Category Archive: 4.) Marc to Market

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FX Daily, April 14: Holiday Markets Remain on Edge

2017-04-14

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2017-04-14

The holiday-induced calm in the capital markets conceals a high degree of anxiety. The investment climate has been challenged by heightened geopolitical risk and unusual complaints about the US dollar's strength from the sitting US President. While sending an "armada" toward the Korean peninsula, the US ordered a missile strike against Syria in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons and dropped the largest bomb in the world on Afghanistan.

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Trade Notes: China and Prospects for a New Executive Order

2017-04-14

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2017-04-14

China's trade concessions seem modest, but little discussion of US concessions. Reports suggest Trump is set to sign a new executive order to investigate trade practices in steel, aluminum, and maybe household appliances. Trade imbalances and floating currencies are not mutually exclusive.

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FX Daily, April 13: Greenback Stabilizes After Trump Induced Slide

2017-04-13

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2017-04-13

The US dollar slid after US President Trump complained about its strength. The sell-off extended into early Asian activity, before stabilizing. It is mixed in late morning European turnover, which is already lightening up due to the extended Easter holiday.

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FX Daily, April 12: Investors Catch Breath, Markets Stabilize

2017-04-12

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2017-04-12

Markets are calmer today. The significant movers yesterday have stabilized. The dollar has been unable to resurface above JPY110, but after plumbing to new lows near JPY109.35 in Asia, the dollar has recovered back levels since in North America late yesterday. The decline in the US 10-year yield was also initially extended in Asia before stabilizing and returning to levels seen in the US afternoon.

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FOMC Minutes Suggest Balance Sheet May Begin Shrinking This Year

2017-04-12

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2017-04-12

FOMC minutes increased likelihood that Fed will begin reducing its balance sheet late this year. There does not seem to be a consensus on other issues. The strength of the ADP report contrasts with softness seen in the ISM and PMI non-manufacturing surveys.

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FX Daily, April 11: Dollar Pushed Lower in Subdued Activity

2017-04-11

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2017-04-11

The US dollar has a slight downside bias today through the European morning. The market does not seem particularly focused on high frequency data, though sterling traded higher after an unchanged year-over-year reading of 2.3%, and the euro traded higher after a stronger Germany ZEW survey.

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Impressive Japanese Flows at the end of the Fiscal Year

2017-04-11

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2017-04-11

Japanese investors bought foreign bonds in the last week of March for the first time in nine weeks. Foreigners bought the most Japanese stocks since last April. The pain trade is for a break of JPY110.

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FX Weekly Preview: A New Phase Begins

2017-04-10

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2017-04-10

There were no celebrations; no horn or trumpets, nary a sound, but an important shift took place last week. The shift was signaled by two events. The first was the US strike on Syria, and the second was investors' willingness to look past Q1 economic data.

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US Jobs Growth Disappoints

2017-04-08

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2017-04-08

The US jobs growth slowed considerably more than expected in March and the disappointment pushed the dollar and equities initially lower. The US created 98k jobs in March, well below market expectations for around 175k jobs.  Adding insult to injury, revisions to the January and February data took off another 38k job.

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Short Note on US Employment Report

2017-04-07

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2017-04-07

The US jobs data is notoriously difficult to accurately forecast consistently.  I do not claim to do so now.  My intent is more modest.  It is simply to point out why I there is risk that the jobs data is disappointing, especially after the stronger than expected ADP estimate. 

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FX Daily, April 05: Dialing it Up on Hump Day

2017-04-05

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2017-04-05

he dollar is practically unchanged against the euro and yen in the first two sessions of the week. The pace can be expected to pick up starting Wednesday. Although the euro slipped through $1.0650, it was not sustained, and on Monday and Tuesday, the euro finished near its highs.

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Inclusion in SDR Does Not Spur Official Demand for the Yuan

2017-04-04

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2017-04-04

China's share of global reserves is in line with expectations prior to its inclusion in the SDR. Three factors influencing allocated reserves - valuation, portfolio decisions, and China's gradual inclusion in allocated reserves. The Swiss franc's as a reserve asset diminished, but the "other" category appeared robust.

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FX Weekly Preview: The Macro Backdrop at the Start of the Second Quarter

2017-04-03

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2017-04-03

The macroeconomic fundamentals have not changed much in the first three months of the year. The US growth remains near trend, the labor market continues to improve gradually, both headline and core inflation remain firm, and the Federal Reserve remains on course to hike rates at least a couple more times this year, even though the market is skeptical. The uncertainty surrounding US fiscal has not been lifted, and it may not be several more months.

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Great Graphic: Emerging Market Stocks

2017-04-01

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2017-04-01

MXEF Index
MSCI Emerging Market Index is up 12.25% here in Q1. The index is approaching long-standing technical objectives. Look for profit-taking ahead of quarter-end as fund managers rebalance.

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Five Keys to Understand Trump

2017-04-01

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2017-04-01

The election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States surprised many people, even seasoned political observers and astute investors. He failed to win the popular vote but did carry the electoral college, which is how the US elects its chief executive. His victory is a bit of a Rorshcach test, where people project the issues that allowed Trump to succeed, with different observers making different claims.

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FX Daily, March 31: Greenback Finishing Weak Quarter in Mixed Fashion

2017-03-31

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2017-03-31

The US dollar fell against all the major currencies in the first three months of 2017. The weakness initially seemed to be a correction to the rally, which began before the US election last year. The dollar recovered in February, in anticipation of a hawkish Fed in March.

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FX Daily, March 30: Euro breaks down against CHF and USD

2017-03-30

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2017-03-30

The EUR/CHF broke down under 1.07. The euro lost against both dollar and franc.

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Cool Video: “Turn Around Tuesday” Call in Early Asia Yesterday

2017-03-29

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2017-03-29

Chandler speaks about US Dollar
I had time this afternoon, as I prepare for my TMA presentation tomorrow night here in Hong Kong, to find my clip from yesterday on CNBC, where I suggested the risk of a dollar recovery after it lost downside momentum in North America on Monday.

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Cool Video: Brexit, Europe and EU Challenges

2017-03-29

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2017-03-29

Marc Chandler
Earlier today, I had the opportunity to discuss the outlook for sterling and the US dollar on Bloomberg TV with Rishaad Salamat and Haidi Lun. It is a momentous day with Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty being formally triggered by UK Prime Minister May, nine months after what was, at least initially, a non-binding referendum.

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