s and p 500 index

S&P 500 is reaching for fresh yearly highs, but this isn‘t accompanied by improvements in market breadth – neither stark nor subtle. If anything, the market has become ever more concentrated, with NVDA earnings guidance reflection taking valuations to ridiculous 188.

 

That‘s the AI side of the market, on fire and leading. The only other sectors doing well apart from tech with semis segment, are communications and consumer discretionaries – effect strong enough to overpower badly lagging industrials, materials, financials (chiefly banking), retail, smallcaps and defensives (utilities and staples), which brought about yet another daily bullish call before the opening bell Friday.

 

Debt ceiling deal hype is another factor going in for the bulls as any sell the news reaction seems to me postponed by a couple of days at least if Yellen moved the new make or break date to Jun 05 (there is still almost $40bn in TGA).

 

Friday saw much of the hope for a deal to be reached so

UK Inflation Shows Promising Decline, Signaling a Path to More Sustainable Levels

French Election: Dear Le Pen And Macron, Which Way The Markets Will Go? DAX (GER 40) Trades Ca. 1% Lower!, IBEX35 Is Pausing, S&P 500 Trades Ca. 1% Higher!? (NAS 100) NASDAQ Full Of Earnings-Publishers!

Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 19.04.2022 14:51
Volatility is the key word of markets today. There are not many important indicators printed, but geopolitics influence markets noticeably. Crude Oil inventories is released today and according to Investing.com it’s predicted, that if Russian gas is banned immediately by the EU, the price could rise to $185! DAX (GER40) - Volkswagen, Continental And BMW Impress! Three automotive companies are doing really, really well today as all of them gained above 1% over last 24 hours. What to come? We can somehow predict that Daimler will go up in the “gainers ranking” as there’s another car teased by Mercedes recently. #GIMSNEWS | @MercedesBenz is consolidating its position among luxury EVs manufacturers. This is the #EQS SUV, which is 5.125 m long and can accommodate up to 7 passengers. Engine outputs go from 265 to 400 kW (360 to 544 PS) and the WLTP range is announced from 507 to 660 km. pic.twitter.com/lKN3zryfzG — Geneva International Motor Show (@GimsSwiss) April 19, 2022 As we see DAX has been really volatile today losing and adding much throughout the day. However, despite the two noticeable moves the price was gradually going up for last two hours. We will see what will the next part of French election and the Russia-Ukraine bring to the state of this well-known index, where companies like Adidas, Daimler, BMW and Deutsche Bank (which has decreased last week) are included. IBEX35 – We’re Back! Ahead Of French Election – Emanuel Macron vs. Marine LePen! The Spanish index has been below-the-line for some today, but as the chart show it’s back in the game trading near 0% level. What’s next? As we wrote before, the second round of French election is coming. France decides where to go in the near future on April 24th so watch markets next week! Article on Crypto: Altcoins Showing Promising Growth - Take a Look at Solana (SOL), POLKADOT (DOT) and SHIBA INU (SHIB-USD)| FXMAG.COM What's up Twitter Stock Price (TWTR)? Twitter is one of the most trending topics recently. All the commentaries of Elon Musk has influenced the price of the stock. S&P 500 Trades Ca. 1% Higher! Let’s go NASDAQ! Fifty Third (FITB) has published its earnings already and they’re quite similar to the forecast of Investing.com, so don’t expect significant fluctuations. If someone ask me about volatility-maker which for now, I would point the Iridium (IRDM) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) which earnings reports exceeded or subceeded the expectations. So the earnings probably helped the index to open quite higher. Tomorrow is the day as well - Tesla (TSLA) and Procter&Gamble will release their earnings! What Will Earnings Bring On? J&J Done, Awaiting Netflix (NFLX) And IBM! There are two popular and major brands publishing their Q1 reports today. Netflix (NFLX) banned access to its platform in Russia, so we may predict that many subscribers are not there anymore. IBM serves many IT solutions around the world and as the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated and became a “no.1 market mover”, it’s possible the company’s income had changed amid ongoing war. However, we’ll have to wait some time for the news about these two companies and the outlook for indices as earnings of IBM and NFLX are released after market hours. Let’s stay tuned! Read next: (UKOIL) Brent Crude Oil Spikes to Highest Price For April, (NGAS) Natural Gas Hitting Pre-2008 Prices, Cotton Planting Has Begun Johnson&Johnson (J&J) Is Here For US Indices Johnson&Johnson, yes, that company you know from your children’s bathub published their earnings and according to Investing.com Earnings Calendar the results are quite similar as the predictions were so we may suppose the market has already discounted this one.
EUR/USD: US Dollar (USD) Supported By A 75bp Rate Hike!? EUR Influenced By Last Week's Activities, Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) May Not Stop Below $1980

EUR/USD: US Dollar (USD) Supported By A 75bp Rate Hike!? EUR Influenced By Last Week's Activities, Price Of Gold (XAUUSD) May Not Stop Below $1980

Jing Ren Jing Ren 20.04.2022 08:12
EURUSD consolidates post-sell-off The US dollar rallies as a 75bp rate hike by the Fed could be on the table. The single currency remains under pressure after last week’s sell-off. 1.0920 has become an important supply area after buyers’ failed attempts to push higher. Further above, the psychological level of 1.1000 is another support-turned-resistance, suggesting that the path of least resistance is down. Bearish trend followers could be waiting to fade the next rebound. The pair is treading water above 1.0760 as the RSI rises back to the neutrality area. Article on Crypto: Altcoins Showing Promising Growth - Take a Look at Solana (SOL), POLKADOT (DOT) and SHIBA INU (SHIB-USD)| FXMAG.COM XAUUSD keeps high ground Gold slipped as the greenback rallied across the board amid the Fed’s increasingly hawkish stance. The previous rally cleared the resistance at 1990 but struggled to grind to the psychological level of 2000. A drop below 1961 revealed underlying weakness and caused a liquidation of leveraged buyers. 1940 at the base of a previous breakout is the next stop to gauge the bulls’ commitment. An oversold RSI may trigger a buy-the-dips behavior and lead to a limited rebound. 1980 is now the closest resistance. Read next: (UKOIL) Brent Crude Oil Spikes to Highest Price For April, (NGAS) Natural Gas Hitting Pre-2008 Prices, Cotton Planting Has Begun SPX 500 breaks channel The S&P 500 recoups losses as the quarterly earnings season heats up. The index has been sliding down in a bearish channel, which indicates a cautious mood in the short term. The latest rally above the upper band (4420) and resistance at 4460 could prompt sellers to cover their positions, paving the way for a potential reversal towards 4590. 4360 is a fresh support. In fact, a series of higher lows would show buying interest and convince followers to jump in with both feet. Otherwise, 4300 would be the next support.
UK Labor Market Shows Signs of Loosening as Unemployment Rises: ONS Report

No More Clothes From Zalando!? Controversial Continental (CONG)! Company Has Jumped By Over 4% (DAX) What About US Stocks?

Mikołaj Marcinowski Mikołaj Marcinowski 21.04.2022 15:40
Not only has the earnings in the USA moving markets, but also all the news coming from Europe where Russia-Ukraine conflict persists influencing markets in various ways. The information about German Continental (CFD) restarting its factories in Russia to “protect workers” shocked many and brought on discussions. Continental (CONG) Gains Amid Controversy Technically, Continental has increased by over 4% and we wonder, if automotive companies who cooperate with the German tyres maker are going to revoke the partnerships making brands decline amid controversial decision. Continental restarts tyre making at Russian plant to protect workers https://t.co/POmwlhg41S pic.twitter.com/CChFSaNsz9 — Reuters (@Reuters) April 19, 2022 DAX (GER 40) Trades Higher Today Speaking of DAX, Continental is not the only “power source” today. Despite Continental, Sartorius (SATG_p) – a medical company and multi-branch Siemens (SIEGn) which provides various electric and electronic solutions to many markets. Read next: (XAGUSD) Price of Silver Vs. U.S Yields, Lumber and Corn Futures Dependent on Demand and Supply | FXMAG.COM Continental and Siemens Leading The Gainers’ Ranking Sartorius went for a 4.12% gain, CONG increase amounts to 4.55% and Siemens AG has risen by 4.06% over last 24 hours, but day is not over yet and these companies may fluctuate throughout next 2 hours of trading on XETRA. However, GER 40 has performed really well over last day gaining over 1.2% what can really gratify investors. Energy crisis? RWE is doing well! So which companies have lost? RWE AG (electricity) has increased over last year (+12.26%), but over last day the price has gone down by ca. 2%! HelloFresh (HFGG) investors probably feels upset as well – the company has lost -1.46% over last day. The third company which is currently below-the-line is Zalando SE known from its e-commerce brands. Read next: Unexpectedly Gold Price (XAUUSD) Falls, Canada And Chicago - Weather Makes Wheat Futures Fluctuate. The Price Of Palladium - Industrial Activity Is Taking Strain | FXMAG.COM The USA is back trading! Some news has moved the markets! Yesterday’s earnings of Tesla and Netflix has been shaping the prices from the time of announcements. But US Stocks is not only about big-tech and love brands! Read next: ECB Announcements to Possibly Tighten Monetary Policy Strengthens the Euro. EUR/USD, EUR/GBP, AUD/NZD and EUR/CHF All Increased | FXMAG.COM Netflix (NFLX) Has Begun With A Small Climb Surprisingly American Airlines shocked many with its earnings putting the stock price really, really high. The gain has amounted to ca. 10% and the commentary by the company’s CEO, Robert Isom is definitely worth a watch as he elaborates not only on the AAL revenue, but also on masks and post-COVID travelling. Rocking and Dancing Tesla Naturally opening Tesla factory in Berlin was a great reason to dance so we expect that the office of Elon Musk is like a danceroom right now as the stock price keeps high levels after yesterday’s evening release of the earnings. Tesla Stock Price (TSLA) Impressive AT&T AT&T earnings almost amounted to the forecast presented by Investing.com team in their insightful Earnings Calendar and the stock price has increased in premarket, so watch it closely throughout the day. Source/Data: Investing.com, TradingView.com Charts: Courtesy of TradingView.com
(TSLA) Tesla And Elon Musk Continue to Outperform the Market! What About Elon Musk-Twitter Negotiations' (TWTR) Influence?

(TSLA) Tesla And Elon Musk Continue to Outperform the Market! What About Elon Musk-Twitter Negotiations' (TWTR) Influence?

Rebecca Duthie Rebecca Duthie 21.04.2022 15:08
Since the market opened this morning, the price of Tesla’s stock has increased largely, this surge came after the earnings announcement for Tesla that took place late one Wednesday, which showed large increases in earnings and profits, reflecting unexpected growth for Q1. Tesla share price has surged in the past 24 hours as a result of musks earning announcement that took place late on Wednesday (CET) Read next: (XAGUSD) Price of Silver Vs. U.S Yields, Lumber and Corn Futures Dependent on Demand and Supply | FXMAG.COM The stock price was also affected by Musk’s determination to take over Twitter (TWTR) The price of Tesla's stock has shown very volatile price movements over the past week as a result of market sentiment and current market conditions. In addition, the stock price was also affected by Musk’s determination to take over twitter, an announcement that took place just over a week ago, since then the price has been rising again in general. Read next: Unexpectedly Gold Price (XAUUSD) Falls, Canada And Chicago - Weather Makes Wheat Futures Fluctuate. The Price Of Palladium - Industrial Activity Is Taking Strain | FXMAG.COM Research has shown that the value of Tesla's stock has a correlation between stock movements in the near term and earnings estimates. Currently the market sentiment for the stock is mixed as investors in general are unsure where the markets will go at this point and investors are seemingly more risk-averse amid the rising inflation and possibility of a looming recession. Tesla Stock Price Chart Sources: Finance.yahoo.com, investors.com  Read next: ECB Announcements to Possibly Tighten Monetary Policy Strengthens the Euro. EUR/USD, EUR/GBP, AUD/NZD and EUR/CHF All Increased | FXMAG.COM  
5% for the US 10-Year Treasury Yield: A Realistic Scenario

A Market Crash Is Coming? Check How S&P 500, Crude Oil, Hang Seng, USDCNH And Other Assets Performs

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 26.04.2022 10:34
Macro 2022-04-26 08:34 6 minutes to read Summary:  Market sentiment stabilized yesterday ahead of the heart of earnings season kicking off today, with the slide in the Chinese renminbi halted after official moves signaled some support for the currency. Still, the threat of Covid lockdowns looms in Beijing with tens of millions set for testing. Elsewhere, Elon Musk is set to take Twitter private in a debt-heavy deal, oil rebounded from a deep sell-off and gold has tested existential support. What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) - S&P 500 futures tested the 4,200 level yesterday as we highlighted was possible but found quick support before bouncing back to close above Friday’s close. That is a short-term positive signal but earning releases this week can still wreck this rebound trade, so we expect volatility to remain high over the coming days. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI.I) and China’s CSI300 (000300.I) - with another round of supportive rhetoric from central bank officials and pledge from the State Council to boost domestic consumption, markets found a bid in morning trading but their gains pared in the afternoon. Hang Seng Index was up 1.5% while CSI300 was down modestly. Chinese mega cap internet names traded in Hong Kong and retailers traded in the mainland were among the top gainers. HSBC reported in-line earnings, but common equity tier 1 (‘CET1’) capital ratio came at 14.1%, down 1.7 per centage point from 4Q21. Share price fell over 3%. Stoxx 50 (EU50.I) - signals from PBOC to support the Chinese economy and better than expected earnings from HSBC, UBS, Santander, and a FY profit guidance increase from Maersk are lifting equity sentiment with Stoxx 50 futures trading around the 3,735 level in early trading hours. That puts European equity futures back into the trading range from the past two weeks, but technically European equities remain weak it requires good news from earnings, China, and the war in Ukraine to move things higher. GBPUSD and USD/commodity currency and USD/EM pairs – with some relief in risk sentiment yesterday, the US dollar rally eased after first having extended its strength earlier in the day. As noted below, much of the force of the recent move has been linked by a jolt higher in USDCNH, which after a long period of quiet is finally catching up to the broader picture of USD strength and adding to that USD strength elsewhere. The weakest of currencies against the greenback in recent sessions have been commodity-linked, EM and Asian currencies with a significant exposure to China, but also sterling, which has suffered a vicious sell-off as the outlook for the UK economy rapidly deteriorates amidst soaring cost-of-living headwinds, cratering confidence, supply-side limitations, and massive external deficits. GBPUSD traders may eventually eye the ultimate support of 1.2000. USDCNH  at the center of the recent violent extension of the US dollar rally has been a marked weakening of the Chinese renminbi, which has come after a long period of extreme quiet even as volatility picked up elsewhere. Yesterday, China moved to cut the reserve-ratio-requirement for Chinese banks’ forex reserves by 1% (to 8% from 9%) to increase the supply of USD, a gesture suggesting that the recent pace of CNY devaluation has proceeded more rapidly than desired. The PBOC overnight promised targeted support for the economy, but the concerns linked to China’s zero-Covid strategy and threat weighs of a lockdown of Beijing similar to the recent experience in Shanghai.  Gold (XAUUSD)  trades back above $1900 supported by higher oil prices and a softer dollar. This following a two-day sell off that was triggered by aggressive US rate hike signals and a sharp drop in silver (XAGUSD) on growth concerns. With support around $1890 holding once again the yellow metal needs a break above support-turned-resistance at $1915. The Fed is currently on a collision course with the PBoC which needs to add stimulus on mounting growth fears, and it raises the question of whether the FOMC will be able to hike rates as aggressively as expected by the market. Until that question gets answered, the market is likely to get its directional input from oil (inflation and geo-risk gauge) as well as developments in China. Crude oil (OILUKJUN22 & OILUSJUN22)  bounced back following a two-day decline that briefly saw Bent crude dip below $100. A lockdown related drop in Chinese demand for fuel together with the prospect of a rapid succession of US rate hikes to curb growth have been the focus this past week. However, with the supply picture being as tight as it currently is, especially with Europe considering a ban on Russian crude imports, any signs of an improve situation in China would attract a renewed bid. Until then these major opposing forces are likely to keep the market rangebound and nervous. In Brent, only a break below $98 would signal additional and potential deep losses from technical selling. Resistance just above $106.50 where the 21- and 50-day moving averages meet. US Treasuries (IEF, TLT)  were sold late yesterday after posting a new 1-week low in yields, taking the yield for the 10-year benchmark back into the range above 2.82%. The high for the cycle in that important yield has been just above 2.95% - with 3.00% perhaps a psychological resistance ahead of the 2018 high near 3.26%. What is going on? US planting progress and crop conditions continue to highlight a challenging situation. A weekly report released Monday showed corn planting (CORNDEC22) had advanced by 3% to being 7% complete, the slowest pace in almost ten years and trailing last year’s pace of 17%. Winter wheat rated good/excellent dropped 3% to 27% and was near the worst on record. The planting delays and conditions have been caused by the weather being too cold, too wet, or a combination of both. Big grain harvests in North America are needed this year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reduced shipments out of the Black Sea, from where 25% of the global wheat export originates, while raising doubts about this year’s crop production in Ukraine. Twitter board agrees with Musk on deal.  The two parties agreed yesterday with a purchase price of $54.20/share translating into a takeover market value of $44bn and part of the deal is massive use of debt which multiplied with the current interest rates will eat most of Twitter’s immediate operating profits, but since the company is going private the profit generation is no longer the main objective. Our view is that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter could be a problem for Tesla going forward as governments may use Musk’s ownership of Twitter against him in negotiations with Tesla. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says BoC considering 50 basis point hike.  In testimony before Parliament, Macklem admitted that the BoC “got some things wrong” in its policy mix, voiced concern about broadening price pressures and guided for further tightening. Bank of Canada rate expectations were actually slightly lower yesterday, with CAD moves of late, at least in USDCAD, yesterday more correlated with risk sentiment and crude oil prices. The Bank of Canada is already priced to hike at least 50 basis points at each of its next three meeting. USDJPY lacks direction ahead of BoJ meeting on Thursday. The Japanese yen gains yesterday and overnight were capped by a rebound in US treasury yields. Japan finance minister Suzuki said that there is no truth to the media report on Japan/US discussion on joint FX intervention. While there may be room for a further fall in USDJPY given the outsized gains we have seen so far, policy divergence between the Fed and Japan remains the key theme and any BOJ policy tweak this week remains on watch. US earnings recap.  Coca-Cola beat expectations yesterday and is seeing higher revenue growth than what analysts had expected suggesting analysts are behind the curve on inflation dynamics and what it means for revenue growth. Activision Blizzard also reported earnings yesterday, which is part of the entertainment industry, and reported worse than expected figures with revenue especially disappointing at $1.48bn vs est. $1.81bn. IMF warns on Asia stagflation risk.  IMF has said that the Asian region faces stagflationary outlook with growth being lower than previously expected and inflation being higher. The larger-than-expected slowdown in China due to prolonged or more widespread lockdowns, longer-than-expected slump in the property market, constitutes significant risk for Asia. Monetary tightening will be needed in most countries, with speed of tightening depending on domestic inflation developments and external pressures. IFO April German business confidence surprises on the upside.  The headline index was up at 91.8 versus an estimated 89.0. The current assessment index is moving upward too, at 97.2 versus estimated 95.9. Finally, the expectations index is out at 86.7 versus estimated 83.5. This is very positive, of course. But we think optimism will not last. There are several factors which will negatively impact the German economy in the coming months: the possible new cold war, prevalent supply chain disruptions, higher energy bills, the acceleration of deglobalisation etc. All of this will have negative consequences on the German export industry. Be ready for worse data in the coming months. Inflation is hitting the UK consumer hard. According to the latest ONS survey, 43 % of UK households said they encountered difficulties paying their energy bill in March and 43 % say they will probably be unable to save in the next twelve months. These data are compared with a year ago. Expect UK consumption to fall sharply in the coming months. The likelihood of a recession is increasing, of course. What are we watching next? Risk of further Chinese Covid lockdowns.  The current focus in China as Covid spreads there is Beijing, where partial shutdowns were already ordered yesterday of one region of the city, but with mass testing of 20 million Beijing area residents set to begin. The province of Inner Mongolia is also a focus on concerns that Covid-related disruptions are set to reduce rare earth metal production there. Technology earnings and their profit margins.  Net profit margins are confirming their downtrend in Q1 according to preliminary earnings data, but technology companies measured by the Nasdaq 100 are seeing less impact on margins from rising input costs. As technology companies are the biggest constituents in the main indices it crucial how these companies perform on earnings this week, but also that they can demonstrate less impact from inflation. The first test of this thesis is tonight with earnings from Microsoft, Alphabet, and Visa. Earnings Watch.  Today’s earnings focus is on Microsoft, Alphabet and Visa which are all reporting after the US market close, which is the first real test of the US technology sector for the Q1 following preliminary disappointments from Netflix and yesterday’s Activision Blizzard earnings. Today: Kweichow Moutai, Ganfeng Lithium, First Quantum Minerals, Tryg, FANUC, Canon, HSBC, Banco Santander, Iberdrola, Atlas Copco, Novartis, UBS Group, Kuehne + Nagel, Microsoft, Alphabet, Visa, PepsiCo, UPS, Texas Instruments, Raytheon Technologies, General Electric, Mondelez, Chubb, 3M Wednesday: LONGi Green Energy, Teck Resources, DSV, Novozymes, Kone, Dassault Systemes, STMicroelectronics, Deutsche Bank, BYD, China Shenhua Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical, UniCredit, Keyence, GlaxoSmithKline, Lloyds Banking Group, Yara International, Iberdrola, Assa Abloy, SEB, Credit Suisse, Meta, Qualcomm, Amgen, Boeing, PayPal, ServiceNow, Ford, Southern Copper Thursday: Nokia, Sanofi, TotalEnergies, Denso, Hitachi, Barclays, Nordea, Apple, Amazon, Mastercard, Eli Lilly, Thermo Fisher, Merck, Comcast, Intel, McDonald’s, Linde, Caterpillar, Hershey, Twitter Friday: ICBC, China Yangtze Power, Midea Group, WuXi AppTec, TC Energy, Imperial Oil, Orsted, Neste Danske Bank, BASF, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Ping An Insurance, COSCO Shipping, Eni, AstraZeneca, BBVA, Hexagon, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, AbbVie, Bristol-Myers, Honeywell, Colgate-Palmolive Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0900 – ECB’s de Cos to speak 1040 – ECB's de Cos to speak 1200 – Hungary Central Bank Rate Decision 1215 – ECB's Villeroy to speak 1230 – US Mar. Preliminary Durable Goods Orders 1300 – US Feb. S&P CoreLogic Home Price Index 1400 – US Apr. Conference Board Consumer Confidence 1400 – US Apr. Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index 1400 – US Mar. New Home Sales 0130 – Australia Q1 CPI  Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app:    
FX: GBP/USD - Possible Scenarios For British Pound To US Dollar

What Is An ETF? Vanguard VOO ETF vs Invesco QQQ ETF: Which is Better for You?

Dividend Power Dividend Power 29.04.2022 08:38
Investing in mutual funds and ETFs is a fundamental part of long-term investing. In addition, when comparing ETFs to individual stocks, they are typically seen as safer investments since they are more diversified. Many of these funds aim to track specific indexes. Two examples of this are VOO which seeks to track the S&P 500 Index, and QQQ, which follows the NASDAQ 100 index. However, it can be hard to figure out which might be a better investment. Below is a comparison of these two popular funds to help you reach a decision. VOO vs. QQQ: Issuer When it comes to VOO vs. QQQ from an issuer standpoint, you're dealing with two very large firms. VOO is issued by Vanguard, the largest issuer of mutual funds globally. They are also the second-largest issuer of ETFs. So, needless to say, you don't become that large without knowing what you're doing. QQQ is issued by Invesco, another large and well-known issuer of mutual funds and ETFs. With more than $1.6 trillion in managed assets, it’s safe to say investing with an Invesco fund is a pretty safe bet. VOO vs. QQQ: Underlying Index Followed As mentioned early, VOO aims to track the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500 Index seeks to track the 500 leading publicly traded US companies. Market capitalization is the primary criterion for a company to be included in the S&P 500 Index fund, but it is not the only criterion. QQQ aims to follow the NASDAQ 100 Index. The NASDAQ 100 Index includes 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies based on market capitalization listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. VOO vs. QQQ: Expense Ratios Expense ratios can be vital information when deciding what fund to invest in. Even a tiny difference can become thousands of dollars over the course of investing in a fund for 10 to 20 years. Essentially, with managed funds, there are expenses that go along with it. These expenses could be salaries to pay analysts or portfolio managers, management fees, rent for office space, and many others. Many funds will pass some or all these expenses on to you, the investor. The amount passed to you is shown as the expense ratio. When looking at VOO and QQQ, there is a stark difference in their expense ratios. While VOO maintains a meager 0.03% ratio, QQQ has a much higher ratio of 0.2%. For QQQ, that's more than six times that of VOO, which can add up to a lot of money paid to the fund over the long term. VOO vs. QQQ: Minimum Initial Investments Minimum initial investments (MII) will vary per fund and firm. The minimum initial investment only applies when you initially invest in a fund. Many funds require $100 - $5000 or more for your first investment. After that, you are free to invest any amount you wish on subsequent investments with the same fund. VOO’s current MII is the asking price of one share on that trading day. To give you an idea, as of writing this, VOO stands at roughly $387 per share. QQQ, however, has no minimum initial investment. QQQ is currently sitting at a share price of about $320, but you can essentially invest $1. VOO vs. QQQ: Net Assets and Holdings Comparing VOO vs. QQQ, each fund's top ten holdings are identical; see below. The main difference here is that while holding the same funds, VOO has roughly 24.7% of its $1.3 trillion ($321.1. billion) total assets in these stocks. In comparison, VOO holds about 29.5% of its $808.8 billion in the top ten holdings, roughly $238.6 billion. VOO vs. QQQ Top Holdings: Although tracking different indexes, VOO and QQQ have similar holdings in their top 10. Seven of the top holds are the same with: Apple (AAPL) Microsoft (MSFT) Amazon (AMZN) Tesla (TSLA) Alphabet Class A and C (QQQ holds both, while VOO does not) NVIDIA (NVDA) Meta (FB) QQQ rounds out its top 10 with Costco (COST) and PepsiCo (PEP), while VOO holds UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B). While sharing similar stocks as their top 10, the amount invested in each varies slightly. VOO vs QQQ: Compositions One of the areas in which the VOO vs. QQQ comparison will differ is the fund composition. As mentioned earlier, VOO aims to track the S&P 500 Index, while QQQ seeks to track the NASDAQ 100 Index. As you might imagine, the number of stocks held in each is very different. QQQ currently has 102 different stocks. There are about 507 stocks in VOO, mostly large-cap and geared toward growth. Fewer stocks could generally be more volatile when there is more market volatility. VOO vs. QQQ: Overall Performance Of course, what most investors will put at the top of their criteria when determining which fund to invest in will be the performance! When looking at the performance of both VOO and QQQ, they both have very similar returns to the indexes they aim to track. Even though we say they have similar top 10 holdings, QQQ's returns over the past 1, 5, and 10 years have been much higher. It should be noted that NASDAQ tends to hold more Technology and tech-related stocks, a booming market sector over the past decade. QQQ Performance: VOO Performance: It should still be noted that the return over each fund's lifespan is better for VOO. It could also be a less volatile fund with more stocks being held meaning it is probably more diversified. VOO vs QQQ: Which is better? When making any investment, it comes down to your comfort level. The significant factor in VOO vs. QQQ is the performance, with QQQ winning out during the tech boom era. However, overall, VOO has had better long-term returns. VOO also has a much lower expense ratio, which should not be taken lightly as QQQ will need to continue outperforming VOO significantly to make up for its fees. VOO also holds more stocks, probably making it a less volatile fund to invest in. VOO vs. QQQ: Final Thoughts Both funds are backed by large asset managers in Vanguard and Invesco. Either ETF would make good additions to an investor's portfolio. While QQQ has better recent performance, the tech boom could be over since technology stocks are struggling in 2022, and the expense ratio is higher. On the other hand, VOO has better long-term total returns and would probably be less volatile. It can also serve as a core holding in some version of the Bogleheads 3-Fund portfolio. In the end, both have strengths and weaknesses. You'll need to determine which better fits your investment style and needs. Disclosure: None Author Bio: The author is the founder of the Dividend Power site. He is a self-taught investor and blogger on dividend growth stocks and financial independence. Some of his writings can be found on Seeking Alpha, TalkMarkets, ValueWalk, The Money Show, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, FXMag, and leading financial blogs. He also works as a part-time freelance equity analyst with a leading newsletter on dividend stocks. He was recently in the top 100 and 1.0% (81st out of over 9,459) of financial bloggers as tracked by TipRanks (an independent analyst tracking site) for his articles on Seeking Alpha. Disclaimer: The author is not a licensed or registered investment adviser or broker/dealer. He is not providing you with individual investment advice. Please consult with a licensed investment professional before you invest your money. 
EUR/USD Downside Risks in a Bearish Bond Market: Assessing the Impact of 10-Year Treasury Yields at 5.0%

Sell in May and go away - 2022 version | Conotoxia

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 10.05.2022 11:11
Financial markets still seem to be discounting the prospects of more difficult and expensive capital raising after interest rate hikes and a weaker outlook for the economy with consumption falling due to inflation. For the first 10 days of the month alone, the German Dax fell by about 4 percent, the U.S. Nasdaq 100 by 3.7 percent, the S&P 500 by 2.5 percent Thus, the stock market saying sell in May and go away in 2022 sounds prophetic, as since the beginning of the month it has been hard to find financial assets that could gain in value. For the first 10 days of the month alone, the German Dax fell by about 4 percent, the U.S. Nasdaq 100 by 3.7 percent, the S&P 500 by 2.5 percent, and the DJIA by 1.5 percent. Silver has dipped by 4.5 percent, Meanwhile, since the beginning of the month, the U.S. dollar has gained 0.64 percent. The markets are therefore seeing a broad outflow into cash as part of the potential cash phase of the business cycle, which typically occurs before the bond phase, when these have reached the peak of their yields. This, in turn, may be related to the anticipation of interest rate hikes and a peak in inflation. Nevertheless, it can be added that today's financial market offers solutions that can allow trading both under the rise and also under the fall of financial asset prices, including cryptocurrencies. It is cryptocurrencies that may be the loudest again today, since the beginning of May brought a crash in this market. It is cryptocurrencies that may be the loudest again today, since the beginning of May brought a crash in this market. Tonight bitcoin was trading near of $29,000, which was the lowest value since the crash in May 2021. It is safe to say that history has repeated itself in May 2022, and the background seems very interesting. We are talking about the breaking of the stablecoin UST, which at one point was trading below $0.7. This in turn may have forced the release of bitcoin reserves, which were a hedge against a 1:1 UST to USD exchange rate and a massive supply of BTC tonight. The event was reminiscent of George Soros' breaking of the Bank of England or the release of the franc from the minimum exchange rate at 1.20 against the euro. Whether cryptocurrencies can recover from this remains an open question, as one of the stable coin foundations has been undermined Once again the financial market, this time in crypto, served up an event like we have never seen before and on a scale that has not been seen before. Whether cryptocurrencies can recover from this remains an open question, as one of the stable coin foundations has been undermined. Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Forex service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80.77% 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.
"Global Steel Output Rises as Chinese Production Surges, Copper Market Remains in Deficit

Where (USD) US Dollar Is Going To Head To In The Next Few Days? May S&P 500 And Gold Become Volatile Shortly? | Daily Reprieve or More | Monica Kingsley

Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 11.05.2022 14:17
S&P 500 modest risk-on turn talked yesterday, is underway – with adequate support from bonds. That means the dollar is going to get under daily selling pressure, with positive consequences for assets spanning commonidities, precious metals and sure supporting tech as well (looking at TLT to cast a decisive vote for Nasdaq). Unfolding just fine, but what about the CPI effect? Likely to temper the oh so fast inflation theme, at least temporarily – and that would take pressure off the Fed‘s hand being twisted by the markets. Note though how both the 2-year and 10-year Treasury paused over the last days. Together with the arriving as anticipated negative quarterly GDP print, the temporary slowdown in pace of inflation would get an ally in retreating (especially long-term) Treasury yields reflecting the darkening real economy prospects. Time for a relief S&P 500 rally with both tech and value participation, if only HYG can perform somewhat better. Time for a relief S&P 500 rally with both tech and value participation, if only HYG can perform somewhat better. The bulls have a chance, and can run with it as best as they can. Cryptos thus far are modestly leaning in the „local bottom is in“ direction (in spite of the tectonic Tether developments), so the odds are for price gains across the board (at the expense of the dollar) during today – as long as markets interpret the upcoming CPI reading as slowing down / slowly peaking. Yes, since Jun 2020 when I started to talk early effects of inflation, the last week has been the first time when I raised the good likelihood of inflation making a local peak when May / Jun CPI readings come in, only to spring quickly back to life on the „economy is slowing, do something“ change in tune of demands made to the Fed. Read next: Stablecoins In Times Of Crypto Crash. What is Terra (UST)? A Deep Look Into Terra Altcoin. Terra - Leading Decentralised And Open-Source Public Blockchain Protocol | FXMAG.COM At these trying times for real asset bulls, let‘s take the proper precious metals perspective, enjoy the rich caption: It‘s the dollar, yields and miners coming back to life that would mark the coming upleg arrival Plenty of upside risk to become evident in 2H 2022, with my Monday‘s article covering the game plan for turnaround across the many assets on my daily watch. It‘s the dollar, yields and miners coming back to life that would mark the coming upleg arrival. Lean times until then. Read next: (EUR/USD) German Inflation Meets Forecasts, Pound Sterling Continues To Weaken (EUR/GBP, GBP/USD), (EUR/JPY) Japanese Yen Strengthens As Investors Seek Safe-Haven Assets| FXMAG.COM There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
Forex: GBP/USD. The Support Has Been Rejected 3 Times. Uptrend!

Inflation (US CPI) Rises, So Does US Dollar (USD)! (SPX) S&P 500 And Nasdaq Have Decreased! Is Hawkish Fed Going To Hunt Again? | FxPro |

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 11.05.2022 15:36
The dollar got a fresh boost, with stocks coming under renewed pressure after a new batch of US inflation data. The annual inflation rate slowed from 8.5% to 8.3% The US consumer price index rose 0.3% in April after 1.2% a month earlier. The annual inflation rate slowed from 8.5% to 8.3% but was higher than the expected 8.1% y/y. Particularly worrying for markets is the development of core inflation. The corresponding index added 0.6% m/m and 6.2% y/y last month, higher than the expected 0.4% and 6.0%, continuing the sprawl of inflation. Higher-than-expected inflation is now positive for the dollar and weighs on equities as it suggests a more robust Fed response While the annual rate of core and core inflation seems to have peaked, higher-than-expected inflation is now positive for the dollar and weighs on equities as it suggests a more robust Fed response. With inflation far from the 2% target, the Fed will be inclined to act faster (raise rates more than 50 points at a time) or stop hiking at a higher level. A significant risk demand indicator, bitcoin, has already moved out of the range with a lower boundary in January 2021 Locally, we see a tug-of-war around the dollar against the euro and yen near the lows of the past two weeks and swings against the pound and the franc near this week’s extremes. However, a significant risk demand indicator, bitcoin, has already moved out of the range with a lower boundary in January 2021. The S&P500 and Nasdaq futures were also pushed back to this week’s lows, indicating continued bearish pressure.
(SPX) S&P 500 Trades Near $4000 And Dow Jones (DJI) Is Not Very Far From $32K. Some May Say US Stock Markets Make Their Minds Flash Back To 2008 | FxPro

(SPX) S&P 500 Trades Near $4000 And Dow Jones (DJI) Is Not Very Far From $32K. Some May Say US Stock Markets Make Their Minds Flash Back To 2008 | FxPro

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 16.05.2022 10:07
US stock markets closed last Friday with a substantial and widespread gain. Do we see a dead cat bounce or the beginning of a recovery? So far, there are more reasons to suspect the former. Technically, the S&P500 has managed to bounce back from a bear market territory and has temporarily returned to levels above 4000, while Dow is above 32000 The CNN Fear & Greed Index was down to 7 last week, rebounding to 12 by Monday. Current levels are still in extreme fear territory, but a rebound from multi-month lows often heralds a return of buyers who think the emotional sell-off has gone too far. Technically, the S&P500 has managed to bounce back from a bear market territory and has temporarily returned to levels above 4000, while Dow is above 32000. However, in our view, we saw positional profit-taking on Friday, but not the end of a downward trend. The weekly chart’s S&P500 and Dow Jones indices have not yet reached the oversold area where they appeared attractive for buying in March 2020. Read next: (TRX) TRON USD Decentralised Blockchain Platform That Focuses On Entertainment And Content Sharing. Altcoins: A Deep Look Into The TRON Network | FXMAG.COM Particularly worrying is the comparatively quiet nature of the sell-off. The market volatility index VIX remains the only one of the seven “Fear and Greed” components in neutral territory. The latter signals a systematic sell-off of assets rather than a panic flight. This is not a straightforward approach for the market to change. Treasury and Fed officials are often willing to flood the markets with liquidity in cases of extreme volatility. Still, without it, they see what is happening as a natural process in which it is harmful to interfere. So far, we can see the intention of a 50 point hike in the next two meetings in June and July after a similar move in May at the same time as the asset sales from the balance sheet The technical picture in the US indices now more closely resembles the first half of 2008. That means that the climax of the panic (October 2008) and the bottom (March 2009) are yet to come. This is also supported by the Fed’s rhetoric that hopes to avert an economic recession through policy tightening is prevented. So far, we can see the intention of a 50 point hike in the next two meetings in June and July after a similar move in May at the same time as the asset sales from the balance sheet. Read next: Altcoins: What Is Polkadot (DOT)? Cross-Chain Transfers Of Any Type Of Asset Or Data. A Deeper Look Into Polkadot Protocol | FXMAG.COM Monetary tightening locally looks like a breeding ground for bears, who might target the area below 30000 in the Dow Jones, trying to close the gap near 28300 from November 2020. For the S&P500, the bears’ ultimate target might be the 3300-3400 area, where the pre-pandemic peak and the starting point of the rally in November after the Biden victory are concentrated. Perhaps only by zeroing in on all the coronavirus and retail-associated gains in equities and taking inflation into negative territory could we see an inflow of long-term capital into equities.
Sunrun's Path to Recovery: Analysts Place Bets on High Growth Amidst Renewable Energy Challenges

Nasdaq And S&P 500 Have Fallen, USD Is Still Really Strong. What About Asia? | Asia Morning Bites | ING Economics

ING Economics ING Economics 19.05.2022 08:59
Plunging US equities set the tone for Asian markets  Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global: Yesterday was a horrible session for US stocks. Selling pressure was evident from the starting bell, and equity futures today are signalling no sign of buying the dip either. The S&P500 fell more than 4% and the NASDAQ was down 4.73%. The S&P now stands just one bad day away from an official bear market. The NASDAQ is already there. Benchmark FX markets reflected the risk-off tone and reversed yesterday’s moves and more. The EURUSD is now back down to 1.0474, and this has helped pull the AUD back below 70 cents. The JPY has begun to appreciate again and is now at 128.24 whilst the KRW also made gains on a day when most Asian FX was looking fairly weak. US Treasuries too were benefiting from the fall in risk sentiment. Yields on the 2Y US Treasury note fell 3.1bp to 2.669%, while those on the 10Y bond fell 10.2bp to take the yield to 2.884%. There’s not much on the macro calendar today. US existing home sales may just be worth a second or two’s glance. With growing talk of recession vs soft-landing, the interest-sensitive housing sectors may provide a sneak preview of any turn in the economic cycle. Australia: Australia releases its April employment report shortly, and the market is looking for employment growth of about 30,000 and a further slight fall in the unemployment rate to 3.9% from 4.0%. We don’t have any issues with these assumptions. A 3.9% or lower unemployment rate would be a new record low, but we don’t think it particularly changes the story for the RBA, now that they have accepted that inflation is sustainably above their target. Likewise, yesterday’s slightly lower than expected wage price index is not particularly binding right now. All that a very strong labour report may do is raise the prospects of greater than 25bp hikes at forthcoming meetings. China: The Shanghai lockdown is unwinding gradually. The government expects the end of the lockdown will be in early June. For now, Beijing and Tianjin both have districts under lockdown. We expect more districts will be locked down as more Covid clusters are found. The port of Tianjin is important for hard commodity trade. Though we have not seen disruption in Tianjin’s port yet, this could become an issue if stricter social distancing measures are applied. Domestic prices of commodities could increase in this case. Japan: The trade deficit widened to -JPY839bn in April (vs -JPY412.4bn in March), recording the 9th consecutive month of deficit. Exports grew 12.5% YoY while imports rose by 28.2%. Import growth remained rapid, but probably peaked last November (+ 43.8%). Meanwhile, March core machinery orders rebounded by 7.1%MoM (vs 3.9% market consensus), partially offsetting the previous month’s loss of -9.8%.  Yesterday’s 1Q22 GDP was better than expected. But this means that the 2Q rebound will probably be weaker than we previously thought. Pent-up demand-driven consumer spending will lead growth in 2Q, but higher inflation will dampen household purchasing power and moderate any bounce. Today’s data suggest that trade will remain the main drag on 2Q growth, while investment spending will decelerate further. We are planning to revise down 2Q22 GDP soon. Philippines: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) meets to decide on policy today.  Governor, Diokno, who previously vowed to keep rates untouched through to the second half of the year now indicates that the space to keep accommodation has “narrowed significantly”.  We expect BSP to hike policy rates by 25 bps and possibly hint at additional tightening at the 23 June meeting.  What to look out for: US initial jobless claims Japan trade balance (19 May) Australia unemployment (19 May) Philippines BSP policy meeting (19 May) Singapore 1Q GDP final (19 May) US initial jobless claims (19 May) Japan CPI inflation (20 May) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
USD/JPY: Japanese Authorities Signal Intervention Amid Rapid Currency Appreciation

US stocks snap 7-day downtrend. Commodity stocks in wheat, energy and lithium brighten | Saxo Bank

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 24.05.2022 14:34
Summary:  A technical rally occurred overnight, seeing the S&P500 gain after 7 days of declines, while Agriculture and Energy stocks shone the most, gaining even more momentum proving they are an inflation hedge. In quality tech, Apple shares rose 4% with long-term investors dripping in buy orders. Meanwhile, in big banks JPMorgan gained 6% upon forecasting net interest income to rise, which supported gains in Bank of America, Citigroup. We don’t think the market is at breaking point yet. However see Commodity gains intensifying and offering further upside, as the world worries global wheat supplies could run out in 10 weeks, while demand for lithium batteries rises seeing lithium companies upgrade their earnings and rally. What’s happening in markets that you need to know Big picture themes? Of the Equity Baskets we track across different sectors, we can see select risk appetite is starting to come back in to the market; China’s little giants are up the most month-to-date, supported by China’s fresh interest rate cut. Meanwhile, Cybersecurity stocks were up overnight (but are still down 24% YTD). Year-to-date though, our high conviction asset class, Commodities continues to see the most growth, followed by Defence. In the S&P500 oversold Ag and Bank stocks shine; Agri and Farm Tech stocks were up the most overnight, followed by Diversified Banks. In terms of standout stocks; Ross Stores and Deere (DE) rose the most (9%, 7%), after being two of the most oversold stocks last week. In S&P500 Deer was THE most oversold member. Deer makes 65% of its revenue from Agricultural equipment and selling turf. Earnings are expected to grind higher in 2022 and Deer pays a small dividend yield (1.25%). Asia Pacific’s stocks are trading mixed following more Tech disappointment in the US. While risk sentiment was upbeat overnight on Wall Street, Asia Pac’s markets turned most lower following Snap’s warning that it is unlikely to meet revenue and profit forecasts. Tech sentiment eroded again and further consumer staples earnings results this week are keeping investors cautious. Australia’s ASX200 trades flat, weight by tech falling,  with Block (SQ) down 6% after Bitcoin trades under $30k (Block makes most of its money from BTC transactions). Meanwhile, ASX lithium stocks continue to surge, supported by the new Australian government’s EV stimulus, seeing Liontown (LTR), Allkem (AKE), MinRes (MIN), Pilbara (PLS) dominate the leaderboard and rise 3-4%. Japan’s Nikkei (NI225.I) is down 0.3% led by Recruit (6098) which operates the popular HR engine “Indeed” and company information website “Glassdoor”. Singapore’s STI index (ES3) was however up 0.2% despite a record high inflation and a potential chicken-price shock. Read next: Stablecoins In Times Of Crypto Crash. What is Terra (UST)? A Deep Look Into Terra Altcoin. Terra - Leading Decentralised And Open-Source Public Blockchain Protocol | FXMAG.COM Chinese and Hong Kong equites see lackluster trading despite incremental stimulus measures from the State Council and Biden’s remarks on reviewing tariffs on goods from China.   The attempt to rally in the opening hour in response to positive news of 33 stimulus measures from China’s State Council failed.  Overnight news that Biden will discuss with Treasury Secretary Yellen about reviewing tariffs on goods from China as part of the Biden administration’s effort to ease U.S. inflationary pressures did not incur much excitement. Hang Seng Index (HSI.I) fell 0.8% and CSI300(000300.I) was 0.3% lower. Among the 33 measures was a reduction of RMB60 billion in the purchase tax on passenger cars Great Wall.  Great Wall Motor (02333), Geely (00175) and Guangzhou Automobile (02238) rose 3% to 10% while shares of EV makers fell 3%-9%.  Although reporting a larger than expected 159% YoY increase in revenues and a 30bp improvement of gross margins to 10.4% in Q1, XPeng’s (09868) share fell almost 9% on cautious Q2 guidance.  What to consider? Fed speakers remaining flexible. Fed’s Bostic backed a series of 50bps rate hike moves overnight but hinted at a pause in September if inflation comes down but also opened doors to more aggressive moves if inflation doesn’t cool. Fed’s George said she expects the central bank to raise interest rates to 2% by August (which also means about 100-125bps of rate hikes from the current 0.75-1% rates or 2-3 50bps rate hikes). While the base effects may make headline inflation appear to be softening into the summer, real price pressures aren’t going anywhere and Fed’s hiking pace is likely to continue to prove to be slow. AUD and NZD unable to sustain gains. A fresh slide was seen in NZD this morning following the unexpected decline in retail spending reported today. RBNZ decision is due tomorrow  (in early Asian hours) and it is still a close call between 25 and 50bps rate hike. But it’s more important to note that RBNZ is way ahead of other central banks and getting close to neutral faster than others, which means room for further upside in NZD is limited. AUDUSD is also back below 0.7100 and remains prone to a reversal in risk sentiment more than any domestic developments. While the AUDUSD rose to a 3-week high yesterday, supported by the Australian Labor Government being sworn in after winning the election and bringing in an EV policy ($2k tax incentives), vowing to keep Defense Spending at over 2% of GPD and pledging to offer more childcare support to keep employment high. The USD will likely remain favored for now as risk aversion returns and cut the rally of the AUD.  ECB getting ready to move to exit negative rates. ECB President Lagarde’s comment that the central bank is likely to exit negative rates by the end of the third quarter put a massive bid into the EUR overnight but the pair turned lower from 1.0700 with focus on Fed Chair Powell and PMIs due today. With Fed comments getting repetitive, there is room for ECB’s hawkishness to support the EUR even as Lagarde continues to downplay the possibility of a 50bps rate hike. Germany’s economy shows signs of unexpectedly strengthening in May. Germany’s IFO reading was out at 93.0 versus prior 91.9 in April. The increase is mostly explained by an improved current assessment. The expectations component is almost unchanged and close to levels last seen at the start of the pandemic. Several factors are pushing respondents to be careful regarding the future: supply chain frictions, the Shanghai lockdown, persistent inflationary pressures and lower real disposable incomes of households etc. The German economy will not plunge as it did at the start of the pandemic, of course. But we think that risks of a stagflation are clearly titled on the upside. We will watch closely the first estimate of the May PMIs this morning to have a better assessment of the economic situation in Germany and in the rest of the eurozone.  Potential trading ideas to consider? Singapore’s inflation pain is rising. Core CPI was at a decade high in April at 3.3%, and this is still not a peak. Singapore’s national lunch meal chicken rice is set to get expensive as Malaysia is halting exports of chicken. About 34% of Singapore's chicken imports come from Malaysia. While alternate sources of fresh chicken and options such as frozen chicken may be possible, this is not the last inflation shock to hit the island economy. Vegetable prices are also on the rise due to shortages of supply and the high fertilizer prices. In times like this, we would reiterate the possible inflation hedges remain gold, REITs and commodities. In summary, it is important to look for value investments or stocks that have a solid cash flow generation ability and pricing power but still priced below their fair value. The plot for investing in Lithium thickens.Lithium remains one of our preferred metal exposures for 2022 for upside. Albemarle Corp, the world’s largest lithium producer upgraded its outlook for the second time this month expecting higher lithium prices and demand to further boost their sales. We’ve seen many EV companies sell out of some of their electric vehicles, and this highlights the lack of supply in battery metals, which is also pushing up the lithium price. Albemarle Corp, expects sales to now be as high as $6.2 billion this year, up from its previous estimate of up to $5.6 billion. Read next: Altcoins: What Is Litecoin (LTC)? A Deeper Look Into The Litecoin Platform| FXMAG.COM If have a long time horizon for investing, you could consider dripping money into the market (this is called dollar cost averaging). Remember Shelby Davis said you can make most of your money in a bear market, you just don’t realize it at the time. But the key is to look at quality names that are in a position to return cash to shareholders. So if you want to be in tech for example, you could look at names like Apple, Microsoft and Google, who lead the S&P500 and Nasdaq indices and are growing their earnings and this is likely to continue over the next several years and longer term. The idea is that names like these, will likely lead a secular bull market, once the Market eventually begins to recover. And you ideally want to be in names with growing earnings, rather than throwing darts at some of those names with patchy results that are akin to Ark innovation ETF for example. China’s State Council announced 33 stimulus measures.  An additional VAT credit refund of RMB140 billion brings the overall target of tax refunds, tax cuts and fee reductions to RMB2.64 trillion in 2022.  China is also introducing a reduction of RMB60 billion (equivalent to about 17% of auto purchase tax last year) in tax on passenger car purchases.  The Government is increasing its supports to the aviation industry and railway construction via special bond issuance and loans and is rolling out a series of energy projects.  It is doubling the lending quota for banks to lend to SMEs and allow certain borrowers to postpone repayments.  The State Council also reiterates its support to promote legal and compliant listings of platform companies in domestic as well as overseas markets. Key company earnings to watch this week: Tuesday: Kuaishou Technology, Intuit, NetEase, AutoZone, Agilent Technologies Wednesday: Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal, SSE, Acciona Energias Renovables, Nvidia, Snowflake, Splunk Thursday: Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Lenovo, Alibaba, Costco, Medtronic, Marvell Technology, Baidu, Autodesk, Workday, VMware, Dell Technologies, Dollar Tree, Zscaler, Farfetch Friday: Singapore Telecommunications   For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.  Follow FXMAG.COM on Google News Source: Saxo Bank
Investors Are Awaiting US CPI Print. Earnings Season Is Here! PepsiCo (PEP) And Delta Airlines (DAL) Earnings Are Released This Week!

Striking US Stocks Performance, Crude Oil (BRENT) Nearing $120, Chinese Covid-Zero Influences Markets And More Highlighted In Market Insights Podcast (Episode 335) | Oanda

Jeffrey Halley Jeffrey Halley 30.05.2022 10:37
Jonny Hart speaks to APAC Senior Market Analyst Jeffrey Halley about news impacting the market and the week ahead. It’s June already and a blockbuster week for data releases around the world. First of all, we take a look back at last Friday’s impressive US equity close. Jeff discusses its drivers, its threats, and potentially, its longevity. Then it’s over to Asian equity markets today which are also enjoying a banner day. US Stocks And China   The US Friday session and also covid-zero developments in China over the weekend are driving “most” stock markets higher. Potential banana skin is looming though, with Brent crude rising above $120.00 a barrel in Asia today. Jeff looks at the oil market, what’s driving the price increase, and its potential impact on market sentiment this week. Read next: Altcoins: What Is Monero? Explaining XMR. Untraceable Cryptocurrency!? | FXMAG.COM Holidays And US Non-farm Payrolls There are a number of holidays this week, starting with US markets today, then Greater China is dragon boating on Friday, and the UK has two days off at the end of the week. Happy Jubilee Your Majesty. We discuss how holidays can impact markets. Finally, it’s a wrap of the heavy-duty data calendar across Asia and the US this week, culminating in the US Non-Farm Payrolls. Jeff highlights also, something that markets have been ignoring up until now, the start this week, of Federal Reserve Quantitative tightening. 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. Follow FXMAG.COM on Google News
5% for the US 10-Year Treasury Yield: A Realistic Scenario

S&P 500 (SPX) Rallied, So Did Nasdaq And Dow Jones (DJI), In Europe Sentiment Can Be Affected By Very High Crude Oil Price Caused And Russian Oil Ban | Oanda

Jeffrey Halley Jeffrey Halley 30.05.2022 12:55
Asian markets rally on positive Wall Street and China hopes S&P 500, Nasdaq And Dow Jones US markets closed out the week on another positive note after US data alleviated inflation fears and thus, future Fed tightening, and showed strength among US consumers still. Realistically, after such a positive week, it would have taken a lot to knock the FOMO gnomes of Wall Street off their path of bottom-picking nirvana. The S&P 500 rallied by 2.48%, while the Nasdaq leapt by an impressive 3.33%, with the Dow Jones climbed by 1.76%. The rally has continued in Asia, with Nasdaq futures 0.90% higher, with S&P 500 futures up 0.40%, and Dow futures edging 0.10% higher. US OTC markets are closed for Memorial Day. End Of COVID Restrictions? Asia is also turning in a positive performance, following the impressive New York close, and boosted by hopes that China’s Beijing and Shanghai hubs are reopening from virus restrictions and a package of stimulus measures released by the Shanghai local government. Nikkei 225 And CSI 300 Japan’s Nikkei 225 has coat-tailed the Nasdaq 2.10% higher today, with South Korea’s Kospi gaining 1.25%, and Taipei rallying by 1.60%. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite is a more cautious 0.30% higher, with the CSI 300 rising by just 0.40%. The ever-optimistic Hong Kong, however, had leapt 2.50% higher, boosted by hopes of an Evergrande bond deal. Follow FXMAG.COM on Google News Metals In regional markets, Singapore is up just 0.20%, while Kuala Lumpur has fallen 0.25%, and Jakarta is 0.60% lower. A Goldman Sachs report suggesting metals prices have peaked is likely weighing on all three markets, as risk sentiment swings back to more growth-stock orientated markets. Bangkok has gained 0.65%, while Manila has rallied by 1.25%. Australian markets have also liked what they have seen with Wall Street and China, the ASX 200 and All Ordinaries climbing by 1.25% today. Read next: Altcoins: Tether (USDT), What Is It? - A Deeper Look Into The Tether Blockchain| FXMAG.COM Russian Oil Friday’s New York close and Asia’s rally today should be enough to lift European equity markets this afternoon, although the still simmering EU import ban on Russian oil and Brent crude above USD 120.00 a barrel will temper bullish animal spirits. 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.
So S&P 500 (SPX) Seems To Be Ready To Really, Can US Bond Yields And US Dollar (USD) Go Any Higher? | Monica Kingsley

So S&P 500 (SPX) Seems To Be Ready To Really, Can US Bond Yields And US Dollar (USD) Go Any Higher? | Monica Kingsley

Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 30.05.2022 15:13
S&P 500 turned the corner, yields peaked for now, and dollar likewise. Risk-on sentiment is ruling the day, with value outperforming tech – but at least the latter is also recovering. Stocks though haven‘t turned the corner in earnest, no matter the gains they‘re still about to clock in. Enjoy the rally while it lasts (long entry is a matter of individual trade‘s risk reward ratio – more than a few good percent are still ahead before the fresh downleg strikes. Fed You can look forward for tomorrow‘s extensive analysis, where I‘ll examine the Fed and macroeconomics in the weeks and months ahead vs. the turnaround sequence discussed three weeks ago – unfolding like clockwork. Here‘s a quote from tomorrow‘s article: (…) I don‘t think we‘re looking at a fresh uptrend, there is still much stress (to be reflected in stock prices) in the consumer arena. VIX For now, the key question is the degree to which VIX calms down – would it be able to keep below 23-24 to extend the shelf life of this rally? And for how long would the lull in volatility last? I think the answer is a few short weeks, before it becomes obvious that the fundamentals haven‘t changed. The consumer remains in poor shape, inflation would remain stubbornly high (even as it had indeed peaked), and the credit default swaps for quite a few (consumer sensitive) companies are rising relentlessly, which isn‘t yet reflected in underlying stock prices. I‘m talking financials too – this broad stock market rally has more than a couple of percent higher to go before the weight pulls it back down, and earnings estimates get downgraded again. Stayed tuned for more, enjoy and profit along! Read next: Altcoins: Tether (USDT), What Is It? - A Deeper Look Into The Tether Blockchain| FXMAG.COM Happy extended weekend. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals. Follow FXMAG.COM on Google News
S&P 500 Trades 10% Higher Than On May 20th, But Hawks Are About To Hunt Shortly, Probably Bringing Bear Market And People's Unwillingness To Spend Their Money | FxPro

S&P 500 Trades 10% Higher Than On May 20th, But Hawks Are About To Hunt Shortly, Probably Bringing Bear Market And People's Unwillingness To Spend Their Money | FxPro

Alex Kuptsikevich Alex Kuptsikevich 30.05.2022 15:18
US stock indices developed a strong rebound all last week. The S&P500 spot index reached 4200, gaining more than 10% from the lows of May 20. Such a rapid recovery has raised the question of whether we are seeing a brief bear market rally or whether the markets have passed the “bottom” of the correction. The situation looks like touching bear market territory was a red rag for the bulls, who have since turned to aggressive action. Fundamental factors are now on the side of the former, while technical analysis favours the latter scenario. Fighting With Inflation Or Supporting Economic Growth Monetary authorities in the USA and other developed economies are increasing the pace of monetary policy tightening, focusing on fighting inflation rather than supporting economic growth. We continue to get bearish signals from this perspective, as the economy and markets have yet to feel the brunt of rates not seen in over ten years. Meanwhile, inflation and a slowdown in consumer demand due to high rates promise to eat into real corporate profits in the coming months. The tipping point in consumer activity is unlikely to come before we hear from the Fed that there will be no further rate hikes. Read next: Altcoins: What Is Polkadot (DOT)? Cross-Chain Transfers Of Any Type Of Asset Or Data. A Deeper Look Into Polkadot Protocol | FXMAG.COM The S&P500 index has perfectly touched 61.8% of the rally from the lows of March 2020 to January 2022. We have seen some rallies in a falling market during the five-month decline. But so far, touching the formal bear market area (20% decline from the peak) in the S&P500 has attracted buyers. Moreover, by the time the lows were touched earlier this month, the market was already oversold, but there were also signs of divergence between the RSI on the daily timeframes and the index level. This is a clear indication that the selling was not as fierce as before. Read next: Altcoins: What Is Monero? Explaining XMR. Untraceable Cryptocurrency!? | FXMAG.COM S&P 500 The very fact that the S&P500 took a 7-week-long losing streak, one of the longest in history, and has now shown a sharp rebound, is setting a positive mood. The last time we saw such a bullish awakening was in November 2020, after which the stock market added for more than a year, even though there seemed to be no room for growth. Follow FXMAG.COM on Google News
ECB's Knot: July Rate Hike Necessary, Beyond July Uncertain; Canadian CPI Supports Rates on Hold; Global Crypto Market at $1.2 Trillion; Oil Market Tightens with Russian Shipments Drop and China's Support Measures

Stocks: (SPX) S&P 500, Nasdaq And Dow Jones (DJI) Have Increased... But Not In The USA!? | Oanda

Jeffrey Halley Jeffrey Halley 06.06.2022 16:19
Asian markets rise as China eases restrictions Friday’s higher than expected US Non-Farm Payrolls saw Wall Street make an abrupt retreat as easier Fed hiking hopes on a slowing economy were dashed, although I’d argue a slowing US economy wouldn’t be good for equities either. The S&P 500 finished 1.63% lower, the Nasdaq tumbled by 2.47%, and the Dow Jones fell by 1.06%.  Asian equities rise on Beijing reopening - MarketPulseMarketPulse In Asia, an easing of restrictions in Beijing, along with reiterations of easy monetary policy in Japan has shielded Asia from New York’s back-and-forth volatility, lifting sentiment in US futures and North Asian markets. US futures have rebounded with Nasdaq futures rising 0.70%, S&P 500 futures are 0.50% higher, and Dow futures have added 0.40%.   Japan’s Nikkei 225 has risen by 0.60%, unwinding a rocky start. South Korea is closed today, but mainland China’s Shanghai Composite has jumped by 1.05%, with the CSI 300 leaping 1.50% higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng has rallied by 1.10% and it appears that reopening news and its positive outlook forward is outweighing any backwards-looking Chinese data like the PMIs for now.   The picture is more mixed in the rest of Asia, possibly thanks to higher oil prices and a soggy New York close. Singapore is 0.15% lower, having unwound most of its earlier losses. Taipei is 0.55% higher, while Jakarta has fallen by 1.50%, led by resources after the government announced it was investigating potential palm oil distribution cartels. Malaysia closed today, while Bangkok is just 0.25% lower, and Manila is down by 0.55%. Australian markets have also been unable to shake off Friday’s weak Wall Street close, ahead of an expected rate hike by the RBA tomorrow. The All Ordinaries are down by 0.25%, with the ASX 200 falling by 0.55%.   With most of Europe closed today, most eyes will be on UK markets, which reopen after a four-day break. The rise in oil prices over the past two days is likely to make cost-of-living concerns front-and-centre again, potentially weighing on sentiment. A potential change of leadership in the UK, regardless of your political views, will be another source of uncertainty. 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.
Industrial Metals Outlook: Assessing the Impact of China's Stimulus Measures

Have Tech Stocks Plunged!? FX: So Bank Of Japan Seems To Delay Supporting JPY, British Pound (GBP) Rallied| Stock Markets: S&P 500 Lost 3.2%

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 17.06.2022 12:40
Summary:  The Bank of Japan continues to swim against the stream as it insisted on maintaining its yield-curve-control and negative policy rate at the meeting overnight, with daily operations to defend the yield cap on Japanese government bonds. Elsewhere, US equity markets continued to new lows even as US treasuries found strong support as a batch of weak US data points raises concerns on the US economic outlook.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) The Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 futures fully reversed and more the FOMC pump with S&P 500 futures closing at the 3,671 level yesterday down 3.2%, while technology stocks fell even more. The current drawdown is now the second deepest at the same time into the drawdown compared to previous historical drawdowns underscoring the seriousness of the current market regime. Initial jobless claims weakened yesterday, and the Philly Fed survey showed significant downward pressure on new orders hitting levels typical of recessions. The fear of recession could short-term keep a lid on interest rates and thus ironically support equities and maybe cause a mild rebound over the coming weeks. The VIX forward curve remains well behaved suggesting no panic yet in US equities. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI.I) and China’s CSI300 (000300.I) The indices were up more than 1% despite ugly selloffs in overseas markets overnight. The fall in property prices in the top 70 cities slowed to -0.2% m/m vs April -0.3%.  Property prices in Tier-1 cities rose 0.4% m/m and the declines in Tier-2 and lower-tier cities moderated. On the other hand, JD.COM’s (09618) JD Retail CEO told Bloomberg that recovery in consumption in China had been slow from the reopening of cities, such as Shanghai. The Company was expecting that it would take a long time for household consumption to recover as the economy and household income had been severely hit over this wave of lockdown. EURGBP and GBPUSD Sterling rallied hard yesterday in the wake of the Bank of England meeting yesterday on the guidance the meeting produced rather than due to the smaller 25-basis point hike. its reversal yesterday took GBPUSD well away from the cycle lows of 1.2000 posted earlier this week, trading as high as 1.2406 late yesterday, just above a major local 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the recent sell-off at 1.2387 and far above the prior low-water mark from May of 1.2156. A full reversal in GBPUSD requires another rally surge through 1.2500. Elsewhere, sterling hopefuls should have a look at EURGBP, where the latest leg higher above 0.8600 has been sharply reversed, suggesting a more well-defined reversal. Watching the 0.8500 area for whether we follow through lower and back into the range extending below 0.8300 again. USDJPY and JPY pairs With the Bank of Japan voting 8-1 to maintain course and the 0.25% cap on 10-year JGB yields, the JPY weakened sharply after a bout of speculation this week that Governor Kuroda and company might relent on its policy and bring a sharp resetting of the JPY higher. In the background, ironically, a powerful rally in global bonds yesterday was a JPY-supportive development that has eased the JPY-negative impact of the overnight BoJ decision. The BoJ statement did say that the Bank needs to pay attention to the FX level, from which one might infer that there is a JPY weakness level that the BoJ would find unacceptable and could prompt a change of course in the future. From here, the only route to a higher JPY is via a new drop in bond yields and shift away from CB tightening elsewhere or if the Bank of Japan is seen as giving up on its policy at a later date, possibly on coming inflation releases and risks of a weaker JPY raising the cost of living to an unacceptable degree. Crude oil (OILUKAUG22 & OILUSJUL22) Crude oil is heading for its first weekly decline in six with global growth concerns and prolonged lockdowns in China being the main catalyst. On top of that the short-term technical outlook has weakened following several failed attempts to break higher, but given the tight supply outlook, highlighted by the IEA earlier in the week. Support in Brent is likely to emerge already between $116 and $113.25. NY Harbor Diesel (HOc1) and gasoil (GASOILUKJUL22) both trades higher on the week, a reflection of the tightness that despite growth concerns, is likely to keep the energy sector supported.  Gold (XAUUSD)  Gold remains rangebound following a two-day rally that was supported by US growth concerns and a continued rout in cryptos and global stock markets. Together with another dose of weak U.S. data (see below) they helped send US treasury yields and the dollar lower on Thursday, thereby easing some of the recent pressure on bullion.  Total holdings in bullion-backed ETFs have declined by less than 0.25% this past week, a strong sign that investors look to gold for protection against the rout in global markets, together with increased focus on the need to hedge against the risk of stagflation.  On a relative basis gold’s year-to-date outperformance against the S&P 500 has reached 24%, long-end bonds 26% and 75% against blockchain (BKCH:arcx). US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasuries rallied hard yesterday amidst ugly sentiment in the equity market and on a set of weak US data points pointing to a decelerating housing sector (more below), with weekly jobless claims remaining near the highs of the last few months. The US 10-year treasury yield has declined back to the pivotal area around 3.20%, which was the cycle high before the latest surge toward 3.50%. An extension of the rally that takes yields significantly back below that 3.20% mark would suggest that we have reached a cycle peak for now and further consolidation is set to follow, perhaps on concerns for an incoming recession. What is going on? Bank of Japan defies the global tightening wave The Bank of Japan maintained the negative 0.10% policy rate today, confirming that it won't join the Federal Reserve and other major global central banks in tightening monetary policy. The Japanese central bank will keep its target for the 10-year Japanese government-bond yield at+0.25% and announced daily operations to ensure the cap on yields is maintained. While the central bank said we will take additional easing measures without hesitation if needed, there was a rare reference to the yen weakness. Swiss National Bank surprises with 50 basis point hike yesterday The Swiss National Bank, according to surveys, was not expected to hike rates yesterday, though a rapidly growing minority of observers were looking for a rate rise. The hike of 50 basis points brought the policy rate to –0.25% and makes it clear that the SNB is happy to separate itself from ECB policy and allow the CHF to strengthen as one of the tools to combat rising inflation risks in the country. EURCHF sold off below 1.0200 after trading above 1.0400 ahead of the decision. USDCHF slid to lows of 0.9632 from above parity the day before the decision. The Bank of England hikes 25 basis points, sharpens forward guidance language The majority of observers were looking for the 25-basis point move from the BoE, with some residual uncertainty on whether the bank might hike by more due to the large Fed rate hike this week and the weakness in sterling. Three MPC members of the nine voting wanted a 50-bp hike. At the same time, the BoE predicted that CPI would peak slightly above 11% in October, said that it would respond “forcefully” on any signs of worsening inflation, language that kept the short end of the UK yield curve pinned near the cycle highs. China centric commodities remain under pressure China centric commodities such as iron ore SCON2), coal and copper (COPPERUSSEP22) remain under pressure after China advised its covid restrictions probably won’t ease until next year. In addition, the recent spate of weaker than expected economic US data combined with central banks stepping up their fight to combat inflation have raised concerns about the outlook for global growth in general. US economic indicators weaken US building permits and housing starts eased in May to 1.695mn and 1.549mn respectively while the initial jobless claims were at 229k versus 217k expected. Further, Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey printed a negative figure of -3.3 for June, the first such contraction since May 2020. More so, the future activity index was contractionary for the first time since the GFC. Adobe shares slip 5% in extended trading on revenue outlook miss As we highlighted on our podcast yesterday Adobe’s earnings were a test of business investment in marketing and content activities. While the business remains sticky the company put out a revenue outlook at $17.7bn vs est. $17.9bn due some demand weakness, Russia impact and USD headwinds.   What are we watching next? US recession concerns rising The mix of data this week generally raises concerns that the US economy is decelerating, but the evidence is patchy and will need confirmation for this to become a a more entrenched theme. At the same time, equity traders have to figure out whether they should celebrate weak data as something that will eventually lead US yields lower and see the pace of Fed tightening eventually reversing or fret weak data because of the implications for corporate profits. The next US data points of interesting include the preliminary Services and Manufacturing PMI surveys for June next week. Fed blackout period ending The Fed speakers will be back in action as the blackout period ends. Chair Powell is speaking later today at the inaugural conference on the International Roles of the US Dollar. Other Fed speakers are due as well including Esther George who voted for a 50bps rate hike this week. Earnings Watch Next week’s earnings calendar is light but there are three important earnings releases to watch and those are Lennar, FedEx, and Accenture that all will give insights into the US housing market, logistics, and recruitment dynamics. Monday: Kanzhun Tuesday: Lennar Thursday: FedEx, Accenture, Darden Restaurants, FactSet Friday: Carnival, China Gas, CarMax Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0900 – Eurozone May Final CPI 1200 – Poland May Core CPI 1230 – Canada May Teranet/National Bank Home Price Index 1245 – US Fed Chair Powell to make opening remarks at a conference 1315 – US May Industrial Production / Capacity Utilization 1430 – UK Bank of England Chief Economist Pill to speak Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – June 17, 2022 | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
A Look At S&P 500, Crude Oil And Copper | Monica Kingsley

A Look At S&P 500, Crude Oil And Copper | Monica Kingsley

Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 23.06.2022 15:48
Deterioration, that is – be it in S&P 500 market breadth or the jobs data. More to come, obviously, the disappearing liquidity is making itself felt broadly, and the real economy weakness hasn‘t yet arrived in earnest. This is still the environment of relatively fine but perceptibly slowing growth where technical recession can be declared as in, literally any moment (thanks to monetary tightening). Notably, we never escaped manufacturing recession in similar circumstances, and I had been clear on the hard landing realities recognition to spread like wildfire in the mainstream over the months to come. So far, no signs of systemic risk – but real estate and commodities are feeling the pinch seriously already. VIX is also trending higher rather continuously – the 25 level was indeed vigorously defended by the bears. That has all facilitated yesterday‘s sharp turn in my calls, namely in putting the spread trades to rest. Gold is treading patiently while cryptos can‘t obviously take off. Forces of short-term gravity are taking over.... Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook Promising upper knot, very promising. Maybe the 3,830s zone wouldn‘t be even tested – all that‘s needed, is for bonds to cooperate. And given the dollar showing today, it‘s perfectly imaginable. Credit Markets The much awaited turn in long-dated Treasuries higher, is here. That‘s where the engine of further recognition of darkening skies in stocks, would come from. HYG is slowly getting the message, and it would be great if it led to the downside now. Crude Oil Crude oil is pausing, making up its mind – the backdrop is richly described in the caption. Energy certainly holds better very short-term prospects than base metals or even some agrifoods. Copper Economically sensitive commodities are losing altitude, a bit too readily. That‘s a sign of more downside to come, and copper is arguably the best example thereof. Thank you for having read today‘s free analysis, which is available in full at my homesite. There, you can subscribe to the free Monica‘s Insider Club, which features real-time trade calls and intraday updates for all the five publications: Stock Trading Signals, Gold Trading Signals, Oil Trading Signals, Copper Trading Signals and Bitcoin Trading Signals.
Let's Have A Look At S&P 500 (SPX) And (BTC/USD) Bitcoin Price Charts

Let's Have A Look At S&P 500 (SPX) And (BTC/USD) Bitcoin Price Charts

Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 08.08.2022 08:37
S&P 500 bulls made a good run, but didn‘t deal with the bearish outcome looming, The renewed tightening bets spurred by strong headline NFPs figure, will take their toll on risk-on assets that had been driving Friday‘s run. Bets on another 75bp hike in Sep have increased dramatically, practically proving Daly or Kashkari right in that the Fed isn‘t done yet or even close to the Fed funds rate to really get inflation down. While they claim that 2% is doable and soft landing within reach, the progression from 9% downwards just doesn‘t go fast like that. At best (repeating myself for months here), they would get to 5-6% CPI, which means a tough Sep and one more FOMC still this year. Combined with balnce sheet shrinking projections, that would take a great toll on the real economy – one that is being softened by the still very expansive fiscal policy. Let‘s look around the world (apart from the troubles in Europe and Asia such as shown in JPY weakness), many other central banks are tightening, Latin America is also tightening. It‘s not only UK and the implications discussed on Friday: (…) Let‘s have a look at yesterday‘s Bank of England moves, kind of foreshadowing what‘s reasonable to expect from the Fed. In the UK, the prospect of entering recession Q4 2022 amd remaining in it for more than a couple of quarters, is being acknowledged. The central bank though intends to keep tightening anyway, preferring to take on inflation after it ran out of control longer they publicly anticipated. Meanwhile in the States, unemployment claims have edged higher – indicative of growing softness in the labor market. Long-dated Treasuries continue rising as is appropriate in these conditions of economic slowdown slowly gathering pace. Similarly to inflation expectations, they‘re not yet taking the Fed‘s hawkish rhetoric absolutely seriously unlike commodity prices that are at best carving out a bullish divergence (still in the making, therefore without implications yet). Precious metals appear farther along the route of acknowledging the upcoming stagflationary reality as I continue looking for inflation to remain in the stubbornly high 5-6% range no matter the Fed‘s actions over the next 3 FOMC meetings at least. Obviously, the hotter the underlying markets, the more tightening has to be done, and that‘s extra headwind for the markets, and one making the Fed pivot a bit more elusive. The key thing that has changed from the above, is the turn in yields – Treasuries would have a harder time rising now, but given that I expect better CPI on Wednesday (oil is down and hasn‘t bottomed yet etc), yields should retreat in what I look to be a positive market reaction – one of hoping that the Fed wouldn‘t tighten that much as is feared today they would. This wouldn‘t however save the stock market bulls. Consider though as well where the Fed funds rate is now, and how far above 3% Powell can take it. He will try, sure, but even 4% in our debt based economy would prove bridge too far when it comes to any soft landing (stating the very obvious). Back during the last successful one (mid 1990s), we were going through genuinely positive tech revolution that helped cushion restrictive monetary policy – these macro implications for productivity growth don‘t apply now. To feel the daily pulse, let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com) – today‘s full scale article features good 6 ones, with more thoughts for premium subscribers. S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is clinging by the finernails, and the only question remains whether we have a few dozen points still to go on the upside to reach even more excessive bullishness, or whether the slow grind lower is assuming the reins from here. The bull trap is almost complete. Credit Markets HYG is going to attract a sell in the not too distant future – more so than it did on Friday. The opening gap was more than half closed, but this isn‘t going to last. All it takes to bring junk bonds down, is more conviction about the Fed‘s hawkish path ahead. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are slightly up, which bodes well for risk taking. Not expecting huge gains today here or in SPX, but a reversal of Friday‘s setback.
Talking S&P 500, Nasdaq, Gold, Bitcoin And More - 09/08/22

Talking S&P 500, Nasdaq, Gold, Bitcoin And More - 09/08/22

Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 09.08.2022 16:00
S&P 500 bulls were clearly rejected, and it‘s highly questionable whether they would make another run. I doubt they would. And even if, it‘s bound to get rejected as none of the bearish fundamental reasoning ceased to apply, and it‘s getting reflected in the chart technicals as well. As stated yesterday: (…) The renewed tightening bets spurred by strong headline NFPs figure, will take their toll on risk-on assets that had been driving Friday‘s run. Bets on another 75bp hike in Sep have increased dramatically, practically proving Daly or Kashkari right in that the Fed isn‘t done yet or even close to the Fed funds rate to really get inflation down. While they claim that 2% is doable and soft landing within reach, the progression from 9% downwards just doesn‘t go fast like that. At best (repeating myself for months here), they would get to 5-6% CPI, which means a tough Sep and one more FOMC still this year. Combined with balnce sheet shrinking projections, that would take a great toll on the real economy – one that is being softened by the still very expansive fiscal policy. Given tomorrow‘s CPI that‘s likely to come in better than the markets fear it would (i.e. in support of the inflation has peaked thesis), the room for disappointment in inflation trades is there, and the hopes that the Fed might not get as aggressive on a better CPI figure, wouldn‘t balance that out in my view. Here comes a fitting question just in that allows me to develop these thoughts further to the benefit of the whole audience: Q: CPI wednesday will certainly show much lower numbers than previously (mainly because oil was recently much cheaper than in May, June). FED has proven to be rather readily dovish in such events. Investors will see the US companies and the US technology sector as the safe haven. Because elsewhere in the world (mainly in politically and economically weak Europe) is a mess. US as safe-heaven was proven by recent Apple and Amazon earnings and also by recently approved US government stimulus for micro-chip / semiconductor production. Isn't this environment rather bullish for US equities especially to the near future ?? Outflow of money from Europe into strong and safe US. A: I doubt the Fed would react dovishly to softening inflation as they have to take on the pesky inflation expectations (it was a key lesson of the 1970s when they didn‘t). It gives them optically a better chance at taking inflation down fast – and the markets would wake up to their dovish perception mistake, should they make it in the first place. The fiscal stimulus is though being faded in the stock market, it‘s closer to the case of sell the news than anything else. The money flows are going to be selective about what assets they would lift, and odds are it wouldn‘t be parked in tech for too long if Treasuries stop revolting against the Fed‘s rate raising. Such a time point would come over the nearest months ahead, but still I am not counting on any giant Nasdaq run, or rather any run to speak of (no matter the degree of Treasuries‘ next move). To feel the daily pulse, let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com) – today‘s full scale article features good 6 ones, which I am unlocking today in full so that you get a better the regular care premium subscribers get, especially before tomorrow‘s inflation data. S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 is turning down, and Friday‘s signal is getting repeated – i.e. getting stronger. The daily indicators have also deteriorated, but the volume and sectoral internals message is the most important here. Credit Markets HYG indeed attracted sell – and the reversal to the downside needs a confirmation today in terms of rising volume and daily close anywhere in the Friday‘s daily range. Gold, Silver and Miners Precious metals want to turn up, and miners are at least on a daily basis following. Echoing yesterday‘s premium thoughts, they aren‘t selling too hard on the turn towards anticipating tougher tightening ahead. With hikes to be paused after Sep for a while, the metals would have an easier time before that FOMC day in Sep. Next week‘s CPI will have a short-term effect only – the consequences of recognizing inflation as sticky no matter what the Fed has done already, would be greater. This moment awaits still. Crude Oil Crude oil‘s rebound isn‘t yet turning the tide, and the approaching seasonality spells trouble ahead. I‘m still leaning towards the $88 support slowly giving way as $85 approach comes next – we may land in the low 80s really before rebounding early November. Copper Copper‘s short-term bullish move is encouraging, but the vulnerability to the hawkish Fed moves and rhetoric remains – it would probably play out after the CPI only, which applies also to oil. Bitcoin and Ethereum Cryptos are clearly reversing, and that‘s a good sign for those betting on a bearish resolution of tomrorow‘s inflation data overall.
Key Support Levels in Forex Pairs: EURUSD, GBPUSD, and EURGBP

Apple Stock Price Hit $170 On Thursday! What About New iPhones Production? Energy Stocks: BP Increased By Over 1% Yesterday!

