neel kashkari

Last week saw modest losses for European markets in a week where there was little in the way of conviction in any of the moves. It was a similar story for US markets, which also saw modest losses, over concerns about slowing global demand, which also weighed on commodity prices, notably copper which hit their lowest levels this year, while oil prices finished lower for the 4th week in a row. This weakness appears to be being driven by concerns over a lack of demand in the Chinese economy where we saw factory gate prices decline for the 6th month in a row, and where there appears to be increasing evidence of a deflationary impulse.   Sentiment hasn't been helped by the political theatre around the US debt ceiling which has dominated the discourse in the media, and where discussions have been pushed into this week. While the risks around this are well-rehearsed it could be argued that the risks appear somewhat overstated given how regularly we've seen this scenario play out over the last few years on a regular "rinse and repeat" basis before a late compromise is sealed. Read next: Copper prices hit lowest level this year. Crude oil decreased second day in a row. BoE went for a 25bp hike| FXMAG.COM Nonetheless the uncertainty being generated by events in Washington is prompting a more defensive bias, amongst investors, while the US dollar got a boost from the latest University of Michigan survey which saw consumer 5–10-year inflation expectations jump to a 12-year high at 3.2%. This comes across as contrary to what has been happening to wider US inflation over the last few months, which has been slowing rapidly, especially on the PPI measure, where we sank to 2.3% last week and the lowest level since January 2021, while both US 2 year and 10-year yields both finished higher on the week. The recent slide in US yields since the last Fed meeting was mostly predicated on the belief that rate cuts wouldn't be too far behind. There now appears to be a growing realisation that this may not be the case with a number of Fed policymakers pushing back on that narrative. Last week we had Federal Reserve Governor Philip Jefferson express concern over the stickiness over core inflation saying that progress here had been "discouraging", while another Fed governor Michelle Bowman argued that there wasn't enough evidence that inflation was coming down sustainably and she wanted to see more data before deciding whether a rate pause was justified. Given that both are voting members on the FOMC rate setting committee their views undermine the current market expectation that rate cuts are only a matter of a couple of meetings away. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari speaks today Later today we're due to hear from Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari who is expected to reiterate the comments he made a few days ago, when he said that an extended period of high interest rates is likely to be needed if inflation stays high. As we look ahead to today's European open, the late slide in US markets is likely to see a mixed open, with the main focus this week on the US debt ceiling negotiations,  EU Q1 GDP, UK wages and April retail sales numbers from the US and China.    Forex EUR/USD – appears to be breaking lower, heading towards the 1.0830 area, with a break below 1.0820 opening up the potential for further losses and support at 1.0770. Rebounds likely to find resistance at the 1.0940 area. GBP/USD – last week's losses could well signal further weakness towards the 1.2280 area in the short term, where we also have trend line support from the October lows. Initial support currently at the 1.2430 area. Resistance currently at 1.2530.   EUR/GBP – the rebound from the 0.8660 area has run into resistance at the 200-day SMA. A move back through 0.8760 could see a return to the 0.8820 area. USD/JPY – last week's rebound off the 50-day SMA has seen the US dollar rebound with the potential we could see a move back to the 200-day SMA at 137.00. FTSE100 is expected to open 6 points higher at 7,760 DAX is expected to open 10 points higher at 15,923 CAC40 is expected to open unchanged at 7,414

