employment sector, that growth turned to contraction last year. For 2024, we expect the freeze on hiring temp workers to continue. Sluggish economic growth and staff shortages are the main challenges for the sector this year.   Slowdown in economic growth in most European economies Economic and geopolitical uncertainties, combined with higher interest rates, are likely to soften economic growth in Europe this year. Both companies and consumers are taking it easier with investments and spending due to those higher rates and persistently high inflation. As a result, GDP growth in most European economies will contract slightly or grow only modestly in 2024. Modest economic growth in most European economies in 2024 GDP growth, year-on-year   The European labour market remains tight Despite an economic slowdown and a cooling of the labour market, unemployment will remain relatively high in most European economies in 2024. While vacancy rates will be slightly lower in 2024, many European economies continue to struggle with a tight labour market. This is not only due to an ageing population, but also because the average number of hours worked per person is still lower than before the pandemic.  Staff shortages could slow market volume growth in the temporary employment sector, as temp agencies experience more difficulties recruiting new employees. Based on the job vacancy rate, the labour market is tightest in Belgium and the Netherlands, with 5% of unfilled vacancies in the third quarter of 2023.    The labour market is tightest in Belgium and the Netherlands Job vacancy rate, third quarter 2023, seasonally adjusted
The Commodities Feed: Oil trades softer

National Bank of Romania Holds Steady: Fiscal Caution Amidst Inflation Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 16.01.2024 11:37
National Bank of Romania review: Not in a dovish mood yet As expected, the National Bank of Romania (NBR) kept its policy unchanged at 7.00% for the time being, welcoming the lower-than-expected inflation at the end of 2023 but not coming out with dovish hints just yet. The NBR opted to stand pat again with its policy stance and did not provide much new to chew on in its press release either. The Bank’s statement on the inflation rate resuming its downward trajectory after the January 2024 acceleration “on a lower path than that shown in the November 2023 medium-term forecast” is a rather neutral statement since the well-behaved price pressures of year-end 2023 naturally pull down the entire profile ahead. Moreover, the NBR attributed the subsequent fall of inflation (after the tax hikes get incorporated by firms) to supply side factors primarily – namely disinflationary base effects and downward corrections in agri-food commodity prices and crude oil prices. What stood out was rather the Bank’s stronger tone on the fiscal stance needed to keep the pressures stemming from the budget deficit in check. The wording on uncertainties and risks was changed from ‘’notable’’ to ‘’significant’’. Moreover, with the 2024 budget out and further clarity on the expenditures ahead, the NBR mentioned the possibility of an even higher tax burden, a possibility that is also in our scenario.   All told, we expect the first dovish hints at the 13 February meeting, when a new inflation report will also be published. As discussed above, we also expect the Bank to lower its inflation profile. We also think that the dovish hints to come will be, at least partially, counterbalanced by the caution against the strong annual wage increases which are likely to persist this year. We foresee the first rate cut in May, although April is equally likely if firms choose a more cautious pricing strategy in early 2024.
Eurozone PMIs: Tentative Signs of Stabilization Amid Ongoing Economic Challenge

Assessing the Impact: UK Wages and CPI Figures for December and Their Implications on Monetary Policy

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.01.2024 11:45
UK wages/UK CPI (Dec) – 16/01 and 17/01 Since March of last year headline CPI in the UK has more than halved, slowing from 10.1%, with November slowing more than expected to 3.9%, prompting speculation that the Bank of England might be closer to cutting rates in 2024 than had been originally priced. The decline in headline inflation is very much welcome, however most of it has been driven by the falls in petrol prices over the past few weeks. Inflation elsewhere in the UK economy is still much higher although even in these areas it has been slowing. Food price inflation for example is still much higher, slowing to 6.6% in December, while wage growth is still trending above 7% at 7.2%. Services inflation is also higher at 6.3% while core prices rose at 5.1% in the 3-months to November.   This week's wages and inflation numbers are likely to be key bellwethers for the timing of when the Bank of England might look at starting to reduce the base rate, however the key test for markets won't be on how whether we see a further slowdown in inflation at the end of last year, but how much of a rebound we see in the January numbers. Whatever markets might look to price as far as rate cuts are concerned the fact that wages are still trending above 7% is likely to stay the Bank of England's hand when it comes to looking at rate cuts. It's also important to remember that at the last rate meeting 3 members voted for a further 25bps rate hike. That means it will take more than a further slowdown in the headline rate for these 3 MPC members to reverse that call, let alone call for rate cuts. Expectations are for wages to slow to 6.7% and headline CPI to come in at 3.8%.  
Rates Spark: Time to Fade the Up-Move in Yields

US Markets Navigate Geopolitical Tensions and Mixed Q4 Bank Earnings Amid Inflation Respite

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 16.01.2024 12:13
The US stock markets ended last week on a cautiously positive note. Friday's producer price inflation came as a certain relief to inflation worries as the latest data showed an unexpected contraction in the monthly figure. The jump in oil prices, following the US and UK airstrikes in areas in Yemen controlled by the Houthis, which sent the barrel of American crude to past the $75pb level, didn't last long. The barrel of US crude starts the week below the $73pb level. The risks are tilted to the upside as conflict news continues to flow in this Monday. Rishi Sunak will address Parliament as his government is ready to intensify strikes on Houthi targets. Yet there is a strong barricade into the $74/75pb level in the US crude and near $80pb level in Brent, as the rising global supply, increasing competition to OPEC and the globally weak economic outlook weigh heavier and convince the bears to sell every geopolitically supported rallies.   Rising tensions in the Red Sea and the rising shipping costs are a boon for shipping companies like AP Moeller-Maersk that see their stock prices being pushed higher. Bank stocks on the other hand traded mixed on Friday as the first Q4 earnings from some US banking giants were mixed. JP Morgan for example had a blast last year. The banking crisis that hit the smaller, regional banks drove capital to big banks like JP Morgan, and combined with the rising interest rates, JP announced the most profitable year of its history. The bank posted more than $250nb net interest income last year – its 7th consecutive quarter of record net interest income (NII). Together, the 4 major US banks made $80bn more last year than in 2021. Wells Fargo beat estimates but its prediction of 7-9% fall in NII next year sent the stock price more than 3% lower on Friday, while BAC fell 1% after missing estimates.   Despite a mixed set of results and record NII, the big banks share the same forecast for next year: their net interest income will fall next year as the Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to cut interest rates.  
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CEE: Navigating Challenges as the Region Faces Economic Headwinds

ING Economics ING Economics 16.01.2024 12:23
CEE: Sinking beacon of hope After a very busy calendar last week, this week we take a little break in the CEE region. The final December inflation numbers in Poland will be released today and core inflation tomorrow. We do not expect any changes in the headline rate and anticipate a drop in core from 7.3% to 6.9% year-on-year. On Wednesday, we will see PPI numbers in the Czech Republic, one of the last numbers before the February Czech National Bank meeting. Thursday will see the release of industrial production in Romania and PPI in Poland on Friday. Otherwise, we will continue to monitor the dynamic political situation in Poland. The state budget draft for this year will be discussed this week in parliament. In the Czech Republic, we are getting closer to that CNB meeting and we should hear more from the board in the next two weeks before the blackout period begins. After surprisingly low inflation for December, there is the possibility of a rate cut of 50bp instead of 25bp, which is our base case scenario here for now. CEE FX remains the last island of resistance within the EM space, which is under selling pressure this year. However, last week proved that the CEE region is not the exception and bearish sentiment has arrived here, too. The market is starting to price in more cutting than we expect, not only due to global direction but also inflation surprising to the downside. And even in Poland, where the central bank continues its hawkish tone, FX has not escaped losses. Despite the inflation surprise in the Czech Republic, we believe the koruna will remain resilient and should not go to the 24.700-800 range. On the other hand, Hungary's forint has been ignoring rapidly falling rates for some time, which we believe leaves HUF vulnerable, and we expect rather weaker levels this week above 380 EUR/HUF. Poland's zloty remains the only currency in the region supported by a higher interest rate differential. However, political noise seems to be entering the market and PLN is rather weaker. Therefore, we see EUR/PLN around current levels for the next few days despite positive market conditions.
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German Economy Faces Recession: 2023 Shrinkage Confirmed and Bleak Outlook for 2024

ING Economics ING Economics 16.01.2024 12:28
German economy shrank in 2023 Now it's official. The German economy shrank by 0.3% year-on-year in 2023. What's worse, however, is that there is no imminent rebound in sight and the economy looks set to go through the first two-year recession since the early 2000s. The year 2023 was the first full year since 2020 in which the German economy contracted. According to a just-released preliminary estimate by the German statistical office, the economy shrank by 0.3% year-on-year. Based on a very tentative first estimate, the economy shrank by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of 2023. However, don't forget that this estimate was derived without any hard economic data for the month of December and could still be subject to revisions, probably rather to the downside than the upside.   We expect the German economy to shrink again in 2024 The year 2023 was another turbulent one, with the economy in permanent crisis mode. In fact, since 2020, there has been a long list of crises and challenges facing the German economy: supply chain frictions resulting from the pandemic lockdowns and war in Ukraine, an energy crisis, surging inflation, tightening of monetary policy, China’s changing role from being a flourishing export destination to being a rival that needs fewer German products, and several structural shortcomings. A combination of geopolitical risk events, cyclical headwinds but also homemade deficiencies. In light of so many challenges, some take comfort in the fact that the economy is “only” stuck in stagnation and has avoided a more severe recession. And, indeed, things could have been worse. But this should be no reason for any complacency. On the contrary, even if the worst of the weakening in sentiment seems to be behind us, the hard economic reality does not look pretty. In fact, looking ahead, at least in the first months of 2024, many of the recent drags on growth will still be around and will, in some cases, have an even stronger impact than in 2023. Just think of the still-unfolding impact of the European Central Bank's monetary policy tightening, the potential slowing of the US economy, new uncertainty stemming from recent fiscal woes or new supply chain frictions as a result of military conflict in the Suez Canal. A recent illustration of the longer-term impact of energy prices, higher interest rates and changing economic structures is the gradual increase in insolvencies since mid-2022. On a more positive note, what could lift economic sentiment and growth are positive real wage growth, a rebound in Asia and further down the road some rate cuts from the European Central Bank. Also, a turn in the inventory cycle could bring some relief in early 2024, although this turn has not yet happened and would probably only be short-lived. All in all, we expect the current state of stagnation and shallow recession to continue. In fact, the risk that 2024 will be another year of recession is high. We expect the German economy to shrink by 0.3% YoY this year. It would be the first time since the early 2000s that Germany has gone through a two-year recession, even though it could prove to be a shallow one.
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Decoding Australian Inflation: Unraveling the November Numbers and Debunking Rate Cut Predictions

ING Economics ING Economics 16.01.2024 12:30
What's really going on with Australian inflation A sharp drop in November inflation is encouraging thoughts of RBA easing by May, with more rate reductions by the end of the year. We think this is unlikely. Indeed, it is easier to make the case for further hikes.   Where we are right now The November inflation release showed a further decline in the headline inflation rate to 4.3% YoY, a sharp drop from the 4.9% rate achieved in October and also a little lower than the consensus estimate of 4.4%. On the day, there was some weakness in the AUD as the market took the numbers as corroboration for their fairly entrenched view that the Reserve Bank of Australia has finished hiking rates and was well on the way to easing.   But we're not totally convinced. And we're going to outline why the inflation data isn't as good as it may look at first glance. In doing so, we will at least raise some doubt about the view that rates have peaked. We think they may have, but a residual upside risk still exists, which could also help support the Aussie dollar. So, what happened in November? We prefer to start any analysis of inflation from the perspective of the CPI index, how it's changing month-on-month, and only then what this means to the annual year-on-year inflation rate. That means that fluctuations in the price level a year ago are given a fair chance to affect the inflation rate but have little or no bearing on what the price level is doing now, and we can focus more on monthly fluctuations and their trend run-rate (in practice, the annualised 3m and 6m rates). That also gives us more of a forward look at what we may expect in the coming months. The month-on-month rate for CPI in November came in at 0.33%. If that were repeated for 12 months, it would deliver just over 4% inflation. Fortunately, the trend is not quite so high. The 3m annualised rate is only 2.3%, but this incorporates the 0.33% MoM decline in October, which will drop out of the trend once January data is available and so will probably push higher again. The 6m annualised figure, which dilutes single-month spikes and dips more than the 3m trend, is still running at 4.2% - way above the Reserve Bank of Australia's 2-3% target. Australian annualised CPI %, 3m and 6m
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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Pound's Resilience: A Glimpse into Sterling's Strong Performance Amid Global Currency Movements