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 12.08.2022 10:46
US equities could hardly consolidate gains they posted following the Wednesday’s softer-than-expected inflation data in the US, even as the producer price index printed the first monthly decline since April 2020. The barrel of US crude rebounded to $94 as the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that the biggest US oil companies’ combined deficit is almost back to the historical lows, and that the soaring gas prices boosted the use of oil-power generation, and that the ‘substantial’ gas-to-oil switching is, in return, set to boost crude consumption for the rest of the year, even as demand growth from other parts of the economy slows. Technology stocks and cryptocurrencies remain on a positive path as well, for now. Apple hit $170 yesterday Oil stocks gained along with the rebound in crude prices. But technology stocks and cryptocurrencies remain on a positive path as well, for now. Apple hit $170 yesterday, as Amazon is preparing to test its 200-DMA to the upside. Elsewhere, gold remains under pressure, while Bitcoin tests $25K resistance- Ethereum’s final test before the Merge update was succesful, hinting that major cryptocurrencies could extend gains during the weekend. Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:30 Post-CPI rally remains short-lived 3:33 Oil jumps as IEA warns of ‘substantial’ oil-to-gas demand shift 5:12 Oil stocks gain, tech stocks remain on positive path, too 7:55 Gold soft, Bitcoin & Ethereum up on ETH’s successful pre-Merger test #MarketNews Some stock market #bulls are watching a technical indicator for clues on whether a summer rebound in #US equities will roll on. 👇https://t.co/k7q9LZhAsZ — Swissquote (@Swissquote) August 12, 2022 Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #crude #oil #rally #IEA #warning #BP #XOM #Apple #Amazon #Bitcoin #Ethereum #Merge #test #US #inflation #data #Gold #XAU #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary _____ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr _____ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 _____ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH  
Canadian Dollar Falters as USD/CAD Tests Key Support Amidst Rising Oil Prices and Economic Data

Zantac: $40bn Scandal Meets The Market! S&P 500 Has Troubles?

Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 12.08.2022 14:52
Summary:  The easing inflation narrative has been building strength for six weeks now and the short-term vindication in the US CPI release on Wednesday has bolstered the bulls. However, the structural issues in the supply-side of the economy have been resolved and wages combined with rents will add more pressure on inflation going forward. We also highlight the unfolding scandal around the heartburn drug Zantac as it has erased $40bn in market value from Sanofi and GSK. Finally, we take a look at next week's earnings. It is too early to call inflation is tamed The US July CPI release on Wednesday has bolstered the soft-landing and easing inflation trade catapulting high duration assets higher. S&P 500 futures are attempting to push higher and the 200-day moving average sitting around the 4,325 level is suddenly not an outrageous gravitational point for US equities in the near-term. While the equity market is buying the all good scenario on inflation we would emphasise that it is too early to call. The Fed will like to see the 6-month average on the US CPI core m/m to go back to 0.2% before easing policy and that is simply not possible until at least the end of Q1 next year. Many of the structural issues except maybe for logistics, and this pain could come back again this winter if China gets another big Covid outbreak, are still not solved as capital expenditures in real terms are still not coming up in the global mining and energy industry. Labour markets remain tight with especially the US being the worst hit having lost around 1.5%-point of its labour force due to the pandemic and these people are likely never coming back. Rent dynamics are also heating up in both the US and Europe, and this winter will test the strength of the European population as the energy crisis could get much worse. We encourage investors to watch the US 10-year yield as a break above 3% again should cause a negative reaction in global equities. S&P 500 continuous futures | Source: Saxo Group US CPI core m/m | Source: Bloomberg Potential gigantic Zantac liabilities hit Sanofi, GSK, and Pfizer Health care is typically associated with stability, high valuations, and high predictability in the underlying cash flows, but the industry is being rocked by increasing concerns over the heartburn drug Zantac. Sanofi, GSK, and Pfizer have lost combined market value of $40bn and analysts are estimating that damage liabilities could reach $10-45bn. Zantac was removed from the market in 2019 by the FDA as the drug appears to be producing unacceptably high levels of a cancer-causing chemical. There is case coming up in Illinois on 22 August which will give the first indications of where this is going. There will continue to be short-term headwinds for both Sanofi and GSK where Pfizer seems to have been selling the drug for a much more reduced period than the two others. Weekly share prices of Sanofi, GSK, and Pfizer | Source: Bloomberg Earnings to watch next week The Q2 earnings season is slowly coming to end and what a quarter it has been with earnings jumping to a new all-time high (see chart) driven by a significant increase in profits in the energy sector. The technology sector measure by the Nasdaq 100 had another bad quarter with earnings declining reinforcing the need to cut costs of many of these previously fast growing technology companies. Next week’s most important earnings are highlighted below with the names in bold being those that can move market or industry sentiment. Meituan on Monday is important for gauging consumer spending and behaviour in China. BHP Group is must watch on Monday as the Australian miner is tapped into China’s growth and demand for iron ore. On Tuesday, earnings from Walmart and Home Depot can provide an updated picture on global supply chains and price pressures across a wide range of consumer products. Tencent reports on Wednesday and is an important earnings release for investors watching Chinese technology stocks as the recent amendment to China’s anti-monopoly laws is adding more pressure on the big technology platform companies. In the payments industry, Adyen’s result on Thursday will be highly watched as Adyen is really challenging PayPal on growth and dominance in the industry. Monday: China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, Meituan, China Life Insurance, China Shenhua Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical, BHP Group, COSCO Shipping, Li Auto, Trip.com Group, DiDi Global Tuesday: China Telecom, Walmart, Agilent Technologies, Home Depot, Sea Ltd Wednesday: Tencent, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, Analog Devices, Cisco Systems, Synopsys, Lowe’s, CSL, Target, TJX, Coloplast, Carlsberg, Wolfspeed Thursday: Applied Materials, Estee Lauder, NetEase, Adyen, Nibe Industrier, Geberit Friday: China Merchants Bank, CNOOC, Shenzhen Mindray, Xiaomi, Deere Source: The soft-landing and inflation easing narrative is thriving
Investors Selling Down Companies That Face Balance Sheet Tightening From Runaway Inflation

Let's See S&P 500, Nasdaq, WWE And Other Stocks Performance

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 17.08.2022 12:00
Relevance up to 05:00 2022-08-18 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results.   As it became known from the report of the US Department of Commerce, the number of houses, the construction of which was started in the country in July, decreased by 9.6% compared to the previous month and amounted to 1.446 million in annual terms. The figure was the lowest since February last year. According to the revised data, in June the number of new buildings amounted to 1.599 million, and not 1.559 million, as previously reported. Experts predicted a decline to 1.54 million from the previously announced level in June. US industrial output rose 0.6% month-on-month in July, doubling the 0.3% rise expected by analysts. According to the revised data, industrial production did not change in June, while a decrease of 0.2% was previously reported. Production in the processing industry increased by 0.7% compared to June, while experts expected a more moderate growth of 0.2%. A month earlier, the indicator fell by 0.4%, and not by 0.5%, as previously reported. In addition, investors are waiting for the publication of the minutes of the July meeting of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday and the report on retail sales in the US on Friday. Also this week, many leading US retailers publish quarterly reports. AJ Bell financial analyst Danny Hewson noted that many US investors have taken a wait-and-see attitude, hoping to get new information from the Fed's minutes and retailers' reports, on the basis of which it is possible to understand what exactly consumers are saving on during a period of high inflation. The value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 16:47 GMT+3 increased by 0.05% - up to 33930.76 points. Standard & Poor's 500 has fallen 0.11% since the market opened to 4292.49 points. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.35% to 13,081.46. Shares of Walmart Inc. jumped by 5.5%, being the leader of growth in the Dow Jones index. The largest US retailer posted a strong quarterly report and improved its full-year outlook. Walmart's adjusted earnings for the fiscal quarter ended July 31 were $1.77 per share, above analysts' forecast of $1.62 per share. Revenue increased by 8.4% and reached $152.86 billion, while experts on average predicted the figure at $150.99 billion. Quotes Home Depot Inc. increase by 1.4%. The US-leading home improvement chain posted record revenues and net income in the quarter, even though the number of purchases at its stores fell by 3%. Target and Lowe's will report on Wednesday, while department store chain Kohl's will report on Thursday. World Wrestling Entertainment's share price is up 3.2% after the wrestling tournament organizer increased net profit and revenue slightly more than market expectations in the second quarter of 2022. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery shed 0.3% on rumors of new cost-cutting measures. In particular, the staff of the subsidiary streaming service HBO will be reduced by about 14%. Zoom Video Communications' capitalization fell 5.6% after Citi analysts downgraded the recommendation for the company's shares to "sell" from "neutral" levels.   Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/288768
US: Drivers Demand Of Oil The Highest This Year! Silver Lost Almost The Half Of Its Recent Gaines

US: Drivers Demand Of Oil The Highest This Year! Silver Lost Almost The Half Of Its Recent Gaines

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 18.08.2022 10:50
Summary:  US equities traded a bit lower yesterday after the S&P 500 challenged the 200-day moving average from below the prior day for the first time since April in the steep comeback from the June lows. Sentiment was not buoyed by the FOMC minutes of the July meeting suggesting the Fed would like to slow the pace of tightening at some point. Crude oil rose from a six-month low on bullish news from the US and OPEC.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) S&P 500 futures rolled over yesterday wiping out the gains from the two previous sessions and the index futures are continuing lower this morning trading around the 4,270 level. US retail sales for July were weak and added to worries of the economic slowdown in real terms in the US. The 10-year yield is slowing crawling back towards the 3% level sitting at 2.87% this morning. A move to 3% and potentially beyond would be negative for equities. The next levels to watch on the downside in S&P 500 futures are 4,249 and then 4,200 Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI.I) and China’s CSI300 (000300.I) Shares in the Hong Kong and mainland China markets declined. China internet stocks were weak across the board with Tencent (00700:xhkg) +2.7% and Meituan (03690:xhkg) +1%, being the positive outliers. Tencent reported a revenue decline of 3% y/y in Q2, weak, but in line with market expectations. Non-GAAP operating profit was down 14% y/y to RMB 36.7bn, and EPS fell 17% y/y to RMB 2.90 but beating analyst estimates. Revenues from advertising at -18% y/y were better than expected. In the game segment, weaker mobile game revenues were offset by stronger PC game revenues. Beer makers outperformed China Resources Beer (00291:xhkg) +3.8%, Tsingtao Brewery (00168:xhkg) +1.7%. COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation (01138:xhkg) made a new high at the open on strong crude oil tanker freight rates before giving back some gains. USD pairs as the USD rally intensifies The US dollar rally broadened out yesterday, as USDJPY retook the 135.00 area, but needs to follow through above 135.50-136.00 to take the momentum back higher. Elsewhere, AUDUSD has broken down again on the move down through 0.7000 and USDCAD has posted a bullish reversal, needing 1.3000 for more upside confirmation. The GBPUSD pair looks heavy despite a massive reset higher in UK rates in the wake of recent UK inflation data, with a close below 1.2000 indicating a possible run on the sub-1.1800 lows, while EURUSD is rather stuck tactically, as price has remained bottled up above the 1.0100 range low. USDCNH, as discussed below, may be a key pair for whether the USD rally broadens out even more aggressively, and long US treasury yields and risk sentiment are other factors in the mix that could support the greenback, should the 10-year US treasury benchmark move higher toward 3.00% again or sentiment roll over for whatever reason. Certainly, tightening USD liquidity could prove a concern for sentiment as the Fed turns up the pace of quantitative tightening – something it seems behind schedule in doing if we look at the latest weekly Fed balance sheet data.  USDCNH The exchange rate edged higher again to above 6.80 overnight after a brief spike higher earlier this week as China’s PBOC moved to stimulate with a small 10-basis point rate cut of the key lending rate. There is no real drama in the exchange rate yet after the significant rally this spring from below 6.40 to 6.80+, but traders should keep an eye on this very important exchange rate for larger volatility and significant break above 6.83, as China’s exchange rate policy shifts can provoke significant volatility across markets. Crude oil Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) bounced from a six-month low on Wednesday in response to a bullish US inventory report that saw big declines in gasoline and crude oil stocks as demand from US motorist climbed to the highest this year while crude exports reached a record $5 million barrels per day. The prospect for an Iran nuclear deal continues to weigh while OPEC’s new Secretary-General said spare capacity was becoming scarce. US strategic reserves are now at the lowest level since 1985 and the government has by now sold around 90% of what was initially offered in order to bring down prices. While demand concerns remain a key driver for macroeconomic focused funds selling crude oil as a hedge we notice a renewed surge in refinery margins, especially diesel, supported by increased demand from gas-to-fuel switching Gold and silver Gold has so far managed to find support at $1759, the 38.2% retracement of the July to August bounce, after trading weaker in response to a stronger dollar and rising yields. Silver (XAGUSD) meanwhile has almost retraced half of its recent strong gains with focus now on support at $19.50. The latest driver being the FOMC minutes which signaled ongoing interest-rate hikes and eventually at a slower pace than the current. The short-term direction has been driven by speculators reducing bullish bets following a two-week buying spree in the weeks to August 9 which lifted the net by 63k lots, the strongest pace of buying in six months. ETF holdings meanwhile have slumped to a six-month low, an indication investor, for now, trusts the FOMC’s ability to bring down inflation within a relatively short timeframe   What is going on? Financial conditions are tightening, if modestly. Recent days have brough a rise in short US treasury yields, but more importantly it looks as though some of the risk indicators like corporate credit spreads may have bottomed out here after a sharp retreat from early July highs – one Bloomberg high yield credit spreads to US treasuries peaked out above 5.75% and was as low as 4.08% earlier this week before rising to 4.19% yesterday, with high yield bond ETFs like HYG and JNK suffering a sharp mark-down yesterday of over a percent. Factors that could further aggravate financial conditions include a significant CNH weakening, higher US long treasury yields (10-year yield moving back toward 3.00%, for example) or further USD strength. Adyen sees margin squeeze. One of Europe’s largest payment companies reports first-half revenue of €609mn vs est. €615mn despite processed volume came significantly above estimates at €346bn suggesting the payments industry is experiencing pricing pressures. Cisco outlook surprises. The US manufacturer of networking equipment surprised to the upside on both revenue and earnings in its fiscal Q4 (ending 30 July), but more importantly, the company is guiding revenue growth in the current fiscal quarter of 2-4% vs est. -0.2% and revenue growth for the current fiscal year of 4-6% vs est. 3.3%. Cisco said that supply constraints are beginning to ease and that customer cancellations are running below pre-pandemic levels, and that the company’s growth will be a function of availability. Stale FOMC minutes hint at sustained restrictive policy, but caution on pace of tightening. Fed’s meeting minutes from the July meeting were released last night, and officials agreed to move to restrictive policy, with some noting that restrictive rates will have to be maintained for some time to bring inflation back to the 2% target. Still, there was also talk of slowing the pace of rate hikes ‘at some point’, despite pushing back against easing expectations for next year. The minutes were broadly in-line with the market’s thinking, and lacked fresh impetus needed to bring up the pricing of Fed’s rate hikes. Chairman Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium next week will be keenly watched for further inputs. US retail sales were a mixed bag. July US retail sales were a little softer at the headline level than the market expected (0% growth versus the +0.1% consensus) but the ex-auto came in stronger at 0.4% (vs. -0.1% expected). June’s growth was revised down to 0.8% from 1%. The mixed data confirmed that the US consumers are feeling the pinch from higher prices, but have remained resilient so far and that could give the Fed more room to continue with its aggressive rate hikes. Lower pump prices and further improvements in supply chain could further lift up retail spending in August. The iron ore miners are resilient despite price pressures Despite China planning more fiscal stimulus to fund infrastructure investment, the iron ore (SCOA, SCOU2) price paired back 8% this week, retreating to its lowest equal level in five weeks at $101.65, a level the iron ore price was last at in December 2021. Since March, the iron ore price has retreated 37%, with the most recent pull back being fueled by concerns China’s Covid cases are surging again with cases at a three-month high, as the outbreak worsens in the tropical Hainan province. Despite iron ore pulling back, shares in iron ore majors like BHP, remain elevated, up off their lows, with BHP’s shares trading 14% up of its July low, and moving further above its 200-day moving average, on hopes of commodity demand picking up. What are we watching next? Norway’s central bank guidance on further tightening. The Norges Bank is expected to hike 50 basis points today to take the policy rate to 1.75% despite an indication from the bank in June that the bank would prefer to shift back to hiking rates by 25 basis points, as a tight labour market and soaring inflation weigh. The path of tightening for the central bank has been an odd one, as it was the first G10 bank to actually hike rates in 2021, but finds itself with a far lower policy rate than the US, for example, which started much later with a faster pace of hikes. But NOK may react more to the direction in risk sentiment rather than guidance from the Norges Bank from here, assuming no major surprises. The EURNOK downtrend has slowed of late – focusing on 10.00 if the price action continues to back up. Japan’s inflation will surge further. Japan’s nationwide CPI for July is due on Friday. July producer prices came in slightly above expectations at 8.6% y/y (vs. estimates of 8.4% y/y) while the m/m figure was as expected at 0.4%. The continued surge reflects that Japanese businesses are grappling with high input price pressures, and these are likely to get passed on to the consumers, suggesting further increases in CPI remain likely. More government relief measures are likely to be announced, while signs of any Bank of Japan pivot away from its low rates and yield-curve-control policy are lacking. Bloomberg consensus estimates are calling for Japan’s CPI to accelerate to 2.6% y/y from 2.4% previously, with the ex-fresh food number seen at 2.4% y/y vs. 2.2% earlier.   Earnings to watch In Europe this morning, the key earnings focus is Adyen which has already reported (see review above) and Estee Lauder which is deliver a significant slowdown in figures and increased margin pressure due to rising input costs. Today’s US earnings to watch are Applied Materials and NetEase, with the former potentially delivering an upside surprise like Cisco yesterday on improved supply chains. NetEase, one of China’s largest gaming companies, is expected to deliver Q2 revenue growth of 12% y/y as growth continues to slow down for companies in China. Today: Applied Materials, Estee Lauder, NetEase, Adyen, Nibe Industrier, Geberit Friday: China Merchants Bank, CNOOC, Shenzhen Mindray, Xiaomi, Deere Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Norway Deposit Rates 0900 – Eurozone Final Jul. CPI 1100 – Turkey Rate Announcement 1230 – US Weekly Initial Jobless Claims 1230 – Canada Jul. Teranet/National Bank Home Price Index 1230 – US Philadelphia Fed Survey 1400 – US Jul. Existing Home Sales 1430 – EIAs Weekly Natural Gas Storage Change 1720 – US Fed’s George (Voter) to speak 1745 – US Fed’s Kashkari (Non-voter) to speak 2301 – UK Aug. GfK Consumer Confidence 2330 – Japan Jul. National CPI Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – August 18, 2022
The US PCE Data Is Expected To Confirm Another Modest Slowdown

Fed Reptesentatives Are Committed To Holding Back Price Growing And Control The Inflation According To Expectations

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 18.08.2022 13:17
Last night's publication of the minutes of the last Fed meeting, which took place at the end of July, may have affected the US dollar's trading. The policymakers touched on the regulation of the digital asset market for the first time at such a meeting. According to the published minutes, Fed officials remain very attentive to inflation risks and are committed to lowering price growth and keeping inflation expectations under control. A commitment to tightening monetary policy can take place, even if it comes at the expense of economic growth, the FOMC minutes show. The July discussion touched on the possible risks of too many and too large interest rate hikes. There was also talk that the Fed may be pursuing too much restrictive monetary policy than is necessary to restore price stability in the economy. The Fed, for the moment, seems unconcerned about GDP data and the risk of a sustained slowdown or official recession, as officials said the economy is stable for now, pointing to strong job growth, a low unemployment rate and elevated wage growth. Moreover, there was also discussion of the possibility of a later upward revision of earlier GDP readings, which are revised over time. There was also a statement regarding possible further action by the Federal Reserve. Policymakers discussed the possibility of slowing the pace of interest rate hikes at some point, but this will require data readings that can be considered satisfactory in terms of the impact of current hikes on slowing inflation. Meanwhile, for the moment, it may be crucial to maintain a restrictive stance to avoid a loosening of inflation expectations. Initially, after the release of the minutes, the EUR/USD exchange rate rose to 1.0200, before retreating to the region of 1.0150 this morning. The reaction thus appears to be mixed, without leading to a major impulse, and the exchange rate of the main currency pair has remained in consolidation since the morning of August 16. On Wall Street, on the other hand, indexes were down after the publication. The S&P500 fell 0.3 percent and the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.6 percent. The committee also turned its attention to the world of digital assets. Participants recognized the growing importance of digital assets and their increasing interconnectedness with other segments of the financial system, underscoring the need to establish a robust supervisory and regulatory framework for the sector to adequately mitigate potential systemic risks. Several participants mentioned the need to strengthen supervision and regulation of certain types of non-bank financial institutions, according to published minutes. Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 82.59% 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.   Source: Highlights from the Fed minutes
The Commodities Feed: China's 2023 growth target underwhelms markets

Apple Concentrated On Vietnam Productions As China Having Problems With Energy Supply

Marc Chandler Marc Chandler 18.08.2022 14:03
Overview: The sell-off in European bonds continues today. The 10-year German Bund yield is around four basis points higher to bring three-day increase to about 22 bp. The Italian premium over Germany has risen by almost 18 bp over these three sessions. Its two-year premium is widening for the fifth consecutive session and is above 90 bp for the first time in almost three weeks. The 10-year US Treasury yield is a little softer near 2.88%. Most of the large Asia Pacific equity markets fell, with India a notable exception. Europe’s Stoxx 600 snapped a five-day rally yesterday with a 0.9% loss. It is slightly firmer today, while US futures are hovering around yesterday’s closing levels. The greenback is firm against most of the major currencies. The Australian and Canadian dollars  and Norwegian krone and sterling are the most resilient today. The Philippines, like Norway hiked 50 bp but unlike Norway, the currency has not been bought. Most emerging market currencies are softer today. Gold is trying to break a three-day slide after approaching $1760. It settled last week at $1802. October WTI found a base a little below $85.50 and is around $88.50 near midday in Europe. The week’s high was set Monday by $91.50. US natgas is up 1.1% to recoup yesterday’s loss in full. Europe’s benchmark is extended this week’s run. It finished last week near 205.85 and now is around 232.00, a 12.7% gain after 6% last week. Iron ore ended a four-day 8% slide. September copper is recovering from the early drop to near two-week lows ($354.20) and is now near 362.00. A move above yesterday’s high (~$365) would be constructive. The sell-ff in September wheat has accelerated. It is off for the fifth consecutive session and is at its lowest level since January. After falling around 3% in three days from last Friday, it is off more than 5% between yesterday and today. Asia Pacific For good reasons, Beijing and Washington suspect the other of trying to change that status quo over Taiwan  The visits by US legislators may be only the initial efforts by Congress to force a more aggressive US position. It could come to a head in the fall when a bill that wants to recognize Taiwan as a major non-NATO ally and to foster Taiwan's membership in international forums will draw more attention. Meanwhile, US-Taiwan trade talks will begin later this year that was first aired a couple of months ago. At the same time, the Biden administration has been considering lifting some of the tariffs levied by the previous administration, but China's militaristic response to the visits makes it more difficult. Biden wants to lift the tariffs not to reward Beijing but to ease the costs to Americans. The Consumer Technology Association, an industry group, estimated that the tariffs have boosted the bill for American consumer technology companies by around $32 bln. The tariffs are paid to the US government. It seems that in lieu of lifting the tariffs, a broad exclusion process is possible. Related but separately, the Nikkei Asia reported that Apple is in talks to produce its watches and computers in Vietnam for the first time  Two suppliers have been producing Apple Watches in northern Vietnam. A couple of months ago, reports indicated that Apple would more some production of its tablets to Vietnam. Apple's ecosystem is establishing a presence in Vietnam, with nearly two dozen suppliers have factories now, almost doubling since 2018. As a result of these forces and the movement of capacity outside of China, Vietnam's trade surplus with the US is exploding. The $33 bln surplus in 2016 ballooned to $91 bln last year and was nearly $58 bln in the first half. For the past five years, the dollar has traded in a roughly 2% band around VND23000. The greenback is near the upper end of the range. Australia's July jobs report was disappointing  It lost almost 87k full-time positions after gaining nearly 53k in June. Part-time positions increased (46k), leading to a 40.9k loss of overall jobs. The median forecast (Bloomberg survey) was for a gain of 25k jobs. The unemployment rate slipped to a new record low of 3.4% (from 3.5%) but this was due to a sharp drop in the participation rate (66.4% from 66.8%). Ostensibly, this could give the central bank space to be more flexible at its September 6 meeting. However, the futures market as taken it in stride that has left the odds of a 50 bp hike next month essentially unchanged around 57%. This is essentially where it was at the end of last week and the week before. Many are now familiar with China's rolling lockdowns to combat Covid and the implosion of property market, a key engine of growth and accumulation  A new threat has emerged. The extreme weather has seen water levels in Sichuan's hydropower reserves as much as 50% this month, according to report, prompting the shuttering of factories (hub for solar panels, cement, and urea). Dazhou, a city of nearly 3.5 mln people, imposed a 2 1/2-hour power cuts this week that were expanded to three hours yesterday. Office buildings in Chengdu, the provincial capital, were barred from using air conditioning. Many areas in central and northern China imposed emergency measures to ensure the availability of drinking water. The heat and drought threaten summer crops and risk greater food-driven inflation. At the same time, Shanxi, which provides about a quarter of China's coal is worried about floods, it has suspended the operation of more than 100 mines since June. The government-imposed measures to boost output and Shanxi coal output rose by around 16% in H1.  The dollar is confined to a narrow range, straddling the JPY135 area  It has held `below last week's high around JPY135.60 and above the JPY134.55, where options for $700 mln expire today. The Australian dollar has been sold aggressively this week. It began near $0.7115 and tested $0.6900 today, meeting the (50%) retracement objective of the rally from the mid-July low (~$0.6880). It was only able to make a marginal new low today, suggesting that the selling pressure has abated. The next retracement (61.8%) is closer to $0.6855. Initial resistance is seen around $0.6950. After slipping a little yesterday, the greenback returned to its recent highs against the Chinese yuan around CNY6.7960. This year's high was set in May near CNY6.8125. Between Covid lockdowns, the weather disruptions, and the continued unwinding of the property bubble, a weaker yuan may the path of least resistance. The PBOC set the dollar's reference rate at CNY6.7802 compared with expectations from Bloomberg's survey of CNY6.7806. The yuan is falling for the sixth consecutive month against the dollar. Europe The eurozone may not have completed its banking and monetary union, but the ECB said that it would harmonize how banks offer crypto assets and have sufficient capital and expertise  Crypto companies have negotiated with national authorities in several EMU member countries, but common EU licensing rules are unlikely any time soon. There is a patchwork of differing national rules, and in some countries, some types of crypto activity may require a banking license, for example. Norway's central bank hiked its deposit rate by 50 bp and indicated it would "most likely" lift rates again next month What makes today's move somewhat more aggressive that it may appear is that the hike took place at a meeting that did not include an economic update and projections for the future path of policy. Norges Bank acknowledged that the policy rate trajectory would be faster than projected in June and the inflation risks being higher for longer. The deposit rate now sits at 1.75%. Another 50 bp hike next month (September 22) seems likely followed by a 25 bp move in November, the last meeting of the year. The euro briefly popped a little above $1.02 on what was initially seen as dovish FOMC minutes in the North American afternoon yesterday  However, it returned to yesterday's lows low near $1.0145 before finding a bid. The week's low was set Tuesday slightly below $1.0125, which is ahead of the retracement objective we identified near $1.0110. The euro is consolidating as the US two-year premium over Germany falls to its lowest level in a nearly a month (2.54%), and almost 25 bp below the peak seen after the US jobs data on August 5. Labor disputes are crippling UK trains, buses, subways, and a key container port today. Sterling slipped to $1.1995, its lowest level since July 26. The nicking of the neckline of a possible double top was not a convincing violation and sterling has recovered to the $1.2060 area in the London morning. If this is not the peak in sterling, it seems close. Tomorrow, the UK is expected to report a decline in July retail sales, excluding gasoline. This measure of retail sales rose by 0.4% in June, the first increase since last October. The median forecast (Bloomberg survey) is for a 0.3% fall. The swaps market is pricing in a 50 bp hike at the mid-September BOE meeting and about a 1-in-5 chance of a 75 bp move. America US interest rates softened and dragged the dollar lower following the release of the FOMC minutes  The market seems to have focused on the concern of "many" members that it could over-tighten but there was no sign that this was going to prevent them for raising rates further. Indeed, it suggest that the risk of inflation expectations becoming embedded was greater. More hikes were appropriate, the minutes said, and a restrictive stance may be required for "some time". The minutes also played the recent pullback in commodity prices as an indicator of lower inflation, which it still says the evidence is lacking. When everything was said and done the September Fed funds futures were unchanged for the fourth consecutive session. Autos and gasoline held by retail sales in July, but excluding them, retail sales rose by 0.7%, matching the June increase  The core measure, which also excludes building materials and food services rose a solid 0.8%. Retail sales account for around 40% of personal consumption expenditures. The July PCE is due next week (August 26) and picks up service consumption too. The early call is for it to rise by 0.5%. However, it too is a nominal report, and in real terms, a 0.3%-0.4% gain would be a strong showing. The retail sales report lent credence to anecdotal stories about department stores discounting prices to move inventory. Amazon's Prime Day (July 12-13) was claimed to be the biggest so far. Online sales overall surged 2.7%. Today's data includes weekly jobless claims, the Philadelphia Fed survey, existing home sale, and the index of Leading Economic Indicators  Th four-week average of weekly jobless claims rose to 252k in the week ending August 5. Recall the four-week moving average, used to smooth out some of the noise bottomed in the week ending April 1 at 170.5k. They averaged around 238k in December 2019, which was the highest since the first half of January 2018. Continuing claims have edged higher in recent weeks, but at 1.428 mln, they are roughly 20% below the peak at the start of this year. The Philadelphia Fed survey is particularly interesting today because of the disastrous Empire State survey. The median forecast in Bloomberg's survey is for a -5 reading after -12.3 in July. Meanwhile, existing home sales have fallen for five months through June. In fact, new home sales have been fallen every quarter since the end of 2020, with the exception of Q3 21. They fell by an average of 1.7% in Q1 22 and 3.8% in Q2 22. The median forecast is for a nearly 5% decline in July. The market tends not to get excited about the leading economic index series. Economists expected the fifth consecutive decline. The only month it rose this year was February. The US dollar extended its recovery against the Canadian dollar to reach almost CAD1.2950, its highest level since August 8 today  It was pressed lower by new offers in the European morning that drove it back to almost CAD1.2900. The market may take its cues from the S&P 500 and the general risk appetites in the North American session. With the intraday momentum indicators stretched, yesterday's post-FOMC minutes low near CAD1.2880 may offer sufficient support. The greenback rose to a five-day high against the Mexican peso yesterday around MXN20.09. It is consolidating and straddling the MXN20.00 area. Our reading of the technical condition favors the dollar's upside, and the first important target is near MXN20.20. The US dollar gapped higher against the Brazilian real yesterday and approached the BRL5.22 area, where the 20-day and 200-day moving averages converge. The opening gap was closed late on the pullback spurred by the reading of FOMC minute headlines. The price action is similar to the peso, where the dollar has traded heavily since last month but appears to have found a bottom. A break above BRL5.22 would target the month's high near BRL5.3150.       Disclaimer   Source: Fed Minutes were Not as Dovish as Initially Read
German Business Confidence Dips, ECB's Lagarde Hosts Central Banking Conference in Portugal, EUR/USD Drifts Higher

Fed's Plan Is To Push For More Rate Hikes To Boost Dollar (USD)!?

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 19.08.2022 10:37
Summary:  Better than expected economic data continued to support sentiment in US in contrast to Europe, where ECB’s Schnabel's warning on the growth/inflation picture aggravated concerns. Fed speakers meanwhile continued to push for more rate hikes this year, aiding dollar strength despite lack of a clear direction in long end yields. EUR and GBP broke below key support levels, but oil prices climbed higher amid improving demand outlook but sustained supply issues. Focus now on Jackson Hole next week. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  In its second lightest volume session of the year, U.S. equities edged modestly higher, S&P 500 +0.23%, Nasdaq 100 +0.26%. As WTI crude climbed 2.7%, rebounding back above $90, the energy space was a top gainer aside from technology. Exxon Mobil (XOM:xnys) gained 2.4%.  Cisco (CSCO:xnas) surged 5.8% after reporting better-than-expected revenues. Nvidia (NVDA:xnas), +2.4% was another top contributor to the gain of the S&P 500 on Wednesday.  95% of S&P 500 companies have reported Q2 results, with about three-quarters of them managing to beat analyst estimates. On Friday there is a large number of options set to expire.  The U.S. treasury yield curve bull steepened on goldilocks hope The U.S. 2-10-year curve steepened 7bps to -32bps, driven by a 9bp decline in the 2-year yield.  In spite of hawkish Fed official comments and the August Philadelphia Fed Index bouncing back to positive territory, the market took note of the falls in the prices paid diffusion index and the prices received index from the survey and sent the short-end yields lower.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Both Hang Seng Index and CSI300 declined about 0.8%.  Tencent (00700:xhkg) rose 3.1% after reporting results that beat estimates as a result of better cost control and adverting revenues. Other China internet stocks traded lower, Bilibili (09626:xhkg) -4.2%, Baidu (09888:xhkg) -4.5%, Alibaba (09988:xhkg) -2.1%, JD.COM (09618:xhkg) -2.5%. The surge of Covid cases in China to a three-month high and the Hainan outbreak unabated after a 2-week lockdown, pressured consumer stocks.  Great Wall Motor (02333:xhkg) led the charge lower in autos, plunging near 6%.  Other automakers fell 2% to 4%.  Geely (00175:xhkg) fell 3.1% after reporting 1H earnings missing estimates.  A share Chinese liquor names declined, Kweichow Moutai (600519:xssc) -1.2%, Wuliangye Yibin (000858:xsec) -1.6%. Chinese brewers were outliner gainers in the consumer space, China Resources Beer (00291:xhkg) +4.8%, Tsingtao Brewery (00168:xhkg) +1.9%. Chinese property developers traded lower with Country Garden (02007:xhkg) losing the most, -5.2% , after warning that 1H earnings may have been down as much as 70%. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) is looking at the quality of real estate loan portfolios at some financial institutions.  EURUSD and GBPUSD break through key support levels Dollar strength prevailed into the end of the week with upbeat US economic data and a continued hawkish Fedspeak which continued to suggest more Fed rate hikes remain in the pipeline compared to what the market is currently pricing in. EUR and GBP were the biggest loser, with both of them breaking below key support levels. EURUSD slid below 1.0100 handle while GBPUSD broke below 1.2000 despite a selling in EGBs and Gilts. USDJPY also broke above 136 in early Asian trading hours despite lack of a clear direction in US 10-year yields and a slide in 2-year yields. AUDUSD testing a break below 0.6900 as NZDUSD drops below 0.6240. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Oil prices reversed their drop with WTI futures back above $90/barrel and Brent futures above $96. Upbeat US economic data has supported the demand side sentiment in recent days. Moreover, President Xi’s comment that China will continue to open up the domestic economy also aided the demand equation. Supply concerns, meanwhile, were aggravated by geopolitical tension around a potential incident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Shell hinted at reducing the capacity of Rhineland oil refinery due to the lower water level on the Rhine river and said the situation regarding supply is challenging but carefully managed. Gold (XAUUSD) still facing mixed signals The fate of gold has been turned lower again this week with the yellow metal facing decline of 2.5% so far in the week and breaking below the $1759 support, the 38.2% retracement of the July to August bounce. Stronger dollar, along with Fed’s continued hawkish rhetoric, weighed. Silver (XAGUSD) is also below the key support at $19.50, retracing half of its recent gains. The short-term direction has been driven by speculators reducing bullish bets, but with inflation remaining higher-for-longer, the precious metals can continue to see upside in the long run. What to consider? Existing home sales flags another red for the US housing market US existing home sales fell in July for a sixth straight month to 4.81 mn from 5.11 mn, now at the slowest pace since May 2020, and beneath the expected 4.89 mn. Inventory levels again continued to be a big concern, with supply rising to 3.3 months equivalent from 2.9 in June. This continues to suggest that the weakening demand momentum and high inventory levels may weigh on construction activity. US economic data continues to be upbeat The Philly Fed survey outperformed expectations, with the headline index rising to +6.2 (exp. -5.0, prev. -12.3), while prices paid fell to 43.6 (prev. 52.2) and prices received dropped to 23.3 (prev. 30.3). new orders were still negative at -5.1, but considerably better than last month’s -24.8 and employment came in at 24.1 from 19.4 previously. While this may be a good signal, survey data tends to be volatile and a long-term trend is key to make any reasonable conclusions. Jobless claims also slid to 250k still suggesting that the labor market remains tight. Fed speakers push for more rate hikes St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard flagged another 75 basis point rate hike at the September meeting and hinted at 3.75-4% Fed funds rate by the end of the year with more front-loading in 2022. Fed’s George, much like Fed’s Daly, said that last month’s inflation is not a victory and hardly comforting. Bullard and George vote in 2022. Fed’s Kahskari said that he is not sure if the Fed can avoid a recession and that there is more work to be done to bring inflation down, but noted economic fundamentals are strong. Overall, all messages remain old and eyes remain on Fed Chair Powell speaking at the Jackson Hole conference on August 25. Japan’s inflation came in as-expected Japan’s nationwide CPI for July accelerated to 2.6% y/y, as expected, from 2.4% y/y in June. The core measure was up 2.4% y/y from 2.2% previously, staying above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target and coming in at the strongest levels since 2008. Upside pressures remain as Japan continues to face a deeper energy crisis threat into the winter with LNG supplies possibly getting diverted to Europe for better prices. Still, Bank of Japan may continue to hold its dovish yield curve control policy unless wage inflation surprises consistently to the upside. Cisco’s revenues came in flat, beating a previously feared decline Cisco Systems reports July 2022 quarter revenues of USD13.1 billion, down 0.2% YoY but better than the consensus of a 3% decline.  Net income came in at USD3.4 billion, -3.2% YoY but more than 1 percentage point above consensus.  The fall in product order was also smaller than feared.  The company guided the fiscal year 2023 revenue growth of +4% to +6%, ahead of the 3% expected and FY23 EPS of USD3.49 to USD3.56, in line with expectations as gross margin pressures are expected to offset the impact of higher sales.  NetEase’s Q2 results beat NetEase (09999:xhkg/NTES:xnas) reported above-consensus Q2 revenues, +13% YoY, and net profit from continuing operations, +28%.  PC online game revenues were above expectations, driven by Naraka Bladepoint content updates and the launch of Xbox version.  Mobile game segment performance was in line.  Geely Automobile 1H earnings missed estimates on higher costs Chinese automaker Geely reported higher-than-expected revenue growth of 29%YoY in 1H22 but a 35% YoY decline in net profit which was worse than analyst estimates.  The weakness in profit was mainly a result of a 2.6 percentage point compression of gross margin to 14.6% due to higher material costs and production disruption, higher research and development costs, and the initial ramping-up of production of the Zeekr model.  The company maintains its sales volume target of 1.65 million units, an growth of 24% YoY, for the full year of 2022.    For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 19, 2022
Oil Prices Soar on Prospect of Soft Landing, Eyes Set on $80 Breakout

Retail traders saved markets by keeping trades open during tough times

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 21.08.2022 15:44
Relevance up to 19:00 2022-08-24 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. After the spring fever, which ended with a global sell-off of all indices and a bearish reversal, many retail traders again tried to get back into the game. However, before the S&P 500 had time to accelerate, a new blow from the meme-stock market brought new losses to the bulls. However, the survey showed that traders are not ready to follow the bearish trend. Retail traders saved markets by keeping trades open during tough times According to analysts, this time it was a fairly large army of "mom-dad" investors that suffered, that is, traders with little trading experience and without a strong educational base. Wall Street was talking about this type of investor when they tried to explain the July rise in cryptocurrencies. Now they are suspected of provoking the latest global surge in US indices.In my opinion, if this reflects the real state of affairs, then only partially. Yes, one cannot but agree that the retail investor base has changed dramatically in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise of social media (hello Reddit) and online trading sites and apps has created younger and more market-savvy individuals who complement the more traditional older investors who make monthly contributions to their pension funds. This army of traders, if it can be suspected of naivety, then after the last two extremely volatile years of trading, they have clearly gained experience and are in no hurry to part with their money. Wall Street analysts paint us a portrait of a fickle, speculative day trader who just wants to make a quick buck, especially in the riskier and more complex parts of financial markets like cryptocurrencies. To some extent this is true, let's not deny the obvious. This is also a direct consequence of the surge in liquidity in financial markets after the pandemic, which the Federal Reserve is now trying to reverse. Yet research shows that retail investors are not as easy-going as institutional investors might have thought.For example, a survey of 1,000 retail investors in the United States conducted by the social investment platform eToro in June, when the market was in a bearish peak, showed that 80% of them buy or sell assets monthly or less often. At the time of the survey, about 65% of respondents were holding their investments, 29% were holding and buying more, and only 6% had sold. These numbers give us a completely different picture of what is happening in small trades. According to the traditional school of investing, young investors are less likely to keep their investments. Yet 42% of investors aged 18 to 34 did just that, and 43% held and bought more. Sold only 15% of the total. Typically, retail investors are late to the peak of profitable deals and exit them last and with the worst hangover. Many of them lost some headroom earlier this year, when the S&P 500 (.SPX) posted its worst first half performance in more than half a century. Of course, one might think that retail investors are generally not the most sophisticated or nimble, and that they probably suffered huge losses as the market went against them for months on end. But if they had given up and sold them, the market crash could have been even worse. And more importantly, according to this survey, they never really left. They kept their positions in the trades, not allowing the market to collapse even more. And it's impressive. Therefore, the sharks of Wall Street immediately suspected these hurry-ups that it was they who were now pulling the markets up. Just this week, retail investors were again taken aback by the wild swings in shares of home improvement retailer Bed Bath & Beyond. Meme shares soared over 130% at the start of the week, but fell 20% on Thursday and 40% in early trading on Friday. It comes after billionaire Ryan Cohen suddenly sold his stake in troubled retailer Bed Bath & Beyond - just days after he went bullish on stock options. For Cohen himself, the deal could bring in between $55 million and $60 million. But the traders, who hurried to invest in the newly popular funds, did not do well. Not good for other meme companies. Retail favorites GameStop and AMC Entertainment continued their decline on Friday, leaving most of their weekly profits behind. GameStop and AMC Entertainment lost between 4% and 6%. E-commerce firm Vinco Ventures plunged 17%. Interestingly, Cohen also owns a stake in GameStop. And yet, despite the current dip, BBBY and call option buying volumes by retail investors are up more than 70 times their all-time average, with current five-day net buying up to $188 million on Wednesday.     However, the market is still on a positive wave: step away from meme stocks and look towards the luminaries: the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rebounded almost 20% and 25%, respectively, from their mid-June lows. This has certainly been helped by the strong growth in retail investor buying, which currently averages $1.36 billion per day, with a 21-day moving average of over $27 billion. Moreover, the data shows that retail investors remained active buyers throughout the January-June market downturn. Yes, the 21-day moving average fell to $23 billion over the summer, but it's still well above last year's low of about $21 billion. What does this tell us? That the markets don't want to accept the reality of a bearish downturn, preferring to hold positions and bet on the bulls as soon as there is the slightest opportunity for growth. According to the technical data, the bearish decline is already in full swing. Thus, Citi analysts have identified 22 bear market rallies since the 1920s, lasting from two to 128 trading days and ranging in size from 11% to 47%. There were three such episodes from 2001 to 2002, four in the period 2008-2009, and two this year. However, I want to caution you. The influence of retail traders on the markets is largely seasonal. It's August now, when liquidity is low and the big investment companies usually take their staff on vacation, so it's the off season... and an opportunity for the retail bulls, who have increased their influence due to this factor. In late August - early September, the market of large investors will revive, and the game will follow different rules. The real economy is slow to recover, a recession is waving a red flag in China, the conflict in Ukraine is dragging on, and the coronavirus promises us a fresh strain this season. So there are not so many grounds for optimism. With this in mind, we can expect a rather difficult autumn-winter season, including for traders.   Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/319451
China Rolled Out A Special Loan Program! Fed's News

China Rolled Out A Special Loan Program! Fed's News

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 22.08.2022 12:33
Summary:  Equities closed last week on the defensive as a rising US dollar and especially US treasuries weighed. The US 10-year yield is threatening the 3.00% level for the first time in a month ahead of the important US July PCE inflation data and Fed Chair Powell’s speech on Friday. How forcefully will Powell push back against the virtual melt-up in financial conditions after the market felt the Fed pivoted to less tightening at the July meeting?   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) S&P 500 futures are still rolling over as the US 10-year yield zoomed to 3% on Friday with the index futures trading just above the 4,200 level this morning. The next levels on the downside sit around the 4,100 to 4,170 range, but in the longer term the 4,000 level is the big level to watch. Energy markets are still sending inflationary signals which is key to watch for sentiment this week. In terms of earnings, Palo Alto Networks and Zoom Video will report earnings. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI.I) and China’s CSI300 (000300.I) Hang Seng Index and CSI300 were moderately higher, +0.2% and +0.8% respectively. Chinese developers gained on today’s larger-than-expected cut in the 5-year loan prime rate and last Friday’s report that the PBoC, jointly with the Housing Ministry and the Ministry of Finance to roll out a program to make special loans through policy banks to support the delivery of stalled residential housing projects. Great Wall Motor (02333:xhkg) soared 11%. In A-shares, auto names were among stocks that outperformed. Xiaomi (01810:xhkg) dropped 3% after reporting Q2 revenues -20% YoY and net profit -67% YoY, largely in line with expectations.  US dollar dominates focus in forex this week The US dollar rally picked up speed last week, with key levels falling in a number of USD pairs last week that now serve as resistance, including 1.0100 in EURUSD and 1.2000 in GBPUSD, both of which now serve as resistance/USD support. A significant break of EURUSD parity will likely add further psychological impact, and more practically, an upside break in yields at the longer end of the US yield curve is playing a supportive roll, one that will intensify its driving roll if the benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield follows through higher above the 3.00% level it touched in trading overnight. A complete sweep of USD strength also threatens on any significant follow through higher in USDCNH as it threatens an upside break here (more below). The next key event risk for the US dollar arrives with this Friday’s Jackson Hole symposium speech from Fed Chair Powell (preview below). USDCNH Broad USD strength is helping to drive a move to new cycle highs above 6.84 as the week gets underway, but CNH is not weak in other pairings with G10 currencies, quite the contrary. Still, a move in this critical exchange rate will remain a focus, and the contrast between an easing PBOC (moving once again overnight) and tightening central banks nearly everywhere else is stark. The USDCNH moving higher will receive considerable additional focus if the 7.00 level. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil turned lower in the Asian overnight after modest gains last week as the focus continues to alter between demand destruction fears and persistent supply shortages. Fears of an economic slowdown reducing demand remains invisible in the physical market but it has nevertheless seen crude oil give up all the post Russia invasion gains while speculators or hedge funds have cut bullish bets on WTI and Brent to the lowest since April 2020. WTI futures trades back below $90/barrel while Brent futures dipped below $96. Still, the gas-to-fuel switch led by record gas prices in Europe has seen refinery margins strengthen again lately and it now adds to the fundamental price-supportive factors. Focus may turn back to Iranian supply early in the week though, with reports that a deal is ‘imminent’. Cryptocurrencies The crypto market took a major hit on Friday with the total crypto market cap diving by more than 9 %, but prices have stabilized over the weekend. The total market cap is now close to the psychological $1 trillion level. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) Rising US Treasury yields are pushing back against the strong improvement in financial conditions of recent weeks after the US 10-year Treasury yield benchmark jumped to new highs on Friday, well clear of the prior range after a few teases higher earlier in the week and bumping up against the psychologically key 3.00% level. Any follow through higher toward the 3.50% area highs of the cycle would likely add further pressure to financial conditions and risk sentiment more broadly. What is going on? German PPI shocks on the upside Germany’s July PPI smashed expectations to come in at 5.3% MoM, the biggest single gain since the Federal Republic started compiling its data in 1949 and above the consensus estimate of 0.7%. The data suggests potentially a lot more room on the upside to Eurozone inflation, and a lot more pain for German industries. European PMIs due this week will gather attention, as will Germany’s IFO numbers. Berkshire Hathaway wins approval to acquire Occidental Petroleum Warren Buffett’s industrial conglomerate that recently increased its stake in Occidental Petroleum to over 20% following the US Climate & Tax bill which adds more runway for oil and gas companies has now won regulatory approval for acquiring more than 50% the oil and gas company. This means that Berkshire Hathaway is warming up to its biggest acquisition since its Burlington acquisition. The power shortage in China China is currently being hit by a heatwave with a large part of the country experiencing -degree Celsius temperatures since the beginning of August. The surge in air conditioning caused electricity consumption to soar. To make things worse, drought has reduced hydropower output.  Some provinces and municipalities, especially Sichuan, are curbing electricity supply to industrial users in order to ensure electricity supply for residential use. This has caused disruptions to manufacturing production and added to the headwinds faced by the Chinese economy. China cut its 5-year loan prime rate loan prime more than expected China’s National Interbank Fund Center, based on quotes from banks and under the supervision of the PBoC, fixed the 1-year loan prime rate (“LPR”) 5 bps lower at 3.60% and the 5-year loan prime rates (“LPR”) 15 basis points lower at 4.30%. The larger-than-expected reduction in the 5-year LPR, which is the benchmark against which mortgage loan rates in China are set at a spread, may signal stronger support from the PBoC to the housing market.  The Chinese authorities are coming to the developers’ aid in delivering pre-sold homes Last Friday the Housing Ministry, the Ministry of Finance, and the PBoC, according to Xinhua News, jointly rolled out a program to make special loans through policy banks to support the delivery of presold residential housing projects which are facing difficulties in completion due to lack of funding.  Investors will monitor closely this week to gauge if there is additional information about the size of the program and if the PBoC will print money to fund it.  The resurgence of Covid cases in China Daily locally transmitted new cases of Covid-19 in China persistently stated above 2,000 since August 12, 2022, with Hainan, Tibet, and Xinjiang being the regions most impacted. The constituent companies of the Hang Seng Index will increase to 73 from 69 Hang Seng Indexes Company announced last Friday to add China Shenhua Energy (01088:xhkg), Chow Tai Fook Jewellery (01929:xhkg), Hansoh Pharmaceutical (03693:xhkg), and Baidu (09888:xhkg) to the Hang Seng Index, bringing the latter’s number of constituent companies to 73 from 69. The changes will take effect on September 5, 2022. In addition, SenseTime (00020:xhkg) will replace China Pacific Insurance (02601:xhkg) as a constituent company of the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.  Australian share market at a pivotal point After rising for five straight weeks including last week's 1.2% lift, many market participants hold their breath this rally will continue. However, standing in the way are profit results from a quarter of the ASX200 companies to be released this week. For the final week of profit results, we hear from Qantas (Australia's largest airline), Whitehaven Coal (Australia's largest coal company), as well as other stocks that are typically held in Australian superannuation funds; including Coles, Woolworths, Wesfarmers, Endeavour. And lastly about 20 companies trade ex-dividend this week, however they are not expected to move the market's needle. Money managers increased their commodity exposure for a third week to August 16 The Commitment of Traders (COT) Report covering positions and changes made by money managers in commodities to the week ending August 16 showed a third week of net buying with funds adding 123k lots to 988k lots, a seven-week high. The buying was broad led by natural gas, sugar, cattle and grains with most of the selling concentrated in crude oil and gold. More in our weekly update out later. Prior to the latest recovery in price and positions hedge funds had been net sellers for months after holding 2.6 million lots at the start of the year. What are we watching next? USD and US Treasury yields as Jackson Hole Fed conference is the macro event risk of the week Friday The US dollar strengthened sharply, with EURUSD challenging near parity, USDCNH breaking higher today after another PBOC rate cut, and USDJPY not far from cycle highs. US Treasury yields have supported the move with the entire curve lifting over the last couple of weeks and longer yields pulling to new local highs last week. The Fed has pushed back consistently against the market’s pricing of a Fed turnaround to easing rates next year with partial success, as expectations for rate cuts have shifted farther out the curve and from higher levels. This week, the key test for markets is up on Friday as the US reports the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the July PCE inflation data, while Fed Chair Powell will also speak on Friday, offering the most important guidance on how the Fed feels about how it feels the market understands its intentions.   Earnings to watch Plenty of important earnings releases this week with the largest ones listed below. Today’s key focus is Palo Alto Networks, Zoom Video, and XPeng. Cyber security stocks have done reasonably well over the past year despite valuations coming down as demand is still red hot, Analysts expect Palo Alto Networks to report revenue growth of 27% y/y. Zoom Video, which was the pandemic superstar, is also reporting today with estimates looking for 9% revenue growth, down considerably from 54% y/y growth just a year ago. Monday: Palo Alto Networks, Zoom Video, XPeng Tuesday: CATL, Intuit, Medtronic, JD.com Wednesday: LONGi Green Energy, Royal Bank of Canada, PetroChina, Ping An Insurance Group, Nongfu Spring, Mowi, Nvidia, Salesforce, Pinduoduo, Snowflake, Autodesk Thursday: South32, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Fortum, Delivery Hero, AIA Group, China Life Insurance, CNOOC, CRH, Dollar General, Vmware, Marvell Technology, Workday, Dollar Tree, Dell Technologies, NIO Friday: Meituan, China Shenhua Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Switzerland SNB weekly sight deposits 1230 – US Jul. Chicago Fed National Activity Index 2300 – Australia Aug. Flash Manufacturing/Services PMI 0030 – Japan Aug. Flash Manufacturing/Services PMI Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – August 22, 2022
Gold Has A Chance For Further Downside Movement - 30.12.2022

Gold Is At Risk Of Being Liquidated!? Ukraine Shipment Accelerates

Ole Hansen Ole Hansen 22.08.2022 13:47
Summary:  Our weekly Commitment of Traders update highlights future positions and changes made by hedge funds and other speculators across commodities and forex during the week to August 16. A week that potentially saw a cycle peak in US stocks and where the dollar and treasury yields both traded calmly before pushing higher. Commodities meanwhile continued their recent recovery with funds being net buyers of most contracts, the major exceptions being gold and crude oil Saxo Bank publishes weekly Commitment of Traders reports (COT) covering leveraged fund positions in commodities, bonds and stock index futures. For IMM currency futures and the VIX, we use the broader measure called non-commercial. Link to latest report This summary highlights futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across commodities and forex during the week to August 16. A week that potentially saw a cycle peak in US stocks with the S&P 500 reversing lower after reaching a four-month high, and where the dollar and treasury yields both traded calm before pushing higher. Commodities meanwhile continued their recent recovery with all sectors, except precious metals and grains recording gains. Commodities Hedge funds were net buyers for a third week with the total net long across the 24 major commodity futures tracked in this update rising by 14% to reach a seven week high at 988k lots. Some 56% below the recent peak reached in late February before Russia’s attack on Ukraine drove an across-the-board volatility spike which forced funds to reduce their exposure. Since then and up until early July, worries about a global economic slowdown, caused by a succession of rapid rate hikes in order to kill inflation, was one of the key reasons for the slump in speculative length.Returning to last week, the 123k lot increase was split equally between new longs being added and short positions being scaled back, and overall the net increase was broad led by natural gas, sugar, cattle and grains with most of the selling being concentrated in crude oil and gold. Energy: Weeks of crude oil selling continued with the combined net long in WTI and Brent falling by 26k lots to 278k lots, the lowest belief in rising prices since April 2020. Back then the market had only just began recovering the Covid related energy shock which briefly sent prices spiraling lower. While funds continued to sell crude oil in anticipation of an economic slowdown the refined product market was sending another signal with refinery margins on the rise again, partly due surging gas prices making refined alternatives, such as diesel, look cheap. As a result, the net long in ICE gas oil was lifted by 24% to 62k lots while RBOB gasoline and to a lesser extent ULSD also saw net buying. The net short in Henry Hub natural gas futures was cut by 55% as the price jumped by 19%. Metals: Renewed weakness across investment metals triggered a mixed response from traders with gold seeing a small reduction in recently established longs while continued short covering reduced bearish bets in silver, platinum and palladium. With gold resuming its down move after failing to find support above $1800, the metal has been left exposed to long liquidation from funds which in the previous two weeks had bought 63.3k lots. Copper’s small 1% gain on the week supported some additional short covering, but overall the net short has stayed relatively stable around 16k lots for the past six weeks. Agriculture: Speculators were net buyers of grains despite continued price weakness following the latest supply and demand report from the US Department of Agriculture on August 12, and after shipments of grains from Ukraine continued to pick up speed. From a near record high above 800k lots on April 19, the net long across six major crop futures went on to slump by 64% before buyers began dipping their toes back in to the market some three weeks ago. Buying was concentrated in bean oil and corn while the wheat sector remained challenged with the net long in Kansas wheat falling to a 2-year low. The four major softs contract saw strong buying led by sugar after funds flipped their position back to a 13.4k lots net long. The cocoa short was reduced by 10% while the coffee long received a 25% boost. Cotton’s 18% surge during the week helped lift the long by 35% to 44.7k lots.     Forex A mixed week in forex left the speculative dollar long close to unchanged against ten IMM futures and the DXY. Selling of euro saw the net short reach a fresh 2-1/2-year high at 42.8k lots or €5.3 billion equivalent while renewed selling of JPY, despite trading higher during the reporting week, made up most of the increase in dollar length. Against these we saw short covering reduce CHF, GBP and MXN short while CAD net long reached a 14-month high.    What is the Commitments of Traders report? The COT reports are issued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the ICE Exchange Europe for Brent crude oil and gas oil. They are released every Friday after the U.S. close with data from the week ending the previous Tuesday. They break down the open interest in futures markets into different groups of users depending on the asset class. Commodities: Producer/Merchant/Processor/User, Swap dealers, Managed Money and otherFinancials: Dealer/Intermediary; Asset Manager/Institutional; Leveraged Funds and otherForex: A broad breakdown between commercial and non-commercial (speculators) The reasons why we focus primarily on the behavior of the highlighted groups are: They are likely to have tight stops and no underlying exposure that is being hedged This makes them most reactive to changes in fundamental or technical price developments It provides views about major trends but also helps to decipher when a reversal is looming   Source: COT: Gold and oil left out as funds return to commodities
iPhones Banned in Chinese Offices: Tech Tensions Escalate

China's Plan For Dying Property Markets. Nasdaq 100 And S&P 500

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 23.08.2022 08:37
Summary:  Equities were sold off on Monday, continuing a slide from their summer rally high, in the midst of position adjustments ahead of the Jackson Hole central banker event later this week. U.S. 10-year yields returned to above 3%. China cut its 5-year loan prime rates and plans to extend special loans to boost the ailing property markets. What is happening in markets?   Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S. equities lost ground and continued to retrace from the high of the latest rally since mid-June.  The market sentiment has become more cautious ahead of Fed Chair Powell’s speech this Friday at the Jackson Hole symposium and a heavy economic data calendar, S&P 500 – 2.1%, Nasdaq 100 -2.7%.  The rise of U.S. 10-year bond yield back to above 3% added to the selling pressures in equities.  Zoom Video (ZM:xnas) fell 8% in after-hours trading as the company reported Q2 revenues and earnings missing estimates and cut its full year revenues guidance. U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) Bonds were sold off as traders adjusted positions ahead of the Jackson Hole.  The treasury yield curve bear flattened with 2-year yields surging 8bps to 3.30% and 10-year yields climbing 4bps to 3.01%, above the closely watched 3% handle.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng fell 0.6% while CSI300 climbed 0.7% on Monday. Chinese developers gained on today’s larger-than-expected cut in the 5-year loan prime rate and the Chinese authorities plan to provide special loans through policy banks to support the delivery of stalled residential housing projects, CIFI (00883:xhkg) +11.5%, Country Garden (02007:xhkg) +3.2%.  China extended EV waivers from vehicle purchase tax and other fees to the end of 2023, but the share price reactions of Chinese EV makers traded in Hong Kong were mixed.  Great Wall Motor (02333:xhkg) soared 11%, benefiting from launching a new model that has a 1,000km per charge battery while Nio (09866:xhkg) and Li Auto(02015:xhkg) fell 4.2% and 1.4% respectively. Xiaomi (01810:xhkg) dropped 3.3% after Q2 revenues -20% YoY and net profit -67% YoY, on lower smartphone shipments (-26% YoY).  Smartphone parts suppliers, AAC Technologies (02018:xhkg) and Sunny Optical (02382:xhkg) declined 5.6% and 4.2% respectively.  The share price performance of the four companies that will be added to the Hang Seng Index was mixed, Baidu (09888:xhkg) +0.9%, China Shenhua Energy (01088:xhkg) +2.1%, Hansoh Pharmaceutical (03692:xhkg) +3.2% but Chow Tai Fook Jewellery (01929:xhkg) -0.6%.  SenseTime (00020:xhkg) gained 4.2% as the company will replace China Pacific Insurance (02601:xhkg) -2.8% as a constituent company of the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.  ENN Energy (02688:xhkg) plunged more than 14% after reporting H1 results below market expectations.  China retailer Gome (00493) collapsed 20% after resuming trading from suspension and a plan t buy from the controlling shareholder a stake in China property assets.  EURUSD falls below parity, eyes on 0.9500 The latest concerns on the European energy crisis weighed on the Euro which was seen sipping below parity to the US dollar. Higher US yields and gains in the US dollar also underpinned, taking EURUSD to lows of 0.9926. The European recession is coming hard and fast, and the PMIs today will likely signal increasing pressure on the region. Also on the radar will be Fed Chair Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole later this week, with a fresh selloff in the pair likely to target 0.9500 next. USDCNH heading to further highs After PBOC’s easing measures on Monday, the scope for further yuan weakness has increased. USDCNH broke above 6.8600 overnight and potentially more US dollar strength this week on the back of a pushback from Fed officials on easing expectations for next year could mean a test of 7.00 for USDCNH. Still, the move in yuan is isolated, coming from China moving to prevent the yuan from tracking aggravated USD strength rather than showing signs of desiring a broader weakening. EURCNH has plunged to over 1-month lows of 6.8216 on the back of broader EUR weakness. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices made a recovery overnight despite the strength in the US dollar. A global shift from gas to oil, from Europe to Asia, has taken a deeper hold amid gas shortage fears accelerating in the wake of another upcoming maintenance of the Nordstream pipeline. Diesel and refinery margins have also been supported as a result, with Asia diesel crack rising to its previous high of $63 amid low inventory levels. WTI futures reversed back to the $90/barrel levels and Brent were back above $96. Comments from Saudi Energy Minister threatening to dial back supply also lifted prices, but these were mis-read and in fact, focused more on the mismatch between the tightness in the futures and the physical market. Gold (XAUUSD) and Silver (XAGUSD) Gold broke below the key $1744 support and is now eying $1729, the 61.8% retracement of the July to August bounce. Dollar strength and a run higher in US yields weighed on the shine of the yellow metal, which has seen downside pressures since last week after touching the critical $1800-level. Hawkish Fed talk this week could further weigh on the short-term prospects for Gold. Silver also dipped below the key 19 handle, erasing most of the gains seen since late July.   What to consider?   German year-ahead power prices hit a fresh record high German year-ahead power prices surged to EUR 700/MWh with Dutch TTF gas prices close to EUR 300/MWh. The surge came on the back of another leg higher in natural gas prices which rose over 8% in Europe amid concerns around the next scheduled 3-day maintenance of the Nordstream pipeline. It appears that demand destruction remains the most obvious but painful cure right now, along with a longer-term focus on ensuring a broad-based supply of energy from coal, gas, nuclear, solar, hydrogen, and more.  Australia and Japan services PMIs plunged into contraction Australia saw its services PMI drop to 49.6 in August in a flash print, from 50.9 in July. Manufacturing PMI, however, held up at 54.5, just weakening slightly from last month’s 55.7. The spate of rate hikes seen from Reserve Bank of Australia is likely taking its toll on demand and manufacturing. Meanwhile, prices remain elevated amid the persistent supply chain issues, and more rate hikes are still on the cards. Japan’s flash manufacturing PMI for August came in lower at 51.0 from 52.1 previously, nut stayed in expansion territory. Services PMI however plunged into the contraction zone below 50, coming in at 49.2 for a flash August print from 50.3 in July. The fresh COVID wave in Japan, although comes without any broad-based new restrictions, is impeding the services demand and will likely weigh on Q3 GDP growth. Europe and UK PMIs may spell further caution The Euro-area flash composite PMI and the UK flash PMI for August are both due to be released on Tuesday. Following a slide in ZEW and Sentix indicators for July, the stage is set for a weaker outcome on the PMIs too. July composite PMI for the Euro-area dipped into contractionary territory at 49.9, while the UK measure held up at 52.1. The surge in gas and electricity prices continue to weigh on GDP growth outlook, with recession likely to hit by the end of the year. China’s plan to provide loans to ensure delivery of presold residential projects is said to be of the size of RMB 200 billion Last Friday, Xinhua News reported that the PBoC, jointly with the Housing Ministry and the Ministry of Finance rolled out a program to make special loans through policy banks to support the delivery of stalled residential housing projects but the size of the program was not mentioned.   A Bloomberg report yesterday, citing “people familiar with the matter”, suggested the size of the support lending program could be as large as RMB 200 billion.  Beijing municipal government rolled out initiatives to promote hydrogen vehicles The municipal government of Beijing announced support for the construction of hydrogen vehicle refueling stations with RMB500 million for each station, aiming at building 37 new stations by 2023 and bringing the adoption of fuel-cell cars to over 10,000 units in the capital. Earlier in the month, the Guangdong province released a plan to build 200 hydrogen vehicle refueling stations by 2025. Since last year, there have been 13 provinces and municipalities rolling out policies to promote the development of the hydrogen vehicle industry.  Earnings on tap Reportedly there have been shorts being built up in Dollar Tree (DLTR:xnys) as traders are expecting that discount retailer missing when reporting this Thursday.   On the other hand, investors are expecting Dollar General (DG:xnys) results to come in more favourably, , which also reports this Thursday.  Key earnings scheduled to release today including Medtronic (MDT:xnys), Intuit (INTU:xnas), JD.COM (09618.xhkg/JD.xnas), JD Logistics (02615:xhkg), Kingsoft (02888:xhkg), and Kuishaou (01023:xhkg). Singapore reports July inflation figures today Singapore's inflation likely nudged higher in July, coming in close proximity to 7% levels from 6.7% y/y in June. While both food and fuel costs continue to create upside pressures on inflation, demand-side pressures are also increasing as the region moves away from virus curbs. House rentals are also running high due to high demand and delayed construction limiting supplies. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has tightened monetary policy but more tightening moves can be expected in H2 even as the growth outlook has been downwardly revised.     For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 23, 2022
Market Risk Sentiment Adjusts as Investors Eye US Inflation Data

US Equities Falling Down, EURUSD Is On The Topic

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 23.08.2022 11:01
Summary:  US equities continued to push sharply lower yesterday as the strong US dollar is in focus as EURUSD dropped well below parity yesterday. US Treasury yields are playing their part in pressuring sentiment as the US 10-year yield benchmark rose above 3.00%. The next important event risk is this Friday’s Jackson Hole, Wyoming speech from Fed Chair Powell, as the Fed is expected to remind the market that it remains in full inflation-fighting mode, pushing back against the impression that it may be set to cut rates next year.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) S&P 500 futures extended their losses yesterday as the US 10-year yield moved above the 3% level and the Fed Funds futures curve moved lower across the whole curve (meaning less rate cuts expected next year). Markets are beginning to second-guess their aggressive bets in July on inflation cooling fast enough to warrant rate cuts next year as the galloping energy crisis makes it difficult for inflation to cool. Tangibles-driven themes such as commodities, logistics, energy storage and financials were the relative winners in yesterday’s session. S&P 500 futures are now in the support zone from before the last leg up that started on 10 August; we see the 4,100 level as the next level to watch on the downside and then the 100-day moving average at 4,085. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI.I) and China’s CSI300 (000300.I) Hang Seng Index and CSI300 were both down about 0.6%. A Bloomberg report yesterday, citing “people familiar with the matter”, suggested the size of the central bank and other authorities’ support lending program to developers could be as large as RMB 200bn. The reaction of the share prices of Chinese Property developers were mixed, Country Garden (02007:hkg) +3.1%, Longfor (00960:xhkg) -1.4%. Postal Savings Bank of China (01658:xhkg) plunged 5.5% after the Chinese bank reported net profit miss with a 10 bps y/y fall in net interest margin to 2.27% in H1. Gross loans grew 13% y/y in H1 but at a more tepid growth of 3% q/q.  Non-performing loans ratio overall was steady at 0.8% but mortgage NPL ratio climbed by 8 bps to 0.52%. US dollar rally following through The US dollar rally continued apace yesterday, as EURUSD traded well below parity and closed at its lowest level in nearly twenty years yesterday. GBPUSD has teased below 1.1760, its lowest level since a one-off pandemic-outbreak spike in early 2020, while other USD pairs are not yet at extremes of the cycle, including AUDUSD, still well above the sub-0.6700 lows of July, and USDJPY, which has not yet challenged the cycle high north of 139.00. There is clearly a reflexive situation at the moment in the US dollar, risk sentiment and US treasury yields. USDCNH Broad USD strength remains behind the weaker CNH in the USDCNH exchange rate as the CNH continues to rise versus, for example, the EUR, while the CNHJPY exchange rate trades near the important 20.00 area. Any more significant move in this critical exchange rate could quickly steal some of the focus away from the US dollar. The contrast between an easing PBOC (moving once again earlier this week) and tightening central banks nearly everywhere else is stark. The next important level for the pair is 7.00, with the range high of the last decade near 7.20. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices made a sharp U-turn higher on Monday after the Saudi Energy Minister talked about a potential production cut after saying the futures market has become increasingly disconnected from underlying fundamental developments, a view that we share. His comment supported the market on a day where risk appetite generally took a knock from the stronger dollar and falling equity markets. A global shift from gas to oil, from Europe to Asia, has taken a deeper hold amid gas shortage fears accelerating in the wake of another upcoming maintenance of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and heatwaves in China. Diesel prices trades higher supported by refinery margins, the so-called crack spread hitting seasonal highs around the world. Gold (XAUUSD) and Silver (XAGUSD) Gold broke below the key $1744 support on Monday before finding support at $1729, the 61.8% retracement of the July to August bounce. Dollar strength and a run higher in US yields weighed on the shine of the yellow metal, which has seen downside pressures since last week after touching the critical $1800-level. Hawkish Fed talk this week could further weigh on the short-term prospects for Gold. Silver also dipped below the key 19 handle, erasing most of the gains seen since late July. German year-ahead power prices hit a fresh record high German year-ahead power prices surged to EUR 700/MWh with Dutch TTF gas prices close to EUR 300/MWh. The surge came on the back of another leg higher in natural gas prices which rose over 13% in Europe amid concerns around the next scheduled 3-day maintenance of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. It appears that demand destruction remains the most obvious but painful cure right now, along with a longer-term focus on ensuring a broad-based supply of energy from coal, gas, nuclear, solar, hydrogen, and more. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields rose yesterday, with the 10-year benchmark closing above 3.00% for the first time in over a month yesterday. Rising yields are likely an important driver of weaker risk sentiment after the melt-up in the wake of the late July FOMC meeting, but practically, a move toward the cycle highs from June near 3.50% (in the lead-up to the FOMC meeting on June 16) is needed to seize the spotlight. The behavior of the treasury market in the wake of the Jackson Hole conference speech from fed Chair Powell this Friday is an important next step, particularly if Powell provides strong guidance on the pace or importance of the Fed’s balance sheet tightening (QT). What is going on? EURUSD falls below parity, eyes on 0.9500 The latest concerns on the European energy crisis weighed on the Euro which was seen sipping below parity to the US dollar. Higher US yields and gains in the US dollar also underpinned, taking EURUSD to lows in the low 0.9900’s this morning. The European recession is coming hard and fast, and the PMIs today will likely signal increasing pressure on the region. The next step for the US dollar is the Fed Chair Powell speech this Friday as discussed below. Australia and Japan services PMIs plunged into contraction Australia saw its services PMI drop to 49.6 in August in a flash print, from 50.9 in July. Manufacturing PMI, however, held up at 54.5, just weakening slightly from last month’s 55.7. The spate of rate hikes seen from Reserve Bank of Australia is likely taking its toll on demand and manufacturing. Meanwhile, prices remain elevated amid the persistent supply chain issues, and more rate hikes are still on the cards. Japan’s flash manufacturing PMI for August came in lower at 51.0 from 52.1 previously, nut stayed in expansion territory. Services PMI however plunged into the contraction zone below 50, coming in at 49.2 for a flash August print from 50.3 in July. The fresh COVID wave in Japan, although comes without any broad-based new restrictions, is impeding the services demand and will likely weigh on Q3 GDP growth. Palo Alto outlook remains strong The cyber security company reported last night Q4 revenue and EPS above estimates and Q1 outlook is slightly above estimates while the FY outlook is well above consensus estimates. Q4 networks billing growth was 44% vs est. 25% suggesting demand is accelerating and bolstering our view that the cyber security industry is a high growth and counter-cyclical industry in the years to come. Shares were up 9% in extended trading. Zoom shares were down 8% in extended trading The popular video conferencing software that rose to prominence during the pandemic is lowering its FY outlook relative to previous announcements. The slowdown in their business is due to slower enterprise growth which could be a function of Microsoft and other major technology companies that have entered the enterprise business for video conference. What are we watching next? Europe and UK PMIs may spell further caution. The Euro-area flash composite PMI and the UK flash PMI for August are both due to be released on Tuesday. Following a slide in ZEW and Sentix indicators for July, the stage is set for a weaker outcome on the PMIs too. July composite PMI for the Euro-area dipped into contractionary territory at 49.9, while the UK measure held up at 52.1. The surge in gas and electricity prices continue to weigh on GDP growth outlook, with recession likely to hit by the end of the year. USD and US Treasury yields as Jackson Hole Fed conference is the macro event risk of the week Friday The US dollar and yields are setting risk sentiment on edge as EURUSD has plunged well through parity. US Treasury yields have supported the USD rally with the entire curve lifting over the last couple of weeks and longer yields closing at new one-month highs. The Fed has pushed back consistently against the market’s pricing of a Fed turnaround to easing rates next year with partial success, as expectations for rate cuts have shifted farther out the curve and from higher levels. The next focus is this Friday’s Jackson Hole symposium speech from Fed Chair Powell, who is expected to stay on message and maintain credibility on fighting inflation after the two large 75 basis point hikes at the last two meetings. The Fed’s attitude toward quantitative tightening may be a focus in the speech as well, with the pace of QT supposedly set to pick up in coming weeks to $95B/month. So far, the QT has been slow out of the gates, with the balance sheet currently only some $115B smaller than at its mid-April peak. Earnings to watch Today’s earnings focus is on CATL and JD.com, with especially CATL being important as the world’s largest battery manufacturer to the car industry and thus pivotal for the electrification of the transportation sector. CATL is expected to report revenue growth of 126% y/y in Q2 as EV adoption is accelerating, but key risks ahead are rising input costs across lithium and energy. JD.com is expected to report 3% revenue growth in Q2 as growth is grinding to a halt on very weak consumer confidence in China. Today: CATL, Intuit, Medtronic, JD.com Wednesday: LONGi Green Energy, Royal Bank of Canada, PetroChina, Ping An Insurance Group, Nongfu Spring, Mowi, Nvidia, Salesforce, Pinduoduo, Snowflake, Autodesk Thursday: South32, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Fortum, Delivery Hero, AIA Group, China Life Insurance, CNOOC, CRH, Dollar General, Vmware, Marvell Technology, Workday, Dollar Tree, Dell Technologies, NIO Friday: Meituan, China Shenhua Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0715-0800 – Eurozone Aug. Flash Manufacturing and Services PMI 0830 – UK Aug. Flash Manufacturing and Services PMI 1000 – UK Aug. CBI Trends in Total Orders and Selling Prices 1100 – ECB's Panetta to speak 1345 – US Aug. Flash Manufacturing and Services PMI 1400 – US Aug. Richmond Fed Manufacturing 1400 – Eurozone Aug. Flash Consumer Confidence 1400 – US Jul. New Home Sales 2300 – US Fed’s Kashkari (non-voter) to speak  Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – August 23, 2022
What Should We Expect Before Winter? Will Energy Crisis Come?

What Should We Expect Before Winter? Will Energy Crisis Come?