No price test occurred in EUR/USD this morning due to low volatility and empty macroeconomic calendar. But ahead lies the latest consumer price index in the US, which will likely force many market players to review their positions on risky assets. Demand for euro may drop, which could lead to a decline in the pair.   There will be an increase only when inflation drops more than expected. Markets will also pay attention to the speeches of FOMC members Neel Kashkari and Raphael Bostic. For long positions: Buy when euro hits 1.1036 (green line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.1075. Growth will occur amid weak US inflation.   However, when buying, traders should make sure that the MACD line lies above zero or rises from it. Euro can also be bought after two consecutive price tests of 1.1017, but the MACD line should be in the oversold area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.1036 and 1.1075. For short positions: Sell when euro reaches 1.1017 (red line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.0981. Pressure will increase in the case of another jump in US inflation. However, when selling, traders should make sure that the MACD line lies below zero or drops down from it. Euro can also be sold after two consecutive price tests of 1.1036, but the MACD line should be in the overbought area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.1017 and 1.0981.       What's on the chart: Thin green line - entry price at which you can buy EUR/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 EUR/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       Important: Novice traders need to be very careful when making decisions about entering the market. Before the release of important reports, it is best to stay out of the market to avoid being caught in sharp fluctuations in the rate. If you decide to trade during the release of news, then always place stop orders to minimize losses. Without placing stop orders, you can very quickly lose your entire deposit, especially if you do not use money management and trade large volumes. And remember that for successful trading, you need to have a clear trading plan. Spontaneous trading decision based on the current market situation is an inherently losing strategy for an intraday trader.  

The test of 1.2942, coinciding with the decline of the MACD line from zero, prompted a sell signal that led to a price decrease of around 20 pips. The latest CPI data in the US lies ahead, and this will likely cause market players to review their positions on risky assets. Demand for pound may drop, which could lead to a decline in GBP/USD. There will be an increase only when inflation drops more than expected. Markets will also pay attention to the speeches of FOMC members Neel Kashkari and Raphael Bostic.   For long positions: Buy when pound hits 1.2946 (green line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.3014 (thicker green line on the chart). Further growth will be seen in the case of weak US inflation data. However, when buying, make sure that the MACD line lies above zero or rises from it. Pound can also be bought after two consecutive price tests of 1.2895, but the MACD line should be in the oversold area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.2946 and 1.3014.     For short positions: Sell when pound reaches 1.2895 (red line on the chart) and take profit at the price of 1.2844. Pressure will increase in the event of further growth in US inflation. However, when selling, make sure that the MACD line lies below zero or drops down from it. Pound can also be sold after two consecutive price tests of 1.2946, but the MACD line should be in the overbought area as only by that will the market reverse to 1.2895 and 1.2844.         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     Important: Novice traders need to be very careful when making decisions about entering the market. Before the release of important reports, it is best to stay out of the market to avoid being caught in sharp fluctuations in the rate. If you decide to trade during the release of news, then always place stop orders to minimize losses. Without placing stop orders, you can very quickly lose your entire deposit, especially if you do not use money management and trade large volumes. And remember that for successful trading, you need to have a clear trading plan. Spontaneous trading decision based on the current market situation is an inherently losing strategy for an intraday trader.  

