Israel

USD/ILS: ILS recovers on the dollar turn, domestic story mixed   It has really been the broad dollar story which has brought USD/ILS lower this month. The drop in short-term US rates is finally providing a reprieve to EM asset classes and stands to create the best environment for EM portfolio flows perhaps since late 2020. Israel has weightings in EM local currency bond and equity benchmarks – thus flows will help the ILS. Domestically, the political situation remains tense. It has hard to conclude there has been any material improvement in the stand-off over judicial reforms – suggesting ILS could easily hand back gains. The Bank of Israel tightening cycle is probably over too. But we think the softer dollar trend dominates over the next 6-12 months and USD/ILS heads back to the 3.40/50 area.    

FX Daily: The indestructible dollar Today's US Labor Day holiday means that it has been a quiet start to the week in the world of FX. The dollar remains near its highs despite Friday's US NFP jobs report showing a jobs market moving better into balance and wages softening. That probably owes to poor growth prospects overseas. Second-tier US data releases look unlikely to hit the dollar too hard.   USD: Little reason to offload dollar positions The dollar has had a good couple of months. It has been buoyed by domestic strength in the US economy and souring sentiment in key trading partners such as Europe and China. The source of that strong domestic demand in the US has been a tight labour market, which has powered consumption. Despite US wage growth softening in August and the unemployment rate finally climbing, US Treasury yields actually rose on Friday and the dollar strengthened. Driving that move may have been the rise in the participation rate with people returning to the workforce. This suggests that the narrative may have moved on from the disinflation debate towards the extension of employment, consumption and domestic demand.  This week's US data calendar looks unlikely to open a decisive new chapter in this narrative – although in the past, the release of the ISM services index (remember that sub-50 reading at the start of the year?) has moved markets. That index is released on Wednesday. There are a few Federal Reserve speakers this week, but market expectations that Fed rates have peaked look set, as do views of a modest 100bp of Fed easing next year (we look for 200bp+). We see little to challenge a strong dollar this week and could see DXY edging up to the 104.50/70 area.  Elsewhere in the world, the central bank policy focus is on the likes of Australia, Canada, Poland, Chile, and Israel. No change is expected in most, although Poland should be starting its easing cycle this week, and Chile is expected to follow up its 100bp cut in July with another large rate cut.

Middle East tensions set to see lower European open US markets finished the week higher after the latest September jobs report showed the US economy added a staggering 336k jobs in September, while August was revised up to 227k, pushing long-term yields sharply higher, and the US-10 year and 30-year yield hitting fresh 16-year highs.   Having spent most of the last few weeks fretting about the prospect of another rate hike and higher rates for longer the thinking now appears to be that a resilient economy and jobs market could mean that companies will be able to deliver better revenues and earnings growth, even with yields at current levels. While that logic comes across as sound on the face of it that rather precludes the idea that rates can't go higher from here. Before the horrific events in Israel over the weekend, the market was pricing in the probable prospect that we may get another 25bps rate hike in November, however what happens if the decline in oil prices that we saw at the end of last week takes another sustained leg higher, if those events morph into a wider crisis across the Middle East?     Consumers may well be resilient now and able to absorb a few more months of rising prices, but the recent pay settlements agreed in recent weeks have yet to feed through into the wage numbers which might mean the US central bank has to raise rates by more than is currently priced.   In a sign that the US consumer is already reaching its limits when it comes to spending on credit cards, US consumer credit for August declined by -$15.6bn, the most in 3 years, against an expectation of an increase of $11.7bn. Some of that decline may be down to the resumption student loan repayments, while auto-loan payments also fell.     That said the events over the weekend and the Hamas atrocities in Israel, and the latter's reaction to them and subsequent declaration of war, have prompted a move into the US dollar, gold as well as a modest bid into bonds, as concerns over escalation risks move to front of mind. With the US Columbus Day holiday likely to keep US trading activity subdued, we expect to see European markets open modestly lower this morning, while oil prices have rebounded from the lows of last week.    For now, the market reaction has been fairly contained as we look towards this week's release of the latest Fed minutes as well as the September CPI report, but attention will never be far from events in Israel given the risk we could escalate further if Iran gets drawn into the fray, which is entirely possible if Israel decides that it bears responsibility for the attack.     EUR/USD – continues to pull away from the lows of last week, with support at the 1.0400 level which is 50% pullback of the 0.9535/1.1275 up move, followed by 1.0200. To stabilise we need to move through 1.0620 for a retest of the 1.0740 area.    GBP/USD – the rebound off the lows last week at the 1.2030/40 area, needs to overcome the 1.2300 area to signal a move back to the 1.2430 area and 200-day SMA. A move below 1.2000 targets the 1.1835 area which equates to a 50% retracement of the move from the record lows at 1.0330 to the recent peaks at 1.3145.       EUR/GBP – still range trading with resistance at the 0.8700 area and resistance at the 200-day SMA at 0.8720, which is capping the upside. A break of 0.8720 targets the 0.8800 area, however while below the bias remains for a move back to the 0.8620 area.   USD/JPY – has managed to hold above the spike lows of last week. With no official confirmation that intervention took place, any further moves back to the 150.16 highs could be choppy. Below 147.30 signals the top is in and a possible move towards 145.00.   FTSE100 is expected to open unchanged at 7,494   DAX is expected to open 71 points lower at 15,158   CAC40 is expected to open 24 points lower at 7,036  