Peter Garnry Peter Garnry 22.08.2022 18:44
Summary:  Financial conditions loosening over the past six weeks were a natural evolution of the US economy improving in July, but the Fed is poised to hike potentially 75 basis points at the September meeting to tighten financial conditions even more as the nominal economy is still running too hot to get inflation meaningfully lower. The most likely scenario is weaker equities as winter approaching as the energy crisis will hurt. Financial conditions will soon begin tightening again S&P 500 futures are trading 3.4% lower from their high last week touching the 200-day moving average before rolling over again. Sentiment has shifted as the market is slowly pricing less rate cuts for next year with Fed Funds futures curve on Friday (the blue line) has shifted lower compared to a week ago (the purple line) as inflationary pressures are expected to ease as much as betted on by the market over the past month. Fed member Bullard recently said that he was leaning towards 75 basis points rate cut at the September FOMC meeting to cool the economy further. If the Fed goes with 75 basis points while the real economy is seeing lower activity it will mean that financial conditions will begin tightening more relative to the economic backdrop. Financial conditions have been loosening since June but expectation is that we will see another leg of tightening to levels eclipsing the prior high and with that US equities will likely roll over. S&P 500 futures are now well below the 4,200 level and currently in the congestion zone from before the last leg higher. The next gravitational point to the downside is the 4,100 and below that just above 4,000. December put options on the S&P 500 are currently bid around $208 which roughly a 5% premium for getting three-month downside protection at-the-money. S&P 500 futures | Source: Saxo Group   Fed Funds futures forward curve | Source: Bloomberg   US financial conditions | Source: Bloomberg The US is headed for a recession, but when? US financial conditions eased in July lifting equities and with good reasons we can see. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (the broadest measure of economic activity) rose to 0.27 in July from -0.25 in June suggesting a significant rebound in economic activity. The rebound was broad-based across all the four major sub categories in the index with the production index rising the most. The three-month average is still -0.09 with -0.7 being the statistical threshold for when this indicator suggests that the US economy is in a recession. The probability is therefore still elevated for a recession but the slowdown in the US economy has eased which is positive factor for US equity markets. Predicting the economy is difficult but our thesis going into the winter months on the Northern hemisphere is that it is very difficult to avoid a recession, at least in real terms, when the economy is facing an energy crisis. The most likely scenario is that the US economy will slide into a nominal recession but continue at a fast clip in nominal terms.          China is facing a 2008-style rescue of its real estate sector We have written earlier this year about the downfall of Evergrande and the other Chinese real estate developers. The stress in China’s real estate sector was a big theme earlier this year but has since faded, but recently the Chinese central bank has eased rates and today the government is planning a $29bn rescue package of special loans for troubled developers. Tensions in Chinese real estate are weighing down on the economy through lower consumer confidence and investors are increasingly reducing exposure to China has we have highlighted in our daily podcast. The PBoC (central bank) is urging banks to maintain steady growth of lending, but with the market value of banks relative to assets having declined for many years the market is no longer viewing the credit extension as driven by sound credit analysis, but more as an extended policy tool of the government with unknown but likely less good credit quality.   Source: Equities are rolling over as conditions are set to tighten
The Canadian Dollar Gains Momentum as Crude Oil Prices Surge

Wall Street: The Worst Day Since June. Bitcoin (BTC) And Ethereum (ETH) Can Feel The Tension In The Air

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 23.08.2022 14:35
According to Coinmarketcap data, the total capitalization of cryptocurrencies has fallen to nearly $1 trillion, showing a major shift in sentiment among traders and investors in recent days. The last time market capitalization was at this level was in late July. The possible trend reversal does not only apply to cryptocurrencies. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 have fallen from their local highs of August 16 by 5.7% and 3.8%, respectively. This is a significant change for such large indexes. Interest rates on U.S. 5-year Treasury bonds, after recording a local low of 2.55% on August 1, have risen to 3.17% in recent weeks, as Fed policymakers' statements proved more hawkish than expected. These are potential signs of a deteriorating outlook again, which should not be ignored. A chart of the Crypto Fear & Greed Index may show a decline in crypto market sentiment and an increase in investor fear. As recently as last week, the index showed a reading of 44, and now it is 28 points. Despite the partial decrease in the correlation between bitcoin and the S&P 500, it still seems to be high. Especially since it has historically risen during crashes - the last peak in the correlation was reached in mid-May, when both markets were down. BTC and ETH, despite finding support at $20,700 and $25,300, respectively, could be more exposed to the downside due to deteriorating economic data and market sentiment.  On the Conotoxia MT5 platform as of 12:00 GMT+3, one of the strongest falling tokens is EOS, which is losing nearly 9% after a 7-day gain of 48%. EOS is the native token of the EOSIO network. In practice, the project provides blockchain developers with a set of necessary tools and services to build and scale decentralized applications. The project's first whitepaper was released in 2017, and the team conducted an ICO, securing more than $4 billion in investment. It was one of the largest crowdfunding events in the history of cryptocurrencies.   Rafał Tworkowski, Junior Market Analyst, Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 82.59% 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. Source: Does data signal more short-term declines in the crypto market?
In Germany, The Next-Year Prices For Energy Are Astonishing! Why?

In Germany The Next-Year Prices For Energy Are Astonishing! Why?

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 24.08.2022 09:03
Summary:  Equities were sold off on Monday, continuing a slide from their summer rally high, in the midst of position adjustments ahead of the Jackson Hole central banker event later this week. U.S. 10-year yields returned to above 3%. China cut its 5-year loan prime rates and plans to extend special loans to boost the ailing property markets. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S. equities lost ground and continued to retrace from the high of the latest rally since mid-June.  The market sentiment has become more cautious ahead of Fed Chair Powell’s speech this Friday at the Jackson Hole symposium and a heavy economic data calendar, S&P 500 – 2.1%, Nasdaq 100 -2.7%.  The rise of U.S. 10-year bond yield back to above 3% added to the selling pressures in equities.  Zoom Video (ZM:xnas) fell 8% in after-hours trading as the company reported Q2 revenues and earnings missing estimates and cut its full year revenues guidance. U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) Bonds were sold off as traders adjusted positions ahead of the Jackson Hole.  The treasury yield curve bear flattened with 2-year yields surging 8bps to 3.30% and 10-year yields climbing 4bps to 3.01%, above the closely watched 3% handle.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng fell 0.6% while CSI300 climbed 0.7% on Monday. Chinese developers gained on today’s larger-than-expected cut in the 5-year loan prime rate and the Chinese authorities plan to provide special loans through policy banks to support the delivery of stalled residential housing projects, CIFI (00883:xhkg) +11.5%, Country Garden (02007:xhkg) +3.2%.  China extended EV waivers from vehicle purchase tax and other fees to the end of 2023, but the share price reactions of Chinese EV makers traded in Hong Kong were mixed.  Great Wall Motor (02333:xhkg) soared 11%, benefiting from launching a new model that has a 1,000km per charge battery while Nio (09866:xhkg) and Li Auto(02015:xhkg) fell 4.2% and 1.4% respectively. Xiaomi (01810:xhkg) dropped 3.3% after Q2 revenues -20% YoY and net profit -67% YoY, on lower smartphone shipments (-26% YoY).  Smartphone parts suppliers, AAC Technologies (02018:xhkg) and Sunny Optical (02382:xhkg) declined 5.6% and 4.2% respectively.  The share price performance of the four companies that will be added to the Hang Seng Index was mixed, Baidu (09888:xhkg) +0.9%, China Shenhua Energy (01088:xhkg) +2.1%, Hansoh Pharmaceutical (03692:xhkg) +3.2% but Chow Tai Fook Jewellery (01929:xhkg) -0.6%.  SenseTime (00020:xhkg) gained 4.2% as the company will replace China Pacific Insurance (02601:xhkg) -2.8% as a constituent company of the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index.  ENN Energy (02688:xhkg) plunged more than 14% after reporting H1 results below market expectations.  China retailer Gome (00493) collapsed 20% after resuming trading from suspension and a plan t buy from the controlling shareholder a stake in China property assets.  EURUSD falls below parity, eyes on 0.9500 The latest concerns on the European energy crisis weighed on the Euro which was seen sipping below parity to the US dollar. Higher US yields and gains in the US dollar also underpinned, taking EURUSD to lows of 0.9926. The European recession is coming hard and fast, and the PMIs today will likely signal increasing pressure on the region. Also on the radar will be Fed Chair Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole later this week, with a fresh selloff in the pair likely to target 0.9500 next. USDCNH heading to further highs After PBOC’s easing measures on Monday, the scope for further yuan weakness has increased. USDCNH broke above 6.8600 overnight and potentially more US dollar strength this week on the back of a pushback from Fed officials on easing expectations for next year could mean a test of 7.00 for USDCNH. Still, the move in yuan is isolated, coming from China moving to prevent the yuan from tracking aggravated USD strength rather than showing signs of desiring a broader weakening. EURCNH has plunged to over 1-month lows of 6.8216 on the back of broader EUR weakness. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices made a recovery overnight despite the strength in the US dollar. A global shift from gas to oil, from Europe to Asia, has taken a deeper hold amid gas shortage fears accelerating in the wake of another upcoming maintenance of the Nordstream pipeline. Diesel and refinery margins have also been supported as a result, with Asia diesel crack rising to its previous high of $63 amid low inventory levels. WTI futures reversed back to the $90/barrel levels and Brent were back above $96. Comments from Saudi Energy Minister threatening to dial back supply also lifted prices, but these were mis-read and in fact, focused more on the mismatch between the tightness in the futures and the physical market. Gold (XAUUSD) and Silver (XAGUSD) Gold broke below the key $1744 support and is now eying $1729, the 61.8% retracement of the July to August bounce. Dollar strength and a run higher in US yields weighed on the shine of the yellow metal, which has seen downside pressures since last week after touching the critical $1800-level. Hawkish Fed talk this week could further weigh on the short-term prospects for Gold. Silver also dipped below the key 19 handle, erasing most of the gains seen since late July.   What to consider? German year-ahead power prices hit a fresh record high German year-ahead power prices surged to EUR 700/MWh with Dutch TTF gas prices close to EUR 300/MWh. The surge came on the back of another leg higher in natural gas prices which rose over 8% in Europe amid concerns around the next scheduled 3-day maintenance of the Nordstream pipeline. It appears that demand destruction remains the most obvious but painful cure right now, along with a longer-term focus on ensuring a broad-based supply of energy from coal, gas, nuclear, solar, hydrogen, and more.  Australia and Japan services PMIs plunged into contraction Australia saw its services PMI drop to 49.6 in August in a flash print, from 50.9 in July. Manufacturing PMI, however, held up at 54.5, just weakening slightly from last month’s 55.7. The spate of rate hikes seen from Reserve Bank of Australia is likely taking its toll on demand and manufacturing. Meanwhile, prices remain elevated amid the persistent supply chain issues, and more rate hikes are still on the cards. Japan’s flash manufacturing PMI for August came in lower at 51.0 from 52.1 previously, nut stayed in expansion territory. Services PMI however plunged into the contraction zone below 50, coming in at 49.2 for a flash August print from 50.3 in July. The fresh COVID wave in Japan, although comes without any broad-based new restrictions, is impeding the services demand and will likely weigh on Q3 GDP growth. Europe and UK PMIs may spell further caution The Euro-area flash composite PMI and the UK flash PMI for August are both due to be released on Tuesday. Following a slide in ZEW and Sentix indicators for July, the stage is set for a weaker outcome on the PMIs too. July composite PMI for the Euro-area dipped into contractionary territory at 49.9, while the UK measure held up at 52.1. The surge in gas and electricity prices continue to weigh on GDP growth outlook, with recession likely to hit by the end of the year. China’s plan to provide loans to ensure delivery of presold residential projects is said to be of the size of RMB 200 billion Last Frida, Xinhua News reported that the PBoC, jointly with the Housing Ministry and the Ministry of Finance rolled out a program to make special loans through policy banks to support the delivery of stalled residential housing projects but the size of the program was not mentioned.   A Bloomberg report yesterday, citing “people familiar with the matter”, suggested the size of the support lending program could be as large as RMB 200 billion.  Beijing municipal government rolled out initiatives to promote hydrogen vehicles The municipal government of Beijing announced support for the construction of hydrogen vehicle refueling stations with RMB500 million for each station, aiming at building 37 new stations by 2023 and bringing the adoption of fuel-cell cars to over 10,000 units in the capital. Earlier in the month, the Guangdong province released a plan to build 200 hydrogen vehicle refueling stations by 2025. Since last year, there have been 13 provinces and municipalities rolling out policies to promote the development of the hydrogen vehicle industry.  Earnings on tap Reportedly there have been shorts being built up in Dollar Tree (DLTR:xnys) as traders are expecting that discount retailer missing when reporting this Thursday.   On the other hand, investors are expecting Dollar General (DG:xnys) results to come in more favourably, , which also reports this Thursday.  Key earnings scheduled to release today including Medtronic (MDT:xnys), Intuit (INTU:xnas), JD.COM (09618.xhkg/JD.xnas), JD Logistics (02615:xhkg), Kingsoft (02888:xhkg), and Kuishaou (01023:xhkg). Singapore reports July inflation figures today Singapore's inflation likely nudged higher in July, coming in close proximity to 7% levels from 6.7% y/y in June. While both food and fuel costs continue to create upside pressures on inflation, demand-side pressures are also increasing as the region moves away from virus curbs. House rentals are also running high due to high demand and delayed construction limiting supplies. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has tightened monetary policy but more tightening moves can be expected in H2 even as the growth outlook has been downwardly revised.     For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 23, 2022
The US Dollar Index Is Expected A Pullback Rally At Least In The Near Term

Doubts On The Health Of US Consumers After Dollar Tree Comments

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 26.08.2022 09:47
Summary:  U.S. equities rallied ahead of the Jackson Hole Powell keynote. Comments from discount retailer Dollar Tree about pressures to cut prices and customers shifting to “needs-based consumable products” cast doubts on the health of U.S. consumers. The market chatters and then a WSJ article on a potential deal between the U.S. and China on access to audit working papers and avoiding Chinese ADR delisting sent the share prices of China internet stocks and ADRs soaring. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S. equities rallied for the second day in a row ahead of the much anticipated Powell speech at the Jackson Hole symposium on Friday, S&P 500 +1.4%, Nasdaq 100 +1.8%.  Discount retailers, Dollar General (DG:xnys) and Dollar Tree (DLTR:xnys) reported Q2 results.  Discount General beat the relatively high expectations and finished the session down modestly -0.6%.  Peer Dollar Tree’s results fared weaker with in-line Q2 results but a downward revision of full-year EPS due to its plan to cut prices sent its share price 10.2% lower.   U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) U.S. treasury yield fell 7 to 8 basis points from the belly to the long-end of the curve after a strong 7-year auction. The change in 2-year yields was relatively modest, -2bps. Flows were light ahead of Chair Powell’s keynote speech at the Jackson Hole event on Friday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) China internet stocks rallied dramatically in a typhoon-shortened session in Hong Kong on Thursday, JD.COM (09618:xhkg) +11%, Bilibili (09626:xhkg) +10.3%, Baidu (09888:xhkg) +9.2%, Alibaba (09988:xhkg) +8.8%, Meituan (03690:xhkg) +8%, Tencent (00700:xhkg) +4.8%.  Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH.I) surged 6%.  Investors found optimism in the 19-point stimulus package as well as chatters among traders about unverified progress on resolving the audit working papers access issue in the heart of the Chinese ADR delisting risk.  During New York hours, the Wall Street Journal ran an article, suggesting that the U.S. and China are nearing a deal to allow American regulators to inspect in Hong Kong the audit working papers of Chinese companies listed in the U.S.  The NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index soared 6.3%. Compared to their respective Hong Kong closing levels, Alibaba +4.5%, Meituan +4.0%, Tencent +2.1%.  Chinese property names rallied across the board by 2% to 5%.   The performance in A-shares was more measured, CSI 300 fluctuated between gains and losses and finished the session 0.8% higher.   Coal miners, oil and gas, and crude tankers stocks surged in Hong Kong as well as mainland bourses.  Mainland investors did not participate much in the sharp move higher as southbound flows registered a net outflow. AUDUSD on the backfoot in early Asian hours The USD rebound returned in early Asian hours on Friday amid a sustained hawkish tilt inn Fed commentaries ahead of Powell taking the stage at the Jackson Hole summit. AUDUSD saw downside pressures and slid to sub-0.6960 from an overnight high of 0.6991. AUDNZD found support at 1.1200 and may be looking at new highs of the cycle with the current account differentials at play. USDJPY caught a bid early as well, and rose to 136.70 with focus squarely on high Powell’s comments can take the US yields. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Hawkish Fed comments and further prospects of Iran deal saw crude oil reversing lower in the overnight session. However, modest gains have returned this morning with the supply side remaining a key focus with Brent futures close to $100 and WTI at $93+. Saudi Arabia was joined by Libya and Congo in supporting the view that supply curbs may be needed to stabilise the oil market. Further concerns on Kazakhstan’s supply also emerged amid repair works required on three damage moorings at the port facility. What to consider? Some more hawkish Fed comments before we get to Powell Several Fed speakers were on the wires echoing the same message on inflation and more rate hikes. The markets are still holding their breath for wat Powell has to say later today. James Bullard (2022 voter) reiterated his year-end target of 3.75% to 4% and market expectation is not too far from that now. Esther George (2022 voter) was more open about rates going above 4%, but stayed away from a specific guidance for the September meeting. Patrick Harker (2023 voter) said rates need to be lifted into restrictive territory. Raphael Bostic (2024 voter) told the WSJ it's too soon to call inflation’s peak and that he hasn't decided yet on a 50 or 75bps rate hike next month. Tokyo CPI surprises to the upside Japan’s Tokyo inflation for August has come in close sight of the 3% mark, with headline at 2.9% y/y vs. expectations for 2.6%. The core measure was also above expectations at 2.6% y/y, coming in despite measures to help cool price pressures. Further gains can be expected later in the year as cheaper cell phone fees are reversed, and we also see threats of an energy crisis in Japan as LNG imports get diverted to Europe. This will continue to erode the purchasing power and keep the risk of a BOJ pivot alive. Europe’s energy woes French power prices soared 15% to EUR 900/MWh, more than 10x last year’s price amid expanding nuclear outages. Meanwhile in Germany, power prices for next year soared as much as 23% to an all-time high of EUR 792/MWh. UK and Italy also recorded fresh highs in power prices while Spain's parliament approved a law aimed at cutting energy use. The UK will announce its financial commitment for a new nuclear plant, Sizewell C, next week. The U.S. and China are said to nearing a deal in resolving the Chinese ADR audit papers inspection issue According to a Wall Street Journal article, Chinese securities regulators “are making arrangements for U.S.-listed Chinese companies and their accounting firms to transfer their audit working papers and other data from mainland China to Hong Kong” and “would allow American accounting regulators to travel to Hong Kong to inspect the audit records”. It is important to note that an agreement has yet to be reached and the regulators from both sides remain silent about it so far.  One of the hurdles to the proposed arrangement of transfer of audit working papers from the mainland to Hong Kong can satisfy the U.S. regulators, particularly the U.S. SEC Chair Gensler who has emphasized “full access”.  If this turns out to happen, it will not only benefit the Chinese companies that are listed in the U.S. but also sets the U.S. and China in a more conciliatory mood at least in some financial matters, and shows case the uniqueness of the position of Hong Kong.  German business sentiment is not that bad in August The headline reading is out at 88.5 versus expected 86.8 and prior 88.6. This is only a bit softer than the previous month. The same goes as well for the current conditions (out at 97.5 in August versus prior 97.7) and the expectations (80.3, unchanged compared to July). Overall, business sentiment remains soft. But given the quick economic deterioration, it could have been much worse. We still expect sentiment to further fall in the coming months as the German economy sinks into a recession. The energy crisis is hitting very hard consumers and companies – thus leading to lower demand and corporate investment. Yesterday, Germany’s benchmark year-end power kept rising (+13% in one day) to a new record of EU725/MWH. So far, the German government has spent roughly €60bn to limit the impact of higher energy prices on households and corporations. This represents about 1.7% of GDP according to the calculations of the Belgium-based think tank Bruegel. In percentage of GDP, this is still much less than many other European countries (3.7 % of GDP for Greece, 2.8 % for Italy and 2.3 % for Spain, for instance). In any case, this is unsustainable, of course. Softer July US PCE print would not derail Fed’s tightening After a softer CPI report in July, focus will turn to the PCE measure – the version of the CPI that is tracked by the Fed to gauge price pressures. Lower gasoline prices mean that PCE prints could also see some relief, although we still upside pressures to inflation given that energy shortages will likely persist and easing financial conditions mean that inflation could return. We would suggest not to read too much into a softer PCE print this week, as the stickier shelter and services prices mean that the 2% inflation target of the Fed remains unachievable into then next year. This suggests that the aggressive tightening by the Fed will likely continue, despite any likely softness in the PCE this week. U.S. discount retailers reported mixed Q2 results, highlighting pricing pressures ahead Dollar General (DG:xnys) reported revenue growth of 9% YoY to $9.4 billion, in line with the consensus estimate, and EPS of $2.98, +10.6% YoY, above the consensus estimate of $2.94.  Same-store sales in Q2 grew 4.6% YoY, above the consensus at +3.8%.  In the company’s guidance for 2022, revenue growth was raised to +11% from previously +10.0-10.5% and the same-store-sales growth was raised to +4.0-4.5% from +3.0-3.5%.  Q2 results from another discount retailer, Dollar Tree (DLTR:xnys) were however weaker, with revenue growth of 6.7% YoY to $6.77 billion, slightly below the consensus estimate of $6.79 billion.  EPS came in at $1.60, in line with expectations.  Same-store-sale for the quarter was +4.9%, below the consensus estimate at +5.0%.  The company lowered its 2022 full-year EPS guidance to $7.10-$7.40 and said that 60% of the cut was due to cutting prices.  The management said that they “expect the combination of this pricing investment at Family Dollar and the shoppers’ heightened focus on needs-based consumable products will pressure gross margins in the back half of the year”.  The comments from Dollar Tree casts a shawdow over the health of consumers in the U.S. in general.  Earnings on the tap Meituan (03690:xhkg) is scheduled to report Q2 results on Friday after the market close.  Analysts are upbeat about the food and grocery delivery platform’s potential in being benefited from the recovery of consumer demand amid the reopening and cost control initiatives.  The consensus estimate (as per the Bloomberg survey) for Q2 revenue is to grow 11% YoY to RMB48.59billion and adjusted net loss of RMB2.17 billion.  Coal miner China Shenhua Energy (01088:xhkg) and oil and gas company Sinopec (00386:xhkg) are also scheduled to report on Friday.      For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 26, 2022
German Business Confidence Dips, ECB's Lagarde Hosts Central Banking Conference in Portugal, EUR/USD Drifts Higher

The US Dollar Trades Near Cycle Highs Ahead Of The Speech

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 26.08.2022 09:55
Summary:  Markets are steady ahead of a widely anticipated speech at the US Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole, Wyoming conference from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, although he may do little more than remain on message on the Fed’s plans for tightening policy. The US dollar trades near cycle highs ahead of the speech, with US treasury yields having eased back a bit yesterday on a strong 7-year treasury auction. In Europe, power and natural gas prices continue their ascent from already dire levels, thereby supporting demand for fuel-based products.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) S&P 500 futures bounced back 1.4% to the 4,200 level in what seems to have been a technical move ahead of Jerome Powell’s keynote speech at Jackson Hole which is expected today. For equities the main question is how central banks are seeing structural in the years to come because that will be linked to the terminal rate the Fed sees as neutral for the economy and inflation. The US 10-year yield is trading around the 3.05% level this morning and we expect a quiet session in US equities unless Powell’s speech delivers a hawkish tone which could then erase yesterday’s gains. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSI.I) and China’s CSI300 (000300.I) After staging an impressive bounce from the trough of a 2-month losing streak yesterday, Hong Kong equities opened higher before giving back much of its gains to end the morning session 0.7% higher. Yesterday’s 3.6% rally in the Hang Seng Index and 6% surge in Hang Seng TECH Index were fueled by initially chatters among traders about unverified progress on resolving the audit working papers access issue in the heart of the Chinese ADR delisting risk. During New York hours, the Wall Street Journal ran an article, suggesting that the U.S. and China are nearing a deal to allow American regulators to inspect in Hong Kong the audit working papers of Chinese companies listed in the U.S. The news sent Chinese ADRs soaring, the NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index +6.3%. US dollar steady on the strong side ahead of Jackson Hole Yesterday saw some tactical chopiness in USD pairs, as the greenback sold off to support in places and criss-crossed parity in EURUSD terms before settling back to the strong side ahead of Fed Chair Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole conference today. Powell is widely expected to stay on message on the Fed’s hopes to get ahead of the curve, but surprises are possible if his language is a bit more pointed than expected or he brings stronger guidance on the importance of QT, etc. Next event risks for the USD in the wake of today’s Powell speech (and July PCE inflation print as noted below) are next Friday’s payrolls/earnings report, the Sep 13 Aug. CPI data release, and then the Sep 21 FOMC decision. AUDNZD The Antipodean currency pair closed yesterday at its highest level since 2017 in a bid to escape the range that has prevailed since then, with a bit more range toward 1.1300 that stretches all the way back to 2013. If the pair can make a notable foray above these levels, it might suggest that traders are viewing the pair from a current account perspective, as Australia has been running record surpluses on its formidable complex of commodity exports, while New ZEaland is running unprecedented deficits on rising costs for energy imports. In the longer term perspective, AUDNZD has traded above 1.3500 as recently as 2011. Crude oil (CLV2 & LCOV2) Crude oil trades steady with Brent trading around $100 per barrel with a tightening supply outlook offsetting the recessionary drums that have been banging ever louder in recent weeks. Focus on today’s Jackson Hole speech from Fed Chair Powell and its potential impact on bond and currency markets, and with that the general level of risk appetite in the market. EU gas and power reached new peaks on Thursday on worries about Russian gas supplies following the upcoming 3-day maintenance supporting demand for crude-based products like diesel and heating oil. The prospect of a revived Iran nuclear deal still receiving some attention although a deal may only have a small immediate impact, small change compared with the soon to expire US SPR release program which saw 8 million barrels pumped into the market last week. In Brent, the next level of upside interest can be found at $102.50. Copper (COPPERUSDEC22) Copper has settled into a $3.55 to $3.73 range after making a steady recovery from the June/July +30% collapse. The primary focus remains on China and the government’s efforts to shore up its troubled property sector and its slowing economy in general. This past week we have seen rate cuts and the announcement of a 1 trillion-yuan economic stimulus program, including a 300-billion-yuan investment in infrastructure projects, which will boost the consumption of industrial metals, including copper. Above the current range copper may target $3.85/lb next but it will likely require a rally above $4/lb before speculators reverse the net short they have held since April. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields fel back a few basis points, but the 10-year benchmark still trades above 3.00% today ahead of Fed Chair Powell’s speech. (More below – special focus on longer end of the yield curve on any QT guidance in the speech). A strong auction of 7-year treasuries yesterday helped bring support to the market after the weak 5-year auction the prior day. What is going on? ECB meeting minutes suggest another 50-basis points hike The meeting minutes point to another 50-basis point hike at the September 8 ECB meeting, a move that is actually more than fully priced in by the market. At the same time, the ECB minutes noted that it saw “no evidence of significant second round effects” in which wages drive an inflationary spiral. The central bank’s “TPI” or Transmission Protection Instrument meant to prevent peripheral sovereign yield spreads from widening excessively was widely discussed and is clearly a hot potato politically. An FT article noted that hedge funds have built up a nearly EUR 40 billion speculative short in Italian BTPs Additional hawkish Fed comments before we get to Powell Several Fed speakers were on the wires echoing the same message on inflation and more rate hikes. The markets are still holding their breath for what Powell has to say later today. James Bullard (2022 voter) reiterated his year-end target of 3.75% to 4% and market expectation is not too far from that now. Esther George (2022 voter) was more open about rates going above 4% but stayed away from a specific guidance for the September meeting. Patrick Harker (2023 voter) said rates need to be lifted into restrictive territory. Raphael Bostic (2024 voter) told the WSJ it's too soon to call inflation’s peak and that he hasn't decided yet on a 50 or 75bps rate hike next month. German business sentiment is not that bad in August The headline IFO Survey reading was out at 88.5 versus 86.8 expected and 88.6 prior. This is only a bit softer than the previous month. The same goes as well for the current conditions (out at 97.5 in August versus prior 97.7) and expectations (80.3, unchanged compared to July). Overall, business sentiment remains soft. But given the quick economic deterioration, it could have been much worse. We still expect sentiment to further fall in the coming months as the German economy sinks into a recession. The energy crisis is hitting consumers and companies very hard – thus leading to lower demand and corporate investment. Yesterday, Germany’s benchmark year-end power kept rising (+13% in one day) to a new record of EU725/MWH. So far, the German government has spent roughly €60bn to limit the impact of higher energy prices on households and corporations. This represents about 1.7% of GDP according to the calculations of the Belgium-based think tank Bruegel. In percentage of GDP, this is still much less than many other European countries (3.7 % of GDP for Greece, 2.8 % for Italy and 2.3 % for Spain, for instance). In any case, this is unsustainable, of course. The US and China are getting closer to resolve Chinese ADR audit papers inspection issue According to a Wall Street Journal article, Chinese securities regulators “are making arrangements for US-listed Chinese companies and their accounting firms to transfer their audit working papers and other data from mainland China to Hong Kong” and “would allow American accounting regulators to travel to Hong Kong to inspect the audit records”. It is important to note that an agreement has yet to be reached and the regulators on both sides remain silent about it so far. One of the hurdles to the proposed arrangement of transfer of audit working papers from the mainland to Hong Kong will be whether it can satisfy the US regulators, particularly the SEC Chair Gensler who has emphasized “full access”. If this turns out to happen, it will not only benefit the Chinese companies that are listed in the US but also sets the US and China in a more conciliatory mood at least in some financial matters, and shows case the uniqueness of the position of Hong Kong U.S. discount retailers reported mixed Q2 results, highlighting pricing pressures ahead Dollar General (DG:xnys) reported revenue growth of 9% y/y to $9.4bn, in line with the consensus estimate, and EPS of $2.98, +10.6% y/y, above the consensus estimate of $2.94.  Same-store sales in Q2 grew 4.6% y/y, above the consensus at +3.8%. In the company’s guidance for 2022, revenue growth was raised to +11% from previously +10.0-10.5% and the same-store-sales growth was raised to +4.0-4.5% from +3.0-3.5%. Q2 results from another discount retailer, Dollar Tree (DLTR:xnys) were however weaker, with revenue growth of 6.7% y/y to $6.77bn, slightly below the consensus estimate of $6.79bn.  EPS came in at $1.60, in line with expectations. Same-store-sale for the quarter was +4.9%, below the consensus estimate at +5.0%.  The company lowered its 2022 full-year EPS guidance to $7.10-$7.40 and said that 60% of the cut was due to cutting prices. The management said that they “expect the combination of this pricing investment at Family Dollar and the shoppers’ heightened focus on needs-based consumable products will pressure gross margins in the back half of the year”. The comments from Dollar Tree cast a shadow over the health of consumers in the US in general.  Meituan is scheduled to report Meituan (03690:xhkg) is scheduled to report Q2 results on Friday after the market close. Analysts are upbeat about the food and grocery delivery platform’s potential benefitting from the recovery of consumer demand amid the reopening and cost control initiatives.  The consensus estimate (as per the Bloomberg survey) for Q2 revenue is to grow 11% YoY to RMB48.59 billion and an adjusted net loss of RMB2.17 billion What are we watching next? The Kansas City Fed hosts its annual symposium in Jackson Hole This year’s theme is “Reassessing Constraints on the Economy and Policy”. The symposium will last until Saturady. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will speak today. Given the loosening of financial conditions since the June FOMC meeting, the market has been concerned that Powell will echo the pushback against the notion that the Fed knows that it is set to materially slow its pace of policy tightening after the September 21 FOMC rate decision (majority looking for another 75 basis points). Data dependency will likely be underlined in his speech, but any guidance on the Fed’s approach to QT could also garner considerable attention as longer treasury yields pull back higher toward the cycle highs from June. Softer July US PCE print would not derail Fed’s tightening After a softer CPI report in July, focus will turn to the PCE measure – the version of the CPI that is tracked by the Fed to gauge price pressures. Lower gasoline prices mean that PCE prints could also see some relief, although we still upside pressures to inflation given that energy shortages will likely persist and easing financial conditions mean that inflation could return. We would suggest not to read too much into a softer PCE print this week, as the stickier shelter and services prices mean that the 2% inflation target of the Fed remains unachievable into then next year. This suggests that the aggressive tightening by the Fed will likely continue, despite any likely softness in the PCE this week. Earnings to watch Today’s earnings focus is Meituan which is expected to see 11% y/y revenue growth with estimates expecting to see growth accelerating into Q3, so this will be the market’s focus in today’s earnings release. The latest stimulus efforts by the Chinese government and lifting of mobility restrictions could provide tailwind for the consumer into Q3. Today: Meituan, China Shenhua Energy, China Petroleum & Chemical Next week’s earnings releases: Monday: Fortescue Metals, Haier Smart Home, Foshan Haitian Flavouring, Agricultural Bank of China, BYD, Pinduoduo, Trip.com, DiDi Global Tuesday: Woodside Energy, ICBC, China Yangtze Power, Midea Group, Tianqi Lithium, Bank of Montreal, China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Great Wall Motor, COSCO Shipping, Partners Group, Baidu, Crowdstrike, HP Wednesday: MongoDB Thursday: Pernod Ricard, Broadcom, Lululemon Athletica, Hormel Foods Friday: BNP Paribas Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Italy Aug. Consumer/Manufacturing Confidence surveys 1230 – US Jul. Personal Income/Spending 1230 – US Jul. PCE Inflation 1400 – US Fed Chair Powell to speak at Jackson Hole, Wyoming 1400 – US Aug. Final University of Michigan Confidence Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – August 26, 2022
The US Dollar Weakens as Chinese and Japanese Intervention Threats Rise, While US CPI and UK Jobs Data Await: A Preview

S&P 500 And Nasdaq Plunged, Stocks Linked With Commodities Catch Wind In The Sails

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 26.08.2022 16:09
Futures on US stock indices were trading in the red on Friday. Treasury bonds retreated from their highs as many US politicians from the Federal Reserve System have already begun preparing the ground for the long-awaited speech by Chairman Jerome Powell. The statements of the Fed's head will help form an opinion on the pace of tightening monetary policy. Futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 declined 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively. The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds rose by about five basis points to 3.08%. In addition to Powell's speech later on Friday, traders will get acquainted with various fundamental statistics, including personal expenses of citizens and the Fed's preferred inflation indicator, where a decrease in price pressure is expected to be recorded.   Mining stocks continued to rise on Friday as prices of iron ore, copper, and other industrial metals rose following China's latest efforts to boost its flagging economy. Returning to Powell, who can confirm the Fed's determination to continue raising interest rates to combat high inflation, the desire to raise them and the pace of further tightening should be noted. Many experts have already announced the development of a hawkish scenario, rejecting expectations of moderate tightening. Against this background, there is a rebound in stocks and a decline in bonds. Another question is whether Powell will try to reset market expectations to ensure a further slowdown in economic activity. A dovish reversal would play well into the hands of buyers of risky assets looking forward to further stock market recovery. But if the Fed now departs from the set goals, the fight against inflation may drag on for many years. Then the economy has a chance not only to plunge into recession, but everything will flow into a full-fledged crisis, starting with the housing market and ending with the labor market and the stagnation of the manufacturing and service sectors. If Powell gives up the hope of a dovish reversal, we may see yields fall, and stock markets end the week at a high. Imagine other central banks have already stressed the need for further rate hikes. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Esther George, said that it is impossible to exclude the level of interest rates even above 4%.   Relevance up to 13:00 2022-08-27 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/320028
📈 Tech Giants Soar, 💵 Dollar Plummets! Disney-Charter Truce, Wall Street's AI Warning!

What A Drop! S&P 500 (SPX) And Nasdaq Almost Crashed!

ING Economics ING Economics 29.08.2022 08:03
Powell's tough message on inflation upsets equities - bonds more resilient  Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: Fed Chair, Jerome Powell did what he needed to do last Friday at Jackson Hole, and that was to make it clear that the Fed’s over-riding priority was to get inflation down…not give assurances that they would be gentle with markets, not hint that rates might come quickly down once they’d peaked. All these things might be true, but he would have been shooting himself and the economy in the foot if he had undermined his comments on inflation fighting, with remarks that would have loosened, not tightened financial conditions. So at least as far as this author is concerned, he gets full marks for the message. Equities were less impressed. The S&P500 fell 3.37%, and the NASDAQ came off 3.94%. Their gains last week look ill-judged through the prism of history. Further sharp losses look likely at the start of trading today judging by equity futures. The rise in US Treasury yields was less dramatic, but the bond market has, as is often the case, had a more realistic assessment of the economy and the Fed than the equity markets for some time. 2Y US Treasury yields went up only 3.1bp, though they were up closer to 6bp at one point before easing back.  10Y yields rose only 1.5bp to take them to 3.041%. Despite a spike to 1.009, EURUSD went with higher UST yields and falling risk sentiment and declined to 0.9937 and looks to be heading lower in early Asian trading. The AUD has followed the EUR lower and is 0.6863 now, down from about 0.6970 this time on Friday. Cable has plunged to 1.1691, and the JPY has pushed up above 138. There were some small gains from the KRW and MYR on Friday, but on the whole, the rest of the Asia pack was softer against the USD and the CNY still seems as if it is headed higher over the short-term despite some defensive-looking fixings last week. G-7 Macro: A quick backcast to last Friday, when the US released personal income and spending figures for July, both of which came in weaker than market expectations. However, the price measures of PCE inflation and core PCE were also weaker. Both came in 0.1pp below expectations. That resulted in a 0.2pp decline in core PCE inflation taking it to 4.6%YoY. Headline PCE inflation fell to 6.3% from 6.8% in June. There’s nothing of note on today’s G-7 calendar. Australia: July retail sales are expected to post a slight increase on the 0.2%MoM reading for June. An online retail sales survey for July released at the end of last week showed sales declining, though at the same pace as June, so we could be looking at a similar figure for overall sales growth in July What to look out for: Regional manufacturing and US non-farm payrolls Australia retail sales (29 August) Malaysia CPI inflation (29August) Japan labour data (30 August) Australia building approvals (30 August) US Conference board consumer confidence (30 August) South Korea industrial production (31 August) Japan industrial production (31 August) China manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMI (31 August) Hong Kong retail sales (31 August) South Korea GDP and trade (1 September) Regional PMI manufacturing (1 September) China Caixin PMI manufacturing (1 September) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 September) US initial jobless claims and ISM manufacturing (1 September) South Korea CPI inflation (2 September) US non-farm payrolls and factory orders (2 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
Agricultural Commodities Markets Are Going To Remain Sensitive To Developments In The Russia-Ukraine War

Droughts In China - Asia Is Forced To Buy Corn From The US. Prices Are Growing

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 29.08.2022 09:43
Summary:  The 8-minute speech from Powell focused on one message: no pivot to easing in 2023. The hawkish remarks sent U.S. equities sinking the most since June and down more than 3% across major indices. Policymakers in the ECB also sent out hawkish comments and brought a 75 basis point hike to the table at the September ECB meeting. The U.S. and China regulators announced a deal on audit work papers and removed for the time being the risk of compulsory delisting of Chinese companies from U.S. bourses. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S. equities sank last Friday after Powell spent all his Jackson Hole speech on one thing: pushing back on the market’s speculation that the Fed would pivot and start easing next year.  The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 4.1%, leading the charge lower, Alphabet (GOOG:xnas) -6.4%, Amazon (AMXN:xnas) -4.8%, Nvidia (NVDA:xnas) -9.2%. Apple (AAPL:xnas) fell 2.8% after the U.S. Department of Justice announced working on a potential antitrust case against the company. S&P 500 had its worst day since June and plunged 3.4%, Dell Technologies (DELL:xnys) -13.5%, HP (HPQ:xnys) -8.9%. The post-Powell speech selloff capped off a two-week losing streak of the markets and turned major indices’ performance in August into the red.  Earlier in the week, the market sentiment was dampened by downbeat comments from the management of retailers on a glut of inventory and plans to cut prices.  U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) After Fed Chair Powell’s hawkish comments about the need to keep raising rates until inflation is under control regardless of pains incurred to the economy and employment, the U.S. yield curve twisted and flattened, with the 2-year to 5-year yield rising by 3bps to 3.37%, 10-year nearly unchanged at 3.04%, and the 30-year yield falling by 5bps to 3.19%.  The money market continued to unwind the 2023 rate cut bet and the SOFR Dec 22-Dec 23 (SR3Z2 vs SR3Z3) spread narrowed to -24bps.  Weakness on the front ends began even before Powell’s comments as the market took notice of the ECB’s readiness to consider a 75bp rate hike in its meeting in September due to a deterioration in the inflation outlook.    Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index, +1% last Friday and +2% for the week staged an impressive bounce from the trough of a 2-month losing streak on Thursday and continued to charge higher on the back of reports that the U.S. and China regulators were reaching a deal to avoid the delisting of Chinese companies from U.S. bourses due to disagreement on access to audit work papers.  Later on Friday after the Hong Kong market close, the U.S. and China regulators separately announced that an agreement had been signed and released some details.  Chinese ADRs opened higher in the U.S. session but finished the day 0.7% lower as being dragged down by the sharp decline in the U.S. equity market.  CSI 300 was little changed last Friday and was down 1% for the week.  With U.S. index futures continuing to decline this morning in Asia, the markets’ focus today is likely to be shadowed by the development in the U.S. markets rather than much follow-through from the confirmation of the U.S.-China deal on audit working papers.  Dollar’s post-Jackson Hole gains extend into Asia The dollar continued its run higher in the early Asian hours on Monday after a hawkish tone from Fed Chair Powell on Friday resulted in some volatility but eventual dollar bid. AUDUSD was the weakest in the Asian morning, sliding below 0.6900 amid volatile commodity prices. USDJPY broke above 138 to 1-month highs and USDCNH surged to 6.9000+ levels. EURUSD ended last week below parity and slid further lower to 0.9936 this morning with a tough week ahead as Nord Stream 1 maintenance will likely cause a step up in energy supply concerns. With corporate month end on Monday, and a UK holiday, the scope for further dollar gains remains. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices ended last wee in gains on supply concerns taking centre stage again, primarily with Saudi Arabia flagging the risk that OPEC+ may cut production to stabilise volatile markets. Demand picture stabilized, and higher gas prices increased the gas-to-fuel switching demand. But oil prices eased in the Asian morning session with Brent futures back at $100/barrel and WTI futures below $93. A warmer winter in the early weeks is putting a lid on demand, and hawkish central bank messages have also hinted at slowdown concerns. Meanwhile, OPEC+ member states, including Iraq, Venezuela and Kazakhstan, suggested readiness within the 23-strong oil producing alliance to intervene and restore balance in the oil market. This is building up concerns on a potential OPEC cut at its Sept 5 meeting. Corn futures surging at Asia open US corn futures rose to a fresh 2-month high in early Asian hours, following last week’s gains supported by concerns that hot and dry weather in the Midwest during the final crop development period may limit the production outcome. USDA’s crop progress report found a 2% decline in the share of the crop rated good or excellent, with 55 percent of fields falling in those two categories. The rating was a new five-year low for this time of year and the second lowest rating since the drought year of 2012. This comes on top of slow shipments from Ukraine and drought in China. The world's fourth largest iron ore miner, Fortescue releases 2nd highest profit on record Fortuecue Metals (FMG) posted a 40% drop in full-year profits. Despite posting record shipments to China, the steep declines in iron ore prices saw the company record a A$6.2 billion profit, down from the A$10.35 billion last year. The result still marked Fortescue’s second-highest profit on record, with the company to pay a final dividend of A$1.21 per share, taking the total payout to A$2.07 (which is a 75% payout on NPAT). So what’s next for Fortescue, the world’s 4th largest iron ore miner? Fortescue sees iron ore shipments being 187m-192m tones in the year ahead (that's another record). Fortescue also overhauled its management and wants to accelerate its push into clean energy. Its clean energy business, Fortescue Future Industries aims to produce an initial 15 million tons a year of green hydrogen by 2030, to help sectors including heavy industry and long-distance transport, decarbonize. $600-$700 million will be spent on clean energy in the coming financial year. As we covered last week in our BHP interview, iron ore demand is likely to slow over the coming 30 years (that’s where Fortescue’s income comes from). Meanwhile, the world requires double the amount of green metals. So the question remains; can Fortescue diversify its business in time? Fortescue’s shares are up 21% from their July low, with investors hoping China infrastructure stimulus will support iron ore demand and boost the company’s earnings.   What to consider? Powell’s message at Jackson Hole gets serious While Powell still stayed away from clearly defining a rate path or the expected terminal rates for the Fed, his strong message did suggest that the fight against inflation is far from over. Powell reiterated that the decision on September 21st on whether the Fed will lift rates by 50bps or 75bps will be driven by the “totality” of data since the July meeting. That puts a great deal of emphasis on the US jobs report due on September 2nd, and the US CPI report due September 13th. There was also some emphasis on rates being held at the peak rate for some time, but there isn’t a substantial change to the market’s expectation of the Fed path yet, with cuts still seen for next year by the money markets. Other Fed speakers still see higher terminal rates Inflation remains the overarching theme in all the Fed talk, and no comfort is being taken from the softening in July inflation. Mester (2022 voter) accepted Fed hasn’t reached neutral rates yet, and said that rates need to go above 4% and held there for some time. Bostic (2024 voter) also suggested a higher terminal rate of 3.5-4.75% compared to what was reflected in the June dot plot, and said rates need to be held there for some time and rate cut talks are premature. The deal between U.S. and China on ADRs Market chatters about a deal between the U.S. and China regulators regarding the allowance to the U.S. regulators access to audit work papers of the auditors of Chinese companies listed on U.S. bourses first emerged last Thursday and the deal was announced by the U.S. and China regulators on Friday.  According to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the agreement gives the U.S. regulator, “complete access to the audit work papers, audit personnel, and other information [the PCAOB] need[s] to inspect and investigate any firm ‘the [PCAOB] choose[s], with no loopholes and no exceptions. But the real test will be whether the words agreed to on paper translate into complete access in practice”. On the other hand, in its announcement and Q&As with reporters, China Securities Regulatory Commission emphasized “the principle of reciprocity” and that “the two sides will communicate and coordinate in advance to plan for inspections and investigations”. The materials such as audit work papers that the U.S. regulator need[s] access to will be obtained by and transferred through the Chines side.  The Chinese side will also take part in and assist in the interviews and testimonies of relevant personnel of audit firms requested by the U.S. side.” Meituan delivered solid Q2 results Meituan (03690:xhkg) reported a 16% YoY growth in revenues to RMB 51 billion, above market expectations across segments better performance.  Adjusted net profits turned positive to RMB 2.1 billion versus a loss of CNY 2.2 billion in Q1 and analyst consensus of an over RMB 2 billion loss.  The company’s food delivery business a strong recovery and the management said that the recovery continued into July and August, with order volumes rising in low-teens YoY in July and at about 20% YoY in August month to date. Soft US PCE confirms the CPI message Lower pump prices cooled price pressures in July, and this has been re-confirmed by the PCE print on Friday. Headline came in at 6.3% YoY (vs. 6.8% expected) while core was at 4.6% YoY (vs. 4.7% expected). The market reaction to these softer numbers was however restrained as the hawkish message from Powell at Jackson Hole took the limelight. The magnitude of the September rate hike still remains a coinflip, but the Fed members have refused to take comfort with the softer CPI print and continue to push for an aggressive fight against inflation. ECB speakers remain committed to inflation despite recession risks A host of ECB speakers on the weekend continued to push for aggressive rate hikes to fight inflation. Schnabel, speaking at Jackson Hole, said rates must be raised, even into a recession. Kazaks also emphasised on further front-loading of rate hikes after the 50bps rate hike announced by the central bank in July. In fact, there were hints of a 75bps rate hike. There were also some concerns on a weaker EUR, as that fuels further inflationary pressures and the benefit of cheaper exports is diminished by supply chain disruption. Villeroy said that the neutral rate should be reached before the end of the year while Kazaks said he would get there in the first quarter of next year. Australian retail trade surged to another record; with dining out and a winter clothing sprees fueling the charge  Australian retail sales data showed how resilient the Aussie consumer is, with retail spending rising for the 7th straight month, up 1.3% vs the +0.3% consensus expected. As electricity bills in Australia are at a record high, and likely to rise, people are layering up this Aussie winter, so retail spending surged to another new record high, A$34.7 billion in July. The Australian winter spending spree saw Department Stores sales surge 3.8% and clothing (footwear and personal accessory retailing) rocket up 3.3%. Australians are living through one of their coldest winters in history; as such spending rose the most in the coldest climates; Victoria and the ACT. Yet spending at cafes and restaurants remained strong, surging to yet another brand new record high (A$5 billion in July), up from 1.8% from the prior month. All this, is despite a softening Australian housing market and the quickest succession of rate hikes in history.   For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 29, 2022
USDA's WASDE Update: Wheat Tightens, Corn Loosens

The US 2-year Treasury Yield Reached The Highest Since 2007!

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 29.08.2022 10:20
Summary:  Equity markets plunged on Friday in the wake of Fed Chair Powell’s speech, in which he invoked famed Fed inflation fighter Volcker and warned against a premature easing of policy. While US yields are only modestly higher in the wake of the speech, the US dollar is soaring, bringing a new unwelcome tightening on global liquidity. Particularly intense focus on USDJPY as the Bank of Japan faces a new challenge from JPY weakness as it insists on maintaining its maximum easing policy.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities posted their worst session since at least June in the wake of Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech on Friday, with the S&P 500 losing over 3% on the session and trading lower still overnight to start the week, with the psychologically key 4,000 level looming into view. The Nasdaq sliced over 4% lower and traded near its 55-day moving average overnight, in the 12,400 area. Sentiment looks fragile, with any further rise in treasury yields and the US dollar the key risk for driving a possible worsening of sentiment this week. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) After having staged an impressive bounce from the trough of a 2-month losing streak last week on the back of reports that the U.S. and China regulators were reaching a deal to avoid the delisting of Chinese companies from U.S. bourses, Hang Seng Index fell nearly 1% on Monday following the post-Jackson Hole selloff in U.S. equities. In addition, in statements from the U.S. and China regulators last Friday regarding access to audit work papers, the interpretations looked rather different in some key aspects. According to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), the agreement gives the U.S. regulator, “complete access to the audit work papers, audit personnel, and other information”. On the other hand, in its announcement and Q&As with reporters, China Securities Regulatory Commission emphasized that audit work papers and other information will be “obtained by and transferred through Chinese regulators”. Meituan (03690:xhkg) outperformed, +3.7% after reporting a solid Q2 and continuous order growth in June and August. CSI 300 dropped 0.7%.  US dollar and especially USDCNH in the wake of Fed Chair Powell’s speech A forceful new USD rally was set in motion in reaction to Fed Chair Powell’s speech on Friday, with more aggravated strength versus Asian currencies on Monday as yields rose and the JPY weakened (more on USDJPY below), but also as China allowed its currency to drop versus the US dollar, a key development in cementing the impact of this USD move globally. The most salient potential driver for further USD strength this week would be strong US data (especially on Friday’s August US jobs and earnings report) that drives Treasury yields higher. USDJPY While the focus is generally on the US dollar this week already and the broader fallout should the greenback continue its aggravated ascent, the stakes are very high for USDJPY, which risks a new upward spiral that will challenge the Kuroda-led Bank of Japan as it insists on maintaining it accommodative policy in the face of rising yields elsewhere.  A massive bout of volatility may lie ahead if market participants decide to take on the BoJ, which will eventually likely cave at some unknown level higher, perhaps 150 in USDJPY if it rises that far? Crude oil prices (CLV2 & LCOV2) Crude oil trades higher extending last week’s gain with supply concerns more than offsetting the potential negative growth/demand impact of Powell’s higher-for-longer interest rate speech on Friday at Jackson Hole. An Iran nuclear deal has yet to be reached with a breakthrough unlikely to add much in terms of additional barrels before next year. Libya, one of OPEC’s most volatile producers saw deadly clashes in the capital over the weekend sparking fears over supply to an energy starved Europe. In a addition high gas prices in Europe and Asia will continue to underpin demand and prices for diesel and heating oil. Brent is currently stuck in a range around $100 with resistance around $103 and support at $98. Gold (XAUUSD), silver (XAGUSD), platinum (XPTUSD) and copper (COPPERUSDED22) ... have tumbled the most since Friday after Fed’s Powell signaled that interest rates would keep rising and remain elevated for longer. The US 2-year Treasury yield reached the highest since 2007 with additional headwinds seen from the stronger dollar. The markets belief in the Fed’s ability to combat inflation helped drive the one-year inflation swap down to 3.06%, a one-year low. We maintain the view of gold being a hedge against the belief the Fed will be successful in lowering inflation without hurting economic growth to the point where the focus returns to central bank support but given the renewed breakdown on Friday and continuation today, the price may in the short term once again look at critical support below $1700. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields rose across the board on Friday, actually quite modestly relative to the attention given to Fed Chair Powell’s speech, but the move followed through further in the Asian session Monday as the US dollar also rose, a toxic combination for risk sentiment. The US 10-year benchmark yields trades near the highs last week above 3.10% this morning, with the chief focus on the 3.50% area high established in mid-June if yields continue to rise. This week features important US data through Friday’s US jobs report. What is going on? Powell’s message at Jackson Hole gets serious While Powell still stayed away from clearly defining a rate path or the expected terminal rates for the Fed, his strong message did suggest that the fight against inflation is far from over. Powell reiterated that the decision on September 21st on whether the Fed will lift rates by 50bps or 75bps will be driven by the “totality” of data since the July meeting. That puts a great deal of emphasis on the US jobs report due on September 2nd, and the US CPI report due September 13th. There was also some emphasis on rates being held at the peak rate for some time, but there isn’t a substantial change to the market’s expectation of the Fed path yet, with cuts still seen for next year by the money markets. Other Fed speakers still see higher terminal rates Inflation remains the overarching theme in all the Fed talk, and no comfort is being taken from the softening in July inflation. Mester (2022 voter) accepted that the Fed hasn’t reached neutral rates yet and said that rates need to go above 4% and held there for some time. Bostic (2024 voter) also suggested a higher terminal rate of 3.5-4.75% compared to what was reflected in the June dot plot, and said rates need to be held there for some time and rate cut talks are premature. Soft US July PCE inflation confirms the dip in the CPI data Lower petrol prices cooled price pressures in July, and this has been re-confirmed by the PCE print on Friday. The headline came in at 6.3% YoY (vs. 6.8% expected) while core was at 4.6% YoY (vs. 4.7% expected). The market reaction to these softer numbers was however restrained as the hawkish message from Powell at Jackson Hole took the limelight. The magnitude of the September rate hike still remains a coinflip, but the Fed members have refused to take comfort with the softer CPI print and continue to push for an aggressive fight against inflation. ECB speakers remain committed to inflation fight despite recession risks A host of ECB speakers at the weekend continued to push for aggressive rate hikes to fight inflation. Schnabel, speaking at Jackson Hole, said rates must be raised, even into a recession. Kazaks also emphasised the need for further front-loading of rate hikes after the 50bps rate hike announced by the central bank in July. In fact, there were hints of a 75bps rate hike. There were also some concerns on a weaker EUR, as that fuels further inflationary pressures and the benefit of cheaper exports is diminished by supply chain disruption. Villeroy said that the neutral rate should be reached before the end of the year while Kazaks said he would get there in the first quarter of next year. Energy prices continue to climb in France Last Friday, the French 1-year electricity forward was close to €1,000 per MWh (versus €900 per MWh for Germany). This represents an increase of +1000 % compared with the long-term average of 2010-2020. Since Autumn 2021, the French government has capped electricity and gas prices (electricity price increase was capped at +4 % this year). But this is very costly for public finances (about €20bn so far this year). The cap on energy prices will expire at the end of the year for gas and in February 2023 for electricity. The government is not planning to extend it further. More targeted measures to help the poorest part of the population to cope with higher energy prices is the most likely scenario. The risk of electricity shortage is real in France this winter. During the summer, electricity demand is around 45 GWh. During the winter, higher consumption will push electricity demand around 80-90 GWh. This will put under tension all the electricity infrastructure, thus increasing the risk of shortage. We think that France is certainly in a worse position than Germany when it comes to energy supply (in the short-term). The world's fourth largest iron ore miner, Fortescue releases 2nd highest profit on record Fortuecue Metals (FMG) posted a 40% drop in full-year profits, mirroring the steep declines in iron ore prices. Despite iron ore shipments hitting a record, Fortescue posted a A$6.2 billion profit, down from the A$10.35 billion last year. So what’s next? It’s pledged another record year of iron ore shipments (187-192mt) and wants to accelerate its push into clean energy, aiming to produce an initial 15 million tons a year of green hydrogen by 2030, to help its heavy industry and long-distance transport decarbonize. It will spend $600-$700 million to do so this financial year. As we covered last week in our BHP interview, iron ore demand is likely to slow over the coming 30 years (that’s where Fortescue’s income comes from). Meanwhile, the world requires double the amount of green metals. So the question remains; can Fortescue diversify its business in time? Fortescue’s shares are up 21% from their July low, with investors hoping China infrastructure stimulus will support iron ore demand and boost the company’s earnings.  What are we watching next? The US dollar is the wrecking ball here for risk sentiment – any rise in US yields would make things worse The rising US dollar is bad enough for global markets as the greenback is a financial condition unto itself, but if US treasury yields continue to rise this week, this could prove double trouble for global markets and potentially aggravate the sudden downside momentum tilt set in motion on Friday by Fed Chair Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole conference.   China manufacturing PMIs, scheduled to release this week, are expected to decelerate in the midst of power curbs The median forecasts of economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect China’s official NBS manufacturing PMI to edge up to 49.3 in August from 49.0 in July but remains firmly in the contractionary territory and the Caixin manufacturing PMI to slide to 50.1 in August from 50.4 in July, approaching the threshold between expansion and contraction. The heatwaves and drought-induced power curbs caused Sichuan and Chongqing to shut-down manufacturing activities for six days and eight days in August, respectively. The median forecast for the August official NBS non-manufacturing PMI is 52.2, down from last month’s 53.8 but remains in the expansionary territory.  Earnings to watch This week’s earnings will tilt towards a Chinese focus, but from a macro perspective we are watching Lululemon on Thursday to get an update on the US consumer. Expectations are still looking for a +20% y/y revenue growth in the current quarter so the bar is set high on the outlook. Monday: Haier Smart Home, Foshan Haitian Flavouring, Agricultural Bank of China, BYD, Pinduoduo, Trip.com, DiDi Global, CITIC Securities Tuesday: Woodside Energy, ICBC, China Yangtze Power, Muyuan Foods, SF Holdings, Shaanxi Coal, Midea Group, Tianqi Lithium, Ganfeng Lithium, Bank of Montreal, China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Great Wall Motor, COSCO Shipping, Partners Group, Baidu, Crowdstrike, HP Wednesday: MongoDB, Brown-Forman, Veeva Systems Thursday: Pernod Ricard, Broadcom, Lululemon Athletica, Hormel Foods Friday: BNP Paribas Fortis Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Switzerland SNB Weekly Sight Deposits 1300 – ECB Chief Economist Lane to speak 1430 – US Aug. Dallas Fed Manufacturing survey 1815 – US Fed Vice Chair Brainard to speak 2330 – Japan Jul. Jobless Rate 0130 – Australia Jul. Building Approvals Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – August 29, 2022
At The Close On The New York Stock Exchange Indices Closed Mixed

US Stock Market Strongly Recovers Without Any Predispositions!

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 29.08.2022 12:46
Relevance up to 05:00 2022-08-30 UTC+2 Key US stock market indexes, the Dow Jones, the NASDAQ, and the S&P 500, dropped sharply on Friday and closed in negative territory. Over the past month, the US stock market strongly recovered from its decline of the previous several months. This was a rather paradoxical recovery, as there was nothing that could have triggered it. Now, everything falls into place. Friday's only key event on the economic calendar was a speech by Fed chairman Jerome Powell at the meeting in Jackson Hole. The US personal spending and income data, which was slightly below expectations, could not have caused Friday's slump. Powell assured the market that monetary tightening would continue and that a period of high interest rates would be longer than previously expected. He did not give any new information, and it was clear that one single monthly decrease of inflation could not indicate a downtrend. For example, the CPI decreased in May, only to surge in the following months. It remains unclear why investors went long on US stocks. It might have been a capital outflow from the EU to the US - the EU is also expected to enter a recession. However, the recession has already begun in the US - investors might have found the US economy to be more stable amid the difficult geopolitical situation in the EU. In addition, the Federal Reserve is actually taking steps to fight inflation, unlike the ECB. Jerome Powell noted on Friday that the regulator would be closely following macroeconomic data, indicating that the pace of interest rate increase could be slowed down in the near future. However, interest rates would still be hiked from the current level of 2.5%. The Fed funds rate is expected to reach 3.5% at the very least, which would weigh down on US risky assets. The strange upsurge in the US stock market could have possibly been a bull trap, deliberately triggered by major market players to sell their stocks at higher prices. Now, equities and US stock indexes are likely to drop once again and hit new yearly lows. In the meantime, the Fed is likely to increase interest rates at least until the end of 2022. Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Source: Forex Analysis & Reviews: Jerome Powell triggers slump in US stock market  
The Japanese Yen Retreats as USD/JPY Gains Momentum

After The Speech Global Equity Markets Are Not Risking Anymore! Nasdaq 100 Below Its 50-day Average!

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 30.08.2022 09:06
Summary:  The rise in U.S. treasury yields pressured growth stocks with the Nasdaq 100 falling below its 50-day average, which puts it back in a precarious position. Fed Kashkari said he was glad to see the markets fell after Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech to tighten financial conditions. Global equity markets have certainly got the message and are in a risk-off mood. What is happening in markets?   Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  US Stocks fell for the second day, but modestly compared to Friday’s sell-off that was triggered by Fed Chair Powell vowing rates will stay higher for longer to cool runaway inflation while suggesting there will be no pivot to cutting rates in 2023, S&P 500 -0.7%, Nasdaq 100 -1%.  Minneapolis Fed president Kashkari said that “he certainly was not exited to see the stock market rallying” after the last FOMC meeting and “people now understand the seriousness of our commitment to getting inflation back down to 2%.” Tech stocks dragged the markets lower, Nvidia -2.8%, Tesla -1.1%.  Twitter (TWTR:xnys) dropped 1.1% after Elon Musk ad subpoenaed a Twitter whistleblower to share information.  Meanwhile, gains in value stocks somewhat held up the market last night, with the oil, gas, and agricultural sectors rising 1-2%. It comes as Oil prices rose 4% on Monday as potential OPEC+ output cuts and conflict in Libya helped to offset a strong U.S. dollar. While the Ag sectors were supported higher after the wheat price jumped 4.9% and corn rose 2.2% (at its highest level in 2 months) after heat damage worsened US crops more than expected. As such it appears markets are back to their risk off modus operandi, selling down growth names (which are based on future earnings which gets diminished amid higher rates), and instead, buying value (commodities), with rising cashflows. U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) US treasury yield rose across the curve.  The 2-year yield rose to as high as 3.48% during the day, the highest level since November 2007, before paring the rise to settle 3bps higher at 3.42%.  The 10-year yield rose 7bps to 3.11%,  taking the 2-10 year curve steepened by 3bps to -32bps.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong and mainland China equities traded relatively calm in the midst of a large post-Jackson Hole selloff in the U.S., Hang Seng Index -0.7%, CSI 300 -0.4%.  The deal made between the U.S. and China regulators last Friday regarding access to audit work papers did not trigger much new buying in China internet stocks on Monday as it had already been well wired before the official announcement.  Further, there is much remained to be seen if the agreement will be implemented to the satisfaction of both sides as the U.S. and China regulators seem to differ in their interpretation.  Meituan (03690:xhkg) gained 2.6% after reporting solid Q2 results, which Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 1.2%. China’s industrial profits slumped to contracting 14.5% YoY from (v.s. +1.1% in June) and a fall of 11.3% sequentially from June.  The weakness was mainly driven by upstream sectors.  Coal mining stocks initially slumped but rallied later in the days and finished higher in Hong Kong and mainland bourses.   Geely (00175:xhkg) rose 1.7% as the automaker’s Zeekr line of EVs will be the first to use a new battery from CATL that provides over 1,000km range per charge.  SMIC (00981:xhkg), -2.1%, announced spending USD7.5 billion to build a plant in Tianjin to make 12-inch wafers. Chinese banks traded weak as Reuters reported that China’s central bank and bank regulators had been making calls to banks to push them to make more lending to support the real economy than put their funds in financial investments.  USDJPY weakness to bring back pressure on Bank of Japan USDJPY is back to testing its record July highs despite little change in money market pricing of the Fed rate path following Powell’s hawkish speech at Jackson Hole. The peak Fed funds rate is still priced in at 3.8%, while some of the Fed speakers have started to suggest 4%+ levels that may be needed to combat inflation. This brings the September dot plot in focus, but we get the jobs and CPI data before that as well. Any further upward re-pricing of the Fed path, if resulting in gains in US 10-year yields, could very well take USDJPY to new highs with Japanese yields still remaining capped due to the Bank of Japan’s yield curve control policy. If however, US data underwhelms, the room on the downside for USDJPY is tremendous. USDCNH made a new high at 6.9327 Wider interest rate differentials between the U.S. dollar and the renminbi and a weaker economic outlook in China continued to pressure the renminbi weaker. USDCNH surged to as high as 6.9327 on Monday during Asian hours before paring it as the greenback fell against most of the G10 and emerging market currencies in London hours.  In Asia this morning, USDCNH is trading at 6.9066. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices saw their best day in a month amid threats of a decline in supply from OPEC cuts and production outages in Libya. Brent futures rose above $105/barrel although some softening was seen in the Asian morning, while WTI rose to $97/barrel. This follows news from last week that Kazakhstan’s exports of crude may be impacted for months because of damage to its port facility. Meanwhile, negotiations between Iran and the US over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal could drag on for weeks, easing fears of an imminent surge in supply. What to consider? The volatility index rises to its highest level in 9 weeks, suggesting more volatility is coming. And the fundamentals back this up with US yields spiking After the Fed’s 8-minute Jackson Hole speech, the volatility index surged to its highest level in 9-weeks, forming an uptrend pattern, suggesting more market volatility is ahead. We believe the market is only just beginning to price in higher for longer interest rates and inflation. The bond market is affirming this with yields spiking again. But what is also alarming, is that the futures market is still pricing in that the Fed will cut rates in 2023. This is despite the Fed suggesting it won’t pivot to cutting rates. The other issue is keeping markets on notice is that; if the Fed makes more hawkish remarks and hikes rates more than expected, then the market will face further volatility, and selling in growth sectors and names that are interest rate sensitive, are likely to come under pressure. Shell CEO cautions against a prolonged European gas crisis Shell CEO Ben van Beurden gave comments from Norway’s ONS conference, suggesting that Europe could face gas shortages for a number of winters. This disproves reports suggesting that Europe has already built reserves for the winter demand, and reaffirms our belief that a move to broad-based energy supply will continue to be top of mind in the long run. In the near term, demand destruction appears to be the only possible solution, and Van Beurden stressed need for efficiency savings as well as rationing. Eurozone inflation and Nord Stream maintenance will be key for the ECB There is no question on the direction in Eurozone inflation, given the extensive reports on gas prices and power costs in the region over the last few days. However, some softening may be warranted after an all-time high of 8.9% was reached on the Eurozone inflation print in July, given the easing in pump prices in August. Still, gas supply concerns continue to remain top-of-mind for Germany with Gazprom announcing another leg of maintenance for the Nord Stream pipeline this week. Food prices are also seeing another pickup, and further gains in the headline print in Q4 cannot be ruled out. Calls for a 75 basis points rate hike by the European Central Bank have already picked up, and these could gain further traction if we see a strong CPI print this week. However, if Nord Stream supply comes back on time after its 3-day scheduled maintenance, and with some potential increases in capacity as has been hinted, that could mean a substantial decline in European gas prices and relief in utility costs in the months to come. ECB Lane tones dials back on jumbo rate hike expectations ECB chief economist Lane was on the wires on Monday, and hinted at a more steady pace of rate hikes in a “step-by-step” manner rather than jumbo rate hikes. This appears to be a pushback against calls for a 75bps rate hike at the September meeting, as he made the case to allow the financial system to absorb the rate changes. Moreover, on inflation, Lane said long-term inflation expectations remain close to the two per cent target, while near-term inflation expectations are quite elevated. BYD reported 1H earnings at the high end of the preannounced range Chinse auto maker BYD (01211) reported 1H revenues growing 66% YoY to RMB 151 billion.  In terms of segments, auto revenues surged 130% YoY while mobile handset revenues contracted 4.8% YoY. Net profits jumped 206% to rMB3.595 billion, at the top end of the preannounced range of CNY2.8-3.6 billion. Volume growth (353K new energy passenger vehicles in 2Q, +265% YoY) beat market expectations despite two rounds of price increases in 2022 and supply chain disruptions.  The company’s EV market share rose to 29% (vs 17% in 2021).  Pinduoduo delivered Q2 results showing stronger than peer sales growth Pinduoduo (PDD:xnas), a leading eCommerce platform with strong penetration into agricultural products and online shoppers from rural areas., reported 1H total revenue growing at 36% YoY, far exceeding the 3% YoY consensus estimate.  The company attributed the revenue growth to a recovery in consumption since mid-May, successful promotion campaigns, and 48-hour daily necessity supply packs for people facing lockdown.  The company’s strong market position in rural areas and agriculture-related products also help it stand out from its rivals.  In Q2, the company achieved a 20 percentage point improvement in margins, reaching 33.5%, but the management cautioned investors that the margin compression was attributed to temporary cost savings early in the quarter and spending had increased since mid-May.  Non-GAAP EPS came in at Rmb7.54, +161% Uranium companies and other nuclear-related companies are back in the spotlight  Elon Musk said countries should not shut down existing nuclear power plants as Europe grapples with an energy crisis “If you have a well-designed nuclear plant, you should not shut it down - especially right now”, said Musk during an energy conference in Norway. That resulted in the Global X Uranium ETF climbing 7.4% on Monday to its highest level since June 8, supported by US uranium stocks rising. Uranium stocks in the Asia-Pacific region to watch include Australia’s Paladin, Deep Yellow and Boss Energy, as well Japan’s Kansai Electric Power and Tokyo Electric Power, as well as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In South Korea watch Doosan Enerbility, Kepco. And in Europe, monitor Yellow Cake and Kazatomprom.      For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 30, 2022
Natural Gas Prices Extended The Recovery

Natural Gas Prices Still Fell Besides Russia Shuts The Key Nord Stream Pipeline Down. Dependence Coming To An End?

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 30.08.2022 09:18
Summary:  Markets traded mostly sideways yesterday as the US dollar’s advance was stymied and US yields pushed back slightly lower. China continues to allow its currency to trade toward the lows for the cycle versus the US dollar as the 7.00 area nears in USDCNH. The euro bobbed back up toward parity versus the US dollar yesterday as natural gas prices fell even as Russia shuts the key Nord Stream pipeline down for a purported few days of maintenance.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities stabilised yesterday following that knee-jerk reaction on Friday to the Jackson Hole presentations with S&P 500 futures touching and bouncing off the 50-day moving average closing above the critical 4,000 level. S&P 500 futures are trading around the 4,044 level this morning sandwiched between the 100-day moving average above this level and the 50-day moving average below suggesting a bigger move is shaping up in either direction. The next big shift in sentiment will be when we get the US August CPI print on 13 September as that is the key data point to shape expectations from current levels. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong and mainland China equities pulled back moderately, Hang Seng Index -0.9%. Tech names were weak. Hang Seng Tech Index plunged as much as 3% before bouncing off the lows to finish the morning session down 1.7%.  According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, smartphone sales in China fell 2.9% YoY in the period between Jan and July. Despite reporting solid 1H results, China automaker, BYD (01211:xhg) slid 0.6%. In A-shares, mining stocks, gas, electric equipment, and auto parts underperformed, CSI 300 -0.5%. Pinduoduo (PDD:xnas), a leading Chinese eCommerce platform listed on Nasdaq reported strong 2Q results, showing stronger than peer gross merchandise value growth and better-than-expected margin improvement. US dollar and especially USDCNH The US dollar tried higher, but failed to follow through as risk sentiment stabilized and US Treasury yields eased back lower. The USDCNH rate, however, continues to push toward the high of the cycle, trading near 6.92 this morning. EURUSD trades near parity this morning after natural gas prices fell sharply in Europe yesterday and despite ECB Chief Economist Lane arguing for steady rate increases (pushing back against the pricing of a possible 75 basis point move at next week’s ECB meeting). Incoming data this week will be critical for USD direction. JPY weakness to bring back pressure on Bank of Japan USDJPY is back to testing its record July highs despite little change in money market pricing of the Fed rate path following Powell’s hawkish speech at Jackson Hole. The peak Fed funds rate is still priced in at 3.8%, while some of the Fed speakers have started to suggest 4%+ levels that may be needed to combat inflation. This brings the September dot plot in focus, but we get the jobs and CPI data before that as well. Any further upward re-pricing of the Fed path, if resulting in gains in US 10-year yields, could very well take USDJPY to new highs with Japanese yields still remaining capped due to the Bank of Japan’s yield curve control policy. If, however, US data underwhelms, the room on the downside for USDJPY is tremendous. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices saw their best day in six weeks amid threats of a decline in supply from OPEC and production outages in Libya. Brent futures rose above $105/barrel although some softening was seen in Asia overnight, while WTI rose to $97/barrel. This follows news from last week that Kazakhstan’s exports of crude may be impacted for months because of damage to its port facility. Meanwhile, negotiations between Iran and the US over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal could drag on for weeks, easing fears of an imminent surge in supply. Pro Farmer tour see lowest US corn production since 2019 The just completed Pro Farmer tour across the US grain belt helped drive corn futures in Chicago to a two-month high on Monday after the tour saw the US corn crop at 13.76 bn bushels, below USDA forecasts for 14.36 billion bushels. Pro Farmer predicted a soybean crop of 4.54 billion, in line with the USDA’s latest forecast. Wheat, supported by corn’s rally, touched its highest since July 12 despite news that Ukraine agricultural exports could rise to 6.5 million ton in October, double the volume in August.  The soybean vs corn ratio needs to stay low (favouring corn) ahead of the South American planting season in order to persuade farmers there to plant more of the fertilizer intensive crop. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields eased lower yesterday. An interesting paper presented at the Jackson Hole conference at the weekend suggests that the Fed will have a hard time delivering on quantitative tightening without causing harm to financial market functioning, which could mean less supply of treasuries from the Fed if its shies away from reducing its balance sheet at the previously touted pace of $95 billion/month. Otherwise, incoming US data is the focus through the August CPI release on September 13. What is going on? Shell CEO warns of prolonged European gas crisis Shell CEO Ben van Beurden gave comments from Norway’s ONS conference, suggesting that Europe could face gas shortages for a number of winters. This disproves reports suggesting that Europe has already built reserves for the winter demand and reaffirms our belief that a move to broad-based energy supply will continue to be top of mind in the long run. In the near term, demand destruction appears to be the only possible solution, and Van Beurden stressed the need for efficiency savings as well as rationing. ECB Lane dials back on jumbo rate hike expectations ECB chief economist Lane was on the wires on Monday and hinted at a steady pace of rate hikes in a “step-by-step” manner rather than jumbo rate hikes. This appears to be a pushback against calls for a 75bps rate hike at the September meeting, as he made the case to allow the financial system to absorb the rate changes. Moreover, on inflation, Lane said long-term inflation expectations remain close to the two per cent target, while near-term inflation expectations are quite elevated. BYD reported 1H earnings at the high end of the preannounced range Chinese automaker BYD (01211) reported 1H revenue up 66% y/y to RMB 151bn. In terms of segments, auto revenue surged 130% y/y while mobile handset revenues contracted 4.8% y/y. Net profits jumped 206% to RMB 3.6bn, at the top end of the preannounced range of RMB 2.8-3.6bn. Volume growth (353K new energy passenger vehicles in 2Q, +265% y/y) beating market expectations despite two rounds of price increases in 2022 and supply chain disruptions. The company’s EV market share rose to 29% (vs 17% in 2021). Pinduoduo delivered Q2 results showing stronger than peer sales growth Pinduoduo (PDD:xnas), a leading eCommerce platform with strong penetration into agricultural products and online shoppers from rural areas, reported 1H total revenue up 36% y/y, far exceeding the 3% y/y consensus estimate. The company attributed the revenue growth to a recovery in consumption since mid-May, successful promotion campaigns, and 48-hour daily necessity supply packs for people facing lockdown. The company’s strong market position in rural areas and agriculture-related products also help it stand out from its rivals. In Q2, the company achieved a 20 %-point improvement in margin, reaching 33.5%, but the management cautioned investors that the margin compression was attributed to temporary cost savings early in the quarter and spending had increased since mid-May. Non-GAAP EPS came in at RMB 7.54, +161% y/y. Shares in Uranium companies and other nuclear-related companies are back in the spotlight Japan has signaled its openness to more nuclear power, at the same time, Tesla founder Elon Musk has applauded uranium as an energy alternative, during an energy conference in Norway. Uranium stocks moved higher as a result on Monday in the US, which boosted the Global X Uranium ETF up 7%, to its highest level since June 8. Shares in the Asia-Pacific region followed. Australian stocks saw the most significant moves given the country has the largest uranium reserves globally. Australia’s Paladin rose 11%, Deep Yellow 15% and Boss Energy 10%, while Rio Tinto (which owns a deposit) rose over 1%. Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Tokyo Electric Power gained 3%. Companies to watch in Europe, include Yellow Cake and Kazatomprom. What are we watching next? August U.S. job report is out on Friday There should not be a major surprise. The economist consensus expects a 300,000 payrolls increase in August and a stable unemployment rate at 3.5 % - this is a five-decade low. If this is confirmed, it all points to a healthy labor market (despite the moderate pace of job increases). Today, the U.S. government will also release July data on vacancies and quits. Expect job openings to remain elevated, thus pointing to resilient demand for labor. These figures are unlikely to play a major role at the September FOMC meeting since it is well-known that labor market data are lagged indicators. Inflation remains the main point of concern, as mentioned by Fed Chair Jerome Powell last week at Jackson Hole Symposium. August EZ CPI will be painfully high The consensus expects a new increase of 9 % year-over-year when the data will be released on Wednesday. This should convince European Central Bank (ECB) policy makers to raise borrowing costs by a sizable increase on September 8. At Jackson Hole, ECB’s executive board member Isabel Schnabel indicated the central bank has no other choice but to act with ‘determination’. This is a matter of credibility. According to Bloomberg, traders now price a 50 % chance of a 75-basis points rate hike in September. Earnings to watch Today’s earnings focus is China are lithium miners Tianqi Lithium and Ganfeng Lithium as the growth in electric vehicles sales is putting enourmous pressure on availability of lithium and prices of lithium carbonate. Baidu is another Chinese earnings release to watch today as the company’s footprint in online advertising will give insights into economic activity. Later in the US, earnings to watch are Crowdstrike in the cyber security industry and HP in computing hardware. Today: Woodside Energy, ICBC, China Yangtze Power, Muyuan Foods, SF Holdings, Shaanxi Coal, Midea Group, Tianqi Lithium, Ganfeng Lithium, Bank of Montreal, China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Great Wall Motor, COSCO Shipping, Partners Group, Baidu, Crowdstrike, HP Wednesday: MongoDB, Brown-Forman, Veeva Systems Thursday: Pernod Ricard, Broadcom, Lululemon Athletica, Hormel Foods Friday: BNP Paribas Fortis Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0700 – Spain Flash Aug. CPI 0830 – UK Jul. Net Consumer Credit 0830 – UK Jul. Mortgage Approvals 0900 – Euro Zone Aug. Confidence Surveys 1115 – ECB's Vasle to speak 1200 – Hungary Rate Decision 1200 – US Fed’s Barkin (Non-voter) to speak 1200 – Germany Aug. Flash CPI 1300 – US Jun. S&P CoreLogic Home Price Index 1400 – US Aug. Consumer Confidence 1400 – US Jul. JOLTS Job Openings 1500 – US Fed’s Williams (voter) to speak 1600 – ECB Speakers Holzmann and others 2030 – API's Weekly Crude and Fuel Stock Report 0130 – China Aug. Manufacturing/Non-manufacturing PMI Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: Financial Markets Today: Quick Take – August 30, 2022
It Was Possible That Tesla Would Move Closer To Resistance

Tech Stocks: Could Tesla Stock Price Reach $300?