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

05:40BST Tuesday 26th September 2023 Asia weakness set to see lower European open By Michael Hewson (Chief Market Analyst at CMC Markets UK)   European markets got off to a poor start to the week yesterday as concerns around sticky inflation, and low growth (stagflation), or recession served to push yields higher, pushing the DAX to its lowest levels since late March, pushing both it and the CAC 40 below the important technical level of the 200-day SMA. Recent economic data is already flashing warning signs over possible stagnation, especially in Europe while US data is proving to be more resilient.   Worries over the property sector in China didn't help sentiment yesterday after it emerged Chinese property group Evergrande said it was struggling to organise a process to restructure its debt, prompting weakness in basic resources. The increase in yields manifested itself in German and French 10-year yields, both of which rose to their highest levels in 12 years, with the DAX feeling the pressure along with the CAC 40, while the FTSE100 slipped to a one week low.   US markets initially opened lower in the face of a similar rise in yields with the S&P500 opening at a 3-month low, as US 10-year yields continued to push to fresh 16-year highs above 4.5%. These initial losses didn't last as US stocks closed higher for the first time in 5 days. The US dollar also made new highs for the year, rising to its best level since 30th November last year as traders bet that the Federal Reserve will keep rates higher for much longer than its counterparts due to the greater resilience of the US economy. The focus this week is on the latest inflation figures from Australia, as well as the core PCE Deflator from the US, as well as the latest flash CPI numbers for September from France, Germany, Spain as well as the wider EU flash number which is due on Friday. This could show the ECB erred a couple of weeks ago when it tightened the rate hike screw further to a record high.   On the data front today the focus will be on US consumer confidence for September, after the sharp fall from July's 117.00 to August's 106.10. Expectations are for a more modest slowdown to 105.50 on the back of the continued rise in gasoline prices which has taken place since the June lows. The late rebound in US markets doesn't look set to translate into today's European open with Asia markets also sliding back on the same combination of stagflation concerns and reports that Chinese property company Evergrande missed a debt payment.   Another warning from ratings agency Moody's about the impact of another government shutdown on the US economy, and its credit rating, didn't help the overall mood, while Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said he expects another Fed rate rise before the end of the year helping to further boost the US dollar as well as yields.     EUR/USD – slid below the 1.0600 level yesterday potentially opening the prospect of further losses towards the March lows at 1.0515. Currently have resistance at 1.0740, which we need to get above to stabilise and minimise the risk of further weakness.      GBP/USD – slipped to the 1.2190 area, and has since rebounded, however the bias remains for a retest of the 1.2000 area. Only a move back above the 1.2430 area and 200-day SMA stabilises and argues for a return to the 1.2600 area.       EUR/GBP – currently have resistance at the 200-day SMA at 0.8720, which is capping the upside. A break here targets the 0.8800 area, however while below the bias remains for a pullback. If we slip below the 0.8660 area, we could see a move back to the 0.8620 area.     USD/JPY – has continued to climb higher towards the 150.00 area with support currently at the lows last week at 147.20/30. Major support currently at the 146.00 area.     FTSE100 is expected to open at 7,624     DAX is expected to open at 15,405     CAC40 is expected to open at 7,124  

Asia Morning Bites Australia's August CPI inflation report should show inflation rising again. The fall in Chinese industrial profits may be moderating.   Global Macro and Markets Global markets:  For a change, US Treasury yields didn’t rise yesterday. Nor did they fall particularly. The yield on the 2Y UST was down just 0.4bp to 5.121%, while that on the 10Y bond rose just 0.2bp to leave it at 4.536%. This was despite Neel Kashkari, a voter on the FOMC this year, saying that he thought even a soft-landing scenario would probably require one more rate hike this year. Michelle Bowman talked about the need to cool the economy to bring rents down in line with wage growth, though she did not explicitly outline a path for rates. But she implied more was needed. With this, it feels as if markets are listening and choosing to believe that in the end, the Fed will not carry through on their threats to raise rates again, either because the threat lacks credibility, or because they believe that the growth and inflation evidence will turn sufficiently to make it unnecessary. It’s a tough call to make and leaves upside as well as downside risk. Kashkari and Bowman are both due to speak again today. US Stocks cooled on Tuesday. The S&P 500 dropped 1.47% while the NASDAQ fell 1.57%. Equity futures are looking mildly positive. It was also another off-day for Chinese stocks. The Hang Seng fell 1.48%, while the CSI 300 fell 0.58%.   The risk-off sentiment may be helping the USD, which has pushed even lower overnight, dropping to 1.0570. The AUD has declined below the 64 cent level, though may get a boost from CPI inflation data later on today. Cable has dropped to 1.2148, and the JPY has risen to 149.07, a level at which you have to think there could be some more verbal intervention (Finance Minister Suzuki has already waded in) and close to a level where physical intervention may occur. The CNY has held roughly level at 7.3112, though the rest of the Asia pack was weaker against the USD. The KRW and THB, together with the IDR were the weakest currencies in the region yesterday. G-7 macro:  US new home sales fell a little more than expected in August, dropping 8.7% MoM to a 675K annual pace. The Conference Board consumer confidence index was down slightly, breaking down into a slightly stronger present situation response, but a sharply weaker expectations survey. Germany also releases consumer confidence figures from GfK today. The only US data of note is the August durable goods orders and shipments figures.   Australia: A combination of base effects wearing off, and higher gasoline and food prices will take Australia’s monthly inflation rate for August back up again after the surprising decline in July. The inflation rate should push back from the July 4.9% YoY rate to a little over 5%. The consensus estimate sits at 5.2%, which is not far from our estimate of 5.1%. While this does not immediately threaten the market’s view that the RBA has peaked in its rate cycle, a few more results like this, plus some economic resilience may spur thoughts that there is still one more hike to come. We certainly are not ruling another hike out.   China: Industrial profits figures for August are released this morning. The year-on-year decline in this series has been moderating, and we expect this to continue, though probably still leaving profits down from a year ago.   What to look out for: Australia inflation Australia CPI inflation (27 September) China industrial profits (27 September) Japan machine tool orders (27 September) US durable goods orders and MBA mortgage applications (27 September) Australia retail sales (28 September) US initial jobless claims, personal consumption, pending home sales (28 September) Fed's Powell, Goolsbee and Barkin speak (29 September) Japan Tokyo CPI inflation and labor report (29 September) Thailand trade (29 September) US University of Michigan sentiment, personal spending (29 September)