Enrique Díaz-Álvarez Enrique Díaz-Álvarez 16.01.2024 12:54
GBP Sterling was the only G10 currency that managed to match the dollar's rise last week, ending higher against every other major currency. Two factors are contributing to the pound's outperformance: resilience in consumer demand, evidenced in recent economic activity data, and Bank of England relative hawkishness, which results in the highest interest rates in the G10 and a comparatively slow timetable for cuts in 2024. This week the focus will be on the November GDP report, out on Friday. Economists expect to see a healthy rebound relative to October's contraction, which would be consistent with the rebound witnessed in the business activity PMI numbers. A technical recession as early as the final quarter of last year remains a possibility following the downward revision to the Q3 data, although we are quietly confident that this will be avoided once the official data for Q4 is released in the middle of February.
Canadian Dollar Faces Crucial Weeks: Inflation Report and Retail Sales to Shape Rate Expectations

Canadian Dollar Faces Crucial Weeks: Inflation Report and Retail Sales to Shape Rate Expectations

Enrique Díaz-Álvarez Enrique Díaz-Álvarez 16.01.2024 14:53
The Canadian dollar has continued to edge lower against its US counterpart since the start of the year, with the USD/CAD pair beginning the week around the 1.34 level, which is around its highest level since the middle of December. We are entering into a highly important couple of weeks for the Canadian dollar. Tuesday’s inflation report will be a highly important one in guiding Bank of Canada interest rate expectations. Economists are pencilling in a monthly contraction in headline consumer prices (-0.3% consensus), which would be only the second negative print in the past year. Retail sales data on Friday should also give policymakers a decent barometer as to how well consumer spending held up towards the end of last year, as we head into the January BoC meeting next Wednesday. No change in rates is seen, although the tone of the bank’s communications will held investors gauge whether we can expect a first cut as early as April, which is currently more than fully priced in by swaps.
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Norwegian Krone Strengthens on Rising Oil Prices and Inflation Data

Enrique Díaz-Álvarez Enrique Díaz-Álvarez 16.01.2024 15:04
The Norwegian krone appreciated against the euro last week, and was by far and away the best performer among the G10 currencies. We largely attribute this outperformance to the increase in global oil prices. Brent crude futures rose above the $80 a barrel level for the first time this year at one stage last week, which is clearly bullish for the Norwegian currency due to its dependence on the commodity.     Wednesday's inflation data also provided some modest support for NOK, as this provided some support for the aggressive stance taken by Norges Bank. Headline inflation remained unchanged at 4.8% in December, remaining at its highest level in three months and in line with market expectations, while core inflation fell to 5.5%. Despite the drop in underlying inflation, it is still too high to be consistent with the central bank's target, supporting the notion that rates are likely to remain high for some time, as warned by Norges Bank in December.
Bank of Canada Preview: Assessing Economic Signals Amid Inflation and Rate Expectations

Bank of Canada Preview: Assessing Economic Signals Amid Inflation and Rate Expectations

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 12:17
Bank of Canada preview: Too early for a radical pivot Core inflation came in hotter than expected in December which rules out the Bank of Canada shifting meaningfully in a dovish direction at the January meeting. However, higher interest rates are biting and we continue to look for rate cuts from the second quarter onwards. US-dependent BoC rate expectations and the Canadian dollar may not move much for now.   Hot inflation warrants caution before dovish turn The Bank of Canada is widely expected to leave the target for the overnight rate at 5% when it meets next week. Policymakers continue to talk of their willingness to “raise the policy rate further if needed”, and inflation does indeed continue to run hotter than the BoC would like, but we see little prospect of any additional policy tightening from here. Instead, the next move is expected to be an interest rate cut, most probably at the April meeting. The latest BoC Business Outlook Survey reported softening demand and “less favourable business conditions” in the fourth quarter with high interest rates having “negatively impacted a majority of firms”, leading to “most firms” not planning to “add new staff”. Job growth does appear to be cooling and the Canadian economy contracted in the third quarter and is expected to post sub 1% growth for the fourth quarter. Also remember that Canadian mortgage rates will continue to ratchet higher for an increasing number of borrowers as their mortgage rates reset after their fixed period ends. This will intensify the financial pressure on households, dampening both consumer spending and inflationary pressures. Unemployment is also expected to rise given the slowdown in job creation and high immigration and population growth rates. Given this backdrop, we expect Canadian headline inflation to slow to 2.7% in the first quarter and get down to 2% in the second versus the consensus forecast of 2.6%. As such, we see scope for the BoC to cut rates by 25bp at every meeting from April onwards – 150bp of interest rate cuts versus the consensus prediction and market pricing of 100bp of policy easing.   Rate expectations in US and Canada   Fighting market doves is still hard Markets currently price in 95/100bp of easing by the Bank of Canada this year. As shown in the chart above, the pricing for rate cuts in the US and Canada has followed a very similar path. The implied timing for the first rate cut is also comparable: May for the Fed (March is 50% priced in), June for the BoC (April is 45% priced in). That is despite the communication by the Federal Reserve which has already pivoted (via Dot Plots) to the easing discussion while the BoC officially still retains a tightening bias. In practice, even if the BoC chooses – as we suspect – to delay a radical dovish pivot and stay a bit more hawkish than the Fed, pricing for the BoC will not diverge too much from that of the Fed. So, the room for a rebound in CAD short-term rates appears more tied to USD rates than BoC communication.     FX: USD/CAD to stabilise In FX, the story isn’t much different. The Canadian dollar has been a de-facto proxy for US-related sentiment, acting less and less as a traditional commodity currency – that would normally be hit by strong US data – thus outperforming the rest of high-beta G10 FX since the start of the year. The rebound in USD/CAD to 1.35 is in line with a restrengthening of the USD primarily due to risk sentiment, positioning and seasonal factors, rather than a divergence in Fed-BoC policy patterns. In fact, the USD-CAD two-year swap rate gap has widened further in favour of CAD so far in January, from 20bp to 32bp.   We expect the impact on CAD from this BoC policy meeting to be modestly positive as expectations of a radical dovish shift are scaled back. However, Governor Tiff Macklem already introduced the idea of rate cuts in a speech this month and will need to acknowledge the downward path for the policy rate to a certain extent. While waiting for the Fed meeting a week later and the crucial US CPI numbers for January, US-dependent rate expectations in Canada may not move much. USD/CAD may trace back to 1.34, but we don’t see much further downside for the pair this quarter as USD shows the last bits of strength.    
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FX Weekly Outlook: Central Bank Meetings and US GDP Take Center Stage

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 12:19
FX Daily: Central bank meetings and US GDP in focus FX markets start the week in quiet fashion. The highlight this week will be central bank meetings in many parts of the world, including Japan and the eurozone. No major changes are expected in developed market monetary policy, but decent fourth quarter US GDP data could see US interest rates back up a little further, keeping the dollar supported.   USD: Dollar can stay supported The dollar looks to be trading in a supported fashion. This year's backup in short-term rates has reined in some of the pro-risk sentiment that dominated markets late last year. This backup in rates has largely been driven by central bankers saying they are in no rush to cut rates. After the informal commentary seen over recent weeks, this week will start to see the formal communication as central banks meet in Japan (Tuesday), Canada (Wednesday), and the eurozone and Norway (Thursday). Like many, we think the earthquake in Japan makes it too early for the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to unwind its Yield Curve Control this week. In fact, there have been surprisingly few source stories ahead of this particular meeting, even though we will see a crucial set of new forecasts for prices and activity. Assuming the BoJ springs no surprise, USD/JPY should continue to hover around 148. For the dollar this week, our macro team forecasts above-consensus fourth quarter GDP on Thursday. This could see the market further pare back Federal Reserve easing expectations this year. The market currently attaches a 43% chance of a cut in March and an easing cycle this year now worth 115bp. An interesting aside. Some US banks are proponents of the March Fed cut because the Fed will probably not be renewing its Bank Term Funding Programme in early March. Currently, it seems that some US banks are using the facility to borrow cheaply (4.87% p.a.) and park money at the Fed (5.30%). The thinking goes that a rate cut in March could smooth funding conditions for the regional banks. We do not subscribe to this view and maintain a call for the first rate cut in May. Beyond the US GDP data this week, Friday sees December personal consumption data, where the deflator is again seen at 0.2% month-on-month. This could deliver a benign end to the week. In all, we would say it looks like a range-bound week for the dollar where DXY could trade out something like a 103-104 range. That will continue to see the market interested in carry, and we note that the Turkish lira and the Indian rupee have still managed to deliver year-to-date total positive returns against the dollar – in a broadly bid dollar environment.
Hawkish Notes and Global Markets: An Overview

Hawkish Notes and Global Markets: An Overview

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 25.01.2024 12:37
Say something hawkish, I'm giving up on you By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank   The week started on a positive note on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Equities in both Europe and the US gained on Monday. The tech stocks continued to do the heavy lifting with Nvidia hitting another record. The positive chip vibes also marked the European trading session; the Dutch semiconductor manufacturer ASML regained its status as the third-largest listed company in Europe, surpassing Nestle, thanks to an analyst upgrade.  Moving forward, the earnings announcements will take the center stage, with Netflix due to announce its Q4 results today after the bell. The streaming giant expects to have added millions more of new paid subscribers to its platform after it scrapped password sharing last year.   Away from the sunny US stocks, the situation is much less exciting for China. Right now, the CSI 300 stocks trade near 5-year lows and Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong are trading with the deepest discount to the mainland peers in 15 years, as the Chinese interventions are said to be less felt in Hong Kong than in the mainland. Today, though, the Chinese stocks are better bid because Chinese Premier Li Qiang called for more effective measures to stabilize the slumping Chinese stocks, but the truth is, investors left Chinese stocks because of the ferocious government crackdown on most loved Chinese companies. Nothing less than drastic financial support would be enough to bring investors back.  The Japanese stocks continue to be the bright spot among the Asian equity markets. The Bank of Japan's (BoJ) negative interest rates, the cheap yen and the positive outcomes of the tech war between the US and China have been pushing the Japanese Nikkei index to multi-decade highs, and these factors are not ready to reverse just yet. Today, the BoJ didn't only announce that it would keep the interest rates unchanged at -0.10% and the upper band for the 10-yer yield steady at 1%, but the bank lowered its inflation forecasts citing the decline in oil prices. We haven't heard the BoJ presser at the time of writing but lowering inflation forecast highlights that there is no emergency to make any changes to the BoJ policy, even less so after a powerful earthquake hit the island at the very beginning of the year. On the contrary, if inflation – which is the bad side of low rates – is under control, the bank would do better to keep the rates low and its economy supported. As such, the USDJPY remains bid above the 148 level after the BoJ decision and before the post-decision presser. The long yen trade looks much less appetizing today than it did by the end of last year. Yet going short the yen is a risky option considering the rising risk of a verbal intervention when the USDJPY approaches the 150 level. Therefore, the USDJPY will likely waver between the 145/150 range, until there is more clarity about the timing of the BoJ normalization.   Elsewhere, the day is expected to unfold slowly. Investors will monitor the Richmond manufacturing index and await Netflix's earnings release. Additionally, attention is on Donald Trump, who has gained favoritism after Ron DeSantis withdrew his support and endorsed Mr. Trump for this year's presidential race. The potential impact of a Trump victory on financial markets is challenging to quantify; he may adopt a tougher stance on China, implement tax cuts, and increase spending, leading to mixed effects.   For those who missed out on the meme stock frenzy, it's however intriguing to observe Trump's special-purpose acquisition company, DWAC, which surged nearly 90% yesterday.  
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Singapore Inflation Surges: MAS Expected to Maintain Policy Amidst Elevated Pressures

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 12:47
Singapore's central bank likely to stand pat after inflation picks up Stubborn inflation points to the Monetary Authority of Singapore standing pat at its 29 January meeting.   December inflation picks up to 3.7% Singapore’s December inflation quickened to 3.7% year-on-year, faster than markets had forecasted (3.5% YoY) and up from the 3.6% YoY reported in the previous month. December saw food inflation moderate to 3.7% YoY (from 4% YoY) while clothing inflation fell 1% YoY.  Forcing headline inflation higher were faster prices increases for transport (3.9% vs 2.8% YoY) and recreation and culture (6.3% vs 5.6% YoY previously). Meanwhile, core inflation, which is the price measured more closely followed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), rose to 3.3% YoY – much higher than expectations of a 3% YoY rise. December’s core inflation was faster than the 3.2% YoY gain recorded in November.   We expect inflation to remain elevated in the near term, with Singapore implementing the second round of increase for the goods and services tax (GST). On top of this, a potential increase in global shipping costs due to issues on security at important shipping lanes could mean that inflation remains sticky in 2024.       Inflation comes in higher than expected, pointing to MAS keeping setting untouched     Faster inflation points to MAS standing pat MAS recently switched to conducting four policy meetings per year, with the first policy meeting for 2024 set for 29 January. With inflation accelerating more than expected and price pressures remaining elevated due to the implementation of GST and potential spikes in global shipping costs, we expect the MAS to retain all policy settings at its upcoming meeting. Furthermore, we believe the MAS will likely want to retain their hawkish bias until they are convinced that core inflation will remain under control.  
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Anticipating a Softening Stance: Projections for New Zealand's 4Q CPI at 4.6%