FXStreet News FXStreet News 30.08.2022 16:17
Tesla falls to the first point of support. TSLA should bounce on Tuesday as markets recover. Tesla stock still looking overvalued as the sector rerates. A more or less normal day for stock markets on Monday took place after the sharp sell-off on Friday. Monday's performance was somewhat better than expected or less bad than many feared. Equity markets held up relatively well with the main indices losing less than 1%. Fears of capitulation were short-lived. This should set up a recovery rally for Tuesday and Wednesday and then probably markets will flatline ahead of Friday's employment report. Also read: Tesla Stock Deep Dive: Price target at $400 on China headwinds, margin compression, lower deliveries Tesla stock news The good news for bulls was that Monday's price action opened on the lows at $280, retested it in the first half, and then put in place a double bottom on an intraday basis that set Tesla (TSLA) stock higher for the remainder of the session. Overall, it was a pretty boring day. Tesla had a range of about $7 on the day, but there was no follow-through from Friday's sell-off. Is this consolidation just a holding pattern before further falls or a base building for a recovery? Tesla stock forecast TSLA stock longer-term view remains bearish with the series of lower tops identified by our trendline below. As we can see, Tesla is stuck in a high-volume area (grey bars on the right). High-volume areas are stabilization zones, and markets tend to move from one to another. Below $281 and above $314, volume thins out, so we would expect Tesla to move quickly through those zones. The recent Fed hawkish commentary from Powell puts the risk-reward in favor of the downside in my view, so I would be looking for TSLA stock to break $281 and a swift move through light volume until we reach the next high volume zone at $240. However, ahead of Friday, there is likely to be some recovery and then stabilization around $300. TSLA 1-day chart
Earnings, Soft PMIs, and Market Dynamics: Impact on Yields, Dollar, and Key Developments

Amazing Year For Disney! A 26% Increase In Revenue And A Whopping 53% Increase In Net Profits Year-on-year

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 31.08.2022 17:23
August seemed to be a month of high volatility, most likely due to the turbulent economic environment and a relatively good quarterly earnings season. We seem to be in for a very interesting bear market rally, with a possible peak in the middle of last month. At that time, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite indices fell 3.2% and 3.9%, respectively. They set a peak (in mid-August), gaining 17.4% and 23.3% (the average historical magnitude of a bear market rally) from their local low (mid-June).    Disney (DIS) The entertainment market giant posted a 1-month gain of 5.9%. The stock had been declining for a year and a half, most likely influenced by extreme pessimism about the company's ability to continue to grow. As a result, the recession and lower consumer spending may have posed an additional threat to revenue from theme parks and streaming platforms. Since its peak in early 2021, Disney shares have fallen by 52.2%.  A short-term trend reversal occurred when Disney announced solid Q3 results (the financial year starts earlier than the calendar year for Disney). There was a 26% increase in revenue and a whopping 53% increase in net profits year-on-year. Net earnings per share were 10 per cent higher than expected. Among the main reasons for such a phenomenal jump in results is the expansion of owned streaming services, namely Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.   Charles Schwab (SCHW) SCHW is a leading financial company engaged in brokerage, market making, investment banking, consulting and investment advisory services. Its share price rose by 5.5% last month. As for the stock price of other companies, Q2 results proved to be crucial the previous month.  The company reported an increase of as much as 31 per cent in interest income, which is the company's primary source of revenue (more than 50 per cent). Thus, SCHW's revenue and net profit increased by 11.7% and 41.7%, respectively. EPS (earnings per share) turned out to be 6.6% higher than Wall Street analysts' expectations. As a result, expectations of further possible interest rate rises and rising volatility (from which the brokerage business may benefit) appear to push the stock even higher.   Disney and Charles Schwab may be among the more interesting companies of August due to their phenomenal earnings despite the deteriorating macroeconomic environment.    Source: Leaders among the giants — stocks of the month?
Rising Tensions in Japan Amid Currency Market Concerns and BOJ Insights

Necessary Points That Must Happened For S&P 500 Index to Rise

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 31.08.2022 15:38
Relevance up to 14:00 UTC+2 Stock futures are trading mixed on Wednesday after a sharp fall yesterday. Investors are worried about the ultra-tight monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve aimed at curbing inflation. The US dollar index and Treasury yields moved higher. The Dow Jones futures gained 0.2%, while the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ futures lost 0.1% and 0.2% respectively. European stock indices also slipped to trade at their lowest level in more than six weeks. This decline was caused by the eurozone inflation report and the downbeat data from France and Germany. Rising inflation in the eurozone is viewed as the number one problem by the European Central Bank. The regulator is very likely to announce further rate hikes next week in order to limit soaring prices. When pursuing tighter monetary policy, the ECB will have to find the balance between fighting inflation and pushing the economy into a recession. The inflation rate in the eurozone has already reached a record level of 9.1% and is seen to accelerate further. Yet, analysts wonder whether the regulator will raise the rate by 50 basis points or straight by 75 basis points. In the commodities market, oil has slightly lost ground and is now set to test monthly lows for the third time. The price of natural gas also went up. Hopes that the US central bank will ease its monetary tightening are gradually fading away, which is a bearish factor for stocks and bonds. Of course, investors consider the incoming data when looking for clues regarding monetary policy. Yet, the jobs report from the US will most likely cause another massive sell-off in the stock market. Meanwhile, Asian stocks are trading in positive territory thanks to tech companies. At the same time, Japan's stock indices have dropped. Shares of Chinese EV maker BYD Co. tumbled the most after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. trimmed its stake in the company. As for the S&P 500 technical outlook, buyers may get a small chance for an upward correction. For this, they will have to break above the level of $4,003. If the fundamental data from the US is positive, this level may be the key point to watch. Depending on a successful breakout of this range, the S&P 500 index may continue to rise. Otherwise, it may return to monthly lows and extend its fall. If the downtrend continues, a breakout below $3,968 will push the quote to the next downward target of $3,940. This will open the way towards the area of $3,905 where the downward pressure may slightly ease. An upside movement will be confirmed only when bulls take control over the resistance of $4,003. Then, the level of $4,038 will serve as the next target. Only then will the price move further to $4,064 where large sellers will return to the market. Some of you may want to take profit on long positions. The level of $4,091 will act as a more distant target. Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Source: Forex Analysis & Reviews: US premarket trading on August 31, 2022. Stock market enters correction after yesterday's fall  
Turbulent Times for Currencies: USD Dominates, SEK Shines

FX: Australian Dollar (AUD) May Decrease, GPB/USD Seems To Feel Worse | Indices: S&P 500 Plunged, So Did Nasdaq

ING Economics ING Economics 01.09.2022 08:02
USD off to a strong start at the beginning of September Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global markets: US equities continued their slow bleed on Wednesday, the S&P500 dropping another 0.78% and the NASDAQ going 0.56% lower. This wasn’t exactly a one-way street, with some periods of strength within the session, but the downtrend was never seriously threatened. Equity futures are poised for more weakness today too, which could set the scene for other asset markets today ahead of tomorrow’s payrolls release. 2Y US Treasury yields added another 5.1bp yesterday, which probably didn’t help the tone in equities, and 10Y yields put on another 9bp to reach 3.19%.  News from the Fed: Loretta Mester is reported as saying that she favours rates above 4% next year and no cut in rates in 2023. That probably helped keep Treasury yields rising across the curve. But despite the downbeat market sentiment and rising USD rates EURUSD managed to rise to 1.004, up from 1.001 this time yesterday. In contrast, the AUD is looking troubled again today following its sell-off yesterday and sits at 0.6835, and looks more likely to keep going down than head back up. Cable too looks in bad shape, dropping to 1.1599 and the JPY is hurtling upwards and at 139.29, the question is, do we hit 140 today? Asian FX saw some decent gains from the KRW yesterday, which pulled back to 1338. The INR is also still benefitting from rumours of the inclusion of government securities into global bond indices. Today, the USD looks rampant, however, and it may well be a different story. G-7 Macro: Yesterday’s ADP survey was published with a new methodology to make it more accurate (in line with payrolls) and it delivered a weakish looking 132,000 employment gain. It’s impossible to tell if this will be reflected in tomorrow’s jobs report, but it does seem to suggest that at least a slowdown from 528,000 jobs gain reported in July is on the cards. Manufacturing ISM data is the main release from the G-7 today. A slight decrease from last month’s 52.8 reading is the median expectation. The prices paid index is also expected to come down a bit more from last month’s reading of 60.0. There are also PMI releases in Europe and German retail sales to watch out for. India: Indian 2Q22 GDP wasn’t quite as punchy as had been expected, though the heavily base-affected release is a little tricky to interpret right now. A 13.5% YoY gain was a bit down on the 15.3% increase that had been expected, but probably still leaves India on track to achieve 7% growth this calendar year. Strong investment (+20.1%YoY) and private consumption (25.9%) underpinned the result. Though the boost from the re-opening of the economy will probably fade next quarter, and the economy will face stronger headwinds from falling external demand, higher inflation and rising domestic interest rates.  The fiscal deficit figures for July actually registered a small surplus, which is an improvement on last year’s equivalent fiscal balance and should keep India on track to meeting or even beating its 6.4% (GDP) deficit target. Australia: Private capital expenditure released at 0930 SGT provides the first insight into next week’s 2Q22 GDP figure. The median forecast is for a 1% gain. A further clue comes the day before the release when we get the net trade contribution component. We are tentatively looking for a robust 1% QoQ expansion of activity in 2Q22, which will add to the pressure on the Reserve Bank to keep leaning against inflation. Korea:  The trade deficit widened to a record USD -9.4 billion in August, almost double the USD 4.8 billion deficit recorded in July. Exports grew 6.6% YoY in August (vs a revised 9.2% in July and a market consensus of 5.6%). As early data suggested, semiconductor exports were quite weak with a -7.8% drop while petroleum/chemical and automobiles led the growth. Meanwhile, imports surged 28.2% YoY in August (vs 21.8% in July and market consensus of 23.7%) due to increases in energy, semiconductors, and chemicals. Separately, Korea’s manufacturing PMI fell to 47.6 in August from 49.8 in July. This is its lowest reading since July 2020. The output index fell to only 44.6, staying below 50 for the fourth month in a row. Combining this weak PMI data with the trade deficit data and yesterday’s weaker-than-expected industrial production outcomes, we are revising our growth forecast lower for the second half of the year and now expect a small contraction Indonesia:  August inflation is set for release today.  Both headline and core inflation have been on an uptrend this year with headline inflation now past the central bank’s target.  Headline inflation will likely settle close to 5%YoY while core inflation should exceed 3%.  Accelerating inflation and a planned subsidized fuel hike were enough to prod Bank Indonesia to finally hike rates at their last meeting and we believe that BI is not done for the year.  Faster inflation, especially after the fuel hike should keep BI on a hiking path.  What to look out for: Regional PMI manufacturing and US NFP South Korea GDP and trade (1 September) Regional PMI manufacturing (1 September) China Caixin PMI manufacturing (1 September) Indonesia CPI inflation (1 September) US initial jobless claims and ISM manufacturing (1 September) Fed's Bostic speaks (2 September)  South Korea CPI inflation (2 September) US non-farm payrolls and factory orders (2 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
Investors Selling Down Companies That Face Balance Sheet Tightening From Runaway Inflation

Investors Selling Down Companies That Face Balance Sheet Tightening From Runaway Inflation

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 01.09.2022 08:54
Summary:  The S&P500 fell 4.2% in August, erasing half of July’s rally, with investors selling down companies that face balance sheet tightening from runaway inflation and higher for longer interest rates. Meanwhile, in August, investors bought into sectors contributing to inflation. At Saxo, we think these trends will probably continue. We cover everything you need to know about what is happening in markets today and what to consider next. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S. equities declined for the fourth day in a row, with S&P 500 down 0.78%, the Nasdaq 100 falling 0.57%.The month of August ended with S&P 500 losing 4.24% and Nasdaq 100 down 5.22%.  The markets were in a risk-off mood with the focus being fixed on rising bond yields and the hawkish stance of the central bank in the U.S. and across the pond in Europe, and with an eye on the job report coming out of the U.S. tomorrow.  Chewy (CHWY:xnys) dropped 7.9%, as the pet retailer lowered guidance for 2022 revenues, citing customer pulling back on discretionary items. The consumer trade-down echoed the general trend found in other U.S. retailers.   Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY:xnas) tumbled 21.3% after announcing a plan to close about 150 stores. Nvidia (NVDA:xnas) plunged 5% in extended hours after the company warned that the new U.S. rules restricting the export of artificial intelligence may substantially affect the company’s sales to China.  U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas)   Yields took a blip lower initially after the weaker-than-expected ADP Employment report but surged higher to finish the day at the high.  The benchmark 10-year note yield closed at 3.19%.  Cleveland Fed President Mester joined the recent chorus of hawkish fedspeaks vowed to get inflation down “even if the economy were to go into recession” and “it will be necessary” to raise the Fed fund rate to “above 4% by early next year and hold it there”.  The U.S. treasury yield curve bear steepened, with the 2-year yield +5bps as the belly to the long-end yields jumped 8bps to 9bps. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg)   Hang Seng Index gapped down by nearly 2% at the open but managed to crawl back all the losses to finish the day flat.  China consumption stocks led the market higher in anticipation of incremental policy stimuli and recovery of consumer demand during the mid-autumn festival, Xiabuxiabu Catering (00520:xhkg) +9.4%, Haidilao (06862:xhkg) +6.5%, China Tourism Group Duty Free (01880:xhkg) +7.1%, Li Ning (02331:xhkg) +3.9%, Anta Sports (02020:xhkg) +1.5%.  In the auto space, BYD (01211:xhkg) tumbled nearly 8%, following news of Berkshire Hathaway reducing its stake in the company. On the other hand, Nio (09866:xhkg) and XPeng (09868:xhkg) rose more than 2%.  Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH.I) gained 1%, with performance divergence among stocks.  Tencent (00700:xhkg) gained 1.1% while Baidu (09888:xhkg) dropped by 3.3% on operating margin contraction. China banking shares traded in Hong Kong were mixed after ICBC (01398:xhkg), China Construction Bank (00939:xhkg), and Bank of China (03988:xhkg) reported growth in revenues and profits but higher non-performing loan ratios. Coal mining and oil stocks fell on the Hong Kong bourse as well as the mainland bourses on weaker energy prices.  CSI 300 bounced from the early sell-off and closed little changed.     Australia's ASX200 (ASX:XASX) closes higher for the 2nd month, but on the first day of September equities unwind the August rally and cut July’s rally  Australia’s market has rallied for two straight months. But the rally is likely to run out of steam iin September, with Aussie equites to face selling pressure. September is historically the worst month for equities, with the ASX200 losing 0.6% each month on average since the index was formed. The reason for this? Companies pay out their yearly dividends in September. Today, many major companies go ex-dividend, transferring the dividend right to shareholders. Companies going ex-dividend include BHP, Whitehaven Coal, AGL and Credit Corp. This month, the ASX faces a host of extra issues. The RBA is tipped to hike interest rates at its September meeting next Tuesday, front loading rate hikes for the next few months. This comes at a time when home prices marked their steepest decline in four decades and building approvals for private homes, fell to their lowest level since 2012. This means banks will face selling pressure. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2)   EIA reported a decline in crude oil inventory of 3.3 million and gasoline inventory of 1.1 million with SPR slowing to 3 million barrels, so resulting in an overall draw of 6.4 mb/d, but the reaction in the oil market remained muted. Production was adjusted higher by 0.1 mb/d to 12.1 mb/d. No change in net trade with imports and exports both declining 0.2 mb/d. WTI futures still trading below $90/barrel in Asian morning as focus shifts back to demand concerns, and Brent futures were below $96. USDJPY heading to 140   The late move higher in US 10-year yields has come back to haunt the yen, with Bank of Japan still remaining committed to keeping its 10-year yields capped at 0.25%. USDJPY rose to fresh 24-year highs of 139.44 in early Asian trading hours, and heading straight to 140 unless we see some verbal intervention coming through from the Japanese officials today. Risk abound with US jobs data due on Friday, and dollar momentum remaining strong. EURUSD still above parity with ECB’s rate hike in focus for next week, beyond the vagaries of gas supplies. GBPUSD however made fresh 2022 lows at 1.1586 as economic weakness remains in focus.    What to consider?  Fed’s Mester calls for over 4% Fed funds rate Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester backed rates to go above 4% early next year and holding it there, while also clearly calling for no rate cuts in 2023. On inflation, Mester noted it is too soon to say inflation has peaked and wage pressures show little sign of abating, while the fight against inflation will be a long one. This message should get stronger if jobs, and more importantly CPI, data continues to be strong. At the same time, we now have Quantitative Tightening going to its full pace and Mester said that balance sheet reduction could take three years or so. New US ADP jobs data disappointed, but wage data remain upbeat While it is hard to trust estimates on the US ADP report given that it is using a new methodology and market impact/trust is only likely to build over time, it was notable that the headline came in at less than the half of the median estimate. Employment change for August was 132k vs expectations of 300k – clearly putting Friday’s NFP release in focus. ADP said that the data suggests a shift toward a more conservative pace of hiring. ADP noted that the median change in annual pay (ADP matched person sample) was +7.6% YoY for Job-Stayers, and +16.1% YoY for Job-Changers, still suggesting a pretty tight labor market.    Eurozone August CPI continues to climb According to the preliminary estimate, it was out at 9.1% year-over-year versus prior 8.9% and expected 9.0%. Core CPI, which is highly watched by the European Central Bank (ECB), is still uncomfortably high at 4.3% year-over-year. This is likely that double-digit inflation in the eurozone will become a reality by year-end. The Bundesbank has already warned that German inflation could peak around 10% year-over-year in the coming months. Expect a lively debate among the ECB Governing Council about the pace of tightening on 8 September. Several governors are leaning towards an aggressive hike (meaning 75 basis points) while a minority of governors and the ECB chief economist Philip Lane would rather prefer a step-by-step increase in order to take into consideration the risk of recession. US stocks wipe out half of the July rally, what is behind this and what’s next? The S&P500 fell 4.2% in August, erasing half of July’s rally, with investors selling down companies that face balance sheet tightening from runaway inflation and higher for longer interest rates. Meanwhile, in August, investors bought into sectors contributing to inflation (The Oil & Gas sector rose 9%, Agricultural 6%, Fertilizers 5%, and Food Retailers 3%). Meanwhile, investors topped up exposure to stocks/sectors that benefit from higher rates, which is why Insurance rose 3%. Inversely, the most selling was in sectors that will likely suffer from slower growth, higher rates, and inflation (Home Furniture fell 14% in August, Semiconductors lost 10%, Office REITs slid 10%). Notably, the S&P500 closed under its 200-day moving average for the 100th day. The last time this occurred was in the GFC. And since then, this is also the only time the S&P500 and Nasdaq have not made a typical V-shape recovery. This is something Saxo’s strategists Peter Garnry and Jessica Amir warned of, and recently highlighted in the Quarterly Outlook. As uncertainty remains, and comments from Fed and ECB speakers are increasingly bearish; we think growth sectors (tech, consumer spending, and REITs) will face further pressure given their futures earnings will dimmish. Inversely we expect commodities to continue to outperform.     China’s official manufacturing PMI edged up but remained in contractionary territory  China’s official NBS manufacturing PMI edged up to 49.4 in August from 49.0 in July, above expectations but remaining in contractionary territory. The improvement was largely driven by the rise of the new orders sub-index to 49.8 in August from 48.5 in July and helped by strong activities in the food and beverage industries ahead of the mid-autumn festival.  Covid-related disruptions and energy rationing were negative factors pressuring manufacturing activities.  Heatwaves and drought-induced power curbs have caused Sichuan and Chongqing to shut-down manufacturing activities for six days and eight days in August respectively. The stepping up of pandemic controls in quite a number of cities affected the survey negatively. The non-manufacturing PMI decelerated to 52.6 in August from 53.8 in July.  Both the services sector and the construction sector weakened.     Caixin China Manufacturing PMI is expected to fall to 50.0 The median forecasts of economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect the Caixin manufacturing PMI to slide to 50.0 in August from 50.4 in July, right at the threshold between expansion and contraction.  The official NBS Manufacturing PMI released yesterday showed that improvements were found in large and medium-sized enterprises but the activities in small businesses decelerated t a 47.6 reading in August from 47.9 in July.  Moreover, during the survey month, a Covid-19 outbreak hit Yiwu, an export-focussed manufacturing hub in Zhejiang, and might drag on the Caixin manufacturing PMI, which has a higher weight for medium and small-sized businesses in the eastern coastal region.   Australian manufacturing data falls, pressured by higher rates, wages, and scarcity of staff  Manufacturing only contributes 30% to GDP, however, two key sets of weaker manufacturing data will be reflected on by professional investors today. Manufacturing data released by AI Group showed activity fell into contractionary territory, following six months of expansion. The drop in Australian PMI to 49.3 in August was triggered by slower growth in factory activity from higher interest rates and wages, and a lack of workers. The other set of manufacturing data released from S&P Global showed manufacturing fell to a reading of 53.8 in August, down from 55.7 in July. Significantly, the reading was revised lower from the flash (preview reading) and was the lowest read in a year. As such, investors may see selling pressures in key manufacturing stocks. ASX manufacturers and producers to watch include; Woodside, Caltex, Woodside, Whitehaven and Viva Energy, in energy, which may also see profit-taking after gaining a post as some of this year’s best ASX performers. Other companies to watch include Amcor, the global packaging giant. CSL, the global vaccine, and blood therapy business. As well as BHP, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue, global mining producers.  US ISM manufacturing data due today Lower prices at the pump has seemingly helped the US economy reverse from the slowdown concerns, with Chairman Powell also getting the confidence to say that the economic momentum is strong. ISM manufacturing, which is scheduled to be reported on Thursday, may reflect the weakness seen in the S&P survey, but will still be lifted by the backlog in auto vehicle production. Consensus estimates expect ISM manufacturing to cool slightly from July’s 52.8 and come in at 51.9 in August, still remaining in expansionary territory. ISM employment will also be key to watch ahead of the NFP data due on Friday.  Singapore’s first digital bank launch Grab and Singtel have entered an alliance to roll out a banking app next week in Singapore called GXS, that will be Singapore's first digital bank. This is mostly targeted to younger users and small businesses, tapping on Grab's food and ride-hailing customers, in order to improve the penetration of financial services in Singapore. A savings account is also in the offering, with no minimum balance requirement, in direct competition to the traditional banks.   For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets, what to consider – September 1, 2022
Let's See S&P 500 (SPX) And Credit Market's Performance

Let's See S&P 500 (SPX) And Credit Market's Performance

Monica Kingsley Monica Kingsley 01.09.2022 15:14
S&P 500 dicey premarket upswing fizzled out right after the open, volume picked up, and market breadth correspondigly deteriorated. Bonds confirmed, and the higher yields didn‘t even send the dollar much upwards. Together with the sea of red in commodities and precious metals, this smacks of deleveraging, still of the relatively orderly flavor if you look at the well behaved VIX at 26 only. The steep post Jackson Hole downswing will pause, but there isn‘t a sign that would happen precisely today yet. Looking at the daily chart of CRB Index, crude oil, gold and silver with the miners, odds are that we would see a repeat of yesterday‘s action today as well – to a good degree. Not much has really change since my yesterday‘s review of real assets and cryptos, and especially the crude oil setback (reinforced by the Iran deal speculation Europe is pinning its eyes on) is generally worrying. The Fed keeps hammering the same message, and short end of the curve keeps duly rising. Tombstone reminder for those overstaying in the S&P 500 rally to the 200-day moving average, would be „don‘t fight the Fed – the central bank doesn‘t have your bank now, and would act on the out of control inflation“. I hope you‘re enjoying the very lively Twitter feed, which comes on top of getting the key analytics right into your mailbox. Plenty gets addressed there, but the analyses over email are the bedrock. Still, the next days would feature generally shorter analyses per the legal update on my homepage. Let‘s move right into the charts (all courtesy of www.stockcharts.com). S&P 500 and Nasdaq Outlook S&P 500 bears still have the undeniable strategic initiative, and the pace of the downswing is really all that‘s being questioned. Earnings are still to deteriorate, and P/E to go down – inflation isn‘t declining fast enough, so equities react appropriately. CFA material 101. Read next: FX: GBP/USD May Catch Us By Surprise Soon! Tomorrow's US NFP May Let Boost USD (US Dollar) Or Arouse Concerns Over Fed's Strategy| FXMAG.COM Credit Markets HYG rested a little only on intraday basis, and objectively speaking it‘s downswing didn‘t trigger a genuine bloodbath in stocks. This can change but the steady dollar kind of doesn‘t hint at that right next. The S&P 500 bears should take it easy, because the coming days would be and feel like a consolidation compared to what we have been just through.
Apple Stock Price (APPL) May Be Fluctuating Next Week As iPhone 14 Is Said To Be Revealed

Apple Stock Price (APPL) May Be Fluctuating Next Week As iPhone 14 Is Said To Be Revealed

FXStreet News FXStreet News 01.09.2022 16:33
AAPL stock falls again on Wednesday as the sell-off continues. Equities remain under pressure ahead of the employment report on Friday. AAPL stock also waiting for next week's iPhone 14 release details. Apple (AAPL) stock continued its recent run of poor form as the stock once again closed lower on Wednesday. Apple has now registered three straight days of losses as equity markets come to terms with Fed Chair Jerome Powell utilizing himself last week. The doveish tilt that the market seemed to imply was firmly rebutted by Powell, and the equity market has been under continued selling pressure ever since. Also read: Apple Stock Deep Dive: AAPL price target at $100 on falling 2023 revenues Apple stock news Apple investors are now looking to next week for a catalyst to stem recent losses. September 7 is when most observers expect the iPhone 14 to be released. Details around pricing will be the key aspect, and as ever Wall Street analysts have been coming out with more and more bullish prospects. The latest from Bank of America says a price hike for the iPhone 14 over the iPhone 13 could see a boost to earnings in the region of $0.10 to $0.20 on EPS. It seems demand for iPhones will remain inelastic in the eyes of Wall Street, while clearly, the consumer looks to be shifting to lower-cost goods from what we have seen recently from retailers. iPhones are a luxury good and should see a slowdown in demand based on price hikes and inflationary trends. Margins will come under pressure from rising input costs, and the situation in China looks increasingly bearish. The property sector is beginning to falter alarmingly. The only Apple bullish caveat to add is the potential for massive monetary easing from China. We saw how the loose US policy juiced financial assets during the pandemic, and China may embark on its own financial juicing if the economy continues to decline. We do not think this will be enough to stem earnings compression for Apple though. The strong US dollar is another headwind for a firm that does business globally but reports in dollars. Apple stock forecast Enough of the long-term prognosis. How are we shaping up for some swing trading? Ok, first take a look at the AAPL stock daily chart. The downtrend continues with failure at the 200-day moving average, a continued sell-off from the overbought Relative Strength Index (RSI) and now support from the 50-day moving average. Below $171 looks bearish. AAPL daily chart The AAPL stock 15-minute chart below shows the areas of stability and high volume. Current levels around $158 are seeing stabilization. A move above $162 or below $156 will see further buying or selling pressure, so this range is key to playing a breakout scenario. AAPL 15-minute
Brent hits one-month high! Saudi and Russian cuts supporting recent moves

Increases on the New York Stock Market. Fall In Raw Materials

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 02.09.2022 08:42
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones rose 0.46%, the S&P 500 rose 0.30%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.26%. The leading performer among the components of the Dow Jones index today was Johnson & Johnson, which gained 4.00 points or 2.48% to close at 165.34. Amgen Inc rose 5.20 points or 2.16% to close at 245.50. Merck & Company Inc rose 1.79 points or 2.10% to close at 87.15. The losers were Boeing Co shares, which lost 6.59 points or 4.11% to end the session at 153.66. Dow Inc. gained 2.04% or 1.04 points to close at 49.96, while Salesforce.com Inc shed 1.66% or 2.59 points to close at 153. .53. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were DXC Technology Co, which rose 7.75% to hit 26.70, General Holdings Inc, which gained 5.72% to close at 233.01, and also Moderna Inc, which rose 5.05% to end the session at 138.95. The losers were shares of NVIDIA Corporation, which lost 7.67% to close at 139.37. Shares of Hormel Foods Corporation shed 6.56% to end the session at 46.98. Quotes of Monolithic Power Systems Inc decreased in price by 6.11% to 425.47. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Hempacco Co Inc, which rose 63.41% to hit 8.35, GigaCloud Technology Inc, which gained 61.43% to close at 23.65, and also shares of Virax Biolabs Group Ltd, which rose 58.69% to end the session at 5.57. American Virtual Cloud Technologies Inc was the biggest loser, shedding 52.17% to close at 0.22. Shares of Newage Inc lost 46.87% and ended the session at 0.12. Quotes of Okta Inc decreased in price by 33.70% to 60.60. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2231) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (901), while quotes of 101 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,416 companies fell in price, 1,333 rose, and 244 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, fell 1.20% to 25.56. Gold futures for December delivery lost 1.13%, or 19.55, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI October futures fell 3.54%, or 3.17, to $86.38 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery fell 3.71%, or 3.55, to $92.09 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, EUR/USD fell 1.11% to hit 0.99, while USD/JPY edged up 0.89% to hit 140.20. Futures on the USD index rose 0.91% to 109.65.         Relevance up to 04:00 2022-09-03 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/291092
The USD/JPY Price Seems To Be Optimistic

Shocking: USD/JPY Broke 140.00! Nasdaq Decreased, But S&P 500 Gained Yesterday!

ING Economics ING Economics 02.09.2022 10:52
Asian markets in limbo ahead of US jobs report while Asian FX feels the heat from USD strength.  Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global markets: The slow bleed in US equities continues to show signs of clotting, though there was still a small fall from the NASDAQ yesterday even though the S&P500 managed to eke out a slight (0.3%) gain on the day. Futures markets are not signalling any intent ahead of the September payrolls release later today. Shorter dated US treasuries trod water yesterday. The yield on the 2Y note rose only 0.6bp – essentially flat – though 10Y yields kept pushing higher and added 6.1bp to take them to 3.253%. We still think there is a little more upside to come from these over the coming weeks, but let’s see how payrolls pans out first before we start thinking about direction too seriously. The EUR didn’t manage to buck the rest of the G-10 for long, and it has dropped back below parity against the USD to stand at 0.9948 now. That move has given other G-10 currencies another push lower, with the AUD now at 0.6789 after a weak day yesterday. Cable has dropped through another big figure, and is currently trading at 1.1545, virtually back to Covid-lows. And just as we intimated in yesterday’s note, the JPY did indeed breach 140, and is at 140.07 now. What’s going to stop the USD run? Right now, it’s very hard to come up with a convincing-sounding answer to that. Asian FX had a lousy day yesterday. The KRW was the worst-performing currency, pushing back up through 1350. The THB, PHP and SGD all lost around 0.4-0.5% vs the USD on the day. The latest comments from the Fed’s Bostic, that the Fed still has “work to do” to control inflation, add nothing to the fed/inflation/rates picture. Other regional news that may weigh on markets today includes China’s latest battle to keep Covid under control, involving more lockdowns in Shenzen, Chengdu and Dalian, more US restrictions on technology exports to China, and continued tension across the Straits of Taiwan. G-7 Macro: As mentioned, it is US payrolls Friday today. The median forecast on Bloomberg is for employment growth of just under 300,000 with an unchanged (3.5%) unemployment rate and average hourly earnings growth of 5.3%YoY.  Not much else matters today. Korea: Headline inflation slowed to 5.7% YoY in August (vs 6.3% in July) after six months of accelerating. The figure was also lower than the market consensus of 6.1%. The seasonally adjusted monthly growth rate declined by -0.23% for the first time since October 2020, mainly due to fuel-tax cuts and a drop in gasoline prices. We think inflation has now passed its peak.  But fresh food prices are still expected to rise further in September and manufactured food prices are also scheduled to rise after the Choseok holiday. Also, utility fees - city gas and power – will rise again in October, and some local governments are planning to increase service fees too. Consequently, inflation will likely remain above 5% until the end of the year.  The Bank of Korea (BoK) will take some comfort from today’s data but will continue to stay on a hiking path at least until the end of the year. However, the weaker-than-expected inflation print supports our view that the BoK will end its hiking cycle at 3.0% in November. What to look out for: US non-farm payrolls South Korea CPI inflation (2 September) US non-farm payrolls, durable goods orders and factory orders (2 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
At The Close On The New York Stock Exchange Indices Closed Mixed

How Have Tech Stocks Influenced The Market? S&P 500's P/E Is Expected To Rise

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 03.09.2022 23:21
The S&P 500 is arguably the most popular index in the stock market, with its value reflecting the share price of the 500 largest companies listed in the US. At the same time, the US enjoys the largest equity market capitalisation, standing at a whopping $53.4 trillion at the end of 2021 and accounting for more than half of all equity markets worldwide. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a popular way to invest in the S&P 500. They reflect the behaviour of the underlying asset, in this case, the mentioned index. One of the most popular is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY).  Doing so ended the so-called bear market rally that started in June. The first popular indicators that pointed to the end of the rally were the RSI and the MACD. The SPY price fell shortly after the RSI signal line entered the overvaluation zone and the first downward bar of the MACD histogram was drawn. Two days ago, the MACD histogram entered the negative zone. The SPY price is below the 10, 20, 50 and 100-day moving averages. What could be influencing the S&P 500's declines? According to Current Market Valuation, the P/E ratio (share price/earnings per share) of the S&P 500, recently hit its lowest level in more than 2 years. The P/E is considered a relatively good measure of valuation and is around 20 for the index, 25% higher than the historical average of 16. Its above-average level, together with worrying data from the economy, may indicate a possible continuation of their downtrend, but it is worth noting that the market seemed to ben generally 'overpriced' for several decades.  This may be due to the increasing share of technology companies in the capitalisation of the S&P 500, whose valuations are largely based on future growth. In addition, the huge capital stock in the US relative to GDP may be driving demand for equities, and thus we may have higher equity valuations.  According to the report “Stock Market Briefing: Selected P/E Ratios" by Yardeni Research (which aggregates average recommendations from Wall Street analysts), the target forecast P/E for the S&P 500 in 52 weeks (1 year) is around 16.7. Other companies report a similar forecast P/E. This may indicate the market's belief that declines  might continue in the coming months.  Rafał Tworkowski, Junior Market Analyst, Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 82.59% 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. Source: The S&P 500 has the lowest P/E in more than two years (conotoxia.com)
Tesla Does Not Say Much Directly About The Demand Situation, Ally Financial Sees A Slowdown In Car Loans

This Week's Tesla Stock Split Could Be The Best Moment To Buy The Stock! Twitter Stock Price Plunged!

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 24.08.2022 11:27
The US dollar bounced lower, yesterday, following the weak economic data in the US, which showed that the new home slowed, and business contracted. The ugly PMI data also hammered the mood among the European stock traders, as well. The DAX already gave back half of summer gains. But, situation in the British FTSE 100 is different, as the FTSE 100 has a solid exposure to energy and mining stocks, and having exposure to energy stocks is still one of the most interesting hedging options. Crude Oil Price Speaking of oil, oil stocks were boosted again yesterday, by firmer oil prices after crude rebounded past the $93 level on news that OPEC could cut production as they feel that the prices fell too much over the past two months. Also, the latest API data came to support the oil and oil stock bulls, as the latest figures suggested another bigger-than-expected decline in the US oil inventories. We can now say that there are signs of a positive momentum building among the oil bulls despite the recession woes. The rebound in oil prices, along with the surge in nat gas futures could have two effects depending on the market’s actual mood. In one hand, the higher energy prices dampen the economic activity, and therefore could revive the Fed doves. But on the other hand, the rebound in energy prices boost inflation and inflation expectations, and therefore could keep the Fed hawks alert. Which scenario is more likely to influence the market pricing?   Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:34 Stocks under pressure as weak data couldn’t revive Fed hawks 1:38 DAX gave back half of summer gains on deepening energy crisis 3:22 But FTSE remains a good hedge against soaring energy 5:20 What does rebound in oil means for market pricing? 6:17 Hedge funds increase bets against S&P500 companies 7:44 Tesla’s 3-for-1 stock split is about to happen! 8:15 Twitter down 7% on whistle-blower complaint 8.57 What we will be watching today? Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #market #selloff #Fed #JacksonHole #USD #EUR #DAX #FTSE #enegry #crisis #inflation #USD #EUR #crude #oil #natgas #energy #stocks #XOM #Chevron #BP #Tesla #stocksplit #Twitter #ElonMusk #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
The GBP/USD Pair's Traders Still Use Every Opportunity To Buy

UK Inflation Is The Highest In Decades!!! China Still Closing Factories, Toyota And Apple Are In Danger?

Saxo Strategy Team Saxo Strategy Team 18.08.2022 09:48
Summary:  U.S. equities took a pause from their week-long advance, with S&P 500 retreating before its 200-day moving average. Target’s Q2 results disappointed as the retailer suffered from high inventories and U.S. consumers shifted from discretionary to grocery items. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I)  U.S.’s advance higher took a pause yesterday amid higher bond yields and disappointing results from Target (TGT:xnys), -2.7%. Target’s Q2 earnings fell sharply and missed consensus expectations on weaker gross margins due to slower sales in discretionary items and inventory impairments.  Lowe’s (LOW:xnys) reported mixed results, with earnings beating estimates but same-store sales growth weaker than expected. Higher U.S. bond yields triggered by a dramatic rise in U.K. bond yields and reported pension fund rebalancing-related selling added to the equity weakness.  S&P 500 dropped 0.7% and Nasdaq 100 shed 1.2%.  U.S. treasury yields rose from spilling over from a massive rise in U.K. Gilt yields and weak 20-year bond auction U.S. 10-year treasury yields jumped 9bps to 3.05%, taking cues from the sharp move higher in U.K. Gilts and European sovereign bond yields following white-hot UK CPI data. Long-end yields moved further higher on poor results from the 20-year auction.  Short-end yields fell in the late afternoon after the July FOMC minutes signaling that it “would become appropriate at some point to slow the pace of policy rate increases” which reaffirmed the market’s expectation of a 50bps, instead of 75bps on the September FOMC.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIQ2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index bounced modestly by 0.5%; CSI399 gained 9.6%. Meituan (03690:xhkg) rallied 3.3% after a 9% drop yesterday due to a Reuters story suggesting that Tencent (00700:xhkg) plans to divest its 17% stake (USD24 billion) in Meituan. Tencent denied such a divesture plan last night.  Power tools and floor care equipment maker and a supplier to Home Depot (HD:xnys) and Wal Mart (WMT:xnys), Techtronic Industries (00669:xhkg) jumped more than 10% after better-than-expected results from the two U.S. retailers. China Resources Power (00836:xhkg) +5.7% after reporting weak 1H22 results but more wind and solar projects on the pipeline. Other Chinese power producers also outperformed amid power shortages. China Power (02380:xhkg) surged more than 8%. On Tuesday, China’s Premier Li Keqiang visited Shenzhen and held a meeting with provincial chiefs from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, and Sichuan to reiterate the central government’s push for full use of policies to stabilize the economy. Hong Kong Exchanges (00388:xhkg) fell 1.6% after reporting lower revenues, higher costs, and a 22% YoY decline in EPS, worse than market expectations. After the market close, Tencent reported weak but in line with expectations revenues and better-than-feared earnings in Q2. Tencent’s ADR climbed 3.5% overnight from the Hong Kong close. AUDUSD eying the labor market report, GBP will see more pain ahead A mixed session again overnight for the US dollar with FOMC minutes and US retail sales failing to provide any fresh impetus to the markets. AUDUSD was the biggest loser on the G10 board, sliding below 0.7000 to lows of 0.6911 after real wage data for Q2 showed a massive slump. Labor market data due this morning could further weigh on RBA expectations, if it comes out softer than expected. The weakness seen in the commodity markets, especially iron ore and copper, weighed on the antipodeans. GBPUSD stays above 1.2000 despite a 40bps gains in UK 2-year yields after the double-digit UK CPI print. USDJPY tested the resistance at 135.50 but was rejected for now. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices made a slight recovery overnight, with WTI futures getting back to over $87/barrel and Brent futures close to $94 after data showed US inventories fell sharply. Sentiment was also supported by comments from OPEC’s new Secretary-General, Haitham Al Ghais, who said that world oil demand will rise by almost 3mb/d this year. He also said there is a high chance of a supply squeeze this year, in part because fears of slowing usage in China are exaggerated. This helped to take the focus off the prospects of the Iran nuclear deal for now. What to consider? Stale FOMC minutes hint at sustained restrictive policy Fed’s meeting minutes from the July meeting were released last night, and officials agreed to move to restrictive policy, with some noting that restrictive rates will have to be maintained for some time to bring inflation back to the 2% target. Still, there was also talk of slowing the pace of rate hikes ‘at some point’, despite pushing back against easing expectations for next year. The minutes were broadly in-line with the market’s thinking, and lacked fresh impetus needed to bring up the pricing of Fed’s rate hikes. Chairman Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium next week will be keenly watched for further inputs. US retail sales were a mixed bag July US retail sales are a little softer at the headline level than the market expected (0% growth versus the +0.1% consensus) but the ex-auto came in stronger at 0.4% (vs. -0.1% expected). June’s growth was revised down to 0.8% from 1%. The mixed data confirmed that the US consumers are feeling the pinch from higher prices, but have remained resilient so far and that could give the Fed more room to continue with its aggressive rate hikes. Lower pump prices and further improvements in supply chain could further lift up retail spending in August. UK CPI opens the door for another 50bps rate hike UK headline inflation hits 10.1%, the highest in decades and above the 9.8% expected and for the month-on-month reading of +0.6%, higher than the +0.4% expected. Core inflation hit 6.2% vs. 5.9% expected and 5.8% in Jun. That matched the cycle high from back in April. Retail inflation rose +0.9% MoM and +12.3% YoY vs. +0.6%/+12.0% expected, respectively. The Bank of England has forecast that inflation will peak out this fall at above 13%. While the central bank forecasted a recession lasting for five quarters at the last meeting, it will be hard for them to not press ahead with further tightening at the August meeting, and in fact the scope for another 50bps rate hike is getting bigger. Reserve Bank of New Zealand hikes 50 basis points to 3.00%, forecasts 4% policy rate peak The RBNZ both increased and brought forward its peak rate forecast to 4.00%, a move that was actually interpreted rather neutrally – more hawkish for now, but suggesting that the RBNZ would like to pause after achieving 4.00%. RBNZ Governor warned in a press conference that New Zealand home prices will continue to fall. This is actually a desired outcome after a huge spike in housing speculation and prices due to low rates from the pandemic response and massive pressure from a Labor-led government that had promised lower housing costs were behind the RBNZ’s quick pivot and more aggressive hiking cycle in 2021. Australian wages grew at their quickest pace in eight years, but less than expected Australia’s wage-price index gained 0.7% in the second quarter, just shy of estimates further pressuring the Aussie dollar back toward its 50-day moving average against the US dollar. Annual wage growth came in at 2.6% but real wages - adjusted for headline inflation fell 1% QoQ, and was 3.3% lower than a year earlier, eroding consumer spending power. What’s next. All eyes will be on Australia’s Reserve Bank which might be pressured to hike more than expected at its September meeting. Despite Australian wages growing slower than expected, the RBA estimates retail gas and electric prices to rise 10-15% in the second half of the year, so that will be a focus point when they consider their next move in interest rates. Tencent reported weak but in-line Q2 revenues and better-than-feared earnings Tencent reported a revenue decline of 3% YoY in Q2, weak but in line with market expectations.  Non-GAAP operating profit was down 14% YoY to RMB 36.7 billion and EPS fell 17% YoY to RMB2.90 but they beat analyst estimates.  Revenues from advertising, -18% YoY, were better than expected.  In the game segment, weaker mobile game revenues were offset by stronger PC game revenues. Disappointing results from Target and mixed results from Lowe’s Target reported EPS of USD0.39, missing estimates.  The company indicated strength in food and beverage, beauty, and household essentials but weaker in discretionary categories.  Gross margin of 21.5%, down from 30.4% year-ago quarter and below expectations. Lowe’s reported better than expected EPS of USD4.67 (vs consensus USD4.58) but a decline of 0.3% in same-store sales.  Lowe’s inventories grew 11.6% YoY, substantially lower than peer Home Depot.  With a 15% increase in product costs, the inventory volume was in effect down low-single digit. Power crunch in China shut factories Chongqing is limiting power supply to industrial users from yesterday to next Wednesday.  In Sichuan, Foxconn’s Chengdu factory is suspending operations for six days from August 15 to 20 due to a regional power shortage. The suspension is affecting Foxconn’s supply of iPad to Apple.  The company says the impact “has been limited at the moment” but it may affect shipments if the power outage persists.  The Chengdu government is imposing power curbs on industrial users to ensure electricity supply for the city’s residents.  Toyota and CATL are also suspending some operations in Sichuan due to a power shortage. Foxconn has started test production of the Apple watch in Vietnam Foxconn has started test production of the Apple watch in its factories in Vietnam. With the passage of CHIPS and Science Act earlier this month in the U.S., investors are monitoring closely if Taiwanese and Korean chipmakers as well as their customers may be accelerating the building up of production capacity away from China.  World’s biggest Sovereign Wealth fund posts its biggest half-year loss on record   Norway’s oil fund, the world’s biggest owner of public traded companies lost 14.4% in the six months through to June. In currency terms that’s $174 billion. The slump was driven by the fund’s loss in technology stocks with Meta Platforms (owning Facebook and Instagram) and Amazon, leading the decline. However, just like the market, the fund’s energy sector delivered positive share price performance, benefiting from a sharp rise in earnings in the oil, gas, and refined energy product sector. Meanwhile, investments in logistics property helped the fund’s unlisted real estate holdings gain 7.1%, though they account for 3% of its assets. Japan’s inflation will surge further Japan’s nationwide CPI for July is due to be reported at the end of the week. July producer prices came in slightly above expectations at 8.6% y/y (vs. estimates of 8.4% y/y) while the m/m figure was as expected at 0.4%. The continued surge reflects that Japanese businesses are waddling high input price pressures, and these are likely to get passed on to the consumers, suggesting further increases in CPI remain likely. More government relief measures are likely to be announced, while any little hope for a Bank of Japan pivot is fading. Bloomberg consensus estimates are calling for Japan’s CPI to accelerate to 2.6% y/y from 2.4% previously, with the ex-fresh food number seen at 2.4% y/y vs. 2.2% earlier. For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: APAC Daily Digest: What is happening in markets and what to consider next – August 18, 2022
The Commodities Feed: China's 2023 growth target underwhelms markets

Rate Hike Didn't Turn AUD Upside Down. S&P 500 (SPX) Decreased By 0.41%, Nasdaq Lost 0.74%.

ING Economics ING Economics 07.09.2022 08:28
Surging bond yields won't help risk sentiment Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global: US equities returned from their holiday yesterday, but the mood remained gloomy, with the S&P500 dropping 0.41% and the NASDAQ falling 0.74%. The session wasn’t particularly brutal. Both indices just fell at the open and stayed low. Equity futures remain in the red today, so the slow bleed in equities looks like it will continue today. However, given the sharp pick up in 2Y US Treasury yields (+11.6bp), it is a bit surprising that equities didn’t fall even more. 10Y yields also added 16bp, taking them to 3.349%. There is probably still some more upside here, but after these moves, we may see a bit of consolidation. Bond futures aren’t suggesting much direction currently. The EUR continues to lose ground to the USD, and EURUSD is now 0.9894. The AUD also took no comfort from yesterday’s 50bp rate hike from the Reserve Bank of Australia and has slid to 0.6729. At 1.1508, Cable is also well down and we are probably looking at a 1.14 handle before long. The JPY has also continued its ascent, rising to 143.24. It’s not clear what or how this dollar rampage will be ended. The USD is looking a bit overbought right now, so like bonds, we may see a pause in the carnage before too long. The CNY led the other Asia Pacific currencies in retreat yesterday, moving to 6.9545. G-7 Macro: European labour market and revised 2Q22 GDP figures are on today’s calendar, together with German July industrial production (-0.6%MoM fall expected). These are followed later by the US Trade numbers for July which are expected to show the trade deficit narrowing to USD70.2bn. Markets may withhold some of their firepower for tomorrow's ECB meeting.  Australia: At 0930 SGT, Australia releases its 2Q22 GDP numbers. We are looking for a slightly stronger than consensus 1.0%QoQ figure (consensus is 0.9%QoQ). Yesterday’s net export contribution and last week’s capex figures both indicate some upside to the consensus forecast. The GDP numbers won’t directly affect the RBA’s rate-setting thinking, but they will highlight the scale of the job that needs to be done to get inflation back down to target. China: China will release trade data today. We expect export growth to exceed import growth, leading to a trade balance of nearly USD100bn in August. Our expectation of almost no growth in imports reflects the weakness of the domestic economy, though the big trade balance could help support GDP growth slightly. Taiwan: Taiwan will also release trade data today. We should see a similar picture to that in Mainland China with exports growing faster than imports. The key detail to watch is semiconductor-related exports and imports. This is especially important for imports, which will provide a hint about the growth prospects of semiconductor exports that are so important for Taiwan’s economy. Korea: The current account balance recorded a surplus of USD 1.1bn in July but the goods trade account turned to a deficit of USD -1.2 bn, the first time it has done so since April 2012. This is mostly due to higher energy prices, but also, export growth slowed due to weak IT demand and weak exports to China.  In the financial account, domestic stock equity investments by foreigners declined for the sixth straight month, while bond investment continued its increase from January 2020. Japan: USDJPY slid to 143 for the first time since 1998. Rate differential widening is the main reason for this depreciation. The recent better-than-expected US data probably also pushed the yen weaker. USDJPY may show some correction this morning, but the trend direction is not likely to change any time soon. We expect there will be more verbal intervention but this is unlikely to be effective at this point. Japan’s last intervention to curb depreciation was in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis. Despite the yen’s rapid depreciation, we still don’t believe it will trigger a policy shift by the Bank of Japan. What to look out for: China trade data and ECB meeting Australia GDP (7 September) China trade (7 September) Taiwan trade (7 September) US trade balance (7 September) Japan GDP (8 September) Australia trade balance (8 September) ECB policy meeting (8 September) US initial jobless claims (8 September) Philippines trade (9 September) China CPI inflation (9 September) US wholesale trade (9 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
USD Stable as Oil Prices Rebound Ahead of US CPI Report Release

Bearish Is Dominating Market Sentiment Among Individual Investors

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 08.09.2022 13:29
Summary:  Going back to 1987 individual investors have only been this bearish in less than 2% of the time. Extreme pessimism is often a good starting point for being contrarian and betting on a rebound. In today's equity note we test whether history has shown that it is a good idea to bet on being long equities when bearishness is dominating market sentiment among individual investors. Extreme pessimism is often fuel for a good rebound The American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) asks their members every about their sentiment using the question ”I fell that the direction of the stock market over the next 6 months will be”. From these answers AAII compute the percentage of their members that answered this question in terms of bullish, neutral, or bearish. The spread between the percentages being bullish vs bearish declined today to -35.2% which is an extremely negative reading only observed in less than 2% of the time. The question is whether this statistics have any information value for traders and investors. While the question is examining expectation over a 6-month horizon, it is more interesting to observe whether it has any predictive power over a shorter time horizon. First we identify all the weeks when the bull-bear spread has been lower than -30, which is 37 times since 1987. Three of these observations have been within the last 12 weeks. In our analysis we then calculate the forward 1, 4, 8, and 12-week return going long the S&P 500 Index if the spread is below -30. The table below shows the excess return over S&P 500 on such a strategy which is done by subtracting the average S&P 500 return since 1987 for these different time horizons. If a signal has any informational value then it should be able to beat the passive returns by just being invested in US equities. The average excess return in percentage is -0.11% for the 1-week holding period but then jumps to 1.33% for the 4-week horizon and 1.29% and 1.49% for the 8-week and 12-week holding period respectively. This looks good at first sight, but the average always comes with variance and if we apply a standard t-test on the samples of each holding period scenario then we see that the probability of these different samples being statistically significant from zero excess return is not very high. The best test statistic is for the 4-week holding period at t = 1.28 which correspond to a p-value of 0.21, which is not statistically significant under normal circumstances. In a low signal-to-noise process such as the equity market the question is whether the odds are good enough to bet on. The confidence interval is -0.79% to 3.46% after all, so we let each trader decide for himself whether the odds are stacked in favour of a rebound. One should note that many of the most bearish readings are clustered in time which means that the 34 observations that we are calculating our statistics on are not truly independent and thus the statistical significance is weaker than the numbers displayed below suggest. Outside the world of statistics, yesterday’s price action felt technical across both bond and equities as there was no real news driving the move. It seems the market might be positioning itself differently ahead of the important US CPI print on Tuesday where a lower than estimated inflation figure could ignite a short-term rally equities. These considerations are worth melting into the decision process of whether this is a good time to go long again.     Source: Do the odds favour a rebound in equities | Saxo Group (home.saxo)
Brent hits one-month high! Saudi and Russian cuts supporting recent moves

Increases On The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 09.09.2022 08:41
  At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones rose 0.61%, the S&P 500 rose 0.66% and the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.60%. Salesforce.com Inc was the leading gainer among the components of the Dow Jones index today, up 3.62 points or 2.36% to close at 156.90. JPMorgan Chase & Co rose 2.70 points or 2.33% to close at 118.60. Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose 4.82 points or 1.46% to close at 335.38. The losers were 3M Company shares, which lost 1.28 points or 1.06% to end the session at 119.27. Apple Inc was up 1.51 points (0.97%) to close at 154.45, while Honeywell International Inc was down 1.27 points (0.67%) to close at 187. 82. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, which rose 18.85% to 708.85, Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc, which gained 7.89% to close at 30 .62, as well as shares of Invesco Plc, which rose 4.77% to close the session at 17.36. The biggest losers were McCormick & Company Incorporated, which shed 6.71% to close at 79.30. Shares of Kraft Heinz Co lost 3.38% to end the session at 36.06. Quotes Campbell Soup Company fell in price by 2.98% to 47.84. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were ShiftPixy Inc, which rose 176.54% to 31.00, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc, which gained 51.01% to close at 27.03, and shares of Rubius Therapeutics Inc, which rose 48.58% to close the session at 1.29. The drop leaders were Troika Media Group Inc, which shed 26.83% to close at 0.48. Shares of Ensysce Biosciences Inc shed 17.71% to end the session at 0.33. Quotes of Biophytis fell in price by 17.67% to 0.91. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that rose in price (1,743) exceeded the number of those that closed in the red (1,342), and quotes of 154 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2274 companies rose in price, 1485 fell, and 268 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, fell 4.18% to 23.61. Gold Futures for December delivery lost 0.47%, or 8.20, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI October futures rose 0.99%, or 0.81, to $82.75 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery rose 0.59%, or 0.52, to $88.52 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair remained unchanged, 0.01% to 1.00, while USD/JPY was up 0.25% to hit 144.05. Futures on the USD index fell 0.17% to 109.65. Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-10 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/292080
Summary Of The Week On Financial Markets

Summary Of The Week On Financial Markets

Ed Moya Ed Moya 11.09.2022 09:18
This week suddenly ends on a positive note as the S&P 500 broad market index, which started to climb on Wednesday, has lead the major stock market indicator to 4032 points, the highest since August 30. This is very strange considering all the negative news that could have affected the stock market this week. The European Central Bank (ECB) raised all interest rates by 75 basis points. This is the second time in the history of the single currency that such a move has been performed. The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed the central bank will continue to do everything needed to bring inflation down to the 2.0% target. This kind of rhetoric is also being echoes by ECB President Christine Lagarde who has assured markets that the Bank is likely to take further bold steps to raise interest rates over the coming months. The message from these two bank leaders may enforce stocks to continue to move down.  However, investors found a reason to pull on the breaks and stop markets from another sell-off. Chicago Fed Bank President Charles Evans supported investors by saying that the next inflation report next week may point to how much the Fed could raise its interest rates this month. "If I saw inflation maybe cooling a little bit that's not going to change the fact that I still think we are going to need to top out at something like 3.5% to 4%, it's just that maybe we don't have to do it that soon," Evans said. Some investors were flooded with euphoria after crude prices fell by 16% over the last two month. It is clear that inflation may slow down significantly in August and perhaps prompt a less-than-expected Fed interest rate move.  It sounds more like wishful thinking as inflation is considerably above the existing level of interest rates for the Fed to pull the breaks on, even if prices slowed down in August. However, many investors are seen to support the idea and hope for stocks to recover. Even though some investors are holding onto hope, we should not exclude the possibility that a downside path of stock indexes could be a bit bumpy. The technical picture for the S&P 500 index is still negative as it is moving within an aggressive downside formation after it failed to climb above 4020 points on Thursday. This has now become a strong resistance level that may send the index back to the downside targets at 3850-3950 points. More negative drivers may send the index further down to the extreme secondary targets at 3600-3700 points, and even further down to heartbreaking 3000-3100 points.  In recent weeks, short positions at 70% of the targeted volume were opened at the average price of 4285-4290 points. The rest of the 30% could be opened once strong reliable downside signals emerge. The final downside target in the long-term is located at 2100-2300 points that could be reached by the end of 2022. The oil market made a huge step to the downside towards $75-85 per barrel of the Brent crude benchmark. Crude prices dipped down amid new anti-covid measures in China, unwinding global recession fears and a sharp rise of oil inventories in the United States. Brent prices slipped down to $87-88 per barrel, the lowest since January 2022, and are likely to continue down to the extreme targets at $50-65 per barrel that could be hit by November. In the short-term crude prices are less predictable making any entry points unreliable at the moment.  Gold prices are on a downside slide and they may last until the end of October. The primary scenario suggests prices may reach $1350-1450 per ounce by November. So, it would be reasonable to open short or small-short positions considering the current price movement at $1730 per ounce. The Euro was cheered on by the ECB’s decision to sharpen its interest rates hike, changing its formation to the aggressive upside with a primary target at 1.02500-1.03500. A reasonable correction to 1.00500-1.00800 is needed to open long positions. Once this correction is made the EURUSD could be interesting for long trades. GBPUSD also changed its formation to the aggressive upside with a target at 1.18000-1.18500. The pair needs to step back to 1.15300-1.15800 to be interesting to open long positions.
Brent hits one-month high! Saudi and Russian cuts supporting recent moves

Increases At The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 13.09.2022 08:02
At the close in the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones rose 0.71%, the S&P 500 index rose 1.06%, the NASDAQ Composite index rose 1.27%. The leading performer among the components of the Dow Jones index today was Apple Inc, which gained 6.06 points or 3.85% to close at 163.43. Quotes of American Express Company rose by 4.01 points (2.53%), closing the session at 162.45. Salesforce Inc rose 3.04 points or 1.87% to close at 165.63. The biggest losers were Amgen Inc, which shed 10.07 points or 4.07% to end the session at 237.62. Home Depot Inc was up 2.23 points (0.74%) to close at 297.54, while Johnson & Johnson was down 0.07 points (0.04%) to end at 165. .64. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were DXC Technology Co, which rose 5.98% to hit 28.36, APA Corporation, which gained 5.01% to close at 40.00, and shares of Fortinet Inc, which rose 4.20% to end the session at 55.84. The biggest losers were The Mosaic Company, which shed 6.76% to close at 52.44. Shares of Amgen Inc lost 4.07% to end the session at 237.62. Quotes of CF Industries Holdings Inc decreased in price by 4.05% to 99.48. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Neurobo Pharmaceuticals Inc, which rose 101.30% to hit 0.56, InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc, which gained 70.42% to close at 18.78, and also shares of Ventyx Biosciences Inc, which rose 64.98% to end the session at 38.11. The biggest losers were Tuesday Morning Corp, which shed 31.19% to close at 0.19. Shares of WeTrade Group Inc lost 30.19% and ended the session at 1.11. Akari Therapeutics PLC was down 27.88% to 0.75. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that rose in price (2,360) exceeded the number of those that closed in the red (764), while quotes of 160 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2431 companies rose in price, 1384 fell, and 259 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 4.74% to 23.87. Gold futures for December delivery added 0.43%, or 7.45, to $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for October delivery rose 1.36%, or 1.18, to $87.97 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery rose 1.44%, or 1.34, to $94.18 a barrel. Meanwhile, on the Forex market, EUR/USD rose 0.81% to hit 1.01, while USD/JPY edged up 0.21% to hit 142.82. Futures on the USD index fell 0.60% to 108.08.       Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-14 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/292447
Reduction In Demand For Power In UK, Bank of Japan Plans To Maintain Current Policy

Reduction In Demand For Power In UK, Bank of Japan Plans To Maintain Current Policy

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 13.09.2022 09:26
Summary:  Equity sentiment remained upbeat and the US dollar weakened further despite a surge higher in US Treasury yields. Globally sustained inflation pressures, such as those in Japan’s producer prices and New Zealand’s food prices, continues to raise concerns. US inflation print for August takes all the attention today with impact likely to reverberate through markets but unlikely to change the Fed’s upcoming rate hike at the September meeting. Precious metals tested key resistance levels and crude oil prices made a recovery as well. The lack of consensus on EU energy proposals may spark some concerns. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) extend their bear market bounce U.S. equities extended the bear market bounce for the fourth day amid a relatively uneventful and light volume day. The S&P 500 rose 1.1%, Nasdaq 100 up 1.2%. It comes despite bond yields rising, with the 30-year yield hitting a new high of 3.53%. Meanwhile the volatility index, the VIX rose for the first time in four days to 23.9, suggesting uncertainty could be brewing. Noteworthy moves in US stocks   Apple (AAPL:xnas) contributed to the days move, accounting for more than 60 points of the 151 points in Nasdaq 100, after the stock surged 3.9% on strong pre-order data of the new iPhone 14. A larger number of call options were traded on Apple shares on Monday. Twitter (TWTR:xnys) lost 1.7% after it sent a letter to Elon Musk and said the company intends to enforce Musk’s agreement to buy the company. Oracle (ORCL:xnys) reported sales growth of 18% to $11.4 billion, with higher contributions from cloud computing and the newly acquired Cerner, a health records provider. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.03, below the analyst consensus of $1.06 as per the Bloomberg survey. Oracle shares gained 1.3% in after-hours trading. Gilead Sciences (GILD:xnas) surged 4.2% following the settlement of an HIV drug intellectual property dispute. Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY:xnys) gained 3.2% as regulators approved the company’s psoriasis drug.  US treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) The treasury yield curve bear steepened on Monday, with the 30-year yield finishing the day at 3.51%, a new high just a little above the previous high print in June. The long-end, yields of the 10-years through 30-years jumped 5 to 6 bps after the poor 3-year notes and 10-year notes auctions, in particular the latter. The 10-year auction stopped at a yield of 3.33%, which was 2.7 bps higher than the notes were trading at 1:00 pm New York time when the results were announced. The 10-year notes weakened to finish the day at 3.36%. In addition to the USD41 billion 3-year and USD32 billion 10-year auctions, eight corporate new issues with a total size of about USD12 billion came to the market yesterday. The decline in the inflation expectations print in the New York Fed’s survey of consumer expectations did not move the treasury markets which had the day’s focus on supply. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong and China markets were closed on Monday for a public holiday.  Overnight in U.S. trading, the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index bounced by 2.8%.  Chinese EV maker, NIO (NIO:xnys) soared 13.7% following Deutsche Bank and BoA Merrill Lynch analysts reiterating “buy” rating as well as reiterating and raising price targets respectively.  EURUSD recovery extended, but risks ahead EURUSD tested highs of 1.02 on Monday amid some optimism on Ukraine’s military advances and Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel signaling support for further interest-rate hikes in Europe. Gains however cooled later with ECB's Scicluna suggesting the central bank will continue with rate hikes but they are unlikely to be as large as the 75bps hike seen last week. Meanwhile, EUR/GBP printed a fresh YTD high of 0.8722 before unwinding the gains later. Pressure could build on EUR as the EU energy proposals will likely face some opposition, and US CPI data today will also be on watch. Russia may also increase the energy pressure on Europe if Ukraine’s advances stick. Crude oil prices (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices saw some recovery on Monday amid a softer USD as well as weaker US inflation expectations from the NY Fed offset some of the weaker dollar concerns. Iran nuclear deal also seems to be making little progress, delaying any possible relief on the supply side. WTI futures rose to $88/barrel while the Brent futures were up at $94/barrel. US CPI data due later today is key to further gauge the path of Fed’s rate hikes from here, and the EU energy proposals will also be a key catalyst. Gold (XAUUSD) and Silver (XAGUSD) Gold rose on Monday as the dollar extended its retreat from a record high ahead of US inflation data due later today, which could potentially slow down the pace of Fed’s rate hikes if the headline print is softer than expected. Gold tested $1734, the 21-day SMA and 38.2% retracement of the August slump, but was rejected and back below $1730 in early Asian trading. Silver also rallied sharply to touch the $20-mark supported by a weaker dollar, higher gold prices and signs of tightness supporting the copper market. Last Tuesday speculators held the largest short position in three years and the continued rally is now forcing broad short covering.   What to consider? US CPI print will point to higher and stickier price pressures With the labor market remaining strong in the U.S. over the last few months, the focus has remained on the inflation data to predict the path of the Fed’s rate hikes. Clearly, all of the Fed’s members have had a unified hawkish stance since the Jackson Hole conference, and many have clearly hinted at a 75bps rate hike for September. Tuesday’s US CPI report is the one to watch, as it can move the market pricing of the Fed’s rate path and is the last key data point scheduled to release ahead of the September 21 Fed meeting. After some softening in July, it can be expected that the headline print may ease further in August as well given the decline in gasoline prices. Still, the inflation print is likely to stay elevated due to the stickier shelter and services costs, as well as still-high energy and food prices. Consensus estimates point to a mild decline of 0.1% MoM while the core remains strong at 0.3% MoM. EU proposes mandatory cuts to power use and profit levies It is expected that the EU draft energy plan will include mandatory power demand cut, an “exception and temporary” levy on oil, gas, coal and refining companies, as well as revenue caps for non-gas fuelled power generators. There is likely to be opposition from some of the member states, as the plan is detailed out tomorrow. Here is another sign inflation is not peaking; New Zealand food inflation hits a 13-year high New Zealand food prices rose 8.3% over the year to August 2022, which is the biggest annual increase since July 2009, according to data from Statistics New Zealand. The surge was mainly driven by a 8.7% increase in grocery food prices compared to a year ago, after fruit and vegetable prices rose 15%. Prices for staples like, eggs, yogurt, and cheddar cheese saw the largest moves in grocery prices. Companies to look at that sell food and dairy products to supermarkets include Costa Group (CGC), as well as A2 Milk (A2M) and Bega Cheese (BGA) and Synlait Milk (SM1). The New Zealand dollar rose to a two-week high against the USD, on expectation the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will need to keep hiking rates. Japan producer prices remain above expectations Japan’s August PPI was up 9.0% y/y (vs. 8.9% y/y expected) while last month’s was also revised higher to 9.0% y/y from 8.6% y/y previously. The m/m print was slightly softer at 0.2% vs. 0.4% expected, but continued to show rising cost pressures amid the surge in commodity prices and a weaker yen. This suggests more CPI pain is in the pipeline, and the resolve of Bank of Japan to maintain accommodative policy will continue to be tested. New York Fed 1-year consumer inflation expectations at 10-month lows The latest NY Fed consumer inflation expectation gauges declined sharply, suggesting easing price pressures. Expectations for US inflation three-years ahead fell to two-year lows to come in at 2.8% in August, while the one-year ahead gauge was at 5.7%, a 10-month low. Meanwhile, inflation expectations on a five-year horizon fell to 2% from 2.3% previously, suggesting that inflation expectations remain anchored. Gloomy economic outlook for the United Kingdom According to the Office of National Statistics, UK GDP grew only 0.2% month-over-month in July. This is less than expected (0.4 % month-over-month). The weakness is mostly centered on the industry and the construction sector. This is worrying. There is no big bank holiday effect. However, there is anecdotal evidence of a reduction in demand for power because of cost, but it was also a hot month. In addition, the UK July industrial production fell 0.3% month-over-month versus expected +0.3%. Expect negative print in the eurozone for the same period too. California’s electricity infrastructure is under severe tension According to data released over the weekend by California Independent System Operator, demand on California’s power grid hit an all-time high on 6 September above 50,000 MW. The last two times it was close to this threshold was in 2007 and in 2017. The situation is getting worse and worse. Oracle reported sales in line with expectations but missed EPS estimates Oracle (ORCL:xnys) reported sales growth of 18% to $11.4 billion, in line with expectations. The sales growth was largely attributable to contributions from cloud computing and the newly acquired Cerner, a health records provider. Adjusted income came in at USD1.68 billion, a 33% drop from last year quarter and missing analyst estimates.  Adjusted EPS was $1.03, below the analyst consensus of $1.06 as per the Bloomberg survey. The earnings miss was partly due to FX losses which were results of a stronger dollar. Banking job cuts? Goldman Sachs is getting ready for jobs cuts. Who’s next? Goldman to report a 40% drop in earnings, which will foreshadow job cuts. However, there could be a lot of stake; in July Goldman said it planned to slow hiring and reinstate performance reviews. There is a huge question looming about how banks will get work with global deal volumes having dropped by about $1 trillion from a year ago. Investment banks are reliant on equity capital markets and IPOs and our sense is that more job cuts could be coming with inflation set to continue to rise, and push up the yield curve, and official interest rates into next year. For investors the takeaway here is that while markets remain uncertainty and rates are rising, investment banks will likely continue to face pressure. Banking ETFs, such as Vanguard Financials ETF (VFH) and Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) are both down about 13% from their October 2021 peaks. Although they are both rallying amid the bear market bounce lately, we think the sector is likely to pair back again once stronger US data comes out and Fed suggests more rate hikes are coming.   For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.     Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/apac-daily-digest-13-sept-2022-13092022
Asia morning bites - 16.05.2023

Nintendo And Sales Success, Natural Gas Prices In Europe Trade At Their Lowest

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 13.09.2022 09:35
Summary:  The equity market rally extended further yesterday, in part on hopes that Ukrainian battleground successes bring the chance of the war ending sooner rather than later and as natural gas prices in Europe trade at their lowest in more than a month. Today’s August US CPI release will be the critical event risk for whether the improvement in sentiment can extend. A hot core CPI number could yet spoil the party, while another soft number like July’s could boost the “peak Fed” narrative for a while and see the rally extend if treasury yields also drop in response.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities extended their gains yesterday with S&P 500 futures rallying another 1.5% closing at 4,130. This morning the index futures are continuing higher as the market is clearly positioning itself for a positive US August inflation figure later today which could see S&P 500 futures extend to 4,200. It is worth keeping in mind that the medium-term outlook has not changed much on inflation and a significant slowdown in the US releasing its oil reserves could quickly add renewed pressure on energy prices. But the key event to watch today is the US August CPI report out at 12:30 GMT. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen returned from a long weekend and traded moderately higher, Hang Seng Index +0.4%, CSI 300 +0.7%. HSBC (00005:xhkg) climbed 1.8% after its CFO said the bank was considering resuming share buybacks in the second half of next year and raising staff pay in 2023. Alibaba (09988:xhkg) gained 2.4%. NIO (09866:xhkg) jumped 17.2% following analysts reiterating “buy” on the EV maker.  Chinese biotech stocks traded in Hong Kong fell after US President Biden signed an executive order to develop a strategy to “mitigate risks posed by foreign adversary involvement in the biomanufacturing supply chain”, Wuxi Biologics -18.4%, Wuxi AppTec (02359:xhkg) – 14.4%, Genscript Biotech (01548:xhkg) -8.4%.  USD status, please European currencies surged yesterday on hopes that Ukrainian battlefield successes will compound and bring peace sooner rather than later. EURUSD rose up through key local resistance at 1.0100, but the move didn’t well, with plenty of backfilling. Elsewhere, the USD is in technical limbo in pairs like USDCAD (the 1.3000 area refusing to completely let go) and AUDUSD (a strong sense that the choppy bearish trend is ending would be a solid surge-and-hold above 0.7000.) Today’s US CPI release could give us a firmer sense of USD direction, with weaker inflation across the board relative to expectations and an easing back lower of treasury yields likely required to take the USD firmly lower. JPY crosses back higher as yields rise Expect JPY crosses to the be the most sensitive to any sharp move in US treasury yields off the back of the US August CPI data today. After surging to new local highs yesterday, the JPY bounced back a bit. The focus in USDJPY is on the cycle top near 145.00, a break of which likely sets the clock ticking for actual market intervention from Japan’s ministry of finance. Gold (XAUUSD) and Silver (XAGUSD) Gold rose on Monday as the dollar extended its retreat from a record high ahead of US inflation data due later today, which could potentially slow down the pace of Fed’s rate hikes if the headline print is softer than expected. Gold tested $1734, the 21-day SMA and 38.2% retracement of the August slump, and after getting rejected it retraced to $1720 during Asian trading. Silver meanwhile jumped 5% before running into profit taking around $20 with the added support from signs of a tightening copper market and short covering from speculators who in the week to September 6 raised their short bets to a three-year high. Focus on US CPI and its impact on the dollar and future rate hike expectations. Crude oil (CLV2 & LCOX2) Crude oil continues to trade above levels that otherwise could signal additional weakness amid worries about demand from China due to harsh anti-virus restrictions and the world in general as central banks attempt to dampen inflation by lowering economic activity through aggressive rate hikes. Instead, the oil market, just like most other commodities, has received support from a weaker dollar and fading prospect of an Iran nuclear deal anytime soon. However, the potential for a fresh and strong upside push in crude oil has faded as the world is going through a period of lower growth. Focus being the collapse of Russian defenses in Ukraine and the response from Moscow, the impact of a potential price cap on Russian oil, and monthly oil market reports from OPEC today and IEA tomorrow. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) The 10-year US Treasury benchmark traded steady near the highs for the recent cycle above 3.30% after an auction of 10-year T-notes yesterday saw demand near the lower end of the range of recent months. A 3-year treasury auction yesterday saw better demand metrics. Treasury traders are watching today’s important US CPI release for clues on whether yields will continue to rise toward the cycle top at 3.50% or ease back again. A 30-year T-bond auction is up after the CPI release today. What is going on? Gloomy economic outlook for the United Kingdom According to the Office of National Statistics, UK GDP grew only 0.2 % month-over-month in July. This is less than expected (0.4 % month-over-month). The weakness is mostly centered on the industry and the construction sector. This is worrying. There is no big bank holiday effect. However, there is anecdotal evidence of a reduction in demand for power because of cost, but it was also a hot month. In addition, the UK July industrial production fell 0.3 % month-over-month versus expected +0.3 %. Expect negative print in the eurozone for the same period too. Ocado sees big miss in Q3 on revenue The UK online grocery retailer reports revenue of £532mn vs est. £557mn as the cost-of-living crisis bites the UK consumer. Ocado sees the value of the average basket down by 6% and energy costs are putting pressure on the operating margin. Nintendo shares surge 5% on game launch record The Japanese game developer announced its biggest Switch console game launch success Splatoon 3 with 3.45mn sold units in Japan in its opening weekend. The success is building on the previous years of strong sales figures for its Switch console and games sold on the console. Shares are up 745% over the past 10 years excluding dividends. Oracle hit expectations in Q1 results The software maker was solid in its performance in its FY23 Q1 results (ending 31 August) delivering $11.4bn in revenue up 18% y/y. The 15-17% revenue growth guidance for the current quarter is also in line with estimates and Oracle indicated that the acquisition of Cerner was going according to plan providing the company with more strengths in its cloud offering. California’s electricity infrastructure is under severe tension According to data released over the weekend by California Independent System Operator, demand on California’s power grid hit an all-time high on 6 September above 50,000 MW. The last two times it was close to this threshold was in 2007 and in 2017. The situation is getting worse and worse. EU proposes mandatory cuts to power use and profit levies It is expected that the EU draft energy plan will include mandatory power demand cut, an “exception and temporary” levy on oil, gas, coal and refining companies, as well as revenue caps for non-gas fuelled power generators. There is likely to be opposition from some of the member states, as the plan is detailed out tomorrow. A rare “triple-dip” La Ninã spanning three northern hemisphere winters is coming Changing temperatures around the world have led to several climate emergencies so far in 2022, from historic flooding, above average temperatures and drought. Parts of the world are expected to experience severe weather for the rest of the year and into 2023, as part of a rare "triple dip La Niña" event according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In Australia it may lead to heavy rain and flooding in the coming months while South America and equatorial Africa could see a repeat of the droughts experienced during the past couple of years. A development that could strengthen concerns about a global food crisis with inventories of several key food items falling to a multi-year lows. Japan producer prices remain above expectations Japan’s August PPI was up 9.0% y/y (vs. 8.9% y/y expected) while last month’s figure was also revised higher to 9.0% y/y from 8.6% y/y previously. The m/m print was slightly softer than expected at 0.2% vs. 0.4% but continued to show rising cost pressures amid the surge in commodity prices and a weaker yen. This suggests more CPI pain is in the pipeline, and the resolve of Bank of Japan to maintain accommodative policy will continue to be tested. New York Fed 1-year consumer inflation expectations at 10-month lows The latest NY Fed consumer inflation expectation gauges declined sharply, suggesting easing price pressures. Expectations for US inflation over three years annualised fell to a two-year low at 2.8% in August, while the one-year ahead gauge was at 5.7%, a 10-month low. Meanwhile, inflation expectations on the five-year horizon fell to 2% annualised from 2.3% previously, suggesting that inflation expectations remain anchored. What are we watching next? U.S. August CPI is out today This is a first estimate and the latest release before the Federal Reserve’s September 20-21 meeting. In July, CPI rose 8.5 % on a yearly basis (much slower than the 9.1 % increase in June). The economist consensus expects inflation to continue decelerating at 8.1 % in August. But core CPI will likely be up. This shows that inflation is broad-based and also expanding into the services sector, for instance. At Saxo Bank, we believe the peak in inflation has passed in the United States in June. But this should not influence the path of monetary policy tightening in the short-term. Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting on 15-16 September This the first time since 2019 that Asian leaders are meeting in person in a bigger strategic forum. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are officially joining the summit and India’s Modi is expected to join as well. Given the recent military success in Ukraine, the pressures are mounting on Russia and Putin Earnings to watch The next important earnings release to watch is Inditex, one of Europe’s largest fashion retailers, which is expected to report revenue growth of 12% y/y in FY23 Q2 (ending 31 July) but with the operating margin expected to show downside pressure. Wednesday: Inditex Thursday: Polestar Automotive, Adobe Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Norway Aug. Region Survey 0900 – Germany Sep. ZEW Survey 1000 – US Aug. NFIB Small Business Optimism 1230 – US Aug. CPI 1700 – US 30-year T-bond Auction 2030 – API's Weekly Report on US Oil and Fuel Inventories During the day: OPEC’s Monthly Oil Market Report Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-sep-13-2022-13092022
EU Gloomy Picture Pointing To A Gradual Approach To Recession

Energy Crisis Cause Recession In The European Union And Great Britain

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 13.09.2022 13:21
Goldman Sachs say a difficult macroeconomic environment in Europe may continue to put pressure on assets, even despite a positive risk/reward ratio, financial support and measures to reduce energy demand. They remarked that they remain wary due to the energy crisis, monetary tightening and the political backdrop around Italy's elections, and only signs of an "imminent market downturn" could change their view. "Our economists expect the energy crisis to push both Europe and the UK into recession, albeit relatively mild, and forecast an acceleration in policy tightening by both the ECB and the Bank of England," Goldman Sachs strategists wrote. The technical picture also points to at least another wave of decline in European indices, which should lead to an update of the yearly lows. European equities have lagged the S&P 500 this year in dollar terms as euro weakened more than 10%. Meanwhile, the region's credit markets continue to be much more stressed than stocks. On the bright side, Europe's 12-month earnings projections are yet to see any major downsides. Although the region's income-based estimates have fallen this year, they still remain above levels reached during the 2008 financial crisis. Relevance up to 11:00 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/321558
Rising Tensions in Japan Amid Currency Market Concerns and BOJ Insights