EUR/USD Friday's US labor data for September surpassed expectations. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 336,000 for the month, better than the consensus estimate for 170,000, and the change for August was revised up by 40,000. The unemployment remained unchanged at 3.8%, and a broader measure of unemployment dropped to 7.0% from 7.1% in August. The initial market reaction was quite natural, with the dollar rising and the euro losing 80 pips. However, the dollar was sold off across a wide range of markets, including stock markets and commodities. As a result, the dollar index closed the day down by 0.26%, the S&P 500 rose 1.18%, and oil increased by 0.61% (WTI).   The market's counteraction to strong data is certainly a compelling argument in favor of further (although not quite prolonged) euro growth. From a technical standpoint, we saw a rebound from the point of intersection of the price channel line and support level of 1.0483, afterwards the quote exceeded the Fibonacci retracement level at 1.0578. The Marlin oscillator has moved into bullish territory. Now, after breaking through the nearest resistance level at 1.0613, we are waiting for the price to reach the target level of 1.0687 and maybe even 1.0777.   On the 4-hour chart, the price has settled above 1.0578. The morning gap that occurred due to the Hamas attack on Israel will soon be closed. The price is growing above the indicator lines. The Marlin oscillator has firmly strengthened in the bullish territory. We expect the euro to rise further.  

According to the latest CFTC report, the past week was relatively calm in the futures market. One notable change was the value of the net short yen by position, which corrected by 1.2 billion, while changes in other currencies were minimal. The US dollar's net positioning, after sharply rising the previous week, saw a 0.3 billion correction, bringing it to 8.5 billion, indicating a firm speculative positioning for the dollar. Other factors that supported the greenback are the drop in the number of long positions in oil and especially gold, with a weekly change of -4.8 billion, implying further declines. This often signifies growing bullish sentiment for the US dollar.   The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 63.0 in October, the reading was below the forecast of 67.2, reaching the lowest level since May. This marks the third consecutive decline and can be largely attributed to rising gas prices and a decline in the stock market. However, consumer spending remains at a good level despite weaker sentiment in recent months. China's consumer price index remained flat from a year earlier in September, while the Producer Price Index fell by 2.5% as concerns linger about weak demand. Both figures were slightly below consensus estimates. This week's data on industrial production, retail sales, and third-quarter GDP will provide a clearer picture of the impact of the government's additional stimulus measures. The conflict between Israel and Hamas has quickly escalated into the bloodiest clash in the past 50 years from both sides. As both Israel and Iran are minor natural gas exporters, European natural gas prices rose by about 40% last week. Oil markets remain calmer due to reduced demand and excess production capacity. US consumer price inflation for September shows headline prices rose 0.4% month-on-month (consensus 0.3%), and the core index slowed down from 4.3% year-on-year to 4.1% year-on-year, which is a positive sign for the Federal Reserve. There is growing confidence that the Fed's rate hike cycle is coming to an end.   The British pound corrected slightly above the resistance level at 1.2305 and then resumed its decline. It is assumed that the local peak has been formed, and the sell-off will continue, with the nearest target being 1.2033 (the low from October 4). In case it breaks below this level, selling pressure may intensify, with the long-term target being 1.1740/90.  