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 12:51
NZD: We expect 4Q CPI at 4.6% We recently updated our estimates for the fourth quarter CPI in New Zealand, and expect a 0.4% quarter-on-quarter print which translates into 4.6% year-on-year. Consensus is centred at 4.7%, signalling that expectations are for a marked undershot compared to the latest RBNZ fourth quarter CPI projections at 5.0%. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand delivered a hawkish surprise at the November meeting as it signalled no rate cuts until mid-2025 and threatened more tightening if inflationary pressure increased. We think that today’s CPI print will force some softening in the RBNZ’s stance when it announces monetary on 28 February. New projections will be released at the February meeting, and softer than expected growth and (in our view) inflation – as well as a dovish repricing in global rate expectations – may well prompt a revision lower in the rate path. Markets are already pricing in 95-100bp of easing by the end of the year in New Zealand, meaning that NZD is probably more likely to be affected by stronger data and hawkish RBNZ surprises than by a data-miss/dovish surprise combination. For this reason we think that NZD/USD will not get hit hard as the RBNZ pivots to a more dovish stance and still favour the pair to trade higher from the second quarter on the back of a weaker USD and improved risk environment. Today, the rebound in China’s sentiment can help absorb the impact of softer inflation for NZD.    
Surprise Surge in Romanian Inflation Complicates Monetary Policy Strategy

ECB Bank Lending Survey: Signs of Monetary Transmission Persistence

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 13:00
ECB bank lending survey shows monetary transmission persisting Ahead of Thursday's ECB meeting, the bank lending survey provides confirmation that higher interest rates still dampen loan demand from businesses and households. This leaves the outlook for investment rather bleak, but also confirms easing prospects for the central bank later in the year.   The European Central Bank's fourth quarter survey suggests that monetary transmission continues to be forceful, but perhaps somewhat less so than in previous quarters. Banks continued to tighten their credit standards to enterprises and business demand for loans weakened once more, but again, less so than seen previously. This still makes credit standards the strictest and loan demand the weakest seen in a long time. According to the survey, businesses indicated that high interest rates and low demand for fixed investment are the main reasons for weaker loan demand, which makes the outlook for lending and investment quite bleak. For households, credit standards also became somewhat stricter again while terms and conditions of loans eased. Most importantly for the housing market, demand for loans continued to decrease forcefully. Main contributors maintain a downbeat view on the housing market, low consumer confidence and high interest rates. Expectations are for loan demand to slightly improve again in the first quarter, while credit standards are still expected to become stricter. This does cautiously suggest that the eurozone is getting close to the point where the impact of monetary tightening on new loans will ease off slightly. That does not mean, however, that there will be overall easing of conditions. Average interest rate payments are still set to rise as businesses and households have to refinance at higher rates. For the ECB, the survey provides confirmation that monetary transmission remains forceful and that economic activity will remain curbed by tight policy in the coming quarters. That further paves the way for first rate cuts over the course of the year
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Deteriorating Affordability Challenges Spanish Housing Market Growth Amidst Economic Pressures

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 13:27
Deteriorating affordability will dampen Spanish house price growth Despite a 9% drop in property sales last year, Spanish house prices remain firm. Higher interest rates and property prices have greatly worsened affordability, forcing many first-time buyers to postpone their plans. An ING survey shows that 46% of Spanish renters cannot afford to buy their own home.   Sales fall by around 9% by 2023 The number of property sales fell 9% in the first 11 months of 2023. According to figures released by the Spanish statistical office last Friday, the number of property sales was 15% lower in November compared to the corresponding month in 2022. Mortgage demand experienced an even sharper drop, with an 18% drop in the first 10 months of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. This shows that first-time buyers, in particular, are struggling to buy amid rising interest rates. Investors, who are less likely to use a mortgage loan to buy a property, are less interest rate sensitive than first-time buyers, which explains the difference. Moreover, investor demand was supported last year by an increase in the number of foreigners buying homes in Spain.   Spanish house prices still show solid price growth Despite the sharp rise in interest rates and the economic slowdown, Spanish house prices are showing strength. While transaction volumes have seen a significant drop, Spanish house prices continue to rise. In late December, INE revealed that Spanish house prices rose 4.5% in 3Q 2023 compared to the previous year, outperforming the eurozone average, which recorded a 2.2% decline. In Germany, prices fell more than 10% year-on-year. Although fourth-quarter figures are still pending, TINSA data shows that house prices will continue their upward trend until the end of 2023, which could result in average house price growth of around 4.5% for the whole year.   Evolution of house prices 3Q 2023 vs 3Q 2022   New-build homes much more expensive, but expected to level off this year The price of new-build homes rose sharply last year: the price of a new-build home in the third quarter of 2023 was up 11% on last year. In contrast, existing homes experienced a more modest increase of 3.2% over the same period. This year, the strong price increases for new-build homes are expected to level off. Last year, developers still had to pass on a lot of price increases due to sharp increases in the price of building materials due to supply problems following the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this effect will soften in 2024. Construction costs have cooled sharply over the past year. According to figures from the National Bank of Spain, construction costs were slightly (-0.6%) lower than a year ago in October, showing that underlying price pressures have eased sharply   Construction cost index, % YoY   Affordability sharply deteriorated over last two years Affordability has worsened significantly over the past two years due to a sharp rise in interest rates since early 2022, combined with robust growth in house prices. Calculations by the National Bank of Spain show that Spanish families now spend on average 39% of their annual disposable income on mortgage payments in the first year after buying a house. By contrast, the figure was 30% in 2021, underlining the challenges newcomers face when buying a home. Consequently, many first-time buyers have had to postpone their plans to buy a home in recent months due to the mounting financial pressures. Assumptions in compiling the chart below: Gross amount of monthly payments payable by the median household in the first year after the purchase of a typical home financed with a standard loan for 80% of the value of the flat, as a percentage of the household's annual disposable income.   Housing affordability: theoretical monthly repayments without deductions   46% of Spanish renters cannot afford to buy their own home The combination of rising interest rates and continued house price growth has significantly worsened affordability for first-time home buyers, forcing many to stay longer in the rental market. According to an ING survey conducted by IPSOS in November, 46% of Spanish renters said they would like to buy their own home but do not have the financial means to do so. As affordability continues to be under pressure for first-time buyers, demand for rental housing is expected to remain high. Moreover, deteriorating affordability is likely to lead young people to live with their parents for longer. According to the latest Eurostat figures available, Spaniards left their parental homes after an average of 30.3 years in 2022, which is already significantly higher than the eurozone average of 26.3 years. The average age at which people leave the parental home is likely to rise in the 2023-2024 period.   House price growth expected to slow slightly this year but remain strong We expect house price growth of 3% this year, moderating slightly from last year. Several factors that boosted growth last year will slow down now that the catch-up effect has worn off, including the gradual weakening of price increases for new-build homes and less strong demand from foreigners buying a home in Spain. In addition, affordability for first-time buyers will remain under strong pressure, which will put a brake on further price increases. Although interest rates have fallen somewhat in the last few weeks of 2023, affordability remains worse than a few years ago. Moreover, the further downside potential for fixed interest rates is relatively limited. Markets have already strongly anticipated the European Central Bank's first rate cuts this year. Moreover, the ECB will continue to reduce its bond portfolio next year and the precarious state of public finances also limits further downside potential. Therefore, we think long-term interest rates will end this year at about the same level as now. However, floating rates could fall more sharply, especially if the ECB starts cutting policy rates. This could support the market in the second half of the year. In addition, further growth in demand will be a key driver of house prices in the coming years. According to projections by the Spanish statistical office, the number of Spanish households will increase by 2.7 million between 2022 and 2037, representing growth of 14.5%. This will put upward pressure on prices. Moreover, Spaniards themselves are very optimistic about the development of house prices. An ING survey conducted by IPSOS in late November showed that only a minority of 7% thought house prices would fall in 2024. All in all, we expect 3% growth for this year, which in real terms amounts to de facto stagnation, considering the expected inflation of around 3%.   House price evolution Spain, including forecasts ING
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Southern Europe Braces for Deeper Impact in 2024 from ECB Rate Hikes: Changing Economic Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 15:49
Southern Europe to feel the most lingering pain this year from ECB rate hikes The impact of last year's ECB rate hikes is set to have a bigger impact on southern than northern eurozone countries in 2024, according to our research. Asset prices and investments in the south have outperformed those in the north. But rapidly declining borrowing now suggests that that's about to change, not least because debt is rising rapidly   Southern eurozone countries have largely defied the impact of ECB rate hikes up to now While expectations initially were that southern European countries would face significant problems if the European Central Bank were to raise rates aggressively, this has yet to materialise. In fact, it seems to be the other way around: several indicators point to a stronger transmission of tighter monetary policy on northern and not southern European countries. Take the stock market, where performances in northern European main indices have been weaker than in the south. The Euro Stoxx 50 turned down in December 2021 as long-term yields started to increase globally. Since then, the German and French main indices have been up 5%, and the Dutch AEX is down 1.4%. But in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Portugal, the main indices have surged by 16, 11, 45, and 15%. Price developments in the housing market also point to a larger impact in northern Europe. Germany, Netherlands and France have seen house prices fall below their recent highs, while Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece still experience increasing house prices, according to the latest available data.  The surge in investments in Southern European countries is remarkable. Admittedly, there is more to investment than just interest rates; think of the impact of the Recovery and Resilience Fund and possibly the delayed impact of low interest rates and the search for yield, as well as successful structural reforms. Still, investments in Southern European countries increased by some 15% since late 2020, while investments in core countries increased by less than 5% in the same period. We think a change is on the cards.    Investment and house prices have outperformed in southern Europe   Differences in transmission are starting to show As we argued in this recent piece, the pain of monetary tightening is likely to be felt more in 2024 than last year due to the long and variable legs of monetary policy transmission. It just takes a while before the impact of tightening really impacts the economy. There is increasing evidence that the transmission of monetary policy in 2024 will be less favourable for southern European economies. Take the most recent lending data. Lending volumes are currently falling in most southern European economies. In Italy, it's looking really rather serious as the 6% year-on-year fall of borrowing by non-financial corporates is worse than during the Global Financial and euro crises. Spain, Portugal and Italy see declining borrowing volumes for both households and corporates, while northern European economies are still seeing year-on-year growth in borrowing. Belgium and France do particularly well among larger markets, while Germany and Netherlands see stagnation. The differences in lending do not stem from differences in bank rates for new loans, as these don’t diverge materially.   Bank lending growth is diverging quickly, likely resulting in weaker periphery investment
Bank of Canada Contemplates Rate Cut Amid Dovish Shifts and Weak Growth

Bank of Canada Contemplates Rate Cut Amid Dovish Shifts and Weak Growth

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 15:54
Canada edges towards a rate cut in the second quarter Subtle dovish shifts in the Bank of Canada’s thinking and a weak growth backdrop give us increasing confidence that inflation concerns will fade and the BoC will cut rates in 2Q. There may be room for a rebound in short-term CAD rates in the near term though, and USD/CAD could stabilise, but the loonie remains less attractive than the likes of NOK and AUD.   Dovish hints point to cuts The Bank of Canada left monetary policy unchanged at today’s meeting. The target for the overnight rate remains at 5% and the Bank is continuing with quantitative tightening. The market has latched onto the mildly dovish shift in the BoC’s stance with Governor Macklem stating that “there was a clear consensus to maintain our policy at 5%” with the deliberations “shifting from whether monetary policy is restrictive enough to how long to maintain the current restrictive stance”. In this regard the Bank has taken the significant step of removing the line that the Bank “remains prepared to raise the policy rate further if needed” from the accompanying statement. Nonetheless, the Bank remains concerned about the inflation backdrop. It doesn’t expect annual CPI to return to the 2% target until 2025 given “core measures of inflation are not showing sustained declines”, not helped by wages rising 4-5%. That said, there was acknowledgement that the economy “has stalled” with the economy likely stagnating in 1Q 2024. The BoC remains hopeful that it will recover from mid-2024, but the latest BoC Business Outlook Survey reported softening demand and “less favourable business conditions” in the fourth quarter with high interest rates having “negatively impacted a majority of firms”, leading to “most firms” not planning to “add new staff”.  Jobs growth does appear to be cooling and remember, too, that Canadian mortgage rates will continue to ratchet higher for an increasing number of borrowers as their mortgage rates reset after their fixed period ends. In our view this will intensify the financial pressure on households, dampening both consumer spending and inflationary pressures. Unemployment is also expected to rise given the slowdown in job creation and high immigration and population growth rates. Given this backdrop we expect Canadian headline inflation to slow to 2.7% in 1Q and get down to 2% in the second quarter, well ahead of what the BoC expects. Consequently we see scope for the BoC to cut rates by 25bp at every meeting from April onwards (the market is pricing this as a 50:50 call right now). This means 150bp of interest rate cuts versus the consensus prediction and market pricing of 100bp of policy easing. CAD remains less attractive than other commodity currencies The Canadian dollar has weakened following the BoC the announcement, although 2-year CAD yields did not move much after having dropped 10bp to 4.0% since yesterday’s peak on the back of global factors. There may be some room for CAD short-term rates to tick back higher in the near term though, mostly following USD rates. From an FX perspective, it’s key to remember that CAD has been tracking quite closely the dynamics in US data, and that may remain the case until a broader USD decline emerges and favours pro-cyclical currencies such as CAD. We target a move in USD/CAD below 1.30 in the second half of the year, but still see CAD as less attractive than other pro-cyclical currencies like NOK and AUD this year - also due to our expectations for large rate cuts in Canada.
Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

