safe-haven flows

Recession risks drive safe-haven flows gold’s way Oil has worst weekly decline since May Bitcoin tests highest level in a year   Oil Oil prices are declining on fears that a European recession and delayed stimulus from China will spell trouble for the global growth outlook.  Next week, the heads of the major central banks will gather in Portugal and likely signal a commitment to tackle inflation with aggressive rate hikes. Energy traders are worried that the Fed and friends might cripple economic growth in the second half of the year. The upcoming week contains Energy Institute global energy outlook that could become a lot more pessimistic and the World Economic Forum’s New Champions meeting, which will focus on energy transition.     NatGas There was a brief relief with European natural gas prices this week.  The current pullback could easily be disrupted as the supply situation remains very tight.  The risk of outages and increased demand could be triggered by a hot summer, which could send supplies much lower ahead of next heating season.be triggered by a hot summer, which could send supplies much lower ahead of next heating season.     Gold Gold has had a couple of rough months as Wall Street started to price in much more aggressive central bank tightening across Europe. The dollar has been rallying on strong demand for Treasuries as investors worry about the global growth outlook.  After tumbling to the $1920 level, gold is starting to attract safe-haven flows as the stock market selloff intensifies. Gold got an added boost after the Fed’s Bostic said he favors no more rate hikes for the rest of the year. The rebound however lost some steam after the latest PMI data isn’t showing enough weakness in the service sector to warrant a pause. Next week, will be key for Fed rate hike expectations as we get the PCE readings and hear from Fed Chair Powell again.  If swap futures start to believe the Fed will likely deliver two more rate increases, gold could remain vulnerable. However, if risk aversion runs wild, gold could see some flight to safety flows. Gold has key support at the $1900 level and resistance at the $1960 region.  

EIA Crude Oil Inventory Report expected at 11am EST. **Note API reported 4.4million draw last night. Fed’s rate path remains key for gold traders Bitcoin momentum capped on rising expectations BlackRock will get a US Bitcoin ETF approved Oil  Crude prices got a boost after the API report showed stockpiles declined by 4.4 million barrels per day. Energy traders are watching a tug-of-war between bullish bets that stem from expectations that OPEC+ will keep this market tight and as global recession fears grow.  Oil will struggle here if global economies continue to drag here. It seems the news flow is steadily turning to sluggish economic growth and that is bad news for the crude demand outlook. If the next week of economic data suggests the US economy is quickly slowing down, that might trigger a weaker dollar but also calls for a much weaker consumer.   WTI crude looks like it might be stuck in a range a little longer until inventory trends become a little bit clearer.       Gold Gold prices are wavering as global central bank tightening is dragging down stocks.  Gold is starting to see some safe-haven flows despite a global bond market selloff as investors start to plan for medium term dollar weakness.  Gold looks like it might be able to stabilize above the $1900 level even if Wall Street starts to think that the September FOMC will be a live meeting.  Bearish dollar views are growing and that should become stronger once we next week’s inflation report.      Bitcoin  Bitcoin hovers around the $31,000 level as optimism grows that BlackRock will get their Bitcoin ETF done.  BlackRock CEO Larry Fink told Fox Business that “We do believe that if we can create more tokenization of assets and securities – that’s what bitcoin is – it could revolutionize finance.”  This is a major pivot from Fink and provides optimism that other crypto skeptics could change their tune in the near future.   Bitcoin appears to be facing some price barriers ahead of the $32,000 level.  Bitcoin’s performance is gaining attention given some of the weakness that is emerging with global equities.  For the Bitcoin rally to continue, we will need to get a confirmation that the SEC will grant permission for a spot-Bitcoin ETF in the US. Bitcoin remains stuck in a range again, trading between $28,000 and $31,500.       

Traders push back RBA rate hike bets until November WTI and Brent crude implied volatility falls to lowest since 2020 Turkey unloads significant portion of gold holdings The Australian dollar tumbled after the RBA kept rates on hold again and signaled they might be done tightening.  Given most economists expected a hike, aussie-dollar was ripe for a plunge.  US dollar strength also supported the decline after the Treasury increased their net borrowing estimate.     Oil The oil price rally is ready for a break as US stocks soften and the dollar firms up.  August is off to a slow start for energy traders as the outlook on demand could face rising prices.  The oil market will likely remain tight even if the oil giants, like BP start delivering large price increases.  Oil remains one of the most attractive trades and buyers will likely emerge on every dip.   Gold Gold prices are not seeing safe-haven flows as US equities tumble, because the US dollar is catching a bid as yields rise higher.  Gold is going to need to see Treasury yields come down, but that might not happen until the market fully prices all the longer-dated issuance that is coming from the Treasury.  Gold’s moment in the sun is coming, but first markets need to see the bond market selloff end. If bearish momentum remains in place, gold could find major support at the $1940 level. Until we get beyond Apple earnings and the NFP report, positioning might be limited.  