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.

Rates Spark: Not called resilient for nothing After a huge fall in yields last week, there has been an attempt to engineer some semblance of a reversal so far this week. We expect to see more of that in the days ahead, with data unlikely to get in the way and supply pressure pushing in the direction of a concessional build in the coming days.   Market rates edging higher from Friday's lows, led by the US Market rates have staged a bit of a fightback having hit post-payroll lows on Friday. The US 10yr Treasury yield managed to bounce off the 4.5% area, which we now regard as a key support. Stay above that level and we are good to gradually re-test higher in yield over the course of this week. It’s a week of supply right along the curve in the guise of 3yr, 10yr and 30yr auctions. It’s also a week that is unlikely to get too rocked by data releases, with Thursday’s jobless claims set to be the highlight of the week. In addition, we note that there remains an underlying supply risk for bonds generally. Even though the US Treasury has taken some pressure off long-dated issuance into year-end, it does not take away the underlying pressure coming from the elevated fiscal deficit. Fiscal pressure results not just in ongoing supply pressure, but also likely ongoing upward pressure on real yields. That in turn implies steepening pressure from the back end. Importantly, we don’t have a green light yet for a complete cycle capitulation towards a structural rate-cutting agenda. That will come, but we need more first.   Yields are slowly starting to revert higher   QT lumped into the ECB's review of the operation framework European rates markets also pared some of the past week’s rally with 10Y Bund yields ending the first session 9bp higher above Friday’s close and thus well above 2.7% again. But it looked more like a general countermove, inspired also by a busy corporate supply slate, rather than being motivated by any single event. There were hawkish comments from the European Central Bank’s Robert Holzmann, who said the central bank should be ready to hike again if needed. But coming from him, such remarks should not surprise and are not new. Rather, his other remarks on quantitative tightening and that there won't be anything forthcoming on that front this year were rather dovish, if anything. The debate about the ECB’s bond portfolios could not be separated from the review of the operational framework, Holzmann said. The forthcoming framework will also determine the level of excess reserves that the ECB will operate with to maintain control over front-end rates – and perhaps even foresee a structural bond portfolio to also provide it with some flexibility to intervene in bond markets. Recall that the ECB’s hawks had also postponed their push for higher minimum reserves until spring next year for a similar reason, according to earlier Reuters reports. The review will give an opportunity to address the wider issue of excess reserves in the system – and also the cost efficiency of implementing monetary policy which could also include, for instance, the remuneration of government deposits. Given the complexity and multitude of possible tweaks, we would expect the review to conclude not with a one-off adjustment but rather a gradual path towards a new framework.     Today's events and market view There are few data points of note over today's session. For the eurozone, PPI is expected to slow to 0.5% month-on-month resulting in a -12.5% year-on-year figure and the US will be reporting its trade balance. The main highlight will be the busy schedule for Federal Reserve speakers, including Neel Kashkari, who last night was not convinced that rate hikes were over. Other Fed speakers are Austan Goolsbee, Christopher Waller and John Williams. Supply also returns to the spotlight. In Europe, Austria will auction 5Y and 10Y lines, but the main focus will be on the UST auctions this week, beginning with the sale of US $48 billion in new 3Y notes tonight