Category Archive: 4.) Marc to Market

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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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FX Daily, March 28: Prospects for Turnaround Tuesday?

2017-03-28

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2017-03-28

The slide in the US dollar and US interest rates faded in the North American session on Monday. US participants also had a fairly relaxed initial response to news that after years of complaining, the Republicans could not agree on an alternative to the Affordable Care Act.

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FX Weekly Preview: After US Health Care, Now What?

2017-03-27

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2017-03-27

The first quarter winds down. The dollar moved lower against all the major currencies. The best performer in the first three months of the year has been the Australian dollar's whose 5.8% rally includes last week's 1% drop. The worst performing major currency has been the Canadian dollar.

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FX Daily, March 24: Dollar Trying to Stabilize Ahead of the Weekend

2017-03-24

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2017-03-24

The US dollar has been stabilizing over the past couple of sessions. This broad stability of the dollar is impressive because of the questions of the prospects of US President Trump's economic agenda. Expectations for tax reform and infrastructure spending have bolstered investor confidence and helped boost equity prices despite what appears to be stretched valuation.

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FX Daily, March 23: Some Thoughts about the Recent Price Action

2017-03-23

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2017-03-23

The gains the US dollar scored last month have been largely unwound against the major currencies. The dollar's losses against the yen are a bit greater, and it returned to levels not seen late last November. The down draft in the dollar appears part of a larger development in the capital markets that has also seen the US 10-year yield slide 25 bp in less than two weeks. The two-year yield is off 17 bp.

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Status of US Pivot To Asia

2017-03-22

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2017-03-22

AsiaPivot
Pivot still taking place, but without TPP, more militaristic. President Trump seems a little less confrontational toward China. China is unlikely to be cited as a currency manipulator in next month's Treasury report.

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FX Weekly Preview: Divergence Theme Questioned

2017-03-20

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2017-03-20

catlion
Recent developments have given rise to doubts over the divergence theme, which we suggested have shaped the investment climate. There are some at the ECB who suggest rates can rise before the asset purchases end. The Bank of England left rates on hold, but it was a hawkish hold, as there was a dissent in favor of an immediate rate hike, and the rest of the Monetary Policy Committee showed that their patience with both rising price prices and the...

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Oil Supply Remains Resilient, Prices Heavy

2017-03-19

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2017-03-19

Nearly half of OPEC's intended cuts are being offset by an increase in US output. The contango rewards the accumulation of inventories. The drop in oil prices probably weighs more on European reflation story than the US.

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