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

UK Mortgage approvals expected to continue to drop No major revisions expected with Q2 GDP report BOE overnight index swaps price in a peak rate of 5.369% at the Feb 1st meeting US Government Shutdown risk remains as Senate negotiators propose stopgap solution The British pound looks like it is heading for a further breakdown as dollar strength appears to be resuming.  Technical traders trying to find a bottom are getting frustrated as oversold conditions deepen and on doubts that a DeMark Buy countdown might yield a meaningful rebound.  The bearish trend has steadily broken below several key technical levels and weekly support from 1.2114 seems to be the next target.         The recent surge with the dollar was also supported by safe-haven flows from rising American government shutdown fears, so a potential stopgap solution could allow for the dollar rally to pause.  After the NY close a tentative proposal between Senate Republicans and Democrats would keep agencies functioning through mid-November. The potential solution fund federal agencies at current levels for another 45 days, with little support given towards Ukraine or disaster relief.  It isn’t clear if they have enough votes to avert an October 1st showdown, but momentum is growing for a band-aid solution. If risk aversion remains the dominant theme of the week, it will be hard for the British pound to find key support.  Unless Treasury yields tumble and disinflation signs grow, short-term dollar strength seems likely.    

FX Daily: Asia in the driver's seat The dollar is softer and pro-cyclical currencies are following the yuan higher after news that China is preparing a CNY 2tn rescue package for the stock market. The BoJ revised inflation expectations lower but signalled further progress towards the target, keeping anticipation for a hike in June alive. We expect New Zealand CPI to be soft tonight.   USD: China and Japan in focus The dollar has been mostly moved by developments from outside of the US since the start of the week. China remains the centre of attention before key central bank meetings in the developed world. Risk sentiment was boosted overnight as the Chinese government is reportedly considering a large CNY 2tn package to support the struggling stock markets. The rescue plan should be mostly targeted to the Hang Seng stock exchange, which has sharply underperformed global equities of late. This is a strong message that conveys Beijing’s intention to artificially support Chinese markets in spite of the deteriorating economic outlook in the region, and it is reported that other measures are under consideration. It does appear a temporary solution, though. Ultimately, stronger conviction on a Chinese economic rebound is likely necessary to drive a sustainable recovery in Chinese-linked stocks. For now, the FX impact has been positive; USD/CNY has dropped to 7.16/7.17 and we are seeing gains being spread across pro-cyclical currencies as safe-haven flows to the dollar are waning. Doubts about the impact of Beijing rescue package’s effects beyond the short-term automatically extend to the FX impact. It does seem premature to call for an outperformance of China-linked currencies (like AUD and NZD) and softening in the dollar on the back of this morning’s headlines. Another important development in Asian markets overnight was the Bank of Japan policy announcement. In line with our expectations and market consensus, there were no changes to the yield curve control, and forward guidance remained unchanged. Inflation projections were revised lower from 2.8% to 2.4% for the fiscal year starting in April. The revision was mostly a consequence of declining oil prices, and the inflation path continues to show an overshoot of the target for some time. All this was largely expected, and markets are focusing on Governor Kazuo Ueda’s claim that Japan has continued to inch closer to the inflation goals, keeping expectations for an eventual end to the ultra-dovish policy stance some time this year. The yen is experiencing a rebound which is likely boosted its oversold conditions. Money markets currently price in a 10bp rate hike in June. Extra help from a declining USD this morning might push USD/JPY a bit lower (below 147) today, but we suspect that markets may favour defensive USD positions as the Fed meeting approaches. Domestically, the only release to watch today in the US is the Richmond Fed Manufacturing index, which will give some flavour about the state of the sector ahead of tomorrow’s S&P Global PMIs. DXY may stabilise slightly below 103.00 once the China-led risk rally has settled.