Taming Inflation: March Rate Cut Unlikely Despite Rough 5-Year Auction

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 15:55
Rates Spark: Tame inflation still not enough to trigger a March rate cut US 5yr auction was rough, but Thursday's core PCE should be tame – what then? Likely yields lower, but only temporarily. The ECB takes centre stage with Lagarde anticipated to push back against early rate cut pricing. That may just mean staying away from speculating on timing entirely. What could be a bear flattening impetus if Lagarde disappoints markets.   US 5yr auction was rough, but Thursday's core PCE should be tame – what then? The US 5yr auction tailed, badly. By 2bp (so, it was done at 2bp above subsequent market levels, with a slight lag). The indirect bid (includes central banks) was decent, if not spectacular. The 5yr area is rich to the curve, by some 20bp to an interpolated line between the 2yr and 10yr yields, mostly reflecting a notable inversion along the 2/5yr segment. Still, this is a bit of a disappointment following yesterday's decent 2yr auction. It's also a bit of a reminder of the refunding announcement due on Monday, which is likely to be heavy, with only some morphing of issuance away from longer dates there to take some of the heat away. And we have 7's tomorrow. Should really do better than 5's did, as at least it's higher yielding. Market reaction to the 5yr has been to nudge yields higher. They have been on the turn anyway, post the brief break back below 4% for the 10yr Wednesday morning, and some reasonable ISM data. The 10yr yield moved back up above 4.15%. We still think it gets to the 4.25% area as the March rate cut expectation continues to unwind itself. But Thursday is a day that brings the biggest excuse for yields to test the downside. Our view is if core PCE comes in as expected, it deserves to be met with some downside to yields, as it validates a good reading (2% inflation). But it needs to be better than expected to negate our underlying tactically bearish view. If not, we re-drift higher subsequently, even if that has to wait till next week.   ECB pushback against front-end pricing anticipated The European Central Bank is the key event for European rates markets this week. No one sees a change of policies this time around, so the focus will be entirely on the communication surrounding the eventual turn of the interest rate cycle.   With regards to the expectations of first rate cuts, pricing has moderated a little from the end of last week with the implied probability of a first cut by April now around 70% compared to around 80%. In our view that still looks elevated and is something that most analysts also expect that the ECB will push back against in the press conference. At the same time market pricing for total easing this year hasn't changed that much with still slightly more than 130bp being discounted. Last week the ECB had diminished the impact of its pushback against early pricing by starting to bring up the topic of potential rate cuts in summer. Of course, all these comments came with the large caveats attached pointing to the general data dependency, which the markets seem to conveniently overlook. The outcome of wage negotiations especially still ranks high on things to monitor for ECB officials to make sure inflation will return to target. Just yesterday the eurozone PMIs also showed that price pressures in the services sector were firm and on the rise again.   President Lagarde could reiterate that aggressive pricing of early cuts can have the counter-effect of making them less likely as financial conditions are effectively eased. Keep in mind, the ECB’s December forecasts were based on market rates with a cut-off of 23 November. At that point the December 2024 ECB OIS forward was trading with an implied rate of 3.2% versus 2.6% currently. One effective way to push back against early market pricing would be for the ECB to not even delve into any speculation on when first rate cuts will happen. Markets would not get the confirmation they are looking for and probably pare some of their early pricing further, posing the risk of a bear flattening impact on the curve as a whole. However, we cannot guarantee that in the wake of the ECB meeting officials will stick to this script once they are allowed to talk freely again.   Markets are still seeing good chances for earlier ECB cuts   Thursday's events and market view There will be data to watch such as the German Ifo, but it is clearly the ECB meeting that takes centre stage for EUR rates on Thursday, posing upside risks especially to front-end rates. But shortly before President Lagarde starts the press conference, the US will also release the first reading of its fourth quarter GDP data, including a quarterly core PCE rate likely at the Fed’s 2% again. That may confirm the markets' benign inflation outlook, but at the same time the macro back drop is looking more upbeat as indicated also by the US PMIs yesterday. Other data coming out at the same time are the durable goods orders as well as the initial jobless claims. The latter had surprised by dipping below 200k last week. Thursday’s primary markets will have Italy selling shorter dated bonds as well as inflation linked bonds. The US Treasury will sell new 7Y notes.
Bank of Canada Holds Rates as Governor Macklem Signals Caution Amid Inflation Concerns, USD/CAD Tests Key Support

ECB and US Q4 GDP in Focus: Divergence in Markets and Potential Rate Cut Discussions

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 25.01.2024 15:58
05:40GMT Thursday 25th January 2024 ECB and US Q4 GDP in focus By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) European markets saw a much more positive session yesterday, carrying over the momentum from a buoyant US market, but also getting a lift after China announced a 0.5% cut in the bank reserve requirement rate from 5th February. US markets finished the day mixed with the Dow finishing lower for the 2nd day in succession, while the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 once again set new record highs, as well as record closes, although closing off the highs of the day as yields edged into positive territory. This divergence between the Dow and Russell 2000, both of which closed lower for the second day in succession, and the Nasdaq 100 and S&P500 might be a cause for concern, given how US market gains appear to be being driven by a small cohort of companies share prices. Today's focus for European markets which are set to open slightly lower, is on the ECB and the press conference soon after with Christine Lagarde, where apart from questions on timelines about possible rate policy, Lagarde could face some questions a little closer to home amidst dissatisfaction over her leadership style from ECB staffers. When looking at the economic performance of the euro area, we've seen little in the way of growth since Q3 of 2022, while inflation has also been slowing sharply. Yet for all this economic weakness, a fact which was borne out by yesterday's flash PMI numbers, especially in the services sector, the ECB has been insistent it is not close to considering a cut in rates, having hiked as recently as last September. Only as recently as last week we heard from a few governing council members of their concerns about cutting too early, yet when looking at the data, and the fact that the German economy is on its knees, the ECB almost comes across as masochistic in its desire to combat the risks of a return of inflation. In a way it's not hard to understand given that after November headline inflation slowed to 2.4%, it picked up again in December to 2.9%, while core prices slowed to 3.4%. This rebound in headline inflation while no doubt driven by base effects will be used as evidence from the hawks on the governing council that rates need to stay high, however there is already evidence that the consensus on rates is splintering, and while no more rate hikes are expected the economic data increasingly supports the idea of a cut sooner rather than later. Markets currently have the ECB cutting rates 4 times this year in increments of 25bps, starting in June, although given the data we could get one in April. This contrasts with the market pricing up to 6 rate cuts from the Federal Reserve despite the US economy being magnitudes stronger than in Europe. No changes are expected today with the main ECB refinancing rate currently at 4.5%, however Q4 GDP due next week, and January CPI due on 1st February calls for a March/April rate cut could start to get louder in the weeks ahead, especially since PPI has been in deflation for the last 6 months. US bond markets appear to be starting to have second thoughts about the prospect of 6 rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year, although there is still some insistence that a March cut remains a realistic possibility. Today's US Q4 GDP numbers might bury the prospect of that idea once and for all if we get a reading anywhere close to 2%. This seems rather counterintuitive when you think about it, the idea that the Fed would cut before the ECB when Europe is probably in recession and the US economy is growing at a reasonable rate, albeit at a slower pace than in Q3. Expectations for Q4 are for the economy to have slowed to an annualised 1.9% to 2%, which would be either be the weakest quarter of 2023 or match it. Nonetheless the resilience of the US consumer has been at the forefront of the rebound in US growth seen over the past 12 months, with a strong end to the year for consumer spending. This rather jars against the idea that US GDP growth might get revised lower in the coming weeks as some have been insisting. If you look at the December control group retail sales numbers, they finished the year strongly and these numbers get included as a part of overall GDP. Weekly jobless claims are also at multi-month lows of 187k, and while we could see a rise to 200k even here there is no evidence that the US economy is slowing in such a manner to suggest anything other than a modest slowdown as opposed to a sudden stop or hard landing.  The core PCE Q/Q price index is expected to slow from the 3.3% seen in Q3 to around 2%, which may not be enough to prompt a softening in yields unless we drop below 2%. EUR/USD – pushed up to the 1.0930 area before retreating. While above the 200-day SMA at 1.0830, the bias remains for a move higher towards the main resistance up at 1.1000.  GBP/USD – pushed up towards 1.2775 yesterday with support at the 50-day SMA as well as the 1.2590 area needed to hold or risk a move lower towards the 200-day SMA at 1.2540. We need to get above 1.2800 to maintain upside momentum. EUR/GBP – fell to 0.8535 before rebounding modestly. Also have support at the 0.8520 area, with resistance at the 0.8620/25 area and the highs last week. USD/JPY – finding a few offers at the 148.80 area over the last 3days which could see a move back towards the 146.25 area. A fall through 146.00 could delay a move towards 150 and argue for a move towards 144.00. FTSE100 is expected to open 19 points lower at 7,508 DAX is expected to open 36 points lower at 16,854 CAC40 is expected to open 10 points lower at 7,445.  
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When do you start to worry about Chinese stimulus? - Market Analysis by Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst at Swissquote Bank

Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya 25.01.2024 16:00
  When do you start to worry about Chinese stimulus?  By Ipek Ozkardeskaya, Senior Analyst | Swissquote Bank  The stock rally continued on both sides of the Atlantic on Wednesday; the technology and chip stocks remained in the driver seat. Sentiment in Europe was bolstered by an almost 9% rally in ASML on news that their orders more than tripled last quarter. Now, there is a catch. A third of the $10 billion dollar worth of orders came from China as Chinese companies rushed to buy these machines by the end of last year before the US and Dutch chip ban came into effect. But even if the Chinese demand will fade away, ASML says that it expects its sales to remain steady thanks to AI demand..  As such, the ASML news also boosted the stock prices of our favourite AI plays. Nvidia hit another record yesterday, TSM extended gains, Microsoft was worth $3 trillion for some time. The S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 hit a fresh record, and Netflix – which has nothing to do with AI, but which was just cheering its 13-mio new subscribers for the latest quarter - jumped 10%.   In summary, all goes well for those who are in the technology boat sailing north. For the rest, skepticism best describes how they feel about an unsustainable rise in valuations.   Tesla misses, Intel next.  Tesla missed estimates in its latest quarterly earnings report and warned that its EV sales growth will be 'notably lower' and that the numbers will suffer until the company comes up with a cheaper model. The series of price cuts weren't enough to bolster demand in a way to keep the company smiling and profits rising – sufficiently. As such, Tesla refused to offer a specific growth target and its share price took a 6% hit in the afterhours trading. Intel is due to report its earnings today.   Connecting the dots  The Chinese are serious about bolstering their economy and they look like they are getting to a place where they are ready to do whatever it takes to reverse the slowing trend.  In addition to a series of market stimulus news, the People' Bank of China (PBoC) announced yesterday that it will cut the reserve ratio for the banks by 50bp from February to release more liquidity to bolster stock valuations The latter will free up to an additional trillion yuan, which equals $139bn US dollars.  Will it help? Well, we will see. The good news is, if it doesn't, the Chinese will continue until it does.   The CSI 300 finally sees some positive reaction, stocks in Hong Kong are up 10% since Monday, American crude is drilling above the $75pb per barrel and copper futures – which are a gauge of global growth – also seem gently convinced that the Chinese will put all their weight – all they need to – to make things better.   But note that China's supportive policies may not echo well across the developed markets' central banks, because the Chinese stimulus – if successful – should boost global inflation and interfere with DM central banks' plans to loosen policies.   BoC calls the end of tightening, ECB next to speak.  But until we see concrete results from Chinese measures, softer policies remain the base-case scenario for the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the other major central banks (except Japan). In this context, the Bank of Canada (BoC) kept its rates unchanged at yesterday's meeting and called the end of rate hikes. The European Central Bank (ECB) will meet today and will certainly vehicle the same message - that policy tightening is over. But that's not enough.  When it comes to the ECB, what investors want to know is WHEN the ECB will start cutting the inteerest rates. If we had this conversation two weeks ago, I would say that the ECB would push back on expectations of premature rate cuts. But after having heard Christine Lagarde say that the first rate cut could come in summer, I am more balanced going into the meeting. Inflation has come lower – but we saw an uptick in the latest figures. The rising shipping costs and the positive pressure in oil prices mean that upside risks prevail. Yet the slowdown in European economies calls for lower rates. Released yesterday, the Eurozone PMI figures showed that aggregate activity remained in the contraction zone for the 8th straight month and slow down accelerated in January – except for manufacturing.   A hedge fund called Qube apparently built a $1 bn short position against German stocks, and Goldman Sachs says that a Trump presidency would increase risks for European businesses, and economically sensitive pockets of the market, like the German industries, would be the most exposed.  
EUR: Lagarde Balances Data Dependency Amidst Rate Cut Speculations