What next for UK oil and gas after a year of lower profits  By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK) In contrast to the strong gains seen in 2022 the oil and gas sector has had a much more mixed year as a sharp fall in natural gas prices, and a slowdown in oil prices saw profits return to more normal levels for the sector. In 2022 the likes of Exxon Mobil and Shell saw share price gains in excess of 60%, as both oil giants reaped the benefits of higher margins as they bounced back from the huge losses posted during the Covid pandemic. As a whole the sector posted losses of $76bn with around $70bn of that amount as a result of write-downs and impairments on unviable or stranded assets. As with last year the challenge for the likes of Exxon Mobil, BP and Royal Dutch Shell remains in how they transition towards a renewable future without hammering their margins, and while we've seen a period of share price consolidation this year, we've also seen a shift in tone away from keeping the green lobby happy. There now seems to be a more hard-nosed and pragmatic approach, which has helped both Exxon and Shell's share price make new record highs over the second half of the year, although as oil and gas prices have declined so have share prices.   Consolidation year for BP and Shell As a whole the sector saw demand and prices collapse during that Covid period and it would appear that those experiences during that time may have shaped OPEC's response to this year's supply and demand concerns. Fearing another oversupply issue OPEC and Russia have kept much tighter control over production output, announcing cuts in April and then continuing those caps through the summer and into next year in an attempt to keep a floor under prices.   Along with further geopolitical uncertainty on top of Russia's war in Ukraine, in October we also had to contend with the Hamas savage attack on Israel's northern border, and Israel's response which prompted concerns over transit routes around the Gulf region.   With inflationary pressures subsiding and energy prices stabilising at lower levels the oil and gas sector for now appears to focussing on what it does best in generating cash, with new CEOs for both Shell and BP marking a potential shift in thinking when it comes to renewables. Under their previous incumbents, Shell's Ben Van Buerden and BP's Patrick Looney the focus was very much on transitioning away from oil and gas and towards a much lower margin future of renewable energy.    While a laudable goal it soon became apparent that while the politics was very much geared to that, there was a growing realisation that it couldn't be done cheaply and not without enormous damage to the energy and economic security of everybody. When Wael Sarwan took over as CEO of Shell he recognised this reality quickly, pushing back against the prevailing narrative and outright hysteria of politicians and activists that it could be done cheaply and easily.   In June he pushed back by saying that "We need to continue to create profitable business models that can be scaled at pace to truly impact the decarbonisation of the global energy system. We will invest in the models that work – those with the highest returns that play to our strengths" in a broadside at some of the recent reckless narrative and almost hysterical calls to cut back on fossil fuel use whatever the cost. While this has caused some unease in some parts of the Shell business it appears to be an acknowledgment of the reality that the transition to renewables will be a gradual process especially given the current levels of geopolitical uncertainty that are serving to drive the costs of the energy transition ever higher.   It is a little worrying that politicians have been unable to grasp this reality, continuing to push the myth that wind power is cheap, as the silent majority push back over the reality that the transition will be ruinously expensive if done too quickly.   When Shell reported its Q2 numbers in July profits fell short of expectations due to the sharp falls in both natural gas and crude oil prices that occurred over that quarter. The rally in oil and gas prices since then has ensured that this didn't happen in Q3 with profits coming in line with forecasts, which given that all its peers saw their numbers come in light was particularly notable.   Q3 profits came in at $6.22bn, in line with expectations helped by improvements in refining margins as well as higher oil and gas prices and a better performance in its trading division. The integrated gas part of the business saw profits remain steady and were in line with Q2 at $2.5bn.   Upstream saw a solid improvement on Q2's $1.68bn, rising to $2.22bn, although we've still seen a steep fall from the same quarter last year. On renewables we saw that part of the business sink to a loss of -$67m, due to lower margins and seasonal impacts in Europe, as well as higher operating expenses. Shell's chemicals and products division also did much better in Q3, its profits rising to $1.38bn helped by an improvement in refining margins due to lower global product supply as well as higher margins in trading and optimisation, although chemicals were still a drag on profitability overall.   On the outlook Shell nudged the upper end of expectations for capital expenditure down by $1bn to between $23bn to $25bn, as well as increasing the buyback to $3.5bn. While Shell's share price has held up reasonably well the same can't be said for BP which while holding onto last year's gains has lagged behind Shell, although BP was able to get close to its February highs in the middle of October.