Stock Market: Who Ended The Day With A Profit And Who With A Loss

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 14.09.2022 08:36
  At the close on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 3.94% to a one-month low, the S&P 500 fell 4.32%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 5.16%. Chevron Corp was the top gainer among the components of the Dow Jones index today, losing 3.09 points or 1.90% to close at 159.41. Quotes of The Travelers Companies Inc fell by 3.11 points (1.88%) to end trading at 162.22. Walmart Inc lost 2.85 points or 2.06% to close at 135.22. The losers were Boeing Co shares, which lost 11.41 points or 7.19% to end the session at 147.31. Intel Corporation was up 2.27 points (7.19%) to close at 29.29, while Home Depot Inc was down 19.61 points (6.59%) to close at 277. 93. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were Corteva Inc, which rose 0.87% to hit 62.65, Twitter Inc, which gained 0.70% to close at 41.70, and shares CF Industries Holdings Inc, which rose 0.67% to end the session at 100.15. The biggest losers were Eastman Chemical Company, which shed 11.34% to close at 84.11. Shares of NVIDIA Corporation lost 9.47% and ended the session at 131.31. Quotes of Meta Platforms Inc decreased in price by 9.37% to 153.13. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Akero Therapeutics Inc, which rose 136.76% to hit 29.05, Aditx Therapeutics Inc, which gained 113.75% to close at 0.37, and also shares of Comera Life Sciences Holdings Inc, which rose 100.00% to end the session at 3.86. The biggest losers were Cardiff Oncology Inc, which shed 41.12% to close at 1.89. Shares of Rent the Runway Inc shed 38.74% to end the session at 3.02. Quotes of InMed Pharmaceuticals Inc decreased in price by 35.73% to 12.07. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2827) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (354), while quotes of 82 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 3,015 stocks fell, 811 rose, and 188 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 14.24% to 27.27, hitting a new monthly high. Gold futures for December delivery lost 1.64%, or 28.50, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI October futures fell 0.26%, or 0.23, to $87.55 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery fell 0.67%, or 0.63, to $93.37 a barrel. Meanwhile, on the Forex market, EUR/USD fell 1.44% to hit 1.00, while USD/JPY edged up 1.23% to hit 144.59. Futures on the USD index rose 1.37% to 109.58. Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-15 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/292655
Yen (JPY) Takes A Stab At Resilience, The Grains Sector Has Survived Well

Yen (JPY) Takes A Stab At Resilience, The Grains Sector Has Survived Well

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 14.09.2022 08:55
Summary:  Equity markets were slammed for their worst losses in more than two years yesterday on a shocking August US CPI print, which showed core inflation rising at twice the anticipated pace for the month. This was a rude shock after a recent strong rally in equities, and US treasury yields jumped, and the US dollar soared as the market rushed to price in the risk that the Fed might hike 100 basis points next week.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities erased most of the gains since 6 September as the market’s positioning ahead of the US August CPI report was completely wrong. Not only did the headline inflation figures not fall m/m, but the core figure is up 0.6% m/m and has been fluctuating around 0.5% m/m for a year suggesting that inflation is getting entrenched at a level suggesting 5-6% annualised inflation in the US. The Fed Funds futures curve immediately shifted downwards lifting peak Fed funds rate at close to 4.5% from around 4% the day before the inflation report. S&P 500 futures tumbled 5.4% from its intraday peak and Nasdaq 100 futures plunged 6.7% from its intraday high. The 3,900 and 12,000 levels are the key levels to watch on the downside in S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures respectively. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Shares traded in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen declined on the back of the worst day in more than two years last night in US equities, with Hang Seng Index at -2.6% and CSI 300 -1.2%. Among the top losers, Techtronic Industries (00669:xhkg) plunged 10.6%, Hua Hong Semiconductor (01347:xhkg), Bilibili (09626:xhkg) and Baidu (09888:xhkg) dropped more than 5%, JD.COM (09618:xhkg) and Alibaba (09988:xhkg) slid about 4%. Tencent (000700:xhkg), -1.4%, had an educational game being approved under a company controlled by Tencent’s executives including co-founder Pony Ma. This is the first time Tencent got a game approval this year though being an educational game, it will unlikely be a significant money-making title. CNOOC (00883:xhkg) and COSCO Shipping Energy outperformed, rising 2%-3%. A typhoon is approaching Shanghai and Ningbo causing major container ports in Shanghai and Ningbo to suspend operations. USD rips back higher – suddenly threatening cycle top after CPI data After the shocking August CPI number from the US yesterday, the US dollar soared higher, taking EURUSD all the way back below parity after nearly trading 1.0200 earlier this week. Elsewhere, the USD was universally higher, with a pair like AUDUSD slamming all the way to the low 0.6700's and therefore not far from the cycle low, while NZDUSD actually posted a cycle low, and GBPUSD trading south of 1.1500 after trading north of 1.1700. Moves by the Bank of Japan and verbal intervention from the Japanese Ministry of Finance helped temper the USD move this morning (more below). Now the focus shifts to next week's FOMC meeting, where the market is now pricing the rising risk that the FOMC could hike 100 basis points. JPY takes a stab at resilience on the anticipation of intervention The Bank of Japan carried out a “rate check” in the FX market, which is widely seen as a precursor for actual market intervention. This tamed the USDJPY move higher from sub-142.00 levels to nearly 145, as the gains were pared back to 144.00, with the JPY also firmer broadly. Finance Minister Suzuki said nothing could be ruled out in response to the weakening JPY and that if the current trend persisted, stepping into markets is an option. But as past experience has shown, intervention often only creates temporary volatility if the underlying issue is not addressed - in this case, the Bank of Japan's insistence on maintaining very low rates and controlling yields out to 10 years. If yields continue to rise globally, Japanese officialdom will have an enormous and likely unwinnable fight on its hands if the Bank of Japan fails to change its policy. Gold (XAUUSD), Silver (XAGUSD) and copper (COPPERUSDEC22) ... all tumbled following the stronger than expected US CPI print, thereby reversing some of the recent weak dollar-led gains. Prior to the release copper had been on a tear reaching $3.7/lb as the LME market continued to signal the tightest market conditions since November on increased demand from China. Gold trades near $1700 and close to the current floor around $1680 after the CPI print strengthened the view the FOMC will have to remain hawkish and continue to aggressively hike rates. However, the risk to economic growth while inflation remains stubbornly high may bring back worries about stagflation, a development that may lend support to investment metals. Continued focus on the dollar and the markets pricing of future inflation expectations. Crude oil (CLV2 & LCOX2) Crude oil traded higher on Tuesday before the hotter-than-expected US CPI print helped send most commodity prices, including oil, lower on fears aggressive rate hikes could curb demand. Earlier the market traded up after OPEC maintained their 2023 outlook for a 2.7 million barrel per day increase in global demand. The EIA delivered the same message last week and the IEA is likely to do the same today when their monthly oil market report is released. Developments that highlight the current discrepancy between the (lower) price action and what these major forecasters are seeing. A recovery later in the day was supported by the Biden admin saying it will consider starting refilling strategic reserves when WTI falls below $80. Ahead of today’s EIA stock report, the API reported a 6m bbl crude stock build, a 3.2m bbl drop in gasoline and 1.8m bbl build in distillates. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) Treasury yields jumped yesterday on the shocking August US CPI data, with the yield curve flattening aggressively as the hot data point saw the market rushing to price in the risk of more aggressive moves to counter inflation at coming meetings. The 10-year yield was taken back toward the cycle top from mid-June at 3.50%. A further rise above this yield level will continue to drive the risk of weaker sentiment and USD strength. What is going on? US August CPI shocks with high core inflation reading The headline US CPI data came in slightly above expectations, with a year-on-year reading of 8.3% vs. 8.1% expected and a month-on-month reading of +0.1% vs. -0.1% expected, a real surprise given sharp drops of late in gasoline prices. But the real shock was the core Ex Food and Energy inflation reading of +0.6% month-on-month, twice what was expected. This triggered an enormous slide in risk sentiment as the market rushed to price the risk that the FOMC might hike as much as 100 basis points next week. As of this morning, about 85 basis points is priced for the meeting. The grains sector maintained a bid on Tuesday ... while most other commodities took a tumble after the US CPI print once again raised concerns about aggressive growth and demand killing rate hikes. With demand being relatively constant the grains sector held up well as the sector continued to focus on supply risks and dwindling inventories. The US Department of Agriculture this week slashed its estimates for soybean supplies from the US, the second-largest producer after Brazil where a lingering “triple-dip” La Nina repeat could bring dry conditions in the coming months. In addition, wheat exports have been cut because of the war in Ukraine, and there’s uncertainty over Ukraine’s grain export corridor after criticism from Putin. Inditex 1H revenue beats estimate The Spanish fashion retailer delivered first-half revenue of €14.9bn vs est. €14.6bn on top of delivering EBITDA margin of 27.1% vs est. 26.8%. Inditex reiterates guidance of online sales exceeding 30% of revenue by 2024. New lockdowns in China Two cities around Beijing announced lockdowns due to Covid risks. Shijiazhuang (over 2.3 million inhabitants) asked all residents of Yuhua district to work from home for a period of three days (expected to end on Friday morning). Sanhe (around 440,000 inhabitants) implemented a full lockdown of its entire population at least until Saturday morning. This underscores the supply chain risks during the winter period in the event China experiences a bigger Covid outbreak. UK August CPI comes in slightly above expectations at core UK inflation came in at 9.9% on the headline versus a slightly higher print expected, but the core inflation level rose to a new cycle high of 6.3%, just above the 6.2% expected. Price pressures are likely to remain elevated this month as well, despite some softening in fuel prices, as food and services costs continue to rise. Further gains in inflation can be expected in October, but the capping of household energy bills may help to soothe inflationary pressures thereafter. Cheniere was the one shining light on Wall Street overnight Cheniere, the US’ biggest LNG exporter, saw its shares rise 3.1% yesterday while markets saw a sea of red when US inflation data came out higher than expected. The highlights the fact that energy companies can and have been able to outperform the market. The largest US exporter of liquefied natural gas boosted its full-year 2022 profit forecast beyond analysts’ expectations as shipments are already set to depart their dock sooner than anticipated. What are we watching next? Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting on 15-16 September This the first time since 2019 that Asian leaders are meeting in person in a bigger strategic forum. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are officially joining the summit and India’s Modi is expected to join as well. Given the recent military success in Ukraine, the pressures are mounting on Russia and Putin Ethereum merger will draw attention The Ethereum blockchain’s much-anticipated software upgrade, the so-called Merge, is expected to take place tomorrow morning, according to its core developers. The new system, known as "proof-of-stake", will slash the Ethereum blockchain's energy consumption by 99.9%, developers say. Most blockchains, including Bitcoin's, devour large amounts of energy, sparking criticism from some investors and environmentalists. The merge could make Ethereum more favourable to pension funds and other institutional investors that are under the scanner for environmental concerns, but there is also come skepticism on how scalable Ethereum could become and if it becomes more susceptible to attacks by hackers. France is expected to enter a recession next year Barclays is the first major international bank to forecast a recession in France next year (2023 GDP growth at minus 0.7 %). This is highly likely, in our view. But it is certainly too early to assess the depth of the recession at this stage. It will depend on the evolution of the energy crisis and the risk of energy rationing. Forecasting is always a complicated task. This is even more complicated now due to the elevated level of uncertainty regarding the short-term economic path. Expect other European countries to enter a recession next year (the United Kingdom, Germany, Hungary etc.). Earnings to watch Inditex has already reported before the European equity market opens (read earnings review above), so the next earnings release in focus is Adobe tomorrow. Analysts expect revenue growth of 12.6% y/y with operating margin jumping back again following cost reduction exercises. The key risks for Adobe are the strong USD, falling technology spending, and lower advertising growth lowering demand for content creation. Today: Inditex Thursday: Polestar Automotive, Adobe Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – IEA's monthly Oil Market Report 0900 - Eurozone Jul. Industrial Production 1230 - US Aug. PPI 1230 - Canada Jul. Manufacturing Sales 1430 - US DoE Weekly Crude Oil and Product Inventories 1430 - ECB's Villeroy to speak 2245 - New Zealand Q2 GDP 2350 - Japan Aug. Trade Balance 0120 - China Rate Announcement 0130 - Australia Aug. Employment Data  Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher     Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-sep-14-2022-14092022
Chinese Stocks: Attractive Valuations Amidst Challenges and a Cyclical Recovery - 12.09.2023

Wow! S&P 500 (SPX) And Nasdaq Plunged Yesterday! Euro, Australian Dollar And Japanese Yen Hit Quite Low Levels

ING Economics ING Economics 14.09.2022 11:08
Asian markets to face a sharp drop after the inflation-driven rout in the US overnight  Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global markets: US CPI data caught markets completely off guard, though in all fairness, there had been a lot of complacency about a figure that was only going to fall because of the volatility in energy markets. What made that US inflation print a much uglier one than forecast, was a much bigger than expected 0.6%MoM increase in the core CPI index, which took core inflation to 6.3%YoY. Core inflation was expected to rise, but not that much. And that upside surprise from core prices totally absorbed any downshift from lower crude oil prices, which resulted in the headline CPI index actually rising slightly on the month, resulting in only a very small decline in headline inflation to 8.3% from 8.5%YoY. See here for our US economist’s views on the figures. The S&P500 gapped lower and ended down 4.32% on the day. The NASDAQ fared even worse, dropping 5.16%. Equity futures suggest that the rout stops here. I’m not sure I would put a big bet on that outcome. Yields on 2Y US Treasuries rose 18.5bp to 3.756%, while those on the 10Y rose a more modest 5bp to 3.4% but are now closing in on the June highs. Here is a piece by our head of rates strategy on whether the 10Y yield could hit 4%. The EUR didn’t hold above parity for very long and is back down to 0.9972. The AUD, which had been nibbling at 0.69 is now back to 0.6733, and the GBP is also down back below 1.15, while the JPY will give the BoJ renewed headaches as it rises above 144.60.  All of this adjustment is yet to come for most of the Asia pack, and sharp falls are to be expected once markets begin trading. G-7 Macro: We have already outlined above the main macro driver – namely higher than expected US core and headline inflation numbers. Today’s US PPI inflation data won’t do much to affect the market’s reaction to those figures. UK CPI inflation data for August is also expected to remain above 10% today, which will encourage the Bank of England to keep hiking. India: Trade data for August could show a slight narrowing in the trade balance which clocked up a $29bn deficit in July. Lower crude oil prices, which account for much of the deficit, and a slightly weaker domestic demand outlook should bring imports down. That said, with the external environment looking increasingly challenged, we don’t expect much help to come from the export side. What to look out for: China activity data Japan industrial production and core machine orders (14 September) Hong Kong PPI and industrial production (14 September) US PPI inflation (14 September) Japan trade balance (15 September) Australia labour market data (15 September) US initial jobless claims and retail sales (15 September) South Korea unemployment (16 September) Singapore NODX (16 September) China industrial production, retail sales and fixed asset (16 September) US University of Michigan expectations (16 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
At The Close On The New York Stock Exchange Indices Closed Mixed

On The New York Stock Exchange, The Securities Rose Yesterday

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 15.09.2022 08:46
At the close in the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones rose 0.10%, the S&P 500 rose 0.34%, and the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.74%. Chevron Corp was the top gainer among the components of the Dow Jones index today, up 3.86 points or 2.42% to close at 163.27. Quotes Johnson & Johnson rose by 3.33 points (2.06%), ending trading at 164.66. Merck & Company Inc rose 1.36 points or 1.59% to close at 86.95. The losers were shares of Honeywell International Inc, which lost 5.01 points or 2.71% to end the session at 179.97. 3M Company was up 2.44% or 2.94 points to close at 117.53, while Dow Inc was down 1.67% or 0.80 points to close at 47.07. . Leading gainers among the S&P 500 components in today's trading were Coterra Energy Inc, which rose 7.22% to hit 32.23, APA Corporation, which gained 6.72% to close at 41.74, and shares of Moderna Inc, which rose 6.17% to end the session at 139.40. The biggest losers were Nucor Corp, which shed 11.31% to close at 120.71. Shares of Centene Corp lost 6.79% to end the session at 83.92. Quotes of DISH Network Corporation decreased in price by 6.27% to 17.18. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Avenue Therapeutics Inc, which rose 53.87% to hit 0.36, Aileron Therapeutics Inc, which gained 38.49% to close at 0.27, and also shares of Dawson Geophysical Company, which rose 41.44% to close the session at 1.57. The biggest losers were Neurobo Pharmaceuticals Inc, which shed 43.61% to close at 16.86. Shares of Vintage Wine Estates Inc shed 40.33% to end the session at 3.30. Quotes of Aditx Therapeutics Inc decreased in price by 38.22% to 11.43. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that rose in price (1,578) exceeded the number of those that closed in the red (1,506), while quotes of 124 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 1,956 stocks fell, 1,770 rose, and 254 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, fell 4.07% to 26.16. Gold futures for December delivery lost 0.63%, or 10.90, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI October futures rose 1.68%, or 1.47, to $88.78 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery rose 1.23%, or 1.15, to $94.32 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the forex market, the EUR/USD pair was unchanged 0.08% to 1.00, while USD/JPY fell 0.97% to hit 143.15. Futures on the USD index fell 0.15% to 109.36.   Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-16 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/292844
Stocks to keep an eye on in the second half of 2023

Energy Prices Remain Very Volatile, Activities In The Markets

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 15.09.2022 10:31
US equities eked out small gains yesterday as dip buyers timidly came in, but risks remain tilted to the downside with the disappointing inflation figures, and the risk of the largest rail strike in the US since 1992. Crude Oil Prices Released yesterday, the US producer price data didn’t enchant investors. The headline figure fell for the second consecutive month but the core PPI strengthened, hinting that most of the easing in producer inflation was due to cheaper energy prices – which however remain very volatile, and which, more importantly carries a decent upside risk. The barrel of American crude flirted with the $90 mark yesterday, without however being able to clear resistance at this level. Energy companies gained despite news that Europeans are looking to raise $140 billion euros from energy companies to help households and businesses survive through winter. The situation on the stock market The S&P500 recover a part of losses yesterday, as Nasdaq gained 0.84%. But the risks remain clearly tilted to the downside. The US dollar remains relatively strong near the 20-year highs, the EURUSD consolidates below parity as gold slipped back below $1700 per ounce. The USDJPY retreated on expectation that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) could intervene to stop the yen’s depreciation. Ethereum trades around $1600 as Merger Upgrade is now imminent! Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro0:24 Dip buyers return to a risky market2:31 US crude flirts with $90pb3:41 US rail strike risk weighs on sentiment4:55 Energy stocks rally despite EU measures to cope with crisis7:07 Gold under pressure7:50 BoJ could intervene to strengthen the yen8:52 Ethereum Merges today! Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #US #PPI #inflation #rail #strike #USD #EUR #JPY #BoJ #rate #check #Gold #XAU #crude #oil #BP #XOM #Chevron #Coterra #windfall #taxes #energy #crisis #Bitcoin #Ethereum #Merge #update #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
The Run Higher In Japanese Yields Is Likely To Create Further Volatility In Global Markets

USD/JPY Is Trading Near 145.00. S&P 500 And Nadaq Increased Slightly Yesterday

ING Economics ING Economics 15.09.2022 11:44
Markets show cautious recovery after US CPI-induced rout - eye's on the BoJ as its verbal intervention looks increasingly desperate  Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: The steer from yesterday’s equity futures proved an accurate one, and US equities made small gains yesterday. The S&P500 rose 0.34%, and the NASDAQ rose 0.74%. A further modest recovery is indicated today. Short-dated US Treasury yields continue to rise though, with the yield on the 2Y Treasury rising 3.2bp to 3.788%. 10Y yields were broadly unchanged at 3.40%. EURUSD hasn’t moved much since yesterday and is at 0.9983 currently. The AUD has traded in a very similar pattern, and remains at 0.6757. GBP has shown a bit more life and has recovered to 1.1546, while the JPY has managed to make some decent gains to 142.83, after the BoJ “rate check” yesterday (see more below), though few expect this JPY strength to continue unless there is some real change in the underlying policy stance. The BoJ is running out of “verbal” tools to check the yen’s slide without such changes. The rest of the Asia pack yesterday was broadly weaker, but much less so than a pure catch-up with the G-10 currencies would have suggested. Better fundamentals (lower inflation for one) and some background intervention are helping smooth the volatility in Asian currency markets for now. The KRW was the day’s worst performer, as is often the case in a weak market. USDKRW is now 1391. G-7 Macro: Yesterday’s US PPI figures showed some moderation in both core and headline PPI inflation, though the core numbers did not fall as much as had been forecast. The UK also saw inflation dip below 10%, but core inflation continued to rise, so this is probably going to be a short-lived dip. Eurozone trade data could be another excuse for EUR weakness. The trade deficit is forecast to widen further to EUR32bn (July figures). The US publishes August industrial production this evening. It is expected to make no progress following last month’s 0.6%MoM increase.  Australia: August labour market data are out later this morning (0930 SGT). The forecast employment change (+35,000) looks a bit low to us given the widespread labour shortages reported. This is an important report for the RBA, which has indicated that it may be prepared to slow the pace of its rate hikes if data permits. Participation rates and the unemployment rate complete the overall picture for employment today. China: While the PBoC seems to be trying to slow the pace of CNY decline, we don’t believe there is much likelihood that they will consider any further cuts to the 1Y Medium Term Lending Facility (1Y MLF) today. The current rate is 2.75%, down from 2.85% when it was lowered last month. Japan: The Bank of Japan’s “rate check” appears to have been effective in protecting a ceiling of USDJPY145. This should stabilize the currency, at least temporarily . The market is now slowly digesting the Fed’s next giant step at its September meeting. The rate-checking and intensified verbal intervention by the authorities will likely have a greater impact on market expectations about the possibility of intervention. But we still think that the probability of actual intervention is low because unless the BoJ's monetary policy changes, it is doubtful that intervention will work. We think the market will try to breach the ceiling of 145 again as yield differentials will likely widen further with more aggressive Fed hikes (the market is pricing in a terminal Fed funds rate of 4.25%).  South Korea: The Bank of Korea expressed a hawkish stance on future policy direction In the minutes of the August MPC meeting, saying that it would like to continue its hiking cycle until early next year. There was a minority opinion that the pace of rate hikes should be adjusted as downside risks to growth emerged. However, considering the general hawkish stance of the MPC, including Governor Rhee, it seems likely that  the BoK will continue hiking until the early next year. In addition, Ms. Seo Young-Kyung, a hawkish member, said at an event that “a more active policy response is needed to respond to the inflationary pressure caused by the weak KRW.” We believe that the BoK continues to communicate to the market its intention to raise interest rates further by next year. However, as we expect growth to slow sharply by the end of the year, it is questionable whether the BoK will be able to maintain this stance in the face of a sharp slowdown in growth. Indonesia: August trade data is set for release today.  Both exports and imports are expected to post double digit gains with the overall balance likely in surplus.  Exports have benefited from elevated commodity prices while imports are likely to grow by more than 30%YoY as the pace of economic growth picks up.  The IDR has remained relatively more resilient this year as its favorable trade balance keeps the current account in surplus.  A relatively stable IDR and lower inflation than most of its peers has limited the pressure on the central bank to hike rate aggressively so far in 2022.  Bank Indonesia will likely sustain its measured pace of rate hikes but they could accelerate tightening should the IDR come under more intense depreciation pressure.  What to look out for: China activity data Japan trade balance (15 September) Indonesia trade balance (15 September) Australia labour market data (15 September) US initial jobless claims and retail sales (15 September) South Korea unemployment (16 September) Singapore NODX (16 September) China industrial production, retail sales and fixed asset (16 September) US University of Michigan expectations (16 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
US 20-City house prices decreased by 1.3% month-on-month

Ethereum Is Waiting For Merge, Local Governments In China Are Supporting The Demand For Real Estate

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 15.09.2022 10:14
Summary:  Yesterday’s session was a muted affair as the market picked up the pieces in the wake of Tuesday’s huge slide in the market after a hot US August CPI number. Tomorrow sees the expiry of options on trillions of notional value in equities and futures, which may have added to the volatility this week. The US dollar remains strong as surging US treasury yields threaten new multi-year highs ahead of the US August Retail Sales release later today.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities are scratching around after the enormous sell-off triggered by the hot US CPI release on Tuesday. Some of the scale of the volatility on Tuesday could be due to options exposures, as options of trillions of dollars on notional equities and futures expire on Friday. If the US August Retail Sales release today leads to even higher yields, stocks could find themselves under renewed pressure. The technical focus is on the recent pivot lower just below 3,900 in the S&P 500 and the 12,000 area low in the Nasdaq 100 index.  USD strength continues, threatens cycle highs A bit of consolidation yesterday in USD pairs after the huge comeback strengthening move in the US dollar in the wake of the Tuesday US August CPI release, but the USD rallied anew from late yesterday and overnight, with the action pinned near the cycle highs in some USD pairs, such as USDSEK, USDNOK and NZDUSD, but elsewhere with a bit of range left to play with. The August Retail Sales release today should garner attention as a strong number could underline the risk of higher US yields and a Fed tightening cycle that extends longer and higher than currently expected if US consumers are getting a second wind after the shock of higher gasoline prices has eased notably since the beginning of the summer. USDJPY has rebounded from yesterday’s lows as traders treat JPY crosses with care, knowing that new highs in the key USDJPY pair are likely to bring actual market intervention from the Bank of Japan/Ministry of Finance. Gold (XAUUSD) Gold trades below $1700 and close to an area around $1680 that has provided support on several occasions during the past two years. The yellow metal turned lower after Tuesday’s CPI shocker raised the prospect of a one percent rate hike next week and a terminal Fed Funds target rate around 4.5% (up 2% from the current level) before March next year. Developments and speculation that continue to underpin the dollar while undermining dollar denominated commodities, such as precious and industrial metals. Crude oil (CLV2 & LCOX2) Crude oil trades sideways with the stronger dollar and expectations for higher US rates hurting the prospect for future demand being offset by news that China’s Chengdu, locked down for weeks, plans to ease measures. The impact of China’s zero-Covid tolerance strategy this year has led to the biggest drop in oil demand in more than three decades according to the IEA. In their latest monthly oil market report, they predicted a continued slowdown in global demand ahead of year-end before accelerating to rise by 2.7 million barrels a day in 2023. Oil market tightness at the beginning of 2023 would be led by a potential 1.9 million barrels Year on year drop in Russian production by February due to sanctions. US natural gas US natural gas trades back above $9 per MMBtu and up 13% on the week as a looming rail strike (see below) would reduce supplies of coal, forcing power generators to rely more heavily on natural gas at a time where demand for cooling remains elevated due to expectations for hotter-than-normal weather across the Midwest and Eastern parts of the US. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US 10-year yields are now pinned at the highs for the cycle near 3.50% ahead of today’s US August Retail Sales release. Interesting to see how the market treats a strong data point – with a deepening inversion as the market prices a more aggressive Fed (as happened on the surprisingly strong CPI release Tuesday) or with the entire curve lifting. Exceptionally weak data would also be interesting as it would challenge the rising yields trend/narrative. What is going on? U.S. inflation remains broad-based The producer price index (PPI) dipped 0.1 % month-over-month in August. This reflects cheaper gasoline prices (minus 13 % in August compared to July) and to a lesser extent lower freight costs. However, less volatile elements of the index rose more than expected. The core price index was up 0.4 % on a monthly basis. The numbers like those seen in Tuesday’s US CPI report confirm that U.S. inflation is still broad-based and inflation pressures are unbroken. This opens the door to a new interest rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve next week. The majority of the market expects a 75 basis point hike but a minority (between 10 % and 20 % of market participants depending on which indicators we monitor) bet on a 100 basis point hike in the cards. Chinese cities move to boost housing demand Local governments across China have moved to encourage property demand after the Chinese central government called for measures to ease the crisis. Some 120 have loosened restrictions on funds for property purchases. This news supported beleaguered Chinese developers’ stocks in trading on Thursday. Ethereum Merge The second-largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, is very close to its expected Merge, scheduled to be within the next hour. Ethereum will go through a major upgrade which fundamentally changes the way that transactions are validated on the blockchain, and it will reduce the energy consumption for running the network with around 99.95%. What are we watching next? Looming rail worker strike in the United States The two largest railroad trade unions said they will strike if the ongoing negotiations with employers about higher salaries and better work conditions fail. The strike could start as early as tomorrow and could have a very negative impact on the U.S. economy. Estimates suggest this could cost the economy nearly $2bn per day. In the United States, rail freight represents almost a third of the total domestic freight. Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting today and tomorrow This is the first time since 2019 that Asian leaders are meeting in person in a bigger strategic forum. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are officially joining the summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and India’s Modi is expected to join as well. Given the recent Ukrainian military success against Russia, the pressures are mounting on Russia and Putin, which will test a Russian-China "friendship” that at a meeting of Xi and Putin during the Beijing Olympics and just ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was declared to be “entering a new era” and “without limits”.  Earnings to watch Today, focus is firmly on Adobe’s earnings report today after the close. The company has seen a wild ride in recent years, pumped to remarkable heights by late 2021 due to its steady solid growth and high profitability with a backdrop of seemingly ever falling yields, only to see the share price crushed in half since its 2021 peak, first due to the seismic shift higher in yields, but compounded by faltering growth rates for the company starting two quarters ago. Today: Polestar Automotive, Adobe Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0900 – Eurozone Jul. Trade Balance 0915 – ECB's Guindos to speak 1230 – US Weekly Initial Jobless Claims 1230 – US Sep. Empire Manufacturing 1230 – US Aug. Retail Sales 1430 – EIA's Natural Gas Storage Change  Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-sep-15-2022-15092022
Oil Prices Soar on Prospect of Soft Landing, Eyes Set on $80 Breakout

Falls On The New York Stock Exchange, Who Lost The Most?

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 16.09.2022 08:17
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 0.56% to a one-month low, the S&P 500 fell 1.13% and the NASDAQ Composite fell 1.43%. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated was the top performer in the Dow Jones Index today, up 13.14 points or 2.58% to close at 522.91. JPMorgan Chase & Co rose 1.75 points or 1.51% to close at 117.87. Goldman Sachs Group Inc rose 4.36 points or 1.33% to close at 331.62. The losers were Salesforce Inc, which shed 5.50 points or 3.43% to end the session at 154.78. Microsoft Corporation was up 2.71% or 6.84 points to close at 245.38, while Visa Inc Class A was down 2.03% or 4.04 points to close at 195. .37. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were Humana Inc, which rose 8.37% to 497.24, Wynn Resorts Limited, which gained 7.48% to close at 65.23, and shares of Paramount Global Class B, which rose 5.16% to close the session at 23.05. The losers were Adobe Systems Incorporated, which shed 16.79% to close at 309.13. Shares of Albemarle Corp shed 6.49% to end the session at 286.75. West Pharmaceutical Services Inc lost 5.91% to 273.63. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Heartbeam Inc, which rose 85.60% to hit 2.32, Neurobo Pharmaceuticals Inc, which gained 47.21% to close at 24.82, and shares of Nabriva Therapeutics AG, which rose 40.65% to end the session at 0.27. The drop leaders were Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Inc, which shed 55.65% to close at 16.63. Shares of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Inc lost 40.97% to end the session at 0.22. Quotes Color Star Technology Co Ltd fell in price by 39.54% to 0.07. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2188) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (909), and quotes of 125 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 1991 stocks fell, 1759 rose, and 265 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 0.42% to 26.27. Gold futures for December delivery lost 2.08%, or 35.55, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI October futures fell 3.84%, or 3.40, to $85.08 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery fell 3.56%, or 3.35, to $90.75 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair was unchanged 0.20% to 1.00, while USD/JPY was up 0.23% to hit 143.48. Futures on the USD index rose by 0.06% to 109.44.     Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-17 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/293021
Steady BoE Rate Expectations Amid Empty Event Calendar in the UK

China Is Ready To Work With Russia, Ethereum Merge Successfully Completed

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 16.09.2022 09:58
Summary:  U.S. equity markets declined again on the economic good news which added to investors’ worries about more and for longer rate hikes from the Fed. The Chinese Yuan weakened and broke the 7-handle. China's August activity data is scheduled to release today. What is happening in markets?   Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) face further pressure as US eco news brightens        US equities closed lower on Thursday with the S&P500 losing 1.1% taking its weekly loss to almost 4%, while the Nasdaq fell 1.4%, losing 4.6% across the week, with both major indices eroding last week’s gain. Investors are growing cautious, as new economic data gives the Fed room to raise rates, and keep them higher for longer to control inflation. Retail sales unexpectedly rose in August, showing consumer spending is far from collapsing and jobless claims fell for the fifth straight week, suggesting employers worker demand remains healthy despite an uncertain outlook. For the market to turn around, it will need to see earnings multiples expand, as that supports share price growth. And we need to see earnings per share move up from a decline, to growth. But if the Fed keeps hiking rates, and the energy crisis continues, this scenario means tech stock earnings multiples are likely to see earnings per share (EPS) growth pressure. On the flip side, EPS in energy continues to gain momentum. Big movers in US shares Adobe shares fell 17%, weighing on the Nasdaq and S&P 500 after the software giant announced $20 billion deal to buy design start up Figma. The weakness flowed through to other tech stocks, with Apple shedding 1.9% and Salesforce sliding 3.4%. Meanwhile oil stocks also copped selling after the WTI oil price fell below $86 after the US announced it would restock oil reserves but without a trigger price. Bank stocks were a bright spot, with Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan rising more than 1% apiece. U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) The U.S. short-end yields continued to charge higher, 2-year yields up 7bps to finish the session at 3.86%, flattening the 2-10 year curve to -42bps, as the 10-year yields up 5bps to 3.44%.  The 30-year yields, however remained well anchored at 3.47%, up only 1bp and not far from the pre-CPI release levels. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index edged up by 0.4%, helped by the rise in Chinese developers, while the CSI 300 dropped by 0.9%.  Securities Times reported that more than 120 cities have relaxed providence fund policies to boost the local property markets and other media reported that a large number of cities had loosened home purchase restrictions.  Country Garden (02007:xhkg) surged by 8.7% followed by Guangzhou R&F (02777:xhkg) up 8.6%, CIFI (00884:xhkg) up 7%, China Resources Land (01109:xhkg) up 4.9%, and China Overseas Land & Investment (00688:xhkg) up 4%. Catering names gained on news that Chengdu was relaxing its lockdown, Xiabuxiabu (00520:xhkg) up 5.5%.  Li Auto (02015:xhkg) fell 2.3% as the President of the company reduced his shareholding. EV names overall were also pressured by the news that China’s ambassador to the U.S. warned against the potential risks of the US trying to cut China off the EV supply chains.  Solar names were down following reports about the European Union was going to ban manufactured goods with forced labour in them and raised concerns about much of China’s solar products originated from Xinjiang. Australia’s ASX200 The ASX200 is on tracking lower this week, after losing 0.7% Monday to Thursday with the technical indicators suggesting the market is likely to head lower from here and it could retest the lows set in June. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. We saw commodity stocks march up this week, with coal companies Coronado Global rising 13%, New Hope up 5%. It’s also worth noting these are some of this year’s best performing stocks on the ASX, with Coronado up 82%, New Hope up 182%, while the coal giant Whitehaven is up 266% YTD, supported by the coal price hitting new highs this week, as well as the coal futures price. Meanwhile, with crop prices likely to go higher amid La Nina, Agri business Elders rose 4%. Elsewhere, technical buying picked up in oil and gas companies including Woodside, supporting its shares rise ~4%, with Beach Energy following. USDCNH breaks above 7 handle USDCNH broke 7.00 and the markets is expecting little reactions from the PBOC given the latest state-owned media’s effort to downplay the importance of the 7-handle. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) Crude oil prices slumped overnight as demand concerns came back into the focus. The International Energy Agency said that China faces its biggest annual drop in demand in more than three decades as COVID-19 lockdowns weigh on growth. Oil demand could fall by 420kb/d, or 2.7% this year. This led to the IEA trimming its estimate of global demand. It now sees consumption rising by only 2mb/d. Further, supply situation also seemed to fluctuate with the US Department of Energy walking back on its SPR refill stance by saying that it didn’t include a strike price (that was said to be around $80/barrel) and it isn’t likely to occur until after fiscal 2023. WTI futures fell below $85/barrel while Brent futures touched lows of $90/barrel. Oil technical levels to watch For traders and investors, for WTI to reverse its downtrend, it needs to close above resistance at $97.66, which is what our technical analyst pointed out here. So the next level for you to watch, is if it breaks above $90.40, it would signal an uptrend, for this to occur, the market will need good news, perhaps even bright news from China, the biggest oil consumer. Regardless, right now, oil is in a bear trend and if it closes below $81.20 the bear run-lower could be extend to $78.48-$74.27. Gold (XAUUSD) The yellow metal saw a drop to $1,660/oz down more than 2% to over 2-year lows, amid expectations of more aggressive rate hikes by the Fed as strong US economic data underpinned. Markets are now pricing in a more than 75bps rate hike by the Fed at the September meeting, and a terminal rate of ~4.5%. What to consider? Mixed US data, but further upward pricing of the Fed rate path US retail sales saw the headline rising 0.3% m/m in August (exp -0.1%, prev -0.4%) but the core retail sales print was weaker than expected at -0.3% m/m (exp 0%, prev 0.0%). The slower retail spending does reflect the current slowdown in goods spending despite services remining strong and supporting the overall consumer strength in the US. Meanwhile, initial jobless claims were lower than expected at 213K (exp 226K, prev 218K). That is the lowest since early June and the 5th consecutive decline (the high reached 262K), suggesting that labor markets still remain tight. Regional Fed indices offset each other The regional Fed indices on manufacturing gave contrasting signals with the Philly Fed index falling -9.9 vs +2.8, but the Empire improving markedly to -1.5 vs -13.0 estimate. For both indices, the prices paid components did fall and has moved markedly lower over the last few months, but still remains with a positive number (i.e., more businesses reporting higher prices vs lower prices). For the Philly Fed, the price paid came in at 29.8 v 43.6. For the Empire, the prices paid came in at 39.6 vs 55.5. Australia’s latest economic news shows employment growth is slowing with the jobless rate rising for the first time in 10 months; giving the RBA less room to hike rates Australia’s unemployment rate unexpectedly rose in August, rising from 3.4% to 3.5% with less jobs being added to economy than expected (33,500 instead of the 35,000). Given employment has fallen from its 50-year peak, and job growth is slowing, the RBA effectively has a solid barrier in its way preventing it from rapidly rising rates over the coming months, with room of a 0.5% hike being taken off the table. For equity investors, this supports risk-appetite slightly increasing in the banking sector, given employment nears its peak and credit might not be squeezed as hard as feared, thus property price growth also might not continue to fall as rapidly as forecast. For currency traders, the AUDUSD sharply fell from its intraday high (0.6769) and now faces pressure back to two-year lows, where support is at 0.61358, implying it may fall 10%. Further to that, the currency pair faces downside simply as the market is pricing in 0.25% RBA hike next month, versus the more aggressive US Fed Reserve’s hike potentially being 100bps (or 1%) next week. Slower export growth, power shortage, and pandemic controls would probably have taken their toll on China’s August activity data China’s activity data for August, scheduled to release today, would probably be at risk of missing the median forecasts in the Bloomberg survey, which has industrial production at 3.8% YoY in August (vs 3.8% YoY in July), retail sales at 3.2% YoY in August (vs 2.7% YoY in July), and fixed asset investment year-to-date 5.5% YoY (vs 5.7% YoY). The heatwave-induced power shortage caused disruption to industrial production in Sichuan. The heatwave might have also caused delays in infrastructure construction which was largely outdoor and offset some of the positive impacts of accelerated credit extension. The pandemic control measures affected the manufacturing and export hub of the city of Yiwu in Zhejiang province in August. The much weaker expected export growth data for August released last week and the continuously weak data in the property market also pointed to potentially downside surprises to these forecasts.  While a favourable base effect and stronger auto sales in August could have boosted retail sales, tightened pandemic control measures might have damped catering and other services and dragged down retail sales growth.  Russian President Putin said he appreciated China’s “balanced position” on Ukraine President Xi and President Putin met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in Uzbekistan.  The Russian president said he values China’s “balanced position” on Ukraine and he backs the latter’s “One China” principle and opposes “provocations” by the U.S. on the issue of Taiwan.  On the other hand, the readout released by China only did not touch on Ukraine.  As in the readout, Xi told Putin that “China is ready to work with Russia in extending strong support to each other on issues concerning their respective core interests”. China’s State Council reiterated support for the economy and opening up trade and investment In a meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, China’s State Council rolled out an additional RMB200 billion relending quota to support key industries in the real economy and pledged to support international trade and open up to foreign investment. Ethereum Merge – a new chapter in crypto Yesterday, the second-largest cryptocurrency Ethereum successfully underwent its merge from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. From consuming around 0.2% of the world’s electricity, Ethereum now consumes a fraction of that. Our Crypto analyst calls it a new chapter not only for Ethereum but crypto in general. Read more here.    For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.     Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/apac-daily-digest-16-sept-2022-16092022
EM Index Inclusions and Exclusions: India Thrives, Egypt Faces Challenges

The Markets Are Concentrated On Inflation, Crude Oil Is Down

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 16.09.2022 10:24
US railroad companies and the unions representing their workers reached a tentative agreement early Thursday to prevent a rail strike in the US. Avoiding a rail strike is good news, but not good enough to give a smile to investors. The markets remain too focused on inflation. Increases and decreases The S&P500 closed the session more than 1% lower, as US retail sales and jobless claims – which both hinted that the US economy remains relatively resilient to the Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes - didn’t help keeping the Fed hawks at bay. The US 2-year yield spiked to 3.90%, the mortgage rates in the US topped 6%, the US dollar consolidated a touch below the 110 level, Ethereum lost 10% and gold dived to $1660 per ounce. US crude took a good 4% dive. But this time, it wasn’t just the recession talk, it was because the Americans rectified a beginner’s mistake that they have made earlier this week, saying that they will refill their strategic oil reserves if prices fall below $80 per barrel. Waiting For Reports We will likely close this week on a sour note. Next on the economic calendar are the final European CPI read, which will confirm that inflation spiked to 9.1% in August, and the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment, which will hopefully not print a significantly positive number, because the Fed hawks got strong enough the week before the Fed decision. Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:25 US rail strike will likely be avoided! 2:08 But sentiment remains sour on strong US data 3:57 World Bank points at recession 5:04 Crude oil down as Americans understand their mistake 6:41 Strong dollar weighs on major peers 6:55 Joke of the day 7:09 Ethereum down 10% post Merge upgrade 7:51 Adobe dives 17% on Figma acquisition 8:44 Watch EZ final CPI & UoM Consumer Sentiment today! Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #US #rail #strike #inflation #USD #EUR #GBP #Gold #XAU #crude #oil #natgas #energy #crisis #Bitcoin #Ethereum #Merge #update #Bitcoin #Adobe #Figma #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
At The Close On The New York Stock Exchange Indices Closed Mixed

Fall Of Indices At The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 19.09.2022 08:07
At the close on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 0.45% to hit a monthly low, the S&P 500 index fell 0.72%, and the NASDAQ Composite index fell 0.90%. The leading performer among the components of the Dow Jones index today was Home Depot Inc, which gained 4.43 points (1.63%) to close at 275.97. Amgen Inc rose 3.48 points or 1.53% to close at 231.14. Johnson & Johnson rose 2.52 points or 1.53% to close at 167.60. The losers were Boeing Co shares, which fell 5.49 points or 3.67% to end the session at 144.29. Chevron Corp was up 2.60% or 4.17 points to close at 156.45, while Walt Disney Company was down 2.28% or 2.52 points to close at 108. 25. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were Iron Mountain Incorporated, which rose 3.35% to hit 55.29, Newmont Goldcorp Corp, which gained 3.09% to close at 43.71, and also Dollar Tree Inc, which rose 2.89% to end the session at 141.92. The biggest losers were FedEx Corporation, which shed 21.40% to close at 161.02. Shares of WestRock Co lost 11.48% to end the session at 34.15. Quotes of International Paper fell in price by 11.21% to 35.23. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Panbela Therapeutics Inc, which rose 53.06% to hit 0.58, Applied Opt, which gained 50.40% to close at 3.76, and shares of Axcella Health Inc, which rose 29.57% to end the session at 2.41. The biggest losers were Aditx Therapeutics Inc, which shed 58.52% to close at 4.31. Shares of Esports Entertainment Group Inc lost 46.15% and ended the session at 0.18. Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Inc lost 45.94% to 8.99. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2294) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (816), and quotes of 121 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,586 stocks fell, 1,158 rose, and 233 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 0.11% to 26.30. Gold Futures for December delivery added 0.38%, or 6.35, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI October futures rose 0.29%, or 0.25, to $85.35 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery rose 0.81%, or 0.74, to $91.58 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the forex market, the EUR/USD pair remained unchanged 0.10% to 1.00, while USD/JPY fell 0.40% to hit 142.95. Futures on the USD index fell 0.02% to 109.43.   Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-20 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/293169
Gold's Hedge Appeal Shines Amid Economic Uncertainty and Fed's Soft-Landing Challenge

Chengdu Returns To Normal Life, The Entry Of Genting Group Into The Competition

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 19.09.2022 08:30
Summary:  Sentiment in U.S. equities has been dampened by rising expectations of larger rate hikes for the rest of the year and profit warnings and depressed remarks from the management of heavy-weight companies about their business outlook and the economy. All eyes are on the FOMC meeting this Wednesday. China’s August industrial production, retail sales, and infrastructure construction surprised on the upside but housing market activities and home prices remained sluggish. What is happening in markets?   Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) are looking bearish again US equities closed off the week with the biggest loss since January after heavy-weight companies were hit by a series of company earnings and guidance woes, with their pain being compounded by rising bond yields. S&P 500 was down 0.7% on Friday and down 4.8% for the week and Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.6% on Friday and 5.8% for the week, wiping out the prior week’s gains. The Nasdaq 100 is now down 29% from its November 2021 peak and the technical indicators on the monthly chart tend to suggest further downside ahead. Big US stock movers   Last week there were a number of industrial titans, first Dow Chemical (DOW:xnys), Eastman Chemical (EMN:xnys), Huntsman (HUN:xnys), Nucor (NUE:xnys), and capped with FedEx (FDX:xnys) warning about grim demand outlook.  FedEx only missed EPS for the August quarter massively but also cut its Nov quarter EPS guidance and completely withdrew the FY2023 guidance, citing significantly worsened macroeconomic trends both internationally and in the US. FedEX tumbled 21.4% on Friday. Amazon (AMZ:xnas) declined 2.2%, following FedEx’ warning. General Electric (GE:xnys) warned the supply chain pressure is having a negative impact on profits.  Uber (UBER:xnys) dropped 3.7% after the ride-hailing services provider following a major data breach in its computer network caused by a hacker.  Amazon (AMZ:xnas) declined 2.2%, being dragged down by the woes in FedEx.  Adobe (ADBE:xnas) slid another 3.1% on Friday and a massive 19.4% in two days since the software maker announced a USD20 billion offer to acquire Figma, collaborated product design platform at 100x of the latter’s recurring revenue. For more discussion on FedEx and Adobe, please refer to Peter Garny’s note here.  Last Friday, over USD3 trillion notional of options expired on Friday and S&P3900 puts traded about 95,000 contracts.  U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) Trading in treasuries on Friday was mixed, with yields of -2-year and 10-year notes unchanged at 3.86% and 3.45% respectively as 5-year yields came off 3bps to 3.63%, and 30-year bonds underperformed for the first time during the week, seeing yield rising 4bps to 3.51%. Treasuries pared their early losses (higher yields) after the 5-10 year inflation expectations in the University of Michigan consumer sentiment survey fell to 2.8%, the lowest since July 2021.  The underperformance in the 30-year bonds was attributable to supply, including a USD12 billion 20-year treasury bond auction on Tuesday and expected corporate issuance of about USD20 billion this week.  The latest data shows that the holding of Japan, the largest foreign holder of U.S. treasury securities, fell USD2 billion to USD1.23 trillion and China, the second largest holder, saw its holdings increase by USD2.2 billion to USD970 billion in July.     Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Shares traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen plunged, with CSI 300 down 2.4%.  The General Office of the State Council issued guidelines to encourage securities firms, funds, and financial guarantee companies to lower fees.  Shares of brokerage firms fell across the board in mainland bourses by nearly 5%.  East Money (300059:xsec) tumbled 10.8%. Chinese brokerage companies listed in Hong Kong also plunged, with GF Securities (01776:xhkg) down by 8.6%, CITIC Securities (06030:xhkg) down by 5.0%, Huatai Securities (06886:xhkg) down by 4.8%.  Chinese property stocks fell in both the mainland bourses and Hong Kong bourse, following the report that new home prices 2nd to 4th tier cities fell sharply again in August despite the recent relaxation of home purchases in a large number of cities.  The weakness of the property sector in the fixed asset investment data in August and the news that the city of Suzhou resumed home purchase restrictions on non-residents in four districts added to the woes in the developer space.  Country Garden (02007:xhkg) tumbled 7.6%.  The EV space declined, falling from 1% to 4.5% following the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s Vice Ministry said that there are “blind investments” and overlapping projects in EV in some provinces and municipalities.  In the China internet space, Kuaishou (01024:xhkg) led the charge lower, down more than 7%, as Alibaba (09988:xhkg), Tencent (00700:xhkg), Meituan (03690:xhkg), and Bilibili (09626:xhkg) down from 1.5% to 4.4%.  Australia’s ASX200 has wiped out July’s rally. Focus will be on RBA minutes released Tuesday The ASX200 shed 2.3% last week, erasing July’s gain but faring better than US equities. The market woes have not only come after Australian 10-year bond yield rose to fresh highs, up 0.2% last week, while hovering in 8-year high neighbourhood. But secondly, market sentiment has also been capped as the Fed is set to aggressively hike rates, which pressures Australia’s tech stocks, with many Aussie tech companies making the majority of their revenue from the US. And thirdly, metal commodities have come under pressure again of late, as China’s demand continues to wane. In fact, fresh Chinese export data shows their rare earths and aluminium exports surged yoy. Meanwhile total China’s imports of steel plunged 16% yoy, corn fell 44% and wheat dropped 25% yoy. The trifecta of issues is seeing the ASX200’s technical indicators on the day, week and month charts flag further downside is ahead. Australian dollar on notice with the Fed to hike this week The AUDUSD is under pressure after hitting a new low last week, 0.6727 US cents, which is about a two year bottom. Despite already losing 7% this year, the commodity currency, the AUDUSD is on notice again this week with the Fed expected to hike by 75bps (0.75%) at its Wednesday meet, which will take the Fed funds rate to 3-3.25%. There is also a slim chance (25% chance) of a full percentage hike of 100bps (1%) after the hotter-than-expected August inflation. Either way, the fundamentals support the US dollar gaining momentum against the Aussie, especially as the RBA is limited in its hiking power and likely to only hike by 0.25% next month. Also consider a jump in the US 10-year yield will likely further bolster the USD. A slightly softer USD heading into the FOMC week The USD is slightly softer going into the FOMC week amid some profit-taking, but it still remains the haven of choice with massive amounts of policy tightening packed into the week. AUDUSD pared some of the recent losses amid China reopening optimism and RBA’s Kearns saying that Aussie home buyers could benefit from higher rates. USDCAD rose to near 2-year highs on Friday at 1.3308, partly oil induced, but also due to increasingly sour sentiment and perceptions that BoC-Fed policy will likely diverge in wake of the latest disappointing Canadian employment data vs still-tight US labor markets. USDJPY will be a key focus with both FOMC and BOJ meetings scheduled in the week, and possibility of another round of strong verbal intervention from the authorities is seen. EURUSD is back above parity, as ECB members stay hawkish, but risks remain titled to the downside in the near term. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) With massive central bank action scheduled in the week, it can be safely assumed that demand concerns will likely remain center-stage. A spate of rate hikes is aggravating concerns of an economic slowdown, but easing of restrictions in China’s Chengdu today will ease some of the concerns. Dalian will also exit restrictions today. Nevertheless, more supply disruptions remain a risk. Germany seized the local unit of Russian oil major Rosneft PJSC, including three refineries. One of those is now preparing for short-term restrictions in crude supplied via the Druzhba pipeline. WTI futures were seen higher above $85/barrel in early Asian hours, while Brent futures were close to $92. Gold (XAUUSD) Gold saw some recovery after touching support of $1660/oz on Friday as interest rate hike bets picked up following the hotter-than-expected August CPI in the US last week. Further resilience in economic data out of the US has further kept interest rates expectations on an upswing, while rising geopolitical and economic risks are doing little to entice haven buying as the US dollar still remains the prime safe-haven choice. Gold was back close to $1680 this morning in Asia. The risk of the FOMC sending the US economy into a recession before getting inflation under control is rising and, once that occurs, the dollar is likely to turn sharply lower, thereby supporting fresh demand for investment metals. What to consider? University of Michigan survey remains optimisticThe preliminary September University of Michigan sentiment survey saw the headline rise to 59.5 from 58.5, just short of the expected 60, but nonetheless marking a fourth consecutive rise. Notably, the rise in forward expectations was starker than in current conditions, with the former also coming in above consensus expectations. Also, key were the inflation expectations, which echoed what was seen in the Fed surveys last week. The 1yr slowed to 4.6% from 4.8% and the 5yr expectations slowed to 2.8% from 2.9%.   China’s August activity data improved better-than-expected China’s activity data for August came in at stronger than expected growth rates.  Industrial production grew 4.2% Y/Y in August beating the consensus estimate of 3.8% Y/Y and improving from last month’s 3.8% Y/Y.  Higher output in automobile and power generation offset the impact from slower activities in other industries such as pharmaceuticals and computers.  Retail sales grew 5.4% Y/Y in August, well exceeding the 3.3% Y/Y median forecast from the Bloomberg survey and the 2.7% YoY in July. A favourable base effect and stronger auto sales during the month boosted retail sales and more than offset the drag from tightened pandemic control measures and a slow housing market.  Fixed asset investment grew 6.4% Y/Y in August, notably accelerating from the 3.6% Y/Y in July, led by 14.8% Y/Y growth in infrastructure and 10.7% Y/Y growth in manufacturing investments while investment in properties slowed further to a decline of -13.9% Y/Y in August from July’s -12.1%.  China’s property prices in lower-tier cities continued to decline in August According to data released by the National Bureau, the weighted average of new home prices in the top 70 cities in China fell 1.1% Y/Y (vs -0.6% Y/Y in July), driven largely by declines in property prices in lower-tier cities.  The easing of home purchase restrictions by local governments has so not been able to stop the decline in property prices in lower-tier cities.  Sequentially, new home prices in Tier-2, Tier-3, and Tier-4 cities dropped by about 5% M/M annualized while new home prices in Tier-1 cities rose by 1.6% M/M annualized.  An unexpected seventh bidder for Macao gambling licenses created uncertainties about incumbent operators In a tender for the six 10-year casino operating licenses, the six incumbent casino operators faced an unexpected rival from the Malaysian Genting Group which submitted a bid into the tender.  As the maximum number of licenses remains at six, the entry of Genting Group into the competition may mean one of the incumbent license holders might be ousted. Chengdu exits lockdown Chengdu, the largest city in Western China ends its nearly 3-week-long lockdown today and allows its 21 million population to leave their home and resume most aspects of normal life.  Residents are required to do PCR tests at least once a week.  Hong Kong considers ending hotel quarantine for inbound travelers The Hong Kong Government is reviewing and considering plans to end the hotel quarantine requirements for inbound travelers.  Currently, travelers to Hong Kong are required to be quarantined in a hotel for 3 nights and followed by four-day medical monitoring at home and then another 3 days of self-monitoring without mobility restriction.  The news may lift the share price of travel-related stocks, such as Cathay Pacific (00293:xhkg).   For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/apac-daily-digest-19-sept-2022-19092022
Oil Prices Soar on Prospect of Soft Landing, Eyes Set on $80 Breakout

What Can We Expect From Standard&Poor 500 (S&P 500)?

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 19.09.2022 16:42
Today, U.S. stock index contracts seem to indicate the possibility of a cash market opening on the downside. Investors may be estimating the possibility of Fed action, and not just this week, but for the rest of the year. Currently, the market may believe that the Federal Reserve will not end the cycle of hikes below the 4 percent level, but above it. This could put pressure on company valuations on Wall Street. Have low-interest rates helped the Wall Street stock market? Since 2008, the US stock market has been able to enjoy the ongoing bull market that followed the Great Financial Crisis. Back then, both the financial markets and the economy were supported by very low-interest rates or asset purchase programs. From 2008 until the beginning of 2022, the average federal funds rate was 0.58 percent, and the average price-to-earnings P/E ratio for the entire S&P 500 index had a value of 25. Currently, the P/E for the S&P 500 is 21.49, according to wsj.com, and the federal funds rate rose to 2.33 percent in September. The market, in turn, seems to expect that it could rise above 4 percent in the next two quarters. Source: Conotoxia MT5, US500, W1 Current valuations on Wall Street According to data from wsj.com, the forward P/E ratio, which is the one showing the future earnings of companies in relation to the current stock price, is 17.48 for the S&P 500, while the Nasdaq 100 has a value of 22.57. The current values are 21.49 and 24.97, respectively. This may mean that the market expects that the earnings of U.S. companies may increase next year, which may be good news, but on the other hand, interest rates may rise at the same time. This, in turn, could have a negative impact on company valuations and could cause rates to potentially be lower than they were during a period of low-interest rates. If investors can choose between the U.S. dollar soon at 4.5 percent interest, or riskier stocks with a P/E ratio of 17, it seems that some of them may choose the U.S. dollar over stocks and thus demand for them may be lower. Another group of investors, on the other hand, may forgo risk in favor of safety until valuations become more attractive relative to interest rate levels. This, in turn,  could  happen in one of two ways, either U.S. companies will begin to rapidly expand earnings (which may be difficult in an environment of a slowing economy) or stock prices will find lower levels. Forecasts for the S&P500 at the end of 2022 According to analysts surveyed by Reuters, the S&P 500 could end this year at 4280 points. This is the median forecast of nearly 50 strategists surveyed by Reuters in the second half of August 2022. The median forecast for 2022 is down from 4400 points in a Reuters survey conducted in late May. Survey respondents, therefore, seem to be optimistic about the index's year-end result after all. This could mean a return to the peaks of August this year.   Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Are valuations on Wall Street currently attractive? (conotoxia.com)
USD/JPY Weekly Review: Strong Dollar and Yen's Resilience in G10 Currencies

The Bloomberg Grains Index Continues Its Steady Growth, The Lithium Price Hits Record

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 20.09.2022 09:01
Summary:  Equity markets consolidated some of the recent losses yesterday as traders mull a cavalcade of central bank meetings this week, topped by the FOMC meeting tomorrow. The market has been burned in its attempts at pricing “peak Fed” in recent months and now Fed rate expectations are running steadily higher into tomorrow’s meeting. Can the Fed deliver on the hawkish side of a market that has finally begun to respect what this Fed is all about?   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) Yesterday US equities touched new lows intraday for the cycle lower that started on 17 August, but despite weak sentiment and downward momentum the market turned around rallying into gains. S&P 500 futures rallied 1.9% from its lows to the close and the positive momentum is continuing this morning with the index futures trading around the 3,929 level. The US 10-year yield is still sitting just below 3.5% and any meaningful push above the 3.5% level will likely renew the headwinds for equities. The rally in US equities was driven by no news so the setup feels almost like the rally ahead of the Jackson Hole event and the recent US CPI report. The market wants good news and a positive surprise, but the question is whether the FOMC will deliver that tomorrow. We doubt it believing the Fed will rather fail being too hawkish than being too dovish. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong equities rallied, with Hang Seng Index rising 1.3% and Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH.I) climbing 2.3%. Alibaba (09988:xhkg), Meituan (03690:xhkg), JD.COM (09618:xhkg), and Netease (09999:xhkg) surged 3% to 4%. EV stocks rebounded, with XPeng (09868:xhkg) soaring nearly 9%, NIO (09866:xhkg), and Li Auto (02015:xhkg) rising nearly 6%. Macao casino stocks were among the outperformers, rising from 3% to 6% across the board. CSI300 Index was little changed, with solar power, energy storage, and auto outperforming. Major Chinese banks fixed their 1-year and 5-year Loan Prime Rates unchanged this morning. USD traders mull FOMC meeting this Wednesday The US dollar slightly on its backfoot yesterday and overnight as EURUSD criss-crosses parity and USDJPY is locked in a tight range ahead of tomorrow’s FOMC meeting. The degree to which the Fed is able to surprise the market on the hawkish side and trigger another rise in US treasury yields (possibly it as important to see longer US yields rising, not just an adjustment at the front-end of the US yield curve to absorb,  for example, a higher than expected Fed “dot plot” forecast for next year) will determine whether the US dollar is set for another significant surge to cycle highs in the wake of the meeting. AUDNZD breaks higher through major level Despite a nominally dovish set of RBA minutes overnight, AUDNZD leaped to a new six-year high overnight, clearing the 1.1300 level. The diverging current account developments in recent quarters are likely a key driver as Australia features a formidable commodity portfolio and has become a current account surplus nation at a time when New Zealand’s reliance on energy imports has taken a toll on its trade balance, which has gone into a steep deficit. The next focus is perhaps 1.1430, the high from 2015 and highest since AUDNZD traded in a range north of 1.2500 for much of the 2008-2012 time frame. Gold (XAUUSD) Gold putting in a higher low compared with Friday was the takeaway from Monday’s price action. The yellow metal has settled into a 20-dollar range near a two-year low ahead of Wednesday’s FOMC meeting and while the risk of a 1% hike cannot be ruled out, the market seems the be settling for another 75 bp hike, a development that may ease some of the recent selling pressure which has seen speculators flip their positions back to a net short, a relatively rare occurrence. Today’s price action is likely to be just noise ahead of Wednesday with algo-driven strategies likely to be in the driving seat, given the dollar and yield movements the overall say on the direction. Below $1854, last week's low in gold, the market may target the 50% retracement of the 2018 to 2020 rally at $1618. Crude oil (CLV2 & LCOX2) The best that can be said about Monday’s price action in energy is that traders don’t currently know which leg to stand on, a situation made worse by thin liquidity. With another interest rate hike looming and with global growth slowing there are good reasons to call for lower prices. Lower prices were also sought in response to news China may grant export permissions for excess fuel supplies, and the US announcing it will offer an additional 10 million barrels from its strategic reserves. Against these a softer dollar and recovering equity markets and continued worries about Russian supply once the EU embargo begins in early December helped sent Brent and WTI back in black following a near seven-dollar round trip. More of the same can be expected until a clearer picture emerges. US Treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields continue to trade near the peak of the cycle as the market wonders whether the 10-year can explore new territory for the cycle above 3.50% the cycle high from back in June, as well as whether any adjustment higher in Fed rate hike expectations will be entirely felt at the front end of the yield curve, as the inversion has fallen close to the cycle extreme near –0.50% for the 2-10 yield spread as the 2-year rate pushed close to 4.00%. What is going on? The euro area looks set to enter a recession According to Bloomberg, economists see an 80 % chance of a recession in the euro area in the next twelve months. This now looks inevitable. Last week, Barclays downgraded its 2023 growth forecast for France to minus 0.7 %. The Bank of France also published its three main scenarios for the French economy for next year. A recession is one of them (expected drop in GDP of minus 0.5 %). This is not its baseline, though. The length and amplitude of the recession in the eurozone will highly depend on the evolution of the energy crisis and on the risk of energy rationing. This is a bit too early to know exactly how much GDP will drop next year. Economists also expect that the European Central Bank (ECB) will continue to tighten monetary conditions (financial conditions are still loose in the euro area based on the latest credit growth data). More than half consider a second 75 basis-point rate hike is likely in October. This is only the beginning. It is likely the ECB will continue until early next year (when the recession might be officially announced). Covid vaccine related stocks tumble on Biden declaring pandemic over Shares in Moderna and BioNTech fell 7% and 9% respectively as the Biden administration declared the pandemic for over. The designation follows other countries and will lower the alertness among health care regulators and likely lower the demand for Covid vaccines as only the very high-risk people in the population will get a vaccine and booster shoots. This is worse than expected news for Covid vaccine manufacturers such as Moderna and BioNTech that are now forced to expand their product portfolio to offset this weakness. US NAHB declines for ninth month in a row NAHB Housing Market Index reported its ninth consecutive decline to 46.0, beneath the prior 49.0 and expected 47.0. Save for two panicky months during the early 2020 pandemic break-out, this is the lowest levels cine 2014, but for perspective, the indicator was sub-20 for most of 2008 through 2011. The weaker-than-expected data highlighted the pessimism hitting the US housing market due to the rising mortgage rates, and housing starts may be set to cool further in the coming months. Japan CPI hits a 31-year high Japan’s August CPI touched the dreaded 3% YoY mark from 2.6% previously, coming in at the strongest levels in over three decades and significantly above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target level. The core measure, which excludes fresh food and energy, also come in higher-than-expected at 1.6% YoY. With wage growth remaining restrained, this may mean nothing for Bank of Japan, which remains committed to maintaining its yield curve control policy. However, the markets may start to test the BoJ’s resolve once again, especially with US 10-year yields also touching 3.5% overnight while JGB yields remain capped by BoJ YCC policy at 0.25%. Grains trade mixed but remains in an uptrend The Bloomberg Grains Index continues its steady ascent after hitting a low point two months ago with global weather concerns, dwindling stockpiles and uncertainty about the Ukraine grain deal being the focus. Chicago wheat nevertheless fell on Monday on an expected increase in Russia’s crop that will compete with US exports already challenged by a strong dollar. Soybeans was supported by Chinese export demand while corn traded sideways but finding support at its 21-day moving average. Lithium prices and stocks back at records Lithium equities are back in focus as the lithium price hits a fresh record after tripling in the past year fuelled by electric vehicle demand. Recently the IEA forecast lithium demand to accelerate more than 40 times over the next two decades. The lithium carbonate price has also had an extraordinary run, up 1,000% from its covid low as supply remains a concern. Shares in Albemarle Corp (ALB:xnys), the world’s biggest lithium company and its neighbour Livent (LTHM:xnys), as well as SQM (SQM:xnys), the world’s second biggest lithium producer are on watch with their shares trading near their peaks. US President Biden wows support for Taiwan When being asked in a CBS 60 Minutes interview whether the U.S. would send forces to defend Taiwan in case of military actions from mainland China, President Biden replied: “Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.” In answering a follow-up question about if the U.S, unlike in Ukraine, would send forces men and women to defend Taiwan, Biden said: “Yes”. China’s Emerging Industries PMI slightly improved Emerging Industries PMI (EPMI) in China climbed slightly to 48.8 in September from 48.5 in August. The modest improvement was below market expectations and the 48.8 print was the lowest September figure (EMPI is not seasonally adjusted) since 2014 when the survey first started, suggesting weak growth momentum. What are we watching next? Sweden’s Riksbank set for largest hike in decades today The market is divided on whether the Riksbank hikes 75 basis points or a full 100 basis points, either of which would be the largest hike in nearly 30 years. One factor possibly tilting the odds in favour of a larger move is the exchange rate, as EURSEK trades near the range high of 10.90 since 2020, and USDSEK is less than three percent from its all-time high, which was just above 11.00 back in 2001. SEK is traditionally very sensitive to risk sentiment, so a larger hike may only impress beyond a knee-jerk reaction if broader sentiment and the outlook for Europe improves. FOMC meeting tomorrow Many headlines discuss whether the Fed is set to hike 75 or 100 basis points tomorrow. The Fed generally doesn’t like to surprise markets too much, so arguably it is safe in “only” hiking another 75 basis points as the 100-basis point odds are priced rather low. The more likely hawkish surprise scenario is one in which the Fed sets the “dot plot” of Fed policy forecasts for 2023 higher than the market currently expects – possibly as high as 5.00% for the median expectation. Another item to watch is the Fed’s forecast of PCE inflation for 2023 and 2024, together with where it places the first forecasts for inflation in its first set of forecasts for 2025. Earnings calendar this week This week our earnings focus is on Lennar on Wednesday as US homebuilders are facing multiple headwinds from still elevated materials prices and rapidly rising interest rates impacting forward demand. Later during this week, we will watch Carnival earnings as forward outlook on cruise demand is a good indicator of the impact on consumption from tighter financial conditions. Today: Haleon Wednesday: Lennar, Trip.com, General Mills Thursday: Costco Wholesale, Accenture, FactSet Research Systems, Darden Restaurants Friday: Carnival Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0730 – Sweden Riksbank Interest Rate Announcement 0800 – ECB's Muller to speak 1230 – Canada Aug. Teranet/National Bank Home Price Index 1230 – US Aug. Housing Starts & Building Permits 1230 – Canada Aug. CPI 1700 – ECB President Lagarde to speak 2030 – API's Weekly Crude and Fuel Stock Report Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-sep-20-2022-20092022
On The New York Stock Exchange, More Indices Fell

On The New York Stock Exchange, More Indices Fell

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 21.09.2022 08:42
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 1.01% to a one-month low, the S&P 500 index fell 1.13%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.95%. The leading performer among the components of the Dow Jones index today was Apple Inc, which gained 2.42 points (1.57%) to close at 156.90. Quotes Boeing Co rose by 1.06 points (0.73%), ending trading at 145.94. 3M Company lost 0.12 points or 0.10% to close at 116.52. The biggest losers were Nike Inc, which shed 4.79 points or 4.47% to end the session at 102.42. Caterpillar Inc was up 2.26% or 4.12 points to close at 177.99, while Home Depot Inc was down 2.23% or 6.25 points to close at 274. 17. Leading gainers among the components of the S&P 500 in today's trading were Wynn Resorts Limited, which rose 2.90% to hit 67.80, Valero Energy Corporation, which gained 2.63% to close at 107.42, and also shares of Expedia Inc, which rose 2.09% to end the session at 104.63. The fallers were shares of Ford Motor Company, which fell 12.32% to close at 13.09. Shares of Iron Mountain Incorporated shed 9.84% to end the session at 50.65. Quotes of Generac Holdings Inc decreased in price by 6.99% to 183.49. The leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Sobr Safe Inc, which rose 234.98% to 3.05, Powerbridge Technologies Co Ltd, which gained 60.62% to close at 2.20. as well as Neurobo Pharmaceuticals Inc, which rose 42.40% to end the session at 20.79. The biggest losers were Virios Therapeutics Llc, which shed 75.50% to close at 0.49. Pagaya shares shed 67.24% to end the session at 2.29. Quotes of Integrated Media Technology Ltd decreased in price by 46.07% to 1.03. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2599) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (546), while quotes of 129 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,705 companies fell in price, 1,091 rose, and 227 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 5.43% to 27.16. Gold futures for December delivery shed 0.29% or 4.80 to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery fell 1.19%, or 1.02, to $84.34 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery fell 1.14%, or 1.05, to $90.95 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, EUR/USD was flat at 0.49% at 1.00, while USD/JPY edged up 0.35% to hit 143.71. Futures on the USD index rose 0.39% to 109.89. Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-22 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/293539
Russian Referendum In The Occupied Territory Of Ukraine And More

Russian Referendum In The Occupied Territory Of Ukraine And More

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 21.09.2022 10:28
Summary:  Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 on tenterhooks after bond yields hit record highs, the US dollar index hits a record with markets bracing for the Fed’s jumbo hike. Shocking German PPI and Riksbank’s 100bps rate hike sets the stage for the FOMC to deliver a hawkish surprise. Ford becomes the second major company to downgrade their outlook, seeing its shares slide 12%, and sending another warning signal on the upcoming earnings season. Hang Seng rallies on the prospect of ending hotel quarantine. Russia-Ukraine tensions on a boil, sending wheat futures up 7%. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) on tenterhooks after bond yields hit record highs The US benchmark indices came under further pressure overnight (with the S&P500 down 1.1%, the Nasdaq 100 losing 0.9%) with investors selling equities and bonds and buying the US dollar, with markets on tenterhooks for the Fed’s jumbo rate hike on Wednesday. Added pressure came when the US 2-year bond yield hit 4% and the 10-year US bond yield hit 3.6%. Those are treasury yields’ highest levels since 2011, and they are better yields than the S&P500’s 1.7%. Meanwhile the US dollar index hit a record high as investors took shelter in the currency. Investors and traders are bracing for the Fed to boost rates to levels not seen since before the 2008 financial crisis. But is there more downside? The risk is that the Fed paves out a hawkish dot plot, or raises rates more than the 75 bps expected. That scenario will pressure equities. However, if the Fed believes inflation is rolling over, and signals this is peak hawkishness, then equities may see a knee jerk reaction and whipsaw higher. The technical indicators on the day and week chart for the S&P500 and Nasdaq imply further pressure are ahead. Big U.S. stock movers All 11 sectors in the S&P 500 fell on Tuesday, with Real Estate, Materials, and Consumer Discretionary falling the most, and Information Technology, Consumer Staples, and Energy relatively outperformed. Ford (F:xnys) tumbled 12.3% after the automaker said that inflation is making supplier costs USD 1 billion higher than expected in the current quarter. Gap (GPS:xnys) lost 3.2% on reports that the apparel retailer is cutting 500 corporate jobs in response to growing costs and weaker sales. Casino stocks gained as investors found optimism from relaxed Covid test requirements for passengers boarding a flight in Macao and the prospect of loosening hotel quarantine restriction in adjacent Hong Kong, through which many travelers arrive in Macao. Wynn Resorts (VYNN:xnas) gained 2.9% and Las Vegas Sands (LVS:xnys) climbed 1.2%. Apple’s (AAPL:xnas) shares rose 1.6% on Tuesday with estimates now suggesting the company’s most expensive iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro model accounts for 60-65% of total iPhone 14 shipments, which is up from the previous estimated range of 55-60%. This means Apple could have a positive outlook when they release their next quarterly earnings in late October. U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) were sold off again with 10-year yields reaching 3.6% intraday The sell-off in bonds continued on Tuesday.  The 5-year and 10-year segments of the treasury curve were hit most, with 10-year yields reaching a new intra-session high at 3.60% before paring and settling at 3.56%, up by 7bps from Monday.  The woes in the treasury markets stared across the pond in Europe following the larger-than-expected 100bp hike by the Riksbank in Sweden and the jaw-dropping 45.8% Y/Y increase in German PPI. A solid 20-year treasury bond auction, which stopped through 1.3bps and had a low award to primary dealers (8.1%), helped treasuries stage a short-lived rally and saw yields off their session highs before being sold (yields higher) again as a block sale of 7,200 contracts in the 5-year at 108-221/4 hit the tape.  The 2-year segment relatively outperformed, rising only 3bps in yield to finish the day at 3.97%, a touch below 4%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) rallied on the prospect of ending hotel quarantine   Hong Kong equities rallied on Tuesday, with Hang Seng Index rising 1.2% and Hang Seng Tech Index (HSTECH.I) climbing 2.0%. China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said the Chinese Government supports Hong Kong’s efforts to have “close, extensive contact” with the rest of the world. It was interpreted as a nod to Hong Kong’s plan to scrap the hotel quarantine requirement. Cathay Pacific Airways (00293) rose 2.2%. Stocks in the retail space gained, with jewellers surging from 2% to 7%. Macao casino stocks rose from 3% to 15% across the board, following the enclave extending the validity of PCR tests from 48 hours to 7 days for any person boarding a flight in Macao. Mainland state-owned media continued to publish articles with a positive tone to boost investor confidence. The latest was Securities Daily’s op-ed claiming that investors should have confidence in China’s long-term growth as the Government has launched quite a number of stimulus measures. CCTV says President Xi is committed to ensuring the stability of industrial and supply chains.  The China internet pace gained and Alibaba (09988:xhkg), Baidu (09888:xhkg), Meituan (03690:xhkg), JD.COM (09618:xhkg), and Netease (09999:xhkg) surged 2% to 4%.  EV stocks rebounded, with XPeng (09868:xhkg) soaring nearly 9%, NIO (09866:xhkg), and Li Auto (02015:xhkg) rising around 5%.  CSI300 Index was little changed, with solar power, energy storage, and auto outperforming.  Australia’s ASX200 to unwind yesterday’s rally. But watch for green and gold shoots in agricultural stocks The futures imply the ASX200 could unwind yesterday’s rally and rally 1.1% following US equites. However bright sparks might be seen in the soft commodity space with Wheat prices jumping 7.6% overnight as undersupply fears grip the market. It could be worth watching GrainCorp (GNC) and Elders (ELD).   Australian dollar against the NZ Dollar scales to 7-year highs The Aussie dollar against the kiwi dollar, the AUDNZD leaped to new highs, clearing the 1.1344 level. What supports this currency pair moving is the large divergence between Australia’s exports rising (Australia’s trade surplus rising), versus New Zealand’s imports increasing due to higher costs of energy products (and its trade deficit rising). If this continues, this supports AUDNZD. Want to know more? Australia’s trade account surplus trades near a record high, as Australia is exporting a record amount of coal and LNG. Inversely, the New Zealand economy is trading at a deficit for the second month in a row, as its heavily reliant on energy imports, which have increased significantly in price. What to watch if you are trading this pair? On Thursday September 22, NZ releases its Balance of Trade data. If there is another large deficit, we could see the AUDNZD leap up again. The next focus is perhaps 1.1516, the high of 2015. USDJPY range-bound despite the surge in US yields USDJPY saw some gains on Tuesday but the cap at 144 still prevailed despite the US 10-year yields making a fresh high. The verbal intervention from the Japanese authorities in the last few weeks, and the rate-check from last week, has helped to calm yen traders. However, if the FOMC delivers a hawkish surprise this week and Bank of Japan maintains its dovish policy, further pressure on the yen cannot be ignored. That may prompt another round of intervention from the Japanese authorities, spooking 2-way volatility, but still throwing up some potential trading opportunities as discussed here. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) suffers on the back of a stronger USD Crude oil prices were lower on Tuesday following the Riksbank’s hawkish surprise and a run higher in US Treasury yields as well as the US dollar. The fresh release announcement from the US strategic reserves scheduled through November also added to the downside. API inventories also saw crude stocks rising for the third straight week, and there were inventory builds across the board. WTI futures dipped below $84/barrel while Brent futures dipped below $91. This comes despite rising war tensions in Ukraine (see below) as the focus has shifted to the massive monetary policy tightening being delivered this week. What to consider? Riksbank goes for a 100bps rate hike, setting the stage for FOMC The Swedish Riksbank surprised yesterday with a 100-basis point hike to take the rate to 1.75%, a move only a minority were looking for. This, in addition to guidance that the Riksbank would look to continue hiking rates, took Swedish yields higher, but didn’t do much for the currency. The decision to hike by 1% was unanimous, prompted by the highest level of CPIF inflation since 1991 and the negative implication it could have on the upcoming wage negotiation which will lock in pay growth for the next three years. However, with global tightening wave turning more hawkish that expectations after ECB’s 75bps rate hike and Riksbank’s 100bps, the stage is being set for the FOMC to deliver above expectations as well. Shocking August German PPI According to the German statistics office Destatis, the PPI rose by 7.9% month-on-month in August. This is much higher than the consensus (2.4%). This shows that forecasting in the current macroeconomic environment is more challenging than ever. On a year-over-year basis, the increase is at 45.8%. This is an historical record. The continued jump is explained by higher energy prices (+139% year-over-year). But not only. Actually, inflation is broad-based. Prices for intermediate goods, for capital goods and for non-durable consumer goods are much higher too. This will probably get worse in the short-term. In the eurozone, it is unlikely the peak in inflation has been reached (contrary to the situation in the United States). Russia-Ukraine tensions heat up Russia is trying to stage a referendum on annexing the regions of Ukraine its forces still control. There were heightened geopolitical tensions regarding Russia and Ukraine where the separatists are to hold a referendum in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye on September 23rd-27th, although Ukraine and its allies have denounced the referendums as illegal and few countries are likely to recognize the results. An update from Putin on the matter is being awaited, where there have been some suggestions that he is considering introducing martial law and full mobilisation of the Russian army - the speech has now reportedly been delayed until 06:00BST/01:00EDT Wednesday. The move threatens to escalate the conflict even further, potentially giving Putin the formal legal basis to use nuclear weapons to defend what Moscow would consider Russian territory. China’s Emerging Industries PMI slightly improved Emerging Industries PMI (EPMI) in China climbed slightly to 48.8 in September from 48.5 in August.  The modest improvement was below market expectations and the 48.8 print was the lowest September figure (EMPI is not seasonally adjusted) since 2014 when the survey first started, suggesting weak growth momentum.  Reserve Bank of Australia minutes hint at more, but slower, rate hikes RBA minutes from the September 6 meeting suggested that there is more room for interest rates to go up, but there is no pre-set path given the uncertainties surrounding the growth/inflation outlook. After a 50bps rate hike announced at the September meeting, and with global tightening race picking up to make a 75bps as the new 25bps, expectations for further RBA rate hikes of that magnitude could have potentially gained traction. However, the RBA has said that it will consider either 25bps or 50bps for the upcoming meetings. While another 50bps can still be expected in October, given that inflation reached 6.1% (vs. target of -3%), the pace of tightening is set to slow from there. Chinese banks kept Loan Prime Rates unchanged China’s leading banks fixed the 1-year and 5-year loan prime rates unchanged at 3.65% and 4.30% respectively, as expected.  Ford, the second major company to downgrade their outlook Investors have been hit with the second major company downgrade in two weeks, with Ford (F) joining FedEx (FDX) in guiding of a challenging economic environment ahead. As mentioned yesterday, Ford warned inflation will cost its business $1 billion in the quarter, sending Ford shares down 12%, which is the stocks biggest loss in over 10 years. The automakers expect EBIT to range between $1.4b -$1.7 billion when it reports results next month. Lennar’s results may provide some insights into the U.S. housing market With 30-year fixed rate mortgage interest rates jumping above 6% for the first time in 14 years, since Sept 2008 and home affordability has fallen to historically low levels, investors are concerned about the state of the U.S. housing markets.  Results from a leading home builder Lennar (LEN:xnys) this Wednesday after market close will give a good opportunity for investors to gauge the latest market conditions in the U.S. housing market. Analysts, as per the survey by Bloomberg, are estimating revenue growth of 30% Y/Y and 8.3% Y/Y EPS growth in the quarter ending Aug 31, 2022.  Investors, however, will focus on the management’s comments and forward guidance.    Check out here for our views on the FOMC meeting and the Bank of Japan this week. For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast. Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/apac-daily-digest-sept-21-2022-21092022
What Should Gold Bulls Do To Keep XAUUSD Away From $1640 Zone?