EUR: Lagarde Balances Data Dependency Amidst Rate Cut Speculations

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 16:04
EUR: Lagarde will try to hold the data dependency line As Francesco Pesole discusses in our ECB Cheat Sheet, President Christine Lagarde will try to avoid being drawn into any pre-commitment over a summer rate cut. In theory then, if she can avoid this and leave markets with a sense that the European Central Bank is truly data-dependent, short-term euro interest rates could nudge a little higher and support FX pairs like EUR/USD and EUR/CHF. For reference, the market still prices 17bp of ECB rate cuts for the 17 April meeting, whereas our team only sees the easing cycle starting in June once the ECB has a better understanding of the spring wage round. We would say that the ECB event risk (statement 14:15CET, press conference 14:45CET) proves a mild upside risk to EUR/USD - but the carpet could be pulled from under the euro should President Lagarde somehow convey the message that the policy rate will be getting cut in the summer after all. 1.0850-1.0950 looks the EUR/USD range, with outside risk to 1.0980/90 should the ECB pushback against easing expectations prove surprisingly effective. Elsewhere Norges Bank announces rates today. The policy rate was hiked to 4.50% in December - so it would seem far too soon for Norges Bank to embrace any idea of easing. However, the Norwegian krone has been suffering a little this year as the backup in market interest rates has hit the risk environment. In all, we suspect EUR/NOK needs to trade a little longer in this 11.35-45 range.
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The Deliberate Comments of Deputy Governor Virág: Anticipating a 100bp Rate Cut by National Bank of Hungary

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 16:33
The comments of Deputy Governor Virág were deliberate However, on 17 January Deputy Governor Virág spoke at the Euromoney conference in Vienna, and his remarks tilted our rate cut expectations from 75bp to 100bp. He conveyed the message that: “based on the information available, there were as many reasons for a 75bp cut as there were for a 100bp cut at the January meeting”. We believe that these comments are more likely to indicate an increase in the pace of rate cuts, as they were made in the context of weighing the favourable developments in internal factors against unfavourable developments in external factors   Our call Against this backdrop, we see the National Bank of Hungary cutting the base rate by 100bp on 30 January. This could bring the key rate down to 9.75% after the rate-setting meeting, while we expect the Monetary Council to also cut both ends of the rate corridor by 100-100bp. There remains one major factor that poses a downside risk to our call and that is FX stability. We believe that if we were to see a further marked deterioration in EUR/HUF, this would encourage the central bank to remain more cautious and maintain the previous pace of 75bp of easing. However, as the central bank will certainly remain in data-dependency mode, this does not mean that 100bp cuts will be automatic going forward. Rather, we expect the NBH to cautiously assess both internal and external developments and act accordingly on a meeting-by-meeting basis. Our view on the pace of disinflation has not changed, as we expect disinflation to continue forcefully in the first quarter, but then to stall from the second quarter onwards as base effects reverse. This means that, on the basis of current information, we expect the pace of rate cuts to be reduced at the March meeting.   Our market views The Hungarian forint outperformed its CEE peers significantly in the first days of the year with lows below 378 EUR/HUF. However, we turned negative on HUF ahead of the December inflation reading due to significant divergence between FX and rates, which proved to be the right decision. HUF has since weakened by 2% flushing out the long positioning that the market had built in the last two months. Of course, EUR/HUF is one of the main, if not most important, factors influencing the speed of the NBH rate cut.   CEE currencies vs EUR (end 2022 = 100%) For now, we think EUR/HUF levels of 386-387 are still comfortable for the central bank, however, we believe that above 390 the NBH would start to consider a more cautious approach with a hard stop above 395, i.e. only a 75bp rate cut.  We believe the gap between FX and rates that we pointed to earlier has been closed, but positioning and global risk-off sentiment affecting the entire CEE region could push EUR/HUF higher, which would raise the risk to our NBH call   Hungarian yield curve   After a huge rally in rates in the first half of January, the market pressure eased and some bets on rate cuts were taken back. However, the curve continues to steepen with the 2s10s IRS within reach of zero, significantly outperforming CEE peers at the moment. However, if the NBH delivers a 100bp rate cut as we expect, the market will move back to where it was after the December inflation reading and comments from NBH officials. That's why we like getting rates at these levels at the short end of the curve. Looking even better in our view are Hungarian Government Bonds (HGBs) which have also sold off and are not trading far off the IRS curve. So with a very favourable inflation profile for the coming months and the central bank cutting rates, we see good value here once again. Additionally, the supply side of HGBs looks good, with a significant drop in net supply in particular, from last year.  
FX Daily: Lower US Inflation Could Spark Real Rate Debate

ECB Maintains Status Quo with No Hints on Future Direction

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 16:37
No hints on future direction as ECB keeps everything on hold No changes from the European Central Bank. And the policy statement gives no hints of possible next steps.   The European Central Bank just announced its rate decisions and surprise, surprise, all policy interest rates remain on hold. In the press release, the ECB didn’t give away any new hints on future policy shifts; it's almost a verbatim copy of the December statement. Today’s meeting is mainly an intermediate one, waiting for the bank's next round of economic forecasts in March. If anything, it could give somewhat more guidance about potential next steps. Financial markets have been pricing in the first rate cuts for April. In the inner logic of the ECB’s macro models, these market prices make the need for actual policy rate cuts less urgent. Financing conditions have eased since early December, doing the work actual rate cuts should do: supporting growth but also pushing up inflation risks. Consequently, the more aggressive the market prices future rate cuts, the less needed and likely those cuts will be. As long as actual inflation remains closer to 3% than 2%, the ECB will not look into possible rate cuts. It would require a severe recession or a sharp drop in longer-term inflation forecasts to clearly below 2% to see a rate cut in the coming months. We continue seeing a first rate cut not before the summer. Let’s see whether ECB president Christine Lagarde will add even more flavour to the ECB’s current inflation assessment and discussions about next steps. Don’t forget that at the last meeting in December, the ECB didn’t even discuss rate cuts. The press conference will start at 2.45pm CET.  
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

ECB Maintains Rates and Communication, Labels Discussion of Rate Cuts as Premature; Lagarde Stresses Importance of Wage Developments

ING Economics ING Economics 25.01.2024 16:40
ECB keeps rates and communication unchanged, discussion of rate cuts premature European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde stressed during the press conference that any discussion on rate cuts was still premature.   At today’s meeting, the European Central Bank kept everything unchanged: both policy rates and communication. The press release with the policy announcements is almost a verbatim copy of the December statement. The ECB only dropped two phrases that could be interpreted as opening the door to rate cuts very softly: the December comments on domestic price pressure being elevated, and the temporary pick-up in inflation. The fact that these two phrases were dropped, however, could also simply be linked to the fact that there are no new forecasts. And during the press conference, ECB President Lagarde mentioned that observers shouldn’t pay too much attention to subtle changes in the text. Admittedly, we don’t know what to do with this comment, bearing in mind that central bankers are normally known for weighing every single word and comma in their communication. Also during the press conference, Lagarde stressed that the Governing Council had concluded that any discussion on rate cuts was currently premature. She repeated the importance of wage developments in the coming months for the next ECB steps, pointing to some indicators that already show some slowing in wage growth. While this could be seen as a very tentative shift towards more dovishness, Lagarde also emphasised the need for inflation to be on a sustainable downward trend. Asked whether she would repeat her statement from last week in Davos that rate cuts by the summer were likely, Lagarde replied that she always stood by what she had said. Even though we today learned that we shouldn’t pay too much attention to every single word, we do remember that Lagarde said in November last year that the ECB wouldn’t cut rates in the next couple of quarters. Combining these two comments would imply that a first rate cut could not come in June but only in July at the earliest. However, past experience has shown that the ECB president is not necessarily the best ECB forecaster.   We stick to our call of a June cut Looking ahead, today’s meeting once again stressed that the ECB is in no position to start cutting rates soon. In any case, even if actual growth continues to turn out weaker than the ECB had expected every single quarter, as long as the eurozone remains in de facto stagnation mode and doesn’t slide into a more severe recession, and as long as the ECB continues to predict a return to potential growth rates one or two quarters later, there is no reason for the ECB to react to more sluggish growth with imminent rate cuts. Also, the job of bringing inflation back to target is not done yet. In the coming months, inflation developments will be determined by two opposing trends: more disinflation and potentially even deflation as a result of weaker demand, but also new inflationary pressures due to less favourable base effects, new inflationary pressure as a result of the tensions in the Suez Canal as well as government interventions in some countries, above all Germany. As long as actual inflation remains closer to 3% than 2%, the ECB will not look into possible rate cuts. It would require a severe recession or a sharp drop in longer-term inflation forecasts to clearly below 2% to see a rate cut in the coming months. We continue to believe that a first rate cut will not come before June.
Bowim's 4Q23 Outlook: Navigating Short-Term Challenges, Poised for Long-Term Growth

Bowim's 4Q23 Outlook: Navigating Short-Term Challenges, Poised for Long-Term Growth

GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 GPW’s Analytical Coverage Support Programme 3.0 26.01.2024 13:29
Our approach to Bowim does not change. We believe 4Q23 financial results should not differ much from the Company’s performance in the previous quarters. We expect material improvement next year and onwards, as the funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan coupled with favorable regulatory changes in the domestic infrastructure will hopefully materialize which should support the expected economic rebound In 4Q23 we expect a slight qoq decrease in volumes. As steel prices flattened in 4Q23, we believe metallurgical products prices were probably lower qoq (in 3Q23 steel prices plunged). Therefore, we expect a further decrease of the Company’s total revenues to PLN 452.6 million (down 6% qoq and down 18% yoy). The positive impact of steel prices flattening on the Company’s profitability should be visible at the end of 4Q23, albeit we believe it should be moderate. We expect 4Q23 EBITDA and EBIT to reach PLN 10.0 million and PLN 7.8 million, respectively, which implies the EBITDA/EBIT margin at 2.2%/ 1.7%. In 4Q23 lower interest rates should be reflected in the Company’s performance and we expect a slightly better qoq net financial result. We forecast 4Q23 net profit at c. PLN 2.7 million (up 140% yoy due to the low base effect). Incorporating 4Q23 forecasts resulted in a slight modification of our assumptions for FY23. Our 12M EFV stays intact.    
Crude Oil Eyes 200-DMA Amidst Positive Growth Signals and Inflation Concerns

