Market Risk Sentiment Adjusts as Investors Eye US Inflation Data"

At -0.78 (vs -0.83 last week) our Risk Index has pulled back a little from elevated levels indicating significant risk-seeking behaviour by investors. The downward trend in the Index is decelerating.

The pillars of the recent improvement in risk sentiment are (1) slowing US inflation and (2) investors’ hope that the Fed is likely finished hiking rates or very close to the end of its tightening cycle. Some recent events have dented this hope, including rising food prices on the back of El Nino and higher oil prices on the back of Saudi Arabia & Russia deciding to extend their voluntary production cuts.

Higher food & energy prices threaten a re-acceleration in inflation and at the very least high rates for longer or worse a return to Fed rate hikes. Today’s US headline inflation data will be supported by higher energy prices, which will leave investors focusing on the core inflation data for evidence of further deceleration in inflation. Investors are understandably nervous ahead of this data release.

The largest contributors to the rise in our Risk Index were rising Sovereign-EM spreads as well as the outperformance of cyclical stocks by defensive stocks. Rising FX market volatility also contributed to the rise in the Index. Falling credit spreads and gold prices restrained the rise in our Risk Index.

The CAD is the G10 currency most sensitive to our Risk Index, followed by the GBP and EUR. These currencies are negatively correlated with the Index. The JPY & SEK are the most positively correlated currencies with the Index.