What Should Gold Bulls Do To Keep XAUUSD Away From $1640 Zone?

Jing Ren Jing Ren 22.09.2022 08:22
XAUUSD struggles to bounce back Bullion whipsawed after the Fed's rate hike came out in line with expectations. The price’s failure to hold above the critical level at 1680 may have triggered a long journey to the south. The RSI’s oversold condition led to some profit-taking by intraday traders. But stiff selling could be expected in the former demand zone around 1700. The bulls, if there is any left must lift 1735 before a bounce could materialise. Otherwise, the precious metal may drift towards 1640 from the base of a bullish breakout back in April 2020. SPX 500 tests critical support The S&P 500 plunged after another super-sized US rate hike. The break below 3900 has invalidated the recent bounce and put the buy side on the defensive. As sentiment deteriorates, strong selling pressure may continue to prevail. A fall below 3820 at the origin of a bullish breakout last July shows little buying interest left, and the index could continue to sink to the daily support at 3725 which is a critical floor to prevent a bearish reversal. The support-turned-resistance at 3920 is the first hurdle in case of a rebound. USOIL awaits breakout WTI crude weakens over a gloomy economic prospect amid tighter financial conditions. Sentiment has remained fragile after the psychological level of 90.00 proved to be a tough level to crack for now. The current consolidation above 81.50 is temporary, and a breakout on either side would dictate the direction in the days to come. Only a rally above 90.00 could turn the mood around in the short-term. The bearish bias might take over and a breakout would resume the downtrend and send WTI to 78.00.
At The Close On The New York Stock Exchange Indices Closed Mixed

Falls At The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 23.09.2022 08:16
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 0.35% to a 3-month low, the S&P 500 fell 0.84%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 1.37%. Merck & Company Inc was the top performer among the components of the Dow Jones in today's trading, up 2.98 points or 3.53% to close at 87.51. Quotes Johnson & Johnson rose by 2.90 points (1.78%), ending trading at 166.18. Salesforce Inc rose 2.52 points or 1.71% to close at 150.15. Shares of American Express Company were the leaders of the fall, the price of which fell by 5.68 points (3.82%), ending the session at 143.03. Boeing Co was up 3.20% or 4.58 points to close at 138.71, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc was down 2.43% or 7.79 points to close at 312. .92. Among the S&P 500 index components gainers today were Eli Lilly and Company, which rose 4.85% to 310.87, Merck & Company Inc, which gained 3.53% to close at 87.51. , as well as shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, which rose 2.63% to end the session at 71.29. The biggest losers were Caesars Entertainment Corporation, which shed 9.44% to close at 37.62. Shares of Ball Corporation lost 8.66% to end the session at 49.23. FactSet Research Systems Inc dropped 8.29% to 394.75. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Spero Therapeutics Inc, which rose 167.74% to hit 2.20, Avenue Therapeutics Inc, which gained 105.90% to close at 0.44, and also shares of Panbela Therapeutics Inc, which rose 46.39% to end the session at 0.35. Top Ships Inc. was the biggest loser, shedding 44.06% to close at 0.12. Shares of Ecmoho Ltd lost 42.72% and ended the session at 0.10. Quotes of Pintec Technology Holdings Ltd decreased in price by 28.80% to 0.42. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2596) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (546), while quotes of 120 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 3,011 stocks fell, 765 rose, and 257 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, fell 2.29% to 27.35. Gold futures for December delivery added 0.24%, or 4.00, to $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery rose 0.54%, or 0.45, to $83.39 a barrel. Brent oil futures for November delivery rose 0.50%, or 0.45, to $90.28 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair remained unchanged 0.04% to 0.98, while USD/JPY fell 1.14% to hit 142.40. Futures on the USD index rose by 0.65% to 111.07.   Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-24 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/293918
Worrisome Growth Signals in Eurozone PMI: Recession Risks Loom Amid Persistent Inflation Pressures

Inflation Expectations In Malaysia And Singapore, Costco Shares Fell And More

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 23.09.2022 08:53
Summary:  Massive tightening was delivered globally after the Fed’s 75bps rate hike, which saw Bank of England, SNB, Norges Bank, and several emerging market central banks joining the race. Bond yields rose to fresh multiyear highs, with 10yr hitting 3.70% and 2yr well above 4%. The strength in the US labor market continues to hint at more room for tightening, and equities slumped. Japan’s intervention to defend the yen put some brakes on the dollar rally, but it would likely be ‘temporary’ at best, and focus shifts to US/UK and Eurozone PMIs today. What is happening in markets?   The Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) pressured by bond yields rising. S&P500 experiencing a rare technical breach With a parade of central banks joining the Fed in boosting rates to curb inflation, the US 10-year yield rose to 3.7% (its highest since 2011), while the two-year yield rose for the 11th day (which its longest rally in over three decades). This upward pressure in safe-haven yields is luring investors away from investing in companies exposed to inflation and facing earnings slowdowns. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.4%, on Thursday, shedding 3% over the week, while the S&P500 lost 0.8% on Thursday, falling 3% Monday-Thursday. Of note, the S&P500 is experiencing a rare technical breach, as it trades under its 200-day moving average for over 100 sessions. The last time this occurred in the last 30 years; was in the tech bubble when the index fell 50% before hitting its trough, and before that, the Global Financial Crisis, when the index fell 40% before hitting its trough. The technical indicators show the index is poised for more downside with the June bottom likely to be retested in the coming weeks, then the next level of support is perhaps about the psychological level 3,500, which is 9.1% lower below current levels. Get to know the best performer in the US stock market this week, with the most momentum, General Mills The US’s biggest wheat producer General Mills (GIS) has outperformed the S&P500 this week and risen 7.4% and claimed the best performing post this week. It’s vital to reflect on why this is the case. We’ve been speaking about the Wheat (WHEATDEC22) price of late, being supported higher due to deteriorating global wheat supply, and now with Russia mobilizing fleet against Ukraine, the wheat price move supported higher again, on concerns Ukraine’s export terminal will be shut once more. Wheat is also in a technical uptrend, so we think stocks General Mills could be a stock to watch ahead, as its earnings are likely to swell. In the S&P500 this week, following General Mills (GIS) higher is; Kellogg and Campbell Soup, as the second and third best performers in the S&P500. Costco (COST) was down over 2% post-market on Thursday despite reporting better-than-expected earnings results.  Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) to react to the Fed after being closed yesterday for a public holiday On Friday morning the futures are surprisingly calm, with the ASX200 suggested to only open 0.3% lower. So far this week, the ASX200 has once again outperformed global equities and only lost 0.5%, which is a stark contrast to the S&P500’s drop of 3%.  All eyes will be in cybersecurity stocks with Optus investigating a cyber-attack which may have led to authorized access of customer information. In terms of economic news to watch, S&P Global releases September PMI results. As for stocks to watching Fonterra might see increased bids after its APAC chief executive said she sees strong sales ahead for dairy protein. Rio Tinto will also be on watch after it signed a pact to promote low-carbon solutions for the steel value chain. Rio’s focus areas include low-carbon technology, blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace optimization and carbon capture utilization. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index was at 11-year lows yesterday amid the massive global tightening as well as rising geopolitical tensions. HSI later recovered some of the losses to end the day down 1.6%. Hong Kong's de-facto central bank mirrored the tightening and raised its base lending rate by 75 basis points to 3.5% with immediate effect. Hong Kong’s banks have waited through five rounds of rate hikes this year before moving. More pain is in store for Hong Kong’s borrowers, as the HKMA has been conducting its monetary policy in lockstep with the Fed since 1983 to maintain the local currency’s peg to the US dollar. EV shares tumbled with Xpeng down 11.6% and Nio falling 7.5%. Property sector continued to show weakness, with NWD down 3.4%. Meanwhile, CSI300 ended the day down 0.9% EURCHF ignored the intervention warnings EURCHF surged to 0.9700+ levels from 0.9465 after the SNB’s 75bps rate hike remained short of market’s expectation of a 100bps move. USDCHF also moved higher to touch 0.9850 from sub-0.9650 levels, but that was helped by a weaker US dollar following Japan’s intervention to defend the yen. With higher inflation forecasts, one can argue that there will be more room for the SNB to raise rates, and the CHF’s haven status could also come to its rescue as the case for economic slowdown gets stronger with the massive global tightening being delivered. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) focus back on supply issues Crude oil edged higher as OPEC warned of additional cuts to output. Nigeria’s oil minister, Timipre Sylva, said that OPEC would consider additional cuts if crude prices fall because current levels are affecting the budget of some member states. This helped the crude oil market to shrug off the massive tightening being delivered. A softer USD in the aftermath of Japan’s intervention also created room for the oil prices to focus on the demand-supply fundamentals. WTI futures rose to highs of $86/barrel before some easing, while Brent touched $92+.   What to consider? SNB delivers a 75bps rate hike The 75bps rate hike by the Swiss National Bank lifted the policy rate out of NIRP to 0.50% but disappointed the markets which had started to look for a 100bps rate hike. Guidance that further rate hikes cannot be ruled out was also accompanied by repeating guidance that they are willing to intervene in FX markets as necessary with Chairman Jordan subsequently stressing they are ready to step in to prevent excessive weakening or strengthening of the Franc. Bank of England goes for a dovish 50bps as recession concerns imminent While the consensus was looking for a 50bps rate hike from the Bank of England, market had started to price in a case for 75bps rate hike as well and so the decision to hike rates by 50bps was a slight disappointment. More so, the decision was not unanimous with three members supporting a 75bps move and one calling for a smaller 25bps move. However, the BoE confirmed that they are going to reduce their holdings of government bonds by GBP 80bln over the next 12 months, although the schedule remains open to amendments. Additionally, the BoE retained its guidance that they will continue to “respond forcefully” as necessary to inflation and while the peak forecast was reduced vs August’s update, it remains elevated and well above target. Finally, the Bank has downgraded its view on the UK economy in the near-term, Q3 2022 is now expected to see GDP declining by 0.1% (vs August projection of +0.4%), for a second quarter of contraction; a forecast which, if confirmed by the ONS release, implies the economy is already in a technical recession. US jobless claims suggests a resilient labor market Initial jobless claims marginally rose to 213k from the revised lower 208k but it was beneath the expected 218k. Meanwhile, continued claims fell to 1.379mln (prev. 1.401mln), also lower than the consensus 1.4mln, and dipped beneath 1.4mln for the first time since mid-July. While the strength in the labor market still remains intact given the large number of open positions in the American job market, some moderation can be expected in the coming months with the rapid pace of tightening and still-strained supply chains affecting output. However, as the Fed noted yesterday, the pace of rate hikes is set to continue despite some economic/labor market pain. Japan’s intervention temporarily strengthens the yen Japan’s first market intervention in over two decades came right after a hawkish FOMC and a steady policy decision by the Bank of Japan, with the widening yield differential between the US and Japan continuing to weigh on the Japanese yen. The intervention announcement came as USDJPY surged above 145 – the level that has been the line in the sand for last several weeks – and pair dropped to 140.36 over the next few hours. But as with most unilateral interventions, the effect was short-lived and USDJPY returned to 142+ levels subsequently, just as we had expected here. More steps remain likely, and the US Treasury said it understood Tokyo's move, but stopped short of endorsing it. Eurozone PMIs on the card to gauge how hawkish ECB can get Eurozone PMIs are likely to dip further into contractionary territory as energy price hikes weigh on spending and business plans. Manufacturing PMIs are likely to ease to 48.8 in September from 49.6 previously, and services are expected to fall to 49.1 from 49.8, according to Bloomberg consensus estimates. A weaker-than-expected number could temper the hawkish ECB bets for the October meeting. Singapore and Malaysia inflation to see further upside pressures Singapore’s headline inflation likely jumped further above the 7% mark in August from a reading of 7% YoY in July, underpinned by higher food and energy prices globally, higher rents due to under-supply, and demand side pressures from regional reopening and a pickup in tourism. Malaysia’s continued ban on chicken exports is also adding to the food inflation, and further tightening from the Monetary Authority of Singapore at the October meeting remains likely. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s inflation also likely rose further in August from 4.4% YoY in July due to higher commodity prices and weaker ringgit, as well as the strength in consumer demand. Bank Negara Malaysia’s next meeting is only scheduled in November, before which we will have another CPI print out. However, it can be assumed that monetary tightening will likely continue. Costco outperforms. Is this a sign of what to expect for fourth quarter earnings season? Costco reported fourth quarter earnings results that beat average analysts forecast, with total revenue hitting $72.09 billion, vs the $70.3 billion expected. It comes as fourth quarter membership fees rose 7.5% year on year, to $1.33 billion and accounted for 2% of the retailer's revenue. Although the company typically raises membership fees every five to six years (with its last fee increase in June 2017), Costco held off on rising fees “at this time”. Costco flagged that it sees some beginnings in the inflation situation improving, while it also expects to sell an overstock of holiday goods this season, which was left over from last year. Costco shares fell 2% post market after their results, implying its shares will sour when the market opens.    For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/apac-daily-digest-sept-23-2022-23092022
Why India Leads the Way in Economic Growth Amid Global Slowdown

Bitcoin Classified As A Risky Asset, The S&P 500 Having A Higher Earnings Forecast For Future

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 23.09.2022 11:55
For a long time, bitcoin and US stock indices, hand in hand, walked along the same road. As a result, the 60-day correlation between the S&P 500 and the leader of the cryptocurrency sector reached 0.72, which is slightly lower than the May record. At the same time, the collapse of the stock market, provoked by the increase in the federal funds rate to 3.25% in September, causes less and less panic in the ranks of the BTCUSD bulls. The token managed to cling to the psychologically important level of 19,000. Has it really hit the bottom, or is the crypto winter far from over? The dynamics of bitcoin proves that investors have classified it as a risky asset, the value of which is affected by the Fed's monetary policy. In this respect, BTCUSD's 70% drop from November highs and 60% YTD can be easily explained by the Fed's changing mindset. If in 2021 it was confident in the temporary nature of high inflation and was in no hurry to get rid of monetary incentives, in 2022, everything turned upside down. Raising the federal funds rate from 0.25% to 3.25% and scaling up the quantitative tightening program to $95 billion a month pushed real Treasury yields to levels last seen in 2011. Such a surge in real rates could not but affect the positions of risky assets, which are now in the black. Dynamics of BTCUSD and S&P 500 With 85% of stocks in the S&P 500 having a higher earnings forecast for the next 12 months than before the pandemic, and 81% trading below their values from those days, it seems that the stock index has room to rise. However, it should be borne in mind that at the height COVID-19 pandemic, the profits of companies, especially technology companies, have increased significantly. Their fundamental estimates, on the contrary, fell due to the Fed's monetary restriction. In addition, the stock market does not fully take into account the high probability of a recession, which allows us to talk about the untapped potential for its collapse and is bad news for BTCUSD. Why, then, did bitcoin manage to clutch at a straw like a drowning man? Even with information that the federal funds rate could rise to 4.6% in 2023, in line with FOMC forecasts? In my opinion, it is due to the overflow of capital. Money is running out of stocks and bonds, resulting in higher yields for the latter. At the same time, the presence of the US dollar in the area of 20-year highs suggests that the currency is overvalued. Where else can the capital be directed? Why not in the crypto sector? Whose assets, on the contrary, look oversold against the background of grandiose collapses from the levels of November highs. Technically, on the daily chart of BTCUSD, the bulls do not give up hope of completing the formation of the Broadening Wedge reversal pattern. To do this, they need to raise bitcoin quotes above 22,800. Risky entries into longs are associated with the storm of resistance at 19,800 and 20,200, where the fair value and moving averages are located. Relevance up to 09:00 2022-09-28 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/322505
For What It Is Worthy To Pay Attention Next Week 23.01-29.01

Markets Affected By The Announcement Of Tax Cuts In The UK, The Intervention Of The Japanese Authorities

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 26.09.2022 09:07
Summary:  The global macro environment took another beating late last week with disappointing Eurozone PMIs and a UK mini-budget causing a havoc in markets as it fueled further debt and inflation concerns. Dollar dominance continued with sterling pressured despite higher UK yields, and risk off tone is likely to continue as Russia-Ukraine tensions in focus. The yen’s intervention risks also on watch as Japan returns from holiday today. Oil prices slid to multi-month lows amid a stronger dollar and demand concerns, with supply factors turning supportive for now, weighing on energy stocks. What is happening in markets?   The Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) continue to tumble on rising interest rates  The selloff last Friday continued its long stretch of turbulence, which first kicked off following Powell’s hawkish Jackson Hole speech on August 26, then was exacerbated by a much-stronger-than expected CPI on September 13. And the selloff has most recently been bolstered by the hawkish rate and economic projections released after the FOMC meeting last Wednesday. Adding to the woes, earnings warnings from heavy-weight industrial and transportation companies have warned of weaker demand and an opaque outlook. The S&P 500 lost 12% and Nasdaq 100 dropped 13.9% over the period. Of note, last Friday, financial conditions tightened further, with US 2-year yields soaring to 4.2%, the highest since 2007, while the dollar soared to a new high and dragged down stocks, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ending Friday down 1.7% lower.   Big US stock movers: oil and gas stocks plunge as oil falls to an eight-month low  All 11 sectors in the S&P500 closed lower on Friday, with Energy falling the most, 6.8%, after WTI crude declined by about 5% to an eight-month low after the US dollar hit its highest level in two decades on fears rising interest rates will tip major economies into a recession. APA Corp (APA:xnas) and Marathon Oil (MRO:xnys) fell about 11%. FedEx (FDX:xnys) fell 3.4% with its US$2.7 billion cost-saving by cutting flights, deferring projects, and closing offices facing skepticism. Ford (F:xnys) fell 3.6%, following a WSJ report that Ford delayed vehicle deliveries due to supply chain issues in getting Ford logo badges to put on its vehicles. On the upside, Generac Holdings (GRNC:xyns), Domino’s Pizza (DPZ:xyns) shares rose the most in the S&P 500 on Friday, gaining 3.2% and 3.1% respectively, perhaps with traders closing shorts as their stocks are continuing to hit new lows on a yearly basis.  U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) rattled by soaring U.K. bond yields  In London trading hours before New York came in, U.S. treasuries were rattled by the jaw-dropping, emerging market style meltdown in U.K. Gilts, as 5-year UK Gilts soared 50bps and 10-year Gilts jumped 33bps in yields in an hour, following the announcement of a massive loosening of fiscal policy of nearly 2% of GDP by the new U.K. government. Investors are worried as when the U.K. acted similarly last time in 1972, inflation soared and the U.K. had to go to the IMF for a loan in 1976. When New York came in, bids emerged for U.S. treasuries, in particular, for the long end of the curve. 10-year and 30-year yields fell 3bps to 3.68% and 3.61% respectively while 2-year yields finished the session 8bps higher at 4.20%, the highest level since 2007.    Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) glided lower  Hang Seng Index continued its losing streak and tumbled 1.2% to its lowest level last seen in 2011.  Materials, healthcare, China Internet, EV, shipping, and consumer stocks led the market lower.  In the materials sector, Ganfeng Lithium (01772:xhkg) plunged 5%, followed by MMG (01208:xhkg) down 3.6%, and China Shenhua (01088:xhkg)  off 3.4%.  Despite the weakness in international crude oil prices, PetroChina (00857:xhkg) and Sinopec (00386:xhkg) managed to bounce by around 1.5%. Alibaba (09988:xhkg), Tencent (00700), and Meituan (03690:xhkg) declined by nearly 3%. Hong Kong’s end of hotel quarantine requirement lifted the share price Cathay Pacific (00293:hk) by 1% while Chinese airlines declined moderately.  Hong Kong luxury retailers gained, with Oriental Watch (00398:xhkg), Luk Fook and Chow Sang Sang rising from 0.5% to 2.2%. Banks in Hong Kong gained in anticipation of improvement in net interest margins following the lenders increased their prime rates, BOC Hong Kong (02388:xhkg) rising 3.8%, Hang Seng Bank (00011:xhkg) up by 2.5%. In mainland A shares, CSI300 swung between modest gains and losses and finished the day down by 0.3% and declining to within 3% from its April low. In terms of sectors, electronics, semiconductors, autos, coal, and solar power were among the worst laggards, while banks and appliances outperformed. Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) to be pressured by oil prices pulling back  This week Australia’s share market will likely take its lead from commodity prices pulling back, with oil stocks like Woodside (WDS:xasx), Santos (STO:xasx) and Worley (WOR:xasx) to take a hair cut. Inversely, the coal price has continued to move higher, along with coal futures, so there is likely to be further upsdise in coal stocks including; New Hope, Whitehaven (WHC:xasx) and Coronado (CRN:Xasx) Washington Soul Patts (SOL:xasx). Dollar dominance continues, sterling battered The dollar rallied broadly, hitting a new all-time high against a currency basket and pushing the euro to a 20-year low while the pound plunged to a fresh 37-year low below 1.10 after the new UK government unveiled a massive fiscal stimulus plan to boost economic growth, which is sure to send inflation soaring even higher and force the BOE to do even more QT. Safe-haven demand also boosted the greenback amid risks from the escalation of Russia tensions and more signs of a slowing Chinese economy, which raised concerns about the outlook for global economic growth.  Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) inches below key supports Crude oil prices fell sharply last week with the focus fixed on demand concerns while supply issues turned supportive. The continued surge higher in dollar and yields, aided by not just the FOMC but also the UK fiscal expansion measures into the end of the week, drove a slump in risk appetite. Brent crude fell to a nine-month low of $86.15/bbl, and this may warrant an OPEC action to support prices. Russia also warned it will not supply commodities to nations that join any agreement to cap prices for its crude. WTI crude traded below $80/bbl in early Asian trading hours as the new week kicked off.   What to consider? US PMIs come in better than expectations US flash PMIs for September surpassed expectations across the board, as manufacturing rose to 51.8 (prev. 51.5, exp. 51.1) and services, despite remaining in contractionary territory, printed 49.2 (prev. 43.7, exp. 45.0). Composite lifted to 49.3 from 44.6. At the same time, the inflation components of the PMIs continue to show some relief, with the report showing that supplier shortages eased and both cost and selling prices for both goods and services were at fresh lows, while still-high compared to the usual levels.  Eurozone PMIs disappoint, but ECB speakers (including Lagarde) will be in focus this week Both manufacturing and services PMIs for the Eurozone came in weaker-than-expected in a flash reading for September, with rising energy costs and decline in purchasing power weighing on manufacturing activity as well as the services sector. The headline reading fell to 48.2 in September from 48.9 in August. New orders disappointed, and the outlook was bleak as well. Manufacturing continues to be hit harder by elevated commodity prices. The reading slipped to 48.5 from 49.6. The services figure came in a bit higher at 48.9, but still fell from 49.8 in the previous reporting period. While supply bottlenecks eased, surging energy prices suggest these could reverse again. UK’s historic tax cuts raise the case for a BOE’s emergency rate hike New UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced a mini-budget on Friday, which included wide-ranging tax cuts of the order of GBP 45bn, adding to an estimated cost of GBP 60bn for the energy plan. Instead of stabilizing markets, the announcement sparked mayhem as it promised even more inflation at a time when the UK is set to slide into a crippling stagflationary recession as prices soar. Bank of England last week stuck with a 50bps rate hike as recession is likely on the cards. Bonds were sold off and the sterling dipped to 37-year lows, suggesting UK’s inflation-fighting credibility at stake and demands risk premia.  Investors pile into insurance against further market sells offs. Over the last four weeks money managers have spent US$34 billion purchasing put options, which provides protection against a further fall in stock markets (according to the Financial Times). According to the article, ‘Investors pile into insurance against further market sell-offs', $9.6 billion was spent in the last weeks alone on options protecting against downside risks.  Will Japanese authorities intervene further to defend the yen? The Japanese authorities intervened in the currency markets for the first time in two decades last Thursday. USDJPY’s move above 145 following a hawkish FOMC and a still-accommodative Bank of Japan prompted the intervention, and dragged the pair to sub-141 levels before some of the move was retraced. However, Japan was closed on Friday for a holiday, and returns to trading today. Moreover, Governor Kuroda will make a speech and talk to reporters today. We believe the yen could weaken further given the pressure from yield differentials between the US, which continues to rise to fresh highs, vs. the yields in Japan which continue to remain capped. Meanwhile, the intervention last week has been possibly unilateral, suggesting it may not be long-lasting. This continues to raise the possibility of further intervention from the Japanese authorities, especially if USDJPY rises back above 145. Russia referendums results may create market volatility The four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – began voting on Friday on whether to become part of Russia, and results may be expected this week. The referendums are reminiscent of one in 2014 that saw Ukraine’s Crimea annexed by Russia. The four regions’ integration into Russia – which for most observers is already a foregone conclusion – would represent a major new escalation of the conflict. The threat of nuclear weapons will also keep risk off on the table, with Putin threatening to use “all means” to protect the annexed Russian territory. Hong Kong ended hotel quarantine for arrivals Effective from today, Hong Kong ended its requirements for people arriving Hong Kong to be under hotel quarantine.  Under the new arrangement, people arrive to Hong Kong from overseas and Taiwan are still required to undergo three days of medical surveillance at home or hotels.  They can go out, including taking public transportation and going to work but are still denied access to some public venues such as restaurants during the medical surveillance as well as required to take RAT daily for seven days plus three PCR tests on day 2, 4 and 6 each.  For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast .     Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/apac-daily-digest-sept-26-2022-26092022
Oanda Podcast: US Jobs Report, SVB Financial Fallout And More

The United States And Investments In New Sources Of Energy, Demand For The iPhone 14 Is Low

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 26.09.2022 09:25
Summary:  Market sentiment continues to deteriorate as markets test the lows of this bear market on the surging US dollar and US treasury yields, although the latter came down sharply from the highs Friday as the equity market sell-off accelerated. The strong US dollar posted new highs for the cycle against many DM currencies, while sterling is in crisis mode, plunging to an all-time low at one point overnight below 1.0500 to the US dollar.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) Last week was hectic with many central bank decisions, BoJ currency intervention and Russian military mobilisation. This morning US equities are not in a better mood with S&P 500 futures down 0.7% trading around the 3,680 level as the US 10-year yield continues to move trading at 3.76%. The VIX Index has also pushed to almost 30 and the VIX forward curve slipped into inversion on Friday signaling a potential panic selloff is in the making. We expect pressures to continue in equities, but with sentiment already historically low, there could be a short-term rebound if S&P 500 futures can hold the line around the June lows at around the 3,640 level. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index fluctuated between modest gains and losses and was 0.4% lower as of writing. HSBC (00005:xhkg) and Standard Charted (02888:xhkg) tumbled around 8% as the Pound Sterling was in turmoil. The market however was supported by rallies in China internet stocks, the China catering space, EV names, and Macao casino stocks. In mainland bourses, tourism, catering, semiconductors, solar power and EV rebounded, CSI300 up by 0.3%. Strong USD, weak GBP The US dollar strength has continued to start this week, as the greenback posted new cycle highs versus most other G10 currencies, with the notable exception of USDJPY, which did trade back higher above 144.00, but continues to respect the threat of official intervention from Japan after last week’s episode. Most intense focus at the moment is on the collapsing pound sterling, which crashed to an all-time low below 1.0500 overnight, down more than 5% in a couple of trading sessions. More on whether sterling’s slide will lead to an emergency move from the Bank of England below. The EURUSD traded to new cycle lows below 0.9600 overnight. There are no real chart points for that exchange rate until the all-time low of 0.8230 from the year 2000. Gold (XAUUSD) under pressure A hawkish Fed and the continued rise in real rates and not least the surging US dollar has seen gold fall towards the lowest since April 2020. Last week’s 1.9% drop, however, was relatively muted given the +3% rally in the dollar index and a 24 basis points jump in the US ten-year nominal and real yield, but as long the dollar continues its relentless rise and until the market reaches peak hawkishness and yields start to top out, gold will struggle to act as a defense against stagflation. Ahead of last week's slump money managers had increased short bets on gold to become the most bearish in more than four years. Having dropped below $1654 on Friday, the market may now target the 50% retracement of the 2018 to 2020 rally at $1618. Focus being the dollar, US inflation data and Russia geopolitical developments. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) The unrelenting pressure on commodities, including crude oil, continues following Friday’s gloomy session which saw accelerated dollar strength and growth pessimism cause a ripple through markets. The result being a near 5% drop in crude on Friday and weakness remained the theme overnight in Asia as the dollar ripped higher against most major currencies, not least a collapsing sterling. WTI trades below $80 per barrel while a return to the mid-80's in Brent may soon see OPEC+ action to support prices. With Russia repeating its warning of not supplying commodities to nations that join any agreement to cap prices for its crude, and with the market increasingly having priced in a recession, the energy sector could be the first to find support once the dollar stabilises. US treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields pulled sharply higher on Friday, but treasuries finally found support later in the session before melting lower again to start the week in Asia – taking the 10-year treasury yield back toward the cycle high near 3.80%. The next focus higher for the US 10-year benchmark is 4.00% after the cycle high 3.50% level fell last week. This was the highest yield posted all the way back in the 2009-10 period. What is going on? Right bloc wins Italian election, with Brothers of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni set to be next PM of Italy The bloc will have at least 114 Senate seats, ten more than the level required for a majority.  The three right-leaning parties Brothers of Italy, League and Forza Italia won about 43% of the popular vote, with 25% going to Brothers of Italy. The new government will have to scramble to put together a new budget for approval by the Italian parliament and the EU. Populist pressures could see the new government calling for large deficit spending that former PM Draghi refused to consider. Meloni has promised to roll back some of the reform measures introduced by Draghi, a move that could risk the EU withholding some portion of the EUR 200 billion of extraordinary EU pandemic budget funds targeted for Italy. US PMIs come in better than expected US flash PMIs for September surpassed expectations across the board, as manufacturing rose to 51.8 (prev. 51.5, exp. 51.1) and services, despite remaining in contractionary territory, printed 49.2 (prev. 43.7, exp. 45.0). The Composite lifted to 49.3 from 44.6. At the same time, the inflation components of the PMIs continue to show some relief, with the report showing that supplier shortages eased and both cost and selling prices for both goods and services were at fresh lows, while still high compared to the usual levels.  Eurozone PMIs disappoint, but ECB speakers (including Lagarde) will be in focus this week Both manufacturing and services PMIs for the Eurozone came in weaker-than-expected in a flash reading for September, with rising energy costs and decline in purchasing power weighing on manufacturing activity as well as the services sector. The headline reading fell to 48.2 in September from 48.9 in August. New orders disappointed, and the outlook was bleak as well. Manufacturing continues to be hit harder by elevated commodity prices. The reading slipped to 48.5 from 49.6. The services figure came in a bit higher at 48.9, but still fell from 49.8 in the previous reporting period. While supply bottlenecks eased, surging energy prices suggest these could reverse again. Apple iPhone 14 initial sales below previous introductions According to initial surveys demand for the iPhone 14 is running below previous model instructions suggesting consumers are holding back due to lower disposable income. The lower initial sales figures are in contrast to the pre-orders of the iPhone 14, but these pre-orders do not come with an obligation to buy. It is also worth noting that Apple has begun assembling some of its iPhone 14 in India.  The United States is boosting investments in new sources of energy Over the weekend, the U.S. government has announced it will provide up to $50 million as a reward to private nuclear fusion firms. They will need to provide pre-conceptual nuclear fusion reactor designs within 18 months of receiving their award. Fusion is considered by experts as a clean energy source with less radioactive waste than existing nuclear power plants. If they succeed, this could help accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and greener economy. At the same time, the United States is the developed country with the most conventional nuclear capacity under construction, according to the latest data of the World nuclear association. While many European countries are debating whether nuclear energy is safe or not, the reality is that it is one of the safer sources of energy. Radioactivity resulting from uranium use diminishes quickly with time. About 40 years after it is done making power, the radioactivity of the fuel bundle falls by over 99 %. Most of the industrial waste we manage never gets less toxic over time…not even in a million years. Investors pile into insurance against further market sell offs During the last four weeks money managers have spent US$34 billion purchasing put options, which provides protection against a further fall in stock markets (according to the Financial Times). US$9.6 billion was spent in the last weeks alone on options protecting against downside risks, according to the Financial Times article ‘Investors pile into insurance against further market sell-offs'. What are we watching next? Sterling crisis after UK’s historic tax cuts may bring emergency rate hike New UK Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced a mini budget on Friday, which included wide-ranging tax cuts approximately GBP 45 billion, adding to an estimated cost of GBP 60bn for the energy plan. Instead of stabilizing markets, the announcement sparked mayhem as it promised even more inflation at a time when the UK is set to slide into a crippling stagflationary recession as prices soar. The Bank of England last week stuck with a 50bps rate hike as recession is likely on the cards. Bonds were sold off and the sterling dipped to 37-year lows, suggesting UK’s inflation-fighting credibility at stake and demands risk premia, in other words, the Bank of England may be forced to announce an emergency rate hike to stabilize the currency. Will Japanese authorities intervene further to defend the yen? The Japanese authorities intervened in the currency markets for the first time in two decades last Thursday. USDJPY’s move above 145 following a hawkish FOMC and a still-accommodative Bank of Japan prompted the intervention, and dragged the pair to sub-141 levels before some of the move was retraced. However, Japan was closed on Friday for a holiday, and returns to trading today. Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda has been out speaking this morning, with no new signals on offer. The yen could weaken further given the pressure from yield differentials between the US, which continues to rise to fresh highs, vs. the yields in Japan which continue to remain capped. Meanwhile, the intervention last week has been possibly unilateral, suggesting it may not be long-lasting. This continues to raise the possibility of further intervention from the Japanese authorities, especially if USDJPY rises back above 145. Earnings calendar this week The Q3 earnings season kicks off in three weeks but there are still earnings releases being released not following the traditional calendar. The action this week will be on Thursday with earnings from H&M, Nike, and Micron Technology, with earnings from Micron being the most interesting to watch as we already know H&M and Nike are seeing weak demand. Micron has exposure to the consumer electronics industry and manufactures memory chips in Asia which means that the company sits in at the intersection of many interesting trends. Tuesday: Ferguson Wednesday: Paychex, Cintas Thursday: Polestar Automotive, H&M, Nike, Micron Technology, CarMax Friday: Carnival (postponed from last week), Nitori Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0800 – Germany Sep. IFO Survey 0800 – Switzerland SNB Weekly Sight Deposits 1230 – US Chicago Fed National Activity Index 1300 – ECB President Lagarde to speak 1400 – US Fed’s Collins (Voter this year) to speak 1430 – ECB’s Centeno to speak 1600 – US Fed’s Bostic (non-Voter) to speak 1600 – UK Bank of England’s Tenreyro to speak 1835 – New Zealand RBNZ Governor Orr to speak 2000 – US Fed’s Mester (Voter) to speak Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-sep-26-2022-26092022
Turbulent Times for Currencies: USD Dominates, SEK Shines

S&P 500, Nasdaq, EUR/USD, Brent Crude Oil And Gold Trade Lower

ING Economics ING Economics 26.09.2022 10:05
A difficult start to the week beckons as Asian markets eye Friday's G-10 carnage Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets:  US stocks had a bad end to the week. Both S&P500 and NASDAQ dropped sharply, and despite some slight recovery towards the end of the session, equity futures remain negative today, likely setting the scene for Asia’s markets. EURUSD also continued its losing streak, dropping below 0.97, though Cable was the star underperformer in G-10 FX space, dropping to 1.0824. New all-time lows beckon. This is not exactly a ringing endorsement by markets of the new Truss government and budget proposals. The AUD fared better, but not much, falling to 0.6525 and the JPY is making tentative moves higher again after the BoJ intervened at the end of last week. It probably won’t remain below 1.45 for long. The US yield curve continues to invert more forcefully.  2Y US Treasury yields are now 4.20%, a rise of nearly 8bp on Friday, while the yield on the 10Y Treasury bond dipped by just under 3bp to 3.685%. UK 10Y Gilt yields were up 33.3bp on Friday, a worse performance than the weakest Eurozone member bond.  Asian FX has been outperforming its G-10 peers. Most Asian currencies fell less than one-percent against the USD on Friday, though there could be some more catch-up today. Crude oil joined the general slump on Friday, no doubt helped by the USD’s strength, and front-month Brent crude futures are back below USD90/bbl. Gold is also soft, at $1643/oz, with inflation fears being swamped by interest rate rises. G-7 macro: It’s a very quiet day in the G-10 for macro news after the slew of weak PMI data on Friday. Germany’s Ifo survey may be the main highlight for the day – further falls are expected.  Regional US Fed activity indices provide additional insight into the US economic condition. Otherwise, the OECD’s Economic Outlook will probably garner a few downbeat headlines, though there is a good chance any forecasts will already have been overtaken by events. Singapore: Industrial production data for August is due at 13:00 today. Weakness in the electronics segment is likely behind the consensus -0.6%YoY forecast. The earlier NODX numbers for August were, if anything, a bit weaker than this consensus view, so there may be some downside risk to these estimates. Korea: The foreign exchange authorities (the Bank of Korea, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance) and the National Pension Service have agreed to conduct FX swap transactions within a limit of $10 billion. This is the second FX swap agreement after the 2008 agreement. The maturity of each case is 6 months or 12 months with no rollover and either party has the right to early liquidation. Despite the authorities’ efforts to stabilize the FX market, the KRW depreciation will likely continue for a while given that the market impact of these transactions will be limited. The Bank of Korea will likely take a big step at its October meeting, concerned that the weak KRW will add more pressure on inflation. What to look out for : China PMI Japan Jibun PMI composite (26 September) Singapore industrial production (26 September) Hong Kong trade (26 September) US Dallas Fed manufacturing activity (26 September) South Korea consumer confidence (27 September) China industrial profits (27 September) US durable goods orders (27 September) US Conference Board consumer confidence and new home sales (27 September) Australia retail sales (28 September) Japan leading index (28 September) Bank of Thailand meeting (28 September) US mortgage applications and wholesale inventories (28 September)       South Korea business survey manufacturing (29 September) US initial jobless claims, 2Q GDP and core PCE (29 September) South Korea industrial production (30 September) Japan labour market data (30 September) China official and Caixin PMI manufacturing (30 September) India RBI meeting (30 September) Hong Kong retail sales (30 September) US personal income, personal spending and core PCE (30 September) US University of Michigan sentiment (30 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
Oil Prices Soar on Prospect of Soft Landing, Eyes Set on $80 Breakout

Very Dramatic Moves In Forex Markets With The Euro (EUR) And The Pound (GBP)

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 26.09.2022 11:13
The FX markets kick off the week on an extremely chaotic note. Both the pound and the euro are being severely punished for the political decisions that are taken in the UK and in Italy respectively. Elections in Italy As expected, the far-right candidate Giorgia Meloni won a clear majority in Italy at yesterday’s election, with Brothers of Italy gaining more than 25% of the votes. And Meloni’s right-wing alliance with Salvini’s League and Berlusconi’s Forza Italia got around 43% of the votes: the terrible consequence of the pandemic, the war and the energy crisis. Situation the major currency  The EURUSD has been shattered this morning. The pair dived to 0.9550. But it’s almost worst across the Channel, if that’s any consolation. Investors really hated the ‘mini budget’ announced in UK last Friday. Investors were expecting to hear about a huge spending package from Liz Truss government, but the package has been even HUGER than the market expectations. UK’s 10-year yield jumped more than 20% since last week, the FTSE dived near 2% and Cable tanked below 1.0350 in Asia this morning. Elsewhere, the US dollar index took a lift, and the dollar index is just crossing above the 114 mark at the time of talking. Stock market Outlook Gold dived to $1626 on the back of soaring US dollar. US crude oil plunged below $80 per barrel. The S&P500 fell to the lowest levels since this summer, whereas the Dow Jones fell below the summer dip. Happily, the European equities are better bid this morning, but investors remain tense and worried. Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:24 Italy turns right, euro gets smashed 4:15 UK assets treated like EM after the ‘MINI’ budget 7:45 USD rallies, XAU, oil under pressure 8:49 US stocks dive to, or below summer lows on Fed fear Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #Italy #election #Meloni #UK #mini #budget #EUR #GBP #selloff #USD #rally #crude #oil #XAU #BP #APA #XOM #recession #energy #crisis #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
US Nonfarm Payrolls Disappoint: Impact on Dollar and EUR/USD Analysis

Many Of Big Losers On The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 27.09.2022 08:10
At the close in the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 1.11% to hit a 52-week low, the S&P 500 fell 1.03%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.60%. Walmart Inc was the top gainer among the components of the Dow Jones index today, up 1.25 points (0.96%) to close at 131.31. Apple Inc rose 0.34 points (0.23%) to close at 150.77. Procter & Gamble Company rose 0.13 points or 0.10% to close at 135.71. The biggest losers were The Travelers Companies Inc, which shed 4.88 points or 3.14% to end the session at 150.60. Boeing Co was up 2.99% or 3.92 points to close at 127.34, while Chevron Corp was down 2.63% or 3.81 points to close at 140.96. . Leading gainers among the components of the S&P 500 in today's trading were Wynn Resorts Limited, which rose 11.99% to 66.80, Las Vegas Sands Corp, which gained 11.81% to close at 39.66. as well as Costco Wholesale Corp, which rose 2.98% to end the session at 480.30. The losers were DISH Network Corporation, which shed 6.12% to close at 14.27. Shares of The AES Corporation shed 5.48% to end the session at 22.96. Quotes of Halliburton Company decreased in price by 5.17% to 23.31. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were LAVA Therapeutics NV, which rose 97.50% to 4.74, DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd, which gained 42.87% to close at 0.45. as well as shares of Panbela Therapeutics Inc, which rose 25.96% to close the session at 0.34. The biggest losers were Powerbridge Technologies Co Ltd, which shed 68.57% to close at 0.50. Shares of Scienjoy Holding Corp lost 43.77% to end the session at 1.67. Quotes of Snow Lake Resources Ltd fell in price by 40.88% to 1.88. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2652) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (536), while quotes of 132 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,592 stocks fell, 1,248 rose, and 275 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 7.82% to 32.26, hitting a new 3-month high. Gold futures for December delivery lost 1.56%, or 25.90, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery fell 2.82%, or 2.22, to $76.52 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery fell 2.81%, or 2.39, to $82.64 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, EUR/USD fell 0.84% to hit 0.96, while USD/JPY edged up 0.94% to hit 144.66. Futures on the USD index rose by 0.98% to 114.07.   Relevance up to 05:00 2022-09-28 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/294320
Tesla’s Shares Are The Most Expensive|Apple Started Production In India

Tesla’s Shares Are The Most Expensive|Apple Started Production In India

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 27.09.2022 09:27
Summary:  Bond yields surged and the US dollar picked up strength once more, pressuring US equities for the fifth day. The S&P 500 finished Monday at its lowest closing level in 2022. Investors continued to dump the U.K. Gilts and the Pound Sterling. Australia’s ASX200 could be boosted by M&A and earnings, but pressure remains. China’s central bank raised its risk reserve requirement on banks’ forward FX sales. Australia’s Federal government considers new coal mines, we cover what you need to know. For the latest in markets, with trading and investing ideas, read today's market insights. What is happening in markets? The Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) trade at their lowest levels in 2022 The sell-off in equities continued as bond yields continued to surge, and the US dollar picked up strength, which pressed the S&P500 lower for the 5th straight day, seeing the index for the biggest 500 stocks fall 1%, while the Nasdaq 100 gave up 0.5%. The S&P500 not only took out June’s low but closed at its lowest level in 2022. VIX jumped to 32.3. And we think the market is now trading at a level that could perhaps see a very short-term relief technical rally, with the market in oversold territory and the S&P500 trading 9% under its 50-day moving average. Although we could see quant traders likely to swoop and trigger a rally, we emphasize that headwinds still remain in place; as bond yields and the USD are still charging, financial conditions and valuation remain pressured by the Fed’s pledge to tighten liquidity, and we are still likely to see more earnings downgrade. So the overarching pressure on equities remains, which is why we think a potential rally will likely be very short-lived. Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) rallies, boosted by M&A and earnings, but pressure remains After falling 1.6% on Monday to 6,469, the Australian share market opened 0.4% higher on Tuesday boosted by earnings results and M&A talk. A company to watch might be Santos, after selling down its PNG LNG in a $1.1 billion deal. Another company to watch is Synlait Milk as it tripled its financial 2022 net profit after tax to NZ$38.5 million, after sales rose 21% to $NZ1.66 billion. Over 2021/2022 the average milk price was NZ$9.30 per kilo of milk solid, and it forecasts for that to rise to an average of NZ$9.50 in 2022/2023. The milk company gave few clues about profits ahead with no financial guidance, but it expects a similar level of profitability in financial 2023 as in financial 2021. Selling in U.S. treasuries (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) continued as yields surged to new highs Continuous melt-down in U.K. government bonds (10-year Gilt yields jumped 42bps to 4.24%) across the pond and a poor 2-year U.S. treasury note auction pushed treasury yields to a new high, with the 10-year note yielding soaring 24bps to finish the day at 3.92%, putting the psychologically important 4% handle within reach.  The 2-year yield rose 14bps to 4.34%.  The 10-year real rate, represented by the 10-year Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) jumped to as high as 1.62% before settling at 1.59%, a new high since 2010. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) ended lower but casino stocks were a bright spot Hang Seng Index fluctuated between modest gains and losses and finished the session 0.4% lower. HSBC (00005:xhkg) and Standard Charted (02888:xhkg) tumbled more than 7% as the Pound Sterling was in turmoil. The market however was supported by rallies in China internet stocks, with Meituan (03690:xhkg) up by 4.5%, and Tencent (00700:xhkg) rising nearing 3%.  Macao said that it will resume receiving tour groups from mainland China in November. The news boosted Macao casino stocks, Sands China (01928:xhkg) soared 15.7%, followed by SJM (00880:xhkg) and Wynn Macau (01128:xhkg) each rising more than 11%.  XPeng (09868:xhkg) jumped 8.7% after the EV maker’s founder bought USD30 million worth of shares in the company.  Ahead of the National Day golden week holiday, China catering stocks surged, led by Xiabuxiabu’s 14.4% surge and followed by Haidilao (06862:xhkg) and Jiumaojiu (09922:xhkg) rising more than 6%. Following the plunge in gold prices, share prices of gold mining companies dropped sharply, led by Zijin Mining (02899:xhkg) falling nearly 9%, Zhaojin Mining declining more than 5%.  In mainland bourses, tourism, catering, semiconductors, solar power, and EV stocks rebounded. CSI300 Index fell 0.5%. GBPUSD reversed Monday’s flash crash, but risks seen ahead Sterling reversed from the flash crash seen in the Asian session on Monday, and thin liquidity conditions may be a reason for the sharp drop. The new all-time lows were set at 1.0350 but GBPUSD recovered later to trade closer to 1.0800-levels even as BOE’s lack of action (read below) continued to weigh on sterling. BOE’s Chief Economist Pill is scheduled to make a statement on Tuesday, and lack of real action may mean further downside in sterling. EURGBP below 0.90 may mean room for further spikes as the UK inflation picture deteriorates significantly. JGB futures test the Bank of Japan’s patience again The 10-year Japanese government bond futures tested the Bank of Japan’s yield cap of 0.25% this morning as global bonds continued to be sold off following the hawkish Fed last week doubled up by the UK fiscal plan. Japan’s 2-year yield also rose above 1% for the first time since 2015, but these are outside the scope of BOJ’s yield curve control policy. This suggests the central bank may need to increase the pace of its bond buying for longer maturities, as it did in June. USDJPY is also back in close sight of 145, the level above which we saw the direct intervention by the Japanese authorities last week. Still, the scope for intervention may be lower this time as the yen has strengthened against most other currencies other than the USD. EURJPY is still below 140 from 143+ levels at the time of intervention, while GBPJPY is down from 164 to ~154. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) at year-lows Crude oil prices stabilized in the Asian morning after dipping to the lowest levels since January as tighter global monetary policy continues to underpin recession concerns. Meanwhile the rally in the US dollar continues to stretch further, as we had expected, weighing on the overall commodities sector. WTI futures drifted closer to $77/barrel while Brent futures stayed below $85. Hawkish Fed remarks overnight continue to underpin more USD gains, but the question now is at what levels OPEC will step in to pare supplies and stem the rout. What to consider? Bank of England’s lack of action As a fallout from UK’s fiscal plan, the sterling slid to record lows of 1.0350 on Monday and this prompted calls for an immediate action from the Bank of England to stem the slide in the currency or stabilize inflation expectations. However, all that the BOE did was to try to calm the market nerves with some words rather than action, and delayed any hopes of a rate hike to the next meeting scheduled on November 3. The risk of rate hikes being ineffective to restore sterling credibility may be seen, but BOE’s currency reserves are also rather limited and can only cover about two months of imports. This suggests sterling can remain prone to more wild swings. Fed speakers maintain a hawkish rhetoric Cleveland Fed President Mester was on the wires in the late US hours, reaffirming that further rate hikes will be needed and will need a restrictive stance for some time, while she added it can be better to act more aggressively in an uncertain environment and that pre-emptive action can prevent the worst-case outcome. Collins also spoke about getting inflation under control even if that mean deteriorating labour markets, while Logan (2023 voter) also stressed on the 2% inflation goal. Fed’s 2023 rate cuts bets are easing since the hawkish FOMC last week, More Fed speakers are lined up for Tuesday, including Powell, Bullard, Evans and Kashkari. However, focus may be more on what BOE’s Chief Economist Pill has to say. German Ifo survey slips to new lows Germany’s Ifo business-climate index fell to 84.3 points in September from a revised figure of 88.6 points in August, data from the Ifo Institute showed Monday. This is its lowest value since May 2020 and below expectations of 87.1. The Ifo president said that the German economy is slipping into a recession, as business confidence worsened considerably due to the escalating energy crisis. No Russian oil price cap for the moment The EU countries announced they will delay the introduction of an oil price cap on Russian imports. At least two countries, Cyprus and Hungary (the Hungarian government is one of the most vocal European governments criticizing the sanctions against Russia) have expressed opposition to the oil cap proposal. Expect intense negotiations ahead in order to reach a compromise. For this matter, the EU requires unanimity among member countries. Each country has an effective veto. Australia’s Federal government considers new coal mines; pressuring coal equites The Australian Federal government is considering 29 applications for new expanded coal mines. Coal is already a AUD$63 billion export industry for the nation down under and supported its trade surplus growing to a record. The extra capacity will be able to produce 250 million tones a year. If some or all mines are approved, it will likely cause selling in coal equities in the short term. However, given most of Australia’s coal is exported to India, and green resources will not be able to power Australia’s grid until 2024 (off peak for retail Australians only), the coal price remains supported over the longer term. A climate advocacy group said the extra coal capacity will add to half of the world’s emissions. The government is reviewing applications with BHP, and Glencore on the list.  Australia’s economic data this week, is unlikely to stop the AUD from sliding, but the AUDGBP is the pair to watch Australia’s economy has remained resilient despite the global growth slowdown; however the Aussie currency has continued to lose out, and be pressured by the resilient dollar strength, with the USD index moving to 20-year highs and rising 5% since the Fed’s hawkish Jackson Hole speech on August 26. Also keep in mind, Australian economic data; Australian retail sales out tomorrow (Wednesday 28 September) and private sector credit (borrowing) out Thursday 29 September, are both expected to fall. Although the AUDUSD faces further pressure over the medium term, the AUDGBP is perhaps a pair to watch, after hitting six-year highs on the back of the UK’s tax cuts announced. What also supports this pair rising is Australia’s surplus continuing to trade at record highs, vs UK’s deficit likely to widen. Given that’s likely for now, the AUDGBP is a worthy pair to watch that could extend its uptrend. China’s central bank imposed a 20% risk reserve requirement on banks’ forward FX sales The PBOC imposed a 20% risk reserve requirement on commercial banks’ foreign exchange forward sales to their clients. The move requires banks to set aside a 20% reserve of any forward sale of foreign currencies to their clients, including importers who seek to hedge their FX exposure. As banks will pass along the now higher funding costs of these FX forward transactions to their clients, it is estimated that it will be about 600 to 700 pips more expensive for banks’ clients to hedge their FX exposures for 12 months.  The PBOC did use the same tool before in 2015 and 2018 and triggered some selling in USDCNY but did not reverse the depreciating trend then.  PBOC’s move on Monday failed to halt the weakening in the onshore and offshore Yuan in the midst of a super-charged strong dollar against major currencies, with USDCNH rising by 0.4% to 7.17. Tesla’s share price performance rivals Apple’s So far this year, out of the five biggest US firms by market value, Tesla has become the new megacap unlikely rival to Apple. Tesla shares are outperforming Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon so far this year, and coming close to Apple’s performance. However, Tesla’s shares are by far the most expensive. For more on what to expect from Tesla ahead, it’s worth reading or watching our update, available here. Apple begins production in India Apple has begun assembling some of its iPhone 14 in India. This may be the start of a manufacturing boom in India, as China transitions to a consumption economy and US-China tensions continue to play out. Meanwhile, India’s push on electronics manufacturing could mean more foreign investments to come, as India seeks to solidify its position in global supply chains in addition to being a large consumption-driven economy. Our India equity theme basket is worth considering as India remains one of the big winners of deglobalization and slowing Chinese economy. Separately, also consider Apple is one of the most traded stocks at Saxo globally this month. We wrote recently on why to expect Apple to perhaps pave out a bullish sales outlook, for more read here.     For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-trading-and-investing-ideas-to-consider-27-sept-27092022
Bank of England Faces Rate Decision: Uncertainty Surrounds Magnitude of Hike

S&P 500 Decreased By Over 1% Yesterday, Nasdaq Lost 0.6%. US Dollar (USD) Still Strong

ING Economics ING Economics 27.09.2022 10:00
Selling momentum may be easing, but a trend reversal looks optimistic Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: Slightly smaller declines in US stocks overnight may indicate that the momentum of the current stock selling spree may be running out. And certainly, relative strength indicators are pointing to stocks entering an oversold area. We are also sitting at approximately the June 2022 lows, so any further downward push may need a bit more fresh news, though if these levels are breached, it then opens up a lot more downward space. The S&P500 finished down 1.03% yesterday, the NASDAQ down 0.6%. Equity futures are signalling a tentative increase on today’s open. The USD continues to strengthen against almost everything. EURUSD is now 0.9614, though again, the moves were more muted than the previous session. Cable continues to look extremely dicey, dropping to 1.035 at one stage yesterday, though clawing back to 1.0718 currently on some comments from HM Treasury that there may be a plan to come up with a more coherent fiscal adjustment plan than what was delivered at the recent budget. It looks like markets are giving sterling the benefit of the doubt for now, though any mistakes will likely be punished severely and they may not wait until November for the new plan. The AUD also slid further yesterday, reaching 0.6465, while the JPY is back within spitting distance of the 145 level that led to intervention last time. So there may be a bit of hesitancy around this level, though ultimately, we see it being breached once more. Asian FX played catch up with Friday’s G-10 losses to the USD on Monday, The KRW and THB fell the most, though the INR has also gapped higher and is now at 81.62.  US Treasury markets keep weakening, and yields on the 2Y note have risen a further 14bp to 4.34%, while the 10Y yield has shot up 24bp to 3.92%, clearly eyeing the 4% level. Why not? Once again, the UK Gilt market was terrible, with 10Y Gilt yields rising just under 42bp to 4.24%. That was again worse than struggling Eurozone peripheral bond markets. G-7 macro: US housing data dominates the calendar today. We get house price data for July, which is still showing month-on-month gains, even if the annual rates of growth are coming off a bit. And we also have August New Home Sales, which at a 500,000 annual rate really are beginning to look quite tepid. Conference Board consumer confidence and durable goods orders complete the G-7 macro calendar today with nothing of note out of Europe, barring possible emergency central bank meetings and panicky government messaging. China: USDCNY and USDCNH are approaching 2019 and 2020 highs. But this time, there is an extra factor - a very weak EUR. So, we cannot rule out USDCNY and USDCNH passing 7.20 as aggressive Fed hikes stand out against the PBoC's accommodative rate policy. The main worry of such a weak yuan is capital outflows. If there were any signal of such outflows becoming meaningful, the PBoC would first increase the cost of shorting the yuan offshore. Korea: According to the Bank of Korea’s consumer sentiment survey, inflation expectations appear to have stabilized slightly for the second month in a row. Inflation expectations over the next 12 months have come down slightly to 4.2% in September from their recent peak of 4.7% in July. The Bank of Korea doesn’t seem to be worrying too much about anchoring consumers’ expectations for now. However, headline inflation will likely remain in the 5- 6% range until the year-end, increasing the risk of rising food prices and further currency depreciation. Therefore, we believe that the BoK will front-load its rate hikes to better contain inflation, and we look for them to take a 50bp step at their October meeting. What to look out for : China PMI South Korea consumer confidence (27 September) China industrial profits (27 September) US durable goods orders (27 September) US Conference Board consumer confidence and new home sales (27 September) Australia retail sales (28 September) Japan leading index (28 September) Bank of Thailand meeting (28 September) US mortgage applications and wholesale inventories (28 September)       South Korea business survey manufacturing (29 September) US initial jobless claims, 2Q GDP and core PCE (29 September) South Korea industrial production (30 September) Japan labour market data (30 September) China official and Caixin PMI manufacturing (30 September) India RBI meeting (30 September) Hong Kong retail sales (30 September) US personal income, personal spending and core PCE (30 September) US University of Michigan sentiment (30 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
Assessing China's Economic Challenges: A Closer Look Beyond the Japanification Hypothesis"

On the New York Stock Exchange, The Number Of Securities That Fell In Price Was Bigger Than This Positive One

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 28.09.2022 08:25
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 0.43% to hit a 52-week low, the S&P 500 index fell 0.21%, and the NASDAQ Composite index rose 0.25%. The leading performer among the Dow Jones index components today was Salesforce Inc, which gained 2.57 points or 1.76% to close at 148.89. Quotes Dow Inc rose by 0.40 points (0.92%), ending trading at 43.79. Home Depot Inc rose 0.79% or 2.11 points to close at 268.69. The losers were shares of McDonald's Corporation, which lost 7.06 points or 2.90% to end the session at 236.70. Procter & Gamble Company was up 2.75% or 3.73 points to close at 131.98 while Coca-Cola Co was down 2.57% or 1.49 points to close at mark 56.38. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were CF Industries Holdings Inc, which rose 6.10% to hit 95.87, Mosaic Company, which gained 4.15% to close at 48.44, and also shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, which rose 3.88% to end the session at 45.75. The biggest losers were Digital Realty Trust Inc, which shed 3.98% to close at 97.73. Shares of Organon & Co shed 3.54% to end the session at 24.26. Quotes of Global Payments Inc decreased in price by 3.39% to 108.02. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Avenue Therapeutics Inc, which rose 106.25% to hit 7.26, Scienjoy Holding Corp, which gained 47.90% to close at 2.47, and also shares of X4 Pharmaceuticals Inc, which rose 40.18% to close the session at 1.25. The drop leaders were NLS Pharmaceutics AG, which shed 25.07% to close at 0.72. Shares of Midatech Pharma PLC ADR lost 20.77% and ended the session at 2.06. Quotes of Fednat Holding Co decreased in price by 18.22% to 0.18. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (1634) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (1527), while quotes of 136 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2048 companies rose in price, 1751 fell, and 295 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 1.05% to 32.60, hitting a new 3-month high. Gold Futures for December delivery added 0.18%, or 2.95, to $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery rose 2.29%, or 1.76, to $78.47 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery rose 2.35%, or 1.95, to $84.81 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair remained unchanged 0.14% to 0.96, while USD/JPY rose 0.06% to hit 144.84. Futures on the USD index rose by 0.09% to 114.12.   Relevance up to 06:00 2022-09-29 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/294518
Oanda Podcast: US Jobs Report, SVB Financial Fallout And More

US Stocks: S&P 500 Decreased By 0.21%, Nasdaq Gained 0.25%

ING Economics ING Economics 28.09.2022 11:00
Volatile markets tee-up targets for today's trading Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: In line with yesterday’s signal from equity futures, US stocks opened up yesterday, but rapidly gave up much of their early gains. A slew of hawkish Fed comments wouldn’t have helped, but this is also becoming part of the wallpaper now. The S&P finished down 0.21%, though the NASDAQ clung onto more of its earlier gains and ended up by 0.25%. Equity futures are again signalling a modest gain at today’s open. The mixed equity backdrop did not provide much solace for the EUR, however, which slid further against the USD to 0.9585, maybe hurt by the apparent sabotage of gas pipelines from Russia. Cable is hovering just above 1.07 now, though failed to hold levels above 1.08 yesterday. The AUD is also down, dropping to 0.6425, while the JPY has crept a little higher and is now 144.82 – only just below the bank of Japan and Ministry of Finance’s 145 red-line. That line could be targeted today. In the Asian FX space, the CNY had another soft day yesterday and is up to 7.1761 now. We are probably due a much stronger-than-expected fix any time now to try to slow its depreciation ahead of the 7.20 level. The PHP also took a beating, gapping higher, weakening further and sitting just under 59 currently. Next stop 60? The KRW bucked the weakening trend, making small gains as speculation over Bank of Korea intervention gained ground. 2Y US Treasury yields actually pared their recent increases yesterday, falling 5.2bp to 4.283%, though there were more yield increases in the 10Y bond which rose 2.1bp to 3.945%, putting 4% within reach. On the whole, though, today looks like it is shaping up to be “rangey”, rather than directional, though there are clearly a few nearby targets that markets may take aim at. G-7 Macro: Yesterday’s data flow contained a few surprises. US new home sales for August were much stronger than expected, rising at a 685,000 annual pace, though the July house price index showed a month-on-month decline of -0.44% (S&P Case Shiller figures the FHFA house price index also fell by 0.6%MoM). Durable goods orders came in soft, much as expected, though the Conference Board consumer confidence survey unexpectedly rose, which is odd given the rising rates backdrop. Today, we get more housing data from the US in the form of pending home sales and mortgage applications. European consumer confidence figures from Germany and France complete the G-7 data picture for the day. China: The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) will increase the reserve ratio from 0% to 20% from today when banks sell USD forwards to their customers. History tells us that this is not an effective tool to stop yuan depreciation. On 6 August 2018, after the same policy was implemented, the yuan continued to depreciate, from around 7.0 to close to 7.2. But we can still refer to the policies for 2018-2019 for today’s reference. The sale of USD by State Owned Enterprises in the offshore market in 2018/2019 is one of the operations that could be replicated later on if the yuan continues to weaken. Australia: August retail sales are forecast to rise 0.4% after the outsize 1.3% MoM gain in July. The data is released at 0930 SGT/HKT. Anything short of an outright decline suggests that the Australian economy is still running strongly, which may provide the Reserve Bank of Australia with more of a headache as it attempts to squeeze inflation out of the economy. Recent conjecture of a slowdown in the pace of RBA tightening may come under some pressure. India: The 2Q22 current account deficit, which is due for release at some point over the rest of this week should show a substantial widening from the -$13.4bn reading for 1Q22, thanks mainly to higher imported energy prices, though also not helped by weakening external demand for India’s exports. The INR, which is already looking very weak, could slide further on the news. What to look out for: China PMI Australia retail sales (28 September) Japan leading index (28 September) Bank of Thailand meeting (28 September) US mortgage applications and wholesale inventories (28 September)       South Korea business survey manufacturing (29 September) US initial jobless claims, 2Q GDP and core PCE (29 September) South Korea industrial production (30 September) Japan labour market data (30 September) China official and Caixin PMI manufacturing (30 September) India RBI meeting (30 September) Hong Kong retail sales (30 September) US personal income, personal spending and core PCE (30 September) US University of Michigan sentiment (30 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
Tuesday's EUR/USD Analysis: Chaotic Movements on 30M Chart

BHP Shares Rose, Parks In Florida Close Due To Hurricane Ian

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 29.09.2022 10:02
Summary:  Global markets rallied after the Bank of England decided to stage a ‘temporary’ market intervention, sending bond yields and the USD lower. This seems to have tentatively calmed markets, while end of month and quarter rebalancing could lead to significant flows with notable bond moves and USD strength in this quarter. Oil and gold spiked, and APAC equities futures are returning to green. News of Apple’s production cuts is casting further pessimism on the upcoming earnings season. What is happening in markets? The Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) rallied after BOE soothed nerves The Nasdaq Composite rallied 2.1%, and the S&P500 gained 1.97%, snapping its six-day rout. Treasuries jumped after the BOE gave some respite and that pushed down 10-year yields 21bps to 3.73% after briefly breaching 4.00%. The dollar also weakened across the board supporting gains. Nasdaq was bolstered by gains from Amazon with its shares gaining 3.2% after it pushed further into wellness, security and the auto industry. On the flip side, Apple’s shares sank about 1.3% on news it is not increasing iPhone production, which casts doubt over the outlook for consumer spending. The U.S. treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) plunged on BOE bond buying Once again, the action started from across the pond when the Bank of England surprised the market by announcing a “temporary” plan to purchase long-dated UK Gilts starting immediately yesterday through Oct 14.  The announcement pushed 10-year UK Gilt yields 50bps lower to 4.01% and 30-year UK Gilt yields 106bps lower to 3.93% from the prior day’s 4.99%.  U.S. bond traders took note of the fact that the rout in the U.K. bond market and the Pound Sterling caused the Bank of England to blink and reverse course to roll out a QE-like yield curve control policy and sent in bids to U.S. treasuries.  5-year to 10-year U.S. treasury yields plunged most, down about 20bps from the day before, to 3.97% and 3.75% respectively.  2-year yields fell 14bps to 4.14%.  Market implied terminal Fed Fund rate fell to 4.54% from 4.62 a day before. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) On Wednesday, stocks traded in the Hong Kong bourse notably underperformed those in Shanghai and Shenzhen. Hang Seng Index dropped 3.4% and Hang Seng TECH Index plunged 3.8%.  Risk-off sentiment hung over the market as the Renminbi weakened below 7.20 versus the dollar and Apple’s decision to withdraw its plans to increase the production of new iPhones added to the worries of a slowing global economy.  Apple suppliers, Sunny Optical (02382:xhkg) and AAC Technologies (02018:xhkg) dropped 2.8% and 1.5% respectively.  China Internet names fell across the board, with JD.COM and Bilibili (09629:xhkg) leading the charge lower each plunging 5.6%.  Alibaba (09988:xhkg) lost over 4%.  U.K. headquartered HSBC (00005:xhkg) and Standard Chartered (02888:xhkg) continued their slide, each falling nearly 6% for the day and 11% to 12% since last Friday’s post-mini-budget turmoil in the Pound Sterling and U.K. Gilts.  Both Hong Kong and China developers plunged across the board, mostly by 2% to 6%, with CIFI (00884:xhkg) falling over 32% and being the largest casualty in the property space.  CIFI, the 13th largest property developer in mainland China was reported to have missed a payment on a project-related debt.  Another leading Chinese developer, Country Garden (02007:xhkg) plunged by nearly 13%, being the worst performer in the Hang Seng Index.  Automakers were among the laggards.  Great Wall Motor (02333:xhkg) and XPeng (09868:xhkg) tumbled more than 9%, NIO (09866:xhkg) and Li Auto (02015:xhhg) lost over 7%,  CSI300 fell by 1.6%, with materials, industrial, and information technology dragging down the index most.  Non-ferrous metal, electric equipment, auto, and defense stocks were among the biggest losers.  Banks were outperformers in the A-share market with small gains.  Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) futures suggest the market will rally 1.5%; monthly CPI and borrowing/credit data ahead. Given the rally on Wall Street, gains in tech are expected, along with a oil and gold stocks. Meanwhile, the iron ore (SCOA) jumped 1.3% to US$96, which should support iron ore companies higher. Today, on economic news watch; will be Private Sector credit (lending) growth, which will give a gauge into if borrowing has continued to slow amid runaway inflation. Bloomberg’s survey suggest credit growth year on year will slow from 9.1% growth to 9.0% growth. So it’s worth watching the big lenders in Australia, CBA, ANZ, WBC, MQG as well as the smaller banks, SUN and BOQ which are seeing the most lending growth.  Secondly, also on the economic news watch, the ABS will publish its first ever monthly CPI reading, with the data out at 11.30am Sydney time. However keep in mind, only about two-thirds of the items in the CPI data basket will have up-to-date prices each month, including food, clothing, rent, petrol, and holiday travel. Sterling resumed its decline in Asia It was a surprise to see a big move higher in GBPUSD on the BOE intervention yesterday, when the BOE action remains temporary and one that will weigh on sterling, much the same way as we have seen the Japanese yen suffer this year due to the yield cap. GBPUSD however reversed the gains to 1.0838 to drop to lows of 1.0540 but the subsequent weakness in the USD took the pair back to 1.0900 in US session. The downside however returned in early Asian trading hours as pair dropped close to 1.0800. EURGBP dropped back from 0.9066 to 0.8950 but a slight upside returned in Asia. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) rebounds on worsening geopolitics and drop in US inventories Crude oil prices rallied as supply conditions worsened, as suggested by the first drop in US crude inventories in a month. EIA data showed stockpiles fell 215kbbl last week, while West Coast gasoline stockpiles fell to their lowest level in 10 years. Disruption to supplies due to Hurricane Ian are also causing some concerns, with US president Joe Biden warning oil companies not to hike prices for the second time this week. Furthermore, geopolitical situation has turned more fragile once again with the European Union announcing a new round of sanctions against Russia including a ban on European companies from shipping Russian oil to third countries above an internationally set price cap. Brent futures rose close to $90/barrel while WTI futures got in close sights of $82/barrel.   What to consider? Bank of England’s market intervention to avoid systemic risks The Bank of England on Wednesday announced that it would purchase long date UK gilts to stabilize the market in a “temporary operation”. The move forced UK yields sharply lower, with the 10-year UK Gilt yield moving close to 50bps lower, but US yields were also some 30bps lower. While this may be touted as a yield curve control of some sort, BOE has made it clear that it is a time limited event until October 14 with the intention of restoring orderly market conditions. Pressure is building on Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, who faces calls to reverse planned tax cuts. Fed speakers maintain optimism on US economy and markets Fed’s Bostic suggested year-end rates of 4.25-4.50% while the market pricing is still at 4.2% suggesting more room for upward pricing. Although not a voter this or next year, he said that his baseline is a 75bps increase at November meeting and 50bps in December. Meanwhile, he continued to be optimistic on the US economic momentum, as well as ruled out any contagion risks from systemic global events (possibly referring to the UK crisis). Meanwhile, Bostic noted no evidence of dysfunction in the Treasury market at this point. Another Fed speaker, Charles Evans, vouched for a further move into restrictive territory, suggesting a terminal rate of 4.5-4.75% by March as suggested by the Fed’s September dot plot. Apple backs off iPhone production boost; casting doubt over the outlook for consumer spending Apple has reportedly backed off plans to increase production of new its iPhones this year, with demand failing to materialize. That means 6 million extra handsets won’t be produced in the second half of the year. Although it’s not confirmed, Apple is said to instead be focusing on its original production target for its summer period, and produce 90 million handsets. Apple shares fell 1.3% on Thursday, and key chipmakers including Taiwan Semiconductor fell 2.2% and Apple’s biggest iPhone assembler, Hon Hai Precision Industry lost 2.9% amid the electronics supplier selloff, on fears demand will slow. According to our colleague Peter Garnry’s analysis, Apple FY22 Q4 (ending 30 September) earnings estimates are down 20% from the peak in March and that is before adjustments from Apple’s own warning. Apple EPS is expected at $1.26 up 1.4% y/y, but factoring in Apple’s warning it could be a decline of 5-10%. Revenue is expected at $88.5bn up 6.1% y/y compared to 1.9% y/y revenue growth in the previous quarter. It is quite likely that revenue could slip into negative growth for the quarter.Walt Disney and Universal are closing their theme parks due to Hurricane Ian Hurricane Ian strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane and hit the west coast of Florida. Walt Disney (DIS:xnys) closed its Orlando theme parks for at least two days and Comcast’s (CMCSA:xnas) Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Entertainment closed their Florida theme parks.  U.S. Q3 earnings are set to miss significantly to the downside As per Peter Garnry, Saxo’s Head of Equity Strategy, analysts may be way off in their estimates for the S&P 500 for Q3.  It is highly probable that there will be significant misses to the downside followed by gloomy comments from company management about the outlook on margins.   China warned banks about one-way bets on the weakening of the renminbi As the onshore and offshore renminbi weakened below 7.20 versus the dollar, the China Foreign Exchange Market Self-Regulatory Body, attended by PBoC Vice Governor Liu Guoquiang, told banks in a meeting to “safeguard the stability of the market and prevent volatile movements in the exchange rate”, in particular not to make one-way bets on the weakening of the renminbi. BHP update: The giant takes advantage of sterling slump, redeems notes more than half a century early, announces exploration expansion BHP shares rallied to a three-day high yesterday and are likely to see some extra bids after the iron ore price rose. BHP shares lifted after the mining giant paid off debts earlier than expected. The world’s biggest commodity company took advantage of the slump in the sterling against the USD, and used its record profits to redeem pound-denominated notes (due in 2077). This resulted in BHP effectively paying down $643 million of notes early. Last month BHP reported net debt of just $333 million. So will this mean BHP has little to no debt when they report? BHP also announced mining expansion plans; from exploring the idea of mining copper at Cerro Colorado beyond 2023, with Chilean regulation easing, to also spending $12m on exploration in Peru over 10 months (as it sees huge commodity there). BHP also affirmed it’s working toward bringing forward production of its new potash (fertilizer) business to 2026. Australian retail trade hit another record high, ahead of next week’s 6th RBA rate hike. What’s next? Australia retail spending hit another record in August, and rose more than consensus expected, showing Aussie consumers aren’t perturbed by the five RBA rate hikes. Aussie retail sales rose 0.6% in August, up 19.2% year-on-year. The most sales growth came from department store sales, up 2.8% in August to a brand-new record. Household goods sales rose 2.6%, perhaps boosted by winter shopping given the most overall retail growth came from the coldest regions of Australia. The retail record figures give the RBA more room to hike rates with a 0.5% hike likely on the cards at the RBA’s meeting on Tuesday (October 4). In our view, we think retailers or consumer discretionary companies; for instance Harvey Norman (HVN), Bunnings and Kmart owner Wesfarmers (WES) or JB Hi Fi (JBH) are doing it tough here, hurt by higher costs (inflation and wages), while they’re also buffering for higher rates to come. This is why those sectors will likely face downside pressure to come. Inversely, we still remain of the view that commodities offer the most cashflow growth, and likely upside in share price growth, particularly in energy. For more see our Australia resources theme, or our global Commodity basket for inspiration. Currency pairs to watch for month-end and quarter-end  With month-end and quarter-end approaching, our head of FX Strategy outlines the currencies to watch. And whether this seasonal time could put some support under the treasury market and or a ceiling on the US dollar, or if even a tactical consolidation in the two markets will require a change of direction from the Fed. John Hardy also details the US dollar rally finally taking the USDCNH above the 7.20 area (which defined a major top on two occasions in 2019 and 2020) and set a new high-water mark for USDCNH in the history of the offshore CNH currency, getting as high as 7.26 at one point. John covers what to watch next. Read on here for more FX pair updates, see how trends are emerging, and what to watch next.   For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-29-sept-29092022
Why India Leads the Way in Economic Growth Amid Global Slowdown

Bank Of England Intervention Boosts Risk Appetite And The Possible End Of The iPhone Era

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 29.09.2022 10:39
The Bank of England (BoE) jumped in the UK’s shattered sovereign market to buy long-term UK bonds yesterday, because apparently, they have been warned that collateral calls on Wednesday afternoon could force investors to further dump their UK sovereign holdings. And the UK could no longer afford another heavy selloff wave on its sovereigns. Will the enthusiasm last?  The British 10-year yield fell 10% yesterday, and the pound jumped past the 1.08 mark against the US dollar and consolidated below 0.90 against the euro. The FTSE recovered early losses and closed the session 0.30% higher, gold recovered to $1662 an ounce, American crude rallied past the $80 per barrel, also boosted by the Hurricane Ian’s negative impact on supply. Around 11% of the Gulf of Mexico production was halted due to the storm.The S&P500 gained almost 2% yesterday to above 3700 level, while Nasdaq jumped more than 2%. Will the enthusiasm last? Not so sure. Yesterday’s price action was a sugar rush, triggered by the BoE intervention. Enthusiasm will likely fall as the level of blood sugar falls across the financial markets. Amazon is on the rise Amazon jumped 3% as investors liked the new devices at Wednesday’s annual device event, and Apple slipped on announcement that it will, finally, not produce more iPhones compared to last years.In Europe, all eyes are on Porsche that starts flying with its own wings today! Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:27 BoE finally jumps in 3:24 BoE intervention boosts risk appetite, but for how long? 5:30 Amazon convinces, Apple disappoints 8:54 Porsche is now up for grab! Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #BoE #intervention #UK #gilt #GBP #Hurricane #Ian #crude #oil #energy #crisis #XAU #FTSE #sovereign #bonds #rally #Apple #Amazon #Porsche #IPO #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
Bitcoin Is Showing The Potential For The Further Downside Rotation

The Current Situation Around Bitcoin Is Completely Tied To The SPX Movement

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 29.09.2022 12:16
There is a gradual redistribution of capital in the global financial markets. The cryptocurrency market is attracting more and more attention from investors all over the world due to the worsening overall economic situation. Aggressive rate hikes by the central banks are rolling around the world, which leads to a lack of liquidity. At the initial stage of this process, high-risk assets and Bitcoin were the losers, but the situation is starting to change. Economic factors UK banks stopped issuing mortgage loans, which caused a negative reaction of the markets at the moment. It also led to the continuation of the upward trend of government bonds and had a negative impact on US government bonds. Stock indices and Bitcoin continued to decline as the policy of the UK central bank led to an increase in DXY. However, analyst James Butterfill later noted the growing trading volumes of BTC/GBP. The indicator reached the level of $881 million with average values around $70 million. There is a growing investor demand for Bitcoin amid unabated inflation and the onset of a recession. Santiment experts confirm a general increase in trading activity in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin trading volumes also reached their highest level since June 14, indicating some changes in the market and the emergence of a serious buyer. DXY&SPX At the same time, the crypto market is waiting for the start of a correction in the US dollar index, which should provoke a rally in Bitcoin and other digital assets. As a result of September 28, DXY formed a bearish engulfing, but technical metrics point to a resumption of bullish momentum. The S&P 500 managed to form a bullish engulfing pattern on September 28, which directly indicates an inverse correlation with the DXY. Technical indicators of the stock index signal the beginning of an upward movement of the indicator. However, given the similar signals on the DXY, one cannot be completely sure about the upward movement of the SPX price. BTC/USD Technical analysis Bitcoin continues to move within the $18.5k–$20.5k range. The cryptocurrency shows impulse attempts to go beyond this range in order to resume movement in a wider area. Technical metrics remain weak and indicate a flat price movement. The current situation around Bitcoin is completely tied to the SPX movement and the situation with US and UK government bonds . The cryptocurrency is still pulling towards the $20k mark, but there are no clear signals to play short or long. The $18.5k–$20.4k range is a raging storm, so we can expect movement in either direction. If the $20.4k level is broken, the path to the $22.8k–$23k range will open for Bitcoin. However, for now, this scenario is unlikely, as SPX buyout volumes remain low, and therefore the movement of the cryptocurrency will be constrained by the stock index. Conclusions Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency market are actively reacting to world events. The situation with UK banks is a clear proof of this. In the near future, we should expect an improvement in the overall situation for digital assets due to the correction of DXY and the aggravation of recession processes. Markets are reaching dangerous levels when rates are raised to record highs, but inflation continues to rage. The case with BTC/GBP trading volumes could be a prelude to a massive flow of capital into cryptocurrencies. However, this process will take time and will not be completed in the coming weeks.   Relevance up to 10:00 2022-09-30 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/323016
German Business Confidence Dips, ECB's Lagarde Hosts Central Banking Conference in Portugal, EUR/USD Drifts Higher

In The Morning US Dollar (USD) Was Up, British Pound And Euro Down | US Stocks: S&P 500 Gained Almost 2% Yesterday, Dow Jones Added 1.88%, Nasdaq Increased By 2%

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 29.09.2022 12:40
The British pound is slipping nearly 1 percent against the US dollar this morning and is back below the 1.08 level. The dollar, in turn, seems to be strengthening against all major G-10 currencies. The euro is weaker by about 0.7 percent and is quoted at $0.9658 as of 07:54 GMT+3. Read next: Tim Moe (Goldman Sachs) Comments On USD And Turbulent Times For Markets In General, Ole Hansen (Saxo)Talks Nord Stream | FXMAG.COM S&P futures are unchanged, with the Nasdaq slipping 0.2 percent, while Asian stocks are rebounding from two-year lows after Wednesday's rally on Wall Street. The Hang Seng rose 1.2 percent and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.3 percent, Bloomberg reported. During Wednesday's U.S. session, the Dow Jones rallied 1.88 percent, the S&P 500 went up 1.97 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rose 2.05 percent. These moves came after the Bank of England announced it would buy bonds to stabilize financial markets, causing global bond yields to fall, which in turn could support a broad rally in risky assets. Today, however, investors will have to reassess the actions of the British. Bank of England from QT to QE Political tensions are mounting in the UK, with the aim of rolling back the announced tax changes. These have yet to take effect, and in fact have led to a collapse in the British financial market, especially the bond market. The British, with their decisions, came close to causing the collapse of their pension funds through a sharp drop in bond prices. Only the intervention of the Bank of England stabilized the situation. The Bank of England announced Wednesday that it had bought £1.03 billion worth of UK government bonds. The bank received bids to buy gilts worth a total of £2.59 billion. The BoE specified that it would buy "gilts with a residual maturity of more than 20 years in the secondary market. The bond-buying program, funded by the central bank's reserves, will last until October 14, BBN reported. In addition, the UK government has received a clear warning from the IMF and rating agencies that it is not welcome to loosen fiscal policy, and temporarily monetary policy as well, at a time when the global battle against inflation is underway. The political and financial drama in the UK seems therefore ongoing, and its next chapters are yet to be written. Source: Conotoxia MT5, GBPUSD, H1 Dollar stronger again The US currency may be helped by further statements from representatives of the US Federal Reserve. They may be making it clear that no Fed pivot is in question at the moment. Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans said on Wednesday that the interest rate should reach its peak in March 2023. Saying that the Fed should have started raising rates earlier is "fair," he also noted at an event organized by the London School of Economics. The central bank could have chosen to start earlier by raising interest rates in small steps over a long period of time, or it could have chosen to do what it ultimately did, which was to introduce higher rates more quickly as soon as inflation surged, he explained. The Fed's analysis at the time indicated that the outcome of the two policies would not have been "significantly different," Evans added. Source: Conotoxia MT5, USDIndex, H4 Did you know that CFDs allow you to trade on both falling and rising prices? Derivatives allow you to open buy and sell positions, and thus invest with both rising and falling quotes. At Conotoxia, you can choose from CFDs on more than 100 currency pairs.For example, if you Want to find a CFD on GBP/USD, you just need to follow 4 simple steps: To access Trading Universe - a state-of-the-art center for financial, information, investment and social products and services through a single Smart account, register here. Click "Platforms" in the "Invest&Forex" section. Choose one of the accounts: demo or live On the MT5 or cTrader platform, search for the CFD currency pair you are looking for and drag it to the chart window. Use the one-click trading option or open a new order with the right mouse button. Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service) Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
RBA Governor Announces Major Changes at RBA Board as US Inflation Expected to Decline

It Is Clear That The Apple Is Not Immune To The Cost-Of-Living Crisis

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 29.09.2022 13:58
Summary:  We see 20% probability of earnings hitting current estimates, 10% exceeding estimates (with potential error coming from health care, energy surprise, and consumer staples sectors), and 70% for a significant miss to the downside followed up by gloomy outlook on margins. It seems to us that analysts are way behind factoring in developments that we are seeing financial markets. Let’s start with Apple and then move on to S&P 500. Apple That Apple is downgrading was partly priced in due to that report recently that their first three-day sales of iPhone 14 was trailing previous product introductions which we also wrote about in our QuickTake and said on our podcast earlier this week. The signals from Micron Technology, reporting today, have long indicated that a rapidly deteriorating environment for memory chips which are used in smartphones and other electronic devices. Apple FY22 Q4 (ending 30 September) earnings estimates are down 20% from the peak in March and that is before adjustments from Apple’s own warning. Apple EPS is expected at $1.26 up 1.4% y/y, but factoring in Apple’s warning it could be a decline of 5-10%. Revenue is expected at $88.5bn up 6.1% y/y compared to 1.9% y/y revenue growth in the previous quarter. It is quite likely that revenue could slip into negative growth for the quarter. Apple is the largest consumer company in the world with a vast supply chain and it is clear that the company is not immune to the cost-of-living crisis from the energy shock hurting consumers. It will have a big impact on the indices but also sentiment. Apple and Tesla are the two stocks that have held up well despite all the headwinds, and if these two stocks are finally coming down then the market may flip into severe negative. The company is valued at 5% free cash flow yield and forward P/E of 24x. Given where the US 10-year yield is headed and the cost-of-living crisis this company should probably be valued closer to 20x forward earnings, and thus there is a 15% downside potential, but if earnings are suddenly in decline then it could be closer to 20-25%. S&P 500 earnings Earnings estimates for Q3 are already down 7% from 1 July and that’s before Apple is factored in. Analysts are way off in their estimates for Q3. They expect a small decline in revenue despite high inflation! If you take the estimates for revenue and earnings then consensus is expecting the profit margin to expand to 13% - the highest recorded level in many decades. EPS estimate is $55.52 up from $54.54 in Q2. A more conservative view is more like revenue is up another 2.5% q/q and profit margin is down from 12.7% to 11.7% due to margin pressure in all sectors and even in energy and mining due to lower prices on energy and metals in Q3. If you square those two numbers then an average estimate is $51.70 or 7% lower than current consensus.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/q3-earnings-amid-apple-warning-29092022
It's not clear we find out the results of mid-term elections immediately. Binance to buy FTX

Known Indices - S&P 500, Nasdaq And Dow Jones Fluctuated On Thursday's Morning. What Can We Expect From SPX?