Treading Cautiously: Markets Await Today's Core PCE Data for Fed Insight

Michael Hewson Michael Hewson 26.01.2024 14:13
Today's core PCE the next key signpost ahead of next weeks Fed meeting By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European markets managed to eke out a small gain yesterday after the ECB kept rates unchanged but left the door ajar to the prospect of a rate cut before the summer. ECB President Christine Lagarde did push back strongly on speculation that policymakers had discussed anything like that insisting that such talk was premature, echoing her comments made earlier this month. It was noteworthy however that the possibility of a cut before June wasn't ruled out completely, and it was that markets reacted to yesterday as yields declined sharply, which does keep the prospect of an earlier move on the table given how poor this week's economic data has been.   US markets also managed to finish the day higher with the S&P500 and Nasdaq 100 putting in new record closes, after US Q4 GDP came in well above expectations at 3.3%. The core PCE price index also remained steady at 2% for the second quarter in succession, and in line with the Federal Reserve's inflation target, thus keeping faint hopes of a US rate cut in March alive. It also places much greater importance on today's December core PCE deflator inflation numbers which aren't expected to vary much from what we saw in the November numbers. At the moment markets seem convinced that the Fed might spring a surprise in March and slip in an early rate cut if inflation shows further signs of slowing. That might make sense if the US economy was struggling but this week's economic numbers clearly suggest it isn't, and if anything is still growing at a decent clip. There is a danger that in cutting rates in March they drive market expectations of further cuts into overdrive, something they have been keen to push back on with recent commentary.   In any case with the Federal Reserve due to meet next week markets are continuing to try and finesses the timing of when the first rate cut is likely to occur, after Powell's surprisingly dovish shift when the central bank last met just before Christmas. That means today PCE numbers are likely to be a key waypoint for markets and the central bank, after the PCE core deflator slowed to 3.2% in November, slipping from 3.4% in October, and the lowest level since April 2021. A further slowdown to 3% or even lower, which appears to be the consensus could see markets continue to build on the prospect of a rate cut in March, which took hold back in December. The bigger concern for some Fed officials is that headline CPI appears to be ticking higher again, which may make the last yards to 2% much trickier. This will be the Fed's key concern over an early cut as it could reignite the inflationary pressures that have taken so long to get under control. This caution would suggest that March is too early for a US rate cut, and that the market is getting ahead of itself, with policymakers also likely to pay attention to consumer demand. This means personal spending is also likely to be a key indicator for the FOMC and here we are expecting to see a pickup to 0.5% from 0.2%. With the US consumer still looking resilient the Fed is likely to be extra cautious if inflation starts ticking higher again as it already has with headline CPI.   It was also interesting to note that while yields fell sharply yesterday, the US dollar didn't, it actually finished the day higher and well off the lows of the week.       EUR/USD – slipped back towards the 200-day SMA at 1.0820/30 yesterday, with a break below 1.0800 targeting a potential move towards 1.0720. Resistance at the highs this week at 1.0930 and behind that at 1.1000.  GBP/USD – while the pound has struggled to push higher this week, we've managed to consistently hold above the support at the 50-day SMA as well as the 1.2590 area. We need to get above 1.2800 to maintain upside momentum. EUR/GBP – finally slipped to support at the 0.8520 area, which needs to hold to prevent a move towards the August lows at 0.8490. Resistance at the 0.8620/25 area and the highs last week. USD/JPY – currently finding resistance at the 148.80 area which has held over the last week or so which could see a move back towards the 146.25 area. A fall through 146.00 could delay a move towards 150 and argue for a move towards 144.00. FTSE100 is expected to open 30 points higher at 7,559 DAX is expected to open 50 points lower at 16,857 CAC40 is expected to open 28 points higher at 7,492.
Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

Federal Reserve's Stance: Holding Rates Steady Amidst Market Expectations, with a Cautionary Tone on Overly Aggressive Rate Cut Pricings

ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2024 14:21
Federal Reserve to downplay chances of imminent action while holding rates steady The dovish shift in Fed forecasts in December – with three rate cuts pencilled in for 2024 – incentivised the market to push even more aggressively in pricing cuts. However, they appear to have gone too far too fast for the Fed’s liking, even though inflation is almost back to target.   Expect more pushback against a March rate cut The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep the Fed funds target range unchanged at 5.25-5.50% next Wednesday while continuing the process of shrinking its balance sheet via quantitative tightening – allowing $60bn of maturing Treasuries and $35bn of agency mortgage backed securities to run off its balance sheet each month.  At the December Federal Open Market Committee meeting there was undoubtedly a dovish shift. We got an acknowledgement that growth "has slowed from its strong pace in the third quarter" plus a recognition that "inflation has eased over the past year". With policy regarded as being in restrictive territory, the updated dot plot of individual forecasts indicated the committee was coalescing around the view that it would likely end up cutting the policy rate by 75bp this year.  This was interpreted by markets as giving them the green light to push on more aggressively. Given the Fed’s perceived conservative nature the risks were skewed towards them eventually implementing even more than it was publicly suggesting. At one point seven 25bp moves were being priced by markets with the first cut coming in March. A March interest rate cut looked too soon to us given strong growth and the tight jobs market, so the recent Fed official commentary downplaying the chances of an imminent move hasn’t come as a surprise. Markets are now pricing just a 50% chance of such a move with nothing priced for the 31 January FOMC.   Fed funds target rate (%) and the period of time between the last rate hike and first rate cut in a cycle   But the statement will shift to neutral In terms of the accompanying statement we do expect further changes. The December FOMC text added the word “any” to the sentence “in determining the extent of any additional policy firming that may be appropriate to return inflation to 2 percent over time”, offering a clear hint that that interest rates have peaked. The commentary ahead of the blackout period had suggested the Fed saw no imminent need for a rate cut, so we expect it to continue to push back against an early move, but continuing talk of rate hikes in the press statement is not going to look particularly credible to markets. The Fed could choose to go back to its previous stock phraseology (used in January 2019 when it held policy steady after it had hiked rates one last time in December 2018) that “in determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess realised and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective”.   And rate cuts are coming... Despite this, we believe the Fed will end up delivering substantial interest rate cuts. We continue to see some downside risks for growth in the coming quarters relative to the consensus as the legacy of tight monetary policy and credit conditions weighs on activity and Covid-era accrued household savings provide less support. Inflation pressures are subsiding with the quarter-on-quarter annualised core personal consumer expenditure deflator effectively saying 'job done' after two consecutive quarters of 2% prints. The Fed’s current view is that the neutral Fed funds rate is 2.5%, signalling scope for 300bp of rate cuts just to get us to 'neutral' policy rates. Moreover, the 'real' policy rate, adjusted for inflation, will continue to rise as inflation moderates. We believe the Fed will choose to wait until May to make the first move, with ongoing subdued core inflation measures giving it the confidence to cut the policy rate down to 4% by the end of this year versus the 4.5% consensus forecast, and 3% by mid-2025. This will merely get us close to neutral territory. If the economy does enter a more troubled period and the Fed needs to move into 'stimulative' territory there is scope for much deeper cuts.   The Fed is knee-deep in technical adjustments, and there's likely more to come on the QT front One item has already been dealt with ahead of the FOMC meeting – the end of the Bank Term Funding facility. See more on that here. One of the takeaways is the notion that the Fed is comfortable with the system. That at least sends a comfort signal to the market. In that vein, the Fed ignited an accelerated discussion on potential tapering of the its quantitative tightening (QT) agenda ahead. Currently the Fed is allowing some $95bn of bonds to roll off its balance sheet on a monthly basis. So far this has not pressured bank reserves, which are in the $3.5bn area. The Fed has been quoted as viewing this as comfortable, with the implication that they can fall, but not by too much. The 10% of GDP back-of-the-envelope target would be in the area of $3tn. Most of the pressure from QT programme is being felt through lower reverse repo balances going back to the Fed on the overnight basis. Ongoing balances there are running at around $550bn, down by some $1.8tn since March 2023. That pace of fall is in excess of the monthly pace of QT. The residual is accounted for by a rise in the US Treasury cash balances at the Fed. Bottom line, there are two sources of comfort here. First, room from the reverse repo balance of $550bn. That can get to zero without a material impact on bank reserves. Second, the fact that bank reserves themselves have a $500bn comfort factor between $3.5tn now to the $3tn area neutral. There is no urgency for Fed to set a plan in place, but it seems they want to get cracking on it. It’s likely the Fed formulates a plan to slow the pace of QT over the second half of the year, as by mid-year we expect to see the reverse repo balances pretty close to zero. Maybe cut it by a third for starters. We’d then be on a glide path over the second half of 2024 where bank reserves would begin to ease lower. We’d then expect QT to have concluded by year-end. Over to the Fed to see how they deal with it.   Dollar bears require patience We feel it is a little too early for the Fed to pump more air into the easing narrative and would probably prefer to let the data do the talking. However, the conviction is there in markets that the Fed and other major central banks will be in a position to cut later this year. This suggests that the dollar does not have to rally too far on any Fed remarks seen as less than dovish. For the time being we see no reason to argue with seasonal factors which normally keep the dollar strong through the early months of the year. We retain a 1.08 EUR/USD target for the end of the first quarter, but expect a clearer upside path to develop through the second quarter once the first Fed cut looks imminent.   
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Federal Reserve's Stance: Unchanged Rates and the Lingering Dovish Shadow

ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2024 14:24
US: Federal Reserve expected to keep the Fed funds target range unchanged at 5.25-5.50% The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep the Fed funds target range unchanged at 5.25-5.50% on Wednesday while continuing the process of shrinking its balance sheet via quantitative tightening. At its December FOMC meeting we saw a dovish shift from the Fed, signalling that it expected to cut the policy rate by 75bp this year. Given the perception that the Fed always starts out conservatively and typically ends up shifting policy by more than initially suggested, this was interpreted by markets as giving them the green light to push on more aggressively. Just a few weeks ago seven 25bp moves were being priced by markets for this year with the first cut coming in March, but recent strong jobs and activity data have since scaled that back to a 50-50 call while Fed commentary has also suggested that FOMC members are not in a hurry to cut. Nonetheless, inflation pressures continue to softenc, with the Fed’s favoured measure of inflation, the core PCE deflator, running at 2% annualised for two consecutive quarters. We think it is only a matter of time before they do indeed cut interest rates, but we think the starting point will be in May. We continue to see some downside risks for growth in the coming quarters relative to the consensus as the legacy of tight monetary policy and credit conditions weighs on activity and Covid-era accrued household savings provide less support. Our forecast is for the Fed funds target range to be cut to 3.75-4% by the end of this year. On Friday, we have the US jobs report for January. It does feel as though there have been a growing number of job lay-off announcements, but this is not apparent in jobless claims data. We have little survey data to go on at this stage, but given the strength in activity numbers, there seems little reason to expect the jobs market to roll over. We look for payrolls growth of around 200,000, once again led by government, leisure and hospitality and education and healthcare services. Nonetheless, the household survey is expected to show the unemployment rate ticking a little higher to 3.8%.  
All Eyes on US Inflation: Impact on Rate Expectations and Market Sentiment

Bank of England Maintains Caution Amid Inflation Improvement: Rate Cut Expectations on the Horizon

ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2024 14:26
UK: Bank of England to drop tightening bias but remain cautious on rate cuts The Bank of England was careful not say anything at the December meeting that could be misconstrued as an endorsement of market pricing on rate cuts. Investors are currently pricing roughly 100bp of cuts this year. But the reality is that defending a “higher for longer” stance on interest rates is getting harder to defend as the inflation backdrop shows signs of improving. Both services inflation and private-sector wage growth, the two variables guiding BoE policy right now, are well below the Bank’s November projections. Even so, we expect the Bank will still want to tread carefully. Lower market rates will at least offset the recent improvement in inflation and it’s possible the BoE’s two year-ahead forecast will be a little above 2%. What really matters for markets though are what the Bank does to its policy statement. We suspect it will drop the suggestion that it could raise rates further, but keep the signal that rates need to stay restrictive for an extended period. As for the vote split, we suspect the hawks will finally throw in the towel and stop voting for a rate hike. At the same time, we think it’s probably too early to see the doves voting for a cut. That leads us to expect a unanimous decision to keep rates on hold.  
Political Developments Shape CEE Market Landscape: Hungary's Surprising Hawkish Turn, Poland's Government Tensions, and EU Summit Accor

Japanese Yen Drifts as Tokyo Core CPI Falls to 1.6%

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.01.2024 14:41
The Japanese yen is drifting on Friday. In the European session, USD/JPY is trading at 147.80, up 0.10%. Tokyo Core CPI falls to 1.6% Tokyo Core CPI reached a significant milestone today, falling to 1.6% y/y in January, after a December reading of 2.1%. This was the first time the indicator dropped below the Bank of Japan’s 2% target since May 2022. The main driver of the decline was lower energy prices. Tokyo Core CPI excludes fresh food but includes fuel. The Tokyo core-core index, which excludes fresh food and fuel prices, rose 3.1% y/y in January, down from 3.5% in December. The drop in inflation reinforces the BoJ’s view that cost pressures are gradually being replaced by rising service prices as the main driver of inflation. This is hugely significant, as it points to inflation being more sustainable, which is a requirement for the BoJ before it tightens its ultra-loose policy. Japan also released corporate service inflation for December which held steady at 2.4%, a nine-year high. That reading underscores that service prices remain high a companies continue to pass on their costs. BoJ Governor Ueda stated at this week’s policy meeting that progress is being made towards the target of 2% sustainable inflation, and that has the markets speculating that the BoJ could make a major policy shift in April or June. The BoJ wants to see higher wages as evidence that inflation is sustainable and the national wage negotiations in March are expected to provide higher wages for workers.   In the US, the first-estimate GDP for the fourth quarter smashed above expectations, but the US dollar didn’t show much interest. GDP growth rose 3.3% y/y, below the 4.9% gain in the third quarter but well above the consensus estimate of 2.0%. The US economy continues to produce stronger-than-expected data and that has the markets paring expectations for a rate cut in March. The probability of a March cut has fallen to 48%, down sharply from 70% one month ago, according to the CME’s FedWatch tool. . USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY tested support earlier at 147.54. Below, there is support at 146.63 There is resistance at 148.44 and 149.35
Tepid ECB Holds Rates, Lagarde Eyes Summer Cut, EURUSD Consolidation