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 29.09.2022 16:08
US stock index futures decreased early on Thursday as the Bank of England's intervention was overshadowed by concerns over inflation and the global economy. S&P 500 futures fell by more than 1%, while NASDAQ futures lost 0.8%. Dow Jones futures lost about 0.5% early on Thursday. European stocks also fell, while Chinese stocks on US exchanges declined after the Hang Seng Tech index hit its all-time low.   US Treasury bonds went down as investors' expectations of aggressive Fed interest rate hikes pushed the yield up once again. Bond yields in the UK continued to rise, despite the Bank of England's intervention in the currency market. Earlier, UK prime minister Liz Truss defended her tax cut plans, triggering a panic in the market. This could lead to another major GBP sell-off, making long positions extremely risky. The yield of European bonds after the release of the latest German inflation data. Investors also paid close attention to the latest remarks by ECB policymakers. Read next: Tim Moe (Goldman Sachs) Comments On USD And Turbulent Times For Markets In General, Ole Hansen (Saxo)Talks Nord Stream | FXMAG.COM The European Commission announced its eighth sanction package against Russia, which will include a price cap on Russian oil. The new sanctions are imposed in response to Russia's continuing conflict against Ukraine. Tomorrow, Russia plans to annex territories under its control such as Donetsk and Luhansk, which will jeopardize the situation in the market even further and send risky assets downwards. In the meantime, Fed policymakers are likely to argue for the Federal Reserve's hawkish stance today. Statements of officials from several central banks are expected.   S&P 500 On the technical side, the S&P 500 has come under slight pressure once again after yesterday's upward movement. However, bulls have regained control of $3,677 and are now set to push the index towards $3,706, which would make an upward correction possible. The index must break above $3,706 to test $3,735. The S&P 500 failed to break above this level yesterday. A breakout above this range would extend the index's upward momentum towards the resistance at $3,773, as well as $3,801 further ahead. If the S&P 500 moves down and breaks through $3,677 and $3,643, it will drop towards $3,608, opening the way towards testing the support at $3,579. Below this area lies the low at $3,544, where the pressure on the index could ease slightly. Relevance up to 13:00 2022-09-30 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/323040
Behind Closed Doors: The Multibillion-Dollar Deals Shaping Global Markets

CarMax Inc And SolarEdge Technologies Inc Are The Biggest Losers At The Close In The New York Stock Exchange

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 30.09.2022 08:09
At the close in the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 1.54%, the S&P 500 fell 2.11% and the NASDAQ Composite fell 2.84%. The leading gainers among the components of the Dow Jones index today were The Travelers Companies Inc, which gained 1.76 points (1.15%) to close at 154.68. Visa Inc Class A rose 0.88 points or 0.49% to close at 180.06. Merck & Company Inc shed 0.14 points or 0.16% to close at 86.64. The losers were Boeing Co shares, which lost 8.11 points or 6.08% to end the session at 125.33. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc was up 4.97% or 1.65 points to close at 31.55 while Apple Inc was down 4.91% or 7.36 points to end at 142. .48. Among the S&P 500 index components gainers in today's trading were Everest Re Group Ltd, which rose 3.07% to 267.41, STERIS plc, which gained 2.76% to close at 167.29, and also shares of W. R. Berkley Corp, which rose 2.73% to end the session at 65.18. The biggest losers were CarMax Inc, which shed 24.60% to close at 65.16. Shares of SolarEdge Technologies Inc lost 8.27% to end the session at 235.56. Quotes of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd decreased in price by 7.91% to 43.64. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Senti Biosciences Inc, which rose 50.71% to hit 2.11, Avalon Globocare Corp, which gained 25.85% to close at 0.70, and also shares of TuanChe ADR, which rose 25.31% to close the session at 3.07. The biggest losers were Atlis Motor Vehicles Inc, which shed 54.82% to close at 33.95. Shares of Lion Group Holding Ltd lost 49.25% and ended the session at 1.01. Quotes of Twin Vee Powercats Co decreased in price by 29.01% to 2.52. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2631) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (530), while quotes of 112 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,842 stocks fell, 956 rose, and 224 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 5.50% to 31.84. Gold futures for December delivery lost 0.07%, or 1.20, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery fell 0.55%, or 0.45, to $81.70 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery fell 0.55%, or 0.48, to $87.57 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, EUR/USD rose 0.70% to hit 0.98, while USD/JPY edged up 0.21% to hit 144.46. Futures on the USD index fell 0.36% to 112.11.  Go to dashboard   Relevance up to 05:00 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/294915
Oil Prices Soar on Prospect of Soft Landing, Eyes Set on $80 Breakout

On Thursday S&P 500 (SPX) Lost 2.11%, Nasdaq Went Down By 2.84%

ING Economics ING Economics 30.09.2022 08:27
Equities and FX decouple as we end the quarter Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global markets: The bounce didn’t last long. Both S&P500 and NASDAQ fell sharply again on Thursday, the S&P by 2.11% and the NASDAQ by 2.84%. That puts year-to-date losses at respectively 23.62% and 31.37%. And we’d be inclined to argue that we haven’t yet seen the bottom. The S&P500, for example, is sitting just around its June lows, so any break below this level sets the scene for some substantial further declines. On the positive side, equity futures are pricing in small gains at today’s open, but that's a long way from saying that stocks will rally into the weekend and the end of the quarter. UK Gilts gave back some of their gains yesterday on the Truss government’s insistence on sticking to its mini-budget, and yields have risen across the UK curve, though this doesn’t seem to have the market’s eye in the same way it did earlier this week. 2Y US Treasury yields headed up 5.8bp to 4.192% and the yield on the 10Y bond rose a similar amount to 3.786%. 10Y Bunds rose 5.8bp to 2.14%, hurt by a 10% YoY September inflation print (10.9% for the harmonized index). And while this is cementing thoughts of a 0.75% rate increase at the next ECB meeting, that seems like a lame response in a month where the price index rose by 2 percentage points. For now, currency markets seem to disagree, and the EURUSD has risen to 0.982, though this seems a little incongruous against the data backdrop. Other G-10 currencies also did better against the USD. The AUD is now back up above 65 cents, while the GBP has risen to 1.1145 – a long way from the 1.035 low of the week (and approx. last 4 decades!). Can this last? It seems a long shot as there’s plenty more bad news to be priced in. The JPY has also had a reprieve, and is back to 144.42, while the CNY led APAC’s FX gains, gaining by more than a per cent to 7.1249 onshore. G-7 Macro: Besides the unpleasant German inflation data, the macro picture was quite thin, with some marginal upward revisions to 2Q22 US GDP, and a lower than expected initial claims figure suggesting that the Fed still has its work cut out to slow the economy enough to bring inflation down. Today, we see the full European inflation picture for September, which is likely to exceed the 9.7%YoY consensus estimate. This won’t have been adjusted yet for the German figures. US Personal income and spending data will show how consumer spending held up in August together with the latest PCE inflation figures.  And we round off the week with the University of Michigan consumer sentiment (and inflation expectations) figures. China: We expect the manufacturing PMI to be under 50 as manufacturing for real estate construction will still be in monthly contraction. Furthermore, export demand is waning and that could affect manufacturing activity for holiday-season exports. However, services should continue to pick up as Covid measures become more localised. India: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meets today to decide on rate policy and the following three factors are relevant to that decision: 1) Inflation is 7.0%, a full per cent above the top of the RBI's target range 2) it is heading in the wrong way. 3) RBI commentary has been clear about the need to focus on fighting inflation. Put that all together and it looks likely that the RBI will deliver a further 50bp of tightening today, taking the repo rate to 5.9%. Later this evening, we will also get India’s fiscal deficit figures for August. Although all major rating agencies have India’s long-term foreign credit rating at "stable', and the deficit data year-to-date seem on track to meet the government’s 6.4% (GDP) target, it wasn’t that long ago that Fitch raised their outlook from negative. The deficit numbers have been whipped around by government subsidies and attempts to limit the pass-through of high energy prices to the consumer, so these are still worth a quick look. South Korea: Industrial production dropped more than expected in August, recording a -1.8%MoM decline (vs -1.3% in July and -0.8% market consensus). Automobile production rebounded (8.8%) but the declines in semiconductors (-14.2%) and petrochemicals (-5.0%) were bigger. We believe that re-opening will support 3QGDP, but thereafter, there should be a sharp deceleration. We also now expect only a 0.1% QoQ gain in 3Q22 (vs 0.7% in 2Q). Yesterday’s business survey outcomes were also quite weak, with manufacturing sentiment rapidly deteriorating to the lowest level since October 2020. Also, today’s forward-looking construction orders data were soft, suggesting more recessionary signals in the coming quarters. Japan: Japan’s data releases surprised the market on the positive side. The jobless rate edged down to 2.5% (vs 2.6% in July), in line with the market consensus. The Jobs-to-applications ratio continued to rise (has risen for several months in a row). And industrial production in August not only recorded a third monthly rise (2.7% MoM sa), but also beat the market expectation significantly (0.2%). We will revise up third quarter GDP soon based on today’s releases. The stronger jobs market is also a good sign for wage growth together with solid production gains. However, we think it is still too early to tell because Japan is reopening at a slower pace than other Asian countries and the reopening effects are just kicking in. With growing global recession headwinds, the BoJ will likely take its time to see whether Japan can still produce solid outcomes in a sustainable way. What to look out for: US core PCE, personal spending and Michigan sentiment South Korea industrial production (30 September) Japan labor market data (30 September) China official and Caixin PMI manufacturing (30 September) India RBI meeting (30 September) Hong Kong retail sales (30 September US personal income, personal spending and core PCE (30 September) US University of Michigan sentiment (30 September) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
Saxo Bank Podcast: The Risk Of An Escalation In The US-China Confrontation, The Risk Of An Escalation In The US-China Confrontation And More

Market Focus Will Likely Be On Putin’s Warnings To The West, Nike (NKE) Reported Slightly Better Revenues And More

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 30.09.2022 08:37
Summary:  Fresh lows return in US equities with more hawkish Fed comments and fear of earnings downgrades picking up as the Q3 earnings season draws closer. Cable extended its rally despite UK PM’s commitment to fiscal plan and weakening BOE hike expectations, while the EUR gained strength on the back of hot German CPI and uptick in ECB rate hike expectations. Talks of OPEC+ production cuts are gaining momentum, and focus today will be on China PMIs. Also watch for Eurozone CPI, US PCE data as well as Putin’s speech in the day ahead. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) fall to 22-month lows US stocks sank to their lowest levels since November 2020 after another round of Fed speakers continued with hawkish remarks, while oil maintained gains on expectations of OPEC+ cuts. Nasdaq 100 was down almost 4% at one point, but trimmed the losses before closing 2.9% lower, while the broader S&P500 met a similar fate nearing 3,600 before ending 2.1% down. All 11 sectors of the S&P 500 dropped, with Utilities falling the most and followed by Consumer Discretionary. Retail favorites Tesla (TSLA) and Apple  (AAPL)  led the declines falling 6.8% and 4.9% while chip makers followed with AMD (AMD) down 6.2% with PC demand falling away. On the upside, oil stocks like Devon Energy (DVN), and Diamondback Energy (FANG) and Occidental (OXY) moved higher. Separately the European Commission announced an eight package of sanctions that would include a price cap on Russia’s oil exports. U.S. treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) climbed again After plunging sharply the day before on the Bank of England move, yields of U.S. treasury securities rose, with the 10-year note yields rising 6bps to 3.79% on Thursday.  Yields initially crept higher on bounces of U.K. Gilt yields and higher German regional CPI data, but paring their rise in the afternoon.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong and mainland equity markets opened higher on Thursday and pared the gain through the day and settled moderately lower, with the Hang Seng Index down by 0.5%, and CSI300 little changed. The news of the imposition of a 3-day mandatory PCR test in the financial district, Lujiazui in Shanghai due to one new Covid-19 case triggered some fears among investors. In spite of PBoC’s supportive statement coming out from its quarterly monetary meeting saying that the central bank will expand its special lending program to ensure the delivery of delayed housing projects, Chinese developers declined, with Country Garden (02007:xhkg) plunging 11.6%, Longfor (00960:xhkg) down by 7.5%, and CIFI (00884:xhkg) tumbling 16.3%.  Chinese EV maker, Zhejian Leapmotor (09863:xhkg), tumbled 33.5% in its first day of trading after an IPO priced at the bottom of a guided range.  XPeng (09868:xhkg) dropped 5.3%.  Trading in the China Internet space was mixed with Alibaba outperforming (+2.9%). Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) likely to follow Wall Street lower: futures suggest a 0.3% fall today, aluminum stocks to be bright spark As above, on the ASX today, it’s worth keeping an eye on aluminum related stocks on the ASX including Rio Tinto (RIO) and Alumina (AWC). Meanwhile, diversified miners including the major retail favorites, like BHP (BHP) are worth watching after the Iron Ore (SCOA) price remains supported with China ramping up housing support. This morning the iron ore price (SCOA, SCOV2) pushed up ~1.1% to US$96.50. In NY BHP closed 0.6% higher, implying the ASX primary listing of BHP will likely move up, especially after the aluminum and iron ore prices rose. Cable stays bid and Euro follows The US 10-year yields as well as the dollar could not catch a strong bid on Thursday, which helped other G10 currencies gain some ground. Sterling was the strongest on the G10 board, with GBPUSD now testing 1.12 in early Asian hours. BOE’s emergency bond-buying measures however hints at a push lower in gilt yields, and GBP will likely come back under pressure if the surge in global yield resumes. This will need a focus shift back on Fed tightening as we think there is still some room for upward repricing of terminal rate Fed expectations and higher-for-longer rates. Meanwhile, expectations for an ultra-aggressive BOE hike in November cooled slightly. EURUSD also surged above 0.98 with ECB rate hike expectations for October meeting picking up after the hot German inflation, and with the ECB downplaying the chance of an emergency move to prop up Italian bonds. EURGBP was however lower from 0.8950 to 0.88. Aluminum and aluminum stocks on watch It’s worth watching aluminium related shares across the Asian-Pacific region today after the record jump in Aluminum price on the LME after Bloomberg reported plans to discuss a potential ban on new Russian metal supplies. The metal jumped 8.5% (its biggest intraday jump in record) before paring back. Crude oil (CLU2 & LCOV2) prices maintain gains Crude oil prices maintained the momentum with OPEC+ production cuts becoming a key factor going into the next week’s meeting. OPEC+ commenced discussions around an output cut with one saying it a cut is “likely”, according to Reuters sources. This comes after previous reports that Russia will likely propose OPEC+ reduces output by around 1mln BPD. Demand conditions are likely to weaken as global tightening race heats up, and this has prompted expectations for a supply cut as well. Brent futures touched $90/barrel mark but reversed slightly later, while WTI futures rose to $83/barrel before some decline later in the session.   What to consider? German inflation sparks EZ inflation fears German inflation touched double digits, as it came above consensus at 10.9% YoY for September from 8.8% YoY previously. Germany is also preparing to borrow an additional €200 billion to finance a plan to limit the impact of soaring energy costs, which could keep consumption high even as shortages loom. Up today will be the September eurozone inflation print. Expect a new record which will increase the pressure on the European Central Bank to hike interest rates by at least 75 basis points in October. The economist consensus expects that the headline harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) will reach 9.7% YoY against 9.1% in August. The core rate is expected to climb to 5.6% YoY against 5.5% previously. The spread between the headline and the core inflation figures is mostly explained by a decrease in oil and natural gas prices in recent months. However, this is clear that inflation is becoming broad-based, including in the services sector. This means that inflation is here to stay for long. The HICP is likely to continue increasing in the coming months. A peak in inflation in the eurozone is possible in the first quarter of 2023, in our view. This is much later than in the United States. Fed speakers push for more hikes Loretta Mester remains more hawkish than the Fed’s median dot plot, and said that rate are not in restrictive territory yet and more rate hikes will be needed. No signs of concern on economy or dollar strength were noted, while inflation remained the key point of concern for her. James Bullard also made some key comments on ‘bad idea to mess’ with the inflation target while the labor market conditions remain tight and recession is only a risk. Mary Daly was more cautious, saying officials should work to avoid "inducing a deep recession." However, she still raised the bar on expectations on the Fed funds rate saying that she is comfortable with median Fed rate path projection of 4%-4.5% by year end, 4.5%-5% in 2023 (pointing to upside risks as the dot plot suggested 4.6%, or 4.5-4.75% if we talk in ranges). US initial claims come in strong again Initial claims came in lower than expected at 193k with last week’s also revised lower to 209k from 213k. Continued claims cooled to 1.347mln from 1.376mln despite the expected rise to 1.388mln. The data shows how tight the labour market is in the US and Fed's Bullard labelled today's claims metric as "super low". Meanwhile, the third estimate of Q2 GDP was confirmed to decline 0.6%, notably with consumer spending revised higher to 2% from 1.5% previously. Australian inflation rose 7% in the year to July, based on new monthly CPI At this rate it doesn’t appear CPI will peak at just shy of the 8% the RBA forecasts, given price pressures have resumed this month from the largest inflation contributors. Based on the ABS’s new monthly CPI print, some of the largest price jumps year-on-year to July were in fuel (+29.2%) and fruit & vegetables (+14.5%). The concern is that, with La Nina set to hit Australia and population growth continuing, food and housing (rent) prices will continue to rise apace. In September alone, contributors to food prices have risen markedly, as the global supply outlook has weakened amid poor crop conditions. This could tilt the RBA back toward a more hawkish stance. Australian rents to drive higher, adding to inflation woes Australia’s population growth resumed after borders reopened and business employment remains strong for the time being, at 50-year highs. New office and residential supply is expected be subdued in 2023 as interest rates rise; which supports the notion of falling vacancy rates. According to Colliers and the ABS, Sydney CBD rents rose 3.6% to $5.22 per square foot in the June quarter, driven by competition for top-quality office space. China’s manufacturing PMIs are expected to stay in the contractionary territory China’s September official NBS Manufacturing PMI and Non-manufacturing PMI as well as the Caixin China Manufacturing PMI are scheduled to release today. The median forecast of, economists surveyed by Bloomberg for the NBS Manufacturing PMI is 49.7 for September, a modest improvement from August’s 49.4 but remains in contraction territory.  Economists cite the lockdown of Chengdu and restrictive measures in some other cities during most part of the month and the weak EPMI released earlier as reasons for expecting the NBS Manufacturing PMI to stay below 50.  The Caixin Manufacturing PMI, which has a larger weight in coastal cities in the eastern region, is expected to remain at 49.5 as export-related manufacturing activities and container throughput were weak.  The consensus estimate for the NBS Non-manufacturing PMI is 52.4, staying in the expansionary territory, supported by infrastructure construction but slowing slightly in September from August’s 52.6 due to weakness in the housing sector.  On the other hand, steel production and demand data in September suggest the PMIs may potentially surprise the upside. Buying activity up in food and Agricultural instruments, stocks and ETFs Food prices are supported higher as the global crop outlook dampens for 4 reasons; concern lingers over Ukraine’s exports being cut off, South America has been hit by rains and frosts, the US has been plagued by drought and dry conditions and as Hurricane Ian made landfall in the, US conditions are likely to go from bad to worse. And lastly - La Nina is expected to hit Australia for the third year in a row. So we are seeing clients buy into Wheat and Corn. Both prices are up 20% off their lows. Secondly, buying has been picking up in agricultural stocks like General Mills (GIS) and GrainCorp (GNC). And lastly, clients are biting into agricultural ETFs like Invesco DB Agriculture Fund (DBA) and iShares MSCI Agricultural Producers ETF (VEGI). Fed preferred inflation measure, US PCE, on the radar today The Fed’s preferred inflation measure, the PCE is due today, and it will likely echo the same message as given by the last strong CPI number which has made the Fed even more hawkish in the last few weeks since the Jackson Hole. Headline numbers may be lower due to the decline in gasoline prices, but the price pressure on services side will likely broaden further. Last week, the Fed also raised its forecasts for inflation, with the central bank now seeing core PCE at 4.5% by the end of this year (it previously projected 4.3%), moderating to 3.1% next year and at 2.1% at the end of its forecast horizon in 2025, but thinks that headline PCE prices will be at its 2% target by then. Putin's speech due today after Russia annexed parts of Ukraine Vladimir Putin will address legislators after Russia signs treaties today to absorb four occupied regions, with Ukrainian forces threatening to encircle a pocket of the Donbas region. There is also growing resistance to Putin’s decision to call up 300,000 reservists. Market focus will likely be on Putin’s warnings to the West about any potential threats of using nuclear weapons, which may mean risk aversion getting another leg up. Nike sank on concerns about inventory build-up and margins Nike (NKE) reported slightly better than expected revenues and inline earnings but below expectation gross margins and a 65% surge in inventories for the North American market.  In the earnings call, the company’s CFO pledged to take “decisive action to clear excess inventory” and such efforts will have “a transitory impact on gross margins this fiscal year”.  Investors took note of the implication on demand and profitability and sold stock to more than 9% lower in the extended hour trading. Apple fell on analyst downgrade After being sold on the company’s announcement to back off plans to increase iPhone production this year on the day before, Apple’s shares fell another 4.9% yesterday after an analyst downgrade from a U.S. investment bank.  In this Market Daily Insights piece yesterday, we mentioned the warnings from Peter Garnry, Saxo’s Head of Equity Strategy, about the likelihood that Apple’s revenue could slip into negative growth for the current quarter ending Sep 30 and you can find more details of his analysis from here. In his note, Peter also warns that analysts may be way off in their estimates for the S&P 500 for Q3 and it is highly probable that there will be significant misses to the downside followed by gloomy comments from company management about the outlook on margins.     For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast. Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-30-sept-30092022
Declines At The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange, The Drop Leaders Were Nike Inc Shares

Declines At The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange, The Drop Leaders Were Nike Inc Shares

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 03.10.2022 08:21
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 1.71% to hit a 52-week low, the S&P 500 fell 1.51% and the NASDAQ Composite fell 1.51%. Shares of UnitedHealth Group Incorporated were among the leaders of gains among the components of the Dow Jones index today, which lost 3.79 points (0.74%) to close at 505.04. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc fell 0.15 points or 0.48% to close at 31.40. Dow Inc shed 0.23 points or 0.52% to close at 43.93. The drop leaders were Nike Inc shares, which lost 12.21 points or 12.81% to end the session at 83.12. Boeing Co was up 3.39% or 4.25 points to close at 121.08, while Walt Disney Company was down 3.20% or 3.12 points to close at 94. 33. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were Charles River Laboratories, which rose 3.57% to hit 196.80, Weyerhaeuser Company, which gained 2.92% to close at 28.56, and shares of Twitter Inc, which rose 2.74% to end the session at 43.91. The losers were shares of Carnival Corporation, which fell 23.31% to close at 7.03. Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd lost 18.11% to end the session at 11.35. Quotes of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd decreased in price by 13.14% to 37.91. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were FingerMotion Inc, which rose 82.16% to hit 3.37, SAITECH Global Corp, which gained 43.36% to close at 3.24, and shares of Avenue Therapeutics Inc, which rose 39.03% to end the session at 10.08. The biggest losers were Atlis Motor Vehicles Inc, which shed 39.91% to close at 20.40. Shares of Aterian Inc lost 37.06% and ended the session at 1.24. Quotes of Edesa Biotech Inc decreased in price by 34.66% to 0.92. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (1,758) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (1,354), while quotations of 117 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,139 companies fell in price, 1,583 rose, and 228 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, fell 0.69% to 31.62. Gold futures for December delivery added 0.11%, or 1.80, to $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery fell 1.87%, or 1.52, to $79.71 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery fell 2.13%, or 1.86, to $85.32 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair remained unchanged 0.08% to 0.98, while USD/JPY advanced 0.23% to hit 144.77. Futures on the USD index fell 0.09% to 112.10. Relevance up to 05:00 2022-10-04 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/295131
Biden Declared Unwavering Support For Ukraine, The Reserve Bank Of New Zealand May Go Back To Raising Rates

Ukraine's Successes Have Infuriated Putin Allies| Intel Acquired Mobileye And More

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 03.10.2022 08:42
Summary:  The S&P500 broke below 3600 into the close on Friday as US 10-year yields surged above 3.8%. Risk off seen from multiple forces heading into the new month/quarter as corporate earnings misses continue to raise the threat of an ugly earnings season ahead. Meanwhile, the war could take a turn for the worse if Russia decides to escalates after losing a key city to Ukraine again over the weekend. China heads into the Golden Week holiday and OPEC+ meeting in focus this week with expectations of over 1mn b/d output cut on the table. UK crisis will also take more attention this week along with key US ISM manufacturing data due today and the payrolls data at the end of the week. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) had three down quarters in a row U.S. equities continued to sell off on Friday. S&P500 dropped 1.5% for the day and ended the month more than 9% lower. Nasdaq 100 declined 1.7% on Friday, falling nearly 11% in September. 10 of the 11 sectors in the S&P 500 declined, with Utilities, Information Technology, and Consumer Discretionary leading the charge lower. Real Estate was the only sector that gained on Friday.  Big U.S. stock movers   Being another latest signal of weakening U.S. consumer demand, Carnival (CCL:xnys) tumbled more than 23% after the cruise operator reported occupancy for the quarter ending Aug 31 below market expectations. Nike (NKE:xnys) plunged 12.8% on rising inventories and margin misses. For a detailed discussion on last week’s earnings warning signs from Nike, Micron, and H&M’s margin misses, please refer to Peter Garnry’s analysis here. U.S. treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) climbed again U.S. treasury yields fell initially during London hours on Friday in tandem with the intraday swings in the U.K. Gilts and then pared the decline in yields in New York hours following the slightly stronger than expected PCE data and Fed Vice-Chair Brainard’s reiteration that the Fed will avoid pulling back from rate hikes prematurely. Yields decisively soared higher in the last hour of trading with 2-year yields rising 9bps to 4.28% and 10-year yields climbing 4bps to 3.83%. September was Hang Seng Index’s (HSIU2) worst month in 11 years Hong Kong and mainland China markets were treading water ahead of the week-long National Day golden week holiday in the mainland, with Hang Seng Index up by 0.3% and CSI 300 Index sliding 0.6%. Despite the lackluster trading last Friday, September was the worst month for the Hang Seng Index, which had fallen 13.7%, over the past 11 years. Chinese developers rallied to recoup some of the recent losses following incremental supporting measures from regulators.  CIFI (00884:xhkg), Country Garden (02007:xhkg), and Guangzhou R&F rebounded 11%, 9%, and 8% respectively. Chinese EV maker, Zhejian Leapmotor (09863:xhkg), tumbled another 22% last Friday after having collapsed 33.5% the day before on its first day of trading.  Other Chinese EV names traded in the Hong Kong bourses plunged from 4% to 7% even after more subsidies and support were announced by the Ministry of Commerce and the Shanghai Municipal Government. Chinese restaurant operator Jiumaojiu (09922:xhkg) plunged by 20.4% following its announcement to pay RMB1 billion for a 26% equity stake in the Guangzhou IFC Mall project which will give the company 30,000 sqm for self-use as headquarter and R&D centre.  GBP ends a volatile week strongest against the USD Sterling ended the week strongest in the G10 pack against the USD despite a flash crash last week and risks of a pension fund crisis in the UK on top of the current energy crisis and the runaway inflation issues at hand. Rising Russia tensions mean that the energy situation could get a leg up this week, but focus for the sterling will remain on any possible rollback of the loose fiscal policy. The political pressure is certainly mounting after the latest YouGov poll showed Labour with a 33-point lead in the polls, the widest margin since the 1990’s. GBPUSD is testing a break above 1.1235, but that for now seems to be underpinned by a softer USD and lower US yields, and it remains to be seen if that story will continue this week as we get past the rebalancing flows. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) prices waiting for a large OPEC+ production cut Crude oil ended last week mixed but mostly lower on Friday after some gains initially on expectations of an OPEC+ production cut coming this week. It is being reported that OPEC+ is mulling a possible reduction of 0.5-1mn barrels/day, after the September output rose 210k barrels/day from August. Some delegates said over the weekend that output cut could exceed 1 million barrels/day, and this has helped crude oil see a 3% jump at the Asia open. Given that the meeting is in-person for the first time since March 2020 also raises expectations of a large cut. WTI futures were seen above $82/barrel while Brent futures rose towards $88. Still, demand worries especially with China’s lockdowns and rapid global tightening pace will continue to put downside pressure on oil prices. Wheat futures (ZWZ2) higher on supply concerns On Friday, the USDA published its Quarterly Stocks and wheat production reports. Corn stocks were lower and soybeans higher than expected. December wheat (ZWZ2) jumped 2.8% with stocks in line but production in all categories falling short of expectations. Meanwhile, geopolitical concerns are on the rise with Russia threatening use of low-yield nuclear weapons as its military advantage starts to diminish. This has again raised concerns over the fate of the Black Sea export corridor and the supply situation in agri commodities may continue to be challenged. What to consider? Hot US PCE paves the way for another CPI surprise this month US PCE data came in stronger-than-expected, with the headline up 6.2% YoY from 6.3% YoY prior and 6.0% YoY expected. The core measure was at 4.9% YoY, coming in both higher than last month’s 4.6% YoY and the expected 4.7% YoY. This will likely push up the pricing of another 75bps rate hike from the Fed at the November meeting, as the CPI report out this month is generally likely to follow the same trend of remining close to its highs. Meanwhile, the final estimate of University of Michigan survey was revised lower to 58.6 from preliminary print of 59.5 due to the slide in expectations to 58 from 59.9, even as the current conditions fared better at 59.7 from 58.9 previously. The inflation metrics also diverged with 1yr consumer inflation expectations edging higher to 4.7% (prev. 4.6%), although the longer term 5yr slightly fell to 2.7% (prev. 2.8%). Stronger Q3 Atlanta Fed GDP and more calls for restrictive Fed policy The economic momentum in the US is still strong, as hinted by the big upward revision in Atlanta Fed’s Q3 GDP estimate to 2.4% from 0.3% earlier with higher contribution expected from private domestic investment and net exports. The advance Q3 GDP report is due on October 27, so that will likely give more ammunition to the Fed to raise rates aggressively at the November meeting. Meanwhile, more Fed speakers were on the wires on Friday continuing to push for interest rates to move towards or above the median of the dot plot. Fed Vice-Chair Brainard noted policy will need to be restrictive for some time, while Mary Daly (2024 voter) was more specific to say that she  expects to hold rates steady for at least all of 2023 after rate hikes. Barkin (2024 voter) echoed the Saxo view that Fed has decided that they’d rather be wrong by tightening too much rather than tightening too little. He said it would be a good news story if the Fed did a bit too much and inflation came down. Eurozone inflation remains painfully high The September eurozone consumer price index (CPI) reached double-digits at 10% year-over-year versus prior 9.1% and expected 9.7%. The core CPI (excluding volatile components) is up to 4.8% year-over-year versus expected 4.7% too. What is clearly worrying is there is an acceleration in price pressures beyond energy and food prices. This is a signal that inflation is now broad-based. In France, the EU-harmonized CPI was out at 6.2% year-over-year in September. This is much lower than what the consensus expected (6.7%). It stood at 6.8% in July and 6.6% in August. On the downside, the producer price index (PPI) for August reached a new high at 29.5% year-over-year against expected 27.6%. This matters. The PPI usually represents the pipeline in inflation which will be passed on to consumers, at least partially. This means that the peak in inflation is likely ahead of us in France and in all the other eurozone countries. Expect to reach it in the first quarter of next year, at best.  China’s PMIs were mixed in September China’s September official NBS Manufacturing PMI came in at 50.1, stronger than expectations (consensus 49.7, Aug 49.4), and returned to the expansionary territory.  The strength was found in the output sub-index which rebounded to 51.5 in September from 49.8 in August, which was largely due to the receding heatwave and pent-up demand.  The other major sub-indices in manufacturing remained below 50.  Exports were weak as the new export orders sub-index fell to 47 in September from 48.1 in August.  The Caixin Manufacturing PMI, which has a larger weight in coastal cities in the eastern region, fell to 48.1 (consensus 49.5, Aug 49.5), echoing the weakness in the exports element in the official PMI.  The NBS Non-manufacturing PMI came in at 50.6, below expectations (consensus 52.4, Aug 52.6).  Among non-manufacturing activities, the construction sub-index rose to 60.2 from 56.5, supported by infrastructure construction, while the service sub-index fell into the contractionary territory, coming in at 48.9, down from August’s 51.9. Retail, air travel, lodging, catering, and other services requiring close contact contracted in the midst of Covid restrictions. Ukraine’s recapture of key city raises the nuclear threat Ukrainian troops recaptured the city of Lyman over the weekend in occupied eastern Ukraine, less than a day after Russia announced the annexation of the area and vowed to defend it with all military means. Ukraine's successes have infuriated Putin allies such as Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's southern Chechnya region who called on Putin to retaliate by escalating even further against Ukraine, including declaring martial law in the border regions and using low-yield nuclear weapons. China relaxes mortgage rates’ lower bound for first-time homebuyers and provides tax rebates to homebuyers plus telling banks to lend to the property sector The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) announced last Friday to lower or even remove the lower bounds imposed on first-time homebuyers in cities that experienced three consecutive months (from June to August 2022) declines in new home prices both sequentially and year-on-year.  The currently lower bound is the 5-year Loan Prime Rate minus 20bps.  The new policy will benefit first-time homebuyers in lower-tier cities while tier-1 cities do not meet the above price decline criterion. Among the top-70 cities, eight Tier-2 cities and 15 Tier-3 cities are eligible. The PBoC and the CBIRC also reportedly told the largest banks in the country to extend at least RMB600 billion in net new financing to the housing sector for the rest of the year. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation announced that from Oct 1, 2022, to Dec 31, 2023, homebuyers will be rebated the tax they paid for the sale of their previous home if the sale was within one year from the purchase of the new home.  Tesla reveals a prototype of its humanoid robot On last Friday’s AI Day, Tesla (TSLA:xnas) showcased a prototype of the EV maker’s first humanoid robot, dubbed Optimus, and reveals the latest updates to the company’s assistant deriving system. Tesla’s humanoid robots are still a long way from commercialization and it plans to deploy them first at Tesla factories.  Intel goes ahead to list its self-driving-car unit Intel’s self-driving-car unit, Mobileye said on Friday that the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for IPO.  Mobileye did not provide information about the expected size and price range for its IPO. Intel acquired Mobileye, an Israeli company that develops driver-assistance systems for USD15.3 billion in 2017. Mobileye said it had agreements in hand to supply 266 million vehicles with the company’s driver-assistance systems by 2030.  US ISM manufacturing on watch today Due later today, ISM manufacturing is unlikely to dent the optimism around the US economy that has been building up further with positive economic indicators released over the last few weeks. While the Bloomberg consensus estimates show some signs of a slowdown to 52.1 in September from 52.8 in August – that should likely be underpinned by improving supply chains, while new orders should remain upbeat. On Tuesday, Japan’s Tokyo CPI will see impact of reopening Japan’s inflationary pressures are likely to continue to reign amid higher global prices of food, electricity as well as a weak yen propping up import prices. Bloomberg consensus estimates point to a slightly softer headline print of 2.7% YoY from 2.9% YoY previously, but the core is pinned higher at 2.8% YoY from 2.6% YoY previously. Further, the reopening of the economic from the pandemic curbs likely means demand side pressures are also broadening, and services inflation will potentially pick up as well.   For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-3-oct-2022-03102022
Why India Leads the Way in Economic Growth Amid Global Slowdown

The GBP/USD Pair Gained Bullish Pace, September PMI Indices And Continued Volatility In The Markets

TeleTrade Comments TeleTrade Comments 03.10.2022 10:10
Here is what you need to know on Monday, October 3: Markets stayed relatively quiet during the Asian trading hours on Monday but volatility picked up in the early European morning. Political developments in the UK are watched closely by market participants ahead of S&P Global's final September PMIs for Germany, the euro area, the UK and Canada. The US economic docket will feature the ISM September Manufacturing PMI later in the day. Several FOMC policymakers, including Kansas City Fed President Esther George and New York Fed President John Williams, will also be delivering speeches in the second half of the day. After having registered modest gains on Friday, the US Dollar Index turned south and broke below 112.00. US Stock index futures are trading mixed in the European session and the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield loses over 1% below 3.8%.  During the Asian trading hours, the data from Japan showed that the Tankan Large Manufacturing Index declined to 8 in Q3, missing the market expectation of 11. On a positive note, the Non-Manufacturing Index edged higher to 14 in the same period from 13. Meanwhile, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki reiterated that they continue to watch FX moves with a strong sense of urgency. USD/JPY showed no reaction to Suzuki's comments or the data releases and it was last seen moving sideways slightly below 115.00. GBP/USD gathered bullish momentum and jumped to its highest level in over a week near 1.1300. Reports suggesting that the UK government is expected to roll back the proposed scrapping of the higher rate of income tax helped the British pound gather strength. British Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed these reports by announcing that the government will not go ahead with a plan to scrap a 45% rate of income tax. Following the initial bullish reaction, the pair returned to the 1.1200 area, where it was up around 0.3% on the day. EUR/USD is having a difficult time making a decisive move in either direction and trading in a narrow range near 0.9800.  Gold snapped a two-week losing streak on Friday and edged higher toward $1,670 early Monday. Although XAU/USD returned to the $1,660 area in the European morning, it managed to hold its ground amid retreating US Treasury bond yields.  Bitcoin closed in negative territory on Saturday and Sunday but found support near $19,000. Ethereum fell nearly 4% over the weekend and dropped below $1,300 before staging a rebound early Monday. ETH/USD was last seen rising 1% on the day at $1,290.
Market Sentiment and Fed Policy Uncertainty: Impact on August Performance

The Third Quarter Ends With Losses, U.S. Dollar (USD) Strength Is Worrying

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 03.10.2022 10:21
We spent the weekend talking about whether Credit Suisse will finally go bust or not. The share price is down below 4 francs a share, and the credit default swaps are going through the roof. The 5-year CDS for Credit Suisse spiked to 250 from around 60 at the start of the year. It means that the market is aggressively pricing a default for one of the biggest Swiss banks. Is it possible? Yes, it is possible, but it is highly unlikely. A negative note Zooming out, the third quarter ends with losses, even though we thought that the summer rally could’ve given something. But no. The S&P500 finished the 3rd quarter having slipped to the lowest levels this year. The same is true for Nasdaq and the Dow Jones. $24 trillion have been wiped out of the stocks so far this year. And the last quarter begins with aggressive rate hike expectations from the Federal Reserve (Fed), but also from the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) to fight inflation and the dollar strength.Nike has been the latest company warning investors of falling profits due to mountains of stockpiles that they inherited from the pandemic times – and which brought the company to make nice price discounts -, and the strong dollar. Waiting for tesla reactions This week, we will watch how Tesla will react to the latest delivery report, the OPEC decision and the US jobs figures… and hope that this week’s jobs data doesn’t reveal strong job additions, and solid salary growth in the US. Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:21 What will happen to Credit Suisse? 3:14 Q3 ends on a negative note… 5:36 USD strength to become a major headache for next earnings season 6:51 What to watch this week? Tesla deliveries, OPEC decision & US jobs 7:50 Econ101 minute: Why the Fed must destroy jobs to fight inflation?   Ipek Ozkardeskaya Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #CreditSuisse #Q4 #Nike #earnings #strongUSD #USD #EUR #GBP #Tesla #OPEC #US #jobs #Fed #BoE #ECB #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
At The Close On The New York Stock Exchange Indices Closed Mixed

Oh Wow! S&P 500 Went Up By 2.59%, Nasdaq Increased By 2.27%

ING Economics ING Economics 04.10.2022 07:21
Asian markets should see a stronger day on Tuesday after US and European markets rally Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global markets: Once again, the UK seems to be driving financial markets – this time in a positive way as the Truss government abandoned its top rate tax cut pledge under pressure from, well, about everyone. US stocks started the quarter with a decent rally. That amounted to 2.59% for the S&P500 and 2.27% for the NASDAQ. Stocks were up across Europe and equity futures are looking pretty positive today, which should also be better news for Asian FX. EURUSD made further gains, rising to 0.9835, while Cable climbed back above 1.13 and the AUD has rallied back above 65 cents ahead of today’s predicted 50bp of Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) tightening (1130 SGT/HKT). This sentiment improvement has also helped the JPY, which has pulled back once more from the 145 level. Yesterday saw a slight reversal of Friday’s gains in some Asian currencies, with the THB, INR, PHP and IDR losing ground. They will most likely make at least some of that back today. There were very large falls in bond yields across the developed markets yesterday including UK Gilts, where the yield on 2Y notes fell 23.1bp and fell 13.8bp for 10Y bonds. There were some even bigger falls for European bond yields, Italy in particular, which saw the 10Y yield drop by 27.2bp. US treasuries weren’t absent from this move. 2Y US Treasury yields fell 16.5bp while 10Y yields dropped 19bp to leave them at 3.639%.   G-7 Macro: A softer than expected September Manufacturing ISM index was yesterday’s main macro snippet, though the prices paid index continued to ease slightly lower, and the employment index dropped below 50, as did new orders – finally some more concrete sign -  other than the housing market -  that the US slowdown is taking hold? There isn’t much to get excited about on today’s G-7 Calendar. Australia: Despite the RBA trying to manoeuvre itself towards being able to deliver smaller rate hikes, this meeting is widely anticipated to deliver a further 50bp of tightening, taking the cash rate target to 2.85%. This follows stronger than expected labour market and retail sales data, neither of which suggested any slowdown in the economy. We are also looking for a 50bp hike today but would anticipate the RBA being able to downshift to 25bp moves over the rest of the year. What to look out for: RBA decision Japan Tokyo CPI inflation (4 October) Australia RBA meeting (4 October) US factory orders and durable goods orders (4 October) Fed officials Williams, Logan Mester and Daly speaking events (4 October) South Korea CPI inflation (5 October) Japan Jibun PMI services (5 October) Singapore PMI manufacturing (5 October) New Zealand RBNZ meeting (5 October) Philippines CPI inflation (5 October) Thailand CPI inflation (5 October) Singapore retail sales (5 October) US ADP employment, trade balance and ISM services (5 October) Fed’s Bostic speaking event (5 October) Australia trade balance (6 October) Philippines unemployment rate (6 October) Taiwan CPI inflation (6 October) US initial jobless claims (6 October) Fed’s Evans, Cook, Mester speaking events (6 October) South Korea BoP current account (7 October) Regional GIR data (7 October) US non-farm payrolls (7 October) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
For What It Is Worthy To Pay Attention Next Week 23.01-29.01

Forecasts For Q4: The Power And Gas Crisis Will Reach Its Peak

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 04.10.2022 09:16
Summary:  The macropolitical and economic landscape has sent freezing weather in over the financial markets. How will you navigate the cold winter? An Executive Summary  Our outlook for Q4 2022 simply recognises the reality that winter is coming, in both the literal and figurative senses. First is the literal sense as Europe and the UK in particular brace for the impact of a winter season that will likely bring with it an economic winter. The power and gas crisis will reach peak impact due to the increased demand during winter heating season, even if prices have fallen considerably. Our macro strategist Christopher Dembik focuses on how Europe can absorb the tremendous headwinds of the energy crisis without turning the lights out entirely, with observers excessively pessimistic on the European outlook. This will include reducing demand through more efficiency, longer-term investments in nuclear, and better buildout of the necessary infrastructure for the green transformation.  In China, our market strategist Redmond Wong notes that the focus on renewables is far less intense. China has moved to secure coal supplies amidst the spike in oil and especially LNG prices in recent quarters, preferring to focus on more efficient use of its coal-fired baseload capacity and the most aggressive buildout of nuclear power of any major economy. For the rest of developed and emerging Asia, market strategist Charu Chanana notes that the soaring prices for LNG have altered the energy security for the region, to the detriment of weaker economies. The response will come in a variety of forms, from Japan’s renewed interest in nuclear despite the 2011 Fukushima disaster, to the intriguing prospect of energy increasingly trading in non-US dollar currencies, as already seen in India’s purchase of Russian crude with roubles. Our Australian market strategist Jessica Amir zeroes in on the factors driving a renaissance of interest in nuclear energy and looks at where to find the companies and ETFs in a rather difficult-to-navigate nuclear investment space.  Now on to the chief driver of asset valuations since the Fed’s dramatic pivot in November of last year: the trajectory of monetary policy. The coming quarter and first part of winter are likely to bring what Saxo CIO Steen Jakobsen dubs “peak tightness”. The market will finally manage to catch up to where the peak Fed rate is likely to rise by early next year, after getting it so wrong in hoping for a policy pivot toward decelerating tightening pressure in Q3. In turn, that policy tightness will lead to a recession, already on the way in Europe but spreading elsewhere next year, eventually even to the US, where the economy has proven far more resilient than the market expected.   In equities, the emphasis from the head of equity and quant strategy Peter Garnry is on how the coming winter will inevitably drive recession risks, as already seen with the pressure on consumer and discretionary stocks. He also explores how the extraordinary pressure on Europe can drive necessary innovation that should allow the continent to come out the other side with a far more competitive economy. Still, an overriding risk for growth and equity valuations is the cost of de-globalisation, which will reverse many of the trends in equities and the supply chains that companies have hyper-tuned over the last 12 years.  Head of commodity strategy Ole Hansen sees less drama for commodities relative to the intense volatility in the months since Russia invaded Ukraine, as ongoing supply concerns vie with shrinking demand concerns for supremacy. One interesting twist in Q4 will be how the crude oil market absorbs a halt of the Biden administration’s release of US strategic reserves if this proceeds according to plan in October.   In the FX outlook, John Hardy, the head of FX strategy, asks whether peak tightness in the anticipated trajectory of the Fed rate hike cycle will likely also bring peak US dollar, which has provided its own wintry pressure on global liquidity and asset prices for the last eleven months.  Elsewhere in FX, will the market force the Bank of Japan to capitulate on its yield-curve-control policy, possibly setting up the yen for spectacular volatility this coming quarter? It’s also worth noting that this is the third quarter running in the massive divergence of the JPY weakness relative to Chinese yuan (CNH and CNY) strength, the latter still in relative terms despite the yuan being allowed to slip considerably lower versus the strong USD in Q3; it’s an important and tense situation that remains unresolved.  In crypto, the market failed to revive in the quarter even with a much-anticipated Ethereum platform shift to proof-of-stake from proof-of-work. As our crypto strategists Mads Eberhardt and quant strategist Anders Nysteen suggest, the risk of a “crypto-winter” continues as global liquidity dries up on the headwind of policy tightening, not to mention the fear of stricter regulation of the space. Still, there are plenty of bright spots, with burgeoning innovation in the industry finding new applications for crypto-related blockchain technology.  Finally, this outlook also features the usual rundown of the longer-term technical outlook for critical assets, as we revisit the critical US 10-year treasury yield chart, the US S&P 500 index and where the ultimate depths of this bear market may lie, and the EURUSD exchange rate after the symbolic parity level was reached—and then some—on the downside in Q3.   We wish you a safe and prosperous Q4. Given the stark challenges that lie ahead for asset markets in a world beset with grinding supply side challenges, and as policymakers clamp down to fight inflation, it’s a difficult time. At the same time, it’s worth keeping in mind that opportunity and longer-term market returns rise as a function of deteriorating current asset prices.      Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/quarterly-outlook/q4-2022-outlook-winter-is-coming-04102022
The RBA Surprised With A Smaller 25 bp Hike , Sterling (GBP) Rose, The USD Has Weakened

The RBA Surprised With A Smaller 25 bp Hike , Sterling (GBP) Rose, The USD Has Weakened

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 04.10.2022 13:13
Summary:  Markets yesterday show how quickly this hot-tempered market can try to sniff out a Fed that will eventually pivot to a less hawkish stance as a weak US September ISM Manufacturing survey data point engineered a huge decline in US yields and significant USD weakness. More important US data is to come this week through Friday’s jobs report. Elsewhere, the surprisingly dovish RBA battled with supportive developments in commodities to sway the Aussie overnight. FX Trading focus: Desperation for the Fed pivot. Sterling: can it really be that easy? Dovish RBA. Yesterday saw US 10-year treasury yields almost 25 basis points lower from intraday highs, with much of the treasury buying/yield drop coming in the wake of a weaker than expected September US ISM Manufacturing survey, out at 50.9, below the 52.0 expected and 52.8 in August. The New Orders were far worse than expected at 47.1 vs. 50.5 expected and 51.3 in August. Alas, we have to remember that the Manufacturing sector is small in the US and about half of the dips to near or below 50 have not indicated imminent recession in the US. The ISM Services survey – up tomorrow - would be a different matter if it were to show marked deterioration. Elsewhere, a tweet from the WSJ’s Nick Timiraos noting that influential economist Greg Mankiw agreed with economist/pundit Paul Krugman’s assessment that the Fed is tightening too quickly may have helped to drive the sentiment shift at the margin as well. Pushing back against that was Fed Vice Chair Williams out expressing the belief that the Fed must remain on message: “Tighter monetary policy has begun to cool demand and reduce inflationary pressures, but our job is not yet done.” Williams speech does suggest that the Fed thinks that it is succeeding, so the strongest risk to markets here would be stronger US data suggesting a still strong pace of activity in services and a still very tight labor market with accelerating wage pressures. The Fed forecast assume a fairly soft landing of weak growth and 4.4% unemployment. Self-feeding cycles in a downturn and the Fed’s focus on lagging indicators like employment are likely to eventually lead to far worse outcomes. The USD has weakened at the outset of the week here – but note EURUSD holding the line so far just ahead of the key 0.9900 level. AUDUSD has far more wood to chop for a reversal, as discussed below. The most remarkably priced pair at the moment, however, may be USDJPY, which remains pinned near 145.00 despite the significant drop in long US treasury yields. Still uneasy about the risk of a blowout market-BoJ/MoF showdown – that’s a very weak performance from the yen today. Chart: AUDUSDThe AUDUSD chart has been an interesting one to watch since yesterday and overnight. Strong risk sentiment and lower US treasury yields weighed on the US dollar and helped boost commodity prices, both strongly Aussie supportive. But then the huge mark-down in Australian yields on a quite dovish RBA (more below) challenged the Aussie overnight. Looks like a battle-zone tactically around the local 0.6530 resistance, which was briefly taken out this morning on the further USD weakness before reversing back into the zone later in trading today. The down-trend is so well established that it would take a surge to at least above 0.6700 to begin challenging the down-trend here. The RBA surprised the majority of observers with a smaller 25 basis point hike to take the policy rate to 2.60%. It’s a reminder of the vast shift relative to the old regime, in which one might have expected an RBA rate at least 100-200 bps higher than the Fed’s. The last time the Fed was hiking to north of 3.00% was in mid-2005, when the RBA cash target had already reached above 5%. The RBA chose to emphasize caution in its latest statement, citing the anticipation that unemployment will eventually rise beyond the near term strength in the labor market as the economy eventually weakens. Governor Lowe and company are clearly uneasy and uncertain on the effects of the sharp tightening in the bag on mortgage rates and future spending, and the statement continues to cite lower wage growth than elsewhere. In addition to AUDUSD note above, also interesting to watch the relative strength in AUDNZD over tonight’s RBNZ, as the sharply lower Australian yields (the year-forward RBA rate has been marked a remarkable 50 basis points lower by the market after this meeting). A surrender below the 1.1250-1.1300 zone would suggest a risk that the attempt to reprice the pair higher on the shift in relative current account dynamics I have cited before has failed for now. Sterling rose further after Chancellor Kwarteng yesterday reversed his decision on the tax cut for the highest incomes in the UK. Interesting that this is was particularly item, while politically unpopular, was one of the least consequential in terms of the fiscal impact. For now, given the soaring risk sentiment backdrop, sterling short covering continues, but surely it’s not this easy? Technically, watching the major resistance zone at 1.1500 zone in GBPUSD and whether the bearish reversal back into the old range below 0.8700 in EURGBP sticks. This is still a government that is very much on the rocks. The latest controversy PM Truss is courting is claiming that she has yet to decide whether UK welfare distributions, outside of pensioners, should be raised with inflation, which has some Tory MP’s up in arms. Chancellor Kwarteng, feeling the rising pressure, will bring forward his fiscal statement to later this month from late November, around the time the Office of Budget Responsibility publishes its forecasts. Table: FX Board of G10 and CNH trend evolution and strength.The USD rose so far in its up-trend before the recent setback, that there is some residual medium term up-trend strength left, though momentum has shifted markedly against the greenback. The opposite is the case for sterling, which has achieved a positive trend reading versus the G10 broadly due to weak G10 smalls of late (note GBPNZD, for example, at a high since late February. Elsewhere, strong risk sentiment, together with concerns of a struggling Swiss bank have brought CHF south in a hurry over the last week. Table: FX Board Trend Scoreboard for individual pairs.CHF on its back foot and our longest surviving trend, the GBPCHF downtrend, is now dead. Sterling upside breaks are spreading, in fact. Also note the shift in US yields taking XAGUSD onto a sudden moonshot, while XAUUSD is eyeing an up-trend as well. Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights 1230 – ECB's Centeno to speak 1300 – US Fed’s Williams (voter) to speak 1315 – US Fed’s Mester (voter) to speak 1400 – US Aug. Factory Orders 1400 – US Aug. JOLTS Job Openings 1500 – ECB President Lagarde to speak 0100 – New Zealand RBNZ Official Cash Target Announcement Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/forex/fx-update-the-desperation-for-the-fed-pivot-04102022
RBA Governor Announces Major Changes at RBA Board as US Inflation Expected to Decline

Musk Revived His Bid For Twitter| OPEC Have Started Talking About Cuts With Russia

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 05.10.2022 09:11
Summary:  Oil rallies for the second day with OPEC+ considering an output cut as much as 2 million barrels a day, which is more than anticipated. US stocks rallied for the second day, moving off their lows on softer than expected labor market data that supported the notion of central bank peak hawkishness. The Reserve Bank of Australia hikes less than expected, and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand meeting ahead today. Also watch for the US ISM services print later, pivotal for Fed pivot expectations that are gaining momentum prematurely. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) rally for the second day, moving off lows US stocks rallied for the second day, rebounding from their deeply oversold levels with the S&P500 seeing its best two-day surge since April 2020. The S&P500 ended up almost 3.1% higher on Wednesday, the Nasdaq 100 up 3.1%. Retail favorite, Tesla (TSLA) shares revved up 2.9% after Cathie Wood scooped up 132,000 more shares in the electric vehicle giant. Tesla was among the biggest contributors to the S&P500’s gains, along with Amazon and Microsoft. For a detailed discussion of Tesla’s challenges ahead, please refer to Peter Garnry’s excellent article here. The Energy sector was the best performer in the S&P 500, gaining 4.3%, followed by Financials which were up 3.8%. Only seven stocks in the S&P500 closed in the red. However, the news of the day was that Twitter’s takeover by Musk is back on. On top of that, softer US economic data out also boosted sentiment, with the market thinking the Fed might not be as fierce with rate hikes later this month. US job openings sank to a 14-month low, following the day prior weaker than expected manufacturing data. So, perhaps a short-squeeze is fueling the rally here. U.S. treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) declined modestly on the front end Treasury yields fell first on a dovish hike (25bps vs the 50bps expected) from the Reserve Bank of Australia during Asian hours and then on the biggest decline of the JOLTS job opening (10,053K vs prior 11,239K).  10-year yields made an intraday low at 3.56% before paring it and settled little changed at 3.63%.  The curve bull steepened with the front-end 2 to 5-year fell 2-3bps in yield and the 30-year yield edging up 1bp.  Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) rallied above 6,700, snapping its downtrend The ASX200 charged 3.75% yesterday (including the 1.2% rise after the RBA’s pivoted to going softer on rate hikes) which took the market to its highest level since September 23 (just shy of 6,700, closing at 6,699). Today the market opened 0.8% up in the first 10 minutes of trading, with the futures implying the market could rise 1.6% on Thursday to 6,803. If the market can hold above 6,700 it means the market will effectively have broken its downtrend and is staging a comeback. This notion was supported by our technical analyst. For more read on here. EURUSD touches parity again Lower US yields and a softer US dollar is turning things around in the FX space, although pricing out the Fed rate hikes from 2023 appears to be premature. Some of this could also be the positioning ahead of key US NFP data due this week. EUR made a strong recovery on the back of a weaker dollar, as it rose from lows of 0.9800 to touch parity. Commentary from the ECB’s Villeroy also helped, as he said that interest rates will be raised as much as necessary to lower core inflation and called for rates to go to neutral by year-end without hesitation. Meanwhile, President Lagarde reiterated her view that inflation was undesirably high, and it is difficult to say whether or not it had peaked. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) higher on OPEC cut expectations Crude oil prices rose further amid speculation that OPEC is considering an even larger cut to production than first thought. The group is said to be considering a cut of up to 2mb/d, according to media reports. It is also being reported that the cuts will be made from current production levels and not the quotas as most members are already producing below their quota. That, if true, will likely tighten the market especially as European sanctions will kick in from December and US is also pausing the release from its strategic reserves. This tightness could be exacerbated by a rebound in Chinese demand if it can contain outbreaks of COVID-19. WTI futures rose above $86/barrel while brent crossed the key $90-mark. A significant draw was also reported in API inventories, with crude stocks down 1.77mn. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hong Kong is set to have some catch-up to do with the 5.7% gain in the S&P 500 and 6.1% rise in the NASDAQ Golden Dragon China Index when it returns from a public holiday today.  The stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen remain closed for the rest of the week for public holidays.     What to consider?   US JOLTs signalling the tightness in the labor market may be moderating US JOLTs data was out with a weaker than expected number. The number of job openings in the U.S. declined to 10.1 million in August, the lowest since June 2021, and below expectations of 10.8 million. The job openings rate was down to 6.2% from 6.9% in July, and puts the focus on the ADP data due today in the run upto the NFP data on Friday. OPEC+ meeting to bring production cuts There have been some reports that OPEC members have started talking about cuts with Russia proposing a 1 mln barrels per day cut, a reduction towards which they are unlikely to contribute much as they are already producing below their quota. At its last meeting on September 5, the group agreed a token reduction of 100,000 barrels a day for October, despite calls from consuming nations to help tame rampant inflation by keeping the taps open. With gasoline prices retreating in the US, some of that external pressure may now be easing, and that further raises the prospects of some price-supportive action. FT also reported the production cuts will be from current production levels, not from the quota's which many producers do not meet - emphasising the impact of the production cut. The credit market showed signs of calming down Over the past two days, the sharp rise in investment credit spreads has tentatively reserved, showing some sign of relief in the investment grade credit market.  The Markit CDX North America Investment Grade Index (CDX IG39), which represents an equal-weighted average of credit default swap spreads of 125 North American investment grade corporate, fell more than 6bps on Tuesday to 98bps, a decline of nearly 16bps from its intraday high of 114 last week. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand meeting ahead The RBNZ will announce its latest monetary policy decision today. NZ house prices have seen one of their biggest quarterly drops on record in the three months to September. It’s worth watching the NZD against the AUD (NZDAUD) given their current account trajectories. RBA hiked less than expected, signaling peak hawkishness could be behind it. What does it mean to traders and investors? Yesterday the RBA rose rates by just 25bps (0.25%) instead of the 50bps (0.5%) expected, which took the cash rate to 2.6%. The RBA’s hiking power has been diminished as household spending is dropping, along with forward looking projections. We know it typically takes 3-months for an interest rate hike to be felt by the consumer, and the RBA alluded to this, in saying higher inflation and interest rates are putting pressure on households, with the full effects yet to be felt. The RBA referenced although consumer confidence and house prices had fallen, the central bank is still focused on slowing inflation which it sees increasing ‘over the coming months ahead’. Plus the RBA expects unemployment will continue to fall over the months ahead, before rising. This means, the RBA could slow the pace of hikes after December onwards. This implies peak hawkishness is behind us. AUDUSD fell 1% after the meeting however it since reversed those losses and trades 0.6% higher from the meeting. It’s been supported as the USD continued to roll over on expectations the Fed might not be as aggressive with rate hikes later this month. However if the Fed perhaps hikes by 0.75% the AUDUSD might revert back to a bearish stance. For investors, the RBA pivot supports a risk-on tone in equities which is why all 11 sectors rose yesterday, with tech and mining up the most. Energy markets saw the most gains as they have the most momentum amid the energy crisis. Lithium and agricultural stocks dominated the top 10 risers; with lithium stocks Sayona Mining (SYA), Lake Resources (LKE), Core Lithium (CXO), Pilbara Minerals (PLS) and Allkem (AKE), gaining 10%+ each. Musk revived his $44 billion Twitter bid send Twitter shares up 22% Billionaire Elon Musk revived his bid for the social media giant, at the original offer of $54.20 a share after spending months trying to back out of it. Shares of Twitter (TWTR) jumped almost 22% to $52.00 on the news. US ISM services will be key to watch today With chatter on Fed pivot gaining momentum out of a miss in one ISM manufacturing print, possibly also underpinned by the turmoil in the financial system, it will become more key to watch the services sector data out today. Consensus expects the number to be 56, down from 56.9, as higher interest rates and high inflation begins to eat into services spending after a solid post-pandemic rebound.     For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-5-oct-05102022
Bitcoin Stagnates at $30,000 Level, Awaits US Bitcoin ETF Update and Fed Meeting

Tesco Has Decided To Lock Everyday Items |The US Dollar (USD) Continued To Weaken

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 05.10.2022 09:32
Summary:  Another banner day for equity markets, which surged further on hopes that central banks will be increasingly easing off the gas pedal in coming weeks and months on signs that the impact of their tightening is wearing on economic growth. It’s counterintuitive and remains to be seen how equity markets will eventually greet recessionary outcomes for earnings and revenue in the quarters ahead. For now, the focus is tactical, particularly on whether the remaining US data this week through Friday’s jobs report will confirm this most recent narrative.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities continued their rebound yesterday with S&P 500 futures hitting the big 3,800 level, but the index futures are coming down a bit this morning trading around the 3,785 level. The significant declines in US bond yields and chatter about a Fed pivot, this still has a low probability at this point, have been the catalyst behind the rebound and the fact that markets were very stretched added to size of the rebound as short covering have been taking place. In today’s session the ADP employment change and ISM Services Index are the key macro events that could add some fresh energy to the downside. Yesterday’s biggest negative change on record in the JOLTS Report suggests that the labour market is beginning to cool down. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) The Hong Seng Index soared over 5% to catch up with the S&P 500 Index’s 5.7% rally over the past two days after Hong Kong returned from a public holiday. Weaker U.S. economic data recently have helped fuel the notion of peak tightening from the Fed and contributed to the turnaround in global stocks this week. Index heavy-weights jumped, HSBC (00005:xhkg) up 6.3%, AIA (01299:xhkg) up 6.7%, Tencent (000700:xhkg) up 5.8%, Meituan (03690:xhkg) up 7.6%, and Alibaba (09988:xhkg) up 8.2%. BYD (01211:xhkg) soared nearly 10% after the Chinese automaker reported record sales of over 200,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in September, a growth of 183% from last year, and the seventh consecutive month of sales growth. The mainland exchanges remain closed for the rest of the week for the National Day golden week holiday. USD and US yields/risk sentiment The US dollar continued to weaken yesterday, particularly against European currencies as EURUSD touched parity briefly and as GBPUSD rose close to 1.1500 on a further change of tune from UK Chancellor Kwarteng, who is making noises about plans to bring forward debt-cutting measures in the new budget he will present later this month. An important test for the greenback lies ahead through the end of this week on macro data and its impact on US treasury yields, as noted below, as well as on risk sentiment. Gold (XAUUSD) and silver (XAGUSD) rise further Hopes that central banks will begin to ease away from the tightening of the last many months after a deceleration from the ECB and at least one weak US data point this week, saw yields a bit lower and precious metals surging, with Gold rushing higher yesterday after the break above the key 1,680-1,700 from Monday was solidified with a move above 1,725 at one point yesterday. Silver’s enormous jump on Monday was only followed up with a much smaller move yesterday. Next area of focus in gold will be the 1,734 area and then the major 1,800 zone. The strength in US macro data and direction of US yields key through Friday’s US jobs report (weak data and lower yields most gold supportive.) Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) higher on larger OPEC cut expectations Crude oil prices rose further amid speculation that OPEC is considering an even larger cut to production than first thought. The group is said to be considering a cut of up to 2mb/d, according to media reports. It is also being reported that the cuts will be made from current production levels and not the quotas as most members are already producing below their quota. That, if true, will likely tighten the market especially as European sanctions will kick in from December and US is also pausing the release from its strategic reserves. This tightness could be exacerbated by a rebound in Chinese demand if it can contain outbreaks of COVID-19. WTI futures rose above $86/barrel while Brent crossed the key $90-mark. A significant draw was also reported in API inventories, with crude stocks down 1.77mn. US treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields recovered slightly after a further drop yesterday that took the 10-year benchmark to 3.56% at the lows, just ahead of the key 3.50% area former cycle high from June. Key data this week, including the ISM Services (far more important for the current status of the US economy than the ISM Manufacturing that garnered such a strong reaction on Monday) and the US September jobs report are likely to set the tone. What is going on? Twitter (TWTR:xnas) shares rose more than 20% as Elon Musk agrees to original takeover terms The shares of Tesla (TSLA:xnas) were down sharply on one point on the news before these in turn recovered to positive territory in a torrid rally for US equities yesterday. With Twitter’s closing price yesterday being close to the takeover price at $54.20 the downside risk remains now for Tesla shares in the event that Elon Musk is forced to sell more Tesla shares to finance the deal. US JOLTS job openings surveys signals that the tightness in the labor market may be moderating US JOLTs data was out with a weaker than expected number, declining to 10.1 million in August, the lowest since June 2021, and below expectations of 11.1 million and after 11.2 million in July. The job openings rate was down to 6.2% from 6.9% in July, and puts the focus on the ADP data due today in the run up to the nonfarm payrolls change data on Friday. New Zealand’s RBNZ hikes 50 basis points as expected This was the fifth consecutive meeting to bring a half-point hike and took the official cash rate to 3.5%. The bank signaled more tightening to come in its statement, as it noted that “core consumer price inflation is too high and labor resources are scarce. Still, short NZ rates continue to trade lower, if not falling as rapidly as for Australia after the RBA surprised with only a 25 basis point hike yesterday. The AUDNZD rate dropped below 1.1250 at one point overnight from the 1.1350 range before the announcement. Tesco 1H revenue beats estimate The largest Uk grocery retailer reports like-for-like UK revenue of +0.7% vs est. -0.1% but the company says that cost inflation is still significant. Tesco has also decided to lock over 1,000 everyday items at low prices until 2023 which could be negative for operating margin in the short-term. What are we watching next? Risk sentiment brightens – how far can it extend? Quite a short squeeze on bearish risk sentiment as global equities have backed up sharply, in many cases after touching new bear market lows – is this a bullish reversal with legs or will it fade quickly? Two prior bear market rallies in March and especially June-August impressed. For now, the tactical focus higher in the US equity market would be on the 3,800-3,900 zone, the next hurdle for establishing whether this squeeze will develop into something more, with the most immediate sentiment test likely the ISM Services survey today (more below) in the US and especially the jobs (and earnings) data on Friday, as it appears this rally was kicked off by a soft September ISM Manufacturing survey on Monday. UK Prime Minister Truss to deliver address at Tory conference today This is an important speech after the recent volatility in UK gilt markets, mostly attributable to policymaking from the Truss government, including generous caps on energy prices and tax cuts, that suggest little interest in maintaining long term credibility in government debt. US ISM services will be key to watch today With chatter on a Fed pivot gaining momentum out of a miss in one ISM manufacturing print, possibly also underpinned by the turmoil in the financial system on contagion from the wipeout and recovery in UK gilt markets over the last ten days, it will become more key to watch the services sector data out today. Consensus expects the number to be 56, down from 56.9, as higher interest rates and high inflation begin to eat into services spending after a solid post-pandemic rebound. Earnings to watch We had highlighted that Biogen would report earnings yesterday, but our earnings date data was incorrect, and the date is now set for the 18 October. Tesco has already reported earnings (see review above), so today’s remaining earnings focus is Lamb Weston which is a large US food company with analyst expecting FY23 Q1 (ending 31 August) revenue growth of 16% y/y and stable operating margin. Today: Lamb Weston, Tesco, RPM International Thursday: Seven & I, Conagra Brands, Constellation Brands, McCormick & Co Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0715-0800 – Eurozone final Sep. Services PMI 0830 – UK final Sep. Services PMI Poland Central Bank Rate Announcement 1215 – US Sep. ADP Employment Change 1230 – US Aug. Trade Balance 1230 – Canada Aug. Building Permits 1230 – Canada Aug. International Merchandise Trade 1400 – US Sep. ISM Services 1430 – US Weekly DoE Crude Oil and Product Inventories 2000 – US Fed’s Bostic (non-voter) to speak 0030 – Australia Aug. Trade Balance Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-oct-5-2022-05102022
ECB's Hawkish Move and Risk Appetite Propel Major Currencies, Leaving Dollar in the Dus

S&P 500 (SPX) And Nasdaq (NAS 100) Gained! EUR/USD Is Near 1.00, GBP/USD Close To 1.14

ING Economics ING Economics 05.10.2022 11:43
Asia market tone to start in a positive frame following the bounce in global markets on Tuesday. Lower Korean inflation sows seeds of possible future Bank of Korea rate hike moderation and the US non-mfg ISM employment index is the main one to watch today after the weak JOLTS survey Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global Markets: Stocks had another positive day yesterday. Both S&P500 and NASDAQ gained by more than 3%. Prices opened the session up, and then held onto those gains in what looked like a much more convincing show of strength than anything at the end of the last quarter. Equity futures are suggesting that this may have gone a bit too far though, and both S&P500 and NASDAQ futures are pointing at a lower open today. Nonetheless, early trading in Asia is likely to be buoyed by these overnight moves. Part of the catalyst for the resurgence in risk sentiment may be the additional decline in bond yields. 2Y US Treasury yields dropped by 2.1bp while the yield on the 10Y UST was almost unchanged at 3.633%. There were further falls in bond yields across Europe yesterday. 10Y Bund yields were down 4.6bp to 1.862%. Currencies behaved as you might expect in this environment, and EURUSD has risen almost back to parity now, and Cable is back to 1.1460. The AUD looks less appealing and is roughly unchanged after the Reserve Bank of Australia disappointed markets with only a 25bp rate hike yesterday. The JPY continues to pull back from 145 and is at 144.10 currently. Asian FX was positive across the board yesterday, with the THB leading the charge (after PM Chan-Ocha resumed his duties following a constitutional court ruling), followed closely by the offshore Renminbi (China is out all week). Further gains look probable today. G-7 Macro: Service sector PMI data today is the dominant theme, and included the non-manufacturing ISM index which will also have its employment index closely examined ahead of Friday’s US payrolls release.  A sharp fall in JOLTS job openings yesterday could be viewed as a signal that the labour market is indeed cooling, which would suggest the Fed is winning its battle against inflation. Stocks and bonds should like that if so. So bad macro news may be good news for financial assets.   South Korea: Headline inflation inched down to 5.6% YoY in September (vs 5.7% in August and the market consensus) putting the 6.3% recent peak in July behind it. But the monthly gain rebounded by 0.3% MoM nsa (vs -0.1% in August) due to higher prices for food and other services and was only partially offset by lower oil prices. Thus, the core CPI, excluding agricultural products and oils, accelerated to 4.5% YoY (vs 4.4% in August). We expect headline inflation to rise again in October.  Gasoline prices will likely decline further, but city gas and power rates were raised at the beginning of October and fresh food prices will also probably rise ahead of winter. We believe this inflation outlook will lead to another 50bp hike by the Bank of Korea at its October meeting. However, weekly housing market surveys show that housing and Jeonse rental prices have been falling quite sharply. Thus, rental components of CPI (which accounts for about 10% of the CPI basket) will likely begin to drop in the coming months. This should cause inflation to cool off, and in turn, slow down the Bank of Korea’s hiking pace.   Philippines: September inflation is due for release today.  Price pressures continue to build and headline inflation is expected to accelerate to 7% YoY.  Inflation is expected to rise further in the coming months after the third round of transport fare hikes was implemented.  Meanwhile, crop damage from a recent strong storm will likely ensure food prices stay high.  Elevated price pressures should keep the central bank hawkish and we expect Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to hike by another 100bp before the end of the year.  Singapore: Retail sales for August will be reported today.  Market participants expect another month of double-digit gains, supported in part by favourable base effects.  Furthermore, retail sales may have been boosted by tourist arrivals with arrivals steadily increasing.  Gains however will be capped by surging inflation with headline inflation moving past 7%. What to look out for: Regional inflation and US ISM non-manufacturing data South Korea CPI inflation (5 October) Japan Jibun PMI services (5 October) Singapore PMI manufacturing (5 October) New Zealand RBNZ meeting (5 October) Philippines CPI inflation (5 October) Thailand CPI inflation (5 October) Singapore retail sales (5 October) US ADP employment, trade balance and ISM services (5 October) Fed’s Bostic speaking event (5 October) Australia trade balance (6 October) Philippines unemployment rate (6 October) Taiwan CPI inflation (6 October) US initial jobless claims (6 October) Fed’s Evans, Cook, Mester speaking events (6 October) South Korea BoP current account (7 October) Regional GIR data (7 October) US non-farm payrolls (7 October) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
NZD/USD: Reserve Bank Of New Zealand Is Expected To Hike The Rate By 50bp

Twitter Stock Price Up, Tesla (TSLA) Down, Elon Musk Has Shaken Up The Stock Market Again!

FXStreet News FXStreet News 05.10.2022 15:51
TWTR closes up 22.2% after Musk agrees to go through with acquisition. Tesla stock falls in premarket on the news. Musk says Twitter is part of his designs for a superapp. If you have been living under a rock for the last 24 hours, you may not have heard that Elon Musk has decided to buy Twitter (TWTR) for the original price of $54.20 agreed to back in April. ...And so our corporate fairy tale finally starts on its road to a conclusion. Musk was scheduled to be deposed later this week, and some pundits think the likelihood of failure in extricating himself from his agreement to buy the social media platform back in April was the major reason for wanting to end the current litigation. Either way, Twitter has agreed to the acquisition, and TWTR stock zoomed up 22.2% to close at $52. Carl Icahn reportedly profited about $250 million by holding onto TWTR when Musk tried to exit the deal in July and shares fell to $31.52. Twitter stock news According to reporting from The Financial Times, Musk's lawyers held a Zoom (ZM) call with Judge Kathaleen McCormick from the Delware Chancery Court and Twitter representatives early on Tuesday. The parties agreed to go through with the original acquisition framework, but Twitter has requested new stipulations on timelines and deliverables. Late Tuesday, Musk's legal team filed its intent with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). The relevant section of the filing reads: "On October 3, 2022, the Reporting Person’s advisors sent a letter to Twitter (on the Reporting Person’s behalf) notifying Twitter that the Reporting Person intends to proceed to closing of the transaction contemplated by the April 25, 2022 Merger Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein and pending receipt of the proceeds of the debt financing contemplated thereby, provided that the Delaware Chancery Court enter an immediate stay of the action, Twitter vs. Musk, et al. (C.A. No. 202-0613-KSJM), and adjourn the trial and all other proceedings related thereto pending such closing or further order of the court." A spokesperson for Twitter stated that the "intention of the company is to close the transaction at $54.20 per share". Now the only thing that stands in the way for the deal going through is ensuring that the financing is there. A number of Wall Street banks had already signed up for $13 billion in financing, which may be more difficult now that interest rates are racing higher. More of the debt may have to come from the banks themselves rather than outside clients. Binance, the crypto exchange, also had agreed to put up $500 million for the deal, and Oracle founder Larry Ellision had said he would put up at least $1 billion. That leaves Musk, who already owns 9.6% of Twitter, to come up with the other $25 billion or so. Plenty of other institutions will likely be brought into the fold, but the market is still thinking Musk will need to sell a further chunk of Tesla stock. TSLA gained 2.9% in Tuesday's regular session, but is off 1.5% in Wednesday's premarket. For his part, Musk decided to forget about his mid-Summer fight over the number of bots on the social network and focus on the possibilities. He posted that Twitter would become part of an "everthing app" called X, which of course reminds one of his vaunted X.com startup that eventually merged to become part of PayPal (PYPL).   Twitter stock forecast Technically, if you buy TWTR stock at $52, then you could make 4% when the acquisition is finalized. With 10-year treasuries still at 3.6% though and Musk requiring financing in a poorer investing climate, TWTR should remain at a discount until the end. Below you can see how both TWTR and TSLA reacted to the news release. TWTR ran up over 22%, and TSLA sold off after adding 2.9% in the regular session. TWTR vs TSLA 1-minute chart for 10/4/22 If this is indeed the end, how did TWTR do as a public company? The answer is: simply awful. If you had bought TWTR near its height in December 2013 (nearly 10 years ago), you would have lost money at Musk's acquisition price. Twitter will continue, but as a public stock it has never amounted to a solid business. Instead it might even be its lackluster corporate prospects that have endeared it to so many fans, myself included. TWTR monthly chart
On the New York Stock Exchange A Lot Of Shares Fell, The Biggest Losers Were Bit Brother Ltd And Avenue Therapeutics Inc

On the New York Stock Exchange A Lot Of Shares Fell, The Biggest Losers Were Bit Brother Ltd And Avenue Therapeutics Inc

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 06.10.2022 08:07
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 0.14%, the S&P 500 fell 0.20%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.25%. The leading performer among the components of the Dow Jones index today was Nike Inc, which gained 2.46 points or 2.78% to close at 91.10. Visa Inc Class A rose 2.02 points or 1.09% to close at 187.67. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated rose 3.90 points or 0.75% to close at 527.07. The biggest losers were Goldman Sachs Group Inc, which shed 5.87 points or 1.86% to end the session at 309.00. Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co rose 1.38 points (1.23%) to close at 110.39, while Dow Inc shed 0.56 points (1.20%) to close at 46 .06. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 components in today's trading were Illumina Inc, which rose 6.56% to hit 218.52, Schlumberger NV, which gained 6.26% to close at 41.57, and Gap Inc, which rose 5.19% to end the session at 9.72. The biggest losers were Lumen Technologies Inc, which shed 9.45% to close at 7.28. Shares of Enphase Energy Inc shed 9.25% to end the session at 261.60. Quotes Vornado Realty Trust fell in price by 6.38% to 22.47. The leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Chardan Nextech Acquisition 2 Corp, which rose 102.63% to hit 21.54, Nauticus Robotics Inc, which gained 96.27% to close at 6.32. , as well as shares of Pineapple Holdings Inc, which rose 93.01% to end the session at 2.76. The biggest losers were Bit Brother Ltd, which shed 42.97% to close at 0.18. Shares of Avenue Therapeutics Inc shed 41.59% to end the session at 8.47. Quotes Scienjoy Holding Corp fell in price by 36.99% to 1.38. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2102) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (991), while quotes of 107 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,313 companies fell in price, 1,443 rose, and 198 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, fell 1.79% to 28.55. Gold futures for December delivery shed 0.28%, or 4.90, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery rose 1.76%, or 1.52, to $88.04 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery rose 2.07%, or 1.90, to $93.70 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, EUR/USD fell 0.96% to hit 0.99, while USD/JPY edged up 0.35% to hit 144.60. Futures on the USD index rose 1.00% to 111.08.   Relevance up to 04:00 2022-10-07 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/295644
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Had Its Best Month | EU Inflation Slowed

Beijing Marathon Came Back, The New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Rose Sharply

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 06.10.2022 09:04
Summary:  Markets gyrated rather wildly yesterday as a strong September ISM Services saw US treasury yields jumping back higher and challenging the narrative that has developed this week of “central bank pivot.” Alas, equities and sentiment were able to overcome the surge in yields and the US dollar interestingly followed the direction of sentiment rather than yields. The next test for sentiment, the US dollar and global yields will be tomorrow’s US September jobs report ahead of earnings season, which will kick off next week.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities were selling off yesterday with S&P 500 futures declining as much as 1.8% before erasing most of the losses which was a strong given the US 10-year yield rallied higher to 3.75%. The ISM Services Index was incredibly strong yesterday suggesting the US services sector remaining robust despite tighter financial conditions which maybe reduces the risk of negative earnings surprises during the Q3 earnings season. This morning S&P 500 futures are trading above the 3,800 level again with the 3,820 level being the natural resistance level on the upside to watch. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index took a pause after yesterday’s 5.9% rally. I traded lower in the morning but pared losses after returning from the mid-day break to little change from the previous close. Wharf Real Estate (01997:xhkg) and Cathay Pacific (0293:xhhg) were among the best performers, up by 4.8% and 3.5% respectively. Automakers were laggards, with leading names falling from 2.5% to 7%. The stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen remain closed for a national holiday. USD and US yields/risk sentiment The US dollar very correlated with the direction in risk sentiment yesterday, and less so with the direction in treasury yields, which rose quite sharply yesterday, at first helping to support the greenback as sentiment was spooked by the comeback in yields as strong data challenges the “central bank pivot” narrative afoot this week. But the big USD weakened later in the session as US equities closed near the highs and followed through weaker still overnight on a further brightening of sentiment. EURUSD is a microcosm of the general USD direction and will be a bellwether pair to watch after parity was nearly touched over the last couple of sessions before the action swooned to below 0.9850 briefly yesterday and a subsequent rally retraced about half of the sell-off into this morning. Gold (XAUUSD) Gold trades higher after briefly dipping to and finding support at $1700 during Wednesday’s round of fresh dollar strength. Supported by hopes that central banks will begin to ease away from the tightening of the last many months after at least one weak US data point this week, saw yields a bit lower and precious metals surging. The move through the key 1,680-1,700 area on Monday will be further solidified on a break above 1,725, the 50-day moving average, and not least the recent high at 1735. OPEC’s decision to cut production thereby forcing prices of energy higher will only add to concerns about central banks' ability to get inflation under control before an economic slowdown forces a rethink on rates, a development that may end up adding additional support to gold and silver. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) Crude oil rallied after OPEC+ producers as speculated, decided to cut their baseline production by 2 million barrels per day. A decision that given the undercompliance from several major producers, including Russia, Nigeria and Angola would likely translate into a somewhat lower impact of around 1 million barrels per day. Cutting production at this time is somewhat controversial given the fact the price has not fallen much below the 90-100 Brent range that seems to be acceptable to most producers. What makes this cut even more difficult to understand from a supply and demand perspective is the comment from Novak that Russian production may fall further over the coming months. This decision risks agitating the US while potentially leading the FOMC to keep tightening for longer as inflation will become stickier. The result being a global economic slowdown that may end up taking longer to reverse. HG Copper (HGZ2) Copper as well as zinc trade higher after the London Metal Exchange said it would restrict deliveries from Ural Mining & Metallurgical. The industry has been grappling with the question of how to handle supplies from Russia - a major producer of aluminum, nickel and copper - since the invasion of Ukraine in February, and the debate has intensified over the past month.  Copper traded in New York trades near a one-month high at $3.57 with the news offsetting continued worries about demand amid a global economic slowdown, not least in China and Europe. Next level of interest being the September high at $3.69. US treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields jumped above 3.75% at one point yesterday, up 20 bps from the recent lows, in the wake of a stronger than expected Sep. US ISM Services survey and as the private ADP payrolls came in solidly in line with expectations, with upward revisions. The cycle high of 4.00% that was posted during the wipeout in the UK gilt market is the next focus if the bond market remains weak. What is going on? NZD jumps overnight after mixed reaction to latest RBNZ rate hike The NZD rose sharply against the US dollar, challenging the 0.5800 area this morning after a pump-and-dump reaction to the RBNZ’s latest 50 basis point rate hike. Likewise, AUDNZD traded heavily and back toward the pivotal 1.1250 area that was a major resistance point on the way up. Improved global sentiment may be a driver here, as was a rather rosy speech on the prospects for New Zealand avoiding a recession from NZ Deputy Prime Minister Robertson overnight. Better than expected US September ADP payrolls change…but this does not matter much In September, U.S. businesses added 208k jobs according to the ADP report. This is more than the consensus of +200k and higher than in August (revised up from +132k to +185k). The biggest gain was in trade, transportation and utilities (147k) ahead of professional and business services and education. On the downside, annual pay growth for job changers went through its biggest deceleration in the three-year history of the data (from 16.2 % to 15.7 %). Should we be worried about this data? Not much. The ADP report hasn’t been the best gauge of the U.S. labor market (even with the recent change in the methodology). Strong September US ISM Services survey challenges “pivot” narrative US ISM services softened slightly to 56.7 in September from 56.9 previously, but was far better than expectations of 56.0. New orders slowed to 60.6 from 61.8, but that is a very strong reading. Two of the more positive points in the survey were: the ISM Services employment jumped in September, from 50.20 in August to 53 points. The second one: the services Prices Paid has fallen six months in a row, to the lowest level since January 2021. This means inflation is likely to move lower. This is a rather positive report after a number of negative statistics earlier this week (sharp drop in ISM Manufacturing employment, much lower job openings and bad construction spending).  Hawkish Fed refrain remains the same The Fed's Daly (voter in 2024) noted that the Fed is resolute at increasing rates into restrictive territory before holding rates there for a while, pushing back on talk of a Fed pivot. She added that she doesn’t see a rate cut happening next year “at all”. Raphael Bostic (2024 voter) sounded similar notes, saying he favors lifting the benchmark to between 4% and 4.5% by the end of this year, and hold it there. The November 6 Beijing Marathon marks the return of large public events The 2022 Beijing Marathon is scheduled for November 6 and registration has started. The event will allow 30,000 runners to compete in Beijing after being canceled in 2020 and 2021. It will be the largest public event being held in the Chinese capital city since the Winter Olympics. Residents from other mainland Chinese cities other than Beijing however are not allowed to attend. Residents of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, and foreigners plus invited “elite” athletes are allowed to participate. The US plans to further restrict China’s access to its semiconductor technology It is reported that the US Commerce Department will launch additional regulations this week to further restrict the exports of semiconductor technologies to China. What are we watching next? Risk sentiment recovers despite new surge in yields on strong US data – next test for treasuries/USD/risk sentiment is on September jobs report tomorrow Equity markets launched an impressive recovery yesterday despite the fresh surge in US treasury yields after the release of the strong ISM Services survey. It's hard to believe the comeback can extend aggressively if strong jobs data tomorrow leads to a further surge in yields. The Sep. Nonfarm payrolls change is expected at +260k after +315k in August and the Average Hourly Earnings are seen rising +0.3% MoM and +5.0% YoY – the latter would be the slowest pace of wage growth since December. Fed speakers up this evening Fed members have been rather consistent with a drumbeat of calls for staying on course with further rate tightening. In light of the recent batch of mixed data that has helped push US 2-year treasury yields some 20 basis points lower from their nearly 4.25% peak, it will be interesting to watch the next few Fed speakers of note, which today includes two FOMC voters who are speaking more generally on the economic outlook, including Cleveland Fed President Mester and the Board of Governors’ Waller – see calendar below. Earnings to watch Today’s earnings focus is Conagra Brands which is US processed foods company. Analysts expect revenue growth of 7% y/y in FY23 Q1 (31 August) and stable operating margin of 17.6%. The company has seen its growth rate slowly increase over the previous quarters and with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis there might be an upside surprise in today’s earnings result. Today: Seven & I, Conagra Brands, Constellation Brands, McCormick & Co Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 0830 – UK Sep. Construction PMI 1130 – US Sep. Challenger Job Cuts 1130 – ECB Meeting Minutes 1230 – US Weekly Initial Jobless Claims 1250 – US Fed’s Mester (Voter) to speak 1300 – Poland Central Bank governor Glapinski press conference 1315 – US Fed’s Kashkari (voter in 2023) to speak 1400 – Canada Sep. Ivey PMI 1430 – US Weekly Natural Gas Storage Change 1535 – Canada Bank of Canada Governor Macklem to speak 1700 – US Fed  Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app:   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-oct-6-2022-06102022
Asia Morning Bites: Focus on Regional PMI Figures, China's Caixin Manufacturing Report, and Upcoming FOMC Minutes and US Non-Farm Payrolls"

Chevron Corp Was The Top Gainer Among The Components Of The Dow Jones Index

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 07.10.2022 08:31
At the close on the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones fell 1.15%, the S&P 500 fell 1.02%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.68%. Chevron Corp was the top gainer among the components of the Dow Jones index today, up 2.89 points or 1.82% to close at 161.42. Quotes of Caterpillar Inc rose by 0.43 points (0.24%), closing the session at 178.81. Home Depot Inc rose 0.54 points or 0.19% to close at 290.39. The losers were 3M Company shares, which lost 4.05 points or 3.52% to end the session at 111.12. International Business Machines was up 2.79% or 3.51 points to close at 122.23 while Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc was down 2.74% or 0.91 points to close at 32.25. Among the S&P 500 index components gainers today were DexCom Inc, which rose 4.53% to hit 95.21, APA Corporation, which gained 4.15% to close at 42.20, and Occidental Petroleum Corporation, which rose 4.07% to end the session at 70.50. The biggest losers were shares of Carnival Corporation, which shed 6.19% to close at 6.97. Shares of SolarEdge Technologies Inc lost 5.96% to end the session at 220.27. Shares of Generac Holdings Inc fell 5.59% to 168.69. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Green Giant Inc, which rose 168.57% to 1.88, Atlis Motor Vehicles Inc, which gained 95.45% to close at 24.49. as well as shares of InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp, which rose 83.03% to close the session at 7.98. The biggest losers were Jowell Global Ltd., which shed 45.36% to close at 1.53. Shares of Cyclerion Therapeutics Inc lost 37.57% to end the session at 0.59. Quotes of Top Ships Inc decreased in price by 35.22% to 6.40. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2114) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (997), while quotes of 125 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,093 stocks fell, 1,655 rose, and 252 remained at the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 6.90% to 30.52. Gold futures for December delivery added 0.07%, or 1.20, to $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery rose 1.30%, or 1.14, to $88.90 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery rose 1.57%, or 1.47, to $94.84 a barrel. Meanwhile, on the Forex market, EUR/USD fell 0.87% to 0.98, while USD/JPY edged up 0.35% to hit 145.13. Futures on the USD index rose 1.03% to 112.15.   Relevance up to 05:00 2022-10-08 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/295838
Assessment Of The Chances Of A Future Rate Hike By The ECB| Lowering GDP Forecasts

Assessment Of The Chances Of A Future Rate Hike By The ECB| Lowering GDP Forecasts

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 07.10.2022 09:06
Summary:  U.S. stocks and bonds sold off after Fed officials reiterated the Fed’s determination to raise rates and keep rates restrictive. USDJPY returned to trade above 145, testing the Japanese authorities’ resolve to defend the yen and its yield curve control policy. AMD’s miss in Q3 revenue pre-announcement, followed by Samsung’s profit warning, is a precursor to what’s to come in the upcoming earnings season. Today, all eyes are on the U.S. employment report as a next test for the Fed pivot narrative that had developed this week before the pushback seen from Fed commentaries. What is happening in markets? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) declined in a light volume session U.S. stocks declined on Thursday, giving back further the rally earlier in the week. S&P500 dropped 1%, with 10 out of 11 sectors in the red with the exception of the energy sector which benefited from a 1.4% rise in WTI crude to USD89.1. Tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 was down 0.8%.  Hawkish Fed official commentaries kept investors cautious of taking on risks ahead of the employment report today and the CPI release next week.  The trading volume was light.  Twitter (TWTR:xnys) fell 3.7% as investors awaiting Musk’s acquisition of the company to complete. Social networking site Pinterest (PINS:xnys) surged 4.8% and game software developer Take-Two Interactive (TTWO:xnas) climbed 3.5% on analyst upgrades. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD:xnas) plunged nearly 4% during the extended-hour trading after the chip maker announced preliminary Q3 sales missing expectations.  U.S. treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) cheapened on hawkish Fed official commentaries U.S. treasuries bear flattened on Thursday as the front end of the curve got cheaper on more pushbacks from the Fed’s Cook, Kashkari, and Waller to the idea of a Fed pivot.  Traders have taken the terminal Fed Fund rate expectation back up to 4.57% and a 77% probability of a 75bp rate hike in the November FOMC. 2-year yields surged 11bps to 4.26% and 10-year yields climbed 7bps to 3.82%.  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) took a pause after a strong rally the day before The Hang Seng Index took a pause after yesterday’s 5.9% rally, trading side-way throughout the day and finished 0.4% lower after a failed attempt to climb to positive territory in the early afternoon.  In anticipation of eventually removing all pandemic control restrictions for people arriving in Hong Kong, shopping malls, retailers, and airlines gained. In addition, the Hong Kong Government plans to give away 500,000 free air tickets to attract travellers to visit Hong Kong. Wharf Real Estate (01997:xhkg), which owns commercial properties, gained 4.7% and was the best performer in the benchmark index.  Chow Tai Fook, a jewelry retailer, climbed 1.4%. Cathay Pacific (0293:xhhg) gained 3.5% and China Eastern Airlines (00670:xhkg), China Southern Airlines (01055:xhkg), and China Airlines (00753:xhkg) surged from 5.7% to 6.9%. Automakers were laggards, with leading names falling from 2.5% to 7%. Despite the latest research note from a major U.S. investment bank forecasting a 30% drop in Hong Kong’s residential property prices on higher interest rates, shares of local developers finished the day with modest gains.  On the other hand, CIFI (00884:xhkg) tumbled 15.3% as the mainland China developer is in discussion with banks about posting an interest payment.  Alibaba (09988:xhkg) shed 1.2% following the news that the Shanghai Municipal Government removed Alipay from its list of high-tech companies which are entitled to tax benefits because Alipay failed to meet the requirement on spending on research and development.  The dollar rose on higher bond yields The DXY rose 0.9% to 112.2 on higher U.S. bond yields, gaining against G10 currencies.  The Aussie dollar sold off to 0.6410, approaching its September 28 ow of 0.6363. USDJPY moved back up to above 145, testing the Ministry of Finance’s resolve to cap the depreciation of the Yen. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) The energy market tightness concerns continued to underpin further gains in the oil market, with WTI futures now rising towards $89/barrel and Brent above $94 following a 2 million barrels/day cut announced by OPEC+. Other supply issues are also at play with European sanctions on Russian oil coming into effect this quarter, but the US may opt to release more from its strategic reserves to offset some of this decline in supply. Metals gain as LME places restrictions on Russian copper, zinc and aluminium The London Metal Exchange said it will restrict deliveries of some Russian metal. Starting immediately, metal from UMMC or its Chelyabinsk Zinc unit can only be delivered to LME warehouses if the owner can prove it won’t constitute a breach of recent sanctions on the firm’s co-founder, Iskandar Makhmudov. The industry has been grappling with the question of how to handle supplies from Russia - a major producer of aluminium, nickel and copper - since the invasion of Ukraine in February, and the debate has intensified over the past month. HG Copper (HGZ2) rose to a near one-month high of $3.59 before reversing gains later as a strong dollar weighed on investor appetite.   What to consider?   Fed officials reiterated hawkish comments With the markets anticipating a Fed pivot sooner rather than later, Fed members continue to send stronger hawkish signals with the clear message being higher for longer interest rates. Minneapolis President Kashkari (2023 voter) said the Fed is “quite a ways away form a pause in rate hikes” and “not seeing evidence that underlying inflation peaked”. Governor Cook said “restoring price stability likely will require ongoing rate hikes and then keeping policy restrictive for some time”. Fed Governor Waller joined the chorus saying that the Fed needs to continue to raise rates into early 2023. Charles Evans also reiterated that the Fed is heading to 4.5-4.75% by spring, and another 125bps of rate hikes is seen over the next two meetings. ECB minutes suggest inflation concerns The ECB minutes from the September 7-8 meeting were released, and suggested that another big rate hike after the last month’s 75bps move is in the cards. There was broad consensus that the key policy rates are still below neutral. While the assessment of economic performance sounded bleak, taming inflation remained the overarching objective and therefore further tightening is still expected. Markets currently fully price a 50bps rate hike for October, and an increasing chance of another 75bps move as well. Hong Kong’s PMI fell to the contractionary territory in September The S&P Global Hong Kong PMI fell to 48.0 in September from 51.2 in August, returning to the contractionary territory for the first time since March this year when Hong Kong was hit hard by an outbreak of COVID-19.  The S&P Global Hong Kong PMI surveys activities in manufacturing, wholesale, retail and services, and construction.  Among the sub-indices, the new order sub-index fell the most to 46.1 in September from 51.3 in August.  The new export orders sub-index deteriorated further to 45.9 from 47.4 in the prior month.  The output sub-index fell to 47.3 from 52.2 and the employment sub-index declined to 48.3 from 48.6.  Advanced Micro Devices (AMD:xnas) announced preliminary Q3 sales missing expectations AMD pre-announced Q3 revenues at around USD5.6 billion, much below its previous guidance of about USD6.7 billion. The company cited weaker demand for PC and a build-up of inventory in the PC supply chain for the poor performance. Later on, in the Asian session, Samsung pre-announced a weaker profit for Q3 as well, signalling the margin squeeze that is likely to become broader into the Q3 earnings season. Samsung said Q3 profit is likely to fall 32% as demand slumped. The World Bank cut India’s growth forecast by 1% point to 6.5% The World Bank reduced its forecast for India’s GDP growth in the year to March 2023 by 1% to 6.5%, citing a slowdown in the global economy and rising interest rates. This comes despite a double-digit growth in the April-June quarter and RBI’s 7% growth forecast for FY 2023, and generally reflects the tough global macro environment, along with some pullback in consumption as RBI raises rates. US NFP data key for markets The payrolls data is due in the US today, and it is likely to give out further signals on the tightness in the labor market even if we see some slight cooling in the headline print. Bloomberg consensus estimate stand at gains of 255k for September from 315k last month, with unemployment rate and average hourly earnings steady at 3.7% and 0.3% respectively. The annual rate of wage growth is expected to cool a notch. Initial jobless claims rose to 219k after a sub-200k print last week, but it does not feed directly into the NFP. With markets at the edge on whether to price in further Fed tightening or not, even a slight miss in the NFP data could result in some more calls of a Fed pivot, and greater Fed pushback will be needed to pushback easing expectations from 2023 market pricing.     For a week-ahead look at markets – tune into our Saxo Spotlight. For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-7-oct-2022-07102022
The Commodities Feed: Stronger Oil Prices Boost US Oil Production and Supply

What Would Be The Best Cocktail Of US Job Data Today That Investors Wish For

Swissquote Bank Swissquote Bank 07.10.2022 10:21
Equities retreated, the US yields and the US dollar rebounded as more Federal Reserve (Fed) members threw hawkish comments to defend their fight against inflation. Shell warns of weak Q3 The S&P500 closed 1% lower, while Nasdaq slid 0.68% despite being more sensitive to rate hikes. The US short-term yields rose, and the dollar index gained. Gold eased, while oil extended gains. Yet the rising oil prices fuel inflation and Fed expectations and certainly don’t do good to the overall market mood. Also, Shell warned investors that the Q3 results won’t be as breathtaking as the Q2, as the weaker gas trading and weaker refining will be reflected in the latest quarter earnings. Today, the US will announce its latest jobs data in a tense and volatile environment of energy crisis, persistent inflation, Fed members insisting that what they are doing is right, and markets crying that what they are doing is maybe a bit too much.   A mix of soft data Investors will be watching three main elements. The NFP data, the unemployment and participation rates, and the wages growth. Expectation for today is a NFP read of around 250K, unemployment rate at 3.7%, and wages growth of around 0.3% over the month. A mix of soft data will likely see a bullish kneejerk reaction, as investors are turning more concerned about the aggressive Fed tightening and are ready to bet that the rate hikes would slow down in the next few meetings and even stop, while a strong data could trigger a further selloff, as it would fail to keep the aggressive Fed hawks at bay. Watch the full episode to find out more! 0:00 Intro 0:34 Market update 2:00 Shell warns of weak Q3 2:54 Twitter jitters weigh on Tesla, but… 4:06 What’s the tasty mix of US jobs data look like? 9:03 BoFA thinks S&P500 valuations remain high 10:12 And the rising sovereign debt levels? Ipek Ozkardeskaya  Ipek Ozkardeskaya has begun her financial career in 2010 in the structured products desk of the Swiss Banque Cantonale Vaudoise. She worked at HSBC Private Bank in Geneva in relation to high and ultra-high net worth clients. In 2012, she started as FX Strategist at Swissquote Bank. She worked as a Senior Market Analyst in London Capital Group in London and in Shanghai. She returned to Swissquote Bank as Senior Analyst in 2020. #US #jobs #data #NFP #unemployment #wages #Fed #USD #Gold #XAU #crude #oil #Shell #XOM #OccidentalPetroleum #Twitter #Tesla #ElonMusk #GBP #UK #gilt #LizTruss #BoE #SPX #Dow #Nasdaq #investing #trading #equities #stocks #cryptocurrencies #FX #bonds #markets #news #Swissquote #MarketTalk #marketanalysis #marketcommentary ___ Learn the fundamentals of trading at your own pace with Swissquote's Education Center. Discover our online courses, webinars and eBooks: https://swq.ch/wr ___ Discover our brand and philosophy: https://swq.ch/wq Learn more about our employees: https://swq.ch/d5 ___ Let's stay connected: LinkedIn: https://swq.ch/cH
Hungary's Budget Deficit Grows, Raising Concerns Over Fiscal Targets

Samsung And Its Decline In Operating Income| Credit Suisse Is Trying To Buy Back Credit

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 07.10.2022 11:08
Summary:  Risk sentiment was wobbly yesterday, as yields continued to rise, with late Fed speakers in the US yesterday continuing to deliver a hawkish message. The US dollar has come roaring back, especially against the smaller currencies, ahead of today’s September US jobs report. Given Fed forecasts that it will continue to tighten even if unemployment were to begin rising, we may be some months from a pivot in the Fed’s message.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities retreated yesterday with S&P 500 futures declining 1% yesterday as US bond yields are coming back higher towards the 4% as the US economy is still looking robust despite tighter financial conditions. S&P 500 futures are continuing lower this morning trading around the 3,740 level with the 3,700 level being the next natural gravitational point for the market on the downside. US Nonfarm Payrolls for September is of course today’s main event but it will probably not move much unless we see a big surprise to average hourly earnings figure m/m. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Hang Seng Index sank for the second day in a row after the sharp rally on Wednesday. Chinese EV stocks tanked, with Li Auto (02015:xhkg) tumbling 16.1%, and Nio (09866:xhkg) and XPeng (09868:xhkg) down from 7% to nearly 9%. Investors were concerned about the severe competition in the EV industry with new entrants to the market and rising battery costs. China developer names plunged from 2% to 11% across the board as sentiment was clouded by CIFI’s (00884:xhkg) discussion with banks about posting an interest payment and a 2-notch downgrade to Caa1 by Moody’s for the developer’s senior unsecured debts. Hang Seng Index lost more than 1% by mid-day. Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges are closed for a national holiday and will return on Monday. USD and US yields/risk sentiment The US dollar bounced back strongly yesterday on the supportive combination of weak risk sentiment and higher US treasury yields, with EURUSD all the way back to 0.9800 this morning after flirting with parity just a couple of sessions ago. The USD strength was most pronounced against the smaller currencies with a pair like AUDUSD trading near the cycle low below 0.6400 ahead of the US jobs data. That combination of higher US yields and weak risk sentiment provides the strongest support for the greenback, with a strong US jobs report the most likely spark for a further rise. Very interesting ahead of the weekend that USDJPY remains pinned near the critical 145.00 level ahead of the US jobs data – will we see a volatility event and official intervention if strong US jobs data sends the pair over the edge? Gold (XAUUSD) Gold eased back lower on the fresh rise in US treasury yields and a stronger US dollar, but the retracement of the recent massive rally off the cycle low of 1,1615 has been fairly shallow, with the first support zone of note into 1,680-1,700 area. The most significant challenge to gold would be a strong US jobs report and further USD strength, but a full reversal of the latest rally wave would require a significant plunge. To the upside, the next resistance of note is the 1,1734 level (61.8% retracement of the big sell-off wave into the lows) and then the huge 1,800 area and pivot high of 1,808 in August. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) The energy market tightness concerns continued to underpin further gains in the oil market, with WTI futures now rising towards $89/barrel and Brent above $94 following a 2 million barrels/day cut announced by OPEC+. Other supply issues are also at play with European sanctions on Russian oil coming into effect this quarter, but the US may opt to release more from its strategic reserves to offset some of this decline in supply. US treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields rose all along the curve ahead of today’s important September US jobs report and the market’s attempts to express hope over the last week that the Fed is set to deliver a pivot to less hawkish guidance. The US 10-year benchmark traded this morning aove 3.80%, less than 20 basis points from the significant 4.00% level that was briefly touched during the UK gilt market wipeout that saw some contagion even into US treasuries. What is going on? AMD blasted on ugly outlook and Samsung shows 11% in operating income Advanced Micro Devices revealed preliminary Q3 sales yesterday ahead of its earnings report in coming weeks. These were at $5.6 billion versus company and analyst estimates of $6.7 billion, an enormous miss.  Weaker demand in the PC market was cited, with writedowns in inventories also playing a role. Shares traded more than 3% lower after hours late yesterday after having lost some 60% from late 2021 highs. Samsung is also part of the semiconductor industry has announced its preliminary Q3 results this morning showing operating income declined 11% as demand for consumer electronics is coming down hard. Fed officials reiterated hawkish comments With the markets anticipating a Fed pivot sooner rather than later, Fed members continue to send stronger hawkish signals with the clear message being higher for longer interest rates. Minneapolis President Kashkari (2023 voter) said the Fed is “quite a ways away from a pause in rate hikes” and “not seeing evidence that underlying inflation peaked”. Fed Governor Cook said “restoring price stability likely will require ongoing rate hikes and then keeping policy restrictive for some time”. Fed Governor Waller joined the chorus saying that the Fed needs to continue to raise rates into early 2023. The Chicago Fed’s Charles Evans (Voter 2023) also reiterated that the Fed is heading to 4.5-4.75% by spring, and another 125bps of rate hikes is seen over the next two meetings. Credit Suisse is trying to bolster sentiment by buying back credit The Swiss-based bank is offering this morning to buy back its own debt up to CHF 3bn. ECB minutes suggest inflation concerns The ECB minutes from the September 7-8 meeting were released yesterday and suggested that another big rate hike after the last month’s 75bps move is in the cards. There was broad consensus that the key policy rates are still below neutral. While the assessment of economic performance sounded bleak, taming inflation remained the overarching objective and therefore further tightening is still expected. Markets currently price heavy odds that the ECB will deliver a 75 bp hike. Hong Kong’s PMI fell to the contractionary territory in September The S&P Global Hong Kong PMI fell to 48.0 in September from 51.2 in August, returning to the contractionary territory for the first time since March this year when Hong Kong was hit hard by an outbreak of COVID-19. The S&P Global Hong Kong PMI surveys activities in manufacturing, wholesale, retail and services, and construction. Among the sub-indices, the new order sub-index fell the most to 46.1 in September from 51.3 in August. The new export orders sub-index deteriorated further to 45.9 from 47.4 in the prior month. The output sub-index fell to 47.3 from 52.2 and the employment sub-index declined to 48.3 from 48.6. What are we watching next? Today's US September jobs report and the fate of the “pivot” narrative Fed speakers of late, including those late yesterday, continue to deliver a consistent message of continuing the current tightening regime, and given the Fed’s forecast that it will continue to tighten even as unemployment begins to rise (September forecasted a rise to a 4.4% unemployment rate next year vs. 3.7% currently), we are likely at least many months from the Fed blinking due to a softening labor market. The Sep. Nonfarm payrolls change is expected near +260k after +315k in August and the Average Hourly Earnings are seen rising +0.3% MoM and +5.0% YoY – the latter would be the slowest pace of wage growth since December. Earnings to watch The Q3 earnings season kicks off next week with the most important day being Friday with seven large US financial institutions reporting. The key focus points will be to what extent US banks are able to increase their net interest margin and the levels of credit provisions. Wednesday: PepsiCo Thursday: Progressive, Fast Retailing, Tryg, Walgreen Boots Alliance, Fastanal, BlackRock, Delta Air Lines, Domino’s Pizza Friday: Shanghai Putailai New Energy, YTO Express Group, PNC Financial Services, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, UnitedHealth Group, Wells Fargo, US Bancorp, First Republic Bank Economic calendar highlights for today (times GMT) 1100 – Mexico Sep. CPI 1230 – US Sep. Nonfarm Payrolls Change 1230 – US Sep. Unemployment Rate 1230 – US Sep. Average Hourly Earnings 1230 – Canada Sep. Employment Change/Unemployment Rate 1400 – US Fed’s Williams (Voter) to speak 1500 – US Fed’s Kashkari (Voter 2023) to speak 1600 – US Fed’s Bostic (Voter 2024) to speak Follow SaxoStrats on the daily Saxo Markets Call on your favorite podcast app: Apple  Spotify PodBean Sticher   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/macro/market-quick-take-oct-7-2022-07102022
Key Economic Events and Earnings Reports to Watch in US, Eurozone, and UK Next Week

The Earnings Season For Large Companies In Q3 Will Have A Negative Surprise

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 07.10.2022 13:02
Summary:  We have long argued that Q3 earnings will disappoint due to margin compression and the energy sector not delivered the same contribution in Q3 as it did in Q2 lifting aggregate earnings. The warning from Shell's CEO and the bad outlook from AMD and Samsung over the past 24 hours are evidence that the Q3 earnings season is most likely going to disappoint. In today's earnings preview we highlight next week's earnings and we also provide our view on the current S&P 500 earnings estimates for next year which we believe are unrealistic given the current macro backdrop. Negative surprises will pop up everywhere during earnings season We have been arguing for quite some time that the Q3 earnings season will surprise to the downside. The recent string of worse than expected results from Nike and H&M, and now also AMD disappointing last night and Samsung this morning missing estimates on Q3 operating income by 12%, are clear signs of what awaits investors. The energy and mining sectors were among the strong contributors in Q2 holding up the aggregate earnings figures, but Shell’s CEO said yesterday that Q3 earnings will be lower q/q due to lower profitability in its refining and chemicals businesses. The list below shows all the most important earnings releases next week. Consumer oriented companies such as PepsiCo, Walgreens Boots, and Delta Air Lines are important earnings to watch for updating our information picture on the consumer amid the cost-of-living crisis. On Friday, several large US financial institutions will report earnings with our focus on JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo. The key things to watch for in US bank results are their ability to increase their net interest margin and the credit provisions. Wednesday: PepsiCo Thursday: Progressive, Fast Retailing, Tryg, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Fastanal, BlackRock, Delta Air Lines, Domino’s Pizza Friday: Shanghai Putailai New Energy, YTO Express Group, PNC Financial Services, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, UnitedHealth Group, Wells Fargo, US Bancorp, First Republic Bank Analysts are too optimistic In our view the bad Q3 earnings season will be a function of both weakening numbers from companies but also unrealistic expectations. The chart below shows the realized quarterly earnings per share for S&P 500 and here we already observe that realized Q3 earnings are behind estimates and that estimates are suggesting strong earnings growth into Q4. This seems very unrealistic to us given the wage pressures that CEOs are complaining about and highlighting as the biggest short-term risk to profitability. The EPS estimates for S&P 500 are $224.98 in 2022 and $243.22 suggesting companies can grow earnings close to trend growth and even expand profit margins to record highs in 2023. We find it very hard to reconcile with the current macro backdrop of tighter financial conditions, war in Ukraine, an energy crisis, and China’s growth slowing down. The high inflation will help revenue growth in nominal terms but it will increase wage demands to offset decline in purchasing power and thus we believe the most realistic dynamic from here is lower profit margin. We expect the net profit margin to decline to 11.3% from 12.6% in 2021 and if apply the estimates on revenue for 20233 of $1801 then our EPS estimate for 2023 is $203.51 which is 16% lower than the current consensus estimate. This translate into a 2023 P/E ratio of 18.4 or earnings yield of 5.4% which one could argue is not an adequate risk premium of US government bond yields and investment grade bonds. One could also argue that the revenue estimate for 2023 is a bit too optimistic as it implies a 4.1% growth rate which might be difficult, but now we are going with this estimate. Dividend futures for 2023 are currently priced at $64.80 which is actually a decline from the expected 2022 dividends of $65.52. A slowdown in dividends is more consistent we our estimate for earnings in 2023 and would take the payout ratio back to 31.9% which again would be closer to the recent average.  Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/q3-earnings-season-kickoff-starts-with-a-warning-from-shell-07102022
At The Close Of The New York Stock Exchange 728 Securities Closed In The Red

US Stocks: Twitter Stock Price Is Like A Highspeed Rollercoaster!

FXStreet News FXStreet News 07.10.2022 15:54
Twitter stock fell nearly 4% on Thursday as the Elon Musk saga continues. TWTR stock now trading nearly 10% below the offer price of $54.20. Twitter still has surged from lows of $41 last week. Read next: Terra's Worker Arrested! White House Comment On The OPEC Decision And Success of Deutsche Bank | FXMAG.COM The will-he-won't-he saga appears to be nearing a conclusion, but it is not over the finish line yet. Market participants and investors look to be doubting the deal if the latest share price movements are anything to go by. Twitter is trading at under $50 now at $49.30 this morning in Friday's premarket. That is a near 10% discount to the offer price of $54.20. Given the deal is due to close shortly, that is a larger-than-usual deal approaching the finish line. Usually, merger arbitrage players would be all over such a discount so near to closure, but this deal has been clouded in uncertainty from the start. Extra caution is obviously being taken in valuing the probability of the deal going through. Twitter stock news Always the risk in writing about this one is that the news changes dramatically and quickly, but the latest appears to be that the Twitter trial date to try and force Elon Musk to go through with his purchase has been delayed to allow the deal to go through by October 28, according to the judge. That appears to be good news. "This action is stayed until 5 PM on October 28, 2022, to permit the parties to close on the transaction," wrote Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware's Court of Chancery. The judge also said if the deal does not close by then, a trial date in November will be set. Various media sources carried news earlier on Thursday that Elon Musk's team had attempted to delay the trial on Thursday, but Twitter responded: "Twitter opposes Defendants' motion...The obstacle to terminating this litigation is not, as Defendants say, that Twitter is unwilling to take yes for an answer. The obstacle is that Defendants still refuse to accept their contractual obligations." Twitter Stock Price - "Technical analysis does not really apply to a merger arbitrage situation" The TWTR stock price is obviously volatile as a result of all this contrasting news and is likely to remain so. Will the deal get finished, and if so when? The risk-reward diminishes near the strike or take-out price of $54.20. Technical analysis does not really apply to a merger arbitrage situation. Twitter stock daily chart
Kiwi Faces Depreciation Pressure: RBNZ Expected to Hold Rates Amidst Downward Momentum

The Chances Of The Fed For 75bp Rate Hike Increased After The Strong Report|European Stock Indices Are In A Downtrend

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 08.10.2022 08:06
Stocks opened lower and Treasury yields rose as the strong report reaffirmed bets that the central bank would continue to be aggressive with its tightening campaign. Odds of a 75-basis point hike increased to a certainty following the report. Aside from the anxiety that usually precedes these numbers, traders had to digest remarks from a raft of Federal Reserve speakers who sounded unequivocally committed to crushing inflation with rate hikes. The hawkish rhetoric helped push the S&P 500 to its second straight day of losses, while lifting the dollar and Treasury yields. Oil topped $88 a barrel. European stock indices are in a downtrend with the target of updating year lows: This is the last jobs report Fed officials will have before their November policy meeting as they consider a fourth-straight 75-basis point interest rate hike. Fresh inflation data coming out next week will also play a fundamental role in their decision making. The report is projected to show the depth and breadth of the Fed's inflation problem, with a key indicator of consumer prices potentially worsening. The Moscow Exchange Index failed to hold above 2,000 and continued its decline: Key events this week: US unemployment, wholesale inventories, non-farm payrolls, Friday Bank of England Deputy Governor Dave Ramsden speaks at event, Friday Fed's John Williams speaks at event, Friday   Relevance up to 17:00 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/323750
German Economy Faces Setback as Ifo Index Plunges in June

On Friday, When NFP Were Released, S&P 500 Lost Almost 3%, Nasdaq Decreased By 3.8%

ING Economics ING Economics 10.10.2022 09:13
A tough day ahead for Asia as markets digest payrolls implications Source: shutterstock Macro outlook Global markets: The US is off for Columbus day today, but Asian markets will still have to adjust to Friday’s payroll-driven market ructions which led to a 2.8% decline in the S&P500 and a 3.8% decline for the NASDAQ. And with US equity futures still pointing to fairly sizeable declines for tomorrow’s open, this looks as if it will be a tough day for Asian markets. The payrolls print, though not far off the consensus call (see below and also this note from our US economist) resulted in further gains in 2Y US Treasury yields (+5.2bp)  and a 5.8bp rise in 10Y bond yields. On average, there were bigger gains in European bond yields on Friday, with 10Y Bund yields up 11bp. The USD strengthened further on Friday. EURUSD fell to 0.9736, the AUD fell to 0.6359, Cable dropped to 1.1073, and the JPY pushed above 145. Asian FX was also down against the USD on Friday, and further losses seem probable today, with the offshore CNH pushing back up to 7.1362 ahead of China returning from vacation today. G-7 Macro: The September non-farm payrolls gain of 263,000 was actually only slightly stronger than the consensus estimate of 255,000, and the drop in the unemployment rate to 3.5% from 3.7% was not hugely significant. Nevertheless, with the market seemingly grasping for excuses for a Fed pivot, this set of data didn’t come close to delivering, resulting in a sell-off for risk assets ahead of the long weekend. It doesn’t look all that likely that this week’s CPI inflation release for September will help much either, with core inflation expected to keep rising, even if the headline rate comes down. There isn’t much out of the G-7 today, though the Autumn IMF meetings start today in Washington. China: The Caixin service-sector PMI fell to 49.3 in September, down from 55.0 a month ago, citing the impact of Covid measures in various cities. Demand for services offered by smaller firms was affected. This could happen again sporadically from time to time. Daily confirmed symptomatic Covid cases are nosing higher again, and at just over 500 are now on a par with the September peak. Singapore: 3Q GDP and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) statement could be out as early today.  3Q GDP is expected to settle at 3.5%YoY, down from the 4.4%YoY growth posted in 2Q.  Robust retail sales and non-oil domestic exports are expected to support growth although momentum is slowing as inflation accelerates and global trade slips.  Meanwhile, the MAS is widely expected to tighten policy further, the 4th tightening this year, as inflation continues to heat up.  The MAS may need to resort to aggressive tightening with adjustments for both the midpoint and slope of SGD NEER appreciation.  Read next: Great Britain Expects Positive Results For Its Economy | FXMAG.COM What to look out for: Inflation reports and the FOMC minutes Indonesia consumer confidence (10 October) Singapore 3Q GDP and MAS statement (10-14 October) Australia Westpac consumer confidence (11 October) Philippine trade balance (11 October) US small business optimism (11 October) Japan machine orders (12 October) India PPI inflation (12 October) US PPI inflation (12 October) Bank of Korea decision (12 October) FOMC minutes (13 October) Japan PPI inflation (13 October) US CPI inflation and initial jobless claims (13 October) China trade balance, CPI and PPI inflation (14 October) Korea unemployment (14 October) US retail sales and University of Michigan sentiment (14 October) Read this article on THINK TagsEmerging Markets Asia Pacific Asia Markets Asia Economics Disclaimer This publication has been prepared by ING solely for information purposes irrespective of a particular user's means, financial situation or investment objectives. The information does not constitute investment recommendation, and nor is it investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Read more
China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang Downplayed Russia’s Invasion Into Ukraine

Putin's Reaction To The Outbreak | 36.4% Less Passenger Travel In China

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 10.10.2022 09:22
Summary:  S&P 500 plunged 2.8% following a decline of U.S. unemployment to 3.5% in September, signing a tight labor market and providing cover for the Fed to front-load larger rate hikes. U.S. treasury yields and the dollar continued to charge higher. The AUD dollar fell to a 2.5-year low. WTI crude jumped 5.4% as the OPEC+ production quota cut continued to linger. The U.S. tightened its restrictions on the export of semiconductor technology to China. Putin called an emergency meeting with his Security Council. What is happening in markets?   Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) retreated on a hot labour market After a stronger-than-expected payroll report and a decline in the unemployment rate to 3.5%, U.S. stocks slid throughout the session and managed only to bounce slightly from the lows toward the market close.  S&P 500 plunged 2.8%, with all 11 sectors of the benchmark declining.  The information technology and consumer discretionary sectors fell the most, down 4.1% and 3.5% respectively. On the back of a 5.4% jump in crude oil prices during the day, the energy sector was the best performer, losing only 0.7%. Nasdaq 100 tumbled 3.9%.  Advanced Micro Devices (AMD:xnas) fell the most among the NDX constituents, down 13.9%, following slashing over USD1 billion from its revenue guidance for Q3. Close behind was another semiconductor name, Marvel Technology, falling 11.7%. Intel (INTC:xnas) and NVIDIA (NVDA:xnas) plunged 5.4% and 8% respectively.  The Biden administration issued new rules to restrict American companies from exporting advanced chip equipment to China.  CVS Health (CVS:xnys) plunged 10.5% after being downgraded to a worse-than-average quality rating from Medicare Advantage’s Star Ratings and on its plan to acquire Cano Health (CANO:xnys).  Trading desk talks suggested large short-selling initiated in financials while short-covering was prevailing in the energy space. This week could be another pivotal moment for markets with the U.S. earnings season kicking off, the September FOMC minutes, and the US CPI. U.S. treasury yields (TLT:xnas, IEF:xnas, SHY:xnas) climbed from 5bps to 7bps across the curve on the fall in the unemployment rate to 3.5% U.S. treasuries sold off on the larger-than-expected +263K print of the non-farm payrolls and the 3.5% unemployment rate (vs 3.7% expected), with the belly of the curve being hit most.  5-year yields jumped 7bps to 4.14%, while 2-year yields climbed 5bps to 4.31% and 10-year yields moved up 6pbs to 3.88%.  The money market curve now prices in a 75bp hike almost a done deal for the November FOMC. The cash treasury bond market is closed on Monday for Columbus Day (but U.S. stock exchanges are open).  Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) fell in light volume with China property and EV stocks underperforming Hang Seng Index sank for the second day in a row after the sharp rally on Wednesday, falling 1.5%. Chinese EV stocks tanked, with Li Auto (02015:xhkg) tumbling 14.8%, Nio (09866:xhkg) plunging 10.5%, and XPeng (09868:xhkg) moving down 6%. The collapse of EV stock prices contributed significantly to the 3.3% decline of the Hang Sent Tech Index (HSTECH.I).  Investors were concerned about the severe competition in the EV industry with new entrants to the market and rising battery costs.  China developer names plunged from 2% to 9% across the board as sentiment was clouded by CIFI’s (00884:xhkg) discussion with banks about posting an interest payment and a 2-notch downgrade to B3 (long-term rating) and Caa1 (senior unsecured debts) by Moody’s. CIFI and Longfor (00960:xhkg), each tumbled over 8%.  Turnover in the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong hit a new 2022 low at HKD57 billion. Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges were closed for the National Day holiday the whole last week and are returning today.   Australia’s ASX200 (ASXSP200.1) tipped to open the week lower, while focus remains on commodities The ASX200 charged 4.5% last week outperforming global markets, with the rally being supported by commodity prices moving higher, including iron ore. On Monday the Futures indicate the market could fall 0.9% following Wall Street. Trading screens will likely be in the green (black) in the commodity sector, after the oil price rallied 4.7% to $92.62. A focus will also be on iron ore companies as after China’s markets reopen after a weeklong holiday, and China is the largest buyer of iron ore. It’s also worth noting the US listed BHP closed just 0.8% lower on Friday, outperforming US equites. Other stocks to watch might include; Karoon Energy (KAR), after Brazil agreed to lower the royalty rate on the company’s Bauna project. Core Lithium (CXO) and NRW Holdings (NWH) will also be in focus after NRW’s Primero won a contract for Core Lithium’s plant. And Tabcorp (TAH) will also be in view for traders, after investing $33 million for a 20% equity stake in Dabble Sports.  The U.S. dollar climbed modestly on higher bond yields Higher bond yields lifted the dollar, seeing DXY 0.4% higher to 112.795.  USDJPY hovered above 145 but is yet to make a decisive upward move again to test the resolve of Japan’s Ministry of Finance.  EURUSD weakened -.5% to 0.9744 and GBPUSD declined 0.7% to 1.1089. The Australian dollar (AUDUSD) fell to a 2.5-year low, as the Fed gained more ammunition to hike   The AUD/USD fell 0.7% to 0.6361, which is its lowest level since April 2020. This follows the US jobs report coming out on Friday, which gives the Fed more ammunition to rise rates. Keep in mind, a currency generally appreciates when its central bank rises rates. This is in deeded one of the key reasons why the USD is marching up. And when you compare the Fed’s hawkishness to the RBA’s fresh dovish tone, it makes this currency pair an interesting one to watch, particularly with this week’s US economic data and Fed speeches on tap. On the weekly chart it could worth watching the support level at perhaps 0.61670.   Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOX2) surged more than 5% The front-month contract of WTI crude gained 5.4% to USD92.64 despite a modestly higher U.S. dollar. The production quota cut last Wednesday continued to provide support to crude prices.  Since OPEC+ announced the production quota cut, WTI crude oil prices have risen 7.7%.  While many news headlines say it is a production cut of 2 million barrels, we want to clarify here that the 2 million barrels number is referring to the quota, not production.  However, 15 out of the 23 oil-producing countries involved produced below their current levels of allocated quotas in September 2022. 13 of these oil-producing countries produced less oil in the last month than the reduced quotas to be implemented in November.  In other words, the reduced quotas will cut oil production in 10 countries if they adhere to cap the quota.  Having said that, the cut will still be about 1.3 million barrels a day effectively and it is still substantial, from Saudi Arabia (552,000 barrels), UAE (171,000 barrels), Iran (150,000 barrels), Kuwait (144,000 barrels), Libya (100,000 barrels), Iraq (69,000 barrels), Algeria (43,000 barrels), Gabon (28,000 barrels), South Sudan (21,000 barrels, and Oman (21,000 barrels).   What to consider?   US Unemployment Rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 3.5% Nonfarm payroll growth lowered to +263K in September, down from August’s +315K but slightly above the median forecast of +255K of Bloomberg’s survey.  Major areas of strength in the establishment report (i.e. payrolls) were healthcare, leisure, and hospitality while trade and transportation employment was weak. The market moving part in the cluster of data was the 0.2pp decline in the unemployment rate to 3.5% in September from 3.7% in August which the market had expected unchanged at 3.7%.  Part of the fall in the unemployment rate was attributed to a 0.1pp decline in the labor force participation rate to 62.3% from 62.4%. Investors and trades are concerned about the inability of the participation rate to sustain its rally toward 63 or higher so as to dampen upward pressure on wages. Average hourly earnings came in as expected at +0.3% M/M and +5% Y/Y.  FedEx’s ground delivery unit expects a slower volume ahead FedEx Ground, the ground delivery unit of FedEx (FDX:xnys) said in a statement that they are expecting “weakening macroeconomic conditions are causing volume softness. The unit is working with its customers on the latter’s projected shipping needs and making adjustments.  The U.S. tightened restrictions on exporting semiconductor equipment, components, and high-end chips to China The U.S. Department of Commerce rolled out new regulations last Friday to prohibit American companies from exporting to Chinese companies advanced semiconductor equipment and components that can be used to make equipment without first applying for a license from the Department of Commerce effective immediately. The Department of Commerce’s new rules bans U.S. persons from providing support to the development or production of semiconductors at Chinese semiconductor facilities without a license from the Department of Commerce.  The Department of Commerce also tightened the Foreign Direct Product Rule to restrict China from obtaining advanced microchips that can be used in supercomputers and artificial intelligence applications from American companies as well as foreign companies that rely on American technologies. Tourism data was weak for the National Day Golden Week holiday in China According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, domestic trips and revenues for the period from Oct 1 to 7 were 18.2% and 26.2% lower than those in the same period last year respectively.  According to estimates from the Ministry of Transport, the aggregate number of passenger trips via roads, railways, waterways and aviation from Oct 1 to 7 was 255.5 million trips or 36.5 million trips per day on average, which was 36.4% lower than that in 2021. Putin is chairing a meeting with his Security Council on Monday Russian President Putin is going to chair a meeting with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council today. It was apparently in response to the explosion two days ago that seriously damaged the Kerch bridge which links Crimea with Russia.   For a global look at markets – tune into our Podcast.   Source: https://www.home.saxo/content/articles/equities/market-insights-today-10-oct-10102022
European Markets Face Headwinds Amid Rising Yields and Inflation Concerns

Apple's (AAPL) Changes In Its iOS Expected To Affect Meta (FB) Revenues

ING Economics ING Economics 10.10.2022 14:33
Social media companies have suffered heavily in the recent stock rout. Recent revenue trends contribute to this. Some companies will be impacted by declining advertising revenues more than others, caused by changing policies around the use of cookies The Nasdaq index, which is dominated by technology companies, has lost about -27% of its value over a year Equity returns of social media companies have been dreadful lately The technology sector is not immune to the severe economic disruption caused by the war in Ukraine and rising energy prices. The Nasdaq index, which is dominated by technology companies, has lost about 27% of its value over a year. This loss is larger than the Dow Jones index which is traditionally more focused on industrial companies. The Dow Jones index has lost 15% of its value in a year. However, there are many underlying differences within the technology sectors, pointing to a divergent impact. Social media companies rely on advertisers The business model of many internet companies depends on advertising revenues. This holds especially true for some companies that are well-known online, such as Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp), Alphabet, Amazon, but also Snap, Pinterest and Twitter. For example, about 81% of revenues at Alphabet are from advertising, according to Moody’s. The revenues of these companies have exploded as many advertisers have moved their advertising budgets online. This move has been compounded by the relatively high effectiveness of online advertising. Western Europe advertising expenditure (US$bn) Source: Magna Global, S&P Global Market Intelligence The outlook for advertising revenues has deteriorated As shown by the figures above, advertising expenditures allocated to time-based, or linear, audio-visual media is expected to be moved towards digital media. From 2016 to 2025, advertising spending on linear media is expected to decline by 29% according to Magna Global, while advertising spending on digital media is expected to more than double in the same period. Revenue growth at the digital platforms is therefore not only driven by market growth but mostly by shifting advertising preferences. The bigger advertising agencies have so far not announced any weakness in advertising revenues. According to Bloomberg, the consensus expectation for Omnicom’s organic 2022 revenue growth is still around 3%. Publicis raised its expectation for organic 2022 revenue growth on 21 July, to which the equity market reacted strongly positive. The fact that these companies did not report disappointing revenues can be explained by the fact that the budgets the agencies work with have been committed beforehand. By comparison, ads on technology platforms are often sold through an auction. This real-time process makes the pricing of ads much more susceptible to a drop in demand. Something we see happening now. In addition, agencies are making their way into this new domain of online advertising. Publicis made some acquisitions and is working with an ID-based solution to track online advertising performance. Quarterly revenue developments online advertising companies (YoY) Source: Refinitiv Eikon   Recently, however, many social media companies have announced that they expect their advertising revenues to decline. Meta announced a small year-on-year decline in 2Q revenues by -0.9%, while its historical average quarterly growth rate has been 35.8% since 2015. This is the first time the company has reported negative quarterly revenue growth. Alphabet announced an overall revenue increase of 12.6% in 2Q22, but the company mentioned that its advertising segment is facing headwinds, while cloud is doing well. Snap announced a 2Q22 revenue increase of 13%. The company had indicated already in May that growth would be below the initial guidance of 20-25% growth for 2Q22. Nevertheless, the strong secular growth in online advertisement demand could mask the effects of an economic slowdown. Most companies are still reporting revenue growth, despite headwinds. However, when online advertising becomes more mature, it can no longer take market share from linear advertising budgets while it relies more on growing advertising budgets. Therefore, at some point in the future, growth rates of digital advertising revenues should come down while the industry becomes more prone to economic cycles. For now, online advertisers are still grappling with the effects of policies that intend to increase the privacy of citizens. Apple has restricted the online tracking of users In the summer of 2021, Apple started to significantly restrict the ability of advertisers to track the behaviour of users. Apple introduced a new privacy feature for iOS devices that limits app developers to target users as well as to measure ad performance. Companies that relied on such tools, such as Meta and Snap, have been impacted to a larger extent than advertisement companies relying on other means, such as advertisement income from search ads. In its 4Q21 earnings call, Meta announced that it expects the changes in iOS to have an impact on 2022 revenues of about $10bn. We could see more barriers raised to target specific users Apart from changes made at Apple, Google is also planning to phase out mechanisms that track user behaviour through cookies. There is an industry-wide awareness that users are increasingly concerned with the information collected by technology platforms. The introduction of cookie legislation as well as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) have also contributed to this. Google, for example, plans to introduce a new tool which should replace cookie tracking. It has been delayed now to next year. Nevertheless, there are many ways to segment users to be able to target ads. However, this is costly and easier for some than others. Some advertising agencies are also uncertain about the potential impact of restricting cookies. S4 mentions in its 2021 annual report that: “Google’s announcement that it will be blocking third-party cookies by 2023 (delayed from 2022) presents both a significant opportunity and challenge to the group, given that several of our programmatic activities are built on top of the third-party cookie”. In any case, new technology has to match the appropriate regulations such as GDPR. There are also other issues. People use multiple devices interchangeable, which makes it hard for third-party cookies to track consumer behaviour as well as the effectiveness of advertisements. Users may open an email or website on one device and buy the goods or services that are advertised from another device. This reduces the effectiveness of the current systems. Bigger platforms have more opportunities to invest in new technology Other means to place targeted advertisements are possible. Some companies already own specific user data, which makes it easier to sell advertisements targeted at specific user groups. Companies that sell ads based on user search requests still have a straightforward model. It will also be possible to sell ads based on the context it will be shown in. Furthermore, systems could be created around target groups using data in an anonymised way. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge for companies to target specific user groups while also acknowledging privacy regulations that are likely to become stricter over time, because societies seem more willing to implement tougher regulations. And citizens are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their online profiles and are more able to avoid being tracked. So, companies need the financial muscle to keep investing in regulation-proof alternatives. Scale and a large user base make it easier to do so. Alphabet’s division Google announced that it is going to replace cookie tracking. However, the company has postponed the implementation date and has changed the characteristics of the solution that initially was intended to replace cookie tracking. Financial conditions are tightening causing cost reduction efforts Technology platforms are not only faced with revenue headwinds but also their cost of funding increasing. In August 2020, Alphabet issued 2027 notes in dollars at a yield of 0.8%. Today, these bonds have a yield of 4.2%. At the end of August 2021, Netflix's 4.875% 2030 USD notes traded at a yield of 2.37%, while today it yields slightly over 6%. This is happening at a time when interest rates in the broader market are increasing and it implies higher interest costs in the future for companies. The weakening outlook for advertising revenues also reflects a broader weak economic outlook, the catalyst for the equity sell-off, as reflected by equity indices turning lower. According to the Financial Times, investors have been selling private equity and venture capital funds at the fastest pace on record. Because of these tightening financial conditions, technology firms are turning their focus on cash flow generation, as opposed to investing in new ventures with an uncertain and remote pay-off. Snap has announced a reduction of its workforce by 20% and is reprioritising investments. Meta announced a headcount reduction for the first time as well as a sweeping reorganisation. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai hopes to make the company 20% more productive while slowing hiring and investments. Clearly, companies are working hard to make the best out of this situation. Snapchat's parent company Snap is cutting its workforce by 20% due to revenue growth falling below expectations Summary Advertising platforms expect a slowdown in advertising revenue growth because of the expected economic slowdown. This comes at a time when companies are already having to overcome challenges from stricter privacy settings. Over time, the allocation of advertising budgets from linear media to digital media is expected to continue, providing a tailwind to revenues. Nevertheless, digital advertising companies are expected to only grow their revenues in line with market growth and will be more exposed to economic cycles over time. Investments in solutions that can track user behaviour in a privacy regulation-proof way need to continue. But the targeting of narrow audience segments will likely be challenging with regulations becoming stricter. These headwinds are compounded momentarily by tighter financial conditions. Read this article on THINK TagsTechnology Social media NASDAQ 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
S&P 500 ended the session 1.4% higher. This evening Japan's inflation goes public

Stock Market Picture After The Friday's Labour Market Data

Conotoxia Comments Conotoxia Comments 10.10.2022 15:45
It would seem that good data from the US labor market could be a reason for satisfaction, optimism and calming down the already nervous situation on the financial markets. However, this did not happen after Friday's publication, where the stock indices plunged. Good data from the labor market and falls in the US stock market US stock Futures extended losses on Monday, after stronger- than expected US employment data could cause an escape from the stock market. At the end of the US session on Friday, the Dow Jones fell by 2.11 percent, the S&P 500 by 2.8 percent and the Nasdaq Composite by 3.8 percent. Total non-farm payroll employment rose 263,000 in September, the U.S. Department of Labor reported on Friday. This figure was a slight decrease compared to the previous month's increase of 315,000, but it exceeded market expectations. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points compared to August and returned to the July reading of 3.5%. The professional activity rate was 62.3%. The leisure and hospitality sector recorded the largest number of new jobs in September (83,000), followed by healthcare (60,000) and professional and business services (46,000), according to BLS data compiled by BBN. Source: Conotoxia MT5, US500, M30 Good data is bad data? The market seems to be returning to the conclusion that good data from the economy may be bad for the financial markets, as it may mean higher interest rates. In an environment where inflation is at its highest in decades and the labor market is strong, the Fed may not have any brakes on these rate hikes. The market is estimating that at the beginning of November the Federal Reserve may decide on another hike by 75 bp. For Wall Street institutions, this could mean a higher cost of capital and could also lead to further deleveraging. Additionally, the valuation of US equities at 16x (forward P / E for the S & P500) seems to be high with the expectation that the US dollar may bear interest at nearly 5%. in a quarter. Additionally, investments in stocks may not be encouraged by the high level of the VIX fear index, which is in the region of 30 points. To sum up, investors in the stock market may receive increasingly expensive financing at higher risk, while at the same time competition in the form of bonds or even deposits in US dollars could literally grow from the meeting to the Fed meeting. What awaits US stock markets this week? This week, in turn, there may be some important data on inflation in the United States. They may also affect the market expectations as to the strength and scale of possible further interest rate hikes in the US. The data will be released on Thursday 10/13/2022 at 2:30 PM GMT + 2. Did you know that CFDs allow you to trade both lows and increases in price? CFDs allow you to open buy and sell positions, and thus invest with both rising and falling quotes. At Conotoxia, you can choose from CFDs and DMA CFDs on over 4,000 stocks of listed companies around the world. If you want to find CFDs or DMA CFDs per share, just follow 4 simple steps: To access Trading Universe - a modern center of financial, information, investment and social products and services with one Smart Account, register here. Click "Platforms" in the "Invest & Forex" section. Choose one of the accounts: demo or live On the MT5 search for the CFD or CFD DMA action you are looking for and drag it to the chart window. Use the one-click trade option or open a new order with the right mouse button. Daniel Kostecki, director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Cinkciarz.pl investment service) The above commercial publication does not constitute an investment recommendation or information recommending or suggesting an investment strategy within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014 of April 16, 2014. It has been prepared for information purposes and should not constitute the basis for making investment decisions. Neither the author of the study nor Conotoxia Ltd. are responsible for investment decisions made on the basis of the information contained in this publication. Copying or reproducing this work without the written consent of Conotoxia Ltd. is prohibited.
Asia Morning Bites: Focus on Regional PMI Figures, China's Caixin Manufacturing Report, and Upcoming FOMC Minutes and US Non-Farm Payrolls"

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc Was The Leading Gainer In The Dow Jones Index

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 11.10.2022 08:15
At the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones was down 0.32%, the S&P 500 was down 0.75% and the NASDAQ Composite was down 1.04%. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc was the leading gainer in the Dow Jones Index today, up 1.32 points or 4.33% to close at 31.84. Merck & Company Inc rose 2.88 points or 3.29% to close at 90.48. Boeing Co rose 2.11 points or 1.63% to close at 131.90. The losers were Salesforce Inc, which shed 4.65 points or 3.09% to end the session at 145.64. Microsoft Corporation was up 2.13% or 4.99 points to close at 229.25, while Walt Disney Company was down 2.06% or 2.00 points to close at 95. 16. Leading gainers among the S&P 500 index components in today's trading were Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, which rose 4.33% to 31.84, Moderna Inc, which gained 3.44% to close at 123.42, and also shares of McCormick & Company Incorporated, which rose 3.30% to end the session at 75.86. The biggest losers were Wynn Resorts Limited, which shed 12.25% to close at 64.14. Shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc shed 8.33% to end the session at 393.19. Quotes Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd fell in price by 7.91% to 11.88. Leading gainers among the components of the NASDAQ Composite in today's trading were Applied DNA Sciences Inc, which rose 70.97% to 2.12, Immunic Inc, which gained 56.57% to close at 6.20, and also shares of Green Giant Inc (NASDAQ:GGE), which rose 39.26% to end the session at 2.27. Shares of Siyata Mobile Inc were the biggest losers, losing 59.33% to close at 0.12. Shares of Minim Inc lost 29.38% and ended the session at 0.23. Quotes of Acm Research Inc decreased in price by 26.50% to 9.04. On the New York Stock Exchange, the number of securities that fell in price (2031) exceeded the number of those that closed in positive territory (1053), while quotes of 120 shares remained virtually unchanged. On the NASDAQ stock exchange, 2,297 companies fell in price, 1,471 rose, and 191 remained at the level of the previous close. The CBOE Volatility Index, which is based on S&P 500 options trading, rose 3.48% to 32.45. Gold futures for December delivery lost 2.01%, or 34.40, to hit $1.00 a troy ounce. In other commodities, WTI crude for November delivery fell 1.89%, or 1.75, to $90.89 a barrel. Futures for Brent crude for December delivery fell 2.08%, or 2.04, to $95.88 a barrel. Meanwhile, in the Forex market, the EUR/USD pair was unchanged 0.40% to 0.97, while USD/JPY was up 0.27% to hit 145.73. Futures on the USD index rose 0.36% to 113.09.   Relevance up to 05:00 2022-10-12 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/296222
UK PMI Weakness Supports Pause in Bank of England's Tightening Cycle

Inflation Data Will Be An Additional Stimulus For The Fed To Further Raise Interest Rates

InstaForex Analysis InstaForex Analysis 11.10.2022 12:49
Analysts at Goldman Sachs say it is too early to assess a dovish turn in Fed policy as the economic outlook is not bad enough yet and the rate markets remain too volatile. They added that significant rate fluctuations mean that expectations of higher stock returns over relatively safer assets are likely to be lowered. Speculation that the Fed's policy would become more equity-friendly has led to the S&P 500 rising from time to time over the past 12 months. But those rallies have all been sold out and the indicator hit new lows each time. The central bank also appears to be on track to fulfill its fourth straight 75 bp rise at its November meeting. Now, the US stock market is just a few points away from closing at its lowest level since November 2020. It has already fallen 24% this year. Tighter financial conditions, a potential escalation in geopolitical risks, and the current mix of economic growth and inflation have increased downside risk for the stock. Meanwhile, 2-year Treasury yields rose to 4.35% on Tuesday, its highest level since 2007. The reason is fears that US inflation data this week will add more incentive for the Fed to keep raising interest rates. There is also a possible government split in the US midterm elections, but this could lead to stocks performing well after the event as political uncertainty subsides.   Relevance up to 09:00 2022-10-12 UTC+2 Company does not offer investment advice and the analysis performed does not guarantee results. The market analysis posted here is meant to increase your awareness, but not to give instructions to make a trade. Read more: https://www.instaforex.eu/forex_analysis/323963
Bank Of France (BoF) Expects Lower GBP For Q3 And The Situation On Phosphate Fertilizer Mining Industry

Bank Of France (BoF) Expects Lower GBP For Q3 And The Situation On Phosphate Fertilizer Mining Industry

Saxo Bank Saxo Bank 11.10.2022 13:05
Summary:  Sentiment remains wobbly as US equity markets edged toward the cycle lows yesterday, with the interest rate sensitive Nasdaq 100 index even posting a new bear market low as US yields lifted higher once again. Fed Vice Chair Brainard voiced the first cautious comments we have seen in a while on the effects of the Fed’s policy tightening even as she argued that tightening will continue. Ahead of the largest US banks kicking off earnings season on Friday, JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he expects a US recession in six to nine months.   What is our trading focus? Nasdaq 100 (USNAS100.I) and S&P 500 (US500.I) US equities continued lower yesterday with S&P 500 futures touching the 3,600 level again before bouncing back a bit into the close. This morning the index futures are trading around the 3,608 level with the 3,593 level being the key level on the downside to watch. With the US 10-year yield back at the 4% level this morning we expect the pressure to continue in US equities and our thesis is also that the upcoming Q3 earnings season starting this week will lead to earnings downgrades and disappointments in the outlook. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng (HSIU2) and China’s CSI300 (03188:xhkg) Stocks traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses stabilized and traded little changed from yesterday’s closes, with power generation and lithium producers gaining. Guangzhou Tinci Materials (002709:xsec) was 10% limit up and CATL (300750:xsec) rose 5%. CATL preannounced Q3 net income surging 169-200% Y/Y to RMB8.8-9.8 billion. China National Nuclear Power (601985:xssc) surged 7.2% after the company reported a 7.2% Y/Y electricity output growth in the first 9 months of the year. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index continued to slide, falling around 2% with China Internet names leading the charge lower. Alibiba(09988:xhkg), Tencent (00700:xhkg), JD.COM (09618:xhkg), Meituan (03690:xhkg), Bilibili (09626:xhkg) declined from 3% to nearly 9%. USD and US yields/risk sentiment USD strength continues as risk sentiment remains wobbly and the entire US treasury yield curve lifted once again, taking the 10-year treasury yield back to the key 4.00% cycle high area. USDJPY continued its tentative move above 145.00, closing in on 146.00 with no official response yet, while AUDUSD posted impressive new lows near 0.6250 overnight and USDCNH is pushing on the 7.20 level once again – the former range top from 2019 and 2020. EURUSD and especially GBPUSD have some more range to work with before posting cycle lows. The next test for the US dollar will be tomorrow’s FOMC minutes, but the event risk of the week will be Thursday’s September US CPI data point and whether traders feel a single month’s data can meaningfully shift the Fed’s stance, given evidence of a still very tight labor market. Gold (XAUUSD) Gold’s short-covering driven rally from last week continues to fade as the dollar regains strength and the US bond yields return to their recent peaks as the prospect for further and aggressive monetary-policy tightening weighs on the market. The latest COT report covering the week to October 4 showed funds changing their net position from the biggest short in almost four years to a small net long. With renewed dollar strength in focus the risk of fresh albeit more muted short selling exists with gold’s renewed upside push unlikely until the market feels convinced that the Fed has reached peak hawkishness. Support at $1658 with a break below signaling the risk of an even deeper retreat. Focus this week on US PPI and CPI prints. Crude oil (CLX2 & LCOZ2) trades lower on renewed demand concerns Last week’s OPEC driven price jump faded further overnight with the risk sentiment once again souring across markets on worries the global economy, including the US, will face a very challenging 2023. In addition, the authorities in China have signaled there will be no letup in their steadfast belief in the nation’s Covid zero policy, thereby potentially prolonging a slump in demand from the world’s biggest importer. For now, the time spreads in Brent continue to signal tightness with the December contract trading 9% above the June 2023 contract. Monthly oil market reports from the EIA and OPEC on Wednesday and the IEA on Thursday will be watched closely for any changes in the supply and demand outlook. Wheat futures (ZWZ2 & WHEATDEC22) jump to a three-month high The December benchmark wheat contract in Chicago surged to near the daily limit on Monday amid worsening Russia/Ukraine tensions and a worsening US crop outlook. Any slowdown in shipments of high protein wheat from the Black Sea may boost prices further and before the latest escalation shipments from Ukraine are already being delayed as the backlog of outbound vessels awaiting inspection in Istanbul has increased. The Ukraine grain export agreement comes up for renewal next month and with Russia losing the war the risk of further desperate measures may put the deal at risk. The rally in December wheat ran out of steam above $9.45 and may now pause ahead of a key crop report from the US Department of Agriculture on Wednesday. US treasuries (TLT, IEF) US treasury yields continued lifting late yesterday and overnight after a the bank holiday in the US yesterday. This has taken the 10-year treasury benchmark yield back close to the round 4.00% level that is a significant psychological milestone and near the 14-year high for the benchmark. Yields rose even as Fed Vice Chair Brainard voiced the first cautious notes we have heard in a while from an important Fed figure (see more below). The next key test for yields as we believe we are nearing “peak hawkishness” from the Fed soon, is more Thursday’s US CPI data point than tomorrow’s FOMC minutes, which may contain few surprises, given nearly all Fed members are on the same page in supporting the current tightening regime. What is going on? The UK government brings forward its budget plans to 31 October The UK government will announce its fiscal plan at the end of this month, more than three weeks earlier than initially scheduled. The plan is built on the ‘mini-budget’ of 45 billion pounds presented in September. It triggered a rout in financial markets which forced the Bank of England to step in the market. The advance release is aimed to appease markets and to provide insights on how the government will pay for tax cuts and what their long-term impact would be. On 31 October, the Office for Budget Responsibility will also publish its latest forecasts, including an impartial assessment of the macroeconomic consequences of the ‘mini-budget’. Fed Vice Chair Brainard signals peak hawkishness approaching, but still higher for longer rates Lael Brainard sounded a small note of caution on Fed’s tightening, saying that it will take time for rate hikes to bring inflation down while also highlighting slowing growth, cooling labor market and financial vulnerabilities. Still, she reaffirmed that monetary policy will be restrictive for some time. Charles Evans remained in favor of front loading, saying that the Fed should quickly reach levels where policymakers feel comfortable pausing to reduce the risk of overshooting. BoE on course to end buyback operations but announced fresh liquidity measures The Bank of England announced it remains on course to end its temporary buy-back auctions at the end of the week and is switching to liquidity support via expanded collateral repos, also for a limited period to help banks with customers that are not entirely hedged against LDI exposure. Gilts plunged as investors remained worried, with 30-year yields rising above 4.7% and 20-year touching a high of 4.9%. Meanwhile, the medium-term fiscal plan is to be published on October 31, just before the next MPC rate meeting, which at the least means a more informed decision may be possible. The Bank of France lowers its Q3 GDP forecast Yesterday, the Bank of France lowered its Q3 GDP forecast to 0.25 % versus prior 0.3% mostly due to poor industrial activity. Without much surprise, industrial companies are in a tough spot because of the energy crisis, supply chain disruptions, and a tight labour market. So far, the recession is not the central bank’s baseline. However, most economists expect France will not avoid a recession next year (with a drop of GDP between -0.2 % and -0.7 % in 2023 depending on the forecasting institutes). Chicago wheat futures jumped nearly 3% in early trading ... underpinned by concerns over the Russia-Ukraine war slowing grain shipments from the Black Sea region. This after Putin accused Ukraine of orchestrating the explosion on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, a key prestige project for the Russian President. The developments cast even more uncertainty over shipments to the world market through Ukraine’s export corridor in the Black Sea, which comes up for renewal next month. Dozens of grain-hauling vessels are already backing up while awaiting inspection at Istanbul under the terms of the deal. TSMC shares down 8% on more US restrictions on semiconductors The US has added new restrictions on exports of semiconductors used in AI and supercomputing, in addition to new restricti