Tepid ECB Holds Rates, Lagarde Eyes Summer Cut, EURUSD Consolidation

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.01.2024 14:45
ECB leaves rates on hold Lagarde still eyeing summer rate cut EURUSD consolidating after correction The European Central Bank left interest rates on hold on Thursday and claimed inflation is progressing towards its target while giving no clear guidance on when interest rates will start falling. We came into the new year with markets pricing in a March rate cut and that is now looking increasingly difficult. Even with a late pivot – which was always likely the strategy of the central bank – policymakers would have to signal that a rate cut is a live possibility over the next six weeks in appearances made between meetings. That’s not impossible but it’s arguably not particularly transparent. The data is unlikely to surprise to that degree. President Christine Lagarde and some colleagues have previously indicated a rate cut in summer may be appropriate but investors are not convinced we’ll have to wait that long. Lagarde stuck with that today while suggesting demand was weaker, as is the economy, and inflation is falling. Perhaps this is her way of leaving the door slightly ajar for March or maybe the usual lack of clear guidance has left everyone desperately looking for something that isn’t there. I get the feeling Lagarde and her colleagues wanted to give absolutely nothing away today, instead opting for an array of vague, uninformative statements that buy them six more weeks before they may have to say or do something. A bullish correction or sideways continuation?   The euro has drifted lower after the announcement and press conference but it hasn’t broken out of the range it’s traded in over the last week or so. EURUSD Daily Source – OANDA The correction we’ve seen since the turn of the year appears to be running on fumes but there’s still a question of whether this is just that, and will turn higher and look to break the highs, or just a continuation of the longer term sideways trend. There are some important support levels between 1.07 and 1.0850 which could tell us which is the case.  
The Japanese yen retreats as US GDP soars 3.3% in Q4

The Japanese yen retreats as US GDP soars 3.3% in Q4

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.01.2024 14:46
The Japanese yen has edged lower on Thursday. In the North American session, USD/JPY is trading at 147.62, up 0.08%. US GDP roars with 3.3% gain The US economy continues to surprise with stronger-than-expected data. On Wednesday, the services and manufacturing PMIs both accelerated and beat the estimates, followed by first-estimate GDP for the fourth quarter earlier today. The economy sparkled with an expansion of 3.3% q/q, blowing past the consensus estimate of 2.0%. This follows the blowout gain of 4.9% in the third quarter. Consumer spending remained strong at 2.8%, compared to 3.1% in the third quarter. The US economy expanded in 2023 at 2.5% y/y, up from 1.9% in 2022. The US dollar’s reaction to the positive GDP report has been muted. There were concerns earlier this year that the economy might tip into a recession, as the Fed continued to raise interest rates to beat down inflation. However, solid consumer spending and a resilient labour market have boosted economic growth and the Fed is well on its way to achieving the tricky task of a soft landing for the economy. On the inflation front, the core personal expenditure price index was unchanged at 2% in the fourth quarter, while the headline index rose 1.7%, down sharply from 2.6 in Q3. The week wraps up with the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index on Friday, considered the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. The PCE price index and core PCE price index are expected to edge slightly lower in January, which would be an encouraging sign that the inflation is moving lower.   Japan releases Tokyo Core CPI, a key inflation indicator, on Friday. The consensus estimate for January stands at 1.9% y/y for January, after a 2.1% gain in December. If the estimate proves correct, it would mark the first time in almost two years that it has fallen below the BoJ’s target of 2%. . USD/JPY Technical USD/JPY is testing resistance at 147.54, followed by resistance at 148.44 There is support at 146.63 and 145.73  
Bank of Canada Holds Rates as Governor Macklem Signals Caution Amid Inflation Concerns, USD/CAD Tests Key Support

Bank of Canada Holds Rates as Governor Macklem Signals Caution Amid Inflation Concerns, USD/CAD Tests Key Support

Kenny Fisher Kenny Fisher 26.01.2024 14:48
US to release The Canadian dollar is showing limited movement on Thursday. In the European session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3513, down 0.08%. Bank of Canada keeps rates on hold There were no surprises from the Bank of Canada, which maintained the benchmark rate at 5% on Wednesday. The rate has remained the same since July and it looks very likely that the central bank has wrapped up its rate-tightening cycle, barring a huge turnaround in inflation, which has been generally moving lower. Governor Macklem said in a follow-up press conference that inflation is still too high and that it was “premature” to be discussing lowering interest rates. Macklem said that he was concerned about “persistence in underlying inflation” and that more time was needed to let monetary policy do its work. Macklem’s pushback was fairly predictable, as he needed to convey a clear message that the battle against inflation is not yet over. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the Bank of Montreal both stated after the BoC decision that they expect a rate cut in June. The markets are more bullish and have priced in a rate cut in April at 66%. If inflation moves closer to the 2% target, the odds of an April cut will likely rise. The US economy continues to churn out solid numbers and the January PMI reports were better than expected. The services PMI rose to 52.9, up from 51.4 in December and above the market consensus of 51.0. This marked a seven-month high. The manufacturing PMI clawed into expansion territory with a reading of 50.3, up from 47.9 in December which was also the consensus estimate. This was the highest level since October 2022. The US releases first-estimate GDP for the fourth quarter later today. The consensus estimate stands at 2.0%, which follows a sparkling 4.9% gain in the third quarter, which was the highest growth rate since Q4 2021. If the estimate is wide of the mark, we could see a strong reaction from the US dollar in the North American session. . USD/CAD Technical USD/CAD is putting pressure on support at 1.3494. Below, there is support at 1.3459 There is resistance at 1.3558 and 1.3593
Bank of England's February Meeting: Navigating Rate Cut Speculations and Economic Variables

Bank of England's February Meeting: Navigating Rate Cut Speculations and Economic Variables

ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2024 14:49
Four scenarios for the Bank of England's February meeting Expect the BoE to drop the pretence that it could hike rates again but to continue signalling rates will stay restrictive for an "extended period". With services inflation and wage growth to remain sticky in the near term, we think August is the most likely starting point for rate cuts.   Four scenarios for the Bank of England meeting   The BoE seems more reticent than other central banks to endorse rate cuts Both the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have hinted, with varying degrees of caveats, that rate cuts are on the cards this year. So far, the Bank of England hasn’t followed suit. It was careful not to say anything at the December meeting that could be misconstrued as an endorsement of market pricing on cuts. And there has essentially been radio silence from committee members since then. We suspect the Bank will still want to tread carefully as it gears up for the first meeting of 2024. But the reality is that defending a “higher for longer” stance on interest rates is getting harder as the inflation backdrop shows signs of improving. Remember that the BoE has pinned the chances of rate cuts on three variables. One is the strength of the jobs market, but data here is suffering from well-known reliability problems. So, in practice, it comes down to services inflation and private-sector wage growth. Both are tracking well below the November BoE projections. Services CPI is currently 6.4%, and despite that coming as an upside surprise to consensus when it was released, it’s still half a percentage point below the BoE’s projection. Private wage growth is 6.5%, but remember this is a three-month average and the latest two ‘single month’ readings are around 6%. When we get the data in a couple of weeks, this variable is likely to have ended the year a full percentage point below the BoE’s most recent forecast (7.2%). Add in the fact that natural gas prices are noticeably lower across the futures curve, and we should see sizeable downward revisions to the Bank’s inflation forecasts for this year. But what happens to the forecasts beyond 2024 is less clear-cut.   Financial markets expect roughly four UK rate cuts this year
Bank of England's February Meeting: Expectations and Market Impact Analysis

Bank of England's February Meeting: Expectations and Market Impact Analysis

ING Economics ING Economics 26.01.2024 14:50
Expect the Bank to drop its tightening bias Financial markets expect the Bank Rate to be one percentage point lower in two or three years' time than was the case in November. That will have important ramifications for the Bank’s two-year inflation forecast, which is seen as a barometer of whether markets have got it right on the level of rate cuts priced. Previously, the Bank’s model-based estimate put headline inflation at 1.9% in two years’ time, or 2.2%, once an ‘upside skew’ is applied. We wouldn’t be surprised if this ‘mean’ forecast (incorporating an upside skew) is still a little above 2% in the new set of forecasts. And if that’s the case, it can be read as the BoE subtly pushing back against the quantity of rate cuts markets are pricing in. If that happens, we suspect markets will largely shrug it off. The bigger question is whether the Bank makes any changes to its statement – and its forward guidance currently reads like this: Policy needs to stay “sufficiently restrictive for sufficiently long.” It’s likely to stay restrictive for “an extended period of time.” “Further tightening” is required if evidence of “more persistent inflationary pressures.” We think the baseline assumption going into this meeting is that the last of those sentences gets dropped and that the three hawks who'd been voting for a rate hike in December finally throw in the towel, given the recent run of inflation data. A hawkish surprise is, therefore, a statement that looks much the same as December’s, with at least one or two committee members voting for a further rate hike. A dovish surprise would see the Bank remove or water down the sentence on how long policy needs to stay restrictive. There’s also a tail-risk that Swati Dhingra, known to be the most dovish committee member, votes for a rate cut, though our base case is a unanimous decision to keep rates unchanged (6-3 previously).     Markets seem more sensitive to dovish nuances of late The market discount for BoE rate cuts has moderated. At the end of last year, a first cut by May was still fully discounted, and overall more than six cuts were fully priced in for 2024. This has come back towards slightly more than 50% implied probability of a May cut and four cuts overall being priced in. These are not unplausible scenarios but are obviously dependent on data and, for instance, the government's tax plans. But looking at markets more globally, they appear more sensitive to softer data and any dovish nuances provided in communications. As such, we do see a possibility for front-end rates to tick slightly lower if the MPC, for instance, removes its hike bias - in its commentary as well as the voting split. Further out the curve 10Y gilt yields have risen back towards 4% from around 3.5% at year-end. But yields appear capped at 4%, facing resistance to move higher. If we take a simple modelling approach, augmenting a short-term money-market-based estimate of the 10Y gilt with yields of its US and German bond peers, we conclude that gilts see slightly too high yields already. Keep in mind that the BoE meeting is flanked by the Fed meeting, jobs data in the US, and the CPI release in the eurozone, which should be crucial in driving wider sentiment. When it comes to FX markets, sterling has been the best-performing G10 currency against the dollar this year. Its implied yield of 5.2% means that it is the only G10 currency up against the dollar on a total return basis this year. As above and given that the market is minded to look for the more dovish interpretation of central bank communication in what should be a year of disinflation, the idea of the BoE playing dovish catch-up with the Fed and the ECB could be a mild sterling negative.  That probably means that EUR/GBP will struggle to maintain any break below strong support at 0.8500 in the near term, and the BoE event risk means EUR/GBP could start to trade back over 0.8600.  However, our end-quarter target of 0.8800 looks too aggressive now. Scope for tax cuts in early March, sticky services inflation and composite PMI readings comfortably above 50 in the UK could well mean that EUR/GBP traces out a 0.85-0.87 range through the first half of this year. For GBP/USD, the FX options market currently prices a very modest 42 USD pips of day event risk around the Wednesday FOMC/Thursday BoE meeting. Our baseline scenario assumes GBP/USD could trade back down to/under 1.2700 on Thursday, especially should the FOMC meeting have disappointed those looking for a March rate cut from the Fed.
Asia Morning Bites: South Korea's Inflation Below Expectations, Anticipation for US Non-Farm Payroll Release, and Powell's Weekend Address

Asia Morning Bites: South Korea's Inflation Below Expectations, Anticipation for US Non-Farm Payroll Release, and Powell's Weekend Address

ING Economics ING Economics 02.02.2024 15:12
Asia Morning Bites South Korea's inflation comes in below expectations. US non-farm payroll release later tonight. Powell slated to speak again at the weekend.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  Despite some reasonably strong data, US Treasury yields dipped slightly on Thursday. 2Y yields were down less than a basis point, but only after dropping below 4.14% and then recovering later on. 10Y yields followed a similar pattern of decline and recovery taking them down 3.2bp to 3.97%. Jerome Powell has a TV interview scheduled for the weekend, which could be interesting if he deviates from the recent message at the FOMC. Currencies also had a choppy day. EURUSD dropped below 1.08 at one point but is back up to 1.0874 now. Likewise, the AUD came close to dropping through 65 cents but has recovered to 0.6575 now. Cable did even better, finishing up on the day after a less dovish than expected Bank of England meeting. The JPY was roughly unchanged at 146.47. Other Asian FX were evenly split with half making small gains, led by the PHP and THB, and half making small losses. The CNY has drifted up to 7.1805. US equities recovered their losses from the previous day. The S&P 500 rose 1.25%, while the NASDAQ gained 1.3%. Equity futures also look quite positive. Chinese stocks had a slightly more positive day. The Hang Seng rose 0.52%, but the CSI only managed a 0.07% gain. G-7 macro: It was an interesting day for US macro yesterday, delivering support for both hawks and doves on the rates outlook. On the dovish side, non-farm productivity rose, and there was also a slight increase in jobless claims figures. On the other hand, the manufacturing ISM rose strongly, even though it remained below the breakeven 50 level and there was a jump in the prices paid component too which jumped up to 52.9 from 45.2. The new orders index was also strong. Later today, there is the US labour report. Following the soft ADP figure earlier this week, there may be some downside risk to the consensus view of a decline in employment growth from 216K in December to 185K in January.    South Korea:  Consumer inflation eased to 2.8% YoY in January (vs 3.2% in December, 2.9% market consensus), back to the 2% level for the first time in six months. But the decline was mainly due to base effects, caused by a one-off energy bill hike last January. Core inflation, excluding agricultural products and oils, also levelled down to 2.6% (vs 3.1% in December). In a monthly comparison, inflation rose 0.4% MoM nsa in January after staying flat in December. Fresh food, utility, and service prices rose, more than offsetting the decline of manufactured food and gasoline prices. The government has decided to freeze utility fees at least for the first quarter of the year and offered some tax cuts on imported goods. If the conflict in the Red Sea escalates further, the fuel subsidy program could be extended beyond March, so the upside risk is quite limited in the near term. Today’s slower-than-expected inflation probably won’t change the BoK’s hawkish stance any time soon. As mentioned earlier, if there were no government subsidies on energy and public services, CPI inflation would have been higher than it is today, and once these programs end, there may be a price spike later this year. So, choppy inflation ahead is expected. The BoK will likely take a wait-and-see approach to gather more evidence about the continued cooling of inflation.
Deciphering US Employment Trends: Examining the Impact on FX Markets and Dollar Dynamics

Deciphering US Employment Trends: Examining the Impact on FX Markets and Dollar Dynamics

ING Economics ING Economics 02.02.2024 15:23
FX Daily: US employment continues on a benign trend? The focus in FX markets today is on whether US employment continues on its benign downward path and represents the economy coming into ‘better balance’. Of interest will be whether December’s number gets revised down – marking 11 downward revisions out of 12 last year. We could see the return of a marginally more pro-risk environment.   USD: Jobs report in focus This week’s price action in US rates markets is instructive. Despite the Federal Reserve pushing back against prospects of a March cut, interest rates have still come lower. That may be a function of investors watching US regional banks remain under pressure. Or more likely it reflects a conviction call that policy rates are coming lower this year and there is no point fighting this overwhelming trend. This is the reason that the dollar did not build on gains seen early yesterday. Coming to today, we have the US January jobs report. Consensus is for +185k in jobs gains, while we forecast +200k. However, the Fed seems pretty comfortable that the labour market is coming into better balance and we doubt a +200k number needs to trigger a major repricing of the Fed easing cycle. Instead, we are interested to see whether December’s +216k number is revised down. This would then represent 11 of the last 12 nonfarm payroll (NFP) jobs releases being revised lower and support the Fed’s contention that tight US labour markets are a thing of the past. We typically have a slight negative bias for the dollar on NFP day on the working assumption that investors use NFP-inspired FX liquidity to put money to work outside of the dollar. We also again want to highlight that 9 February could be a big day for FX markets. Annual US CPI benchmark revisions are released today and will confirm whether the late 2023 US disinflation trends are real – or get revised away.   DXY has been trading an exceptionally tight 102.77 to 103.82 range over the last two weeks – but may be due a test of lower levels now
Shift in Central Bank Sentiment: Czech National Bank Hints at a 50bp Rate Cut, Impact on CZK Expected

Shift in Central Bank Sentiment: Czech National Bank Hints at a 50bp Rate Cut, Impact on CZK Expected

ING Economics ING Economics 02.02.2024 15:26
CZK: Changing our central bank call to a 50bp rate cut The blackout period for the Czech National Bank (CNB) began yesterday and we will therefore probably not hear anything more. Deputy Governor Jan Frait really moved the market when he said he was open to a larger rate cut, even more than 50bp at the 8 February meeting. We do know that the deputy governor was one of two board members who voted for a rate cut back in November when the CNB left rates unchanged. So the new statements aren't exactly a game changer, but we have confidence that at least two members will push for a 50bp rate cut at next week's meeting. In addition, the board will have a new forecast which we think should show very low inflation of below 3% for the upcoming months. Overall, this leads us to reassess our call from a 25bp to 50bp rate cut next week. The acceleration of the rate cut is bad news for the CZK. However, we believe positioning has been heavily short here for some time and should not be so damaging. Moreover, the market is already pricing in a large portion of the rate cuts. Therefore, we do not expect significant weakness from this, but of course a short trip above 25.0 EUR/CZK is likely next week.
Czech National Bank Poised for Aggressive Rate Cut: Unpacking Monetary Policy Dynamics, Market Reactions, and Economic Forecasts

Czech National Bank Poised for Aggressive Rate Cut: Unpacking Monetary Policy Dynamics, Market Reactions, and Economic Forecasts

ING Economics ING Economics 02.02.2024 15:29
Czech National Bank Preview: Time to catch up We expect the pace of cutting to accelerate to 50bp, which will push the CNB key rate to 6.25%. The main reasons will be low inflation in the central bank's new forecast, which should allow for more cutting in the future. For year-end, we see the rate at 4.00% but the risk here is clearly downwards.   Optimistic forecasts could speed up the cutting pace to 50bp The Czech National Bank will meet on Thursday next week and will present its first forecast published this year. We are going into the meeting expecting an acceleration in the cutting pace from 25bp in December to 50bp, which would mean a cut from the current 6.75% to 6.25%. This means a revision in our forecast, which previously saw an acceleration taking place in March. Still, it's certain to be a close call given the cautious approach of the board – and that could bring a 25bp cut.   The board will have a new central bank forecast, which is likely to be a key factor in decision-making. Here we see the need for revision in a few places, but overall everything points in a dovish direction. On the global side, compared to the November forecast, we expect the CNB to revise down both GDP growth, rates and oil prices. On the domestic side, inflation has surprised downwards only slightly in the past three months for both headline and core inflation. Still, we expect some downward profile shift due to a better outlook for food, energy and oil prices. As for GDP, the CNB was the most pessimistic forecaster in the market in November and the incoming data was rather mixed in this regard, so we expect only modest changes here. The CZK was 0.35% stronger than the central bank's expectations in the fourth quarter of last year. On the other hand, it was slightly weaker in January. Overall, we do not see any significant impact on the new forecast here, but the lower EURIBOR profile after the revision may indicate a stronger CZK in the new forecast, or allow for faster rate cuts in the CNB model. The November forecast indicated roughly a 50bp cut in the fourth quarter last year and reaching 3.50% by the end of this year, delivering a total 350bp of rate cuts. As we know, the CNB delivered only 25bp last year, which will need to be reflected in the new forecast. Overall, we expect a slightly steeper rate path again with a 3.00% level at the end of 2025, which should have a dovish outcome for the market in our view. As always these days, we can also expect several alternative scenarios, one of which will be the board's preferred scenario, showing a slightly slower rate cuts profile than the baseline.   Inflation nowcast will be key to the decision We see from public statements that the dovish wing of the board (Frait, Holub) will push for a faster pace of rate cuts given inflation numbers indicating a quick return to the 2% inflation target this year and will be open to more than 50bp of rate cuts. For the rest of the board, we think the inflation indication for January and beyond in the central bank's new forecast is key. We are currently expecting 2.7% for January headline inflation, with room for it to come in lower if the anecdotal evidence of January's repricing is confirmed. This, in our view, will give the rest of the board the confidence to accelerate the pace of cutting as early as this meeting.   4% at the end of the year or lower depending on core inflation Looking forward, we believe the favourable forecast for the coming months will allow the 50bp pace to continue. Here, our forecast remains unchanged and we think core inflation will still prevent the board from going faster later. We therefore still assume a 4% key rate at the end of this year. But if core inflation continues to surprise to the downside, we find it easy to imagine lower levels here.     What to expect in FX and rates markets The CZK has weakened in recent days following comments made by Deputy Governor Jan Frait and touched 24.90 EUR/CZK, which is basically the weakest level since early 2022. If the CNB delivers a 50bp rate cut, it's obviously negative news for the CZK. But on the other hand, we believe that the market positioning is already heavy short and rates are already pricing in the vast majority of CNB rate cuts. That's why we see the cap at 25.20 EUR/CZK. A minor cut, however, could bring a temporary strengthening towards 24.70 given heavy dovish expectations. In our base case scenario, we think that after the 50bp rate cut and January inflation, the market should have hit the limit of what can be priced in and the CZK should start appreciating again later this year thanks to the economic recovery, good current account results and falling EUR rates improving the interest rate differential. The rates market fully priced in a 50bp move recently and expects another 50bp move for the next meeting, which is close to our forecast. However, the terminal rate is already priced in at 3% at the end of this year, which we don't have on paper until next year – but we still see this as a possible scenario if inflation remains under control. If we do see the CNB's forecast, the market can easily get excited for a lower terminal rate and overshoot market pricing. Therefore, we expect the combination of the 50bp cut and the dovish forecast to push market rates further down, resulting in further steepening of the curve. In the bond space, we maintain our positive view here going forward. Czech government bond supply has fallen significantly as we expected and, combined with the inflation profile and central bank cutting rates, offers a perfect combination in the CEE region. Here, we continue to prefer belly curves and see more steepening.
National Bank of Romania Maintains Rates, Eyes Inflation Outlook

Assessing Fed Policy and Geopolitical Risks: A Monthly Review of Gold Market Trends

ING Economics ING Economics 15.02.2024 10:58
Gold Monthly: Assessing Fed policy and geopolitical risks Gold has been trading in a narrow range so far this year amid a lack of clarity surrounding the timing of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy easing cycle. Higher borrowing costs are typically negative for gold.   Geopolitical tensions support gold prices Gold prices have held above $2,000/oz, with the precious metal being supported by safe-haven demand amid geopolitical tensions. Ongoing geopolitical risk in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to provide support to gold. Prices hit an all-time high of $2,077.49/oz on 27 December 2023. Still, we believe the Federal Reserve's wait-and-see approach will keep the rally in check. We expect prices to average $2,025/oz over the first quarter.   Geopolitical risk index   Fed policy remains key We believe Fed policy will remain key to the outlook for gold prices in the months ahead. US dollar strength and central bank tightening weighed on the gold market for most of 2023. Strong GDP and jobs growth show that the US economy continues to shrug off high borrowing costs and tight credit conditions, largely through robust government spending and consumers running down their savings. These factors will be less supportive in 2024 and inflation is on the path to 2%, so the Fed has the room to cut interest rates sharply. Our US economist still expects the Fed to start cutting rates in May. We expect gold prices to remain volatile in the months ahead as the market reacts to macro drivers, tracking geopolitical events and Fed rate policy.   Central bank buying continues Meanwhile, central bank demand maintained its momentum in the fourth quarter with a further 229 tonnes added to global official gold reserves, as shown by data from the World Gold Council. This lifted annual net demand to 1,037 tonnes – just short of the record set in 2022 of 1,082 tonnes – as geopolitical concerns pushed central banks to increase their allocation towards safe assets. Central banks’ healthy appetite for gold is also driven by concerns about Russian-style sanctions on their foreign assets, following a decision from the US and Europe to freeze Russian assets and shift strategies on currency reserves. The People’s Bank of China was the largest single gold buyer, with a total rise of 225 tonnes in its gold reserves over the year. The National Bank of Poland was the second largest buyer in 2023. Between April and November, the central bank bought 130 tonnes of gold, increasing its gold holdings by 57% to 359 tonnes. Gold tends to become more attractive in times of instability and demand has been surging over the past two years, with the trend showing few signs of abating. We believe this is likely to continue this year amid geopolitical tensions and the current economic climate.   Central banks purchases in 2023 (tonnes)   Central banks demand (tonnes)   2024 starts with continued ETF outflows Yet, total holdings in bullion-backed ETFs have continued to decline. January saw eight monthly outflows in global gold ETFs, led by North American funds. This was equivalent to a 51-tonne reduction in global holdings to 3,175 tonnes by the end of January, as shown by data from the World Gold Council. With the bets on early rate cuts from major central banks being pushed back, investors’ interest in gold ETFs faded. Looking further ahead, however, we believe we will see a resurgence of investor interest in the precious metal and a return to net inflows given higher gold prices as US interest rates fall.  

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